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2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 314

Nov10

     Days 314—We are in the ELEVENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

NOTE:  THIS WEEK, the Sunday and Monday studies will be posted separately because they are lengthy.

Day 314 – Luke 22, John 13. (Judas’ betrayal, Passover/Lord’s Supper, Jesus foretells Peter’s denial, Gethsemane, Arrest and trial, Peter’s denial)

Luke’s passage is similar to yesterday’s Matthew and Mark but has a few other details. Verse 3 mentions that Satan entered into Judas. Verse 8 reveals that it was Peter and John who acquired the room for the Passover meal. Verses 24-29 show that the disciples are STILL vying for the chief spots in the Kingdom. Jesus tells them they must be servants first, and that He and the Father have indeed assigned them to sit at His table and on thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

John describes how Jesus illustrates how to be a servant. He removes his robe, kneels, and does the job of the lowest slave: He washes their feet.  Peter objects at first but then tells Jesus He may wash his whole body. Jesus tells the eleven they are “clean” already and just need the dust of the world removed.  Judas, however, is NOT included in this “clean” group.

John also reveals how, when Jesus says one of them will betray Him, Peter signals to John across the table to find out from Jesus who it is, as John is sitting next to Him.  Jesus tells John – and Peter, who is watching – that the next person He gives a portion to is the one. Jesus hands it to Judas. Then, Jesus dismisses the traitor from the group to “do what he must.”

Before Peter can get puffed up, Jesus tells him that HE will deny his Lord that very evening. Peter violently objects, but Jesus tells him He has prayed for Peter, but, before the rooster crows, he WILL deny Jesus THREE TIMES.

(John 14 – 17 recounts the intimate time of teaching and prayer Jesus has with the eleven in the upper room, which we’ll read tomorrow.) 

Then, the company goes to the Mount of Olives – as was Jesus’ custom – to the Garden of Gethsemane. While the disciples sleep, Jesus prays three times that “the Cup” He is meant to drink to the dregs might be removed, But three times, he acquiesces to the Father’s will.

It is Jesus’ human body that shrinks from the coming torture and bearing the sin of the world. His divine nature willingly accepts the plan of salvation that He and the Father planned before the world was created.

Afterward, while his three close disciples joined the others in a post-meal/wine nap, God sent an angel to strengthen Jesus, whose sweat had become bloody with stress and agony.

Then…. it begins. The traitor, Judas, leads a pack of 600+ men/soldiers to the customary place where he knows Jesus will be.  Confirming the sign he’d planned with the Jewish leaders, Judas goes to Jesus and gives Him a welcoming kiss. Jesus calls him “friend.”

Impetuous Peter, perhaps thinking to dispel Jesus’ prediction that he will deny Him, grabs his short sword and attacks the chief priest’s servant, Malchus. He misses the man’s throat and slices off an ear.  Jesus, probably loving Peter even with his misled and violent ways, says to stop. Then He calmly replaces the ear back on Malchus’ head.

Jesus tells Peter that if He chose to, He could ask His Father for 10,000 angels to rescue Him (who could in a single night kill the entire world’s population!).  But how would all be fulfilled? (How would salvation be bought?)

Jesus, knowing what was happening, then asks the crowd WHOM they seek. He is protecting his disciples from arrest, even as they are poised to flee. He wants the mob to state clearly the only person they want. The answer comes, “We seek Jesus of Nazareth.”

“I AM He,” Jesus says, stating His Sovereign-God name. The crowd falls to the ground at its power and awesomeness.  Scrambling to their feet again, Jesus repeats that He is Jesus of Nazareth and willingly surrenders to them, stating that He had been daily in the Temple. They didn’t need to make this midnight raid to arrest Him. (He and they both know that they would NOT have arrested Him during the daylight because they feared what the crowds would do.  Cowards!!)

As they lead Jesus away, the eleven vanish into the trees. One young man (perhaps Mark) is caught by his tunic, which comes off and makes him flee away naked!  It seems John followed the mob at a distance to see what would happen to Jesus.  Peter followed him at a greater distance.  Both men observe the horrendous ordeal that begins for their Master in Caiaphas’s palace….the accusations, spitting, slapping, verbal and physical abuse to which Jesus says not a word. (Only that He IS the Son of God, which causes them to nail down the verdict — guilty of blasphemy.)

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Peter watches in horror and anguish.

“This man was also with him,” says a servant girl, pointing at Peter. “Woman, I do not know Him.”

“You also are of them,” said another a little later. “Man, I am NOT!”

“Certainly, this man also was with Him, for he too is a Galilean,” accused a third.  “Man, I do not know what you are talking about!” (Mark tells us that Peter begins to invoke a curse on himself and to swear he isn’t a follower of this Jesus.)

AND IMMEDIATELY, WHILE PETER WAS STILL SPEAKING, THE ROOSTER CROWED.

And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. (Oh, what a look!!)  And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord.  And he went out and wept bitterly. 

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(We will backtrack a little tomorrow to read about Jesus’ teaching & priestly prayer before they all leave the upper room.)

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 313

Nov9

     Day 313—We are in the ELEVENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

Day 313 – Matthew 26, Mark 14 (Judas’ betrayal, Passover/Lord’s Supper, Jesus foretells Peter’s denial, Gethsemane, Arrest and trial, Peter’s denial)

Today’s and tomorrow’s passages are similar.

Jesus states clearly to His disciples that “after two days, the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” (How plain can He say it?)

The chief priests and elders gather in Caiaphas’s palace and plot to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Him.

Judas goes to them and asks what they will pay him to deliver Jesus to them.  They give him 30 pieces of silver. From that time on, Judas seeks an opportunity to betray Jesus.

Two disciples ask Jesus where He wants them to prepare the Passover. Jesus tells them to find a certain man in the city, one carrying a jar of water (an unusual sight because women usually carry water). They were to ask him where, and he would show them a large upper room furnished and ready.

At the meal, Jesus announces that one of them will betray Him. Eleven disciples exclaim, “Is it I, Lord?” Judas asks, “Is it I, Rabbi?” Jesus answers him, Yes, and dismisses him to do what he must.

Jesus then institutes the Lord’s Supper (Communion), relating the bread to His body and the wine to His blood. Both would be “given” to them at His crucifixion, where the forgiveness of sin would be purchased.  Hereafter, they were to eat and drink these in memorial to Him.

Then, after they had sung a hymn (probably Psalm 118), Jesus announced that they would ALL fall away that very night because of Him. He quotes Zechariah 13:7, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.”  But He tells them AGAIN that He will be raised and that afterward, He will go before them to Galilee.

“Even though they all fall away, I WILL NOT,” declares Peter.

“Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”

“If I must die with You, I WILL NOT DENY YOU,” repeats Peter, and they all join the pledge.

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

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And they went out to the Mount of Olives to a place called Gethsemane….

More tomorrow.

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 312

Nov8

     Day 312—We are in the ELEVENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

Day 312 – Matthew 25 (Kingdom parables, final judgment)

Jesus continues to tell His listeners about the end times using parables. First is the Parable of the Ten Virgins. 

All ten went to wait for the bridegroom to arrive at the bride’s house for the wedding. They were to be the welcoming committee. There was a delay, but at midnight, the call came that He was approaching. All the lamps had gone out while the virgins were sleeping, but FIVE were able to relight theirs and go to meet the bridegroom because they had brought extra oil. They knew the wait could be a long one.

But the other five had not brought extra oil, could not relight their lamps, and could not go to meet Him.  They tried to buy some from the others, but the wise ones had none to spare.  The bridegroom came, the wise five went into the banquet hall with him, and the door was shut. The foolish five pounded on the door and begged to be let in, but the groom’s father said he did not know them.  Yikes. Jesus warns his listeners to WATCH because they don’t know the time of His coming.

In this case, I don’t think the oil represented the Holy Spirit but rather readiness and preparedness.

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The second parable was the Parable of the Talents.  In this one, a man going on a long journey, entrusted his servants with his property.  To one servant He gave FIVE talents (a measure of weight, not a specific coin), to another He gave TWO talents, and to the other He gave ONE. (Not favoritism, but according to each’s ABILITY to handle money.)

The five talent guy traded in the markets and earned five more.  Likewise, the two talent guy doubled  his money. But the one talent guy – lazy, more than fearful – hid the one talent…incase he lost it in a bad stock option.

When the master returned, the five and two talents men were praised and rewarded. However, the one talent man was berated. AT THE VERY LEAST, he should have invested the sum and gained interest – probably not double, but some!  As a penalty, the master gave the one talent to the guy with five. The “worthless fellow” was cast into outer darkness where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The man’s own words condemned him.

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Then, Jesus gives a sheep/goats parable about the last judgment.  He compares all the world’s nations and peoples to sheep or goats.  The sheep are those with kind, love-filled hearts who minister to the poor, sick, and imprisoned with mercy and supplies in Christ’s name.  The goats represent those with hard, selfish hearts, who do not bother to give any help to the weak, sick, and needy.  (Let them go to the poorhouse, as Scrooge said.)

The loving sheep will be blessed with an eternal inheritance prepared for them by God from the foundation of the world.

The selfish, heartless goats will be cursed for an eternity, prepared for the devil and his angels.

(Wow. I need to examine my heart and confess my selfishness!!  And laziness. And unpreparedness.)

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 309

Nov5

     Day 309—We are in the ELEVENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

Day 309 – Matthew 23, Luke 20 – 21 (seven woes to religious leaders, destruction of the Temple, end times)

Several things are repeated in these chapters, but Matthew begins with seven “woes” (or pronouncements) against the religious leaders who do not practice what they preach. Jesus tells the crowd to obey Moses’ Law, which they teach, but do not copy what they do, for they act righteously only to be seen, adored, and respected by others, not God. 

Jesus tells the people that their religious leaders (Scribes and Pharisees) scrub clean the “outsides” of their lives, but their hearts are full of greed and self-indulgence. God views them as white-washed tombs with rotting remains inside. (Whoa!)  Outwardly, they seem righteous, but inside, they are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 

Jesus calls them hypocrites, blind guides, fools, serpents, a brood of vipers, and murderers. And even as they challenge His authority, Jesus turns back their words on them in obvious and condemning parables.  They burn inside and desire to seize Him and kill Him, but… they fear what the people would do to them.  And so, they watch and wait and send spies who pretend to be sincere that they might catch Him in SOMETHING to deliver Him to Pontius Pilate. But it all fails because it is not yet “His hour.”

Later, Jesus tells his disciples (in the people’s hearing) to “Beware the scribes!”

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Jesus uses their admiration of the Temple’s beauty to teach about the coming destruction.  “The days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Perhaps thinking of Jerusalem’s fall at the time of the Babylonians, they ask, “Teacher, WHEN will these things be? What will be the sign?”

Jesus gives them a list of horrors that will come first but are NOT the sign of the end. (Jesus’s prophecies combine the coming destruction of Jerusalem with the end times of all flesh.)  

Many will come saying they are the Christ. (Don’t go after them.)

Wars and tumults will come. (Do not be terrified.)

Nations and kingdoms will war. Earthquakes, famines, and pestilences will happen in various places. There will be terrors and great signs in heaven.  

But, before that happens, they will lay hands on YOU, deliver YOU up to persecute and imprison you. But use it as an opportunity to bear witness.  Settle in your minds not to meditate beforehand how you will answer, for the Spirit will give your mouth wisdom.

When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies…KNOW that desolation is near. Leave the city and flee to the mountains. For there will be great distress and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and be led into captivity.  And Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.  (This last could be describing 70 AD when the Roman general, Titus, destroyed the city and led many Jews away as slaves who had not escaped.)

Then Jesus looks more to the future.  “There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When you see these things begin to happen… straighten up and raise your heads… because your redemption is drawing near.”

Jesus then warns them to watch themselves, and not let sin or cares distract them. “Stay awake at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Did they even understand what He was saying?

Do we?

 

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 307 and 308

Nov4

     Days 307 and 308—We are in the ELEVENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

NOTE:  Both Sunday and Monday studies are posted on MONDAY.

Day 307 – Mark 11, John 12. (triumphal entry cleanses the temple, about His death and the reason foretold)

Six days before Passover, when Jesus will be crucified, he visits His friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus (whom He had raised). As usual, Martha was serving, Lazarus was reclining at the table with Jesus, and Mary – quite unusually – took a jar of expensive ointment and anointed Jesus’ feet, wiping the excess with her hair (a sublime gesture of love, and as Jesus says, a sign of his upcoming burial).  The fragrance from the perfume and her act of love “filled the house.”

All the disciples objected, but Judas spoke aloud. “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to…. the poor? (He didn’t care about the poor. He had charge of the moneybag and was a thief. He wanted to help himself to some of the hard cash the ointment would have brought.)

Jesus rebuked his words (and the other disciples’ thoughts). “Leave her alone so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.  You always have the poor (Judas!), but you do not always have me.”  (Later, we will see that Judas used this rebuke as a final excuse to go to the Jewish leaders and “sell” Jesus to them in betrayal.  He WOULD get some money one way or another!!)

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The next day, a large crowd heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. They took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him.  Meanwhile, Jesus sent two of His disciples into the village, where they found a donkey colt tied up (Matthew says the colt’s mother was there, too) They were to bring it to Jesus. If anyone questioned their actions, they were to simply say that the Lord needed it (and that it would be returned).

They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it. Jesus mounted it and started into the city, where the waiting crowds cheered. They waved palm branches and threw them on the street so He could ride over them.

(NOTE: Remember, this young donkey had never been ridden before, and from one who has owned horses, I can tell you cloaks thrown over his back, wild cheering, and palm leaves waved and strewn in front of it would – typically – have caused him to “spook” and buck and try to run away out of fear.  But just as Jesus had calmed the wild, bucking waves and wind with a word, this young cold remained calm in its master and creator’s hands.)

Jesus’s actions were later recognized by His disciples as fulfillments of scripture, although at the time, they were probably caught up in the excitement and thought Jesus’ crowning day had come.

“Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father, David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel! Hosanna in the highest!” (Psalm 118:25-26)

(From Zechariah 9:9) “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

Meanwhile, the Pharisees simmered in their hatred and jealousy and said to one another. “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him.”  They went after Jesus, indignant, and asked Him if he HEARD what the people were saying.  “Yep, have you never read (a jab at the very ones who knew the law), ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies, You have prepared praise?'”

Jesus then, in righteous anger, cleans out the Temple of cheating moneychangers and animal merchants.  “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”  Seeing their profit disintegrate, the chief priests and scribes sought all the more to DESTROY Jesus, but they didn’t act for fear of the people.

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Jesus then gives some heavy-duty teaching about His upcoming death and its reason. “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” 

And then an astonishing incident. “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? But for this purpose, I have come to this hour. Father, glorify Your name!”  And a voice from heaven came, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”  The crowd heard thunder but not the words of the Father to the Son.

Jesus continued, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.  (This indicated that He would be lifted up on a cross to die.)

“We heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever,” the crowds say. “How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who IS this Son of Man?”  And Jesus answers that He, as the light, will be among them only a little while longer. It’s time to WALK in that Light and BELIEVE in that Light that they too, might become sons of Light.

But the people did not believe in Him, although He had done so many signs before them. This also fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 53:1 and 6:1.   Interestingly, MANY of the authorities did believe in Him, but for fear of the Pharisees, they did not confess it.  (This puts in mind silent believer Nicodemus, who later openly sided with the Lord Jesus.)

Jesus then retires back to Bethany for the night.

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 Day 308 – Matthew 22, Mark 12. (Parables, paying taxes, questions answered)

Jesus returns to Jerusalem the next day and is continually confronted by religious leaders who try to trap him. He continues to teach in parables.  He compares the kingdom of heaven to a king who gives a wedding feast for his son. He sent out servants to call those who’d received invitations to come now, for the feast was ready. But, one after another, those invited guests came up with an excuse, sometimes even abusing the king’s servants. This angered the king, and he sent more servants to go to the main roads and invite as many as they could find to come to the prepared wedding feast. And so they did, bringing good and bad people alike and filling the wedding hall.  (First likely meaning – God’s chosen people were “invited” to come to their Messiah, but when they refused, God opened the doors to sinners and Gentiles.)

The second part of the wedding parable involved a man who had snuck into the feast without the proper wedding garment, which was given to everyone asked to come. This man was tossed out of the wedding feast “into outer darkness, where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Second likely meaning – only those whom God gives the robe of righteousness through faith in His Son – 2 Corinthians 5:21 – will be allowed into the kingdom of heaven. All others who try to sneak in by any other means will end up in hell.)

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Okay, that didn’t end well for the Pharisees, so they plotted to test Jesus in another way. They tried to schmooze him with 1. “we know you are true and teach the way of God truthfully,” and 2. “you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances…..”  Then, the clincher — “Tell us what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”  (They had tested Jesus before about paying the Temple Tax, and Jesus had sent Peter to get the coin from a fish’s mouth to pay it.)

Jesus now asked to see a Denarius coin.  “Whose image is on this?” He asked.  “Caesar’s,” they replied.  “Well, give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”   I think the Pharisees must have stomped their foot at that.  “Darn! Foiled again!” (As Christians, we are obligated to live lawful lives under the government over us, so far as it doesn’t defy God’s law.)

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Next, a group of Sadducees (who do NOT believe in the resurrection of a person after death) came to test Jesus. They tell him a “hypothetical” story of a woman married to one man. He dies without her giving him offspring.  According to Jewish tradition and Moses’ ok (so that a tribe’s or person’s inheritance in the land of Israel didn’t go out of existence), a brother would then marry the woman and the first son would carry on the first husband’s legacy. In this story, the Sadducees said the woman was married over and over without producing a child.  So…. they grinned slyly, “In the “resurrection,” whose husband would she be?”  (Ha-ha, we got Him now!)

Jesus looks straight at them and says, “You are wrong because you know neither 1. the Scriptures nor 2. the power of God. In the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven. (So the woman would be wife to NONE of them.)

Then Jesus confronted their unbelief about the resurrection (the power of God) by saying that God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  “Is,” not was. He is the God of the living.  Even the crowds understood that one and were amazed at his teaching. The Sadducees slunk away, disgruntled.

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One more test loomed, but this challenge seemed to be asked by a sincere Pharisee, who inquired of Jesus which of God’s laws was the “greatest.”  Jesus, of course, recited Deuteronomy 6:4.  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  THIS is the great and first commandment.” Then Jesus added a two-for-one answer that was not asked. “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these TWO commandments depend ALL the law and Prophets.”

“You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that He is the one, and there is no other besides Him. And to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. (Note, that the religious leaders would not say the Holy Name of God from Deuteronomy.)

Jesus saw this Scribe’s heart and said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (Hopefully, this man took the final step and believed in Jesus.)

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Later, Jesus told his followers, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces, and have the best seats in the synagogues, and places of honor in the feasts, who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  They will receive the greater condemnation.”

Then, Jesus looked across at the treasury, where people were putting money in the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums with a great show, but a poor widow came and slipped in two small copper coins, which together made up one penny.  “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.  THEY all contributed out of their abundance, but SHE, out of her poverty, has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

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In all this teaching in parables and testing, the chief priests and Pharisees “perceived that He was speaking about THEM.  And although they were seeking to arrest Jesus, they feared the crowds because the people held Him to be a prophet.”

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 306

Nov2

     Day 306—We are in the ELEVENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

Day 306 – Luke 19 (Zacchaeus, ten minas, [Jerusalem])

Luke 19 backs up a little on the timeline and tells about another happening in Jericho besides the healing of blind Bartimaeus. (From a poor blind beggar to a hated, wealthy tax collector.)

Zacchaeus was not a regular tax collector but the chief tax collector in Jericho. He had cheated and stolen so much that Luke says he was RICH. He heard about Jesus coming to town (maybe news about Bartimaeus reached him), and he was curious to see this healer.  BUT this hated. Roman-collaborator was a shortie.  He couldn’t see Jesus because of the crowd surrounding Him. So Z climbed a nearby sycamore tree to get a better look. But the one who sought to see was seen instead. 

Jesus came to the place, looked up, and said his name. “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”  Wow, and Whoa!

Z hurried down from the tree and received Jesus joyfully into his home. (The crowd grumbled about Jesus dining in the house of a sinner!)

Jesus’ visit (and no doubt conversation) changed the heart of this diminutive Publican. He repented of his cheating and scheming, greediness and pride.  “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”  Willingly, Z gave to the poor far beyond what was required in the law for charitable giving.  Only one-fifth of restitution (20%) was required by law to pay back someone defrauded.  Z pledged more, saying he was no better than a common robber.

Unlike the “rich, young ruler” whose money meant more to him than eternal life, Z showed he had found incalculable spiritual riches in knowing Jesus, the Messiah.  “Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus said, “since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”  (How this must have cheered Jesus as his death drew closer.)

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Amazed by what happened in Zacchaeus’ house, Jesus’ disciples and the crowd needed some clarification. (Wicked sinners coming to salvation, while self-righteous Jews being turned away.) 

So, Jesus told the parable of the Ten Minas (Greek form of money, about a 60th of a talent). It symbolized the work that He would entrust to His servants while He went away and the hatred of the citizens who told Him they did NOT want Him to reign over them.

A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then to return. (This pictures Jesus going to Heaven to receive His Kingdom and then returning.) The nobleman left his servants in charge of his business. He gave them each one mina to manage for their master (equal gifts). When the nobleman returned, he rewarded each servant for what they had gained. The one who did nothing with what his master gave him was rewarded nothing. Indeed, the one mina was taken from him. 

And for those citizens who did NOT want the nobleman to reign over them…they were all slaughtered.  This was directed towards the Jews who actively opposed Jesus, and it “could” depict the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD…or the final wrath of God in the end times.

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Then Jesus arrives at Jerusalem, rides into the city on a donkey, weeps for it, and cleanses the Temple. We’ll look at that more tomorrow. 

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 305

Nov1

     Day 305—We are in the ELEVENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

Day 305 – Matthew 20-21 (Parables, healings, triumphal entry, the temple, the fig tree, angered leaders)

Matthew 20 continues to recount the parables of Jesus as His time grows near. It seems the people cannot “hear” the plain truth. 

At first, the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard seems unfair, especially to our commercial minds. Five sets of workers are hired to work in a man’s vineyard. The first comes early in the morning, then more workers are hired at 9:00 am, noon, 3:00 pm, and finally at 5:00 pm, only an hour before quitting time. When it comes time to hand out paychecks, the vineyard owner pays ALL the workers the same day’s wages.

“Wow!!” think the last of the crew.

“Unfair!!” proclaim the ones who worked all day in the heat.  

We would think it unfair, too, right?  But remember, this is a parable; it is meant to teach truth. Jesus had just been telling His disciples who can be saved (after His encounter with the rich young ruler). The criteria is that only those who forsake all and follow Him will inherit the Kingdom. Jesus said then that “many who are first (to follow) will be last (least in the kingdom), while some later followers will be first.”

Now to the parable of the equally paid and unequally worked laborers.  Jesus is still teaching about eternal life and the Kingdom of Heaven. It doesn’t matter when in life a person begins to follow Jesus or how long he serves Him before he dies; the same salvation is given.  Take the two brothers, James and John.  James was the first martyr in the early church, while his brother John lived to be over ninety and wrote the Book of Revelation.  Then think of the thief on the cross (Luke 23:29-43) who, just before death, becomes a true follower of Jesus, compared to a saint who has spent his entire life serving his King.  NO MATTER the length or hardness of labor, the “inheritance” is the same.

Jesus then brackets this parable by again saying, “The last will be first, and the first last.” to make sure we understand. 

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Matthew 21 shows Jesus, at the beginning of “Holy Week,” triumphally entering Jerusalem on a donkey’s foal. But we’ll look at it more closely in a day or two in the other Gospels.

In the temple, Jesus continues to heal the blind and lame and teach the people. The religious leaders were indignant when they saw this and heard the children calling, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” 

“Do you hear what they are saying???” they asked Jesus.

“Yep. Haven’t you ever read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and infants You have ordained praise?” (Psalm 8:2).  Saying that, Jesus turned His back to them and left the city. He lodged in Bethany (maybe in the home of Martha and Mary.)

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In the morning, heading back into Jerusalem, Jesus did another “weird” and controversial thing.  He curses a fig tree for not bearing fruit, and instantly, the tree withers. Huh?  Was this Jesus in a fit of early morning “hanger?”  No, of course not.  From Hosea 9:10 and Joel 1:7, we learn that the fig tree is often a “picture” of Israel. The curse on the barren fig tree symbolizes judgment on them for spiritual fruitlessness despite all their privilege and the prophecies about their Messiah.  (Jesus also uses this as a teaching point to His disciples about having faith when you pray.)

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In the temple, the religious leaders are still after Jesus. They want to arrest him at any cost, so they try to catch him by asking about His authority to teach and act as He did.  Jesus throws the question back at them, asking about John the Baptist, and they cannot answer.

Then, He tells a parable that surely the disciples recognize as pointing to another failure of Israel to obey God despite their privilege.  Two sons.  One command. (Work in the vineyard today.) The first son says, “No way!” but changes his mind and obeys.  The second son says, “Sure, Dad.” but it’s a lie, and he does his own thing. 

“Which son did the will of the father?”  Jesus asks them.  When they answer correctly, Jesus basically tells them that sinners (tax collectors, etc.) are like the first son, but they turn and follow Jesus, while THEY, the religious leaders who had access to the very Word of God, refuse to obey.  (How clear can Jesus get??)

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To heap more coals of condemnation on their heads, Jesus tells another parable about a King with a vineyard, some worthless tenants, several servants, and finally, the King’s Son, who go to receive the harvest. All are killed by the greedy, black-hearted tenants.

When Jesus asks what they think, the religious leaders proclaim their own condemnation and punishment, “The king will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”  (Talk about your own words coming back on your head!!)

Jesus agrees with them and says to their chagrined, angered faces, “Therefore I tell YOU, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.”

“GRRRRR…..” they think, but are afraid to arrest Jesus because the crowd reveres Him as a prophet. 

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 302

Oct29

  Day 302—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 302 – John 11 (The death of Lazarus, resurrection & life, plot to kill Jesus)

John 11.  Jesus and His disciples are staying over by the Jordan River because of the hostility of the religious leaders in Jerusalem.

Bethany, a village near Jerusalem, is where the sisters Martha and Mary, along with their younger brother Lazarus, lived.  Jesus has stayed with them many times. He knows them and loves them

Lazarus gets very sick, and the sisters send a message to Jesus with the facts, hoping He will come and heal their brother. Mysteriously, Jesus does not go to Bethany, saying, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

He stays at the Jordan for two more days and then announces they are going to Judea. His disciples object, knowing the Jews want to stone him. Jesus basically tells them not to worry because it is not “his Hour” yet.  He tells them Lazarus has fallen asleep (died), but He will “awaken” him. Thomas says they should go “with,” so if Jesus dies, they can die too. What a melancholy group.

When they get to Bethany near Jerusalem, the disciples learn Lazarus is dead and buried for four days.  Both sisters, in their own ways, say to Jesus, “If You had been here, our brother would not have died.”

Jesus asks Martha (the brainy one) if she believes Lazarus will live again.  She says, sure, on the last day. Jesus encourages her to believe in a miracle by saying, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live….. Do you believe that?”   And she answers that she believes He is the Christ, the Son of God.”

When Jesus saw Mary (the emotional one) weeping and heard her accusation, He was deeply moved in His spirit. “Where have you buried him?” He asks, and she shows Him. At the tomb, Jesus weeps silently. The onlookers say, “Wow, see how He loved Lazarus!”  A few others say derisively, “He healed a blind man; couldn’t He have kept Lazarus from dying?”  But Jesus was not crying for Lazarus’ death because He knew He would raise him, but because of the sin in the world that CAUSED death. Truly He was a “man of sorrows.”

Jesus tells them to roll the stone away from the tomb’s entrance. (Lord, he stinks by now!!) Jesus reminds Martha that her faith would allow her to see the “glory of God” that day. She orders the stone removed.

Jesus lifts His eyes to heaven and thanks His Father, so those around Him will believe that God sent Him.

Then…..  “LAZARUS, COME OUT!”

And the formerly dead man, still wrapped in grave cloths, which have begun to fall off….. COMES OUT of the grave!

Gasps!

Screams!

Praises!

Fainting??

Anger!!

“Unbind him, and let him go,”  Jesus instructs Martha.  (And what a reunion that must have been!)

Many Jews believed in Jesus that day, but some rushed into the city to tell the Pharisees what had happened.  The priests and Pharisees gathered a special meeting of the Council (Sanhedrin).

“What are we to do? This man performs many signs.  If we let him go on, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away “our place” and “our nation.”

Caiaphas says, “You know nothing at all.  Don’t you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people and not that the whole nation should perish?”  Whoa!  He didn’t realize that he was prophesizing about the redemptive death of the Messiah.

And from THAT DAY, they made plans to KILL Him.  Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews or the city but went back out into the wilderness.  The chief priest ordered that if anyone saw Jesus, they should let them know so they could arrest Him.

As Passover approached, crowds of people flocked into the city. They looked for Jesus as they stood in the temple.  “Do you think he will come to the feast at all?”

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 300 and 301

Oct28

    Days 300 and 301—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

NOTE:  Both Sunday and Monday studies are posted on MONDAY.

    Day 300 – Luke 14 – 15 (Healings, parables, discipleship)

Luke 14.  One sabbath, Jesus was invited to eat at the home of a ruler of the Pharisees, who watched Jesus closely (looking for an infraction of the law, no doubt).  A diseased man came before him and Jesus asked these “holier-than-thou” lawyers if it was lawful for Him to heal the man that Day.

Interestingly, they remained silent.  So Jesus healed the man and sent him on his way. Jesus asked them if a child or ox fell into a well on the Sabbath, would they pull him out.  STILL, they remained silent.

While there, Jesus saw how they rushed to get the most honored seats at the table. So He told the Parable of the Wedding Feast and counseled them to always seek a lower position, else they might be embarrassed when the host told them to “go down lower” because someone more important than they had arrived. “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Taking advantage of His captive audience at the dinner, Jesus also told his host that instead of inviting only your rich neighbors to dine because they can respond by inviting YOU in return, invite poor, crippled, lame, and blind people to your feast. (Can you imagine the looks of horror on their faces?)   “You will be blessed because they can’t pay you back. Instead, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

One of the guests at the table responded, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God.”  At this obviously pious pronouncement, Jesus told the Parable of the Great Banquet. A man gave a great banquet and sent out many invites. When the feast was ready, he sent a servant to tell them that all was ready and to come and dine.  But, one after another, they made excuses. This made the master angry, and he told his servant, “Go out to the streets and lanes and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.” The servant obeyed, and still, there was room.  So he was sent to the highways and hedges to compel anyone to come. And NOT ONE of the original invitees were allowed to come.

Later, he taught the Cost of Discipleship to the crowds. “You must not put anyone above Me in your affections, not even yourself.  You must bear your cross and follow Me, or you can’t be My disciple. Count the cost before you decide. You must renounce anything and anyone to be My disciple. 

(Paul, in Philippians 3:8, said he considered everything as trash compared to possessing Jesus. This seems so harsh today. Not many want to hear it.)

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Luke 15. The Pharisees and lawyers grumbled when they saw tax collectors and sinners drawing near to hear Jesus.  “This man receives sinners and eats with them,” they murmur. 

Hey, wasn’t that just what Jesus was teaching them???  So Jesus told them the Parable of the Lost Sheep.”  A shepherd had a hundred sheep, and one strayed away.  The good shepherd left the 99 and went after the one.  When he found it, he rejoiced.  “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one SINNER who repents than over 99 “righteous” people who need no repentance.”

To double the impact, Jesus told the Parable of the Lost Coin.  Again, a woman lost one of the ten silver coins she had. She searched diligently until she found it and then went to her friends and neighbors, rejoicing.  “Just so I tell you there is joy before the angels of God over one SINNER who repents.”

And then He told the very familiar Parable of the Lost (or Prodigal) Son.  A man had two sons. The younger son took all his inheritance, traveled, and caroused it all away. Then, starving among the pigs, he decided to go home and become a slave of his father. But the father was so happy the boy had returned that he held a huge party for him and welcomed him as his son.  A SINNER had repented! A lost son had been found!  BUT… the older son, who saw himself as “righteous,” complained and hated the boy. 

(Hey, I wonder if those Pharisees and lawyers SAW THEMSELVES as the older brother in this story?)

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    Day 30 – Luke 16 – 17  (parables, temptation, faith, healing, coming of the kingdom)

Luke 16.  Jesus now tells a somewhat confusing story, the Parable of the Dishonest Manager.   This parable is similar to the previous one in that the Manager wasted (mismanaged) his Master’s possessions. But this man connived instead of repenting. And the Master brought charges instead of forgiving him.  Like the prodigal, this man made a “plan” to get himself out of trouble, but he was unwilling to beg and not strong enough to work.  Instead, he cheated his Master even more by going around to his debtors and lowering the amounts they owed on the accounts.  Good for THEM, bad for the MASTER.  

And yet… the Master commends him for his shrewdness.  And so does Jesus.  “The sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. I tell you, make friends for yourselves using “unrighteous wealth” so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.”  

Huh? What did He mean?

First, Jesus calls the servant “dishonest” and NOT to cheat.  Second, He seems to tell believers to use their Master’s money in a way that will gain friends for eternity.  Invest in the kingdom gospel that brings sinners to salvation, so when you arrive in heaven, those sinners will welcome you. Believers need to be shrewd with eternal matters.  (I think.)

To emphasize that, Jesus says, No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve GOD and MONEY.”

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Continuing on the money theme, Jesus tells them about the Rich Man and Lazarus. (Parable or true story? You decide.)

Compare the rich man, clothed in purple and fine linen, eating sumptuously every day, to the beggar, Lazarus, starving and “clothed” in rags and sores. Both men die.

Lazarus is carried to Abraham’s side (in Paradise), while the rich man is seen in Hades.  But he can see into Paradise. He calls out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.” (Notice – he still thinks of Lazarus as a mere slave.)

“Nope, sorry. YOU got good things in your lifetime, and Lazarus evil things. (And you didn’t help him out.)  Now, Lazarus is comforted here, and you are in anguish.  And… besides all that, there is this great chasm between us.  No one can cross either direction.”

“Well, send him to my father’s house (still ordering Lazarus around!) to warn my brothers lest they come to torment too. 

“Nope, sorry,” Abraham says again. “They have Moses and the Prophet (the scriptures). Let them read and hear what THEY say.”

“No, but, father Abraham, if someone goes to them from the DEAD, they will repent.”

“No, sorry.  If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if “someone” should rise from the dead.”

Whoa!

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Luke 17. On their way to Jerusalem, near Samaria, Jesus was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance (as they were required to do). But they called loudly, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’

When he SAW them, Jesus said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” As the went, THEY WERE CLEANSED.  One turned back when he saw he was healed. He praised God in a loud voice and fell at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks.  (This man was a Samaritan.)

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

 

Nearer to Jerusalem, a Pharisee asked him when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus tells him it’s not coming…. that it’s right here in the midst of them.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “The days are coming when you will want to see the Son of Man coming but not see it.”  He tells them it will come when not expected, like in Noah’s day before the flood and as in Lot’s time when he barely escaped the conflagration of Sodom.  

“Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather,” said Jesus.  (Watch the signs.)

“As the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from heaven, the powers of the heaven will be shaken.  THEN will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man.  All the tribes of the earth will mourn when they see Him coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 299

Oct26

  Day 299—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 299 – Luke 12 – 13 (Rich fool parable, no anxiety, Be ready and faithful, fig tree parable, mustard seed, teaching)

Luke 12. In these chapters, it seems that, as Jesus approaches “his Hour,” his teaching is more intense. Woes, warnings, cautions, and exhortations are spoken to the leaders, crowds, and disciples.

After a series of “Woes” hurled at the religious leaders in Luke 11 the crowds increased. Luke 12 says there were so many thousands (myriads) of people, that they were trampling one another.  He tells his disciples again to BEWARE of the leaven (sin) of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  Though it is hidden now, it will all be evident eventually.

Someone in the crowd called out, “Teacher! Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me!”  Jesus answered with a warning. “Take care, be on your guard against covetousness. One’s life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions.”

Then Jesus tells the parable of the Rich FOOL.  As a farmer, he had so much wealth that when he got a bumper crop, he decided to tear down his old barns and build new, bigger, and better ones. (He had no thought of the poor surrounding him.)  Then, he said, I will have enough to retire for many years. Relax. Eat. Drink. Make merry. (Play Golf. Cruise the world.) 

“Thou fool! said God. “Tonight, your soul is required of you.  Then, who will get all your possessions?”

Jesus reminded them that so it is for those who LAY UP TREASURE FOR THEMSELVES AND ARE NOT RICH TOWARD GOD.  Turning to his disciples who had left everything to follow Him, he said, “And you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or wear.  LIFE is more important than food and clothing.”

Then Jesus asks them to think of the ravens who don’t have barns but eat every day from the Father’s hand. “You are worth much more than birds.”  He told them they couldn’t even add one hour to their lifespan, so why be concerned with the rest.  “Flowers don’t work or spit, but oh, how glorious one is.  Won’t God clothe YOU?”

“Your Father knows that you need these things. Seek His kingdom, and all these things will be added to you.  It’s the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom, so sell your possessions and give to the needy.  For where your TREASURE is, there will be your HEART also. 

Jesus then reminds his disciples to be ready for action, to get their lives ready and their things in order. Be prepared to serve at any hour. He warns them of distresses, divisions, and prison that will be coming. “Blessed is the servant his master will finds ready when he comes.”

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Luke 13.  Continuing with His warnings, Jesus tells them that natural things will happen to them and not to think of them as unusual. Just repent and be ready to die at any time. 

Then, he tells them the parable of the barren fig tree.  The tree did not have figs year after year and the owner wanted to cut it down. But the gardener begged for one more year when he would care for it tenderly.  Then, if it had no fruit, cut it down. 

He told them the parable of the mustard seed that a man sowed in his garden. It grew and became a tree where birds nested. This was the kingdom – spreading large from a tiny beginning.

The parable of the leaven was along the same lines. A woman was making bread. She mixed a bit of yeast into the flour which spread and caused the whole dough to rise.

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One time, Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath when he saw a woman hunched over almost double by a “disabling spirit.”

“Woman, you are freed from your disability,” said Jesus, laying his hands on her. Immediately, she stood straight and glorified God.  

The synagogue ruler accused Jesus. “There are six days in the week when work ought to be done! Come then and be healed, not on the Sabbath.” 

“YOU hypocrites!  You would save your ox or donkey by giving it a drink on a hot day.  Ought not this woman – A DAUGHTER OF ABRAHAM WHOM SATAN HAS BOUND FOR 18 YEARS – be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath!???”

 

Later on the road, a disciple asked, “Lord, will only a few be saved?”

“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 

Once the master of the house has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying ‘Lord, open to us,’ He will answer you, ‘I do not know you.’  

And you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know you. Depart from me, all you workers of evil.’

And there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see the patriarchs in the Kingdom, and you cast out. “

YIKES!