Archives

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 315

Nov11

Day 315 – Reading – John 14, 15, 16, 17.

Read and believe in Jesus!

John 14.  (as well as 15-17) is Jesus’ private teaching to the eleven disciples. Judas has gone, the meal is finished, and before they “sing a hymn” and go out to Gethsemane, Jesus comforts, teaches, promises, and prays for these closest of His chosen men.

Jesus has just told them in chapter 13 that in a little while He would be going away and that they couldn’t follow Him.  When Peter cried out that he would follow Jesus anywhere, even to death, Jesus told him of his failure that very night. (He’s still worrying about this.)

And now, looking at them, Jesus said, “Let not your hearts be troubled.”  He explains (though they do not understand right then) that He’s going away to prepare a “place” for them, but He will come back for them and take them there.

When Jesus told them that they knew the way to where he was going (back to His Father, John 7:33), Thomas asked in panic, “Lord, we do NOT know where you are going. How can we know the way?’  (Hear the anxiety in his voice.)   Gently, Jesus answers that He, Himself, is the Way AND the truth and the life.  That HE is the way to His Father.  “You know Him, right?  You’ve seen Him.”

Now Philip cries, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”

You can almost hear Jesus sigh.  “I have been with you so long, and you still don’t know me Philip?  If you’ve see ME, you’ve seen the FATHER.  I am in the Father, and He is in Me.  My words are His words. My miraculous works are His. Believe me!  I and the Father are one.”

.

Jesus then continues with the amazing teaching about the Holy Spirit in chapters 14, 15, and 16..

  • I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever, even the SPIRIT of Truth. He will dwell with you and be IN you.
  • The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will TEACH you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
  • The Helper, the Spirit of Truth who proceeds from the Father, will BEAR WITNESS about me.
  • It is to your advantage that Jesus “was going away” because then He will send the Helper to you.
  • The Helper will convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment concerning sin.
  • When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will GUIDE you into all truth.
  • He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears, He will speak and will declare to you the things to come.
  • He will glorify Me.

He also speaks of love in these chapters.

  • If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
  • Whoever has my commandments and does them, that person loves me.
  • He who loves me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and show myself to him.
  • If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him.  We will come to him and make our home with him.
  • Whoever does NOT love Me, does not keep My words.
  • As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love.
  • If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love.
  • This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
  • Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends.

.

John 15.

Jesus here gives an illustration of how their relationship with Him should be.

He describes a vineyard. His Father is the Vinedresser – the one who planted and cares for the vines.  Jesus Himself is the true vine (with roots deep into the soil).  They – His disciples and all who follow Him later – are the branches growing out from the vine onto wires to spread them out. From these branches, the grape clusters will grow.

As long as the branches are connected to the sturdy vine, they will bear fruit that will remain and grow until harvest.  But the branches MUST stay connected to the Vine.  If wind or animals/bugs, or even the Vinedresser when He prunes,  separates them from the Vine, they will quickly wither and die.  And of course, no grapes will come from those dead branches.

The Vinedresser does purposefully cut some of the branches off the Vine; those that are withered and do not bear fruit.  He does this so the fruit-bearing branches get more nourishment and produce more fruit.

Jesus uses this as a warning.  “Abide in me and bear much fruit.  Apart from Me, you can do nothing.”

And, “My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

And, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain.”

.

In Chapter 16, as well as explaining the Spirit’s ministry, Jesus tells them plainly that in a little while they won’t see Him. They will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. They will be sorrowful, BUT their sorrow will turn to joy – like a woman in childbirth rejoices when the babe is laid into her arms.

“You WILL rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”

“But…. the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave Me alone.” 

At their confused faces, Jesus says, “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

.

Chapter 17.

This entire chapter is Jesus praying.  THIS is the one we should be calling “the Lord’s Prayer.”  He prays like a priest, standing between God the Father and His own disciples (present and future).  He acknowledges His relationship with the Father, asking that He would glorify the Son (Himself) in order that the Son would bring glory to the Father.

Then Jesus prays for “the people God gave to Him out of the world.” These are the ones who believe in Jesus and the Father, have received His words, and know the truth.

  • “Holy Father, keep them in Your Name, that they may be one, even as We are one.” 
  • The world hates them, as they hated Me. I do not ask You to take them out of the world.  Keep them from the Evil One.”
  • Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. 
  • I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word.” 
  • O righteous Father, even though the world does not know You, I know You, and these know that You have sent me.
  • The love with which You have loved Me, may it be in them, and I in them.”

.

Amen! Thank You, Jesus!

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 312

Nov8

A NEW MONTH!

Day 312 – Reading – Matthew 25

Read and believe in Jesus!

Matthew 25.

Jesus continues His warnings about the end times, this time using parables and illustrations.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins warns about being prepared. Ten young women, bridesmaids, waited at the Bride’s house for the Bridegroom to come, so they could form a procession to the festivities.  These gals waited a long time, all of them napping as it got later and later.  Their oil lamps burned lower and lower. 

Finally, the joyful call that the Bridegroom was coming!  Quickly, they trimmed the wicks of their lamps, and five of them refilled them with oil.  But the other five could not.

They thought they had an adequate supply in their lamps.  They did not bring extra oil.  They did not plan on waiting a long time or persevering through the long night.  When they asked to borrow some from the others, they were denied. Perseverance and faithfulness (the oil) are a personal thing: each must have their own supply in their heart.

“Watch therefore,” Jesus said, “for you know neither the day nor the hour (of the Lord’s coming).”

.

The Parable of the Talents is a similar story about wasting opportunities or being faithful in the Lord’s work until He returns.  A businessman was going on a journey and called His three top servants together to assign work while he was gone. 

To his best worker, he gave a very sizable amount of money to be responsible for – FIVE talents of silver. (One silver talent was equivalent to 20 years’ wages for a common laborer).  To the man’s next best servant, the man gave the responsibility of TWO talents of silver. And to the third man, he gave the oversight of ONE silver talent.  Then the businessman went away, confident his men would do well by him.

The best worker traded on the stock market and doubled his master’s money.

The second-best worker did the same, doubling the two talents he had.

But the third man, fearful of any risk, hid the silver talent safely in a vault in the ground.  He was sure not to lose any of it that way.

When the businessman finally returned, he called all three to account.  He was very pleased with the first two servants’ wisdom and the increase in his money. He praised them and rewarded them handsomely.

But he was very disappointed and angry at the third man.  If indeed the servant knew he was a “hard man” who gathered where he did not sow, should he not have AT LEAST put the talent in the bank where it would have earned interest?  The servant was wicked and slothful, and he was kicked out into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The wait for the Lord’s second coming may seem long (2,000 years?).  But Jesus’ true followers must be faithful, prepared, and working for the Kingdom, as God has enabled them..

.

The illustration of Judgment Day tells us about those who obey or disobey His Commands to love one another (even our enemies). This love reflects God’s great, undeserved love for us and the root of His salvation, planned from before the world began.

At the end, on judgment day, the King will divide the people of all the nations into “the sheep” and “the goats.”  Sheep on the right (the side of blessing) and goats on the left (the side of judgment).  He will bless the sheep and give them the Kingdom that the Father had prepared for them.

Why are we rewarded? they ask.  The King answered, “For when I was hungry, you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”

“When did we do all this?” the sheep asked.

“When you did it to one of the least of these my brothers… you did it to me.”

THEN…

The King turned to the “goats” on His left and said, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!”

‘Na-a-a-a, why?” they asked, and were told that when confronted with the hungry and thirsty, strangers, naked ones, the sick and imprisoned … they – from their hard, selfish hearts – did not assist, supply, or help at all.  And because they did not do kindness to these, they had not done it for the King. 

.

Again, the Lord is interested in our hearts. Do we look for His coming with longing, serving Him no matter how long it takes?  Do we shun laziness, and honor Him always with what little or abundance that we have?  And are we forsaking self desires and from out hearts serving others with love and kindness?

He knows.

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 310

Nov6

A NEW MONTH!

Day 310 – Reading – Mark 13

Read and believe in Jesus!

Mark 13.

Today’s reading is another account of the dire predictions we read about yesterday in Luke 21, and what we will read about again in Matthew 24 tomorrow.  The setting is Jerusalem, mid-week before the horrible time of Jesus’s suffering leading up to His crucifixion on Passover. He has had several encounters with Jewish leaders, who are even angrier now. 

Jesus also spoke some dire things about the future that have made His disciples curious.  When they leave the Temple, one of His disciples comments, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!”

Jesus answers him cryptically, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”  

As they walked through Jerusalem and out the gates, through the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives, I’m sure they were thinking about what Jesus had predicted.  From their viewpoint, they could see the Holy City across the Western horizon, with the Temple prominently standing. All the enormous stones were “golden” in the setting sun.  It was hard to imagine it all in rubble.  (But hadn’t that very thing happened centuries before when Babylon attacked and destroyed the city and temple, taking Israel into exile?  Would that happen again?  (Sadly, yes.)

Sadly, this first part would happen in less than 40 years after Jesus’ warning. The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple buildings by the Roman General Titus occurred in 70 A.D., and thousands of Jews were killed or taken as slaves.

.

As they rested on the Mount of Olives – possibly in the Garden of Gethsemane – the four fisherman brothers (Peter & Andrew, James & John) approached Jesus privately. “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”

They wondered if this would happen very soon, not-so soon, or not for a long while. Should they start preparing? 

,

His answer may have been confusing. 

Jesus begins with warnings, “Beware that no one leads you astray.”  “Don’t be alarmed.”  “Be on your guard.”  “Don’t be anxious.”  “The one who endures to the end will be saved.”

This first section seems to refer to the near future, and the persecution they will suffer after He has departed.  However, it could refer to any suffering by believers throughout the centuries.  There will be “false Messiahs” coming that try to fool believers into believing that He has returned.  There will be earthquakes, famines, and wars between nations, but these are just the beginning.

They are to expect persecution from the Jews and governments (think of all that happens in the book of Acts) as they spread the Gospel.  They will be brought to court to give their testimony.  In those times, the Holy Spirit will show them what to say. 

And they are to expect persecution even from their own families, including being put to death (possibly out of fear for their own lives).

.

In the next section, Jesus seems to be warning believers IN THE END TIMES. (see verse 14, “let the reader understand.)  The Antichrist of the Great Tribulation will act and appear like that historical Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria in the second century B.C., who raided Jerusalem, killing 80,000 Jews, and then set up a statue of Zeus in the temple and sacrificed pigs on the holy altar. 

Jesus, “For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be.  And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved.  (Read Revelation for further details.)  But for the sake of the elect, whom God chose, He shortened the days.”

.

I’m sure the disciples were thoroughly scared by then (I would be).  But Jesus has a little more to reveal.

“After that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.”  (As if they were not fearful enough!)  

“And THEN they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send out the angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.”

.

And as for their “When?” question, Jesus gives an example of the fig tree.  When it begins to leaf out, you know that summer is near. “So, also, WHEN YOU SEE THESE THINGS TAKING PLACE, you know that he (and the Kingdom of God) is near, at the very gates. 

Then, before they can ask further, Jesus answers. “But concerning the DAY and the HOUR… no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”  Only those alive in that final generation will live to see the return of Christ.

And some final warnings, “Be on guard. Keep awake. Stay awake.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 309

Nov5

A NEW MONTH!

Day 309 – Reading – Matthew 23 and Luke 20-21

Read and believe in Jesus!

Matthew 23.

Remember in yesterday’s study, Jesus was confronted with several groups of the Jewish religious leaders with questions meant to trick Him.  Jesus never faltered, and even asked THEM a question that left them stumped.  Then He warned his disciples to “Beware of the scribes/Pharisees for their hypocrisy.”

Now, this chapter is a series of scathing remarks or judgments on those very leaders to warn the crowds and his disciples about their evil ways.

But first, a caveat. Jesus tells his hearers that these leaders do “sit on Moses’ seat.” In other words, the laws they teach ARE holy as God gave them to Moses.  The people are to “practice and observe” what these leaders SAY from the Scriptures, but they are not to imitate what they DO.

Why?  As hypocrites, they “heap heavy burdens, hard to bear, on the people’s shoulders, but don’t lift a finger to help them.   And they “do all their deeds to be seen by others.”  They love the places of honor, the best seats, greetings in the marketplace, and to be called “rabbi.”  “Don’t be like that,” Jesus tells them. “The greatest among you shall be your servant.”

Then Jesus doubles down with seven “woes” or condemnations.

  1. WOE!  Jesus condemned their harsh demands on the people (far above what Moses wrote), and yet they did not observe them.
  2. WOE!  These hypocrites went to great lengths to make a single convert to Judaism, but then made him “a child of the devil” by their excessive demands.
  3. WOE!  These “blind fools” valued gold, offerings, and material objects more than the sacred things of God.
  4. WOE!  These hypocrites tithed minutely on everything, even the herbs they used, but they neglected the weightier things of God’s Law, like justice, mercy, and faithfulness.  They were straining out “gnats” while swallowing “camels.”
  5. WOE!  These blind hypocrites washed the “outside” of their cups and plates in precise, legalistic ways, while allowing the serving pieces to be full of greed and self-indulgence.  “First, clean the inside!” Jesus told them.
  6. WOE!  Jesus told these hypocrites that they were like white-washed tombs.  Pretty on the outside with their self-righteousness, but inside, they were full of “dead bones and uncleanness,” which is what Jesus called their hypocrisy and lawlessness.
  7. WOE!  They were such “false” leaders that they built monuments to honor the prophets of old who spoke God’s truth.  And all the while they were KILLING them because they did not want to hear God’s condemnation. Jesus calls these sons of murderers, “serpents” and a “brood of vipers” and asks, “How are you to escape being sentenced to hell?”  Jesus says HE is sending them prophets, wise men, and scribes, but they will kill and crucify some, and others flog and persecute … so that … on YOU may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from Abel to Zechariah. 

 

Then Jesus turns to his surroundings and weeps.  “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!  How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings … and you would not!

“See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

.

Luke 21.

While some were looking around and speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stores and offerings, Jesus said,  “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”   (Did they think of the first Temple’s destruction and their exile?)

“Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?  they asked, worried.

Jesus:  “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and ‘The time is at hand!’  Do not go after them.  And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.

Then Jesus lists events that will occur before His return.  Some are distant, even to us right now. Others will happen in 70 a.d. when the Romans destroy Jerusalem and the Temple.

.

  • “Nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom.
  • There will be great earthquakes, famines, and pestilences.
  • There will be terrors and great signs in the heavens.
  • Before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and prisons, before kings and governors for My name’s sake. (You will be given wisdom to witness.)
  • You will be delivered up even by parents and relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death.
  • You will be hated by all for My name’s sake.
  • And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its desolation is near.  FLEE to the mountains.
  • There will be great distress upon the earth, and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and be led captive among all nations.
  • And Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
  • There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations because of the roaring of the sea and waves.
  • People will faint with fear and with foreboding of what is coming o the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
  • And THEN they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  When you see this begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, for your redemption is drawing near.
  • Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”

.

Then Jesus turned to them with warning and encouragement.   “But WATCH yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life … that the Day come on you suddenly like a trap.

“Stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place … and to stand before the Son of Man.”

 

(Definitely a serious lesson and it may cause us to be fearful, but TRUST in Jesus, pray, and believe.)

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 303

Oct30

Day 303 – Reading – Luke 18

Read and believe in Jesus!

Luke 18.

In each of Jesus’ parables and teachings, notice WHO He is talking to. 

The Parable of the Persistent Widow is directed to His disciples (going back to 9:22 to verify).  It’s about prayer, persistence in prayer, and faith.

Jesus tells a story about a certain “unrighteous” judge who did not fear God or respect man.  He sounds very self-centered and arrogant.  Each day, this judge heard a request/complaint from a widow about some injustice. He refused to act, probably telling himself there was no benefit to him in doing so.

But she continued to come, day after day after day. He grew tired of seeing her face, of hearing her voice, of her taking up his time.  So finally, to stop her from coming to him, he gave her the justice she requested.  “Finally!” he thought, “I’ll get some peace and quiet!”

After the conclusion, Jesus asked His disciples a question.  “Will not God give justice to His elect who cry to Him day and night?  Will He delay long over them?  I tell you, He will give justice to them speedily.  But… when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”   This suggests that there will be FEW “elect” who have genuine faith in the end times. (such as in the days of Noah). 

.

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector was directed to “those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous.”  You can guess Jesus is talking to and about the Pharisees.

Two men went into the temple to pray: a Pharisee and a Tax collector. 

Here’s how the Pharisee prayed. Standing apart from the others, he said,

“God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like… this tax collector.  “I” fast twice a week. “I” give tithes of ALL that I get.”

Here’s how the Tax Collector prayed. Standing far off, his eyes cast to the ground, and beating his chest in sorrow, he said,

“God, be merciful to me a sinner!”

Looking at those “who trusted in themselves for righteousness,” Jesus said, “I tell you, this (second) man went back to his house justified, rather than the other.”  Can you imagine the objections in the group of listeners?  No way!  That’s impossible!  You’re crazy!  And Jesus reminds them, “Everyone who exalts HIMSELF will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

There is no one truly righteous in themselves. (Psalm 14:1-3) Everyone has sinned. The only hope of justification comes from God to the repentant.

.

This conversation was directed to those around Jesus (bystanders and disciples) as well as directly to a “rich, young ruler” who asked a question – hoping perhaps to outdo the “stuck-up” Pharisees. “Good Teacher, what must “I” do to inherit eternal life?  This man wasn’t a pious teacher of the law, and he certainly wasn’t a hated tax collector. He was just a regular guy (who just happened to have everything – wealth, youth, and power).

Jesus: “Why do you call me good? No one is good by God alone?”  “Was this guy acknowledging Jesus as God? Or was he saying he recognized Jesus as “good” because he, himself, was also “good.”  If so, he was about to be corrected.

Jesus:  “You know the commandments: do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, and honor your father and mother.” Notice that Jesus only quoted those commandments that related man to man.

Ruler: “All these have I kept from my youth.”

Jesus: “One thing you lack. Sell all you have and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have ‘treasure’ in heaven. Then, come, follow Me.”

Hearing this, the rich, young ruler became very sad, for he was “extremely rich.”  Slowly, he walked away.

Jesus then turned and said to those around Him: “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 

His listeners: “Then who CAN be saved?”

Jesus: “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

Peter: “See, WE have left our homes and followed you.

Jesus: “There is no one who has left house or wife or brothers, or parents, or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come … eternal life.”

.

And lastly, Jesus directly tells His TWELVE special disciples (for the third time) what the future holds for Him.

“See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.  He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. He will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. After flogging Him, they will kill Him. Then ON THE THIRD DAY, He will rise.”

But they understood NONE of these things.  It was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what He said.

(Were their minds and hopes too wrapped up in the “glory” of the Kingdom to come?  Did they still imagine Jesus as King and them as His “right-hand men ruling beside Him?”)  

 

(Lord, help me to listen and really hear the things You tell us in Your Word. Please give me wisdom and understanding, a soft heart, and a willing spirit.)

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 302

Oct29

Day 302 – Reading – John 11

Read and believe in Jesus!

John 11.

THIS Lazarus (brother to Martha & Mary) is not the same as the poor beggar, Lazarus, who sat begging at the rich man’s gate, died, and went to Abraham’s side, in yesterday’s reading.  This man is probably the youngest of the three siblings in a semi-wealthy family. Not rich by any means, but owning a house that could accommodate Jesus and His disciples. 

The Setting:  Jesus and His disciples are way North-East of the Holy City, on the other side of the Jordan River. Jesus had barely escaped being stoned to death for blasphemy in Jerusalem by the Jews. He was well aware of the events that must occur before Passover and His death, and He adjusted His ways.  He later referenced this when He said that the daylight was only for twelve hours each day, and He must “work” while it was light, before the darkness came.

Anyway, while there, a message comes to Him from Martha and Mary. “Lord, he whom You love is ill.” There was no demand for Him to come, although it was probably in their hearts.  Just a statement of need.

(Why aren’t our prayers so simple?  Why do we usually try to plan out all the ways God could answer our desperate needs?)

Jesus immediately tells his disciples that Lazarus’ illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, and so the Son may also be glorified through it. They rest at ease.  Jesus loved this family, but He deliberately stayed two more days where he was.  The disciples didn’t question Him.

Finally, another message arrives saying, “Lazarus is dead.” 

Without sharing that news with His men, Jesus announces, “Let us go to Judea again.”  This confounded them.  If He didn’t go when His friend was sick, why was He going now?  It was dangerous there.  He was a “wanted man.” 

“Rabbi!’ they cried. “The jews were just now seeking to stone you, and you are going there again?”

“Our friend, Lazarus, has ‘fallen asleep,’  but I go to ‘awaken him.’“

“Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover!” they cry.

“Lazarus is dead,” Jesus said plainly. “And for YOUR sake, I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.  Let us go to him.”

Thomas, that melancholy disciple, looked around at his fellows and said with a sigh, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

.

By the time Jesus arrived in Bethany (only 2 miles from Jerusalem), Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. When Martha heard that Jesus was near, she went out to meet him.  “Lord! If You had been here, my brother would not have died!” Then she steadied herself. “But even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give you.”

Jesus: “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha: “I know that he will rise again… in the resurrection on the Last Day.”

Jesus: “I AM the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, THOUGH HE DIES, yet shall he live. And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?”

Martha: “Yes, Lord; I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

.

After proclaiming that truth, Martha went to Mary and told her privately (for there were many well-wishers around), that “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”

Mary rose quickly and went to Him.  When she saw Him, she fell at His feet. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  (Surely the sisters had been saying that to each other for days.)

Jesus spoke to Mary much differently than to Martha.  He responded not in an intellectual way, as with Martha, but purely emotionally, like Mary herself.  He was greatly “moved” in His spirit, and wept with her.  “Where have you laid him?” He asked.  “Lord, come and see.”  

.

Jesus was totally overwhelmed again when He arrived at the tomb with Mary.  Martha had gone there earlier. 

Jesus: “Take away the stone.”  (The tomb was a cave with a large stone rolled over the opening.) 

Martha: “Lord, by this time there will be a death odor, for he has been dead FOUR days.”

Jesus: “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

Martha stared at Him a moment, and then commanded that they take away the stone covering the tomb’s entrance.

Jesus looked to heaven and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard me. I know that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that You sent Me.”

Then, He shouted ……. “Lazarus, come out!”

Breathless silence, then…..

The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. (a living mummy)

“Unbind him, and let him go,” Jesus said.

.

Many of the Jews who had come to comfort Mary and Martha SAW what Jesus did, and believed in Him.  However, (HOW CAN THIS BE TRUE???) some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

The chief priests and Pharisees gathered the Council and said, “WHAT are we TO DO?  This man performs many signs. If we let Him go on like this … everyone will believe in Him…. and then the Romans will come and take away both our place, and our nation!”

Caiaphas, the high priest that year, coolly responded, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that …. it is better for you that ONE MAN should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.”

(He didn’t realize that, as high priest, he was prophesying for God, that Jesus would die, not only for the nation of Israel, but to gather into ONE the children of God who are scattered abroad.)

And so, from that day on, they made plans to put Jesus to death.

Jesus, fully aware of His approaching trial and death, went with His men, about 12 miles north of Jerusalem, to a town near the wilderness, until it was time for His triumphal entry into the Holy City as the Messiah.

.

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, people were looking for and talking about Jesus. “What do you think? Will He not come to the festival at all?”

. 

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 301

Oct28

Day 301 – Reading – Luke 16 – 17

Read and believe in Jesus!

Luke 16.

Jesus teaches TWO more in parables, which seem to be about wealth and what one does with it, leading off from the Prodigal Son who wasted half a fortune.

Do the religious leaders who stalk Jesus understand?

Do the crowds hear what He is saying and apply it?

Are the disciples confused?

The first parable seems to be taught to the disciples. 

  • The Dishonest Manager. (Actually, all the characters in this parable are dishonest and corrupt.)  A wealthy man (Rich) had a manager (Manny) who oversaw everything in his master’s estate, including buying, selling, distributing, and collecting debts in his master’s name.   (Think of the righteous Joseph in Potiphar’s house.) Rich had nothing to worry about as long as Manny was on the job. He went out golfing almost every day.
  • But, unknown to Rich, Manny was wasting his wealth by pilfering, embezzling, or just not paying attention. The news reached Rich, and he brought charges against Manny.  He told his worker he had to “turn in the books.”  He was fired.
  • “What shall I do?” Manny asked himself. “I can’t do physical labor” (too fat, with soft hands and flabby muscles), “and I’m ashamed to beg.” (a big shudder)   “I know!” he said at last. “When I’m kicked out here, I’ll find a place among my ex-master’s debtors.”
  • Manny went around with the books and marked their debts as partly paid. No longer did they owe 200 Denarii, but 150, or even 100.  The greedy debtors (Dexter, Daniel, and Debby) gleefully signed the books. “Sure… We’ve got a spare room.  Any time,” they offered. Now both parties were guilty of fraud.
  • Of course, Rick discovered this when he went to collect what was owed. All the bills were signed and stamped, so he could do nothing.  And being a deceptive man himself, Rich recognized and applauded Manny’s shrewdness. (Hear that slow clap?)

Jesus turned to his disciples, who all had puzzled expressions.  “The sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.”

What did THAT mean?

“I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings,”  Jesus continued.

Huh?

Believers are to use their Master’s “money” to gain friends for eternity, by investing in the Gospel that brings sinners to salvation. When believers arrive in Heaven, those sinners will be there to welcome them.

And then, Jesus’ well know declaration: “No servant can serve two masters. He will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.  YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MONEY.”

The Pharisees ridiculed Jesus, of course, because they were lovers of money.

.

The second parable is also about wealth, but how it will fail you in a crucial time.

  • The Rich Man and Lazarus. This parable contrasts two very different men. 
  • One is a rich man (Richie), clothed in purple and fine linen. The other, Lazarus (not Martha’s brother), lay at his gate in rags, covered with sores, which dogs came and licked.
  • Richie ate sumptuously every day. Lazarus desired only to be fed the crumbs that fell from Richie’s table.
  • Eventually, the poor man died. He was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. Eventually, Richie died and was buried. He found himself in Hades, being in torment. 
  • Dimly, Richie could see far off Lazarus with Abraham.
  • “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.”
  •          (Whoa!  Richie still wants to order Lazarus around like a slave!)
  • “Sorry, Charlie (or Richie).  Remember that you, in your lifetime, received GOOD things, and Lazarus in like banner BAD things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish,” stated Abraham.”
  • “And besides all this,” Abe continued, “between us and you, a great chasm has been fixed. Neither we, nor you, can pass from here to there.”
  • Richie wailed. “Then I beg you, Father Abraham, to send him to my father’s house – for I have five brothers – so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment!”
  • (Again with the ordering Lazarus to serve!!)
  • Abraham:  “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear THEM.”
  • Richie: “No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them FROM THE DEAD, they will repent.”
  • Abraham: “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced … if Someone should rise from the dead…..”

.

Luke 17.

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

Jesus: “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would say to the mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

.

Still traveling with his face set for Jerusalem, Jesus entered a village and met TEN LEPERS there.  They stood at a distance (as they should) and cried, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

When Jesus saw them, he said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”  (This is what one who is cleansed from leprosy would do to prove his cleansing.)

As they went, they were cleansed.   One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks. (He was a Samaritan.)

Jesus: “Were not ten lepers cleansed?  Where are the nine?  Was no one found to return and give thanks to God except this foreigner?  Then looking at him, Jesus said, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

.

Some Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come.  Jesus answered, “Behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Then to His disciples he said, “As the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in His day.  But FIRST, He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”

“Just like it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage until the day when Noah entered the ark.  And then the flood came and destroyed them all.”

“Likewise, just like it was in the days of Lot.  They were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. Then, when Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all.   

“So it will be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”

Whoa!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 294

Oct21

Day 294 – Reading – Matthew 17 and Mark 9

Read and believe in Jesus!

Matthew 17 and Mark 9,

After telling His disciples about His soon-to-arrive suffering, death, and resurrection, Jesus says something hard to understand. “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not see death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

Our first thought may be, well, WE are here, 2000 years later, and WE haven’t seen Jesus coming into His Kingdom.  But consider a few other thoughts. Jesus could have been referring to His resurrection.  Or, perhaps the coming of His Holy Spirit at Pentecost was in His mind. 

But most likely, Jesus was referring to His “transfiguration” when Peter, James, and John saw Jesus glorified.  In both Matthew and Mark (and Luke), it’s the very next thing that happened after those words.

Jesus and the disciples were still in northern Galilee around Caesarea Philippi. Mt. Hermon (9,000 ft.) is nearby. Jesus took the “inner-circle” disciples, Peter, James, and John, up into this “high mountain.”

Jesus was “transfigured” before them.  And these three disciples saw Him, in some of His ‘Eternal Glory.’

  • Peter says in his account – 2 Peter 1:16b-18. “…we (3) were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to Him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with Him on the holy mountain.”

Matthew: “His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light.”

Mark: “His clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.”

(Luke: “The appearance of His face was altered and His clothes became dazzling white.”)

Can you imagine?

And THEN, as if this vision was not enough, the revered Old Testament heroes, MOSES and ELIJAH (representing the Law and Prophets), appeared with Jesus.  These two men, whose own deaths are a mystery, were discussing Jesus’ own upcoming “departure,” which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem in just a few months. 

  • What do you think they were saying to Jesus?  How were they encouraging Him, do you think?
  • I believe they were calling to His remembrance all the Old Testament scriptures that pointed to Him – beginning at Genesis 3:15 (which Moses wrote) about the “seed of the woman crushing the head of the serpent.”
  • Did Moses remind Jesus of the “Passover Lamb” whose blood on the doors saved a nation from the death angel? Now He would provide salvation to ALL who believed.
  • Perhaps Elijah brought the prophecy of Isaiah 53 to Jesus’ remembrance, reviewing His upcoming suffering, but also the final reward He would have in the Redeemed Saints He would take to Glory. 
  • Maybe Elijah, thinking of the chariot of fire that took him to heaven, encouraged Jesus that He too would return to His Father by being “lifted up to the sky,” while his disciples watched.

We don’t know. My thoughts are just speculation. But in some way, these Old Testament powerhouses strengthened Jesus for the road ahead, and the “cup” he would drink.

And then…

Peter’s words penetrated all that sweet communion. “Lord. It is good that WE are here. If You wish, I will make three tents here, one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah…!”

But the Father interrupted him, covering the scene with a bright cloud and saying in majesty, “THIS is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, LISTEN TO HIM.”

When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. Perhaps they even fainted, because it took Jesus coming to them, touching them, and saying, “Rise, and have no fear” for them to see that the vision had gone.

On the way down the mountain, Jesus commanded the three, “You are to tell NO ONE about the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”   They kept the matter among themselves, but they didn’t really understand what Jesus meant by ‘rising from the dead.’

###

When they came back to the rest of the disciples, they saw a crowd with them, some Jewish officials, a man, and a very distressed boy.  There was loud arguing by the Jewish scribes, and a great deal of distress in the crowd.

“What’s going on here? What are you arguing about?” Jesus wanted to know.

A man from the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to You, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid.  So….I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.”

Jesus sighed. “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?  Bring him to me.”

They brought the boy to Jesus, and when it saw Him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.  

Jesus turned to the father, “How long has this been happening to him?

“From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him.” answered the man. “But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 

Jesus, to the man, “If YOU can.  All things are possible for one who believes.”

Immediately the father cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

Jesus, seeing the crowd amassing around them, said, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come of of him and never enter him again.”

And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that some said he was actually dead.  But Jesus took the boy by the hand and lifted him up. And he arose.  And all were astonished at the majesty of God. 

Later, in the house, the disciples asked Jesus privately why they could not cast the spirit out.  Jesus confided in them that “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”  

###

A little later, back in Galilee, Jesus was trying to keep His disciples isolated, for He was teaching them. “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days He will rise.”

The disciples were greatly distressed and did not understand what He was saying. And they were afraid to ask Him.  Jesus would keep reminding then of what MUST happen to Him, clear up to the night of His arrest. But they didn’t understand and wouldn’t accept it.   

.

How sweet it must have been to talk with Moses and Elijah on the mountain. They affirmed what was going to happen to Him. And they encouraged Him that indeed, He WOULD rise from the dead, to the glory of God. The plan of salvation, decided on before creation, would be accomplished. Jesus would conquer death and the devil and save His people from their sins.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Days 292 and 293

Oct20

SUNDAY and MONDAY, posted on MONDAY

Day 292 – Reading – Matthew 15 and Mark 7

Day 293 – Reading – Matthew 16 and Mark 8

Read and believe in Jesus!

SUNDAY – Matthew 15 and Mark 7.

The religious leaders are still trying to find something against Jesus so they can arrest Him. They watch him with hawk eyes. 

When Jesus and His disciples came into the marketplace after crossing the Sea, many sick people came to Him and touched Him or His garments. Jesus healed them all, but afterwards, when the hungry disciples bought some items to eat ….  AND ATE THEM …  the Pharisees pounced. 

“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? 

For they do not wash their  hands when they eat.”

The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they first wash their hands, holding to the tradition of the elders. This washing involved someone pouring a specific amount of water over their hands while the fingers pointed upward, letting it drain off at the wrists. Then, the hands would be turned over with fingers pointed downward, and again water would be poured over them.  After that, each hand would rub over the fist of the other. (This was NOT in the law of Moses. It was a ritual added by the uber-strict scribes and Pharisees.  Other similar rituals applied to washing cups and pots and copper vessels …. AND ‘dining couches.’ (Say what?)

Jesus could see the heavy burdens the leaders put on the people (as compared to the light, easy burden He offered them (Matt. 11:28-30), and it made Him angry. 

He fired back at them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;

In vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines. 

the commandments of men.’

“You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of Men.”

Then Jesus went on to reveal just how they did that in other ways.  The Law says that man should honor their parents and take care of them when they age, but these hypocrite Pharisees, say about the money they decided to give to pay their vows (instead of taking care of Mom and Dad), that it was “Corbin.”  This meant it could ONLY be used for sacred purposes.  They get spiritual creds from the offering, and the parents suffer.

“When you do this, you are making void the word of God!”  Jesus called them “blind guides leading the blind.  When this happens BOTH will fall into a pit.

Then Jesus turned from the Pharisees and gathered the people together to teach them just what happens when you “eat with unwashed hands.”

Jesus: “Hear and understand; It is not what goes INTO the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes OUT OF the mouth.”

Peter: “Explain the parable to us.”

Jesus: “Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not see that whatever GOES INTO THE MOUTH passes into the stomach and is expelled? 

They all nod.

Jesus: “But what COMES OUT OF THE MOUTH proceeds from the heart.  THIS defiles a person. For out of the HEART come…..

  • evil thoughts,
  • murder,
  • adultery, 
  • sexual immorality,
  • theft,
  • false witness,
  • slander,
  • coveting,
  • wickedness,
  • deceit,
  • envy,
  • pride,
  • foolishness.  

“All THESE evil things come from within, and THEY defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

.

After this, Jesus went away from Galilee and withdrew north to the (Gentile) district of Tyre and Sidon.  There, He entered a house and did not want anyone to know.  But He could not be hidden. (Not this Light of the world!)

A Syrophoenician woman who lived there and had a little daughter with an unclean spirit heard of Him. She came to Jesus and fell at his feet.

  • The woman: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David, my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon!”
  • Jesus said not a word to her, and the disciples begged Him to send her away.
  • Jesus: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
  • The woman: “Lord, help me!”
  • Jesus: “Let the children be fed first. It’s not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
  • The woman: “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
  • Jesus: “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire. Go your way, the demon has left your daughter.”
  • And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon had gone.

Then Jesus left that area and returned to the Sea of Galilee in the area of Decapolis.  There they brought a man who was both deaf and mute, and begged Jesus to heal him.

In a private area, Jesus put his fingers into the mans ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. The He looked toward heaven, sighed, and said, “Ephphatha!  Be opened!”  The man’s ears were opened and his tongue was released and he spoke clearly.  The people were astonished beyond measure, and said, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!”

Great crowd came to Him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others. They put them at His feet, and Jesus healed them.

And the people GLORIFIED THE GOD OF ISRAEL!

.

###

.

MONDAY – Matthew 16 and Mark 8.

As the news of all the healing spread, a large crowd of 4,000 men gathered.  Again Jesus had compassion on them because they’d been with Him for days now and they had nothing to eat. He didn’t want to send them away, unless they fainted on the way.

Again, as before, Jesus asked them what they had.  This time, the disciples found seven small loaves and a few fish.  Jesus directed the crowd to sit down on the dry ground.  He took the loaves, gave thanks, and broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute.  He did the same with the few fish.

The people ate and were satisfied.  Then, as before with the 5,000, the disciples gathered up the left-overs. There were seven LARGE baskets full.

.

Immediately, they got into a boat and left for the region of Magdala. (near Capernaum).

Stepping off the boat, Jesus and disciples were immediately met by a mixed group of Pharisees and Sadducees, there to once again “test” Him. 

(It was very unusual that these two groups of religious leaders should come together, for they hated each other.  Big thing?  The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of man, and the Pharisees did.)

Anyway, these two groups came to Jesus, asking Him for a “sign from Heaven.”

Jesus reminded them of their lack of discernment.  “When it’s evening and the sky is read, you say ‘It will be fair weather.’  And, when the sky is red in the morning, you say, ‘It will be stormy today.’  You know how to interpret the weather, but not the SIGNS OF THE TIMES!  An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign.  NO SIGN will be given except the sign of Jonah.”

Then they got back into the boat and left for Bethsaida. 

(Did the religious leaders go away scratching their heads?  Jonah?  The prophet who preached in Nineveh? That’s His sign?  Huh??)

In the boat, Jesus looked slowly around at His disciples and said, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees!”

The disciples looked at each other.  Leaven?  Is Jesus mad that we forgot to bring those seven baskets of bread pieces?

Jesus must have sighed.  They were missing the point of the warning!!  “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Don’t you perceive?  Don’t you remember the 5,000 and then the 4,000?  How is it you fail to understand???  I wasn’t talking about BREAD.  I was talking about the TEACHING of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Beware of that!”

At Bethsaida, Jesus healed a blind man. An unusual healing because it was in two steps. First the man got partial healing, seeing people like walking trees, and then was healed completely.

.

Afterwards. Jesus led the disciples north to Caesarea Philipp. (This is the area that Herod Philip ruled.)  As they walked the 25 miles, Jesus asked them a question.

“Who do YOU say that I am?”

Peter answered immediately, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 

“You are Peter, and on this “rock” (your confession of who I am), I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Peter was the first to introduce the Gentiles to salvation).  Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

.

Then Jesus began to teach them that He must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes … and be killed. After three days he would rise again. He said this very plainly.

Peter – the one who just claimed Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God, now took Jesus aside and rebuked Him.  REBUKED the Son of God!!! He said,  “Far be it from You, LORD! This shall never happen to You!”

But Jesus whipped around and said to Peter, “Get behind me Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man!”

And then to them all,

  • “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
  • For whosoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.
  • For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
  • For what can a man give in return for his soul?
  • Whosoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

.

(LORD, know my heart, and convict me. O may I never be ashamed of You. May I have courage to take up my cross and follow You!)

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 290

Oct17

Day 290 – Reading – Matthew 14, Mark 6, and Luke 9

Read and believe in Jesus!

In yesterday’s account in Matthew 10, Jesus called, prepared, and then sent out his twelve “apostles” to the cities of “the lost sheep of Israel” to preach the kingdom. (Later, Jesus will send out 72 others with similar instructions.)

Today, we see the Twelve doing that and then returning.

Mark 6:12-13: “So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.”

And Mark 6:30-31: “The apostles returned to Jesus and told Him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.'”

 

Matthew 14:1-12, Mark 6:14-20 and Luke 14:7-9 all tell the horrible story of how King Herod killed John the Baptist, and then was uneasy, perplexed and not a little afraid afterwards. When he heard that Jesus was going around healing people, his guilty conscience made him fear that this was John the Baptist come back to life!  Herod tried unsuccessfully to “see” Jesus (but didn’t until Jesus was on trial).

Herod Antipas, son of the mega-evil Herod the Great, was ruler (Tetrarch) of Galilee.  Another son of that wicked king was Herod Philip, who ruled the far northern parts of Galilee.  Herodias was the daughter of another son of the evil Herod the Great. When she married Philip, she was marrying her uncle. Then, our Herod Antipas convinced her to leave Philip and marry him, another of her uncles. 

This compounding of incest and having a brother’s wife was gross sin in John the Baptist’s eyes.  He openly and severely rebuked Herod.  Prompted by Herodias, Herod arrested and imprisoned (and later killed) John.

It happened one day when Herod, Herodias, and her daughter were celebrating Herod’s birthday with a grand, and debauched party.  The young and beautiful Salome seductively danced before her step-father. He was entranced, aroused, and probably drunk.  He promised her anything she wanted.         

Herodias told her to ask the king for “John the Baptist’s head … on a platter.”

Yikes!!

Of course, to “save face” in front of all his guests, Herod gave the order.  He was “exceedingly sorry,” because he had enjoyed verbally sparring with John now and then. AND, he knew John was a holy man and was actually afraid of him for God’s word of condemnation he spoke

But a king’s vow cannot be rescinded.  Soon the prison guard carried in John’s bloody head on a silver platter.  

Salome turned her head away, Herodias, smiled wickedly, and Herod probably wretched.  Surely regret and guilt began to eat away his heart. When he heard of the miracles of Jesus, his nightmares seemed to be coming true! “It’s John whom I beheaded, raised from the dead!“

John’s disciples buried his body, and then went to Jesus with the horrible news.

…..

It was about then that the twelve disciples returned from their missionary trip. Their need of rest, and Jesus’ own sorrow for John’s death, led Him to take them across Galilee in a boat to a deserted place. There, he quietly grieved, and taught His men. 

  • At one point, Jesus asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”
  • “John the Baptist!” someone said, no doubt hearing the rumors about King Herod.
  • “Or Elijah.”
  • “Or one of the prophets of old that has risen.”
  • “But who do YOU say I am?” asked Jesus.
  • Peter spoke up. “The Christ of God.“
  • Jesus nodded, but answered Peter sternly, “Don’t spread this around just yet, Peter. Tell no one.  Because…. FIRST I must suffer many things…. be rejected by the religious leaders….. be killed, and on the third day rise.”

…..

They didn’t get much quietness, for when the crowds noticed that Jesus was gone from them, and heard He’d gone across the lake, the rushed as one (gathering more as they went) the 2-3 miles around the shore to Bethsaida. 

When Jesus saw the great crowd coming, He had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He welcomed them, taught them, and healed them.  The day wore on, and soon everybody was hungry.

What to do? 

NOTE:  In tomorrow’s reading of John 6, we will study Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000, and His strong teaching that follows.  For now, we’ll skip it in the synoptic Gospels.

…..

After the collection of the small baskets of leftovers, the people began talking among themselves and looking at Jesus, 

Knowing their hearts, he immediately told the disciples to get into the boat and go to the other side while He dismissed the crowd.  He gently but firmly dismissed them, then slipped away by Himself.  He climbed up into the hills, and began to pray to His Father long into the night.

About three in the morning, way after the boat should have landed on the other side, Jesus saw that they were struggling in a wild and windy sea.  The waves were pushing against the men and the disciples were exhausted from rowing.

Jesus came to them walking on the water. WALKING ON THE WATER!  On TOP of the water!

When the disciples saw Him, their exhausted minds immediately turned to terror. 

“It’s a GHOST!” they screamed.

“Take heart. It’s I. Don’t be afraid,” called Jesus.

“If it’s You, Lord, command me to come to You on the water,” shouted Peter, climbing onto the boat’s rail.

“Come.”

Peter got out of the boat and… walked on the water towards Jesus.  But, when he realized what he was doing, he looked down at the water, and around at the wind… and he began to sink. 

“Lord! Save me!”

Jesus immediately reached out His had and took hold of Peter, saying, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

When they climbed into the boat, the wind ceased.  And the tired but amazed men worshiped him. “Truly You are the Son of God.”

And immediately they were on the other side. As soon as they moored the boat, the people immediately recognized Jesus and began to bring their sick to Him.  And as many as He touched were made well.