Chapter 1
1. Notice how Mark does not waste any time in talking about Jesus and telling us exactly who he is. Jesus is the son of God; the holy spirit wants us to know that right from the start. And by the way for those who say that Jesus never claimed to be God or that the Bible doesn't teach that he is God just so you know in that culture if you were called the son of someone or something you were being equated with that someone or something. So from the very first verse of this book we are told that Jesus is God and then the Holy Spirit spends the next 16 chapters proving it.
2. God repeatedly predicted that he would send his son, the Messiah into the world and that he would also send someone before him to prepare the way and that someone was John the Baptist.
Notice, "as it is written in the prophets." If it's written in the word of God you can take it to the bank it's as good as done.
3. In those days when a king was preparing to visit one of his cities he would send out a road crew ahead of him to make sure that the roads were smooth. John the Baptist was sort of a spiritual road crew for the king Jesus Christ. John's ministry prepared the people for the coming of the Messiah; he prepared the people by preaching repentance.
4. Notice how John preached that repentance is for the remission of sins. You may not like the word repent, and you may not like the meaning which is to turn away from your sin and turn to God and get ready to submit to him. You may not like that but until you repent your sins will never be taken away.
There is no receiving Christ without repentance. There is no forgiveness without repentance. It is impossible to receive Christ and the forgiveness that he alone brings unless one turns away from their sin. Sin and Jesus are on opposite sides of the spectrum. They are as opposite as left and right. You cannot go left and right at the exact same time you have to choose the direction that you're going to go and if you want Jesus then you have to turn away from your sin and if you want your sin then you will turn away from Jesus; the choice is up to you. In order to turn to Christ you must at the same time turn away from your sin or you are not turning to Christ you are playing some sort of a silly game of make-believe. Jesus doesn't demand much but he demands sincerity. And salvation is a two-sided coin: one side is repentance, and the other side is asking Christ to save you and submitting to his Lordship.
5. When you talk about the formula for spiritual success you're talking about what we see here in verse five. First you had John the Baptist a preacher, a man of God, who wasn't afraid to call sin sin and hell hell. He wasn't afraid to tell people what they needed to do and that's repent. In other words, John the Baptist spoke the pure word of God and then secondly the people were hungry for truth. When the truth, I'm talking about the on watered-down pure word of Almighty God is given to people who are hungry for truth there will be good results. Like here, many people were repenting and confessing and being baptized. The people were getting ready for the arrival of Jesus.
6. I love John the Baptist; between him and the apostle Paul and Jeremiah there my absolute favorites in Scripture and that's because they were totally sold out to God. John the Baptist was a mighty man of God a powerful preacher of God's word because he couldn't be bought and he refused to compromise.
In order to effectively preach truth one must live truth. In order to effectively preach repentance which is self-denial one must not be sinfully attached to the things of this world. John eight Locust and lived in the wilderness. That was extreme even for his day. The man had credibility when he preached because he lived what he preached.
If people can't see what we believe by how we act than our words are empty.
6,7. The lowest of all household slaves was given the job to wash his master's feet when he came home off the dusty and dirty roads of that day. John said washing the feet of Jesus was too good of a job for him. He said I'm not worthy to even be the lowest slave to the one who is coming. And it was that attitude that made John the Baptist great. He was great because he did not see himself as being great. He was great because he did not act great. He was great because he would've done anything for Jesus, and yet he didn't feel like he was worthy to do anything for Jesus.
Nothing done for Jesus, no matter how menial the task may be is a small thing. Anything and everything we do for him is an honor; it's a big thing; it's a privilege to serve our Lord, our Creator, our provider, our sustainer, and our Savior who died on the cross to pay for our sins; that is an honor and that is a privilege.
8. Don't try to tell John that he's anything special because he wouldn't buy it. He is a servant, a servant who baptizes with water, which is nice, and it was an important ministry. But Jesus gives people who receive him the Holy Spirit so again John sees himself as being a setup man for Jesus; he's just setting the stage.
8x. The Holy Spirit is God's seal of ownership on us. The Holy Spirit is also the spiritual power pack in Christians who enables us to live the way God wants us to live. A man without the Holy Spirit is a toy without a battery; he is a gun without a bullet. The man who doesn't have the spirit of God is spiritually dead and incapable of serving the Lord.
No one can serve God and no one can live for God unless they repent of their sins received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior because that's when he gives us the Holy Spirit to empower us for holiness and service.
9. Remember back in verse five when it said that the people who John baptized confess their sin? Well Jesus was also baptized but he didn't confess anything. He couldn't confess a sin unless he wanted to make it up and that would be a lie that would be a sin and he never sinned. He was baptized because John's baptism was ordained by God. He was baptized to show support for John's ministry.
10. This experience with that of had been a sign given to John the Baptist indicating which one of the men he baptized was the Messiah. The father had said, John, when you baptize someone in a dove lands on him and remains that's my son; that's the one you are preparing the people to receive. So the dove landed on Jesus and John knew he was the Messiah, but that's not all that happened.
11. The father tells the son in the hearing of everyone, he speaks out loud from heaven and says with you I am well pleased. That means everything Jesus did was right; that means he never did anything wrong.
God is not well pleased with anyone except his son because Jesus is the only one who only does everything right and is never committed a sin. God never said I am well pleased with you to anyone except his son.
Now God does not hold our sins against us if we are Christians, and yet he would never say to any of us: you did everything right. And that's one of the big differences between Jesus and everyone else; Jesus is perfect and that's not true of anyone else.
12. So much for the idea that when the Holy Spirit's leading a Christian everything is smooth sailing; it isn't always pleasant. In fact sometimes it's uncomfortable; sometimes it means living in circumstances that are much worse than many others who don't even know the Lord. The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness and there he will do battle with the devil himself. That was no picnic in your Jesus was right in the middle of God's will.
13. The devil through everything he could think of at Jesus in the form of temptations, but Christ didn't give in for a second. He hung in there, remained totally and proved that he was stronger than the devil under the most difficult circumstances.
Jesus did right even when his human nature was under pressure. And we can do the same because the same Jesus who defeated the devil lives inside of us if we are Christians; the Bible says if anyone has not the spirit of Christ he is not his. So we can do what is right even when were under pressure, even when it's not easy. The Bible says we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. I didn't say it would always be easy; I'm saying the Bible says it can be done and we can do it by the power of God. The Bible says not by might nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord.
14. John was put into prison by Herod because John dared to tell that miserable sinner that he needed to repent. Kings don't like to hear negative things and they certainly don't like to hear that they are sinners who need to repent. You say, John preached the pure word and made the king angry and the king threw him in prison; that's too bad for John! No, not too bad for John; it's true he had his head chopped off which doesn't sound good, but in reality the king gave him a ticket to paradise. So not too bad for John; too bad for Herod because he died and went to hell because as far as we know he never repented.
14,15. Now is the time for sinners to repent just as Jesus said: the time has come! The time has come, and no one knows when their time will be up so they better repent immediately and receive Christ immediately while they still can. In other words people need to turn from their sin and ask Christ to save their souls from hell and submit to his Lordship.
Jesus said the kingdom is near which means that it is as close as a prayer away for anyone who wants it. People don't have to take CCD classes, or other sorts of religious instructions and be welcomed into a church before they can be saved. There's nothing wrong with classes that are based on the word of God but a person could be dead and inhale before they finish. Forget the classes it's not that difficult to understand repent and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior because the kingdom of God is near; you don't have to go to school to figure that one out. Jesus says there are two things that need to be done in order to be saved and it doesn't include taking six weeks of classes. He said repent and believe the gospel and anyone who adds anything else to that message is gambling with souls and creating a bunch of trouble for themselves on the day of judgment. You say, that sounds great but what is this gospel that I'm supposed to believe? The gospel is that Jesus is the son of God who lived a sinless life and died on the cross and paid for your sins and the gospel is: John 1:12 which says to as many as received him to them he gave the right to become the children of God; that's the gospel so believe on it and act on it and get saved from hell while you can because the time is at hand and you don't know how much time you have left.
16a. The Sea of Galilee was like a big Lake. It was 650 feet below sea level, and 150 feet deep and surrounded by mountains.
16,17. If we follow Jesus we will be used by Jesus. The closer we are to Christ, the closer we follow him the more natural it is to be used by him and sometimes it's as natural as breathing because we don't even realize it.
Christianity is not a spectator sport. Were supposed to listen to preachers and teachers who proclaim the word of God without compromise so that we are edified and fed and built up spiritually and as a result of being strong in the Lord we go out and are used by him in whatever way he sees fit. Someone says, but I don't know what I can do. Simple, follow Jesus, focus on your relationship with Jesus through the word of God through prayer and through worship, and he will lead you. When we stay close to Jesus he lives his life out through us and works through us in our own unique way. The closer we are to Christ the easier it is for him to live and work through us. If the disciples follow Jesus then he will use them to be fishers of men. If you follow Jesus, if you stay close to Jesus he will use you as well.
18. There was no delay in their obedience. Jesus said follow me, and they didn't ask any questions they just followed him. They didn't ask, where are you going; they dented ask how long are we supposed to follow you? Nothing mattered except obedience; the details were God's business.
Our job today is to obey the Lord and let him worry about the results. Our job is to follow the word of God and let him decide if that means prosperity or poverty, comfort or discomfort, popularity or rejection. God has the right to use us anyway he sees fit for as long as he wants to use us. Our business is to obey his moral will found in the holy Bible. Consequently if there's something in our life that is keeping us from obedience to the written word of God and we need to give it up right now because the clock is ticking and we don't get any second chances once this life is over.
19. The nets that professional fishermen used in those days were hundreds of feet long and had to be repaired after the workday was finished. James and John were working on their nets so their day must've been winding down as Jesus approached.
20. So James and John left their father and their business because Jesus is more important than anyone and anything.
There are many good things, and many important things, including work and family, but obey Jesus is more important than everything and so they left and became Disciples of Christ. And I like how their father conducted himself because there is no mention of him trying to keep his sons from going.
Everyone must be allowed to be themselves in the Lord without others trying to stop them or tell them that it's wrong simply because God isn't telling them to do that same thing.
21. Capernaum was a wild and wealthy city in northern Israel. It became Jesus's adopted hometown. He did more miracles and Capernaum than anywhere else.
22. Jesus spoke with authority when he taught because he taught the word of God and the word of God is the authority; the final authority.
I love the word of God because I can say this is right and this is wrong and this is true in this is false and if I don't like it, or someone else doesn't like it, it doesn't matter because it is what it is. The word of God's truth and truth does not change in truth does not evolve in truth does not care with the culture thinks. Preachers who do not proclaim the word of God with authority dishonor God and his word.
22. The people were used to hearing sermons from the teachers of the law in which they constantly quoted other teachers. They never spoke with authority and I guess that's understandable since most of the time they were talking about their man-made traditions. But they were always quoting other teachers and they were never making any "value judgments" as they are called today. In other words, they didn't call right right and wrong wrong they didn't proclaim the word of God; they may have talked about the word of God but they didn't proclaim the word of God there's a difference. And listening to sermons like that would be enough to keep me away from that church and probably put me in a bad mood for the rest of the day; and given the choice I'd stay home next week and watch reruns of the Beverly hillbillies. Seriously, the way I figure, if someone doesn't have the guts to teach the pure word of God and to do it with authority I shouldn't waste my time listening to them. Jesus didn't quote anyone and in fact eating care about what anybody else taught he quoted God and he proclaim the word of God and he then water down the truth of God's word for second and the people were amazed.
23. Did you know that demons go to church? Oh yeah and many times they feel very comfortable which is a real indictment against that church and against the pastor or the preacher. Demons go to church. This demon possessed man was in the place of worship and he tried disrupting the word of God that Jesus was teaching.
He may have been comfortable when other people taught but he was not comfortable when Jesus started teaching and that's because Jesus proclaim the word of God and the devil is afraid of God's word. He's afraid of it so he works hard to keep it from being taught or keep people away from where it is being taught.
24. This demon knew who Jesus was; he knew that Jesus was the holy one of God, no one else in the congregation did but he did and he also knows that Jesus is going to eventually destroy him and his fellow demons and he's worried that Christ is going to do it immediately.
The demons know who Jesus is. They know he is God and they know that it is written in the word of God that someday he will throw them into hell. And like I said the demons in verse 24 are afraid that Christ was about to jump the gun and throw them into hell immediately.
And so we see from this that believing the facts about Jesus is worthless by itself. Just believing the facts about Jesus is not enough to save anyone from hell. If it were the demons would be saved because they believe the facts about Jesus; their theology is right on target. Satan and his demons don't want people to know the truth but they know the truth.
You have to believe the facts and then also act on those facts by repenting and receiving Christ as your Savior and submitting to his Lordship to be saved.
25. In church, as it were, right in front of everyone the demon called Jesus the holy one of God. And Jesus told him to be quiet and come out of the man and some people might be puzzled by that. Isn't it a good thing that this demon was proclaiming the truth about Christ in public? No it's not a good thing; Jesus did not want the testimony of the demon. He did not want anyone thinking that he was in league with the devil. That's why he not only tells this demon to come out of the man but he also told the demon to be quiet.
26. The demon gave this man one final shot before he left. I'll tell you one thing, he didn't want to come out of the man. He didn't want to come out of that man because it was nice and there; it was nice having the use of the physical body to do his dirty work. But like it or not he had to obey Jesus so he left; he left kicking and screaming but he left.
27. You know the demons were running wild in our Lord's day. The demons were prospering because the word of God wasn't being proclaimed, at least not until John the Baptist and Jesus showed up.
The demons were not intimidated by the teaching of the religious rulers and that's why this particular demon was perfectly comfortable in church. He was comfortable until Jesus showed up and started proclaiming God's word.
So there were many who were possessed by demons and that day and the people didn't know what to do about it actually they couldn't do anything about it. But Jesus sure did! With the word Christ commanded them to leave and they left, and now you can understand why the people were so impressed. What was impossible for mere man was done by Jesus.
28. Jesus would have made the headlines in every newspaper today. He would've been the lead story on every news network. Everyone was talking about Jesus because he was teaching the word of God and healing people and driving out demons and doing things that no one else had ever done.
29. Peter, his brother, his wife, and his mother evidently all lived in the same house.
30. As soon as they saw how sick Peter's mother-in-law was they told Jesus about it.
It is a good idea to go to Jesus first whenever we have a problem of any kind. A quick prayer doesn't take much time if you're in a hurry, and who knows, he may solve the problem immediately all by himself, or if nothing else he will lead in the direction that we should go.
Time spent in prayer is never a waste of time the sickness of Peter's mother-in-law is now in Jesus's hands because they prayed about it, so to speak.
31. Notice how Peter's mother-in-law didn't have to do anything to earn the help of Jesus; he just helped her because she needed help and he was asked. He helped her, and then in return she served him. Jesus didn't tell her to serve him and she didn't have to serve him she just did it out of appreciation.
And that in a nutshell is the Christian life. We can't do anything to earn salvation through Christ he just saves us when we ask him and then we serve him out of appreciation. A real Christian does not need church rules to make them behave like a real Christian. In fact legalism is a terrible thing; legalism robs us of the privilege of serving Jesus out of love and it rubs Jesus of being served out of love. Peter's mother-in-law served because Jesus helped her. The Bible says that we love Christ because he first loved us. That's the way it should be.
32. The Sabbath was from sunset Friday until sunset Saturday. It was against the law in Old Testament days to do any work on the Sabbath, or to travel on the Sabbath. That's why the people waited until Saturday night before they brought the sick Jesus.
33. Gathered together suggests that they sat down as a group. The crowd was large but it was not unruly. Jesus never would have tolerated rowdiness. God is a God of order.
34a. No sickness was too difficult for Jesus to cure. No problem that anyone brought to him had Jesus stumped. And no disease was too complicated or advanced for him to cure.
34x. If people were going to believe in Jesus then he wanted it to be because of his teaching in the miracles that accompanied his teaching. He did not want, nor did he need the testimonies of demons so he would not allow it.
35. Jesus had a very busy night. Nevertheless he was up early in the morning praying.
The best part of waking up is starting any morning is with God.
People say I'm too busy to start my day with God. That's the wrong way to look at it because the busier one is the more important it is to spend time with God. And God is reasonable; he knows when were very busy so he doesn't expect the impossible from us, and yet no Christian can afford to ignore him either. No one should allow themselves to be too busy (on an ongoing basis) to spend time with the Lord. It is important to at least talk with God even if one has to do it while driving or while in the shower. I look at it this way, if it was important for Jesus to start his day with God in prayer than I better.
36, 37. And I'm sure that after all the healing she did Jesus knew that the crowds would be back with even more needs in the morning. However, Jesus still made time for prayer.
Don't let anything keep you from God, even good things. Teaching the word of God and healing people, those were good things that Jesus had done but even those good things couldn't keep him from spending time with the father in prayer. So again I say don't let anything keep you from God even good things. Don't let the demands of others keep you from God either; Jesus tenant. There are many needs, but the need doesn't always justify the call. Just because something should be done doesn't mean that God wants you to do it. We need to stay close to Jesus so that by his spirit he will lead us into the that he wants us to have. Notice the reaction of Jesus to the needy people who were looking for him.
38. There were many people with many needs right where Jesus was. However, he said that he had to go and preach in other places. That meant some people would be disappointed.
We can't please everyone all the time, and we shouldn't feel like a failure because we can't. Our focus should be that of Christ which was to please God. If we please God will please those who God wants us to please, and he will find some way to take care of the rest.
39. In eternity past the son, because he is God, was everywhere at the same time. But that changed forever the second he was conceived in Mary's womb. From that point on the son of God has been confined to his physical body. So here we see Jesus going from one town to another in one synagogue to another. He was like a single aspirin in the midst of 2 million headaches.
40. The leprosy spoken of here was a disfiguring and very contagious disease. It was so contagious that lepers had to live in their own little groups away from the rest of the world. In fact if they came within 50 feet of someone they had to yell out "unclean, unclean," and sometimes if they got too close people would throw rocks at them. And so a leper was cut off from everyone and everything that they loved with nothing in this world to look forward to either.
41. This leper had the right attitude as he approached Christ. He came to Jesus with faith in his power to do the impossible and he came to Jesus with humility as well. He said Jesus if you are willing, and Jesus said I am willing and he healed him.
A person should always pray with faith knowing that God can do anything he wants to do. Anything less than that dishonors the Lord. And praying with humility is also important. God never says no to a prayer because it sprayed with humility. It's also important to remember that God has the right to say no anytime he wants to. Faith is not being sure that God will give us what we want every time we pray. Faith is praying, knowing that God hears, and then leaving the outcome to him and trusting him even if the answer is no.
41x. The power of Jesus healed this leper and it was the compassion of Jesus that caused him to use his power. It was the compassion of Christ that caused him to be kind to those who others sometimes threw rocks at.
To be Christlike we should be kind to those who others ignore; we should be kind to those who others leave out. Jesus would pay special attention to the person who was picked last when team captains choose up sides on the playground.
But it's always good to remember when we pray that we are talking to a compassionate God. His compassion doesn't vary either so if you should say no to our request it's not because he doesn't care it's not because he can't do it it's not because he is lacking compassion it's because it is what is best for us in the long term.
42. The man was healed the very second Jesus said you are healed. Immediately he was a new man. That means he got his body back and he got his life back and he got his family back and he got his home back.
43, 44. According to the Old Testament law that God gave Moses the priest was to examine those who were thought to have leprosy and if they did the priest made it official and quarantined the person. The priest was the one who said you are a leper and also, at least in theory, the priest pronounced one cleansed from leprosy. I say in theory because the disease was incurable; no one ever recovered. So with that in mind picture this situation. This man goes to the priest as Jesus instructed them; the priest examines him. The priest says you don't have leprosy anymore; I can't believe it you are healed of an incurable disease; how did it happen? The man says Jesus that it. The priest will then be brought face-to-face with a genuine miracle one that he himself confirmed; a miracle that Jesus performed. Remember, the priest along with the other religious leaders did not like Jesus so they want want to give him any good publicity but he would get it from this priest anyway if the leper follows our Lord's instructions.
45. Jesus wanted to enter cities and calmly teach the word of God in the synagogues. But thanks in part to this man's misguided zeal that plan is shot.
God's eternal purposes will be fulfilled, often in spite of his followers. It's a good thing that God has many Plan B's because every time his people disobey from our perspective he has to use one.
1. Notice how Mark does not waste any time in talking about Jesus and telling us exactly who he is. Jesus is the son of God; the holy spirit wants us to know that right from the start. And by the way for those who say that Jesus never claimed to be God or that the Bible doesn't teach that he is God just so you know in that culture if you were called the son of someone or something you were being equated with that someone or something. So from the very first verse of this book we are told that Jesus is God and then the Holy Spirit spends the next 16 chapters proving it.
2. God repeatedly predicted that he would send his son, the Messiah into the world and that he would also send someone before him to prepare the way and that someone was John the Baptist.
Notice, "as it is written in the prophets." If it's written in the word of God you can take it to the bank it's as good as done.
3. In those days when a king was preparing to visit one of his cities he would send out a road crew ahead of him to make sure that the roads were smooth. John the Baptist was sort of a spiritual road crew for the king Jesus Christ. John's ministry prepared the people for the coming of the Messiah; he prepared the people by preaching repentance.
4. Notice how John preached that repentance is for the remission of sins. You may not like the word repent, and you may not like the meaning which is to turn away from your sin and turn to God and get ready to submit to him. You may not like that but until you repent your sins will never be taken away.
There is no receiving Christ without repentance. There is no forgiveness without repentance. It is impossible to receive Christ and the forgiveness that he alone brings unless one turns away from their sin. Sin and Jesus are on opposite sides of the spectrum. They are as opposite as left and right. You cannot go left and right at the exact same time you have to choose the direction that you're going to go and if you want Jesus then you have to turn away from your sin and if you want your sin then you will turn away from Jesus; the choice is up to you. In order to turn to Christ you must at the same time turn away from your sin or you are not turning to Christ you are playing some sort of a silly game of make-believe. Jesus doesn't demand much but he demands sincerity. And salvation is a two-sided coin: one side is repentance, and the other side is asking Christ to save you and submitting to his Lordship.
5. When you talk about the formula for spiritual success you're talking about what we see here in verse five. First you had John the Baptist a preacher, a man of God, who wasn't afraid to call sin sin and hell hell. He wasn't afraid to tell people what they needed to do and that's repent. In other words, John the Baptist spoke the pure word of God and then secondly the people were hungry for truth. When the truth, I'm talking about the on watered-down pure word of Almighty God is given to people who are hungry for truth there will be good results. Like here, many people were repenting and confessing and being baptized. The people were getting ready for the arrival of Jesus.
6. I love John the Baptist; between him and the apostle Paul and Jeremiah there my absolute favorites in Scripture and that's because they were totally sold out to God. John the Baptist was a mighty man of God a powerful preacher of God's word because he couldn't be bought and he refused to compromise.
In order to effectively preach truth one must live truth. In order to effectively preach repentance which is self-denial one must not be sinfully attached to the things of this world. John eight Locust and lived in the wilderness. That was extreme even for his day. The man had credibility when he preached because he lived what he preached.
If people can't see what we believe by how we act than our words are empty.
6,7. The lowest of all household slaves was given the job to wash his master's feet when he came home off the dusty and dirty roads of that day. John said washing the feet of Jesus was too good of a job for him. He said I'm not worthy to even be the lowest slave to the one who is coming. And it was that attitude that made John the Baptist great. He was great because he did not see himself as being great. He was great because he did not act great. He was great because he would've done anything for Jesus, and yet he didn't feel like he was worthy to do anything for Jesus.
Nothing done for Jesus, no matter how menial the task may be is a small thing. Anything and everything we do for him is an honor; it's a big thing; it's a privilege to serve our Lord, our Creator, our provider, our sustainer, and our Savior who died on the cross to pay for our sins; that is an honor and that is a privilege.
8. Don't try to tell John that he's anything special because he wouldn't buy it. He is a servant, a servant who baptizes with water, which is nice, and it was an important ministry. But Jesus gives people who receive him the Holy Spirit so again John sees himself as being a setup man for Jesus; he's just setting the stage.
8x. The Holy Spirit is God's seal of ownership on us. The Holy Spirit is also the spiritual power pack in Christians who enables us to live the way God wants us to live. A man without the Holy Spirit is a toy without a battery; he is a gun without a bullet. The man who doesn't have the spirit of God is spiritually dead and incapable of serving the Lord.
No one can serve God and no one can live for God unless they repent of their sins received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior because that's when he gives us the Holy Spirit to empower us for holiness and service.
9. Remember back in verse five when it said that the people who John baptized confess their sin? Well Jesus was also baptized but he didn't confess anything. He couldn't confess a sin unless he wanted to make it up and that would be a lie that would be a sin and he never sinned. He was baptized because John's baptism was ordained by God. He was baptized to show support for John's ministry.
10. This experience with that of had been a sign given to John the Baptist indicating which one of the men he baptized was the Messiah. The father had said, John, when you baptize someone in a dove lands on him and remains that's my son; that's the one you are preparing the people to receive. So the dove landed on Jesus and John knew he was the Messiah, but that's not all that happened.
11. The father tells the son in the hearing of everyone, he speaks out loud from heaven and says with you I am well pleased. That means everything Jesus did was right; that means he never did anything wrong.
God is not well pleased with anyone except his son because Jesus is the only one who only does everything right and is never committed a sin. God never said I am well pleased with you to anyone except his son.
Now God does not hold our sins against us if we are Christians, and yet he would never say to any of us: you did everything right. And that's one of the big differences between Jesus and everyone else; Jesus is perfect and that's not true of anyone else.
12. So much for the idea that when the Holy Spirit's leading a Christian everything is smooth sailing; it isn't always pleasant. In fact sometimes it's uncomfortable; sometimes it means living in circumstances that are much worse than many others who don't even know the Lord. The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness and there he will do battle with the devil himself. That was no picnic in your Jesus was right in the middle of God's will.
13. The devil through everything he could think of at Jesus in the form of temptations, but Christ didn't give in for a second. He hung in there, remained totally and proved that he was stronger than the devil under the most difficult circumstances.
Jesus did right even when his human nature was under pressure. And we can do the same because the same Jesus who defeated the devil lives inside of us if we are Christians; the Bible says if anyone has not the spirit of Christ he is not his. So we can do what is right even when were under pressure, even when it's not easy. The Bible says we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. I didn't say it would always be easy; I'm saying the Bible says it can be done and we can do it by the power of God. The Bible says not by might nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord.
14. John was put into prison by Herod because John dared to tell that miserable sinner that he needed to repent. Kings don't like to hear negative things and they certainly don't like to hear that they are sinners who need to repent. You say, John preached the pure word and made the king angry and the king threw him in prison; that's too bad for John! No, not too bad for John; it's true he had his head chopped off which doesn't sound good, but in reality the king gave him a ticket to paradise. So not too bad for John; too bad for Herod because he died and went to hell because as far as we know he never repented.
14,15. Now is the time for sinners to repent just as Jesus said: the time has come! The time has come, and no one knows when their time will be up so they better repent immediately and receive Christ immediately while they still can. In other words people need to turn from their sin and ask Christ to save their souls from hell and submit to his Lordship.
Jesus said the kingdom is near which means that it is as close as a prayer away for anyone who wants it. People don't have to take CCD classes, or other sorts of religious instructions and be welcomed into a church before they can be saved. There's nothing wrong with classes that are based on the word of God but a person could be dead and inhale before they finish. Forget the classes it's not that difficult to understand repent and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior because the kingdom of God is near; you don't have to go to school to figure that one out. Jesus says there are two things that need to be done in order to be saved and it doesn't include taking six weeks of classes. He said repent and believe the gospel and anyone who adds anything else to that message is gambling with souls and creating a bunch of trouble for themselves on the day of judgment. You say, that sounds great but what is this gospel that I'm supposed to believe? The gospel is that Jesus is the son of God who lived a sinless life and died on the cross and paid for your sins and the gospel is: John 1:12 which says to as many as received him to them he gave the right to become the children of God; that's the gospel so believe on it and act on it and get saved from hell while you can because the time is at hand and you don't know how much time you have left.
16a. The Sea of Galilee was like a big Lake. It was 650 feet below sea level, and 150 feet deep and surrounded by mountains.
16,17. If we follow Jesus we will be used by Jesus. The closer we are to Christ, the closer we follow him the more natural it is to be used by him and sometimes it's as natural as breathing because we don't even realize it.
Christianity is not a spectator sport. Were supposed to listen to preachers and teachers who proclaim the word of God without compromise so that we are edified and fed and built up spiritually and as a result of being strong in the Lord we go out and are used by him in whatever way he sees fit. Someone says, but I don't know what I can do. Simple, follow Jesus, focus on your relationship with Jesus through the word of God through prayer and through worship, and he will lead you. When we stay close to Jesus he lives his life out through us and works through us in our own unique way. The closer we are to Christ the easier it is for him to live and work through us. If the disciples follow Jesus then he will use them to be fishers of men. If you follow Jesus, if you stay close to Jesus he will use you as well.
18. There was no delay in their obedience. Jesus said follow me, and they didn't ask any questions they just followed him. They didn't ask, where are you going; they dented ask how long are we supposed to follow you? Nothing mattered except obedience; the details were God's business.
Our job today is to obey the Lord and let him worry about the results. Our job is to follow the word of God and let him decide if that means prosperity or poverty, comfort or discomfort, popularity or rejection. God has the right to use us anyway he sees fit for as long as he wants to use us. Our business is to obey his moral will found in the holy Bible. Consequently if there's something in our life that is keeping us from obedience to the written word of God and we need to give it up right now because the clock is ticking and we don't get any second chances once this life is over.
19. The nets that professional fishermen used in those days were hundreds of feet long and had to be repaired after the workday was finished. James and John were working on their nets so their day must've been winding down as Jesus approached.
20. So James and John left their father and their business because Jesus is more important than anyone and anything.
There are many good things, and many important things, including work and family, but obey Jesus is more important than everything and so they left and became Disciples of Christ. And I like how their father conducted himself because there is no mention of him trying to keep his sons from going.
Everyone must be allowed to be themselves in the Lord without others trying to stop them or tell them that it's wrong simply because God isn't telling them to do that same thing.
21. Capernaum was a wild and wealthy city in northern Israel. It became Jesus's adopted hometown. He did more miracles and Capernaum than anywhere else.
22. Jesus spoke with authority when he taught because he taught the word of God and the word of God is the authority; the final authority.
I love the word of God because I can say this is right and this is wrong and this is true in this is false and if I don't like it, or someone else doesn't like it, it doesn't matter because it is what it is. The word of God's truth and truth does not change in truth does not evolve in truth does not care with the culture thinks. Preachers who do not proclaim the word of God with authority dishonor God and his word.
22. The people were used to hearing sermons from the teachers of the law in which they constantly quoted other teachers. They never spoke with authority and I guess that's understandable since most of the time they were talking about their man-made traditions. But they were always quoting other teachers and they were never making any "value judgments" as they are called today. In other words, they didn't call right right and wrong wrong they didn't proclaim the word of God; they may have talked about the word of God but they didn't proclaim the word of God there's a difference. And listening to sermons like that would be enough to keep me away from that church and probably put me in a bad mood for the rest of the day; and given the choice I'd stay home next week and watch reruns of the Beverly hillbillies. Seriously, the way I figure, if someone doesn't have the guts to teach the pure word of God and to do it with authority I shouldn't waste my time listening to them. Jesus didn't quote anyone and in fact eating care about what anybody else taught he quoted God and he proclaim the word of God and he then water down the truth of God's word for second and the people were amazed.
23. Did you know that demons go to church? Oh yeah and many times they feel very comfortable which is a real indictment against that church and against the pastor or the preacher. Demons go to church. This demon possessed man was in the place of worship and he tried disrupting the word of God that Jesus was teaching.
He may have been comfortable when other people taught but he was not comfortable when Jesus started teaching and that's because Jesus proclaim the word of God and the devil is afraid of God's word. He's afraid of it so he works hard to keep it from being taught or keep people away from where it is being taught.
24. This demon knew who Jesus was; he knew that Jesus was the holy one of God, no one else in the congregation did but he did and he also knows that Jesus is going to eventually destroy him and his fellow demons and he's worried that Christ is going to do it immediately.
The demons know who Jesus is. They know he is God and they know that it is written in the word of God that someday he will throw them into hell. And like I said the demons in verse 24 are afraid that Christ was about to jump the gun and throw them into hell immediately.
And so we see from this that believing the facts about Jesus is worthless by itself. Just believing the facts about Jesus is not enough to save anyone from hell. If it were the demons would be saved because they believe the facts about Jesus; their theology is right on target. Satan and his demons don't want people to know the truth but they know the truth.
You have to believe the facts and then also act on those facts by repenting and receiving Christ as your Savior and submitting to his Lordship to be saved.
25. In church, as it were, right in front of everyone the demon called Jesus the holy one of God. And Jesus told him to be quiet and come out of the man and some people might be puzzled by that. Isn't it a good thing that this demon was proclaiming the truth about Christ in public? No it's not a good thing; Jesus did not want the testimony of the demon. He did not want anyone thinking that he was in league with the devil. That's why he not only tells this demon to come out of the man but he also told the demon to be quiet.
26. The demon gave this man one final shot before he left. I'll tell you one thing, he didn't want to come out of the man. He didn't want to come out of that man because it was nice and there; it was nice having the use of the physical body to do his dirty work. But like it or not he had to obey Jesus so he left; he left kicking and screaming but he left.
27. You know the demons were running wild in our Lord's day. The demons were prospering because the word of God wasn't being proclaimed, at least not until John the Baptist and Jesus showed up.
The demons were not intimidated by the teaching of the religious rulers and that's why this particular demon was perfectly comfortable in church. He was comfortable until Jesus showed up and started proclaiming God's word.
So there were many who were possessed by demons and that day and the people didn't know what to do about it actually they couldn't do anything about it. But Jesus sure did! With the word Christ commanded them to leave and they left, and now you can understand why the people were so impressed. What was impossible for mere man was done by Jesus.
28. Jesus would have made the headlines in every newspaper today. He would've been the lead story on every news network. Everyone was talking about Jesus because he was teaching the word of God and healing people and driving out demons and doing things that no one else had ever done.
29. Peter, his brother, his wife, and his mother evidently all lived in the same house.
30. As soon as they saw how sick Peter's mother-in-law was they told Jesus about it.
It is a good idea to go to Jesus first whenever we have a problem of any kind. A quick prayer doesn't take much time if you're in a hurry, and who knows, he may solve the problem immediately all by himself, or if nothing else he will lead in the direction that we should go.
Time spent in prayer is never a waste of time the sickness of Peter's mother-in-law is now in Jesus's hands because they prayed about it, so to speak.
31. Notice how Peter's mother-in-law didn't have to do anything to earn the help of Jesus; he just helped her because she needed help and he was asked. He helped her, and then in return she served him. Jesus didn't tell her to serve him and she didn't have to serve him she just did it out of appreciation.
And that in a nutshell is the Christian life. We can't do anything to earn salvation through Christ he just saves us when we ask him and then we serve him out of appreciation. A real Christian does not need church rules to make them behave like a real Christian. In fact legalism is a terrible thing; legalism robs us of the privilege of serving Jesus out of love and it rubs Jesus of being served out of love. Peter's mother-in-law served because Jesus helped her. The Bible says that we love Christ because he first loved us. That's the way it should be.
32. The Sabbath was from sunset Friday until sunset Saturday. It was against the law in Old Testament days to do any work on the Sabbath, or to travel on the Sabbath. That's why the people waited until Saturday night before they brought the sick Jesus.
33. Gathered together suggests that they sat down as a group. The crowd was large but it was not unruly. Jesus never would have tolerated rowdiness. God is a God of order.
34a. No sickness was too difficult for Jesus to cure. No problem that anyone brought to him had Jesus stumped. And no disease was too complicated or advanced for him to cure.
34x. If people were going to believe in Jesus then he wanted it to be because of his teaching in the miracles that accompanied his teaching. He did not want, nor did he need the testimonies of demons so he would not allow it.
35. Jesus had a very busy night. Nevertheless he was up early in the morning praying.
The best part of waking up is starting any morning is with God.
People say I'm too busy to start my day with God. That's the wrong way to look at it because the busier one is the more important it is to spend time with God. And God is reasonable; he knows when were very busy so he doesn't expect the impossible from us, and yet no Christian can afford to ignore him either. No one should allow themselves to be too busy (on an ongoing basis) to spend time with the Lord. It is important to at least talk with God even if one has to do it while driving or while in the shower. I look at it this way, if it was important for Jesus to start his day with God in prayer than I better.
36, 37. And I'm sure that after all the healing she did Jesus knew that the crowds would be back with even more needs in the morning. However, Jesus still made time for prayer.
Don't let anything keep you from God, even good things. Teaching the word of God and healing people, those were good things that Jesus had done but even those good things couldn't keep him from spending time with the father in prayer. So again I say don't let anything keep you from God even good things. Don't let the demands of others keep you from God either; Jesus tenant. There are many needs, but the need doesn't always justify the call. Just because something should be done doesn't mean that God wants you to do it. We need to stay close to Jesus so that by his spirit he will lead us into the that he wants us to have. Notice the reaction of Jesus to the needy people who were looking for him.
38. There were many people with many needs right where Jesus was. However, he said that he had to go and preach in other places. That meant some people would be disappointed.
We can't please everyone all the time, and we shouldn't feel like a failure because we can't. Our focus should be that of Christ which was to please God. If we please God will please those who God wants us to please, and he will find some way to take care of the rest.
39. In eternity past the son, because he is God, was everywhere at the same time. But that changed forever the second he was conceived in Mary's womb. From that point on the son of God has been confined to his physical body. So here we see Jesus going from one town to another in one synagogue to another. He was like a single aspirin in the midst of 2 million headaches.
40. The leprosy spoken of here was a disfiguring and very contagious disease. It was so contagious that lepers had to live in their own little groups away from the rest of the world. In fact if they came within 50 feet of someone they had to yell out "unclean, unclean," and sometimes if they got too close people would throw rocks at them. And so a leper was cut off from everyone and everything that they loved with nothing in this world to look forward to either.
41. This leper had the right attitude as he approached Christ. He came to Jesus with faith in his power to do the impossible and he came to Jesus with humility as well. He said Jesus if you are willing, and Jesus said I am willing and he healed him.
A person should always pray with faith knowing that God can do anything he wants to do. Anything less than that dishonors the Lord. And praying with humility is also important. God never says no to a prayer because it sprayed with humility. It's also important to remember that God has the right to say no anytime he wants to. Faith is not being sure that God will give us what we want every time we pray. Faith is praying, knowing that God hears, and then leaving the outcome to him and trusting him even if the answer is no.
41x. The power of Jesus healed this leper and it was the compassion of Jesus that caused him to use his power. It was the compassion of Christ that caused him to be kind to those who others sometimes threw rocks at.
To be Christlike we should be kind to those who others ignore; we should be kind to those who others leave out. Jesus would pay special attention to the person who was picked last when team captains choose up sides on the playground.
But it's always good to remember when we pray that we are talking to a compassionate God. His compassion doesn't vary either so if you should say no to our request it's not because he doesn't care it's not because he can't do it it's not because he is lacking compassion it's because it is what is best for us in the long term.
42. The man was healed the very second Jesus said you are healed. Immediately he was a new man. That means he got his body back and he got his life back and he got his family back and he got his home back.
43, 44. According to the Old Testament law that God gave Moses the priest was to examine those who were thought to have leprosy and if they did the priest made it official and quarantined the person. The priest was the one who said you are a leper and also, at least in theory, the priest pronounced one cleansed from leprosy. I say in theory because the disease was incurable; no one ever recovered. So with that in mind picture this situation. This man goes to the priest as Jesus instructed them; the priest examines him. The priest says you don't have leprosy anymore; I can't believe it you are healed of an incurable disease; how did it happen? The man says Jesus that it. The priest will then be brought face-to-face with a genuine miracle one that he himself confirmed; a miracle that Jesus performed. Remember, the priest along with the other religious leaders did not like Jesus so they want want to give him any good publicity but he would get it from this priest anyway if the leper follows our Lord's instructions.
45. Jesus wanted to enter cities and calmly teach the word of God in the synagogues. But thanks in part to this man's misguided zeal that plan is shot.
God's eternal purposes will be fulfilled, often in spite of his followers. It's a good thing that God has many Plan B's because every time his people disobey from our perspective he has to use one.
Chapter 2
1. Capernaum was the most privilege city in the history of the world. I say that because Jesus spent more time there in person in the flesh than any other place.
2. The last time Jesus was at Peter's house he healed many people so I guess it's not surprising that there was a huge crowd to see him there. But this time it says that Jesus preached the word to them. Teaching the word of God was more important to Jesus than anything else that he did. Clearly he loved to heal people because that would restore their sick bodies, but he'd love to proclaim the word of God because that restored souls. Our Lord's emphasis was always on the word of God.
3. Some men bring a paralytic to Jesus and a poor fella like this would understand that his situation was hopeless and so he's willing to be brought to Christ. When your situation is hopeless, and you know it you're more likely to turn to Jesus for help.
Everyone needs Christ. It's just that not everyone knows that they made him. People don't know how much they need Jesus until they realize that their spiritual and eternal situation is completely hopeless. People need to get to the point of desperation before they will cry out to Christ and at last listen to what the word of God says. This man was at that point. This man was definitely desperate.
4. These four men were very zealous and they were so sure that Christ could help their friend that they didn't care if they had to rip Peter's roof apart to get him to Christ. Peter probably cared, but they didn't. These men had tunnel vision and all they could see was Jesus. They didn't care what anyone thought about their zeal for Christ and that was a good thing.
Don't let what people say or think lessen your dedication to Jesus Christ. They didn't care what anyone thought about their zeal, although they probably should have just waited in line that the rest of the people did. Patients is biblical also.
5. Their faith led to the forgiveness of this man's sins. If they don't have faith then they don't bring this poor man to Christ and then this poor man gets absolutely nothing.
Our faith in Christ, and our faith in the word of God affects our own life, but whether we know it or not it has an effect on the life of others as well.
6. The scribes didn't like Jesus because he didn't care about their religiosity. They didn't like Jesus because he did not conform nor did he even think about, except with disdain, their man-made rules. And they didn't like him because of his growing popularity either.
Some people, like the four friends, live by faith. People like that will go all out for Christ and not let anything stop them. They don't count the cost; they make a difference. Then there are others who watch, and they reason in their hearts. Nothing wrong with thinking or reasoning, but when a person thinks contrary to the Bible the thinking too much. The religious rulers often thought too much.
6,7. What's the old saying? Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. And even these religious rulers say something correct once in a while. Like right here, they save only God can forgive sins. That's true, only God can forgive sins judicially because all sin is first and foremost against him. It is God's law that is broken. It is God's holiness that is violated. That is why only God can judicially forgive a person sins. We can forgive each other but only God can remove the actual stain of sin from our record and from our soul.
8. They were right to think that only God can forgive sins. They were wrong to believe that Jesus could not forgive sin. It is true that only God can forgive the guilt of sin, but Jesus is God, and if these rulers are looking for proof beyond all the miracles he has already done he just gave them more proof by reading their minds.
8,9. Both are easy to say, but both are impossible to do.... Unless you are God.
10, 11. In order to prove that he is God and therefore able to forgive sins which of course is an invisible thing Jesus did a visible thing which only God could do: he healed this paralytic.
12. They were amazed! This whole Jesus thing just keeps getting better every day! Now he heals a paralytic, something which would've amazed people even today.
13. Jesus was always ready to teach the word of God. It didn't matter where he was, or how many people he was talking to; if someone was there he taught the word of God. Jesus taught the truth because truth save souls from hell, and truth sanctifies God's people. Truth corrects lives that are confused and full of trouble and Jesus loves to do that for people.
14. As a rule tax collectors were wealthy back in those days because as a rule they cheated to get that wealth. Rome sold tax collecting franchises; meaning this: a Jew could pay money for the right to collect taxes for Rome from his fellow Israelites in a particular area. Rome demanded a certain amount from each area but the unscrupulous tax collectors would collect much more than Rome required an pocket the difference. Rome didn't care if they did it as long as they got what they needed and everyone else knew what they were doing and that's why tax collectors were considered some of the worst sinners in all of Israel. They not only collected taxes for the occupying power of Rome but they cheated their fellow Israelites to become rich.
So if you were an Israelite who decided to collect taxes for Rome then you better love money because that's all you're going to half. Tax collectors were a disgrace to their families and they were also kicked out of the synagogue. Tax collectors didn't have family or friends, but in spite of this Jesus reached out to Matthew the tax collector and he followed the Lord.
15. Many bad people follow Jesus. But I can tell you this: he didn't get them to follow by trying to be cool, or by watering down God's word. He preached the straight truth for those who wanted truth and those who did follow Tim. If a person didn't want truth they walked away and he let them walk.
You never know if someone will be saved unless you give them the truth and you never know if someone will be sanctified unless you give them the truth and that's why God wants his Bible teachers and preachers to give out the truth. Many people will be upset, most people will reject it, but the for the sake of the few relatively speaking who will accept it God says do it!
16. You'd have a hard time finding anyone more sickening than a Pharisee. When you talk about Pharisees you're talking about haughty religious people who follow all sorts of extra biblical rules and look down on those who don't and the real outrage is that they ignore the word of God in the process. They ignore the word of God, they follow man-made rules, and they strut around like they are God's best.
In essence the Pharisees made up of religious game with its rules and then look down on those who would rather live in reality than play their silly religious game. It's true that the tax collectors and sinners were bad, but so were the Pharisees in spite of their outward appearance.
17. Jesus came to call centers to repentance and since all have sinned Christ came to call all people to repentance.
At some point everyone needs to repent. Many people don't understand that. Many people don't think repentance applies to them. Like the Pharisees who thought they were already righteous simply because they were religious. They didn't think that they needed to repent because they were so religious. Then there were others, the dregs of society who thought that they were too far gone to repent. Both were wrong. Everyone who hasn't repented needs to repent and everyone who needs to repent can do it if they want to do it.
18. In the Old Testament God commanded only one fast day per year and that was on the day of atonement. The religious leaders of our Lord stay used to fast every Monday and Tuesday. The Disciples of Christ did not fast at all, and the Jews want to know why
.
19. In other words, Jesus says my disciples don't fast because it wouldn't make any sense. The few years that the son of God lived here on earth were the best years that this world has ever seen. God was right here in the flesh as a man teaching his word like never before. People were being healed of incurable diseases and demons were being cast out and people were even being raised from the dead. Why would anyone fast with all of that good happening? This was a time to be happy and to appreciate all the good that was occurring.
20. In other words, there will be plenty of time for the followers of Christ to fast and be sad after he is crucified. The point is this: be happy when things are going well and don't squander the good times because in this world good times are rare. Be happy when times are good, and be sad when times are bad, but honor God through good times and bad. And so speaking of things that are out of place notice verse 21.
21. It doesn't make sense to use a piece of new cloth to patch old pants. The new patch will shrink and the tear will be made worse. In that case mixing the old with the new wouldn't make sense, and that's the point that Jesus is trying to make here. Here's another example notice verse 22.
22. Here's another situation were mixing old and new doesn't make any sense. In those days people would make wine by taking an animal skin and sewing it together to form a bag. Now this bag made out of new skins would have plenty of stretch and it because skin stretches to a point it stretches. So they would put grape juice in this new animal skin and clothes off the opening and let the juice ferment. As the grape juice fermented it would expand in the skin would expand and you would have wine. If you wanted to make more wine you would not use an empty used wineskin because it had already stretched if you fill that skin with grape juice again and tied it off when it started to stretch the skin would burst. They never used old wineskins to make new wine; it didn't work.
The point that Jesus is trying to make is this: don't expect him to act like the religious rulers, and don't expect Christianity to be like the Old Testament religion of the Jews. There won't be any dietary laws or special holy days or special fast days or sacrifices in Christianity. Jesus came to begin a new thing. There will be the cross where he will pay for sins and there will be salvation by faith in Christ and there will be his followers living for him out of love and appreciation. The old religion had its place but it has been replaced by Jesus and the cross. Churches like the Seventh-day Adventist and others who tried to mix the Old Testament religion with the New Testament church are making a huge mistake. That is precisely what Christ was warning against and condemning right here.
23. There were there were not many main roads back in those days, so most travelers walked on paths that went through grain fields which had its advantages. It was an advantage because God had said that if the traveler got hungry he could pick enough grain to keep him going and that's what the disciples were doing.
24. The religious rulers accused the Disciples of Christ of breaking the Sabbath laws. The question is whose law were they really breaking? They were not breaking God's law that's for certain. The Jewish leaders of our Lord stay believe that there were two streams of Revelation; there was the written word and sacred oral tradition. They taught that Moses had handed down oral traditions to the Hebrews of his day in addition to the written word of God. They believed that these oral traditions had been handed down from generation to generation and they were taught to have the same authority as the written word of God; that's what they thought and that's what they taught, but they were wrong. Jesus did not keep the oral traditions, and in fact he blasted the religious leaders on several occasions for putting them on par with the Bible. Well, the disciples were not breaking God's law here. They were not going against Scripture. They were not keeping the traditions and that's why the leaders were so upset. In a case like this you let the leaders be upset because it's their problem.
If a church or a Christian wants to have rules and traditions that's their business but they should never equate them with holy Scripture and they should not try to force others to obey them. If you want to keep a tradition don't try to force others to do it as if it was the written word of God.
25, 26. The shewbread was sacred bread that was brought into the holy section of the temple and placed on the table it represented Christ the bread of life. It remained in the holy place for seven days and then it was replaced by fresh loaves. The older loaves were then eaten by the priest and they could only eat them within the temple area. So here comes David needing something to eat and the priest gave him this shewbread. So David did not break a religious tradition when he ate that holy bread. He actually broke the letter of God's law. But do you know what? God did not discipline him nor rebuke him for doing it. David was hungry. He had no food except for that holy bread so he ate that bread and it was okay. It was okay for David to break the letter of the law because she cares more about a hungry person that he did one of his ceremonial laws. The religious rulers were really a line here for criticizing the disciples who didn't even break God's law but only broke one of their precious man-made traditions.
27. The Sabbath day was intended to be a gift from God to give man a day of rest once a week. The religious leaders of our Lord stay turned the Sabbath into a massive accumulation of burdensome, mechanical, and meaningless demands based on human tradition which they equated with the word of God.
28. When Jesus said that he is Lord of the Sabbath he was saying that he is God. Jesus's message to the religious rulers of his day was, your man-made rules are wrong and you are wrong to equate them with God's word and you are wrong to try to enforce them on my followers. Jesus is saying I invented the Sabbath therefore I know the rules because I invented the rules as well. He was saying quit giving my followers a hard time because they don't follow your oral traditions. And Jesus would say the same thing today. He would say there is only one spiritual and moral authouity and only one stream of God's word and it's the Bible.
1. Capernaum was the most privilege city in the history of the world. I say that because Jesus spent more time there in person in the flesh than any other place.
2. The last time Jesus was at Peter's house he healed many people so I guess it's not surprising that there was a huge crowd to see him there. But this time it says that Jesus preached the word to them. Teaching the word of God was more important to Jesus than anything else that he did. Clearly he loved to heal people because that would restore their sick bodies, but he'd love to proclaim the word of God because that restored souls. Our Lord's emphasis was always on the word of God.
3. Some men bring a paralytic to Jesus and a poor fella like this would understand that his situation was hopeless and so he's willing to be brought to Christ. When your situation is hopeless, and you know it you're more likely to turn to Jesus for help.
Everyone needs Christ. It's just that not everyone knows that they made him. People don't know how much they need Jesus until they realize that their spiritual and eternal situation is completely hopeless. People need to get to the point of desperation before they will cry out to Christ and at last listen to what the word of God says. This man was at that point. This man was definitely desperate.
4. These four men were very zealous and they were so sure that Christ could help their friend that they didn't care if they had to rip Peter's roof apart to get him to Christ. Peter probably cared, but they didn't. These men had tunnel vision and all they could see was Jesus. They didn't care what anyone thought about their zeal for Christ and that was a good thing.
Don't let what people say or think lessen your dedication to Jesus Christ. They didn't care what anyone thought about their zeal, although they probably should have just waited in line that the rest of the people did. Patients is biblical also.
5. Their faith led to the forgiveness of this man's sins. If they don't have faith then they don't bring this poor man to Christ and then this poor man gets absolutely nothing.
Our faith in Christ, and our faith in the word of God affects our own life, but whether we know it or not it has an effect on the life of others as well.
6. The scribes didn't like Jesus because he didn't care about their religiosity. They didn't like Jesus because he did not conform nor did he even think about, except with disdain, their man-made rules. And they didn't like him because of his growing popularity either.
Some people, like the four friends, live by faith. People like that will go all out for Christ and not let anything stop them. They don't count the cost; they make a difference. Then there are others who watch, and they reason in their hearts. Nothing wrong with thinking or reasoning, but when a person thinks contrary to the Bible the thinking too much. The religious rulers often thought too much.
6,7. What's the old saying? Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. And even these religious rulers say something correct once in a while. Like right here, they save only God can forgive sins. That's true, only God can forgive sins judicially because all sin is first and foremost against him. It is God's law that is broken. It is God's holiness that is violated. That is why only God can judicially forgive a person sins. We can forgive each other but only God can remove the actual stain of sin from our record and from our soul.
8. They were right to think that only God can forgive sins. They were wrong to believe that Jesus could not forgive sin. It is true that only God can forgive the guilt of sin, but Jesus is God, and if these rulers are looking for proof beyond all the miracles he has already done he just gave them more proof by reading their minds.
8,9. Both are easy to say, but both are impossible to do.... Unless you are God.
10, 11. In order to prove that he is God and therefore able to forgive sins which of course is an invisible thing Jesus did a visible thing which only God could do: he healed this paralytic.
12. They were amazed! This whole Jesus thing just keeps getting better every day! Now he heals a paralytic, something which would've amazed people even today.
13. Jesus was always ready to teach the word of God. It didn't matter where he was, or how many people he was talking to; if someone was there he taught the word of God. Jesus taught the truth because truth save souls from hell, and truth sanctifies God's people. Truth corrects lives that are confused and full of trouble and Jesus loves to do that for people.
14. As a rule tax collectors were wealthy back in those days because as a rule they cheated to get that wealth. Rome sold tax collecting franchises; meaning this: a Jew could pay money for the right to collect taxes for Rome from his fellow Israelites in a particular area. Rome demanded a certain amount from each area but the unscrupulous tax collectors would collect much more than Rome required an pocket the difference. Rome didn't care if they did it as long as they got what they needed and everyone else knew what they were doing and that's why tax collectors were considered some of the worst sinners in all of Israel. They not only collected taxes for the occupying power of Rome but they cheated their fellow Israelites to become rich.
So if you were an Israelite who decided to collect taxes for Rome then you better love money because that's all you're going to half. Tax collectors were a disgrace to their families and they were also kicked out of the synagogue. Tax collectors didn't have family or friends, but in spite of this Jesus reached out to Matthew the tax collector and he followed the Lord.
15. Many bad people follow Jesus. But I can tell you this: he didn't get them to follow by trying to be cool, or by watering down God's word. He preached the straight truth for those who wanted truth and those who did follow Tim. If a person didn't want truth they walked away and he let them walk.
You never know if someone will be saved unless you give them the truth and you never know if someone will be sanctified unless you give them the truth and that's why God wants his Bible teachers and preachers to give out the truth. Many people will be upset, most people will reject it, but the for the sake of the few relatively speaking who will accept it God says do it!
16. You'd have a hard time finding anyone more sickening than a Pharisee. When you talk about Pharisees you're talking about haughty religious people who follow all sorts of extra biblical rules and look down on those who don't and the real outrage is that they ignore the word of God in the process. They ignore the word of God, they follow man-made rules, and they strut around like they are God's best.
In essence the Pharisees made up of religious game with its rules and then look down on those who would rather live in reality than play their silly religious game. It's true that the tax collectors and sinners were bad, but so were the Pharisees in spite of their outward appearance.
17. Jesus came to call centers to repentance and since all have sinned Christ came to call all people to repentance.
At some point everyone needs to repent. Many people don't understand that. Many people don't think repentance applies to them. Like the Pharisees who thought they were already righteous simply because they were religious. They didn't think that they needed to repent because they were so religious. Then there were others, the dregs of society who thought that they were too far gone to repent. Both were wrong. Everyone who hasn't repented needs to repent and everyone who needs to repent can do it if they want to do it.
18. In the Old Testament God commanded only one fast day per year and that was on the day of atonement. The religious leaders of our Lord stay used to fast every Monday and Tuesday. The Disciples of Christ did not fast at all, and the Jews want to know why
.
19. In other words, Jesus says my disciples don't fast because it wouldn't make any sense. The few years that the son of God lived here on earth were the best years that this world has ever seen. God was right here in the flesh as a man teaching his word like never before. People were being healed of incurable diseases and demons were being cast out and people were even being raised from the dead. Why would anyone fast with all of that good happening? This was a time to be happy and to appreciate all the good that was occurring.
20. In other words, there will be plenty of time for the followers of Christ to fast and be sad after he is crucified. The point is this: be happy when things are going well and don't squander the good times because in this world good times are rare. Be happy when times are good, and be sad when times are bad, but honor God through good times and bad. And so speaking of things that are out of place notice verse 21.
21. It doesn't make sense to use a piece of new cloth to patch old pants. The new patch will shrink and the tear will be made worse. In that case mixing the old with the new wouldn't make sense, and that's the point that Jesus is trying to make here. Here's another example notice verse 22.
22. Here's another situation were mixing old and new doesn't make any sense. In those days people would make wine by taking an animal skin and sewing it together to form a bag. Now this bag made out of new skins would have plenty of stretch and it because skin stretches to a point it stretches. So they would put grape juice in this new animal skin and clothes off the opening and let the juice ferment. As the grape juice fermented it would expand in the skin would expand and you would have wine. If you wanted to make more wine you would not use an empty used wineskin because it had already stretched if you fill that skin with grape juice again and tied it off when it started to stretch the skin would burst. They never used old wineskins to make new wine; it didn't work.
The point that Jesus is trying to make is this: don't expect him to act like the religious rulers, and don't expect Christianity to be like the Old Testament religion of the Jews. There won't be any dietary laws or special holy days or special fast days or sacrifices in Christianity. Jesus came to begin a new thing. There will be the cross where he will pay for sins and there will be salvation by faith in Christ and there will be his followers living for him out of love and appreciation. The old religion had its place but it has been replaced by Jesus and the cross. Churches like the Seventh-day Adventist and others who tried to mix the Old Testament religion with the New Testament church are making a huge mistake. That is precisely what Christ was warning against and condemning right here.
23. There were there were not many main roads back in those days, so most travelers walked on paths that went through grain fields which had its advantages. It was an advantage because God had said that if the traveler got hungry he could pick enough grain to keep him going and that's what the disciples were doing.
24. The religious rulers accused the Disciples of Christ of breaking the Sabbath laws. The question is whose law were they really breaking? They were not breaking God's law that's for certain. The Jewish leaders of our Lord stay believe that there were two streams of Revelation; there was the written word and sacred oral tradition. They taught that Moses had handed down oral traditions to the Hebrews of his day in addition to the written word of God. They believed that these oral traditions had been handed down from generation to generation and they were taught to have the same authority as the written word of God; that's what they thought and that's what they taught, but they were wrong. Jesus did not keep the oral traditions, and in fact he blasted the religious leaders on several occasions for putting them on par with the Bible. Well, the disciples were not breaking God's law here. They were not going against Scripture. They were not keeping the traditions and that's why the leaders were so upset. In a case like this you let the leaders be upset because it's their problem.
If a church or a Christian wants to have rules and traditions that's their business but they should never equate them with holy Scripture and they should not try to force others to obey them. If you want to keep a tradition don't try to force others to do it as if it was the written word of God.
25, 26. The shewbread was sacred bread that was brought into the holy section of the temple and placed on the table it represented Christ the bread of life. It remained in the holy place for seven days and then it was replaced by fresh loaves. The older loaves were then eaten by the priest and they could only eat them within the temple area. So here comes David needing something to eat and the priest gave him this shewbread. So David did not break a religious tradition when he ate that holy bread. He actually broke the letter of God's law. But do you know what? God did not discipline him nor rebuke him for doing it. David was hungry. He had no food except for that holy bread so he ate that bread and it was okay. It was okay for David to break the letter of the law because she cares more about a hungry person that he did one of his ceremonial laws. The religious rulers were really a line here for criticizing the disciples who didn't even break God's law but only broke one of their precious man-made traditions.
27. The Sabbath day was intended to be a gift from God to give man a day of rest once a week. The religious leaders of our Lord stay turned the Sabbath into a massive accumulation of burdensome, mechanical, and meaningless demands based on human tradition which they equated with the word of God.
28. When Jesus said that he is Lord of the Sabbath he was saying that he is God. Jesus's message to the religious rulers of his day was, your man-made rules are wrong and you are wrong to equate them with God's word and you are wrong to try to enforce them on my followers. Jesus is saying I invented the Sabbath therefore I know the rules because I invented the rules as well. He was saying quit giving my followers a hard time because they don't follow your oral traditions. And Jesus would say the same thing today. He would say there is only one spiritual and moral authouity and only one stream of God's word and it's the Bible.
Chapter 3
1. So this man's hand was either deformed or paralyzed or maybe both.
2. They, the religious rulers, hoped that Jesus would show his usual compassion, not because they cared about this suffering man but so they could say we caught you Jesus; you broke our Sabbath rule.
When a person is more concerned about their religion than God they become like the religious rulers and it's an ugly thing.
3. If anyone thought that Jesus didn't know what these religionist were up to their wrong. If anyone thought that Jesus would be intimidated into not doing the right thing for this man than they don't know Christ very well. Jesus knew that they were hoping to accuse him, but he didn't care. Jesus cared about the man with the hand problem and he also cared about the rulers with their spiritual problem, and he would use this occasion to work on both.
4a. Jesus had already said that the Sabbath was given for man's benefit so obviously it's more consistent with the purpose of the Sabbath to do good and to save a life than to do bad or kill someone. Anyone with half a spiritual brain would be able to answer the question that Jesus asked.
4x. They knew the answer, but they did not want to give the answer. They didn't want to say the obvious which is its right to do good because then they couldn't charge Jesus with bad if he helps us man. The truth would destroy their plan so they would not admit the truth.
It is a lost cause to try to deal with someone when you know they are wrong, and they know they are wrong, but they will not admit that they are wrong even though the evidence is clear.
5a. Jesus was angry because they cared more about their own ideas and religious rules than they did about the word of God. He was angry because they cared more about satisfying their ungodly desires than they did about this poor man being helped. And Jesus was grieved because their hearts were so hard. They were staring at truth and yet they didn't recognize him. They couldn't see it, they couldn't see the truth because they had not wanted to see it and that had probably been the case for a long time. The rulers couldn't see the truth because they had a rebellious attitude and a rebellious attitude will cause truth to skip off a person's soul like a rock skipping across the water.
5b. Jesus did the right thing even though he knew his enemies would not like it.
If people get angry when we do the right thing then we do not have a problem because they are upset at us; they have the problem. It's always best to do the right thing and make God happy. If people are not happy because you make God happy then those people shouldn't be happy.
6. And that was their reaction to Jesus doing an act of kindness in the synagogue. Jesus did the right thing and he spoke the truth. Unfortunately doing the right thing doesn't always impress everyone. The religious rulers were running the Jewish religion their way and that's the way they wanted to keep it because it put them on a pedestal. Will Jesus was rocking the religious boat by putting God in the Bible on that pedestal and they didn't like it.
7,8. In other words people came from one end of Israel and beyond to the other end and beyond to follow Jesus. Jesus may have been hated by the religious leaders, but the average person couldn't get enough of him. People came from all over the country to see him. Jesus cared about them, plus he was able to help them and they couldn't get enough of Jesus.
People can tell if someone cares about them. A person like that stands out especially in the fast-paced me first world of today. I Christian who is under the control of the Holy Spirit will be that way; they will be like Christ; that characteristic is going to manifest itself in some form because that's what Jesus did.
9. Notice how Jesus prepared for possible trouble.
God is sovereign; God is in control. However he still expects us to use common sense and take steps to avoid trouble if we see it coming. God provides, in part of his provision is to show us that there may be trouble ahead. Jesus used his brain!
10. And I wonder what the disciples thought when all these people with various diseases Preston around them to get to Jesus? If nothing else the disciples are learning that God cares about people, and their problems. They are also learning that people who need help should be helped if possible not ignored.
11. The devil's are very intelligent; they knew who Jesus was long before the people did.
Intelligence is a gift from God to be received with humility and to be used in God's service. Like any other gift the good angels do that but the bad angels and the devils do not.
12. We've seen this several times already: Jesus did not want the testimony of devils. He doesn't want the testimony of devils because they are bad. Their testimony would do him more harm than good. And it's the same with bad people who claim to be Christians or idiotic preachers who claim to be speaking for the Lord. Jesus has enough to deal with without being connected to the devil or to people who act like fools or act like the devil.
13. Jesus handpicked 12 meant to be his apostles. You say, why these 12? Answer: the world may never know. Possibly to show the rest of us that Jesus can use anyone even very flawed human beings as long as they have a heart for him.
14a. There is a difference between an apostle and a disciple Jesus had many disciples, every Christian should be his disciple. The word disciple simply means learner. If we are saved than we want to learn about Jesus and we want to spend time with him so that we can follow him and so we are his disciples. An apostle is entirely different. An apostle is one who had seen Christ and was personally chosen by him and commissioned by him to start his church immediately after his ascension into heaven. There were 12 apostles all appointed by Christ. There are no apostles today. There can't be any today because another requirement was to have seen the Lord after he was raised from the dead and no one has.
14, 15. Notice that the top priority for the apostles was for them to be with Jesus. I don't care how talented one may be if they do not spend time with Jesus; if they are not being taught the Bible; if their knowledge of Christ and the relationship with Jesus is not growing then they will not be of any spiritual use to him. They may do nice things, but they will not be able to do the spiritual work that God has called Christians to do. The Christian whose walk with the Lord is solid will have an extra dimension, a spiritual dimension in their life that other people lack.
16-19.
20, 21. The immediate family of Jesus, meaning his brothers and sisters thought that he went off the deep end. They actually came to take him away. I'm thinking he might've been an embarrassment to his brothers because they didn't believe in him until after his resurrection but anyway his half brothers and sisters thought he was out of his mind
. Why is it that if a person goes all out in business they are called an entrepreneur and everybody applauds. But when a person goes all out for Jesus there called overzealous or maybe even lunatics.
22. While that's a brilliant conclusion! I wonder how many years of religious training the rulers needed to be able to come to that conclusion. Let's see, Jesus preached and taught the Bible; he was fulfilling messianic scriptures left and right; he was doing all sorts of good things: healing the sick cleansing lepers even raising people from the dead calming storms walking on water; he was doing all sorts of kind and benevolent things and never asking for anything in return. Their conclusion; and these are the religious leaders; their conclusion: Jesus is possessed by the devil. They've just been disqualified to be religious leaders because of their complete and total lack of discernment. They have no ability to discern truth because they hate truth and they have no ability to discern God in their midst because they hate God. They should be banished to the salt mines or to the copper mines where they can live out their lives and not influence anyone in the wrong direction.
23-26. Satan is evil but he's not stupid. He's smart enough to know that it is folly to fight against himself. Jesus is saying: I cannot be casting out devils by the power of the devil! Think about it! Satan is completely self-centered. He would never labor to destroy his own work.
27. The reason robbers use guns is because you can't steal someone's things unless you first overpower that someone. Satan's devils were possessing people. The devils were bouncing them around, controlling them, and in the process making life miserable for them and everybody around them. Jesus shows up; he obviously overpowered the devils because he took away their possessions, namely: the people that they were tormenting. Good news: Jesus can overpower devils, but they can never overpower him.
27x. And this is one reason why I do not believe a Christian could ever be possessed by the devil. The Bible clearly teaches that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. In other words the Holy Spirit lives inside of you if you are a Christian. You are his property; you are his house. That means the devil would have to overpower God himself and run him out of your body before he could come in and possess you and that's not going to happen because there isn't the devil anywhere, in fact not even all the devils combined could overpower God.
28-30. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is an unforgivable sin. Since that's the case we better know exactly what that sin is. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit is attributing the convincing work of the Holy Spirit to the devil and here's why that sin is unforgivable. It has unforgiveness built right into it. The work of the Holy Spirit on behalf of the unsaved is to convince them that Jesus died for their sins and that they must repent and receive him and submit to his Lordship in order to go to heaven. If someone ignores the Holy Spirit's voice by saying well that's just a bunch of foolishness or its of the devil then that person is without hope. By default they are without hope! They don't stand a chance as long as they take that position concerning the voice of the Holy Spirit because God does not have a Plan B to save anyone. It's an unforgivable sin because it completely rejects God's way of forgiveness it rejects that message.
31. The Lord's mother was probably worried about her son. She knew he was God but he was still her son and that's the way it is with moms, usually.
32-34. In other words, the members of God's family are those who follow Christ and those who follow Christ and submit to his Lordship trusting in his cross are members of his family. Those who receive him as Lord and Savior enter into the family of God. We become the little brothers and sisters of Jesus. Hebrews 2:11 says that Jesus is not ashamed to be called our brother.
35. You say all I get it! If I work real hard and I do a bunch of good religious type things then Jesus will be my brother. No, if that's what you think you miss the point. If a person has really repented and received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior they will just naturally want to strive and desired to do the will of God. Obedience, or at least the desire to obey is the acid test of being a child of God and that's why Jesus said for whosoever shall do the will of God the same as my brother and my sister and my mother. If you have no desire to obey God if you have no desire to honor Jesus then you're not in the family of God and you're not saved and you're only kidding yourself because when you die you can find yourself in the flames of hell if you don't repent and quit living in the land of make-believe.
1. So this man's hand was either deformed or paralyzed or maybe both.
2. They, the religious rulers, hoped that Jesus would show his usual compassion, not because they cared about this suffering man but so they could say we caught you Jesus; you broke our Sabbath rule.
When a person is more concerned about their religion than God they become like the religious rulers and it's an ugly thing.
3. If anyone thought that Jesus didn't know what these religionist were up to their wrong. If anyone thought that Jesus would be intimidated into not doing the right thing for this man than they don't know Christ very well. Jesus knew that they were hoping to accuse him, but he didn't care. Jesus cared about the man with the hand problem and he also cared about the rulers with their spiritual problem, and he would use this occasion to work on both.
4a. Jesus had already said that the Sabbath was given for man's benefit so obviously it's more consistent with the purpose of the Sabbath to do good and to save a life than to do bad or kill someone. Anyone with half a spiritual brain would be able to answer the question that Jesus asked.
4x. They knew the answer, but they did not want to give the answer. They didn't want to say the obvious which is its right to do good because then they couldn't charge Jesus with bad if he helps us man. The truth would destroy their plan so they would not admit the truth.
It is a lost cause to try to deal with someone when you know they are wrong, and they know they are wrong, but they will not admit that they are wrong even though the evidence is clear.
5a. Jesus was angry because they cared more about their own ideas and religious rules than they did about the word of God. He was angry because they cared more about satisfying their ungodly desires than they did about this poor man being helped. And Jesus was grieved because their hearts were so hard. They were staring at truth and yet they didn't recognize him. They couldn't see it, they couldn't see the truth because they had not wanted to see it and that had probably been the case for a long time. The rulers couldn't see the truth because they had a rebellious attitude and a rebellious attitude will cause truth to skip off a person's soul like a rock skipping across the water.
5b. Jesus did the right thing even though he knew his enemies would not like it.
If people get angry when we do the right thing then we do not have a problem because they are upset at us; they have the problem. It's always best to do the right thing and make God happy. If people are not happy because you make God happy then those people shouldn't be happy.
6. And that was their reaction to Jesus doing an act of kindness in the synagogue. Jesus did the right thing and he spoke the truth. Unfortunately doing the right thing doesn't always impress everyone. The religious rulers were running the Jewish religion their way and that's the way they wanted to keep it because it put them on a pedestal. Will Jesus was rocking the religious boat by putting God in the Bible on that pedestal and they didn't like it.
7,8. In other words people came from one end of Israel and beyond to the other end and beyond to follow Jesus. Jesus may have been hated by the religious leaders, but the average person couldn't get enough of him. People came from all over the country to see him. Jesus cared about them, plus he was able to help them and they couldn't get enough of Jesus.
People can tell if someone cares about them. A person like that stands out especially in the fast-paced me first world of today. I Christian who is under the control of the Holy Spirit will be that way; they will be like Christ; that characteristic is going to manifest itself in some form because that's what Jesus did.
9. Notice how Jesus prepared for possible trouble.
God is sovereign; God is in control. However he still expects us to use common sense and take steps to avoid trouble if we see it coming. God provides, in part of his provision is to show us that there may be trouble ahead. Jesus used his brain!
10. And I wonder what the disciples thought when all these people with various diseases Preston around them to get to Jesus? If nothing else the disciples are learning that God cares about people, and their problems. They are also learning that people who need help should be helped if possible not ignored.
11. The devil's are very intelligent; they knew who Jesus was long before the people did.
Intelligence is a gift from God to be received with humility and to be used in God's service. Like any other gift the good angels do that but the bad angels and the devils do not.
12. We've seen this several times already: Jesus did not want the testimony of devils. He doesn't want the testimony of devils because they are bad. Their testimony would do him more harm than good. And it's the same with bad people who claim to be Christians or idiotic preachers who claim to be speaking for the Lord. Jesus has enough to deal with without being connected to the devil or to people who act like fools or act like the devil.
13. Jesus handpicked 12 meant to be his apostles. You say, why these 12? Answer: the world may never know. Possibly to show the rest of us that Jesus can use anyone even very flawed human beings as long as they have a heart for him.
14a. There is a difference between an apostle and a disciple Jesus had many disciples, every Christian should be his disciple. The word disciple simply means learner. If we are saved than we want to learn about Jesus and we want to spend time with him so that we can follow him and so we are his disciples. An apostle is entirely different. An apostle is one who had seen Christ and was personally chosen by him and commissioned by him to start his church immediately after his ascension into heaven. There were 12 apostles all appointed by Christ. There are no apostles today. There can't be any today because another requirement was to have seen the Lord after he was raised from the dead and no one has.
14, 15. Notice that the top priority for the apostles was for them to be with Jesus. I don't care how talented one may be if they do not spend time with Jesus; if they are not being taught the Bible; if their knowledge of Christ and the relationship with Jesus is not growing then they will not be of any spiritual use to him. They may do nice things, but they will not be able to do the spiritual work that God has called Christians to do. The Christian whose walk with the Lord is solid will have an extra dimension, a spiritual dimension in their life that other people lack.
16-19.
20, 21. The immediate family of Jesus, meaning his brothers and sisters thought that he went off the deep end. They actually came to take him away. I'm thinking he might've been an embarrassment to his brothers because they didn't believe in him until after his resurrection but anyway his half brothers and sisters thought he was out of his mind
. Why is it that if a person goes all out in business they are called an entrepreneur and everybody applauds. But when a person goes all out for Jesus there called overzealous or maybe even lunatics.
22. While that's a brilliant conclusion! I wonder how many years of religious training the rulers needed to be able to come to that conclusion. Let's see, Jesus preached and taught the Bible; he was fulfilling messianic scriptures left and right; he was doing all sorts of good things: healing the sick cleansing lepers even raising people from the dead calming storms walking on water; he was doing all sorts of kind and benevolent things and never asking for anything in return. Their conclusion; and these are the religious leaders; their conclusion: Jesus is possessed by the devil. They've just been disqualified to be religious leaders because of their complete and total lack of discernment. They have no ability to discern truth because they hate truth and they have no ability to discern God in their midst because they hate God. They should be banished to the salt mines or to the copper mines where they can live out their lives and not influence anyone in the wrong direction.
23-26. Satan is evil but he's not stupid. He's smart enough to know that it is folly to fight against himself. Jesus is saying: I cannot be casting out devils by the power of the devil! Think about it! Satan is completely self-centered. He would never labor to destroy his own work.
27. The reason robbers use guns is because you can't steal someone's things unless you first overpower that someone. Satan's devils were possessing people. The devils were bouncing them around, controlling them, and in the process making life miserable for them and everybody around them. Jesus shows up; he obviously overpowered the devils because he took away their possessions, namely: the people that they were tormenting. Good news: Jesus can overpower devils, but they can never overpower him.
27x. And this is one reason why I do not believe a Christian could ever be possessed by the devil. The Bible clearly teaches that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. In other words the Holy Spirit lives inside of you if you are a Christian. You are his property; you are his house. That means the devil would have to overpower God himself and run him out of your body before he could come in and possess you and that's not going to happen because there isn't the devil anywhere, in fact not even all the devils combined could overpower God.
28-30. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is an unforgivable sin. Since that's the case we better know exactly what that sin is. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit is attributing the convincing work of the Holy Spirit to the devil and here's why that sin is unforgivable. It has unforgiveness built right into it. The work of the Holy Spirit on behalf of the unsaved is to convince them that Jesus died for their sins and that they must repent and receive him and submit to his Lordship in order to go to heaven. If someone ignores the Holy Spirit's voice by saying well that's just a bunch of foolishness or its of the devil then that person is without hope. By default they are without hope! They don't stand a chance as long as they take that position concerning the voice of the Holy Spirit because God does not have a Plan B to save anyone. It's an unforgivable sin because it completely rejects God's way of forgiveness it rejects that message.
31. The Lord's mother was probably worried about her son. She knew he was God but he was still her son and that's the way it is with moms, usually.
32-34. In other words, the members of God's family are those who follow Christ and those who follow Christ and submit to his Lordship trusting in his cross are members of his family. Those who receive him as Lord and Savior enter into the family of God. We become the little brothers and sisters of Jesus. Hebrews 2:11 says that Jesus is not ashamed to be called our brother.
35. You say all I get it! If I work real hard and I do a bunch of good religious type things then Jesus will be my brother. No, if that's what you think you miss the point. If a person has really repented and received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior they will just naturally want to strive and desired to do the will of God. Obedience, or at least the desire to obey is the acid test of being a child of God and that's why Jesus said for whosoever shall do the will of God the same as my brother and my sister and my mother. If you have no desire to obey God if you have no desire to honor Jesus then you're not in the family of God and you're not saved and you're only kidding yourself because when you die you can find yourself in the flames of hell if you don't repent and quit living in the land of make-believe.
Chapter 4
1. The crowds are getting bigger so Jesus uses a boat for a pulse but in the beach as an auditorium.
2,3. Back in those days farmers scattered seeds by hand. With the seed bag over their shoulder they would grab a handful and fling them back and forth which meant that some seeds didn't go where they wanted them to go.
4. Travelers would create paths through green fields which were packed down hard as blacktop. Any seeds the farmer tossed landing on those past would simply lay on the surface. Any bird who happened to come by would have an easy lunch; just pick it up and go. The seeds wouldn't produce because they were snatched away before they had a chance to sink into the ground.
5. Some soil in that area had a layer of limestone just a few inches beneath the surface. That slab of limestone would keep any moisture close to the surface. As a result, the seed on that soil would have water and since the roots couldn't grow down because of the rock the seed sprouted quickly and grew up; it grew up very quickly.
6. The shallow soil caused the problem. Although the plants looked like they were doing well because they shut up so quickly they withered in the hot sun just as quickly as they shot up. They withered because there wasn't any roots to sustain them against the sun. Everything about that plant was on the surface; it was all surface level growth nothing underneath no reality to support it.
7. When I was little I didn't understand why gardens had to be weeded; I thought it was just for looks. But then I learned that weeds are like plant robbers. They robbed the soil of the nutrition and moisture that good plants need to grow. Too many weeds and thorns choke the good plants and consequently they don't produce fruit.
8. In those days and 8 to 10 fold increase was considered good so a harvest that yielded 3060 or 100 fold would be amazing.
9. Some people evidently needed a spiritual hearing aid and still do today. And I can tell you what that spiritual hearing aid consists of: it consists of an attitude of repentance and a desire to learn and obey the word of God. Spiritual truth goes right over the head of the person who has unconfessed sin and no intention of repenting or has no desire to learn the truth or to obey the word of God. The want to must be there in order to understand God's word. The Bible says if anyone is willing to obey they will know the truth.
10. The majority left but the few who had a heart for God and could stay did stay in order to pursue truth.
Sincere people make an effort to pursue truth and it does take effort, and it's not always convenient.
11. The outsiders were those who didn't make a commitment to Christ. Perhaps they enjoyed listening to him; no doubt they loved his miracles, but that was as far as their interest in Jesus went. The outsiders would hear his parables and maybe enjoy the story but they wouldn't grasp the spiritual meaning of the story. And even worse, they didn't care that they didn't understand.
12. The indifferent and the rebellious seek truth and here truth just like everyone else but they don't get it; it just doesn't click. They don't get it because they don't want to get it. Even a brilliant teacher like the son of God can't make a person understand if they don't want to understand. When it comes to understanding the word of God sometimes the problem is with the receiver not the transmitter. If the word of God is given out simply and clearly but it doesn't click with the people who hear the problem is with the receiver not the transmitter.
13, 14. The farmer represents Jesus and everyone else who gives out the word of God.
15. These are people who are spiritually indifferent. As a result the word of God hits their soul and just lays there. It doesn't register because there's no interest in them. The devil and his demons notice what's going on so they are quick to snatch the word of God away from them so they cannot think about it at some future time.
16. These are people who hear about Jesus, maybe at a Christian rally or concert. They probably hear about Christ in the setting where everybody is excited and emotional. They catch the Jesus fever, but it's all emotion. They don't repent repentance probably isn't even mentioned and they certainly haven't taken the time to count the cost of following Christ. It's all superficial; it's all surface level; they haven't thought anything through.
16, 17. These people are all about feelings. They prayed: Jesus save me because it felt right and it was exciting. But then after telling a few people about their faith and not receiving a pat on the back for it but instead may be be in left at or ridiculed or persecuted in some other way the bad feelings begin to outweigh the good feelings and so they walk away from Christ. Those who are governed by feelings rather than the word of God and a deep love for Jesus will not stay with Christ very long.
If you're not willing to stand alone for Jesus and for the word of God then you will not stand very long.
18, 19. The people who are represented by the seeds sown among the thorns are those who are too preoccupied with the things of this world to give any serious thought to God. They have a lot of weeds in their life. They don't have time to think about God and they have no interest in the word of God. They are consumed with anything and everything except God. The word of God never sinks in and produces fruit.
20. And here you see a picture of a real Christian. They hear the word of God; they accept it and they bear spiritual fruit. They appreciate Jesus and they do things that promote their relationship with him and as a result the Holy Spirit does good things through them.
Some Christians bear more fruit than others but all Christians display at least some fruit as a natural consequence of their walk with Christ.
21. Some things just do not make any sense at all, and you'd have to be crazy to do those things. Spray painting all your light bulbs black would be stupid, or something similar to what Jesus says here: no one in their right mind covers a light with the quilt. You say, what is the point that Jesus is trying to make? His point is this: no real Christian will continue to cover the light of holiness with the quilt of sin.
It doesn't make sense to cover a light with the quilt and Jesus is saying it doesn't make sense to suggest that any real Christian would live in continual rebellion against God. We Christians still sin, but we do not continue to sin without repenting. Christians want truth and they want to apply truth and they want to live holy.
22. God doesn't reveal truth to Christians just so we can internalize it. He wants his people to live it in whatever possible pass it on to others and for good reason. Think of all the evangelist of evil that are out there. Think of all the evangelist of evil that the devil has in this world; they are just about everywhere. Sin and lies are promoted in many different ways. Wrong ideas about God, heaven, Jesus, and hell are also widespread. Which means that God needs voices as well. He needs Christians who will talk about Jesus as if he is real and talk about God's word as if it is truth and strive to live holy because it is what God demands. God wants these things to be true in the lives of Christians just the way the world talk so freely about evil and lives contrary to the word of God. Jesus is saying: don't keep my ways a secret!
God deserves to be seen and heard through Christians and the world needs to experience the real Christ and the real God that created them and who is their judge.
23. Jesus is saying: don't just hear the words of Scripture, but also have a humble, obedient attitude in order to catch the meaning and know how it should be applied to your life.
24. In other words, start applying the truth that you already understand and if you do your understanding of truth will increase all the more.
Applying God's word gives us a greater capacity to understand God's word. There are no tricks or formulas to understanding the Bible other than read it and study it and believe it and live it.
25. Everyone starts life with a basic understanding of God which we are born with according to Romans chapter 1. The Bible says that God has placed eternity within the heart of man. What a person does with that basic inborn inherent understanding of God will determine if they get more or eventually lose what they have. Truth is like a muscle, if a person doesn't exercise their muscle shrinks if they exercise their muscle gets harder and stronger and if the person doesn't love truth then they will lose the convictions that they have and eventually even believe a lie.
26-29. A farmer can't force a seed to grow; he cannot beg or manipulate a seed to grow. He plants, and if it is good soil and good seed it grows. In the same way Christians cannot get someone into the kingdom of God by force or begging or any other fleshly attempt; you can't do it by trying to cool them into the kingdom or manipulating them; these things just do not work. All we can do is give out the word of God or help get out the word of God. If a person wants God they will repent and receive Christ after hearing what the Bible says. The word of God produces salvation and people who wanted. It is out of our hands; it's between them and God.
The truth alone saves; all we can be is pipelines of that truth. If one doesn't feel called or qualified to communicate God's word then by supporting the one who does they partner with him and will share in the rewards at the judgment seat of Christ.
30, 31. The church at its beginning was compared by Jesus to a mustard seed which is about one quarter the size of a BB. So Jesus is saying my church is going to start out small and it really did; it started with Jesus and his disciples.
31,32. Actually a mustard seed has been known to grow 12 to 15 feet in its first year. So it starts out very small but becomes large very quickly. That's the church in a nutshell; it began small but now there are multiplied millions of Christians mostly in heaven but some still on earth.
33. Jesus gave them as much truth as they could bear. He didn't force-feed them he didn't try to shove too much truth down their spiritual throats or they would choke and not be able to process any of it. And this teaches us that spiritual growth is a process. You can't force-feed a little baby and expect them to become an adult twice as fast. You can shove meat and potatoes in a newborn so they can grow faster; it doesn't work that way in the physical realm or in the spiritual realm. Spiritual maturity takes time which is why it's important to be patient with others who love Jesus and want to learn and want to become better but are struggling. It's also important to be patient with ourselves for the same reason. Jesus gives us the truth that we can simulate and apply today. Maybe tomorrow we can handle a little bit more, may be a lot more, only Jesus knows. Like the guys said I'm not what I used to be but I'm not what I ought to be either. I know this I do the only thing I can do; I give out the truth of God's word so eat what you can and put the rest into a spiritual doggy bag for some other time. We can't force-feed and we cannot force growth.
34. The use of parables separated the real seekers of truth from those who were just curious. The curious went away thinking that they heard an interesting story but not caring enough about truth to grasp the meaning behind the story. There were the curious and there were the sincere who came to Jesus asking questions wanting clarifications to the stories that he told; wanting to learn and when they came Jesus spent whatever time was needed to teach them.
35. Notice carefully the words of Jesus, and by the way we should always be precise about what Jesus says and about what the written word of God says in general. Words mean something especially the words of holy Scripture. So notice that Jesus did not say, let's go for a boat ride. He said, let's go to the other side. That was his command; that was his will; that is what he will accomplish. He will accomplish it because the word of God has been spoken and God's word does not come back to him void.
36. They went just as they were they went even as he was in the boat. In other words they did not take any supplies with them. Jesus didn't give them time to prepare; he just said let's go.
When God gives us time to prepare we better do it or we will be guilty of the sin of presumption. However if were thrown into a situation without warning we can trust that God will provide what we need as we need it.
37. Remember, it was Jesus who told them to go out on the water, and now they're in the middle of a terrible storm. They were in God's will, but they were in a storm.
Some people think that bad times means that God has lost a battle to Satan or his people have rebelled against his will. There are times when we bring trouble upon ourselves by our own foolishness but sometimes God actually leads us into a storm when we haven't done anything to deserve it.
38a. Jesus certainly wasn't worried. The storm is raging, the boat is rocking, water is splashing everywhere, his disciples are in an absolute panic and he sleeping like a baby.
God never panics and he never worries about our troubles, even our disasters. It's not that he is indifferent, it's just that he is in control and he knows that he will take care of his children and that no plan for purpose of his can be thwarted.
38. The disciples are scared because of the storm and it seems as if they are venting their frustrations and fears on Jesus. It's probably best not to say a whole lot when we are scared, like here, they say don't you care Jesus? That's a very foolish thing to say and the apostles have been around Jesus long enough to realize that it was foolish. Of course he cares! Jesus was the most caring person who ever lived.
And by the way it doesn't matter how bad things may get; God is still good. You say why then is there so much bad? Because sin has to run its course; sins natural consequences must run their course as well. And also evil people have a free will which they are allowed to exercise. But remember God is making all bad work for the good of any Christian who is experiencing it. If a person doesn't remember that they may start to panic and complain like the apostles were doing right here.
39. Imagine a severe thunderstorm with heavy rain, lightning, and thunder, along with high winds, and hail. Imagine standing in the midst of all of that trouble and praying Lord please put a stop to this and instantaneously the sky is clear and everything is completely calm. I would say your faith would be strengthened. That's what the apostles experienced.
People can predict the weather, and take shelter from the weather, and talk about the weather, but only God can do something about the weather like Jesus did right here.
40. They thought they were afraid because of the storm but the storm wasn't the real issue. Their lack of faith caused him to be afraid. They heard Jesus say let's go to the other side. If they would've remembered his words and believed that he would and could accomplish his will than they never would have been afraid. They were afraid because of their lack of faith in the word of God.
It's great to read the word of God and it's great to study the word of God but if you don't believe that an act according to it your faith is not real and when faith is not real fear will move in.
41. They learn something about Jesus because of their trial, something they could not have learned without the trial.
There are certain things we just can't learn out of a book; we have to experience them. It seems like no matter how much we prepare for a challenge there is still a baptism of fire when we really get into it. The storm taught the apostles that Jesus was more powerful than they thought. They already knew he was stronger than sickness and stronger than devils but now they know that he can control the weather even when it's raging. They learned that Jesus was stronger than the most powerful trouble because they went through the trouble and got through it by his power. There are no shortcuts to a strong faith; strong faith does not come from repeating the word of God over and over again in visualizing what you want that's nothing more than witchcraft. Strong faith comes from trusting the word of God even when your senses are telling you to doubt; strong faith comes from remaining true to Jesus even when fear wants you to bail out. When you get through the trouble; I should say when Jesus gets you through the trouble your faith in him and love for him will be much stronger.
And so this is a reminder that there is a reason for everything that goes wrong in your life. There is a reason for every trial that God allows us to experience. Sometimes it's to correct us, sometimes it's to teach us something about God, sometimes it's to increase our appreciation for God and sometimes it's to teach us something about ourselves. But always remember that God saw it coming before it hit and he allowed it and he loves us.
Chapter 5
1. The land of the Gerasenes was east of Israel across the Jordan River.
2. This man was living in the cemetery which in that they were burial places carved out of hillsides on the outskirts of town. The tombs were the dwelling places of the demented and those possessed by devils. This is the kind of life that Satan delivers to those who follow him and his sinful temptations. He promises them excitement and happiness and fulfillment if they will only rebel against God and he delivers misery, desolation and death.
3, 4. Chains or shackles made out of iron were used to restrain the feet and would therefore normally restrain the rest of the person's body as well. Not this person however. The devils were in complete control of this man's mind and body which gave him supernatural strength and made him insanely wild which gives us an idea of what devils are like. They are unrestrained given totally over to evil and out-of-control.
5. What an ugly picture this is of what happens when someone gives Satan a foothold in their life. It begins by giving him what seems to be a safe, harmless, small place, just a little foothold, just a little rebellion, but soon he takes over.
Satan entices people with thoughts of fun, but he delivers bondage and misery. The problem is, it's often a subtle deterioration of one's free will and by the time the person realizes what's happening they are trapped there in way over their heads. Without knowing that they have swallowed the devils bait hook line and sinker and now the sin they played with his running their life.
6. The demons saw beyond the body of Jesus. They knew that he was the son of God. Demons can see the son of God in us just like this demon possessed man knew exactly who Jesus was.
7. The devil believes in hell; he knows he's going there, and he knows that Jesus is the one who will send him there. No wonder these devils were afraid of Christ.
The devils know that hell is real and horrible but they work very hard at convincing people that there is no hell or applaud preachers who are afraid to talk about it because it's not cool or it might turn some of their audience off; preachers like that play right into the hands of Satan because if you lessen the fear of hell than you lessen the need for a Savior and a person's mind.
8,9. In those days a legion was about 6000 soldiers. That means there was an army of demons inside of this man possibly thousands; no wonder he was a crazed man man living in the cemetery. He had thousands of devils attacking his mind emotions will and body. If it is possible to get a small taste of hell on earth this man was getting it.
10. The devils evidently love the cemetery; they drove the man to live among the tombs and they didn't want to leave. An atmosphere of death is very appealing to devils; they seem to thrive on it. Jesus elsewhere mentioned that devils seem to enjoy desolation and deserts. It's a well-known fact that Halloween is a high holy day for Satan worshipers and it's a perfect fit since it's all about death. It atmosphere of death attracts devils.
An atmosphere of death attracts devils that's why music, movies, or anything else that glorifies death, horror, and destruction should not be played with; it's not entertainment.
11-13. The devils couldn't enter the pigs until Jesus gave them permission. It's good to remember that although the Bible says that Satan is the ruler of this present evil age, and that most people even if they are not possessed by him live in a way that's pleasing to him. It's good to remember that Satan and his devils can only do what God gives them permission to do.
Satan is God's devil; maybe he doesn't know that, but that's what he is.
14. The swine herds ran off and they must've been terrified. I'm not saying the devils terrified them, I'm saying they were terrified because they now have to explain to the owners that 2000 of their pigs have died on their watch.
15. This man who had been possessed by the devil went from being the worst of the worst to someone who was in his right mind. Jesus change this man, he delivered this man and so if he can change a man like this you can change anyone if they will only come to him for help.
There is hope for anyone if they repent and receive Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus changes people. He saves us as we are, but he doesn't leave us as we are.
16, 17. They wanted Jesus out of their; I mean they wanted Jesus out of their life completely. 2000 pigs are dead. 2000 pigs: that's a lot of porkchops and a lot of money. They didn't seem to care that the poor miserable tormented man was delivered by the power of Christ. Their pigs are dead and they blame Jesus so they tell him to leave and notice he left.
Jesus does not stay where he is not welcome. If someone tells him to get out of their life he will leave them alone to die in their sins.
18. This man wanted to go with Christ and I don't blame him one bit. Jesus delivered him from the horrible existence and gave him normal.
No one who has been delivered from a terrible life, a sinful life by Jesus Christ and saved from hell has to be forced to cultivate their walk with Jesus; they just will; they want to be around him; they want to get to know him better. When you like someone you want to be with them.
19. When God says "no" it doesn't always mean that we've asked for something bad; good things can sometimes be wrong things; not morally wrong just wrong for the present moment. Sometimes we ask for good things and God still says no because he has something else in mind for us, like He did for this man.
When God says no then we must find contentment in the things that he says yes to. When God doesn't change things the way we would like them to change then as Christians we must find contentment in the way things are until such a time that God does decide to change things if that time ever comes in this life. That's what it means to trust God that's what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and to take up your cross and follow him.
20. Staying in Decapolis wasn't this man's first choice, but it was God's will so he made the best of it. He couldn't live and work for Christ where he wanted so he lived and worked for Christ where he was.
Remember, when God's will for us isn't our first choice that creates an opportunity for us to serve him in a sacrificial way. The entire life of the Lord Jesus Christ was a sacrifice of righteousness including giving up on the presence and confining himself to a human body all the way down to the garden of Gethsemane when he prayed not my will but your will be done and of course dying on the cross.
21. Jesus had been run out of town in Decapolis but he was welcomed by a large crowd on the other side of the Sea of Galilee.
Some people like Jesus and some did not, but he was who he was. Jesus didn't attempt to be a spiritual chameleon so that everyone would like him. He didn't alter God's word in order to appeal to a broader market. You can do that in business but you can't do that with the word of God and still remain true to God.
22, 23. Jairus was a respected member of the religious community which meant that approaching Christ as he did would put him out of favor with most other religious leaders and that's because most of them hated Christ. But he was desperate; he needed help and only Jesus could help him. So even though on the surface it would seem unlikely that Jairus whatever approach Jesus, that's what he did.
Those who think we have too many obstacles in their life to ever come to Christ may surprise everyone and still come to him. Obstacles disappear very quickly when a person is desperate and the Holy Spirit is real good at bringing people to the point of desperation.
24, 25. The bleeding that this woman experienced for 12 years made her unclean according to the Old Testament law. Unclean meant that she was cut off from Israeli social life. So for 12 years she was sick and must have been weak and probably very lonely as well. Here's another desperate person who comes to Christ.
26. The doctors tried to help but they couldn't. The bills kept mounting until she was not just sick and lonely, but she was also broke.
27. According to Old Testament law this woman should not have been in this crowd of people and she certainly should not have touched anyone. But her life was terrible and she was desperate just like Jairus so she headed straight for Jesus and touched his garment.
Until one knows that they are in desperate need of the salvation that only Christ provides they will never come to him with all of their heart. Until one recognizes their need something will always stand in their way. But a desperate person doesn't care what the neighbors think, nor do they care what they have to give up; they come to Christ. This woman cared about one thing and that was getting to Jesus.
28. She had some faith, but it was far from perfect and it wasn't exactly accurate either. In fact it was a mixture of faith and superstition. I say that because back in those days many people believed that touching the garment of a holy man would transfer a blessing to them. And that's pretty much where she was at faith wise.
29. She didn't have perfect faith, but God honored the faith that she had. She was healed, and she knew it immediately. Her bleeding stopped and if the Lord's healing followed his usual method she was completely healed. That would mean that her red blood cell count which must have been very low after 12 years of bleeding was back to normal. No wonder she felt the difference; she felt an instant boost of energy.
30. Jesus wanted the woman who was healed to come forward. But this is another question that had his apostles scratching their head in confusion.
31. The disciples think: who touched me? Lord who isn't touching you? That would be a better question. It would take a lot less time to answer that question than the question who touched me.
32, 33. She could've run away but instead she came forward and told her story. That took some courage, and humility because I'm sure it wasn't a subject that she wanted to talk about in public.
34. Jesus didn't yell at her; he wasn't upset which means that she was afraid for nothing. All Jesus wanted to do was remove her superstition. The important thing to Jesus was that this woman understood that he healed her and that her faith was the channel that brought that healing. There was no magic in his coat or anything like that.
It's important to Jesus that are thinking about him be accurate and not clouded with superstition or mysticism.
35. Poor Jairus must have been frantic when Jesus stopped to talk to that woman. His daughter was close to death so he was in a hurry and now he is told, it doesn't matter because she died. By the way, whoever that was who said don't bother the teacher anymore; whoever that Mr. know it all was should have kept his mouth shut instead of saying send Jesus away it's too late. How did he know if it was too late? He didn't know and he was wrong.
It is reckless to talk about spiritual issues, or the Bible without having investigated whether what's being said is true or not. It's fine to say what we think, as long as we preface our remarks with: this is what I think. But it is wrong and dangerous to say this is what God says, or this is what the Bible teaches, without having studied it properly. Words have consequences, and the careless words of these men resulted in despair for Jairus. Fortunately Jesus was there and he immediately corrected the guy who spoke out of turn.
36. Jesus spoke up quickly to correct the thinking of Jairus.
A pastor or a Bible teacher must speak out when an un-biblical statement is made in his presence. Part of the divine call that he will be accountable for includes correction and instruction. People who never false doctrine and false teaching and expose false teachers are not doing their job. We are living in a time in modern evangelicalism when it is unfashionable to bring judgment against any so-called preacher and his teaching; were supposed to be open minded and it's unfair to say that something is wrong or to correct because it might cause division. I got news for you truth does not divide; truth unites those who are devoted to truth it is falsehood that divides. Falsehood is a perversion of truth. Falsehood is truth gone astray and it must be pointed out and that's what Jesus does right here. The truth sets people free and I'm sure this man felt a lot better afterward Jesus said.
37-39. She was dead and everyone including Jesus knew it, but he said that she was asleep. He said that because he was about to bring her back and that's not normal for death.
40, 41. It wouldn't pay for me to talk to a dead person because they are a long way away and in a different realm entirely. And there's nothing in the Bible that even suggest that they can hear us. But this little girl heard Jesus because Jesus is God and God is in the realm of the dead and of the living. The Bible says that God is the God of the living and the dead.
42, 43. Again Jesus downplayed his miracle. He did them because he was compassionate, but he didn't want to turn his ministry into a circus act where people came to see a show. His miracles were designed to validate his claims and his teachings, not to distract from his teachings.
1. The land of the Gerasenes was east of Israel across the Jordan River.
2. This man was living in the cemetery which in that they were burial places carved out of hillsides on the outskirts of town. The tombs were the dwelling places of the demented and those possessed by devils. This is the kind of life that Satan delivers to those who follow him and his sinful temptations. He promises them excitement and happiness and fulfillment if they will only rebel against God and he delivers misery, desolation and death.
3, 4. Chains or shackles made out of iron were used to restrain the feet and would therefore normally restrain the rest of the person's body as well. Not this person however. The devils were in complete control of this man's mind and body which gave him supernatural strength and made him insanely wild which gives us an idea of what devils are like. They are unrestrained given totally over to evil and out-of-control.
5. What an ugly picture this is of what happens when someone gives Satan a foothold in their life. It begins by giving him what seems to be a safe, harmless, small place, just a little foothold, just a little rebellion, but soon he takes over.
Satan entices people with thoughts of fun, but he delivers bondage and misery. The problem is, it's often a subtle deterioration of one's free will and by the time the person realizes what's happening they are trapped there in way over their heads. Without knowing that they have swallowed the devils bait hook line and sinker and now the sin they played with his running their life.
6. The demons saw beyond the body of Jesus. They knew that he was the son of God. Demons can see the son of God in us just like this demon possessed man knew exactly who Jesus was.
7. The devil believes in hell; he knows he's going there, and he knows that Jesus is the one who will send him there. No wonder these devils were afraid of Christ.
The devils know that hell is real and horrible but they work very hard at convincing people that there is no hell or applaud preachers who are afraid to talk about it because it's not cool or it might turn some of their audience off; preachers like that play right into the hands of Satan because if you lessen the fear of hell than you lessen the need for a Savior and a person's mind.
8,9. In those days a legion was about 6000 soldiers. That means there was an army of demons inside of this man possibly thousands; no wonder he was a crazed man man living in the cemetery. He had thousands of devils attacking his mind emotions will and body. If it is possible to get a small taste of hell on earth this man was getting it.
10. The devils evidently love the cemetery; they drove the man to live among the tombs and they didn't want to leave. An atmosphere of death is very appealing to devils; they seem to thrive on it. Jesus elsewhere mentioned that devils seem to enjoy desolation and deserts. It's a well-known fact that Halloween is a high holy day for Satan worshipers and it's a perfect fit since it's all about death. It atmosphere of death attracts devils.
An atmosphere of death attracts devils that's why music, movies, or anything else that glorifies death, horror, and destruction should not be played with; it's not entertainment.
11-13. The devils couldn't enter the pigs until Jesus gave them permission. It's good to remember that although the Bible says that Satan is the ruler of this present evil age, and that most people even if they are not possessed by him live in a way that's pleasing to him. It's good to remember that Satan and his devils can only do what God gives them permission to do.
Satan is God's devil; maybe he doesn't know that, but that's what he is.
14. The swine herds ran off and they must've been terrified. I'm not saying the devils terrified them, I'm saying they were terrified because they now have to explain to the owners that 2000 of their pigs have died on their watch.
15. This man who had been possessed by the devil went from being the worst of the worst to someone who was in his right mind. Jesus change this man, he delivered this man and so if he can change a man like this you can change anyone if they will only come to him for help.
There is hope for anyone if they repent and receive Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus changes people. He saves us as we are, but he doesn't leave us as we are.
16, 17. They wanted Jesus out of their; I mean they wanted Jesus out of their life completely. 2000 pigs are dead. 2000 pigs: that's a lot of porkchops and a lot of money. They didn't seem to care that the poor miserable tormented man was delivered by the power of Christ. Their pigs are dead and they blame Jesus so they tell him to leave and notice he left.
Jesus does not stay where he is not welcome. If someone tells him to get out of their life he will leave them alone to die in their sins.
18. This man wanted to go with Christ and I don't blame him one bit. Jesus delivered him from the horrible existence and gave him normal.
No one who has been delivered from a terrible life, a sinful life by Jesus Christ and saved from hell has to be forced to cultivate their walk with Jesus; they just will; they want to be around him; they want to get to know him better. When you like someone you want to be with them.
19. When God says "no" it doesn't always mean that we've asked for something bad; good things can sometimes be wrong things; not morally wrong just wrong for the present moment. Sometimes we ask for good things and God still says no because he has something else in mind for us, like He did for this man.
When God says no then we must find contentment in the things that he says yes to. When God doesn't change things the way we would like them to change then as Christians we must find contentment in the way things are until such a time that God does decide to change things if that time ever comes in this life. That's what it means to trust God that's what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and to take up your cross and follow him.
20. Staying in Decapolis wasn't this man's first choice, but it was God's will so he made the best of it. He couldn't live and work for Christ where he wanted so he lived and worked for Christ where he was.
Remember, when God's will for us isn't our first choice that creates an opportunity for us to serve him in a sacrificial way. The entire life of the Lord Jesus Christ was a sacrifice of righteousness including giving up on the presence and confining himself to a human body all the way down to the garden of Gethsemane when he prayed not my will but your will be done and of course dying on the cross.
21. Jesus had been run out of town in Decapolis but he was welcomed by a large crowd on the other side of the Sea of Galilee.
Some people like Jesus and some did not, but he was who he was. Jesus didn't attempt to be a spiritual chameleon so that everyone would like him. He didn't alter God's word in order to appeal to a broader market. You can do that in business but you can't do that with the word of God and still remain true to God.
22, 23. Jairus was a respected member of the religious community which meant that approaching Christ as he did would put him out of favor with most other religious leaders and that's because most of them hated Christ. But he was desperate; he needed help and only Jesus could help him. So even though on the surface it would seem unlikely that Jairus whatever approach Jesus, that's what he did.
Those who think we have too many obstacles in their life to ever come to Christ may surprise everyone and still come to him. Obstacles disappear very quickly when a person is desperate and the Holy Spirit is real good at bringing people to the point of desperation.
24, 25. The bleeding that this woman experienced for 12 years made her unclean according to the Old Testament law. Unclean meant that she was cut off from Israeli social life. So for 12 years she was sick and must have been weak and probably very lonely as well. Here's another desperate person who comes to Christ.
26. The doctors tried to help but they couldn't. The bills kept mounting until she was not just sick and lonely, but she was also broke.
27. According to Old Testament law this woman should not have been in this crowd of people and she certainly should not have touched anyone. But her life was terrible and she was desperate just like Jairus so she headed straight for Jesus and touched his garment.
Until one knows that they are in desperate need of the salvation that only Christ provides they will never come to him with all of their heart. Until one recognizes their need something will always stand in their way. But a desperate person doesn't care what the neighbors think, nor do they care what they have to give up; they come to Christ. This woman cared about one thing and that was getting to Jesus.
28. She had some faith, but it was far from perfect and it wasn't exactly accurate either. In fact it was a mixture of faith and superstition. I say that because back in those days many people believed that touching the garment of a holy man would transfer a blessing to them. And that's pretty much where she was at faith wise.
29. She didn't have perfect faith, but God honored the faith that she had. She was healed, and she knew it immediately. Her bleeding stopped and if the Lord's healing followed his usual method she was completely healed. That would mean that her red blood cell count which must have been very low after 12 years of bleeding was back to normal. No wonder she felt the difference; she felt an instant boost of energy.
30. Jesus wanted the woman who was healed to come forward. But this is another question that had his apostles scratching their head in confusion.
31. The disciples think: who touched me? Lord who isn't touching you? That would be a better question. It would take a lot less time to answer that question than the question who touched me.
32, 33. She could've run away but instead she came forward and told her story. That took some courage, and humility because I'm sure it wasn't a subject that she wanted to talk about in public.
34. Jesus didn't yell at her; he wasn't upset which means that she was afraid for nothing. All Jesus wanted to do was remove her superstition. The important thing to Jesus was that this woman understood that he healed her and that her faith was the channel that brought that healing. There was no magic in his coat or anything like that.
It's important to Jesus that are thinking about him be accurate and not clouded with superstition or mysticism.
35. Poor Jairus must have been frantic when Jesus stopped to talk to that woman. His daughter was close to death so he was in a hurry and now he is told, it doesn't matter because she died. By the way, whoever that was who said don't bother the teacher anymore; whoever that Mr. know it all was should have kept his mouth shut instead of saying send Jesus away it's too late. How did he know if it was too late? He didn't know and he was wrong.
It is reckless to talk about spiritual issues, or the Bible without having investigated whether what's being said is true or not. It's fine to say what we think, as long as we preface our remarks with: this is what I think. But it is wrong and dangerous to say this is what God says, or this is what the Bible teaches, without having studied it properly. Words have consequences, and the careless words of these men resulted in despair for Jairus. Fortunately Jesus was there and he immediately corrected the guy who spoke out of turn.
36. Jesus spoke up quickly to correct the thinking of Jairus.
A pastor or a Bible teacher must speak out when an un-biblical statement is made in his presence. Part of the divine call that he will be accountable for includes correction and instruction. People who never false doctrine and false teaching and expose false teachers are not doing their job. We are living in a time in modern evangelicalism when it is unfashionable to bring judgment against any so-called preacher and his teaching; were supposed to be open minded and it's unfair to say that something is wrong or to correct because it might cause division. I got news for you truth does not divide; truth unites those who are devoted to truth it is falsehood that divides. Falsehood is a perversion of truth. Falsehood is truth gone astray and it must be pointed out and that's what Jesus does right here. The truth sets people free and I'm sure this man felt a lot better afterward Jesus said.
37-39. She was dead and everyone including Jesus knew it, but he said that she was asleep. He said that because he was about to bring her back and that's not normal for death.
40, 41. It wouldn't pay for me to talk to a dead person because they are a long way away and in a different realm entirely. And there's nothing in the Bible that even suggest that they can hear us. But this little girl heard Jesus because Jesus is God and God is in the realm of the dead and of the living. The Bible says that God is the God of the living and the dead.
42, 43. Again Jesus downplayed his miracle. He did them because he was compassionate, but he didn't want to turn his ministry into a circus act where people came to see a show. His miracles were designed to validate his claims and his teachings, not to distract from his teachings.
Chapter 6
1. Jesus returns to Nazareth where he grew up. The last time he taught in Nazareth he announced that he was the Messiah in the hometown folks tried to kill him. But here we see Jesus graciously giving them another chance.
As a rule God gives people another chance but there does come a point where the chances run out and people seal their doom because they refuse to repent.
2. They watched and listened to Jesus and they were stunned by his wisdom and his miraculous power. The big question was, where did he get it? How can he do these things? Who's this hometown boy that can do such things?
3. They were saying he can't be anything special because he's just a hometown boy. Not only that but he's a carpenter; he's just a blue-collar worker and he hasn't even gone to Bible college.
The problem with people who are worldly minded instead of spiritually minded is that they judge others with the world's value system. If these people would've been walking in the spirit close to God they would've welcomed Christ because the evidence was overwhelming that not only was God working through him but he was God manifest in the flesh.
4. Don't be shocked or feel like a failure if your family or long time friends don't listen to you talk to them about Christ and the word of God. As a rule you will get a better response from strangers and that was even the case with Jesus.
5. Jesus didn't do many miracles in Nazareth; he didn't load up on miracles hoping that it would convince the stubborn worldly minded centers that he was the Messiah. He could've done countless miracles but it would've been like begging: please believe me. Please believe me; how about if I do 500 miracles then will you believe in me? Forget it! They already made up their mind about Christ and he will not cast his pearls before swine.
6. They were amazed at his miracles which is why Jesus was amazed at their rejection of him.
7. Jesus sent them out in pairs.
It's not good to be a spiritual loner. The world, the flesh, and the devil will oppose you when you live for Christ. It's very important to have other Christians to stand with you and encourage you and pray for you. And it's important for you to be there for other Christians also. It's good to have Christian friends that you can count on.
8,9. This is what the Bible is talking about when it says "seek first the kingdom of God and all these other things will be added unto you." The disciples were to obey God and trust him to provide for whatever they needed.
10. In other words, if while they were traveling preaching the word of God and ministering someone showed them hospitality they were to receive it and be content with it. They were not to accept a more comfortable offer from someone else. If they start doing that sort of thing they will look more like opportunist than ministers.
11. It is the responsibility of a minister or Bible teacher to give out the truth, the un-watered-down truth; the plain and simple truth straightforward without compromise. The people who hear are then accountable to God for what they do with it.
The act of shaking the dust off of your feet after the message you have preached has been rejected is foreign to us in our culture but the people back then knew exactly what the apostles were saying. They were saying I have given you the truth, I have done my part, you have chosen to reject it, and therefore on judgment day when you are punished and sent to hell your blood is not on my hands. I shake the dust off of my feet and by doing that I tell you that you are completely responsible for your sinful choice and you alone will pay for it.
12. Saving faith includes repentance and it always has. If the salvation message does not include repentance then it's not from God. Many evangelicals either ignore the word repentance entirely or they redefine it in an un-biblical way. They say never ever tell a law center to turn away from their sin; that's not repentance. They say yes one must repent to be saved but that just means you change your mind about who Jesus is. You used to not think that he was the son of God the Savior but now you do therefore you have repented. No that's not repentance you muzzle not even bring the subject up if that's what you define repentance as because your leading people astray; it's nothing; it's a lie! Every time the word repentance is used in the Bible it is always in connection to sin; it always means a turning away from sin in the Old Testament and in the new. It has nothing to do with the simple change of mind concerning who I think Jesus is. That is another modern evangelical lie designed to be un-offensive like so many of the other things that they say.
If you have to offend 99/100 people with the truth of God's word in order for that one remaining person to repent be saved from hell by receiving Christ and submitting to his Lordship than it's worth being unpopular to do it.
13. There is not anything magical in anointing someone with oil. However, oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit in the Bible. God tells us in James 5: 14 to anoint the sick with oil and pray over them. It is the right thing to do because it is an obedient act of faith and therefore God honors it.
14. John the Baptist never did a miracle in his entire life, but Herod thinks that he has come back from the dead with new supernatural powers. He thinks that Jesus is John the Baptist reincarnated.
15. When people do not accept the truth they eventually believe a lie. Jesus clearly claimed to be the sinless eternal son of God. Those who would not believe him came up with their own beliefs about who he is.
The same thing happens today. Many do not want a Jesus who died for their sins and demands repentance and condemns those who refuse to repent and to receive him to hell. But it doesn't matter; Jesus is God, Savior, and judge whether people want to believe it or not.
16. Herod's guilty conscience is making him paranoid. And so we see that he started paying for the murder of John the Baptist while he was still alive and believe me it got worse after he died.
17. There were no preliminary hearings and that they. There were no grand juries to decide if a suspect should be charged with the crime and put on trial. All Herod the king had to say was I don't like John have him arrested and kill him by chopping off his head and it was done. That was the extent of fairness and jurisprudence back in those days.
18. Herod married his sister-in-law whose name was Herodias. They were guilty of adultery and John did not let them get away with it. John publicly condemned the king and queen in his preaching.
19. It seems like Herodias especially was offended by John's preaching. She hated him because he told her that she needed to repent of her sin. Don't expect to be popular when you call sin sin in the world today because far too many professing Christians are used of it being called a behavior disorder or dysfunction which is not nearly as offensive to the sinner but is very abhorrent to God.
But John preached the pure word of God even though he knew it would get him in trouble he preached it because it is what God wants he preached it for the sake of sinners who needed to repent and would never repent if they're not made to feel guilty in the eyes of God. So in essence John the Baptist was doing Herod and Herodias a big favor by pointing out their sin but instead of removing her sin through repentance she came up with a plan to remove John. She wanted to shut John's mouth permanently so that the ugliness of her sin would not be so apparent.
20. Herod liked to listen to John the Baptist preach. He didn't repent, he just evidently listened for kicks. Herod wasn't too smart, but he was smart enough to know that putting a holy man like John the Baptist to death would result in trouble for him so he didn't want to do that.
21. Herod invited all the big shots to his party. They were people of influence and people that he wanted to impress.
22. God gave this young girl beauty but she used her beauty in an ungodly way. She used it to manipulate this perverted king who was actually her uncle.
23. This 15 or 16-year-old girl has just received a blank check from the king. Whatever she wants she can have. Power like that is dangerous in the hands of an ungodly person which was the case with both her and her mother.
24. Herodias didn't even have to think about the answer. This was the opportunity that she had been looking for.
25. She hurried back to Herod. Her head and her mother probably didn't want Herod to sober up or pass out and maybe forget his promise. They wanted to strike while the iron was hot.
Christians should be as quick and fervent to do that which is good in the eyes of God as sinners are to do evil when they get opportunity.
26. Herod's lust and his desire to be a big shot in front of his guests has him in this predicament. And it will take courage to get out of it the correct way but he does not have any courage only a sinful self-centered attitude. He doesn't have any courage and he doesn't have any holy conviction either so he's not going to do the correct thing.
27. And John was set free. Death was John's ticket out of prison into Paradise. John is now with the father son and Holy Ghost. He's with Abraham and Noah and David and all the faithful Old Testament prophets like Jeremiah and Isaiah who suffered persecution for being faithful as well.
So make no mistake about it John the Baptist is free and now Herod is the prisoner. Herod is a prisoner of his guilt and he is miserable and he is paranoid.
27-29. They shut John's mouth and made a gruesome exhibition out of his head. I suppose they might have felt a measure of relief and satisfaction at first. However when that initial euphoria wore off the kilt immediately came back. And that is why Herod is paranoid, and that is why he thinks Jesus is John the Baptist back from the dead.
You can shut the mouth of God's creatures but you cannot get rid of truth; the truth will follow you until judgment day when you will either be damned or condemned depending on how you responded to it.
30. And what the apostles did was healed the sick drive out demons and preach the word. Another back telling Jesus all about it.
31. There was stress and hard work involved in the ministry of Jesus and the apostles so Christ insists that they get away and rest. Notice how they did not wait until there wasn't anything left to do. They walked away from people, and more good things that could have been done because it was time for a break.
32. Notice that they went to a desert place, or a remote place to get some rest.
If you want to spend some quiet time with God then it is best not to be in a place where you will be interrupted or where you will see all sorts of other things that you could be doing. Try to find someplace where your five senses are given a break so that you can focus exclusively on God and the word of God.
33. The crowds saw Jesus leaving, anticipated where he was headed, and when he would arrive, and got there before he did. That's the type of determination that God will bless.
The sincere do not quit; the sincere do not let obstacles keep them from coming to Jesus and living for Jesus and spending time in his word. The sincere persevere until they get a blessing.
34. The people interrupted his rest, but Christ didn't get irritated over it. The people were sincere; they were in need of help and they wanted help from Christ.
We should always be ready to help those who need help in sincerely want to be helped.
35. This was supposed to be their day off but instead of rest they labored and actually put in overtime. It seems like the apostles are being pushed to the limit and they want to punch out for the day.
36. In essence they are saying send these needy people away so they can get their needs met. The apostles do not yet understand that needy people are the reason Jesus came to earth. Needy people are not a hindrance to the ministry they are the ministry.
37. The apostles do not understand the command of Christ. It would take seven months wages of a workingman to buy enough food to feed this entire crowd and then there's the little matter of transporting it and distributing that. They don't have seven months wages and they don't have a semi truck to haul the food if they did have the money to buy it.
38. There may have been 15,000 people there in total and the total food on hand is five loaves each one about the size of the pancake and they have two fish.
Don't be shocked if God ask you to do something that you don't seem to have the resources to do.
39, 40. Jesus said "you feed them." And the apostles will feed them, with the help of a miracle from Christ of course. But before that happens there needs to be a time for preparation.
Sometimes there is a delay, a time of preparation between the time God calls you to do something in the time he opens the door for you to do it.
41 each time the apostles took the piece of bread another piece materialized. In fact it was materializing faster than what the apostles were taken it.
42. The apostles were asked to do the impossible and they just finished doing it.
When God tells you to do the impossible do what you can with what you have. As you do that he will provide whatever you need to do whatever he wants for as long as he wants you to do it.
43. God will always supply what we need but that doesn't mean we have the right to waste what we have. Jesus made the apostles pick up the leftovers.
44. The reason I said they probably fed 15,000 people is because the 5000 did not include the women and the children who were present.
45. Jesus just fed 15,000 people and according to the other gospel records the crowd wanted to make him king right on the spot. What was Jesus's response? He dismissed the crowd. It wasn't God's will for Christ terrain without first suffering on the cross and paid for our sins.
46. Jesus knew what kind of suffering was ahead of him. Consequently being made king right here may have been tempting, but Jesus knows better than to entertain temptation so he sends the crowd away in order to get alone and pray.
Christians do not sin because they can't overcome temptation. They sin because they do not fervently pray and walk away from the temptation when it hits.
47. Last time they cross the sea Jesus was with them. This time he sent the 12 out alone.
48a. It had been a very long day for the apostles so they were probably very tired before they even got into that boat and started rowing. And now here they are in the middle of that big lake with a strong wind blasting them in the face. They have nothing left they are completely wiped out and there in a dangerous situation as a result of that. And this time Jesus isn't there to bail them out.
48. It's after three in the morning when Jesus walks on the water out to the boat to help the apostles. Sitting in that boat in the middle of the storm and in the middle of the night the apostles couldn't see Jesus when he was back on the shore, but he saw them and has come to rescue them.
49, 50a. They were all seeing him so they knew it wasn't a hallucination. They thought they were seeing a water spirit; which was sort of a maritime bogeyman who came out at night and destroyed ships.
50. Christ was there but they didn't know it. The presence of Christ wasn't enough to get rid of their fear; they had to know that he was there with him. They needed to know which is why he said "it is I, do not be afraid."
If you are tempted to be afraid remember the words of Jesus Christ "I am with you always; I will never leave you or forsake you." That will remind you of his presence and that will calm you down.
51, 52. The apostles saw Jesus do many miracles but they didn't quite grasp the fact that those miracles proved that he is God. If they would've understood what his miracles meant they never would have been shocked that he could walk on the water.
53. Back in verse 45 the disciples got in the boat and set out for Bethsaida. The place they landed was about 8 miles to the left of their destination. The wind storm force the change in their plans.
Sometimes our plans as Christians can be thrown off course. Sometimes our intentions fizzle and it is an even because we disobeyed God. When things don't happen the way we thought they would it's important to understand that God has allowed the change for reason and to trust him with it.
54, 55. As soon as the people recognized Jesus there was a flurry of activity. It says that the people ran. The people found those who needed help and they quickly brought them to Christ. In their spiritual eagerness is going to pay off.
Psalm 119:2 says "how blessed are those who observe his testimonies, who seek him with all of their hearts." A football team seldom wins and often gets beat by a lesser of opponent if they're not fired up and ready to play. And no Christian can experience a rich blessing from God unless they are fervent for Christ.
56. Jesus didn't wear a magic coat that cause people to be healed. It was the power of God and the faith of the people which cause them to reach out and touch Christ that resulted in the healings.
Chapter 7
1. The religious rulers actually traveled about 90 miles so that they could try to make a fool out of Jesus in front of the people.
Evil, envy, and hatred never lie dormant. They are busy, either thinking, planning, or doing harm to the one that they hate which in the case of the rulers was Jesus.
2. It didn't take long for them to find something wrong (they thought). So they are making a big deal out of the fact that Jesus and his disciples do not go through ritualistic washings before they eat, and they want to know why. The why is simple: it's not in the Bible; there is no biblical support for same that it must be done. Of course the leaders didn't care if it was in the Bible are not they just wanted to run the religious show and they didn't like the fact that Jesus did not submit to them.
Jesus had the guts to teach that if a religious teaching isn't in the Bible than it's not worth the parchment it's written on, and it isn't.
3,4. The traditions of the elders refers to 613 man-made rules that were designed to regulate every aspect of Jewish life. The leadership taught that those rules and regulations where is binding as the holy Scripture. Talk about dredging through life with the religious weight on your back; the Israelites did and all for absolutely nothing.
The moment one puts a man-made tradition or law or any extra biblical writings on the level of Scripture it always ends up superseding Scripture. The man-made teachings always end up being the supreme interpreter of Scripture. Which inevitably puts it above Scripture.
For example: the Bible doesn't teach that the best of the Mormons will one day be Gods ruling over their own planets, but since the book of Mormon teaches that they teach it as fact thus overruling the holy word of God which says here oh Israel the Lord our God is one, and another verse that says I am the Lord my glory I will not share with another. The Mormons claim to reverence the holy Scriptures but they do not. And that's exactly how the Jewish rulers and their traditions overruled God's word. That's the way it works with all cults and all false religions. They all have extra biblical revelation that in reality, at least in their own minds supersede Scripture in importance.
5. In other words why don't you play a religious games? Why don't you and your disciples keep the rules that we have made up? Why don't you go through all these fancy religious rituals before you eat? Well because it's foolish, it's stupid, they're just a bunch of empty religious man-made nothings. Jesus could have said those things because they are true, and in fact he does say that in so many words.
6,7. In other words, everything that you do is for show! Everything that you do is to make you look like you are so holy when in fact you don't care about God at all!
Jesus said they were hypocrites. A hypocrite is someone who makes believe that he is something that he is not. Jesus called the religious leaders hypocrites because they talked as if God was important to them, and tried to look as if God was important to them, but he really was not.
7,8. Those 613 religious traditions didn't have one speck of authority because they came from man not from God. I tell you this, whether it's one of their 613 regulations or the words of some legalistic fundamentalist today, or the book of Mormon, or the magisterium of the Catholic Church, or the writings of the Jehovah witnesses, or the extra biblical writings of the Christian science, or some crazy charismatic who says God told me to tell you this or God told me this or I had a revelation or I had a dream; none of those things mean anything! None of those things have any authority! If something isn't backed by the holy word of God than it is the opinion of man and you are better off reading the funny papers than reading or listening to that trash. At least Snoopy and Charlie Brown won't lead you into idolatry or into hell.
Never let anyone tell you that you're in trouble with God, or that you are rebelling against God because you don't adhere to some teaching that is not in the Bible. That would be like someone saying you're in trouble with God because you don't watch Gilligan's Island, and do as Gilligan did. What are you saying Murat? I'm San extra biblical teachings mean nothing. God's word is the only thing that means anything. That's what Jesus taught and I want to believe and I want to teach what Jesus believes and teaches and that's because I'm a Christian.
9. And here you see the greatest danger of any sort of extra biblical teachings. They always end up being emphasized more than the Bible. And you can bet that when those teachings blatantly contradicts Scripture as they so often do the man-made teaching isn't dismissed, the Bible is. The extra biblical nonsense is never trashed, no instead the Bible is twisted and turned and perverted so that it fits the nonsense.
9-12. So here's an example of what so often happens when a group claims extra biblical authority. One thing the word of God teaches is that children must honor their parents, and the Bible teaches that one way to honor parents is for children to help them when they need help, and that would include financial help especially when they get older. The religious rulers said, well that's nice, however, if you give the money that you were going to give to your parents to us instead then you are excused from the law of God. That is a perfect example of the man-made rule taking precedence over God's word and it was commonplace in our Lord's day in Jesus didn't like it and he doesn't like it today either.
13. Their religion was overruling the Bible, and Jesus is saying that's not right!
The message is this: leave the Bible alone. Don't try to add to it, and don't try to take away from it. Don't say we need more than the Bible; don't try to improve on what Scripture says. The Bible is fine, the Bible is sufficient just as it is.
Isaiah 8:20 says this "to the law and the prophets (the written word of God). If they do not speak according to this word they have no light of dawn."
14-16. Let's settle the matter of dietary laws for Christians. Eating bad food or eating food without first going through a ritual is not sinful. Eating bad food may kill you but bad food is not sinful. Bad food is not sinful and eating it won't send anyone to hell. Food neither commends us to God nor keeps us from God. The soul is stained by our sinful words thoughts actions and attitudes not by the food that we eat.
17. The disciples wanted to learn more about the word of God: they ask questions because they wanted to understand.
Good Christians hunger for the written word of God. Saved people hunger for the written word of God because they hunger to know God himself and his son Jesus.
18,19. How in the world certain religious groups can teach that eating pork is a send today is beyond me after reading what the Bible says here. Jesus declared all foods to be clean. Now I wonder what that means? Do you think that it might possibly mean all foods are clean? I think so! Again, food does not contaminate our soul because food doesn't even touch our soul. Any kind of food you want to eat is all right with Jesus. It may be wise for health reasons to stay away from certain foods but it is not a sin to eat any food. I could eat possum enters deep-fried in hard fat for lunch and Christ wouldn't care. I want to be foolish I can be foolish but even the worst food that you can imagine.. Deep-fried Twinkies, deep-fried Oreos, deep-fried hog fat soaked in chocolate cannot send you to hell; it makes me sick to think of it but it won't send me to hell if I eat it.
20-23. Man's problem is and what he eats; actually man's problem isn't even what he does. Man's problem is much deeper than the surface things that he eats and does. Man's problem is what he is. Man's problem isn't that he commits certain sense; his problem is that he is a sinner on the inside.
Think of it this way: a dog doesn't become a dog when he barks; he barks because he's a dog. If you train a dog to stop barking he doesn't become a human being; he's still a dog with the dogs nature. Likewise it's not: oh you committed a sin now you are a sinner. No, it's you are a sinner and that's why you sin. Overcoming a particular sin cannot make a person right with God because again man's problem is not what he does it is what he is.
Man in his inmost being is: send loving, fallen, and spiritually dead. That is the root of man's problem, and eating tofu instead of steak isn't going to change that. Receiving Christ as Lord and Savior is the only thing that can change a person from the inside and give them a new nature that is acceptable to God to make one right with God.
24. Jesus takes his disciples up to Gentile country to get away from the crowds for a while.
25. Unclean is a good name for a devil. A devil has a mind, it has emotions, and it has a will, and all three are filled to the overflow with filthy, sinful, God hating desires all the time. One of those unclean spirits was living inside of this little girl. What a horrible thing for this girl, and what a horrible thing for her mother; to watch her daughter being ripped apart from within must of been a horrifying thing.
26, 27. You say, man why did Jesus say such a harsh thing to this woman? Because up to this point she has chosen not to be a child of God. She has chosen to remain outside the covenant of God's people and in light of that choice God is not obligated to bless her. She has continued to turn her back on the word of God and God; she deserves nothing. And what Jesus says is absolutely true: no one in their right mind gives their dog of steak and throws the bone to their child. Likewise, it was God's plan for Jesus to first invite his chosen people: the Jews to be blessed and enter into the kingdom of heaven. Step two would be for the Jews who received Christ to go out and invite the Gentiles, like this woman to come into the kingdom. That was the general plan of God that Christ and his apostles were following.
28. She says, Lord, sometimes while a family is eating dinner they give their dog a crumb. In other words, Jesus you don't have to stop being nice to the chosen people in order to be kind to me; just toss me a little crumb for my daughter.
29, 30. It pays to persevere with God. The Bible says that people ought to always pray and not give up, and we see why right here. This mother asked for a good thing, and she was persistent, and as a result she received what she asked for.
There was one thing that I prayed for every day without fail for 12 years before I received it. I didn't quit because I knew it was good. There are things that I have been praying for for 40 years and I refuse to quit; I will pray until I receive her until I die trying but I will not quit because I know they are biblical. You say what if you never get it? If I never receive it at least I have spent a lot of time talking to God which is a good thing in itself so that's fine. This woman's persistence paid off, and you never know unless you try.
31. Again Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee into the area of Decapolis which was Gentile territory.
32, 33. Jesus didn't have to do those things in order to heal this man. You say why did he do it then? I don't know why neither does anyone else because the Bible doesn't tell us. But this episode does teach us an important lesson:
you cannot reduce God's way to a formula. God will never do anything contrary to his word however there is a lot of wiggle room within the boundaries of Scripture. In other words, he often does similar things in different ways. The moment we think we have God figured out he does something we wouldn't expect and we are reminded that he is driving and that we are along for the ride and that we must be content with that.
34, 35. He could hear and he could talk and he's going to talk a lot about Jesus, the one who gave him the ability to do those things.
36, 37. The compliments were nice but that's not what Jesus was looking for. He wanted people who hungered for truth and would therefore repent of their sin and receive eternal life. Jesus said the Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost. Jesus said I have come that you might have life. What he was getting, for the most part, were groupies who were tickled by his supernatural power.
Jesus was not getting what he wanted, and that's a good thing for us to remember the next time we don't get what we would like; join the club: the Jesus club.
1. The religious rulers actually traveled about 90 miles so that they could try to make a fool out of Jesus in front of the people.
Evil, envy, and hatred never lie dormant. They are busy, either thinking, planning, or doing harm to the one that they hate which in the case of the rulers was Jesus.
2. It didn't take long for them to find something wrong (they thought). So they are making a big deal out of the fact that Jesus and his disciples do not go through ritualistic washings before they eat, and they want to know why. The why is simple: it's not in the Bible; there is no biblical support for same that it must be done. Of course the leaders didn't care if it was in the Bible are not they just wanted to run the religious show and they didn't like the fact that Jesus did not submit to them.
Jesus had the guts to teach that if a religious teaching isn't in the Bible than it's not worth the parchment it's written on, and it isn't.
3,4. The traditions of the elders refers to 613 man-made rules that were designed to regulate every aspect of Jewish life. The leadership taught that those rules and regulations where is binding as the holy Scripture. Talk about dredging through life with the religious weight on your back; the Israelites did and all for absolutely nothing.
The moment one puts a man-made tradition or law or any extra biblical writings on the level of Scripture it always ends up superseding Scripture. The man-made teachings always end up being the supreme interpreter of Scripture. Which inevitably puts it above Scripture.
For example: the Bible doesn't teach that the best of the Mormons will one day be Gods ruling over their own planets, but since the book of Mormon teaches that they teach it as fact thus overruling the holy word of God which says here oh Israel the Lord our God is one, and another verse that says I am the Lord my glory I will not share with another. The Mormons claim to reverence the holy Scriptures but they do not. And that's exactly how the Jewish rulers and their traditions overruled God's word. That's the way it works with all cults and all false religions. They all have extra biblical revelation that in reality, at least in their own minds supersede Scripture in importance.
5. In other words why don't you play a religious games? Why don't you and your disciples keep the rules that we have made up? Why don't you go through all these fancy religious rituals before you eat? Well because it's foolish, it's stupid, they're just a bunch of empty religious man-made nothings. Jesus could have said those things because they are true, and in fact he does say that in so many words.
6,7. In other words, everything that you do is for show! Everything that you do is to make you look like you are so holy when in fact you don't care about God at all!
Jesus said they were hypocrites. A hypocrite is someone who makes believe that he is something that he is not. Jesus called the religious leaders hypocrites because they talked as if God was important to them, and tried to look as if God was important to them, but he really was not.
7,8. Those 613 religious traditions didn't have one speck of authority because they came from man not from God. I tell you this, whether it's one of their 613 regulations or the words of some legalistic fundamentalist today, or the book of Mormon, or the magisterium of the Catholic Church, or the writings of the Jehovah witnesses, or the extra biblical writings of the Christian science, or some crazy charismatic who says God told me to tell you this or God told me this or I had a revelation or I had a dream; none of those things mean anything! None of those things have any authority! If something isn't backed by the holy word of God than it is the opinion of man and you are better off reading the funny papers than reading or listening to that trash. At least Snoopy and Charlie Brown won't lead you into idolatry or into hell.
Never let anyone tell you that you're in trouble with God, or that you are rebelling against God because you don't adhere to some teaching that is not in the Bible. That would be like someone saying you're in trouble with God because you don't watch Gilligan's Island, and do as Gilligan did. What are you saying Murat? I'm San extra biblical teachings mean nothing. God's word is the only thing that means anything. That's what Jesus taught and I want to believe and I want to teach what Jesus believes and teaches and that's because I'm a Christian.
9. And here you see the greatest danger of any sort of extra biblical teachings. They always end up being emphasized more than the Bible. And you can bet that when those teachings blatantly contradicts Scripture as they so often do the man-made teaching isn't dismissed, the Bible is. The extra biblical nonsense is never trashed, no instead the Bible is twisted and turned and perverted so that it fits the nonsense.
9-12. So here's an example of what so often happens when a group claims extra biblical authority. One thing the word of God teaches is that children must honor their parents, and the Bible teaches that one way to honor parents is for children to help them when they need help, and that would include financial help especially when they get older. The religious rulers said, well that's nice, however, if you give the money that you were going to give to your parents to us instead then you are excused from the law of God. That is a perfect example of the man-made rule taking precedence over God's word and it was commonplace in our Lord's day in Jesus didn't like it and he doesn't like it today either.
13. Their religion was overruling the Bible, and Jesus is saying that's not right!
The message is this: leave the Bible alone. Don't try to add to it, and don't try to take away from it. Don't say we need more than the Bible; don't try to improve on what Scripture says. The Bible is fine, the Bible is sufficient just as it is.
Isaiah 8:20 says this "to the law and the prophets (the written word of God). If they do not speak according to this word they have no light of dawn."
14-16. Let's settle the matter of dietary laws for Christians. Eating bad food or eating food without first going through a ritual is not sinful. Eating bad food may kill you but bad food is not sinful. Bad food is not sinful and eating it won't send anyone to hell. Food neither commends us to God nor keeps us from God. The soul is stained by our sinful words thoughts actions and attitudes not by the food that we eat.
17. The disciples wanted to learn more about the word of God: they ask questions because they wanted to understand.
Good Christians hunger for the written word of God. Saved people hunger for the written word of God because they hunger to know God himself and his son Jesus.
18,19. How in the world certain religious groups can teach that eating pork is a send today is beyond me after reading what the Bible says here. Jesus declared all foods to be clean. Now I wonder what that means? Do you think that it might possibly mean all foods are clean? I think so! Again, food does not contaminate our soul because food doesn't even touch our soul. Any kind of food you want to eat is all right with Jesus. It may be wise for health reasons to stay away from certain foods but it is not a sin to eat any food. I could eat possum enters deep-fried in hard fat for lunch and Christ wouldn't care. I want to be foolish I can be foolish but even the worst food that you can imagine.. Deep-fried Twinkies, deep-fried Oreos, deep-fried hog fat soaked in chocolate cannot send you to hell; it makes me sick to think of it but it won't send me to hell if I eat it.
20-23. Man's problem is and what he eats; actually man's problem isn't even what he does. Man's problem is much deeper than the surface things that he eats and does. Man's problem is what he is. Man's problem isn't that he commits certain sense; his problem is that he is a sinner on the inside.
Think of it this way: a dog doesn't become a dog when he barks; he barks because he's a dog. If you train a dog to stop barking he doesn't become a human being; he's still a dog with the dogs nature. Likewise it's not: oh you committed a sin now you are a sinner. No, it's you are a sinner and that's why you sin. Overcoming a particular sin cannot make a person right with God because again man's problem is not what he does it is what he is.
Man in his inmost being is: send loving, fallen, and spiritually dead. That is the root of man's problem, and eating tofu instead of steak isn't going to change that. Receiving Christ as Lord and Savior is the only thing that can change a person from the inside and give them a new nature that is acceptable to God to make one right with God.
24. Jesus takes his disciples up to Gentile country to get away from the crowds for a while.
25. Unclean is a good name for a devil. A devil has a mind, it has emotions, and it has a will, and all three are filled to the overflow with filthy, sinful, God hating desires all the time. One of those unclean spirits was living inside of this little girl. What a horrible thing for this girl, and what a horrible thing for her mother; to watch her daughter being ripped apart from within must of been a horrifying thing.
26, 27. You say, man why did Jesus say such a harsh thing to this woman? Because up to this point she has chosen not to be a child of God. She has chosen to remain outside the covenant of God's people and in light of that choice God is not obligated to bless her. She has continued to turn her back on the word of God and God; she deserves nothing. And what Jesus says is absolutely true: no one in their right mind gives their dog of steak and throws the bone to their child. Likewise, it was God's plan for Jesus to first invite his chosen people: the Jews to be blessed and enter into the kingdom of heaven. Step two would be for the Jews who received Christ to go out and invite the Gentiles, like this woman to come into the kingdom. That was the general plan of God that Christ and his apostles were following.
28. She says, Lord, sometimes while a family is eating dinner they give their dog a crumb. In other words, Jesus you don't have to stop being nice to the chosen people in order to be kind to me; just toss me a little crumb for my daughter.
29, 30. It pays to persevere with God. The Bible says that people ought to always pray and not give up, and we see why right here. This mother asked for a good thing, and she was persistent, and as a result she received what she asked for.
There was one thing that I prayed for every day without fail for 12 years before I received it. I didn't quit because I knew it was good. There are things that I have been praying for for 40 years and I refuse to quit; I will pray until I receive her until I die trying but I will not quit because I know they are biblical. You say what if you never get it? If I never receive it at least I have spent a lot of time talking to God which is a good thing in itself so that's fine. This woman's persistence paid off, and you never know unless you try.
31. Again Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee into the area of Decapolis which was Gentile territory.
32, 33. Jesus didn't have to do those things in order to heal this man. You say why did he do it then? I don't know why neither does anyone else because the Bible doesn't tell us. But this episode does teach us an important lesson:
you cannot reduce God's way to a formula. God will never do anything contrary to his word however there is a lot of wiggle room within the boundaries of Scripture. In other words, he often does similar things in different ways. The moment we think we have God figured out he does something we wouldn't expect and we are reminded that he is driving and that we are along for the ride and that we must be content with that.
34, 35. He could hear and he could talk and he's going to talk a lot about Jesus, the one who gave him the ability to do those things.
36, 37. The compliments were nice but that's not what Jesus was looking for. He wanted people who hungered for truth and would therefore repent of their sin and receive eternal life. Jesus said the Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost. Jesus said I have come that you might have life. What he was getting, for the most part, were groupies who were tickled by his supernatural power.
Jesus was not getting what he wanted, and that's a good thing for us to remember the next time we don't get what we would like; join the club: the Jesus club.
Chapter 8
1,2. The crowd was so captivated by Jesus that they ignored their physical needs for three days.
The closer we are to Christ the more this life is overshadowed by eternal things.
3. Some of the people were beyond the point of no return. They lived further away than what they could walk in their hungry condition.
4,5. I guess the disciples are improving, but "where can we get enough food to feed these people" is still a foolish question given the fact that Christ fed maybe 20,000 with five loaves and two fish a little earlier. I said the disciples may be improving because at least they didn't panic like the last time they were in this type of situation. Last time they were so shook up that they told Jesus to send the people away.
Learning to trust Christ as a process. We learn to trust him as he gets us through challenging times. The disciples are learning.
6,7. Jesus gave thanks for the meager amount of food that he had.
We should be thankful for what we have even if we think we need more. It is better to be thankful for what we have than to complain about what we do not have.
8,9. No one would have believed that 16,000 to 20,000 people could be fed with that small launch. From man's point of view it would never happen; it couldn't possibly happen. But after Jesus got involved there was more than enough.
All bets are off when we let Christ take control of our life. He won't do everything we want, but he will do more good through us than we ever thought possible. And he will give us more joy than we ever thought we could experience in spite of what he does or does not do for us.
Give yourself entirely to Christ and he will do incredible things. The Bible says the eyes of the Lord go to and fro throughout the earth looking for someone he can show himself strong to. There's no reason that you and I can't be that one.
10. Jesus is no close to his adopted hometown of Capernaum.
11. They ask for a sign that Jesus is from God; they want a sign from heaven. That's like asking water for a sign that it is wet; it should be self-evident and it is to anyone who has half a brain and cares even slightly about truth. Water is what it is it's wet; you either believe it or you don't you either believe the evidence or you do not. Jesus has done more miracles than can be counted and everyone including his enemies know it; either accept the evidence that's there, or leave because you're obviously not sincere if you don't. Actually that was the problem with the leaders; they were not sincere. In spite of all the evidence they have concluded that Jesus is possessed of a devil. Which means their hearts are as hard as a rock; which also means that any further signs would be a waste of time. If you can't be convinced that water is wet by having it splashed in your face than I'll never be able to convince you with any other evidence.
12. Clearly, Jesus was sick of all the willful ignorance and hard heartedness of the rulers. Jesus never said "no" to anyone who asked for a miracle as long as they were sincere. But Jesus would not do tricks for anyone and he would not lower himself to do any miracles for these rebels who had already decided that they wouldn't believe no matter what. That would be with Jesus described earlier as casting your pearls before swine.
13. The Lord's answer to their request for more miracles was to get up and leave.
Insincere people will get nowhere with God. If someone isn't going to get serious about Jesus they better enjoy this life because they will burn in hell in the next.
God does not expect perfection (he remembers that we are dust), but Jesus does demand sincerity. God says, you will seek for me and you will find me when you search for me with all of your heart.
14. It had been such a quick departure by Jesus that his disciples forgot to bring food with them. Of course not having food should have been a non-issue considering the two miracles of multiplying bread and fish that Jesus had recently performed.
15. Yeast is the product of corruption. It is dough that has turned sour. It is dough that has fermented. When butter turned sour it becomes rancid. You can't see it, but you can taste it. When grape juice ferments it becomes wine. Again you can't see it but you can taste it. Well the Pharisees took truth, fermented it, and it became error. They took holiness, fermented it, and it became hypocrisy. Jesus says watch out for them.
False teaching sometimes isn't easy to recognize until one carefully compares it to Scripture. Hypocrisy can look good as well until one really gets to know the hypocrite, and compares them to what the Bible says.
16. When Jesus mentioned east he was talking about the spiritual corruption of the Pharisees. He was also talking about their false teachings which appeared to be correct. The disciples thought he was talking about the yeast in bread and that reminded them that they didn't bring any food.
17, 18. Missing the point about the yeast didn't bother Jesus. However being concerned about not having bread did bother Jesus. After all the miracles he has done they ought to know that Jesus can handle any physical needs that they might have.
How long does God have to be faithful before his people will trust him? What has God ever done, or failed to do that would give anyone reason to distrust him? Nothing! Failure to trust the most trustworthy one is a terrible failure and we are all probably guilty of that at times.
19, 20. They are worried about not having what they need so Jesus reminds them that he has been giving them not just what they need but way beyond what they have needed. He had given them so much that they had to gather leftovers.
If Jesus decides that he wants us to survive on the bare minimum then that's his business and we need to be content with that but most of the time he blesses us with much more and that's his business also. God is a very good God.
21. In other words, don't you understand that I'm here for you? Why are you worried about anything when you have me? And as God says in his word to all of us "you will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee."
22,23. In light of this verse I'm surprised that some religious fraud hasn't tried to market magic saliva and sell it for $200 an ounce. In recent years preachers have sold magic towels and Springwater to be used in bringing health and wealth so why not magic saliva.
24, 25. For reasons known only to Jesus he chose to heal this man in two stages. The important thing is that Jesus healed him. How God does things is up to him; our job is to take it as it comes, or maybe as it does not come.
26. Jesus was working out a definite plan and he didn't want anything to get in the way including a mob of miracle seekers. Consequently he took this blind man out of town before he healed him, and then he instructs him not to go back into town after he is healed.
More isn't always better; more isn't always God's best for his children. Jesus was not interested in more crowds seeking more miracles he was more interested in fewer people, if need be, who wanted to hear the word of God.
27, 28. All these answers reflect the fact that the people knew Christ was a good person. All the opinions about Jesus compare him to spiritual giants so that part was good, as far as it went.
It would be great; I would love to be compared to John the Baptist or Elijah; any Christian would appreciate that. But actually what would be a compliment for us is an insult to Christ and that's because he is God. The people still didn't get it.
29. Peter knew who Jesus was and he spoke up. If we don't proclaim the real Jesus no one else will.
In a world that has so many wrong ideas about Jesus it's important for those who know him to help proclaim the truth about him. Jesus was pleased with Peter's proclamation, and he is pleased with ours as well.
30. You say, why should they be quiet when they know that Jesus is the Messiah? Because if you mentioned Messiah back in those days the people would immediately think: political and military champion. Messiah has come; Rome is about to be overthrown. In fact the disciples themselves still believed that Jesus was that type of Messiah. They didn't yet know that he would be a rejected Messiah, a murdered Messiah, a crucified Messiah who would die for our sins and since they didn't yet understand that it's better for them to not say anything until they do understand.
31. And the disciples are thinking: what in the world are you talking about Jesus? A Messiah who will not restore Israel's greatness? You're the Messiah, we know that, but you're going to let the wicked people of the world kill you? They never heard such things. Well they need to hear these things. You need to get used to the idea that Jesus will die for our sins long before he returns and rains because that is the message that they will have to preach to the entire world after he is gone.
32. In Peter's mind death, suffering, and Messiah didn't belong in the same sentence. Consequently he rebukes Jesus for saying such things. In essence Peter is saying: you don't know what you're talking about Jesus. Peter thinks he knows more than Jesus. He thinks that Jesus needs to listen to him.
33. Peter was being used by the devil and he didn't even know it. The fact is if Jesus does not die on the cross, which is the way Peter wanted it. Then Peter and the rest of humanity go to hell because our sins are not paid for.
Peter may have been shocked, and probably was hurt when Jesus, in front of everyone, said that he was talking like the devil, but it was true so Jesus said it and in the process did Peter a big favor.
Hard words and hard teachings that come directly from God's word are the jackhammer of God. They pound the soul and in the process create a soft heart that loves Jesus. It's no fun being the cement at the end of the jackhammer but it is well worth the pain if by learning, even the hard way, one avoids the flames of hell that last forever.
34. In other words, get on fire for Jesus. Lukewarmness is not sufficient with Jesus. He is saying you must do what the Bible says; live the way God wants you to live. Please Jesus even if it means loss of friends, even if it means sacrifice, and suffering, and death. Jesus is saying, you cannot be the most important thing to you, I must be the most important thing to you. So much as I want to do that. Well then enter into a Christless, Saviorless, hell fire eternity because there is no plan B, there is no other option for you.
34, 35. If a person chooses to live in disobedience to God, rejecting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior than they will lose their soul. That means hell! That means suffering in the lake of fire forever! That means enduring God's wrath for all eternity! Were not talking about salvation by works; it salvation by faith and it is what the book of James is talking about when it says: faith without works is dead.
36, 37. Two seconds in hell and people realize that they were foolish to not repent and receive Christ as their Lord and Savior. They won't need to wonder if the torment they are feeling is worth whatever pleasure there is sin gave them. They will have their answer immediately.
People reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior because they don't want to give up some sin or sins but what they don't understand is that when they die and go to hell they will give those sins up. It's not a question of will you or will you not give up your sin only a question of when.
38. If someone is ashamed of the Bible, if there ashamed to live it, if there ashamed to say that they believe it, if there ashamed to be connected to Jesus, then Jesus says that he will be ashamed of them when he returns which is talking about Judgment Day. If you don't live for Christ here; if you are ashamed to be connected to Jesus here, then don't expect him to help you after you die because devotion to Christ here and now is the only real evidence that he is your Lord and Savior.
1,2. The crowd was so captivated by Jesus that they ignored their physical needs for three days.
The closer we are to Christ the more this life is overshadowed by eternal things.
3. Some of the people were beyond the point of no return. They lived further away than what they could walk in their hungry condition.
4,5. I guess the disciples are improving, but "where can we get enough food to feed these people" is still a foolish question given the fact that Christ fed maybe 20,000 with five loaves and two fish a little earlier. I said the disciples may be improving because at least they didn't panic like the last time they were in this type of situation. Last time they were so shook up that they told Jesus to send the people away.
Learning to trust Christ as a process. We learn to trust him as he gets us through challenging times. The disciples are learning.
6,7. Jesus gave thanks for the meager amount of food that he had.
We should be thankful for what we have even if we think we need more. It is better to be thankful for what we have than to complain about what we do not have.
8,9. No one would have believed that 16,000 to 20,000 people could be fed with that small launch. From man's point of view it would never happen; it couldn't possibly happen. But after Jesus got involved there was more than enough.
All bets are off when we let Christ take control of our life. He won't do everything we want, but he will do more good through us than we ever thought possible. And he will give us more joy than we ever thought we could experience in spite of what he does or does not do for us.
Give yourself entirely to Christ and he will do incredible things. The Bible says the eyes of the Lord go to and fro throughout the earth looking for someone he can show himself strong to. There's no reason that you and I can't be that one.
10. Jesus is no close to his adopted hometown of Capernaum.
11. They ask for a sign that Jesus is from God; they want a sign from heaven. That's like asking water for a sign that it is wet; it should be self-evident and it is to anyone who has half a brain and cares even slightly about truth. Water is what it is it's wet; you either believe it or you don't you either believe the evidence or you do not. Jesus has done more miracles than can be counted and everyone including his enemies know it; either accept the evidence that's there, or leave because you're obviously not sincere if you don't. Actually that was the problem with the leaders; they were not sincere. In spite of all the evidence they have concluded that Jesus is possessed of a devil. Which means their hearts are as hard as a rock; which also means that any further signs would be a waste of time. If you can't be convinced that water is wet by having it splashed in your face than I'll never be able to convince you with any other evidence.
12. Clearly, Jesus was sick of all the willful ignorance and hard heartedness of the rulers. Jesus never said "no" to anyone who asked for a miracle as long as they were sincere. But Jesus would not do tricks for anyone and he would not lower himself to do any miracles for these rebels who had already decided that they wouldn't believe no matter what. That would be with Jesus described earlier as casting your pearls before swine.
13. The Lord's answer to their request for more miracles was to get up and leave.
Insincere people will get nowhere with God. If someone isn't going to get serious about Jesus they better enjoy this life because they will burn in hell in the next.
God does not expect perfection (he remembers that we are dust), but Jesus does demand sincerity. God says, you will seek for me and you will find me when you search for me with all of your heart.
14. It had been such a quick departure by Jesus that his disciples forgot to bring food with them. Of course not having food should have been a non-issue considering the two miracles of multiplying bread and fish that Jesus had recently performed.
15. Yeast is the product of corruption. It is dough that has turned sour. It is dough that has fermented. When butter turned sour it becomes rancid. You can't see it, but you can taste it. When grape juice ferments it becomes wine. Again you can't see it but you can taste it. Well the Pharisees took truth, fermented it, and it became error. They took holiness, fermented it, and it became hypocrisy. Jesus says watch out for them.
False teaching sometimes isn't easy to recognize until one carefully compares it to Scripture. Hypocrisy can look good as well until one really gets to know the hypocrite, and compares them to what the Bible says.
16. When Jesus mentioned east he was talking about the spiritual corruption of the Pharisees. He was also talking about their false teachings which appeared to be correct. The disciples thought he was talking about the yeast in bread and that reminded them that they didn't bring any food.
17, 18. Missing the point about the yeast didn't bother Jesus. However being concerned about not having bread did bother Jesus. After all the miracles he has done they ought to know that Jesus can handle any physical needs that they might have.
How long does God have to be faithful before his people will trust him? What has God ever done, or failed to do that would give anyone reason to distrust him? Nothing! Failure to trust the most trustworthy one is a terrible failure and we are all probably guilty of that at times.
19, 20. They are worried about not having what they need so Jesus reminds them that he has been giving them not just what they need but way beyond what they have needed. He had given them so much that they had to gather leftovers.
If Jesus decides that he wants us to survive on the bare minimum then that's his business and we need to be content with that but most of the time he blesses us with much more and that's his business also. God is a very good God.
21. In other words, don't you understand that I'm here for you? Why are you worried about anything when you have me? And as God says in his word to all of us "you will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee."
22,23. In light of this verse I'm surprised that some religious fraud hasn't tried to market magic saliva and sell it for $200 an ounce. In recent years preachers have sold magic towels and Springwater to be used in bringing health and wealth so why not magic saliva.
24, 25. For reasons known only to Jesus he chose to heal this man in two stages. The important thing is that Jesus healed him. How God does things is up to him; our job is to take it as it comes, or maybe as it does not come.
26. Jesus was working out a definite plan and he didn't want anything to get in the way including a mob of miracle seekers. Consequently he took this blind man out of town before he healed him, and then he instructs him not to go back into town after he is healed.
More isn't always better; more isn't always God's best for his children. Jesus was not interested in more crowds seeking more miracles he was more interested in fewer people, if need be, who wanted to hear the word of God.
27, 28. All these answers reflect the fact that the people knew Christ was a good person. All the opinions about Jesus compare him to spiritual giants so that part was good, as far as it went.
It would be great; I would love to be compared to John the Baptist or Elijah; any Christian would appreciate that. But actually what would be a compliment for us is an insult to Christ and that's because he is God. The people still didn't get it.
29. Peter knew who Jesus was and he spoke up. If we don't proclaim the real Jesus no one else will.
In a world that has so many wrong ideas about Jesus it's important for those who know him to help proclaim the truth about him. Jesus was pleased with Peter's proclamation, and he is pleased with ours as well.
30. You say, why should they be quiet when they know that Jesus is the Messiah? Because if you mentioned Messiah back in those days the people would immediately think: political and military champion. Messiah has come; Rome is about to be overthrown. In fact the disciples themselves still believed that Jesus was that type of Messiah. They didn't yet know that he would be a rejected Messiah, a murdered Messiah, a crucified Messiah who would die for our sins and since they didn't yet understand that it's better for them to not say anything until they do understand.
31. And the disciples are thinking: what in the world are you talking about Jesus? A Messiah who will not restore Israel's greatness? You're the Messiah, we know that, but you're going to let the wicked people of the world kill you? They never heard such things. Well they need to hear these things. You need to get used to the idea that Jesus will die for our sins long before he returns and rains because that is the message that they will have to preach to the entire world after he is gone.
32. In Peter's mind death, suffering, and Messiah didn't belong in the same sentence. Consequently he rebukes Jesus for saying such things. In essence Peter is saying: you don't know what you're talking about Jesus. Peter thinks he knows more than Jesus. He thinks that Jesus needs to listen to him.
33. Peter was being used by the devil and he didn't even know it. The fact is if Jesus does not die on the cross, which is the way Peter wanted it. Then Peter and the rest of humanity go to hell because our sins are not paid for.
Peter may have been shocked, and probably was hurt when Jesus, in front of everyone, said that he was talking like the devil, but it was true so Jesus said it and in the process did Peter a big favor.
Hard words and hard teachings that come directly from God's word are the jackhammer of God. They pound the soul and in the process create a soft heart that loves Jesus. It's no fun being the cement at the end of the jackhammer but it is well worth the pain if by learning, even the hard way, one avoids the flames of hell that last forever.
34. In other words, get on fire for Jesus. Lukewarmness is not sufficient with Jesus. He is saying you must do what the Bible says; live the way God wants you to live. Please Jesus even if it means loss of friends, even if it means sacrifice, and suffering, and death. Jesus is saying, you cannot be the most important thing to you, I must be the most important thing to you. So much as I want to do that. Well then enter into a Christless, Saviorless, hell fire eternity because there is no plan B, there is no other option for you.
34, 35. If a person chooses to live in disobedience to God, rejecting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior than they will lose their soul. That means hell! That means suffering in the lake of fire forever! That means enduring God's wrath for all eternity! Were not talking about salvation by works; it salvation by faith and it is what the book of James is talking about when it says: faith without works is dead.
36, 37. Two seconds in hell and people realize that they were foolish to not repent and receive Christ as their Lord and Savior. They won't need to wonder if the torment they are feeling is worth whatever pleasure there is sin gave them. They will have their answer immediately.
People reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior because they don't want to give up some sin or sins but what they don't understand is that when they die and go to hell they will give those sins up. It's not a question of will you or will you not give up your sin only a question of when.
38. If someone is ashamed of the Bible, if there ashamed to live it, if there ashamed to say that they believe it, if there ashamed to be connected to Jesus, then Jesus says that he will be ashamed of them when he returns which is talking about Judgment Day. If you don't live for Christ here; if you are ashamed to be connected to Jesus here, then don't expect him to help you after you die because devotion to Christ here and now is the only real evidence that he is your Lord and Savior.
Chapter 9
1. No one but Jesus could say with certainty that you will do this or that before you die. Anyone else who talks like that is being sinfully presumptuous. Jesus can speak with certainty about anything and everything because he is God because the Bible says that he holds the keys of death and the grave. He knows how long we will live and what we will do every second of our life.
Here Jesus says to his disciples, " there will be some of them that stand here who shall not taste of death until they have seen the kingdom of God, with power." That refers to a preview of the second coming which is when Jesus will set up his earthly kingdom.
2. Peter, James, and John, the so-called inner circle of apostles see a quick preview of a coming attraction. In other words, they get a glimpse of what the second coming of Jesus Christ will be like. And keep this in mind, Jesus, the one who promised this preview, and then six days later delivered the preview also promised his actual second coming. And just as sure as he make good on the first promise so he will make good on the second.
In the Bible true prophets of God used to give their long-term prophecy and then often to show that they were trustworthy they would give a short-term prophecy as well. So if you are ever in a situation where someone says the Lord told me this is going to happen someday or thus saith the Lord this is going to happen someday, or God wants you to do this or God told me to tell you. Tell that person to prophesy something that will happen in our from now and when it doesn't happen you can tell that person that he's fortunate that he's not living in Old Testament days or he'd be stoned to death for being a false prophet.
3. The white here was extremely brilliant like no one had ever seen. And remember this is a preview of his second coming.
We are going to see many things we have never seen before when and after Jesus returns. This extreme white suggests that we will experience colors in heaven and in our resurrected body that we cannot see today. Actually frogs, fish, and birds have greater color vision than we do; they distinguish more colors than we can. The fact that the disciples saw a white like none had seen before was another preview of eternity. The sounds and sights of heaven and eternity are made for our resurrected body not for this mortal body that sin has marred.
4. It had been several centuries since the death of Moses and Elijah, but there death did not change their identity; they are still Moses and Elijah as we see in this verse.
You will always be you. You will always have your personality, your sense of humor, and memories, at least the good memories. The big difference is all these things will be perfectly sanctified. You'll even have that body of yours that you're in right now. You say, I don't think I want it; I thought it was going to trade it in for a new one. Well in a way you will trade it in for a new one but you will still be in your present body only it will be glorified, perfectly healthy, and incapable of dying so you like it.
5. Peter suggested that they should all stay on that mountain forever and really I don't blame him for wanting that. Retreating to a mountain with Jesus in a couple of the Old Testament superheroes sounds like a pretty nice idea. However one shouldn't make suggestions without first understanding the facts which is what Peter did. It seemed right to Peter, it seemed good to Peter, but it was not right to God. The Bible says there is a way that seems right to man but the end thereof are the ways of death. The Bible says that man has ideas, but God decides what will happen and what needs to happen. That's why so many of our prayers do not get a yes answer.
6. Sometimes I wonder why God did not create a mechanism in humans that would cause our jaws to automatically clamp shut when we are overcome with emotion. I say that because people sometimes say foolish things when their highly emotional.
It's a good idea to keep our words to a minimum when we are emotional, especially if were afraid or angry. There's less of a chance it will say something illogical and that we will regret saying.
7. Moses and Elijah were spiritual heroes to the Jews, but no one, not even those two are equal to Christ. The father speaks from heaven and says, Jesus is my son, you must listen to him.
Listen to Jesus more than you listen to anyone else. In other words, listen to what the Bible says more than you listen to anything else when it comes to spiritual, moral, eternal, and behavior issues.
8. Instead of returning to heaven with Moses and Elijah Jesus stayed on earth. Jesus still had work to do here. He had to continue ministering to the people, and instructing the disciples. Most importantly he stayed in order to die on the cross to pay for our sins.
9. The apostles saw some great things on that mountain, exciting things, things they would love to talk about I'm sure, but they can't do it. No one will hear about Moses and Elijah appearing on that mountain; no one will hear about Jesus lighting up from the inside out like a glorified neon sign until after the death and resurrection of Christ.
Sometimes good things are delayed in the will of God.
10. They obeyed. They kept the matter to themselves. They decided that they wouldn't tell anyone about these amazing events until after Jesus was raised. Then they looked at each other, scratch their heads, and said, I wonder what "after he is raised from the dead means?" Which reminds us that we do not need to know all the details about God's plan before we can obey him. It's enough to obey what we know God has commanded.
11. In other words, Jesus it seems to us that the Bible is being fulfilled right before our eyes. The apostles may be thinking: the Old Testament predicted that Elisha would return to prepare the way for the Messiah. Now, if Jesus is the Messiah, and the apostles know that he is, and if they just saw Elijah, they're probably wondering, why can't we tell everyone about it; Scripture is coming to pass right before our eyes why does this all have to be kept a secret?
12. Jesus is trying to get them to understand that he has to suffer and die, and be raised before he can establish his kingdom on earth. In other words, you can't tell people about Elijah and me in the kingdom or they will believe that it's going to happen immediately. Jesus is saying Elisha will come first, before I set up my kingdom. But then he reminds them of the Scriptures that predict that the Messiah must suffer and die for our sins. Both are Bible, both are true, Elijah will return, and the Messiah will set up his earthly kingdom. Those things are very true, but that truth does not cancel out the other Scriptures that predict the Messiah suffering and death and resurrection.
We learn from this that it's not right and in fact it is dangerous to pick and choose which Scriptures we will believe and teach. It is not good to pay attention to the Scriptures that we may like while ignoring the ones that we don't like. The entire Bible is true; the entire Bible must be taught as fact, even if we lack understanding of how it will all work out. Biblical heresies result from overemphasizing certain Scriptures while ignoring others. That's why I teach from Genesis to Revelation.
13. This is where it gets a little tricky. Jesus is referring to John the Baptist when he talks about the Elijah who has already come. John the Baptist preceded the first appearance of Christ and by doing that he fulfilled the prediction concerning the coming of Elijah in a spiritual way. However someday the real Elijah will come and proceed the return of Christ when he will establish his earthly kingdom.
14. So Jesus and his disciples no sooner hit flat ground and they run into trouble. Peter's idea of staying on the mountain is probably sounding like a pretty good idea to him read about here.
15. The crowd was happy to see Jesus. The nine disciples who Jesus had left at the bottom of this hill tried to help the people but it didn't happen.
There's no one like Christ in the crowd has learned that. The apostles tried hard and they were well-meaning but they were not Jesus. We try hard to be good Christians but we are not Jesus. Jesus never fails and even though we Christians hate it we still sin.
16. Jesus asked the religious leaders why they are arguing with his disciples.
17. A Devil had destroyed this boys ability to speak.
Satan and his Devils are only interested in hurting people. Even when they give people some of the things they desire it's only because they know that in the long run it will hurt them. Devils don't like anyone; devils work to destroy everyone.
18. And remember the disciples had recently returned from a ministry tour where they had cast out devils and healed the sick in Jesus name. In light of that, I suppose this father brought his possessed boy to them with high hopes, but they couldn't make the devil leave.
19. On a scale of 1 to 100 Jesus is faith and love for God scored a perfect 100 all the time. Consequently it was difficult at times for him to be around those who were so far below him spiritually and morally.
20. When this devil saw Jesus he knew that his time in the boy was just about over. So what does he do? He hits the boy hard; he tortures the boy as hard as he can before he loses him.
Devils are not stupid. They know when a person is moving in the direction of Christ; they can see when they are in danger of losing a soul to God. That's why they pull out all stops to keep that soul on their side. They'll work on that person's mind and try to cause confusion about their sin and Jesus or sometimes they will try to distract that person away from Christ. They don't give up without a fight. That's why often many prayers are needed before some people finally surrendered to Christ.
21. Satan had stolen this boys childhood. While the other children were playing he was being tormented from the inside out by a devil.
22. The father is so discouraged by the failure of others who have tried to deliver his son and failed that he's not sure that even Jesus can help.
23. Some people take this verse and say "see you can have anything you want if you only believe." But Jesus did not say you can have anything you want if you only believe. He said all things are possible if you believe, not all things are a sure bet if you believe. Christ will not do anything that goes against his word or his eternal plan no matter how hard one believes it will happen. People are not little gods. People are not sovereign, and we cannot create our own little reality by believing. That would make God a victim of our sovereignty and that completely contradicts everything that the Bible teaches.
24. The poor dad is desperate and since faith is one of the keys to receiving from God he wants help in that area also. He believes in Jesus somewhat, but he admits that his faith isn't perfect. He has imperfect faith but he has a willing heart. He is willing to improve.
The most important thing that we can offer God is a willing heart. He can work in and through a willing heart.
25. The problems of this poor boy and his father were no one else's business. Consequently Jesus works fast to get rid of the devil before the crowd arrives.
Some things should be kept between us and God; some things are no one else's business.
26. Jesus got the devil out but it looked like he killed the boy before he left.
27. Whether he had been dead or seriously injured Jesus brought him back. Jesus undid the damage that the devil did.
Jesus can undo any damage that devils do to people. He can and has in many cases not only reversed the damage but used it for good.
28. It seems as if there failure bothered them.
A Christian has bothered when they fail Christ. Peter wept when he denied Jesus three times; Paul referred to himself as the chief of sinners. Sometimes the closer we are to Christ the more we feel like a failure. The more we care about Jesus the more our failures bother us.
29. Spiritual warfare is won on our knees. The tougher the battle the more we need to pray and fast which is a powerful form of prayer.
30. Jesus is on his last trip through Galilee on his way to Jerusalem where he will be crucified. For that reason he wants more private time with his disciples.
31. This isn't the first time Jesus told his men that he would be murdered, but this is the first time he mentioned that he would also be betrayed.
32. They didn't understand why he would have to die especially since he knew about it ahead of time. How can a betrayal succeed when you know in advance that it's coming; obviously the element of surprise is removed? They don't understand why the Messiah has to die anyway, and they don't get it, and they don't like it so they decide that they don't want to talk about it. Actually they're afraid to talk about it.
When there is bad news sometimes people like to pretend that they didn't even hear it. I didn't like what I heard so I won't think about it; I won't deal with it. That would be all right if he got rid of the bad but it doesn't. Pretending doesn't change reality instead it prevents one from responding biblically which in turn just makes matters worse.
33. The disciples had been disputing and Jesus wants to know why. They will not want to tell him why but he wants them to talk about it.
Jesus wants us to talk to him. Tell him what's on your mind! Tell him what you're thinking exclamation tell him what you're doing exclamation if it's right he will tell you; if it's wrong he will show you.
34. The disciples were ashamed to tell Jesus what they were arguing about because they were having a heated discussion about which of them would be the greatest; what a foolish question. Jesus is the greatest and everyone else is so far behind that they don't even deserve honorable mention; so what's the point of even talking about it. It would be like you and I standing in the presence of Hank Aaron arguing who's the best homerun hitter you or me. It's a moot point when you're standing in the presence of the greatest of all time. They were ashamed to admit to Christ what they were talking about and was pretty unbecoming of a Christian so they should be ashamed.
Never do anything that you would be ashamed to tell Jesus about, but if you do, remember that the apostles were also guilty of doing that. And remember most of all that you can find forgiveness and persevere with Christ just as they did.
35. God measures greatness by service. That is exactly opposite of how the world measures greatness.
Christians must stop thinking like the world and start thinking like Jesus. The world measures greatness by how many people are serving you. God measures greatness by how many people you are serving. Whoever serves the most wins; that's the way God sees it.
Many Christians search for God's will: what does God want me to do? I can tell you what God wants you to do: help others; do what ever you can to help someone within the boundaries of Scripture and you're doing God's will. Work at helping others without expecting anything in return and you will be great to God.
36,37. In that day children were considered to be the least significant of all people. So what Jesus is saying is this: if you really want to be great, then serve those who others considered to be unworthy of attention. Pay attention to those who no one pays attention to.
38. The disciples were acting as if they were a Jesus clique. They were the Jesus clique; which made everyone else sort of unworthy. I've seen that sort of cliquish sinfulness in some evangelical churches and it's disgusting to behold. We expect that sort of thing in the world but it should never be in the church Jesus did not like what he just heard.
39. Jesus says don't stop someone who is using my name to do good things. Maybe they haven't come as far along in their understanding of Jesus as some others but they're headed in the right direction so don't do anything to discourage them.
Christianity isn't the club for the elitist of the world. It is for people who have a desire to know and serve Christ no matter who they are.
40. If we are doing good things then we can't be doing bad things. I love the simple truth of God's word. Like one old time preacher used to say, God wants his cookies down on the lowest shelf where the little ones can reach them.
40x. In other words, there is no neutral in the spiritual realm. When you do good for Jesus you will not be doing bad. That is why the key to overcoming the evil isn't to figure out how you're going to overcome evil. It's also not biblical to sit around and talk for hours about our problems with evil. Get busy doing something good and the evil will go away. the Bible says if we walk in the spirit we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Good is a stronger force than evil which is why the Bible says we are to overcome evil with good.
41. It doesn't matter how simple or menial the service may be. If you do it to honor Jesus then it is something big to God and he will reward you. Giving someone preference and traffic is a big deal to God; holding the door open for someone is a big deal to God; a simple word of encouragement or a kind word to someone is a big deal to God. No act of kindness big or small is insignificant to God when it is done to honor Jesus.
42. Dying a violent death like Jesus describes would be bad but it would be better than what awaits those who hurt children. that Doesn't mean that you can't be forgiven if you hurt a child you can be just like anyone else who commits any other sin but boy oh boy you better truly repent and they better truly as Christ to save them and forgive them other than to pay a big price in the lake of fire. Jesus doesn't take kindly to little children being abused and used and hurt in any way.
43-47. In other words, whatever you have to do to repent and receive Christ do it. It doesn't matter what you have to quit doing. It doesn't matter how much pleasure you may get from your sin, quit. And if it is an entrenched sin to get out by removing it and anything connected to it; get it out of your life. Nothing, nothing, nothing is worth going to hell for; that is what Jesus is saying.
47, 48. Jesus says that the warm doesn't die in hell, and by the way neither do the people. If the fires of hell do not annihilate the life of a warm then it doesn't annihilate the life of a human being. The fire in hell burns but it doesn't consume. Someone says, that's impossible! No it's possible! It's not only possible but God has already shown us a prototype of the fire in hell. Remember Moses and the burning bush? Moses said, I will turn aside and see this great sight. He was puzzled because the bush was burning, but it wasn't being consumed. People in hell are like the burning bush; they burn, but they don't cease to exist.
49. Salt was a common preservative in those days. So Jesus is saying, before people are thrown into hell they are salted/given up preservative/. Everyone who goes to hell will be preserved/will be there forever/. Everyone in hell will feel every bit of pain that's possible to feel forever because they sinned against God and would not repent and accept his mercy through Jesus Christ. And speaking of salt..
50. Here Jesus speaks to his people. Salt isn't just the preservative, it is also a spice that enhances the flavor of food. God calls Christians to be spiritual salt. He said, have salt in yourselves. In other words, he wants Christians to be holy, not only because it is right, but also to make the world a better place.
Chapter 10
1,2. Divorce was a highly debated subject among the Jews of that time. There were two general schools of thought among the rabbis. Some said divorce was okay for any reason. Others said no only one there has been adultery. Of course whichever side Jesus takes will alienate him from a large segment of the population which is no doubt why the religious leaders asked him this question in public. They are trying very hard to make enemies for Jesus. What they didn't understand about Jesus is that he doesn't say things based on what opinion polls suggest is the most popular position. He couldn't care less if they were trying to trap him; he's just going to speak the truth as he always does; he will speak what is in line with the word of God as he always does and if 99.999% of the people disagree than 99.999% of the people are wrong and in trouble with God.
3. In other words the response of Christ to their question is: what does the Bible say? Jesus didn't feel any pressure from their question because he wasn't interested in popularity or what the people thought; he was only interested in what God thought.
Peer pressure is not an issue to those who only and supremely care about one thing and that's pleasing the Lord God.
When we are concerned about what God wants and what God says is true then we will not care so much about what people want or what people believe. That's how Jesus was.
It is more important to please God than it is to please people who don't care about God.
4. That's a real nice answer, too bad it didn't have anything to do with the question that Jesus asked. They are not answering his question. Jesus asked, what does the Bible command? They answered: this is what the Bible permits. God permits many things that are not his first choice. The only alternative would be to blow the world and everyone on it to smithereens. But clearly, Jesus wants to emphasize that marriage is supposed to be permanent. The apostles seem to be emphasizing that God sometimes allows a way out.
5. In other words, sometimes husbands and wives do bad things and in order to avoid further suffering there are times when God allows divorce. It's never a good thing but sometimes it's the lesser of two bad things.
When people ruin God's plan A, he often graciously allows a plan B. It's not as good as the plan a could have been but it is better than all-out misery.
6. The human race was created in two parts like a two piece puzzle. One part is male the other is female.
7,8. When a husband and wife come together the puzzle is complete and since God made the puzzle and since God put the pieces together he would like it to stay together. He doesn't want puzzle pieces scattered all over the world. It is true that God does sometimes permit divorce because of sin but his command was for marriage to be permanent.
9. When a man and a woman make a serious file before God to be husband and wife a spiritual transaction takes place. God connects them and makes them one. God is the only one who makes a man and a woman husband and wife. The state doesn't do it; God does it. That's why divorce may be illegal transaction to the state but divorce is a spiritual issue to God. It is a spiritual split of the spiritual union that he created when they took their vows. Jesus is saying, that type of split is not a part of God's original plan for marriage. That's the Lord's answer to their question. The Lord's answer to their question about divorce was to teach them God's design for marriage.
10. Jesus has just said that marriage is supposed to be permanent which evidently caught the disciples off guard so they have a follow-up question.
11, 12. Remarriage after an un-biblical divorce is a sin. It is the sin of adultery. But God's people also need to know that God isn't in the business of unforgiveness to those who confess. God is in the business of forgiveness to everyone who wants it and confesses their sin no matter what that sin may have been. Remember even if someone has gotten an un-biblical divorce and has remarried they can have complete forgiveness through Jesus Christ and a fresh start in Christ as well. They don't have to twist God's arm to get him to forgive them either; he wants to forgive them. God isn't in the business of unforgiveness.
13. The disciples figured that Jesus didn't have time to be bothered by such insignificant ones as children.
14. Jesus said, of such is the kingdom of God. Which among other things means that children go to heaven when they die. Children may not be important to some adults, but they are very important to Jesus. Every adult should be as innocent and should have the faith of a little child.
15. Children trust and rely on adults. And that is the type of childlike faith and trust in Christ that people need in order to receive the gift of eternal life. In other words don't trust in some complex religion; don't put your faith in how good you may be. Ask Jesus to save you from hell and then trust that he will.
16. Jesus liked these children and they liked him back. He did not line them up like ducks at a shooting gallery and pop each one a blessing. The Bible says he took them in his arms and blessed them. If Jesus did that that it must be important; it must be something that little children need. Jesus made sure the little ones felt secure and comfortable. The thing about Jesus is: he wants you and I do feel secure and comfortable in him as well.
17. This man was not saved and he knew it. He also felt as most people do, and that is that he needed to do some good things in order to get saved. He asked Jesus, what must I do?
18a. That may seem like a strange response to his question but really it isn't. People are often careless with words. Someone says I love my wife/I love pizza/I love cucumbers etc. I think the wife would like some clarification on what he just said. You mean to tell me that if it came down to cucumbers and your wife it would be a tossup? No, it's just another example of the careless use of words. This man had been careless in his use of the word good, and Jesus knew it.
The words of Scripture must be understood accurately or we will never understand what God is saying to us.
18. Jesus isn't saying that he's not good. Jesus is not saying that he is not God. He didn't say, why do you call me good since I'm not good; he did not say that. Nor did he say no one is good except God alone and I'm not God so why did you call me good. He simply asking this man a question: why do you call me good?
18x. This man knows that one must be good to enter heaven but Jesus wants this man to think about his definition of good. In other words, does he really understand how good good is? Does he understand that good does not mean better than most. I'll give you a biblical definition of good: good means that something is the way God designed it to be. After God created the world he looked at all he made and said it is good. To be good enough to enter into heaven one must be good like Jesus, good like God, which means sinless. Words mean something and that's with the word good means; it means good!
19. Jesus declares the law of God to this man. You want to know what you must do to inherit eternal life? This is it: keep God's law and keep it all the time without failure not even once. Jesus did not preach watered-down, feel-good, anything goes type sermons to those who thought they might be good enough to make it to heaven by their own effort. He preached holiness.
20. In other words, I've never disobeyed any of the commandments that you just listed Jesus. He suggests that he has been good, and yet he deep down knows that he hasn't been good enough. That seems to be clear because he wanted to know what additional good things he had to do to get right with God.
21a. Jesus love this man just like he loves all people. And that's real nice but that's not enough to save anyone. God doesn't save anyone by his love alone. God loves imperfect people but he doesn't allow imperfect people into heaven which is why Jesus says what he says in verse 21...
21. Jesus tells this man to empty his savings account. Actually he goes beyond that and tells the man to sell everything that he has and give all the money to the poor. If he disobeys Jesus about this then he is disobeying a direct command from God himself and if he disobeys this direct command from God then God is not his God, money is his God. And if money is his God than he has an idol and he isn't as good as he needs to be to earn his ticket to heaven. If this man intends to be good enough to earn eternal life then he will have to obey God in all things including this.
22. Jesus knew that this man put his wealth before God which is why his specific command to him was to give up his wealth. He knew that that was a tender spot with this man; he knew that he loved and served wealth more than God. Consequently Jesus gave him an opportunity to turn away from his idol but he wouldn't do it; he would not repent.
An unwillingness to repent of all sin keeps one from being saved by Jesus Christ. This man, like everyone else, must repent of all known sins and no that does not mean that people must clean up their act in order to be saved. If we could do that we wouldn't need a Savior. What it means is in our hearts we must be willing to put Jesus first before any sin; that is true repentance. A person cannot receive Christ and be saved if they don't sincerely repent. Saying Jesus I repent of all my sins except (blank) won't get it done. There must be a sincere turning away from all known sin or there isn't a sincere turning to Christ and if there is in a sincere turning to Christ a person doesn't mean business with God and therefore will not be saved. This man had a pet sin that he wasn't willing to repent of so he walked away lost and he walked away miserable also.
23. Wealth does not have to be a soul killer. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, John the apostle, were all very wealthy and also very godly and saved. Many extremely wealthy sports stars are strong Christians. But sometimes with some people wealth and all that it buys distracts them from recognizing their spiritual needs. Wealth can also by many nice things, which is fine, unless one enjoys those things so much that they become more important than God. That's when wealth becomes a soul killer.
24a. They were astonished because people back then believed that if a person was wealthy it was because God was pleased with them. Back then people looked at the wealthy and thought they were a sure bet for heaven.
24,25. In other words, it's impossible humanly speaking. Wealth can buy many things, but it cannot buy approval from God.
26. The apostles thought, well if it's hard, or maybe even impossible for the wealthy to be saved, then it certainly is impossible for us normal people; we don't stand a chance. If it's difficult for the rich to get in, then we shouldn't even be thinking about the possibility of making it in.
27. Jesus wants them, and everyone else to understand that being good enough, or doing good enough things to earn eternal life is impossible for man to accomplish whether they are rich or poor. But there is hope because God has a plan to save people apart from human effort, without human righteousness. Man cannot do it, but God has a plan to do it for man. Now that's what I call a good God. We offend him, and are helpless to remove the offense, so God decides to remove it for us. That's the reason for the cross.
28. The rich man walked away from Jesus because Christ asked him to give everything up and follow him. Here Peter points out the fact that he and the other disciples did indeed give everything up in order to follow Jesus.
29. Coming to Christ involves new priorities, persecutions and sometimes broken relationships. Jesus assumes that some things will be lost when one comes to Christ and follows him.
A commitment to Christ is not appreciated by those who have no commitment to Christ. Repentance is an appreciated by those who have not repented. Which is why the new priorities of a Christian often result in troubles with the unsaved.
29, 30. Many times old relationships with unsaved friends, and relatives will be strained, and sometimes broken when a person gets serious about following Jesus. That's the bad part; the good part is there will also be many new, deeper, spiritual relationships to help make up for it. And that's wonderful but by far the best part of being a Christian is that you won't burn in hell forever. Christ does not promise that there won't be sacrifices for those who follow him in this life but he does promise to make those sacrifices worth our while.
31. Being popular/successful/in this world doesn't mean that one is pleasing to God. In fact there's a pretty good chance, a better than even chance; a likely chance that you have sold out or compromised the word of God to gain that popularity.
32, 33. The disciples are hearing a nightmare scenario as far as they are concerned. Remember, they had put all their eggs in the Jesus basket. They had left homes, and jobs, and even cited against the religious establishment in order to follow Jesus. And now Jesus tells them that he's going to die. Where does that leave them? Right about now they are feeling like someone who has liquidated all their wealth in the early 70s to invest in an eight track tapes or in Studebaker.
33. Jesus says, "we are going." And in light of what he says will happen I have to believe that the disciples are thinking, why are we going Jesus; why not change plans in order to avoid dying since you know that it's coming?
33b, 34. And I know that the last part about being raised from the dead on day three went right over their heads because none of them expected Jesus to return after he was crucified. None of them were waiting at the tomb on Easter Sunday morning with welcome back signs and breakfast for Jesus.
By the time Jesus was through saying "mocked, spit on, scourged, and killed" they were in shock, and the resurrection statement went right over their heads; it never registered.
It is sometimes hard to focus on the good promises of God for eternity when we are going through hard times here on earth today. There are real, we know their real, we would die for the truthfulness of them, but still they seem unreal.
35. Notice the "then." This happened right after Jesus said what he said in the previous verses. The timing of this selfish request could not have been worse. Jesus has just announced that he would be tortured, betrayed, and murdered. Their response was to ask for a blank check from Christ.. Give us whatever we want, they ask.
36. Clearly Jesus had his sufferings on his mind as they head to Jerusalem for the final time. Meanwhile the disciples seemed to be unconcerned, and only thinking about themselves. But will you notice how gracious Jesus is to them. He says, what is it that you would like me to do for you.
When treated unfairly, maybe even when feelings are hurt, don't sit around and wonder why life is so unfair. Instead do something nice for someone, if possible for the one who has hurt you. I'm not saying Jesus's feelings were hurt, although who would blame him if they were, but certainly at the very least his disciples were insensitive toward him, and yet he responded with kindness and unselfishness as he usually did.
36, 37. In other words, they would like to be vice presidents to King Jesus in his future kingdom. Is that all?
38. They want a big payday and eternity, so they need to know what it will cost them in the way of sacrifice and commitment in this life. God never promises something for nothing except salvation. And if they're going to have a big reward than they should expect the tough road that will get them there.
Salvation is free, but by the blood of Jesus Christ which he shed on the cross but eternal rewards are earned and that's what they're asking for.
39. In other words, they will endure the same sort of trouble Jesus will endure.
Any Christian who decides to go all out for Jesus can expect the same kind of treatment that he received. The relatively few who are also sold out to Christ will appreciate you but when you say things that Jesus said most people in this sin infested world will hate you and despise you and work against you and reject you. That's what he's talking about here. You want to live for Jesus? That's great, but brace yourself because when you call sin sin, as he did, and when you say that Jesus is the only way to heaven, as he did, you're going to rub some people the wrong way. When you refuse to be a part of sinful activities and you tell people why, that's going to rub most of them the wrong way also, so brace yourself. And when you as a preacher decide that you're going to preach the pure word of God and not water it down to please the crowds you are going to find out very quickly what it was like to be John the Baptist who had his head chopped off and Jesus who was hated by the religious hierarchy and the apostles who suffered persecution and martyrdom.
40. In other words Jesus just told James and John to go all out for him, to be completely sold out to him, to live holy, to speak the truth, to do their very best and leave their rewards up to God. They were to give Jesus their best, like we all should, but Jesus didn't promise any specific reward for doing it. We just have to trust that God will be fair, which should be easy for us to do since he is incapable of ever doing anything unfair.
41. Remember from last time that they were all arguing about which of them would be the greatest. Consequently this probably wasn't righteous indignation against James and John for making such a self-centered request. More likely they were upset because they didn't think to ask for the top spots themselves.
42. In the world the people at the top can be overbearing. I'm on top and just so you don't forget it I'm going to use whatever power I have to make sure you do everything I want you to do. The world looks at people like that and thanks, they have arrived; that's the way I want to be. I want to shove other people around because that means I'm important and that means I'm the boss. And if that's what you think then you're more like the devil then you are God.
43. Here we go again: to be one of God's elite use whatever power, or influence you have to serve others. Consider any power or influence you may have to be opportunities to do what is in the best interest of others, especially those that you have authority over.
44. If you want to be great to God then out give an out serve everyone else. You say, why does Jesus keep repeating this lesson? Because although it's easy to understand it is also very easy to forget and ignore while living and working in this sinful world.
45a. Study the life of Christ and you will see that people did not wait on him. Instead he waited on people; he was always giving right until he dismissed his spirit on the cross after paying for our sins.
45. Mankind has been kidnapped by sin and death and hell. Fortunately for us Jesus was willing to die for our sins and pay the ransom price to save us from impending eternal punishment. We who have taken advantage of his kindness owe him a debt that we can never repay. We can never fully repay his kindness, but we can please him by serving as he served because that makes him happy. You say, I think maybe I'm a servant, but I'm not sure. Well, here's the big test: you know that you have the heart of a servant if you don't get upset when someone treats you like a servant. So if you get upset when someone treats you like a servant then you are not yet what Christ has called you to be.
46. A few coins or a piece of bread would have made this beggar's day a big success. But he's about to get much more than he hoped to get.
47. Bartimaous was desperate, and he knew that Jesus was his only hope so he started to shout. Everyone needs God's mercy; many are too proud to ask for it. Bartimaous was not too proud; he was desperate.
Desperation can be a blessing, and it is a blessing when it drives a person to Jesus. The best thing that can happen to some people is bad times because nothing less than that will move them to cry out to Jesus for salvation.
48. You might as well save your breath if you're trying to silence this man, and don't be embarrassed for him either because he didn't care what anybody thought; he just kept on crying out to Jesus.
One of the things that keeps people from giving their life to Christ and being saved from hell is that they worry about what other people might think. They won't be worrying about what others think when they are burning in hell for rejecting the Savior.
No one can afford to worry about what others think when their immortal soul is at stake.
49. His determination paid off. He didn't let anyone keep him from Jesus. He did what he knew was right. He didn't care if others were embarrassed to be around him and it paid off because he's about to be blessed.
50, 51. When we pray we are not telling God anything that he doesn't already know and yet he still wants us to pray. The Bible says you have not because you ask not. The Bible says ask and you shall receive. Jesus waited for this man to ask; to tell him what he wanted even though it must've been obvious that he wanted to see.
If there is something that you want God to do then talk to him. Talk to him because although there are some things that God will do without being asked there are other things he will not do unless we ask.
52. It's likely that the first thing this formerly blind man saw was the face of Jesus. He could see, and notice how he used his sight to follow Jesus.
Christians don't need a law that says follow Christ. What we need is continual reminders of how good he is and how good he has been to us because when we keep those things in mind following him will be the most natural thing in the world for us.
1,2. Divorce was a highly debated subject among the Jews of that time. There were two general schools of thought among the rabbis. Some said divorce was okay for any reason. Others said no only one there has been adultery. Of course whichever side Jesus takes will alienate him from a large segment of the population which is no doubt why the religious leaders asked him this question in public. They are trying very hard to make enemies for Jesus. What they didn't understand about Jesus is that he doesn't say things based on what opinion polls suggest is the most popular position. He couldn't care less if they were trying to trap him; he's just going to speak the truth as he always does; he will speak what is in line with the word of God as he always does and if 99.999% of the people disagree than 99.999% of the people are wrong and in trouble with God.
3. In other words the response of Christ to their question is: what does the Bible say? Jesus didn't feel any pressure from their question because he wasn't interested in popularity or what the people thought; he was only interested in what God thought.
Peer pressure is not an issue to those who only and supremely care about one thing and that's pleasing the Lord God.
When we are concerned about what God wants and what God says is true then we will not care so much about what people want or what people believe. That's how Jesus was.
It is more important to please God than it is to please people who don't care about God.
4. That's a real nice answer, too bad it didn't have anything to do with the question that Jesus asked. They are not answering his question. Jesus asked, what does the Bible command? They answered: this is what the Bible permits. God permits many things that are not his first choice. The only alternative would be to blow the world and everyone on it to smithereens. But clearly, Jesus wants to emphasize that marriage is supposed to be permanent. The apostles seem to be emphasizing that God sometimes allows a way out.
5. In other words, sometimes husbands and wives do bad things and in order to avoid further suffering there are times when God allows divorce. It's never a good thing but sometimes it's the lesser of two bad things.
When people ruin God's plan A, he often graciously allows a plan B. It's not as good as the plan a could have been but it is better than all-out misery.
6. The human race was created in two parts like a two piece puzzle. One part is male the other is female.
7,8. When a husband and wife come together the puzzle is complete and since God made the puzzle and since God put the pieces together he would like it to stay together. He doesn't want puzzle pieces scattered all over the world. It is true that God does sometimes permit divorce because of sin but his command was for marriage to be permanent.
9. When a man and a woman make a serious file before God to be husband and wife a spiritual transaction takes place. God connects them and makes them one. God is the only one who makes a man and a woman husband and wife. The state doesn't do it; God does it. That's why divorce may be illegal transaction to the state but divorce is a spiritual issue to God. It is a spiritual split of the spiritual union that he created when they took their vows. Jesus is saying, that type of split is not a part of God's original plan for marriage. That's the Lord's answer to their question. The Lord's answer to their question about divorce was to teach them God's design for marriage.
10. Jesus has just said that marriage is supposed to be permanent which evidently caught the disciples off guard so they have a follow-up question.
11, 12. Remarriage after an un-biblical divorce is a sin. It is the sin of adultery. But God's people also need to know that God isn't in the business of unforgiveness to those who confess. God is in the business of forgiveness to everyone who wants it and confesses their sin no matter what that sin may have been. Remember even if someone has gotten an un-biblical divorce and has remarried they can have complete forgiveness through Jesus Christ and a fresh start in Christ as well. They don't have to twist God's arm to get him to forgive them either; he wants to forgive them. God isn't in the business of unforgiveness.
13. The disciples figured that Jesus didn't have time to be bothered by such insignificant ones as children.
14. Jesus said, of such is the kingdom of God. Which among other things means that children go to heaven when they die. Children may not be important to some adults, but they are very important to Jesus. Every adult should be as innocent and should have the faith of a little child.
15. Children trust and rely on adults. And that is the type of childlike faith and trust in Christ that people need in order to receive the gift of eternal life. In other words don't trust in some complex religion; don't put your faith in how good you may be. Ask Jesus to save you from hell and then trust that he will.
16. Jesus liked these children and they liked him back. He did not line them up like ducks at a shooting gallery and pop each one a blessing. The Bible says he took them in his arms and blessed them. If Jesus did that that it must be important; it must be something that little children need. Jesus made sure the little ones felt secure and comfortable. The thing about Jesus is: he wants you and I do feel secure and comfortable in him as well.
17. This man was not saved and he knew it. He also felt as most people do, and that is that he needed to do some good things in order to get saved. He asked Jesus, what must I do?
18a. That may seem like a strange response to his question but really it isn't. People are often careless with words. Someone says I love my wife/I love pizza/I love cucumbers etc. I think the wife would like some clarification on what he just said. You mean to tell me that if it came down to cucumbers and your wife it would be a tossup? No, it's just another example of the careless use of words. This man had been careless in his use of the word good, and Jesus knew it.
The words of Scripture must be understood accurately or we will never understand what God is saying to us.
18. Jesus isn't saying that he's not good. Jesus is not saying that he is not God. He didn't say, why do you call me good since I'm not good; he did not say that. Nor did he say no one is good except God alone and I'm not God so why did you call me good. He simply asking this man a question: why do you call me good?
18x. This man knows that one must be good to enter heaven but Jesus wants this man to think about his definition of good. In other words, does he really understand how good good is? Does he understand that good does not mean better than most. I'll give you a biblical definition of good: good means that something is the way God designed it to be. After God created the world he looked at all he made and said it is good. To be good enough to enter into heaven one must be good like Jesus, good like God, which means sinless. Words mean something and that's with the word good means; it means good!
19. Jesus declares the law of God to this man. You want to know what you must do to inherit eternal life? This is it: keep God's law and keep it all the time without failure not even once. Jesus did not preach watered-down, feel-good, anything goes type sermons to those who thought they might be good enough to make it to heaven by their own effort. He preached holiness.
20. In other words, I've never disobeyed any of the commandments that you just listed Jesus. He suggests that he has been good, and yet he deep down knows that he hasn't been good enough. That seems to be clear because he wanted to know what additional good things he had to do to get right with God.
21a. Jesus love this man just like he loves all people. And that's real nice but that's not enough to save anyone. God doesn't save anyone by his love alone. God loves imperfect people but he doesn't allow imperfect people into heaven which is why Jesus says what he says in verse 21...
21. Jesus tells this man to empty his savings account. Actually he goes beyond that and tells the man to sell everything that he has and give all the money to the poor. If he disobeys Jesus about this then he is disobeying a direct command from God himself and if he disobeys this direct command from God then God is not his God, money is his God. And if money is his God than he has an idol and he isn't as good as he needs to be to earn his ticket to heaven. If this man intends to be good enough to earn eternal life then he will have to obey God in all things including this.
22. Jesus knew that this man put his wealth before God which is why his specific command to him was to give up his wealth. He knew that that was a tender spot with this man; he knew that he loved and served wealth more than God. Consequently Jesus gave him an opportunity to turn away from his idol but he wouldn't do it; he would not repent.
An unwillingness to repent of all sin keeps one from being saved by Jesus Christ. This man, like everyone else, must repent of all known sins and no that does not mean that people must clean up their act in order to be saved. If we could do that we wouldn't need a Savior. What it means is in our hearts we must be willing to put Jesus first before any sin; that is true repentance. A person cannot receive Christ and be saved if they don't sincerely repent. Saying Jesus I repent of all my sins except (blank) won't get it done. There must be a sincere turning away from all known sin or there isn't a sincere turning to Christ and if there is in a sincere turning to Christ a person doesn't mean business with God and therefore will not be saved. This man had a pet sin that he wasn't willing to repent of so he walked away lost and he walked away miserable also.
23. Wealth does not have to be a soul killer. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, John the apostle, were all very wealthy and also very godly and saved. Many extremely wealthy sports stars are strong Christians. But sometimes with some people wealth and all that it buys distracts them from recognizing their spiritual needs. Wealth can also by many nice things, which is fine, unless one enjoys those things so much that they become more important than God. That's when wealth becomes a soul killer.
24a. They were astonished because people back then believed that if a person was wealthy it was because God was pleased with them. Back then people looked at the wealthy and thought they were a sure bet for heaven.
24,25. In other words, it's impossible humanly speaking. Wealth can buy many things, but it cannot buy approval from God.
26. The apostles thought, well if it's hard, or maybe even impossible for the wealthy to be saved, then it certainly is impossible for us normal people; we don't stand a chance. If it's difficult for the rich to get in, then we shouldn't even be thinking about the possibility of making it in.
27. Jesus wants them, and everyone else to understand that being good enough, or doing good enough things to earn eternal life is impossible for man to accomplish whether they are rich or poor. But there is hope because God has a plan to save people apart from human effort, without human righteousness. Man cannot do it, but God has a plan to do it for man. Now that's what I call a good God. We offend him, and are helpless to remove the offense, so God decides to remove it for us. That's the reason for the cross.
28. The rich man walked away from Jesus because Christ asked him to give everything up and follow him. Here Peter points out the fact that he and the other disciples did indeed give everything up in order to follow Jesus.
29. Coming to Christ involves new priorities, persecutions and sometimes broken relationships. Jesus assumes that some things will be lost when one comes to Christ and follows him.
A commitment to Christ is not appreciated by those who have no commitment to Christ. Repentance is an appreciated by those who have not repented. Which is why the new priorities of a Christian often result in troubles with the unsaved.
29, 30. Many times old relationships with unsaved friends, and relatives will be strained, and sometimes broken when a person gets serious about following Jesus. That's the bad part; the good part is there will also be many new, deeper, spiritual relationships to help make up for it. And that's wonderful but by far the best part of being a Christian is that you won't burn in hell forever. Christ does not promise that there won't be sacrifices for those who follow him in this life but he does promise to make those sacrifices worth our while.
31. Being popular/successful/in this world doesn't mean that one is pleasing to God. In fact there's a pretty good chance, a better than even chance; a likely chance that you have sold out or compromised the word of God to gain that popularity.
32, 33. The disciples are hearing a nightmare scenario as far as they are concerned. Remember, they had put all their eggs in the Jesus basket. They had left homes, and jobs, and even cited against the religious establishment in order to follow Jesus. And now Jesus tells them that he's going to die. Where does that leave them? Right about now they are feeling like someone who has liquidated all their wealth in the early 70s to invest in an eight track tapes or in Studebaker.
33. Jesus says, "we are going." And in light of what he says will happen I have to believe that the disciples are thinking, why are we going Jesus; why not change plans in order to avoid dying since you know that it's coming?
33b, 34. And I know that the last part about being raised from the dead on day three went right over their heads because none of them expected Jesus to return after he was crucified. None of them were waiting at the tomb on Easter Sunday morning with welcome back signs and breakfast for Jesus.
By the time Jesus was through saying "mocked, spit on, scourged, and killed" they were in shock, and the resurrection statement went right over their heads; it never registered.
It is sometimes hard to focus on the good promises of God for eternity when we are going through hard times here on earth today. There are real, we know their real, we would die for the truthfulness of them, but still they seem unreal.
35. Notice the "then." This happened right after Jesus said what he said in the previous verses. The timing of this selfish request could not have been worse. Jesus has just announced that he would be tortured, betrayed, and murdered. Their response was to ask for a blank check from Christ.. Give us whatever we want, they ask.
36. Clearly Jesus had his sufferings on his mind as they head to Jerusalem for the final time. Meanwhile the disciples seemed to be unconcerned, and only thinking about themselves. But will you notice how gracious Jesus is to them. He says, what is it that you would like me to do for you.
When treated unfairly, maybe even when feelings are hurt, don't sit around and wonder why life is so unfair. Instead do something nice for someone, if possible for the one who has hurt you. I'm not saying Jesus's feelings were hurt, although who would blame him if they were, but certainly at the very least his disciples were insensitive toward him, and yet he responded with kindness and unselfishness as he usually did.
36, 37. In other words, they would like to be vice presidents to King Jesus in his future kingdom. Is that all?
38. They want a big payday and eternity, so they need to know what it will cost them in the way of sacrifice and commitment in this life. God never promises something for nothing except salvation. And if they're going to have a big reward than they should expect the tough road that will get them there.
Salvation is free, but by the blood of Jesus Christ which he shed on the cross but eternal rewards are earned and that's what they're asking for.
39. In other words, they will endure the same sort of trouble Jesus will endure.
Any Christian who decides to go all out for Jesus can expect the same kind of treatment that he received. The relatively few who are also sold out to Christ will appreciate you but when you say things that Jesus said most people in this sin infested world will hate you and despise you and work against you and reject you. That's what he's talking about here. You want to live for Jesus? That's great, but brace yourself because when you call sin sin, as he did, and when you say that Jesus is the only way to heaven, as he did, you're going to rub some people the wrong way. When you refuse to be a part of sinful activities and you tell people why, that's going to rub most of them the wrong way also, so brace yourself. And when you as a preacher decide that you're going to preach the pure word of God and not water it down to please the crowds you are going to find out very quickly what it was like to be John the Baptist who had his head chopped off and Jesus who was hated by the religious hierarchy and the apostles who suffered persecution and martyrdom.
40. In other words Jesus just told James and John to go all out for him, to be completely sold out to him, to live holy, to speak the truth, to do their very best and leave their rewards up to God. They were to give Jesus their best, like we all should, but Jesus didn't promise any specific reward for doing it. We just have to trust that God will be fair, which should be easy for us to do since he is incapable of ever doing anything unfair.
41. Remember from last time that they were all arguing about which of them would be the greatest. Consequently this probably wasn't righteous indignation against James and John for making such a self-centered request. More likely they were upset because they didn't think to ask for the top spots themselves.
42. In the world the people at the top can be overbearing. I'm on top and just so you don't forget it I'm going to use whatever power I have to make sure you do everything I want you to do. The world looks at people like that and thanks, they have arrived; that's the way I want to be. I want to shove other people around because that means I'm important and that means I'm the boss. And if that's what you think then you're more like the devil then you are God.
43. Here we go again: to be one of God's elite use whatever power, or influence you have to serve others. Consider any power or influence you may have to be opportunities to do what is in the best interest of others, especially those that you have authority over.
44. If you want to be great to God then out give an out serve everyone else. You say, why does Jesus keep repeating this lesson? Because although it's easy to understand it is also very easy to forget and ignore while living and working in this sinful world.
45a. Study the life of Christ and you will see that people did not wait on him. Instead he waited on people; he was always giving right until he dismissed his spirit on the cross after paying for our sins.
45. Mankind has been kidnapped by sin and death and hell. Fortunately for us Jesus was willing to die for our sins and pay the ransom price to save us from impending eternal punishment. We who have taken advantage of his kindness owe him a debt that we can never repay. We can never fully repay his kindness, but we can please him by serving as he served because that makes him happy. You say, I think maybe I'm a servant, but I'm not sure. Well, here's the big test: you know that you have the heart of a servant if you don't get upset when someone treats you like a servant. So if you get upset when someone treats you like a servant then you are not yet what Christ has called you to be.
46. A few coins or a piece of bread would have made this beggar's day a big success. But he's about to get much more than he hoped to get.
47. Bartimaous was desperate, and he knew that Jesus was his only hope so he started to shout. Everyone needs God's mercy; many are too proud to ask for it. Bartimaous was not too proud; he was desperate.
Desperation can be a blessing, and it is a blessing when it drives a person to Jesus. The best thing that can happen to some people is bad times because nothing less than that will move them to cry out to Jesus for salvation.
48. You might as well save your breath if you're trying to silence this man, and don't be embarrassed for him either because he didn't care what anybody thought; he just kept on crying out to Jesus.
One of the things that keeps people from giving their life to Christ and being saved from hell is that they worry about what other people might think. They won't be worrying about what others think when they are burning in hell for rejecting the Savior.
No one can afford to worry about what others think when their immortal soul is at stake.
49. His determination paid off. He didn't let anyone keep him from Jesus. He did what he knew was right. He didn't care if others were embarrassed to be around him and it paid off because he's about to be blessed.
50, 51. When we pray we are not telling God anything that he doesn't already know and yet he still wants us to pray. The Bible says you have not because you ask not. The Bible says ask and you shall receive. Jesus waited for this man to ask; to tell him what he wanted even though it must've been obvious that he wanted to see.
If there is something that you want God to do then talk to him. Talk to him because although there are some things that God will do without being asked there are other things he will not do unless we ask.
52. It's likely that the first thing this formerly blind man saw was the face of Jesus. He could see, and notice how he used his sight to follow Jesus.
Christians don't need a law that says follow Christ. What we need is continual reminders of how good he is and how good he has been to us because when we keep those things in mind following him will be the most natural thing in the world for us.
Chapter 11
1a. Bethany is less than 2 miles from Jerusalem. It is getting close to the end. Good Friday is less than a week away.
1,2. When the king came into town riding a horse in those days it was to make war. When he rode into a town on a donkey he was offering peace. Jesus, as God's king, was coming to offer peace with God. He would make that piece possible with his death on the cross. His death will pay for our sins and give everybody an opportunity to have peace between them and God.
2,3. Notice: "the Lord has need of him." As God Jesus owns everything including that colt. As a man he owned nothing except the clothes that he wore; as God he owns everything. So he sends to disciples to a spot where he knows there will be a colt and he tells them to bring it to him.
You've got to believe that Jesus is Lord to obey that command because if you transferred it into today it would be Jesus saying: go to the mall parking lot and bring me the red Toyota that's parked on the first level; here's an extra set of keys that I just created. If anyone says hey what are you doing with my Toyota? Just tell them Jesus needs it for a little while and then will bring it back. You've got to have faith in Jesus to obey when it could conceivably cause trouble.
It doesn't matter what God commands us in his word; if he commands it then it is correct. And it doesn't matter how many people think it doesn't make sense; it makes sense to God and he's the only one who matters.
God's commands are not on trial; man is on trial and the verdict is determined by whether he believes God's word and obeys it or not. It is best to obey and not try to figure out why God commanded what he did. If God tells us why then he wants us to know it otherwise it's irrelevant and there's no need to waste energy trying to figure it out.
4. The two disciples did exactly as Jesus commanded. They didn't say, no way Jesus we are going to get into trouble with the donkeys owner. Jesus said it would be okay and they believed him.
Faith is validated, it is proven to be genuine when one acts according to how they say they believe.
5. The bystanders must have thought, you two men are pretty bold, walking away was someone's colt in broad daylight. If it would've been Gunsmoke they probably would've been threatened on the spot for being a horse thief.
6. They said when Jesus told them to say; no more and no less, it must've been enough because no one gave them a hard time for taking it.
The closer we stick to the word of God, and even the vocabulary of God, the better off we will be.
7. This animal had never been written but it let Jesus ride him; it didn't try to buck Jesus off of his back or as they will sometimes do just sit down.
If every Christian could only learn to be submissive like that donkey and let Jesus use them. Unfortunately sometimes people are less like that donkey and more like a bucking bronco and Jesus has to ride them like a cowboy in a rodeo in order to break them so he can use them.
8. Jesus deserved a fancy red carpet but the people didn't have that so they gave him what they had. And what they had were palm branches in their personal clothing. And I'm sure that Jesus was happy with that because it came from the people's hearts.
Jesus is happy when we give him whatever we have. He is especially happy when we give him ourselves, imperfect as we all are.
We are saved by his perfections, and we are to serve him in spite of all of our imperfections.
9. As the crowd surrounded Jesus and they moved into Jerusalem together he probably looked like a victorious coach being carried off the field by his players.
9, 10. And now we know why they were so excited. They thought the earthly kingdom of the Messiah was about to start. No more oppressive Gentile governments. No more occupying forces in Israel. They are excited expecting Jesus to destroy Roman set up his worldwide kingdom of peace and prosperity.
11. Jesus went to the temple and sell vendors cheating people and using religion as a pretax to make money. He didn't do anything right away maybe because it was late, but he will be back and he'll be back with a vengeance.
12,13. In March fig trees would produce edible buds, in April leaves would pop out, and then in May there would be fakes. Well it's April so there should have been buds to eat but there were none. The tree wasn't doing the job that God created it to do.
14. As Creator Jesus had the right to expect his creation to do what he designed it to do. This tree wasn't doing so he destroyed it. But actually this fig tree wasn't the real issue; it was just an illustration. Jesus cursed this tree to illustrate the condition of the nation Israel. Like the fig tree which looked so good outwardly with all of its leaves but was a disappointment because it didn't have any fruit so Israel with their formal religion look good outwardly but there was no spiritual fruit for God. There was no holiness and no heart for God.
15, 16. There wasn't anything wrong with selling the proper animal sacrifices as a convenience to the worshipers who traveled to Jerusalem from far away. But it was wrong to take advantage of the worshipers by inflating the prices. The temple actually looked more like the midway of a carnival than it did a place of worship. Jesus was angry because the hucksters were being greedy. In essence they were worshiping wealth and what was supposed to be a holy place.
17. God's holy place has become a den for religious wolves. The temple needed to be cleansed and it needs to be kept clean today. Whether it was the temple back then or the church today it should be one place where people can go without the fear of being hit on or given a sales pitch or used or ripped off in some other way. If the focus in the church is anything other than God the father, God the son and God the Holy Ghost it is wrong.
18,19. Jesus and his disciples may have camped outside of Jerusalem on the Mount of olives.
20. God created that fig tree to produce fruit but it didn't so Jesus uncreated it. Jesus destroyed it. God is free to do whatever he wants to do with anything that he has created. The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereon.
God is God! If something or someone does not do what is correct in the eyes of God, what it has been created to do and therefore does not please him then he has every right in the world to destroy it if he wants to, and no one has the right to criticize him for doing it. It is enough to know that he is God.
22-24. In other words, pray believing that God will do it and God says it will be yours. You say what's the catch? No catch. It's true, as long as the other conditions of answered prayer are met as well. God will not be the victim of any man's sovereignty no matter how much faith they have so there are righteous conditions connected to answered prayer both for God's glory and for our good.
25,. 26 Jesus is not saying that we earn forgiveness by forgiving others. What he is saying is that unforgiveness is a sin like any other sin and like any other sin we must repent in order to be forgiven. In the case of the sin of unforgiveness repentance means forgiving. If a Christian doesn't forgive then none of their prayers will be answered due to their sin of unforgiveness. Many Christians are saved but miserable and spiritually useless because they are bitter and unforgiving.
27. The Jews had a 71 man ruling council which was called the Sanhedrin. The people mentioned here were the representatives. They came to question Jesus regarding his ministry. In other words, who sanctioned him, who licensed him, where did he get his credentials.
28. They want Jesus's credentials. They want to know who gave him the right to preach and teach and I suppose especially to drive the money changers and merchants out of the temple.
29. Jesus will answer them if they prove that they are sincere and open to the truth otherwise his answer will be a waste of energy. Their response to his question will reveal if they are open to the truth or not.
29,30. This question is going to make the religious rulers uncomfortable and that's good. It's good because it is God's business to make impenitent sinners uncomfortable and it's also the job of the preacher and Bible teacher, at least part of his job. Hopefully they get real miserable, miserable enough to repent.
31a. What's there to reason? What's there to discuss? It's a straightforward question. Was John the Baptist from God or not? Well, the reason they reasoned among themselves is because they want to give a politically correct answer. But these men were supposed to be spiritual leaders and therefore statesmen not waves tossed here and there by public opinion.
Good spiritual leaders care about truth and speak it. They don't decide what to say based on how they think the people will respond.
31, 32. These religious leaders have a real dilemma here. It's a dilemma caused by their own sinful attitude. It's a problem that could easily be solved if they would simply quit loving themselves more than they love God. If they were less concerned about their popularity and more concerned about God and his truth there problem would disappear. All they have to do is accept the clear evidence that John the Baptist is from God and admitted but they won't. Their hatred for John will keep them from saying that he is God. Their love for popularity will keep them from saying that John is from God.
33a. They didn't know? We cannot tell. Well aren't they wonderful spiritual leaders! According to Jesus John was the greatest of all prophets and they don't even know if he was from God? They knew! Anyone with half a spiritual brain knew that John was from God. They just don't want to say that he was from God; they didn't want to admit that John was from God because John announced that Jesus was the Messiah and told people to follow him. So if they say that John is from God then by default they are also saying that Jesus is from God and they sure don't want to do that because they're plotting to kill him.
33x. Jesus is always patient with people who are open to truth and really want to learn. But these men are not open to truth; they are close minded and their hatred for Jesus and John the Baptist in the word of God is the thing that has close their mind. They reject truth because they love their sin. They reject truth even though truth was very clear. This was not ignorance. This was contempt for God. Consequently, Christ doesn't even answer them.
When someone knows they are wrong, but they will not admit that they are wrong then there's no point in talking anymore. It's impossible to instruct anyone who refuses to be honest; it's a waste of time.
1a. Bethany is less than 2 miles from Jerusalem. It is getting close to the end. Good Friday is less than a week away.
1,2. When the king came into town riding a horse in those days it was to make war. When he rode into a town on a donkey he was offering peace. Jesus, as God's king, was coming to offer peace with God. He would make that piece possible with his death on the cross. His death will pay for our sins and give everybody an opportunity to have peace between them and God.
2,3. Notice: "the Lord has need of him." As God Jesus owns everything including that colt. As a man he owned nothing except the clothes that he wore; as God he owns everything. So he sends to disciples to a spot where he knows there will be a colt and he tells them to bring it to him.
You've got to believe that Jesus is Lord to obey that command because if you transferred it into today it would be Jesus saying: go to the mall parking lot and bring me the red Toyota that's parked on the first level; here's an extra set of keys that I just created. If anyone says hey what are you doing with my Toyota? Just tell them Jesus needs it for a little while and then will bring it back. You've got to have faith in Jesus to obey when it could conceivably cause trouble.
It doesn't matter what God commands us in his word; if he commands it then it is correct. And it doesn't matter how many people think it doesn't make sense; it makes sense to God and he's the only one who matters.
God's commands are not on trial; man is on trial and the verdict is determined by whether he believes God's word and obeys it or not. It is best to obey and not try to figure out why God commanded what he did. If God tells us why then he wants us to know it otherwise it's irrelevant and there's no need to waste energy trying to figure it out.
4. The two disciples did exactly as Jesus commanded. They didn't say, no way Jesus we are going to get into trouble with the donkeys owner. Jesus said it would be okay and they believed him.
Faith is validated, it is proven to be genuine when one acts according to how they say they believe.
5. The bystanders must have thought, you two men are pretty bold, walking away was someone's colt in broad daylight. If it would've been Gunsmoke they probably would've been threatened on the spot for being a horse thief.
6. They said when Jesus told them to say; no more and no less, it must've been enough because no one gave them a hard time for taking it.
The closer we stick to the word of God, and even the vocabulary of God, the better off we will be.
7. This animal had never been written but it let Jesus ride him; it didn't try to buck Jesus off of his back or as they will sometimes do just sit down.
If every Christian could only learn to be submissive like that donkey and let Jesus use them. Unfortunately sometimes people are less like that donkey and more like a bucking bronco and Jesus has to ride them like a cowboy in a rodeo in order to break them so he can use them.
8. Jesus deserved a fancy red carpet but the people didn't have that so they gave him what they had. And what they had were palm branches in their personal clothing. And I'm sure that Jesus was happy with that because it came from the people's hearts.
Jesus is happy when we give him whatever we have. He is especially happy when we give him ourselves, imperfect as we all are.
We are saved by his perfections, and we are to serve him in spite of all of our imperfections.
9. As the crowd surrounded Jesus and they moved into Jerusalem together he probably looked like a victorious coach being carried off the field by his players.
9, 10. And now we know why they were so excited. They thought the earthly kingdom of the Messiah was about to start. No more oppressive Gentile governments. No more occupying forces in Israel. They are excited expecting Jesus to destroy Roman set up his worldwide kingdom of peace and prosperity.
11. Jesus went to the temple and sell vendors cheating people and using religion as a pretax to make money. He didn't do anything right away maybe because it was late, but he will be back and he'll be back with a vengeance.
12,13. In March fig trees would produce edible buds, in April leaves would pop out, and then in May there would be fakes. Well it's April so there should have been buds to eat but there were none. The tree wasn't doing the job that God created it to do.
14. As Creator Jesus had the right to expect his creation to do what he designed it to do. This tree wasn't doing so he destroyed it. But actually this fig tree wasn't the real issue; it was just an illustration. Jesus cursed this tree to illustrate the condition of the nation Israel. Like the fig tree which looked so good outwardly with all of its leaves but was a disappointment because it didn't have any fruit so Israel with their formal religion look good outwardly but there was no spiritual fruit for God. There was no holiness and no heart for God.
15, 16. There wasn't anything wrong with selling the proper animal sacrifices as a convenience to the worshipers who traveled to Jerusalem from far away. But it was wrong to take advantage of the worshipers by inflating the prices. The temple actually looked more like the midway of a carnival than it did a place of worship. Jesus was angry because the hucksters were being greedy. In essence they were worshiping wealth and what was supposed to be a holy place.
17. God's holy place has become a den for religious wolves. The temple needed to be cleansed and it needs to be kept clean today. Whether it was the temple back then or the church today it should be one place where people can go without the fear of being hit on or given a sales pitch or used or ripped off in some other way. If the focus in the church is anything other than God the father, God the son and God the Holy Ghost it is wrong.
18,19. Jesus and his disciples may have camped outside of Jerusalem on the Mount of olives.
20. God created that fig tree to produce fruit but it didn't so Jesus uncreated it. Jesus destroyed it. God is free to do whatever he wants to do with anything that he has created. The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereon.
God is God! If something or someone does not do what is correct in the eyes of God, what it has been created to do and therefore does not please him then he has every right in the world to destroy it if he wants to, and no one has the right to criticize him for doing it. It is enough to know that he is God.
22-24. In other words, pray believing that God will do it and God says it will be yours. You say what's the catch? No catch. It's true, as long as the other conditions of answered prayer are met as well. God will not be the victim of any man's sovereignty no matter how much faith they have so there are righteous conditions connected to answered prayer both for God's glory and for our good.
25,. 26 Jesus is not saying that we earn forgiveness by forgiving others. What he is saying is that unforgiveness is a sin like any other sin and like any other sin we must repent in order to be forgiven. In the case of the sin of unforgiveness repentance means forgiving. If a Christian doesn't forgive then none of their prayers will be answered due to their sin of unforgiveness. Many Christians are saved but miserable and spiritually useless because they are bitter and unforgiving.
27. The Jews had a 71 man ruling council which was called the Sanhedrin. The people mentioned here were the representatives. They came to question Jesus regarding his ministry. In other words, who sanctioned him, who licensed him, where did he get his credentials.
28. They want Jesus's credentials. They want to know who gave him the right to preach and teach and I suppose especially to drive the money changers and merchants out of the temple.
29. Jesus will answer them if they prove that they are sincere and open to the truth otherwise his answer will be a waste of energy. Their response to his question will reveal if they are open to the truth or not.
29,30. This question is going to make the religious rulers uncomfortable and that's good. It's good because it is God's business to make impenitent sinners uncomfortable and it's also the job of the preacher and Bible teacher, at least part of his job. Hopefully they get real miserable, miserable enough to repent.
31a. What's there to reason? What's there to discuss? It's a straightforward question. Was John the Baptist from God or not? Well, the reason they reasoned among themselves is because they want to give a politically correct answer. But these men were supposed to be spiritual leaders and therefore statesmen not waves tossed here and there by public opinion.
Good spiritual leaders care about truth and speak it. They don't decide what to say based on how they think the people will respond.
31, 32. These religious leaders have a real dilemma here. It's a dilemma caused by their own sinful attitude. It's a problem that could easily be solved if they would simply quit loving themselves more than they love God. If they were less concerned about their popularity and more concerned about God and his truth there problem would disappear. All they have to do is accept the clear evidence that John the Baptist is from God and admitted but they won't. Their hatred for John will keep them from saying that he is God. Their love for popularity will keep them from saying that John is from God.
33a. They didn't know? We cannot tell. Well aren't they wonderful spiritual leaders! According to Jesus John was the greatest of all prophets and they don't even know if he was from God? They knew! Anyone with half a spiritual brain knew that John was from God. They just don't want to say that he was from God; they didn't want to admit that John was from God because John announced that Jesus was the Messiah and told people to follow him. So if they say that John is from God then by default they are also saying that Jesus is from God and they sure don't want to do that because they're plotting to kill him.
33x. Jesus is always patient with people who are open to truth and really want to learn. But these men are not open to truth; they are close minded and their hatred for Jesus and John the Baptist in the word of God is the thing that has close their mind. They reject truth because they love their sin. They reject truth even though truth was very clear. This was not ignorance. This was contempt for God. Consequently, Christ doesn't even answer them.
When someone knows they are wrong, but they will not admit that they are wrong then there's no point in talking anymore. It's impossible to instruct anyone who refuses to be honest; it's a waste of time.
Chapter 12
1a. The them refers to the religious rulers who were plotting the death of Jesus. The parable that Jesus is about to tell will expose their plan and it will also serve as a warning to them.
1x. In the Bible "the vineyard" is a common symbol of God's Old Testament people Israel and the people who Jesus was speaking to hear understood that.
Like the owner who made the vineyard God made Israel. He put a hedge of protection around her and then he put her in the care of the religious rulers who are represented in this story by the tenant farmers.
1,2. It is harvest time so the owner in this story sent a servant to the tenant farmers to collect the rent. The rent consisted of some of the fruit that the farmers grew.
The owner represents God the father. His servant represents the Old Testament prophets. The tenant farmers represent the religious rulers that were put in charge of God's Old Testament people Israel. Throughout Old Testament days God sent many prophets to Israel to collect the spiritual rent for the land they lived in. In other words the prophets were sent by God to look for and collect spiritual rent namely holiness.
By the way we Christians owe God rent as well. We are in the kingdom of God because Jesus died and paid for our sins. Our rent is stated in Romans chapter 12 verse one "therefore I urge you brothers in view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices holy and acceptable to God which is your reasonable service."
3. The servant in this story who was sent to collect the rent was beaten and sent away. The Israelites did the same thing to God's prophets. Instead of listening to their call to repent and be holy Israel, especially for leaders, continually persecuted and murdered the prophets.
4. The landowner wanted what was rightfully his, namely some of the fruit; it was the rent that he was due. Consequently he sent another servant to collect. But the tenant farmers treated him worse than the first servant. The landowner was not being unreasonable in his servants did not deserve this kind of treatment.
God isn't unreasonable either. He only wants that which is rightfully his: holiness and worship. As a result, God did not quit after the first prophets were rejected by Israel in Old Testament days; he sent others but they were rejected as well.
5. I wonder how many people would put up with the amount of rejection and insult God put up with and still does put up with? Not many I bet.
God patiently continued sending prophets to his Old Testament people, but they just kept rejecting/beating/persecuting/killing/them.
6. That phrase "having yet therefore one son." Refers to the father sending his son Jesus and the word yet stands out because it means this is their last chance to repent; the sun was their last chance to repent.
The Muslims say that Jesus was a prophet, but not the last or the best profit; they say Mohamed was but that's not true it goes against the word of God. Jesus is perfect God and God's perfect and final representative. If the Jews or anyone else reject Jesus there's no one else to send; there is no plan B. Jesus is at! There is no other name given among men by which we must be saved.
7. They wanted the vineyard for themselves. They wanted would belong to the owner, and it was the same with the religious rulers. The religious rulers wanted all the attention for themselves. They didn't want God to have the attention and they hated Jesus because he was drawing people away from them and leading them to God.
7,8. Remember, these religious rulers are secretly plotting the murder of Jesus God son and here Jesus says that the tenant farmers took the sun, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. The rulers must have looked at each other in amazement and thought, how does he know what we are planning? They should be embarrassed, they should be worried, but I doubt that they are; the hardhearted usually don't blush and don't have a conscience.
9a. Jesus asks a question.. What shall, therefore, the Lord of the vineyard do? Answer:
9. The rulers will die and go to hell for rejecting the son of God. What fools they were! They been burning in hell for 2000 years going on forever and it didn't have to be that way. You see the religious rulers wanted control; they wanted the people to admire them, but God's wrath came in 70 A.D. as verse nine suggests in Rome smashed the Jews at that time and put an end to any small measure of self-rule that they might've had; it was all over.
They refused to have God's rule over them in love so Rome ruled over them with an iron fist. The leaders wanted what belongs only to God; what they got was nothing.
If we do not let God rule us with love then sin will rule us with oppression. Like Dylan said, you've gotta serve someone. No one is autonomous.
10. Follow this: the stone that is rejected by the builders is Jesus. The stone (Jesus) was rejected by the builders (Israel). But notice how God overruled their decision.
10, 11. God overruled Israel's rejection of his son and made him the cornerstone of the kingdom of God.
The cornerstone was the first stone set in the construction of a building and it was the most important stone as well. It was the most important stone because all other stones were set in reference to it. Meaning: the cornerstone had to be straight and all other stones had to line up with it or you would end up with the crooked building.
So it is significant that God calls his son Jesus the cornerstone of the kingdom of God. In other words, he is God's standard. The one they thought was unworthy is God's standard. He's the boss! Jesus is the one that everyone must line up with! He's the one that all must receive as Lord and Savior! He's the one all must submit to or like a building built on sand they will crumble in the day of God's wrath.
12. Everyone, including the religious rulers, knew that the rulers were the bad guys in Jesus's story. As a result, they want Jesus dead right on the spot. The only reason they didn't try to kill him was because the crowd still loved him and they were afraid that arresting Christ would turn the people against them and start a riot.
13. The parable of the vineyard was a warning from God to the rulers. The message was: don't kill my son or I am going to destroy you and your nation, but it didn't work. Their response to this warning from God was to plan how they were going to murder his son.
When wickedness/self/hatred/control someone as much as it did them it's very hard to get through to a person.
14a. Everything they said about Jesus was true. Of course this was their foolish and feeble and sinful attempt to flatter Christ and they didn't believe a word of what they said. They hated Jesus! They were just trying to flatter him which is a waste of time. God cannot be moved by flattery and I'll tell you something else dedicated Christians who are filled with the spirit of God are not going to be moved by flattery either because they are only moved by truth and righteousness just like God.
14x. This is the second hot topic the rulers through it Jesus hoping to trip him up; the first was divorce. The Israelites hated the idea of paying taxes to Rome. Number one Rome was an impressive, occupying force. Number two much of that tax money supported Rome's state-sponsored heathen religion.
15a. They seem to be pressing for a simple yes or no answer; we don't want an explanation we don't want an elaboration just yes or no; all or nothing; which one is it Jesus yes or no? They're wasting their time!
Do not let people dictate the terms of your answers. Always give a sufficient and truthful answer and take as much time as you need to do it. People who try to force a yes or no answer to a question are often trying to trap. They're not interested in an honest discussion. Well, the rulers will not get a yes or no answer from Jesus here.
15ax. The reason they want a yes or no answer just a quick yes or no from Jesus is that if he says yes pay your taxes than they can call him a Rome lover and thereby insight the Jewish population against him. If he says no do not pay your taxes then they quickly run to the Roman governor and say Jesus is commanding us to rebel against Rome. What an ungodly and foolish tactic that was. They think they're so smart. They really believe they have Jesus backed into a corner because either way Jesus answers they think he's trapped and will turn the people against him. What they failed to understand is that no one dictates the rules of discussion or the rules of questions and answers to the Lord Jesus Christ.
15b. So much for a yes or no answer.
15b,16. Roman coins had an inscription and a picture. The picture was of Caesar and the inscription referred to Caesar as God.
17. The Jews enjoyed the benefits of the Roman government so they needed to help pay for them. It's like the Bible says, the worker is worthy of his pay. So Jesus is saying, pay your taxes but he is also saying do not give Caesar your worship because your worship belongs to God. The Jewish rulers wanted the attention that belonged to God; they were wrong to be that way just as wrong as Caesar was for demanding worship. There wasn't a bit of difference between Caesar and the religious rulers in their self idolatry. The Lord God must be because he is more important than anything or anyone including ourselves; that kind of devotion belongs to God alone.
18. The Sadducees did not believe in resurrection or in life after death either. They did not believe in angels or in spirits. It's not surprising therefore that they were in favor of making the most out of this life by being materialistic. My only question for them would be, why do you call yourself a religious sect? They believed in a religion of nothing.
19. The book of Deuteronomy 25:5-10 says that if a man died without children than his brother was to marry his widow. The first son of that marriage was considered the son of the dead brother to carry on the deceased man's name.
20-23. This highly unlikely scenario was designed to make fun of the doctrine of the resurrection. The Sadducees didn't believe in anything that they couldn't figure out; they were rationalist. Consequently they rejected the resurrection because they couldn't figure out how God could possibly work out the details. Well the Bible teaches the resurrection; there's no doubt about that. So what they should have done is believed the word of God, and accepted the fact that they were not as smart as God and that's why they couldn't figure out all the details surrounding the doctrine of resurrection.
We don't have to know everything. The important thing is to know that everything in the Bible is true because it is the word of God.
24. They may have known what the Bible said here and there, but they didn't know the Scriptures. In other words they didn't understand the Bible. They did not know the power of God either. They reduced God to their level. The way they figured if they couldn't figure something out then neither could God. If they couldn't see it, touch it, hear it or smell it they didn't believe in it. What a hopeless, meaningless existence they must've had. But that's not the worst part; the worst part is that since they didn't believe the word of God they didn't believe in anything beyond this life. That meant that they didn't prepare for the next life which meant they rejected the Savior Jesus which meant they went to hell and now they believe in life after death. Believe it or not there is a heaven and there is a hell.
25. No one will get married in eternity; and that way we will be like the angels. We will still be men and women; we will still be who we are. Any child conceived in this world will be in the next however like the angels no one will get married and have children in eternity.
26, 27. Jesus is about to prove from Scripture that there is life after death and here's how: by the time Moses was on earth Abraham Isaac and Jacob had been physically dead for centuries. But according to Jesus they had not gone out of existence. If they had ceased to exist then God would not have told Moses that he was still there God. God cannot have a relationship with someone who does not exist. So whether the Sadducees believe it or not there is life after death and consequently they are to get ready for it.
28. The teachers of the law who were called the scribes had divided the law of Moses into 613 rules of conduct and then they spent hours arguing over which one was the most important. Now they want Jesus to get in on that debate.
29, 30. The Bible says that we are to fear God and honor God and worship him and serve him and not grieve him. But none of those things are as important to God as us loving him. If we love him then we care about him and we will want to do what makes him happy. By far the greatest thing we can do with our life is to live it to please God in response to his goodness toward us.. That's loving God.
31. In other words, care about others as much as you care about yourself. Put yourself in someone else's shoes and ask how what I like to be treated if I was them and then treat them that way.
32, 33. The most important thing we can do is love God and love others. All the other commandments concerning our relationships with people and God will automatically be kept if we obey those two commandments.
34a. The scribe was close to being saved but he was not saved. He was sincere. He also knew that loving God was more important than anything else,even the religious offerings he mentioned so that's a good start but it's not enough.
Believing the correct things concerning the Bible and Jesus and even how to be saved from hell may get you close to being saved but close will not make the flames of hell any less hot for you if you don't apply that truth. A person has to believe the correct things about Jesus and follow through by repenting and receiving him into our lives as Lord and Savior.
34x. All the attempts by the religious rulers to trip Christ failed so they quit trying.
35. The Jewish leaders expected the Messiah to be a human king, a descendent of King David. They were correct about that, but they didn't understand is that the Messiah would also be God. So Jesus will confront them with that truth right here.
35, 36. Jesus quotes what David wrote in the Bible under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. "The Lord (God) said to my Lord (referring to the coming Messiah) sit at my right hand." In other words David wrote in the Scripture under inspiration of the Holy Spirit that God the father would tell (the Messiah) to sit at his right hand. Keep in mind that in those days the right hand of the king was reserved for the person who could act in the king's place; he would have to be up to the job. Conclusion: Jesus has to be both man and God because no one but God could sit in for God and no one but God could sit at the right hand of God. Jesus is proclaiming his deity right here.
37. The way fathers and grandfathers were honored in that culture no one would ever think of calling a son or grandson Lord; it just wouldn't happen no matter what position they had in life. So here you have David referring to his great great-great-grandson the Messiah as Lord. Again that would be unthinkable unless that offspring was also God. Jesus is proving by the Scripture that he, the Messiah, is the son of David and also the son of God, that is, God.
38. The long ropes of the religious rulers were supposed to be worn while doing their religious duties. The scribes wore them all the time hoping to impress others. That would be like a football player wearing his uniform and pads at the local grocery store; I guess they would be trying to grab some attention for themselves if they did that and that's what the religious leaders were doing with their "uniforms" in the local markets.
38, 39. The high and mighty religious rulers loved all the special privileges and all the honor they received because of their position. They thought of themselves as being religious superstars.
40a. They acted so pious, but they did some very bad things. For starters, they would smooth talk gullible widows into giving them their life savings for "safekeeping", and then they would spend it on themselves.
40b. They would pray long, drawnout, public prayers, but they were not conversations with God. Actually they were a one-man show; an attempt to get people to think that they were holy.
40c. Preachers, and pastors, will answer to God for what they teach and how they behave. Those who use their position to promote self instead of serving God will feel the wrath of God according to what Jesus teaches here.
41. There were 13 containers in the temple complex where people could drop in their offerings. Jesus and his men were in that area watching people.
42. The word poor here means pauper, very poor. This poor widow was in financial ruin but she gave God the little that she had.
43. Jesus wasn't talking dollar wise because her gift was tiny in amount. Those two little coins she gave amounted to 1/64 of a normal person's daily wage. A very small amount when measured by man standards but when measured in relation to sacrifice it was huge
. God does not just measure our gifts to him by how much we give but also by what we give up to give it. What a person gives up in order to give the money to God is something that the Lord doesn't overlook. If you buy a burger off the dollar menu instead of a large meal and give the difference to God he notices that. David said, I will not give the Lord anything that cost me nothing.
43, 44. Clearly it pleases the Lord and he takes note when his people give beyond the point of comfort like this poor widow did. It takes faith to do that; it takes faith and a great heart for God.
It takes a heart for God to give. Faithful givers are faithful Christians. Where your treasure is there will your heart be also, said Jesus.
1a. The them refers to the religious rulers who were plotting the death of Jesus. The parable that Jesus is about to tell will expose their plan and it will also serve as a warning to them.
1x. In the Bible "the vineyard" is a common symbol of God's Old Testament people Israel and the people who Jesus was speaking to hear understood that.
Like the owner who made the vineyard God made Israel. He put a hedge of protection around her and then he put her in the care of the religious rulers who are represented in this story by the tenant farmers.
1,2. It is harvest time so the owner in this story sent a servant to the tenant farmers to collect the rent. The rent consisted of some of the fruit that the farmers grew.
The owner represents God the father. His servant represents the Old Testament prophets. The tenant farmers represent the religious rulers that were put in charge of God's Old Testament people Israel. Throughout Old Testament days God sent many prophets to Israel to collect the spiritual rent for the land they lived in. In other words the prophets were sent by God to look for and collect spiritual rent namely holiness.
By the way we Christians owe God rent as well. We are in the kingdom of God because Jesus died and paid for our sins. Our rent is stated in Romans chapter 12 verse one "therefore I urge you brothers in view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices holy and acceptable to God which is your reasonable service."
3. The servant in this story who was sent to collect the rent was beaten and sent away. The Israelites did the same thing to God's prophets. Instead of listening to their call to repent and be holy Israel, especially for leaders, continually persecuted and murdered the prophets.
4. The landowner wanted what was rightfully his, namely some of the fruit; it was the rent that he was due. Consequently he sent another servant to collect. But the tenant farmers treated him worse than the first servant. The landowner was not being unreasonable in his servants did not deserve this kind of treatment.
God isn't unreasonable either. He only wants that which is rightfully his: holiness and worship. As a result, God did not quit after the first prophets were rejected by Israel in Old Testament days; he sent others but they were rejected as well.
5. I wonder how many people would put up with the amount of rejection and insult God put up with and still does put up with? Not many I bet.
God patiently continued sending prophets to his Old Testament people, but they just kept rejecting/beating/persecuting/killing/them.
6. That phrase "having yet therefore one son." Refers to the father sending his son Jesus and the word yet stands out because it means this is their last chance to repent; the sun was their last chance to repent.
The Muslims say that Jesus was a prophet, but not the last or the best profit; they say Mohamed was but that's not true it goes against the word of God. Jesus is perfect God and God's perfect and final representative. If the Jews or anyone else reject Jesus there's no one else to send; there is no plan B. Jesus is at! There is no other name given among men by which we must be saved.
7. They wanted the vineyard for themselves. They wanted would belong to the owner, and it was the same with the religious rulers. The religious rulers wanted all the attention for themselves. They didn't want God to have the attention and they hated Jesus because he was drawing people away from them and leading them to God.
7,8. Remember, these religious rulers are secretly plotting the murder of Jesus God son and here Jesus says that the tenant farmers took the sun, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. The rulers must have looked at each other in amazement and thought, how does he know what we are planning? They should be embarrassed, they should be worried, but I doubt that they are; the hardhearted usually don't blush and don't have a conscience.
9a. Jesus asks a question.. What shall, therefore, the Lord of the vineyard do? Answer:
9. The rulers will die and go to hell for rejecting the son of God. What fools they were! They been burning in hell for 2000 years going on forever and it didn't have to be that way. You see the religious rulers wanted control; they wanted the people to admire them, but God's wrath came in 70 A.D. as verse nine suggests in Rome smashed the Jews at that time and put an end to any small measure of self-rule that they might've had; it was all over.
They refused to have God's rule over them in love so Rome ruled over them with an iron fist. The leaders wanted what belongs only to God; what they got was nothing.
If we do not let God rule us with love then sin will rule us with oppression. Like Dylan said, you've gotta serve someone. No one is autonomous.
10. Follow this: the stone that is rejected by the builders is Jesus. The stone (Jesus) was rejected by the builders (Israel). But notice how God overruled their decision.
10, 11. God overruled Israel's rejection of his son and made him the cornerstone of the kingdom of God.
The cornerstone was the first stone set in the construction of a building and it was the most important stone as well. It was the most important stone because all other stones were set in reference to it. Meaning: the cornerstone had to be straight and all other stones had to line up with it or you would end up with the crooked building.
So it is significant that God calls his son Jesus the cornerstone of the kingdom of God. In other words, he is God's standard. The one they thought was unworthy is God's standard. He's the boss! Jesus is the one that everyone must line up with! He's the one that all must receive as Lord and Savior! He's the one all must submit to or like a building built on sand they will crumble in the day of God's wrath.
12. Everyone, including the religious rulers, knew that the rulers were the bad guys in Jesus's story. As a result, they want Jesus dead right on the spot. The only reason they didn't try to kill him was because the crowd still loved him and they were afraid that arresting Christ would turn the people against them and start a riot.
13. The parable of the vineyard was a warning from God to the rulers. The message was: don't kill my son or I am going to destroy you and your nation, but it didn't work. Their response to this warning from God was to plan how they were going to murder his son.
When wickedness/self/hatred/control someone as much as it did them it's very hard to get through to a person.
14a. Everything they said about Jesus was true. Of course this was their foolish and feeble and sinful attempt to flatter Christ and they didn't believe a word of what they said. They hated Jesus! They were just trying to flatter him which is a waste of time. God cannot be moved by flattery and I'll tell you something else dedicated Christians who are filled with the spirit of God are not going to be moved by flattery either because they are only moved by truth and righteousness just like God.
14x. This is the second hot topic the rulers through it Jesus hoping to trip him up; the first was divorce. The Israelites hated the idea of paying taxes to Rome. Number one Rome was an impressive, occupying force. Number two much of that tax money supported Rome's state-sponsored heathen religion.
15a. They seem to be pressing for a simple yes or no answer; we don't want an explanation we don't want an elaboration just yes or no; all or nothing; which one is it Jesus yes or no? They're wasting their time!
Do not let people dictate the terms of your answers. Always give a sufficient and truthful answer and take as much time as you need to do it. People who try to force a yes or no answer to a question are often trying to trap. They're not interested in an honest discussion. Well, the rulers will not get a yes or no answer from Jesus here.
15ax. The reason they want a yes or no answer just a quick yes or no from Jesus is that if he says yes pay your taxes than they can call him a Rome lover and thereby insight the Jewish population against him. If he says no do not pay your taxes then they quickly run to the Roman governor and say Jesus is commanding us to rebel against Rome. What an ungodly and foolish tactic that was. They think they're so smart. They really believe they have Jesus backed into a corner because either way Jesus answers they think he's trapped and will turn the people against him. What they failed to understand is that no one dictates the rules of discussion or the rules of questions and answers to the Lord Jesus Christ.
15b. So much for a yes or no answer.
15b,16. Roman coins had an inscription and a picture. The picture was of Caesar and the inscription referred to Caesar as God.
17. The Jews enjoyed the benefits of the Roman government so they needed to help pay for them. It's like the Bible says, the worker is worthy of his pay. So Jesus is saying, pay your taxes but he is also saying do not give Caesar your worship because your worship belongs to God. The Jewish rulers wanted the attention that belonged to God; they were wrong to be that way just as wrong as Caesar was for demanding worship. There wasn't a bit of difference between Caesar and the religious rulers in their self idolatry. The Lord God must be because he is more important than anything or anyone including ourselves; that kind of devotion belongs to God alone.
18. The Sadducees did not believe in resurrection or in life after death either. They did not believe in angels or in spirits. It's not surprising therefore that they were in favor of making the most out of this life by being materialistic. My only question for them would be, why do you call yourself a religious sect? They believed in a religion of nothing.
19. The book of Deuteronomy 25:5-10 says that if a man died without children than his brother was to marry his widow. The first son of that marriage was considered the son of the dead brother to carry on the deceased man's name.
20-23. This highly unlikely scenario was designed to make fun of the doctrine of the resurrection. The Sadducees didn't believe in anything that they couldn't figure out; they were rationalist. Consequently they rejected the resurrection because they couldn't figure out how God could possibly work out the details. Well the Bible teaches the resurrection; there's no doubt about that. So what they should have done is believed the word of God, and accepted the fact that they were not as smart as God and that's why they couldn't figure out all the details surrounding the doctrine of resurrection.
We don't have to know everything. The important thing is to know that everything in the Bible is true because it is the word of God.
24. They may have known what the Bible said here and there, but they didn't know the Scriptures. In other words they didn't understand the Bible. They did not know the power of God either. They reduced God to their level. The way they figured if they couldn't figure something out then neither could God. If they couldn't see it, touch it, hear it or smell it they didn't believe in it. What a hopeless, meaningless existence they must've had. But that's not the worst part; the worst part is that since they didn't believe the word of God they didn't believe in anything beyond this life. That meant that they didn't prepare for the next life which meant they rejected the Savior Jesus which meant they went to hell and now they believe in life after death. Believe it or not there is a heaven and there is a hell.
25. No one will get married in eternity; and that way we will be like the angels. We will still be men and women; we will still be who we are. Any child conceived in this world will be in the next however like the angels no one will get married and have children in eternity.
26, 27. Jesus is about to prove from Scripture that there is life after death and here's how: by the time Moses was on earth Abraham Isaac and Jacob had been physically dead for centuries. But according to Jesus they had not gone out of existence. If they had ceased to exist then God would not have told Moses that he was still there God. God cannot have a relationship with someone who does not exist. So whether the Sadducees believe it or not there is life after death and consequently they are to get ready for it.
28. The teachers of the law who were called the scribes had divided the law of Moses into 613 rules of conduct and then they spent hours arguing over which one was the most important. Now they want Jesus to get in on that debate.
29, 30. The Bible says that we are to fear God and honor God and worship him and serve him and not grieve him. But none of those things are as important to God as us loving him. If we love him then we care about him and we will want to do what makes him happy. By far the greatest thing we can do with our life is to live it to please God in response to his goodness toward us.. That's loving God.
31. In other words, care about others as much as you care about yourself. Put yourself in someone else's shoes and ask how what I like to be treated if I was them and then treat them that way.
32, 33. The most important thing we can do is love God and love others. All the other commandments concerning our relationships with people and God will automatically be kept if we obey those two commandments.
34a. The scribe was close to being saved but he was not saved. He was sincere. He also knew that loving God was more important than anything else,even the religious offerings he mentioned so that's a good start but it's not enough.
Believing the correct things concerning the Bible and Jesus and even how to be saved from hell may get you close to being saved but close will not make the flames of hell any less hot for you if you don't apply that truth. A person has to believe the correct things about Jesus and follow through by repenting and receiving him into our lives as Lord and Savior.
34x. All the attempts by the religious rulers to trip Christ failed so they quit trying.
35. The Jewish leaders expected the Messiah to be a human king, a descendent of King David. They were correct about that, but they didn't understand is that the Messiah would also be God. So Jesus will confront them with that truth right here.
35, 36. Jesus quotes what David wrote in the Bible under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. "The Lord (God) said to my Lord (referring to the coming Messiah) sit at my right hand." In other words David wrote in the Scripture under inspiration of the Holy Spirit that God the father would tell (the Messiah) to sit at his right hand. Keep in mind that in those days the right hand of the king was reserved for the person who could act in the king's place; he would have to be up to the job. Conclusion: Jesus has to be both man and God because no one but God could sit in for God and no one but God could sit at the right hand of God. Jesus is proclaiming his deity right here.
37. The way fathers and grandfathers were honored in that culture no one would ever think of calling a son or grandson Lord; it just wouldn't happen no matter what position they had in life. So here you have David referring to his great great-great-grandson the Messiah as Lord. Again that would be unthinkable unless that offspring was also God. Jesus is proving by the Scripture that he, the Messiah, is the son of David and also the son of God, that is, God.
38. The long ropes of the religious rulers were supposed to be worn while doing their religious duties. The scribes wore them all the time hoping to impress others. That would be like a football player wearing his uniform and pads at the local grocery store; I guess they would be trying to grab some attention for themselves if they did that and that's what the religious leaders were doing with their "uniforms" in the local markets.
38, 39. The high and mighty religious rulers loved all the special privileges and all the honor they received because of their position. They thought of themselves as being religious superstars.
40a. They acted so pious, but they did some very bad things. For starters, they would smooth talk gullible widows into giving them their life savings for "safekeeping", and then they would spend it on themselves.
40b. They would pray long, drawnout, public prayers, but they were not conversations with God. Actually they were a one-man show; an attempt to get people to think that they were holy.
40c. Preachers, and pastors, will answer to God for what they teach and how they behave. Those who use their position to promote self instead of serving God will feel the wrath of God according to what Jesus teaches here.
41. There were 13 containers in the temple complex where people could drop in their offerings. Jesus and his men were in that area watching people.
42. The word poor here means pauper, very poor. This poor widow was in financial ruin but she gave God the little that she had.
43. Jesus wasn't talking dollar wise because her gift was tiny in amount. Those two little coins she gave amounted to 1/64 of a normal person's daily wage. A very small amount when measured by man standards but when measured in relation to sacrifice it was huge
. God does not just measure our gifts to him by how much we give but also by what we give up to give it. What a person gives up in order to give the money to God is something that the Lord doesn't overlook. If you buy a burger off the dollar menu instead of a large meal and give the difference to God he notices that. David said, I will not give the Lord anything that cost me nothing.
43, 44. Clearly it pleases the Lord and he takes note when his people give beyond the point of comfort like this poor widow did. It takes faith to do that; it takes faith and a great heart for God.
It takes a heart for God to give. Faithful givers are faithful Christians. Where your treasure is there will your heart be also, said Jesus.
Chapter 13
1. The temple complex in Jerusalem was one of the top sites in the entire world of that day. The buildings were made of marble and the eastern wall was all gold plated in order to reflect the sunrise.
2. It's true that the temple complex was a magnificent sight but it will soon be destroyed because the people involved were not living for God.
In 70 A.D. the Romans destroyed Jerusalem; a million Jews were slaughtered in the temple was taken apart stone by stone just as Jesus predicted it would be.
3,4. The disciples believed that Jesus would establish the earthly kingdom of God within days, probably before the Passover feast ended. So they want to know exactly when the temple will be destroyed and when the kingdom will be established.
They also want to know what to look for in the way of signs. They're probably expecting Jesus to say, well, there will be darkness at midday or maybe a brilliant Angel with a trumpet that will proclaim the start of the kingdom, something like that perhaps.
5,6. Jesus is talking about the time between his ascension and his return to earth. During that interval, which is the time that we are in right now, there will be many who pretend to be Jesus, and many deceivers who claim to speak for him. Jesus says do not be deceived by them.
Stick to the Bible and you will not be deceived. Stand firm to the word of God and there's no way that anyone can lead you astray. God says, "to the law and to the prophets, if they do not speak according to this word then they have no light in them." The truths which separate Christianity from false religions, the truths that separate right teaching from error can be discerned from reading Scripture.
7. During the church age there will be many wars, but Jesus says don't be alarmed. Wars by themselves are not a sign of his return. And yet amazingly, many books are written by opportunist every time war breaks out, especially in the Middle East. The catalogs of Christian booksellers are stuffed with books with titles that include the words: Middle East, antichrist, oil, war, terrorism, ayatollah, Iran, Iraq, rapture, and the second coming. A lot of tainted money can be made by prophetic hype. But war, even war in the Middle East is not necessarily a sign of the return of Christ. Jesus said the end is not yet; wars are the norm, not just for this present age but since the fall of man. The first world war occurred when Cain killed his brother Abel and it's been going ever since.
8. So all of these things will happen during the present church age; talking about earthquakes, famines; in other words, natural disasters. They been happening for 2000 years. Natural disasters are not necessarily a sign that the Lord will return soon. Jesus refers to them as birth pangs. Which means that they will become more frequent and intense as his return draws near especially in the final few days.
So again what Jesus has been describing is what the world in general will experience during this present church age. Next stop: what his followers can expect during this age.
9. The previous few verses told us what life would be like for the world in general during this church age. It included wars and natural disasters. Now we're looking at what Jesus says life will be like for his faithful followers during this time and as the end draws near.
The things mentioned here in verse nine actually happened to the apostles, but in principle the warning is for all Christians. Christ is warning that persecutions will come to those who live for him and speak his word without compromise.
Discomfort is the price we often have to pay to be in a position where we can display a powerful Christian testimony before the lost. They seem to go hand-in-hand. Christ places us in the midst of bad people who he wants to say from hell which means it's not always going to be smooth sailing or comfortable for Christians.
10. Repentance and receiving Christ as Lord and Savior is the only way to get to heaven; that's the truth. That is a narrow message and it is unpopular with the masses, but being disliked or persecuted for proclaiming that truth must never be allowed to stop God's people from proclaiming it. Nor should any Christian watered-down the gospel to make it more appealing to the world Jesus has given us our marching orders preach it to the entire world; to every creature.
11. If we can prepare for situation then we should. But if we cannot prepare for a specific situation then we can prepare for anything that may come our way by staying close to Christ continually. A close walk with Jesus where we are walking in the power of the Holy Spirit means that he will work, and speak through us no matter what circumstances we may find ourselves in.
12. Imagine state-sponsored persecution so severe and so widespread that you can't even trust a member of your family who isn't saved. It happened in the first century and it will happen on a worldwide scale in the final years before Jesus returns.
13. We must never be personally offensive, however Christians who try to make the gospel cool, or try to be cool in the eyes of the world are wasting their time. Man is so sinful and so hopelessly lost and hell bound that the only way to save them was for Jesus Christ to die a hideous death on the cross and pay for our sins. That is the truth; that is what people need to understand and accept. Furthermore there is only one way to avoid hell and that's to repent of sin and receive Jesus Christ into your life as Lord and Savior. All who refuse Jesus burn in the flames of hell forever. If that's not clearly understood by the center and accepted by the center they will be lost. That message has to be spoken clearly and I don't care how one tries to packages that message if it is communicated clearly then it won't be cool in the eyes of most people.
14. Last time the apostles asked when the temple would be destroyed and what sign would precede it. Jesus answers those questions right here. When an unholy person desecrates the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem then the temple is about to be destroyed. And that actually happened in 70 A.D. right before Rome demolished the temple. It will happen again in a rebuilt temple shortly before Jesus returns. There is a double fulfillment to Jesus is prophetic warning here.
15. Jesus warns those who were around in 70 A.D. as well as those who will be around when the rebuilt Temple will be desecrated before he returns. Jesus warns, get out! Move fast to avoid death! And one more thing, be satisfied escaping with your life because if you take time to gather your belongings you will lose your life.
16. No one in their right mind wakes up in the middle of the night, smelled smoke, gets up, pack some sandwiches, makes pot of coffee, packs a few suitcases, and then wakes up the family and suggest that they all get out of there. If you're smart you grab your family and get out with the close that you are wearing.
Jesus is saying there is time for action; there's a time to stop putting off what you know needs to be done. Whether it means the saving of your life or the saving of your soul is too important to put off.
17. It will be very difficult for people with little children to run from persecution in the final days. Children are a blessing from God but they also restrict one's freedom. The final days of this planet will not be a very good time to raise a family.
18, 19. The final days will be the worst days that this planet has ever seen and that's saying an awful lot in light of human history. 1 million Jews were slaughtered by Rome in 70 A.D. 12 million were killed by Hitler. Those days were bad, 50 million died during the Black death in four years in the 14th century; those days were bad. But none of those days were as bad as with the final days will be like. Literally billions of people will die from famine, war, disease, and persecution.
20. If God doesn't cut short the final days then Jesus returns to a dead planet. That's how bad those days will be. And it's not just evil people who are murdering innocent people especially Christians and Jews but it's also sin itself which will be running rampant and sin destroys. You can't build a society or a family or a personal life contrary to Scripture and think that everything is going to be okay. Sin destroys! Sin ruins! If a society tolerates sin and legislates a pro sin agenda then that society will rot upon its own moral decay.
20x. If God does not notice that the Bible says God will shorten those days; he still in charge.
We should find comfort in knowing that God is in control at all times and in every way, even when things are bad. He's not the cause of bad, but he has bad on a leash, and he will not give us any more than we can handle by his grace, and by drawing closer to him. Nor will he give us any bad that he cannot use for our spiritual good if we are Christians.
21. Never believe anyone who says that Christ has returned. When Jesus returns no one will have to tell anyone because will all see him.
22.. In the final days, like today, deceivers will arise who will try to deceive God's people. How will they do it? I performing miracles.
Miracles prove one thing: there's been a miracle. If anyone says anything contrary to holy Scripture do not believe them. Don't believe them no matter how right it feels, or how good it seems, or how popular it is with the masses. Don't believe them even if they try to validate their teaching with the miracle and that miracle comes to pass. The word of God trumps miracles; God is testing you to see whether you will believe him and stand on his word or whether you will go with your feelings or the crowd or miracles. Don't flunk that test!
23. Jesus says remember this keep this in mind I have told you about all this trouble in advance. In other words, Jesus says it's not going to be all fun and games if you are my faithful followers, especially as the end draws near.
Do not believe those who say, if you are in God's will everything will be smooth. That's a lie; Jesus never said that. Those who think they can discern the leading of the Lord by what makes them comfortable can be easily led astray. Doing what the Bible says; being faithful to Christ, to his word, is the leading of the Lord and that's not always the most comfortable way in this world that is heavy laden with sin.
24. As the final days draw to a close, and the return of Christ draws near it will be as if the entire cosmos begins to run out of gas. And it begins with the sun going dark.
25. Jesus is the one who keeps everything in space where it should be and on schedule. Jesus is the reason Haley's comment comes around every 78 years. But Jesus is going to shake the heavens right before he returns. The predictability of the heavenly bodies will be gone; the laws of physics will be no more.
.
26. After God has everyone looking up at the chaos in the sky Christ will split the heavens and return to earth. That's going to be good news for his people who are being persecuted and looking forward to the resurrected body but it will be bad news for those who have refused to repent.
27. Able, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Amos, and the rest of the Old Testament faithful will be raised from the dead and transported by angels to Jesus on the day that he returns. All the living who belong to Christ will be transported to him as well. Add to them the Christians who have been with Christ in heaven and who are returning to earth with him and you have a huge crowd. And all of them, all the saved from all the ages will enter into the kingdom of God on earth.
28. God is a God of order so every year it's the same thing. When branches start getting soft and leaves start to pop out you know that winter is finished and summer is near.
29. When strange things begin to happen in the sky then Jesus is about to return. Wars, earthquakes, famine, diseases, have been with us since the very beginning and they all by themselves are not a sign of our Lord's return. It is true that these things will increase shortly before Jesus returns but their presence in the world is not a sign that he's about to come back. The real sign that Jesus is returning soon is the chaos in the skies; when the sun goes dark and the moon turns to blood and the planets and the stars are shaken like a snow globe then look up for your redemption draws nigh.
30. The generation that is alive when all these things start to happen will be around when Jesus returns.
31a. And it certainly will! First Peter 3:10 talks about everything in the entire universe being blown up in what seems to be a gigantic all-inclusive every Atom involved nuclear explosion.
31x. And you wonder why I believe the Bible, and you wonder why I teach it verse by verse from Genesis to Revelation. What else would I possibly do? What is more important than the eternal unchanging word of God?
All the words contained in the 31,000+ verses in our Bible are true and will always be true. So if you are looking for something stable and real to build your life on you cannot beat the Bible. The word of God is more stable and solid and immovable than planet Earth.
32. If you have ever asked God: what, who, when, where, or why and he has not told you don't feel alone. God even withholds some information from his holy angels. The Bible says that the secret things belong to God.
We don't always know what God is doing, but we do know that he knows what he's doing and that should be good enough for us.
32x. Jesus didn't know the day of his return because Philippians says that he emptied himself of the privileges of deity when he became a man. He became like those he saved so that he could be touched with the feelings of our infirmities and become a sympathetic Savior as well as die on the cross to pay for our sins.
33. It is more important to be spiritually alert and to be men and women of prayer than it is to sit around and try to figure out when Jesus will return. It is better to spend time in prayer and the word of God than it is to read someone's book on oil, ayatollah, the Mark of the beast and the return of Christ. God is more concerned about holiness than he is speculation or religious arguments concerning his second coming or anything else. Someone says well I think the price of oil or the war in the Middle East or this sickness or that disease or the earthquake that happened over here or there is a sure sign that Jesus is going to return very soon. Well maybe he will but what difference does it make? Who cares; it shouldn't change how we live. Let's live like he's returning today or like today's our last day on earth. If we live like were going to see him today one way or the other than were going to be ready if he comes back next week or a month from now or tomorrow; will be a lot more ready if we focus on him and living for him in our relationship to him then we would be if we sit around speculating about when he might come back or if this fulfills prophecy or that fulfills prophecy.
33, 34. Here we see again what is important to Jesus and that's that he wants us to stay alert. Be alert against sin/Satan/deceptions/false teachings/lukewarmness/and anything else that is not according to Scripture. Be alert against slowly slipping away from a close walk with the Lord. That's where a great deal of our focus should be.
35. For those who have not repented the return of Jesus Christ will be like an alarm that goes off accidentally in the middle of the night. For those who have not receive him as Lord and Savior his return will be like the phone call that wakes you up at 2 AM; very unexpected, and not good news.
36. In other words, do not fall asleep spiritually. Think about it this way: when we are physically asleep the real world means nothing to us; we are in our own little world of dreams and non-reality. When we are asleep spiritually the world of eternity means very little or nothing to us. When one is too preoccupied with the things of this world they fall asleep spiritually and that's a dangerous position to be in and it's something that Jesus warns against right here.
37. Again Jesus says be alert.
It's really not important to understand all the details of his second coming; if it was then God would've made it much clearer than it is. Some Christians break fellowship with other Christians because they disagree on the details of Christ return and I can't tell you how stupid and ridiculous and un-biblical that is. It's absolutely essential to believe that Jesus Christ is returning physically, bodily, literally! All true Christians must believe in the return of Christ and judgment day that follows but the exact details of the events leading up to it are not crystal clear if they would then good Christians who believe in the authority and absolute inerrancy of Scripture wouldn't disagree on it but they do.
It's more important to be ready for his return right now than it is to read between the scriptural lines in order to come up with an end times scenario.
Be ready; don't have any unconfessed sins in your life. Be on the cutting edge of life with Jesus Christ by staying in fellowship with him. That's what Jesus is emphasizing in these verses.
1. The temple complex in Jerusalem was one of the top sites in the entire world of that day. The buildings were made of marble and the eastern wall was all gold plated in order to reflect the sunrise.
2. It's true that the temple complex was a magnificent sight but it will soon be destroyed because the people involved were not living for God.
In 70 A.D. the Romans destroyed Jerusalem; a million Jews were slaughtered in the temple was taken apart stone by stone just as Jesus predicted it would be.
3,4. The disciples believed that Jesus would establish the earthly kingdom of God within days, probably before the Passover feast ended. So they want to know exactly when the temple will be destroyed and when the kingdom will be established.
They also want to know what to look for in the way of signs. They're probably expecting Jesus to say, well, there will be darkness at midday or maybe a brilliant Angel with a trumpet that will proclaim the start of the kingdom, something like that perhaps.
5,6. Jesus is talking about the time between his ascension and his return to earth. During that interval, which is the time that we are in right now, there will be many who pretend to be Jesus, and many deceivers who claim to speak for him. Jesus says do not be deceived by them.
Stick to the Bible and you will not be deceived. Stand firm to the word of God and there's no way that anyone can lead you astray. God says, "to the law and to the prophets, if they do not speak according to this word then they have no light in them." The truths which separate Christianity from false religions, the truths that separate right teaching from error can be discerned from reading Scripture.
7. During the church age there will be many wars, but Jesus says don't be alarmed. Wars by themselves are not a sign of his return. And yet amazingly, many books are written by opportunist every time war breaks out, especially in the Middle East. The catalogs of Christian booksellers are stuffed with books with titles that include the words: Middle East, antichrist, oil, war, terrorism, ayatollah, Iran, Iraq, rapture, and the second coming. A lot of tainted money can be made by prophetic hype. But war, even war in the Middle East is not necessarily a sign of the return of Christ. Jesus said the end is not yet; wars are the norm, not just for this present age but since the fall of man. The first world war occurred when Cain killed his brother Abel and it's been going ever since.
8. So all of these things will happen during the present church age; talking about earthquakes, famines; in other words, natural disasters. They been happening for 2000 years. Natural disasters are not necessarily a sign that the Lord will return soon. Jesus refers to them as birth pangs. Which means that they will become more frequent and intense as his return draws near especially in the final few days.
So again what Jesus has been describing is what the world in general will experience during this present church age. Next stop: what his followers can expect during this age.
9. The previous few verses told us what life would be like for the world in general during this church age. It included wars and natural disasters. Now we're looking at what Jesus says life will be like for his faithful followers during this time and as the end draws near.
The things mentioned here in verse nine actually happened to the apostles, but in principle the warning is for all Christians. Christ is warning that persecutions will come to those who live for him and speak his word without compromise.
Discomfort is the price we often have to pay to be in a position where we can display a powerful Christian testimony before the lost. They seem to go hand-in-hand. Christ places us in the midst of bad people who he wants to say from hell which means it's not always going to be smooth sailing or comfortable for Christians.
10. Repentance and receiving Christ as Lord and Savior is the only way to get to heaven; that's the truth. That is a narrow message and it is unpopular with the masses, but being disliked or persecuted for proclaiming that truth must never be allowed to stop God's people from proclaiming it. Nor should any Christian watered-down the gospel to make it more appealing to the world Jesus has given us our marching orders preach it to the entire world; to every creature.
11. If we can prepare for situation then we should. But if we cannot prepare for a specific situation then we can prepare for anything that may come our way by staying close to Christ continually. A close walk with Jesus where we are walking in the power of the Holy Spirit means that he will work, and speak through us no matter what circumstances we may find ourselves in.
12. Imagine state-sponsored persecution so severe and so widespread that you can't even trust a member of your family who isn't saved. It happened in the first century and it will happen on a worldwide scale in the final years before Jesus returns.
13. We must never be personally offensive, however Christians who try to make the gospel cool, or try to be cool in the eyes of the world are wasting their time. Man is so sinful and so hopelessly lost and hell bound that the only way to save them was for Jesus Christ to die a hideous death on the cross and pay for our sins. That is the truth; that is what people need to understand and accept. Furthermore there is only one way to avoid hell and that's to repent of sin and receive Jesus Christ into your life as Lord and Savior. All who refuse Jesus burn in the flames of hell forever. If that's not clearly understood by the center and accepted by the center they will be lost. That message has to be spoken clearly and I don't care how one tries to packages that message if it is communicated clearly then it won't be cool in the eyes of most people.
14. Last time the apostles asked when the temple would be destroyed and what sign would precede it. Jesus answers those questions right here. When an unholy person desecrates the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem then the temple is about to be destroyed. And that actually happened in 70 A.D. right before Rome demolished the temple. It will happen again in a rebuilt temple shortly before Jesus returns. There is a double fulfillment to Jesus is prophetic warning here.
15. Jesus warns those who were around in 70 A.D. as well as those who will be around when the rebuilt Temple will be desecrated before he returns. Jesus warns, get out! Move fast to avoid death! And one more thing, be satisfied escaping with your life because if you take time to gather your belongings you will lose your life.
16. No one in their right mind wakes up in the middle of the night, smelled smoke, gets up, pack some sandwiches, makes pot of coffee, packs a few suitcases, and then wakes up the family and suggest that they all get out of there. If you're smart you grab your family and get out with the close that you are wearing.
Jesus is saying there is time for action; there's a time to stop putting off what you know needs to be done. Whether it means the saving of your life or the saving of your soul is too important to put off.
17. It will be very difficult for people with little children to run from persecution in the final days. Children are a blessing from God but they also restrict one's freedom. The final days of this planet will not be a very good time to raise a family.
18, 19. The final days will be the worst days that this planet has ever seen and that's saying an awful lot in light of human history. 1 million Jews were slaughtered by Rome in 70 A.D. 12 million were killed by Hitler. Those days were bad, 50 million died during the Black death in four years in the 14th century; those days were bad. But none of those days were as bad as with the final days will be like. Literally billions of people will die from famine, war, disease, and persecution.
20. If God doesn't cut short the final days then Jesus returns to a dead planet. That's how bad those days will be. And it's not just evil people who are murdering innocent people especially Christians and Jews but it's also sin itself which will be running rampant and sin destroys. You can't build a society or a family or a personal life contrary to Scripture and think that everything is going to be okay. Sin destroys! Sin ruins! If a society tolerates sin and legislates a pro sin agenda then that society will rot upon its own moral decay.
20x. If God does not notice that the Bible says God will shorten those days; he still in charge.
We should find comfort in knowing that God is in control at all times and in every way, even when things are bad. He's not the cause of bad, but he has bad on a leash, and he will not give us any more than we can handle by his grace, and by drawing closer to him. Nor will he give us any bad that he cannot use for our spiritual good if we are Christians.
21. Never believe anyone who says that Christ has returned. When Jesus returns no one will have to tell anyone because will all see him.
22.. In the final days, like today, deceivers will arise who will try to deceive God's people. How will they do it? I performing miracles.
Miracles prove one thing: there's been a miracle. If anyone says anything contrary to holy Scripture do not believe them. Don't believe them no matter how right it feels, or how good it seems, or how popular it is with the masses. Don't believe them even if they try to validate their teaching with the miracle and that miracle comes to pass. The word of God trumps miracles; God is testing you to see whether you will believe him and stand on his word or whether you will go with your feelings or the crowd or miracles. Don't flunk that test!
23. Jesus says remember this keep this in mind I have told you about all this trouble in advance. In other words, Jesus says it's not going to be all fun and games if you are my faithful followers, especially as the end draws near.
Do not believe those who say, if you are in God's will everything will be smooth. That's a lie; Jesus never said that. Those who think they can discern the leading of the Lord by what makes them comfortable can be easily led astray. Doing what the Bible says; being faithful to Christ, to his word, is the leading of the Lord and that's not always the most comfortable way in this world that is heavy laden with sin.
24. As the final days draw to a close, and the return of Christ draws near it will be as if the entire cosmos begins to run out of gas. And it begins with the sun going dark.
25. Jesus is the one who keeps everything in space where it should be and on schedule. Jesus is the reason Haley's comment comes around every 78 years. But Jesus is going to shake the heavens right before he returns. The predictability of the heavenly bodies will be gone; the laws of physics will be no more.
.
26. After God has everyone looking up at the chaos in the sky Christ will split the heavens and return to earth. That's going to be good news for his people who are being persecuted and looking forward to the resurrected body but it will be bad news for those who have refused to repent.
27. Able, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Amos, and the rest of the Old Testament faithful will be raised from the dead and transported by angels to Jesus on the day that he returns. All the living who belong to Christ will be transported to him as well. Add to them the Christians who have been with Christ in heaven and who are returning to earth with him and you have a huge crowd. And all of them, all the saved from all the ages will enter into the kingdom of God on earth.
28. God is a God of order so every year it's the same thing. When branches start getting soft and leaves start to pop out you know that winter is finished and summer is near.
29. When strange things begin to happen in the sky then Jesus is about to return. Wars, earthquakes, famine, diseases, have been with us since the very beginning and they all by themselves are not a sign of our Lord's return. It is true that these things will increase shortly before Jesus returns but their presence in the world is not a sign that he's about to come back. The real sign that Jesus is returning soon is the chaos in the skies; when the sun goes dark and the moon turns to blood and the planets and the stars are shaken like a snow globe then look up for your redemption draws nigh.
30. The generation that is alive when all these things start to happen will be around when Jesus returns.
31a. And it certainly will! First Peter 3:10 talks about everything in the entire universe being blown up in what seems to be a gigantic all-inclusive every Atom involved nuclear explosion.
31x. And you wonder why I believe the Bible, and you wonder why I teach it verse by verse from Genesis to Revelation. What else would I possibly do? What is more important than the eternal unchanging word of God?
All the words contained in the 31,000+ verses in our Bible are true and will always be true. So if you are looking for something stable and real to build your life on you cannot beat the Bible. The word of God is more stable and solid and immovable than planet Earth.
32. If you have ever asked God: what, who, when, where, or why and he has not told you don't feel alone. God even withholds some information from his holy angels. The Bible says that the secret things belong to God.
We don't always know what God is doing, but we do know that he knows what he's doing and that should be good enough for us.
32x. Jesus didn't know the day of his return because Philippians says that he emptied himself of the privileges of deity when he became a man. He became like those he saved so that he could be touched with the feelings of our infirmities and become a sympathetic Savior as well as die on the cross to pay for our sins.
33. It is more important to be spiritually alert and to be men and women of prayer than it is to sit around and try to figure out when Jesus will return. It is better to spend time in prayer and the word of God than it is to read someone's book on oil, ayatollah, the Mark of the beast and the return of Christ. God is more concerned about holiness than he is speculation or religious arguments concerning his second coming or anything else. Someone says well I think the price of oil or the war in the Middle East or this sickness or that disease or the earthquake that happened over here or there is a sure sign that Jesus is going to return very soon. Well maybe he will but what difference does it make? Who cares; it shouldn't change how we live. Let's live like he's returning today or like today's our last day on earth. If we live like were going to see him today one way or the other than were going to be ready if he comes back next week or a month from now or tomorrow; will be a lot more ready if we focus on him and living for him in our relationship to him then we would be if we sit around speculating about when he might come back or if this fulfills prophecy or that fulfills prophecy.
33, 34. Here we see again what is important to Jesus and that's that he wants us to stay alert. Be alert against sin/Satan/deceptions/false teachings/lukewarmness/and anything else that is not according to Scripture. Be alert against slowly slipping away from a close walk with the Lord. That's where a great deal of our focus should be.
35. For those who have not repented the return of Jesus Christ will be like an alarm that goes off accidentally in the middle of the night. For those who have not receive him as Lord and Savior his return will be like the phone call that wakes you up at 2 AM; very unexpected, and not good news.
36. In other words, do not fall asleep spiritually. Think about it this way: when we are physically asleep the real world means nothing to us; we are in our own little world of dreams and non-reality. When we are asleep spiritually the world of eternity means very little or nothing to us. When one is too preoccupied with the things of this world they fall asleep spiritually and that's a dangerous position to be in and it's something that Jesus warns against right here.
37. Again Jesus says be alert.
It's really not important to understand all the details of his second coming; if it was then God would've made it much clearer than it is. Some Christians break fellowship with other Christians because they disagree on the details of Christ return and I can't tell you how stupid and ridiculous and un-biblical that is. It's absolutely essential to believe that Jesus Christ is returning physically, bodily, literally! All true Christians must believe in the return of Christ and judgment day that follows but the exact details of the events leading up to it are not crystal clear if they would then good Christians who believe in the authority and absolute inerrancy of Scripture wouldn't disagree on it but they do.
It's more important to be ready for his return right now than it is to read between the scriptural lines in order to come up with an end times scenario.
Be ready; don't have any unconfessed sins in your life. Be on the cutting edge of life with Jesus Christ by staying in fellowship with him. That's what Jesus is emphasizing in these verses.
Chapter 14
1. The religious rulers had been trying to kill Jesus for a long time, actually for several years. But all their efforts had failed because it wasn't God's time for his son to die. God's plan was for Jesus to minister for over three years and no effort of man could stop it from happening. But now the 3+ years is up so now they will be allowed to kill him.
No one can hurt, hinder, or kill God's people until God allows it. Nothing can happen to Christians, absolutely nothing can happen to Christians unless God allows it.
2-5. The apostles are completely out of touch with God here. They were angry with this woman who was trying to do and actually doing a very nice sacrificial thing for Jesus. Will Jesus is going to stick up for her.
6,7. The disciples, minus Judas were concerned about the poor and that was good. However Jesus shows us that devotion to him is more important than even devotion to the poor.
Devotion to Jesus is more important than good deeds done to mankind. Doing good deeds, doing charitable things, are no substitute for a pure devotion to Jesus Christ. Now that devotion to Jesus Christ may flesh itself out in doing good deeds for people and putting others before yourself, that's true, but don't be guilty of putting the cart before the horse and substitute good deeds for relationship with Jesus Christ. Our relationship with Jesus Christ; a holy relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important thing in what happens as a result of that is up to the Holy Spirit. If someone is really close to Christ then they will do all the good deeds that God wants them to do as a byproduct.
8. Maybe you remember what Jesus said a few chapters earlier? He said, the most important command is to love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength. The second most important command is to love your neighbor as yourself. This woman was putting Jesus before the poor and that is exactly the way it should be.
8x. Notice she did what she could. God doesn't expect great things from us. He is happy when we simply do what we can. Sometimes well-meaning Christians say: I wish I could do what they do for Christ. Why? There is something that each one of us can do for Jesus and if we focus on doing that which we can, then we are making our Savior happy. This woman couldn't be an apostle, or pastor, or a lot of things, but she did what she could, and that made Jesus happy.
9. What this devoted woman did for Jesus was so in the will of God that Jesus wants it to be told everywhere in the world, right along with the plan of salvation. The reason: to show the result that receiving Christ as Lord and Savior should have on our lives.
The natural result of receiving Christ should be the outpouring of ourselves in devotion to Jesus. If that's not there, then we either haven't received Jesus Christ or we are treading on thin ground because we are a lukewarm Christian and that's not gonna last long with Jesus.
10. And according to another gospel Judas actually led the attack against this woman and Jesus rebuked him right on the spot. Evidently Judas didn't like being rebuked and didn't like hearing that Jesus was going to die because that would mean that he wasn't setting up his kingdom which was the only reason that Judas followed him in the first place so he decided from this point on to sell Jesus out.
11. You may recall that Jesus prayed all night before he chose the 12 apostles out of the larger group of disciples. One of those 12 he chose was Judas, who started out well but didn't finish well. The Bible doesn't say that Jesus chose a traitor; it says that he later became a traitor. He may have started out as a devoted follower of Christ even if his motives were selfish but he definitely turned pure evil over time.
I'll tell you what happened to Judas: his love for money got the best of him. That's what happens when one tolerates sin instead of dealing with it and getting rid of it. His sin eventually turned his heart away from Jesus. The Bible says that we are to guard our hearts because out of it comes the issues of life. When you start to lose your heart for holiness and Jesus you're headed for trouble.
12-15. Instead of giving detailed instructions on exactly where the house was Jesus used supernatural means to lead his men.
Sometimes God uses natural common sense things to lead his people, and other times he may do something in direct answer to prayer, or in some supernatural way. I know this for certain: our part is to stay close to Jesus so that whichever way he chooses we will respond to it correctly. Our part is always simple: stay close to Jesus.
16. They found it just as Jesus told them it would be.
It is always the way Jesus tells us it will be. It's always that way; God says obey me and you will have peace and you will be blessed and you will have the abundant life; you will feel like a rich person even if you are poor. And when we walk with him we discover that it is just the way Jesus said it would be. God says trust Christ, and you'll get to heaven where you be happy all the time and when we get there we will find that it will be just as Jesus said it would be.
The flipside is also true Jesus said unless you believe in me you will die in your sin and Jesus said he will tell you on Judgment Day depart from me into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels and it will be just as he said it will be and there are no exceptions and you will never get used to hell, you will never get used to the pain, it will never be lessened, it'll always be horrible times infinity and it will last for infinity; it will be just as Jesus said it would be.
17-19. Did you notice how the apostles were not suspicious of each other but only of themselves.
We should be like them we should be more concerned about policing our own walk with the Lord than someone else's. It's like Jesus says how can you take the sliver out of someone else's side when you have a beam in your own?
20,21. Talking about Judas: that man sinned of his own free will, and just because God brought the redemption of man out of his sin doesn't mean that he's not accountable for what he did. He is accountable to the point that he would've been better off if he had never been born.
Hell is so terrible that it makes one forget any good times they may have had while on earth. Nonexistence would be preferred to the eternal torment one suffers in hell, but nonexistence will not be an option because we have been created an immortal soul that will never pass away and that will exist in a body that will not die whether it's in heaven on the new earth or in hell.
22-24. Jesus would rather die than put his will above the father's. Remember in the garden of Gethsemane how he prayed, father if there is any other way than let it be done but if not then not my will but thy will be done.
Jesus said, "this is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many." I said he would rather die than put his will before the father's and he did die.
A deep love for God will result in a deep hatred for sin. The more we love God the more we will hate sin and the more we hate sin the more willing we will be to sacrifice to avoid it.
25. Jesus look forward to the good times that would be enjoyed in the kingdom of God. He endured the cross and despise the shame because he saw the good times on the other side; the good times with the redeemed whose salvation he paid for on the cross.
26. It was the father's will for his son to die on the cross so that he could pay for our sin. Jesus was about to be murdered, but before that, he and his men sung a hymn.
When sacrifice is called for in the will of God there should be praise to God not self-pity toward ourselves. Faith rejoices that they are counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ; that's what the Bible says.
27,28. Jesus knew that his apostles would scamper away after his arrest but he also knew that was not the end of the story; good times lay ahead. He spoke of his death and of their desertion but he spoke of his resurrection and their reunion as well.
Jesus always left his followers with some good news something to look forward to after the bad news runs its course.
29. Peter was always quick to speak his mind and proclaim his loyalty to Christ. He had great self-esteem and it nearly destroyed him.
When we think that we are better than others we are setting ourselves up for spiritual failure. Paul wrote I beat my body into subjection blessed after I have preached to others I myself become a castaway.
Every Christian needs a healthy fear of sin and an understanding of their own frailty. God remembers that we are dust and so should we.
30. Jesus will allow Peter to fail. Peter self-confidence is riding high but it needs to be destroyed so that he relies more on prayer and the power of God than himself. He's not ready to be used by God until he gets rid of his self-image and develops a Christ image and neither are we. This ungodly un-biblical emphasis in modern evangelicalism concerning self-love self image self-esteem self-actualization is contrary to Scripture and has more in common with Satan than it does God. Self-esteem stifles usefulness to God we need Christ esteem; nothing else matters.
God breaks us so that he can make us. People cannot live spiritually fruitful lives on their own. God wants us to be strong in him. He wants us to grow strong in him rather than trusting in ourselves. It's like Jesus said apart from me you could do nothing. It's not about trusting in ourselves or in our supposed self-worth its about trusting in the power and grace of Jesus Christ who wants to use us and empowers us himself for service and holiness and that will result in joy that people so often seek but fail to achieve.
31. I'm sure that Peter was sincere but he was still wrong. Jesus said one thing and Peter said the opposite and guess who was proven to be correct?
Sincerely believing something that is contrary to the word of God will still end up in disappointment every single time.
32, 33. Take your deepest despair, multiply it times infinity, and maybe you will just begin to scratch the surface of what Jesus was going through here in the garden of Gethsemane. He has been rejected by his brothers/Israel/hometown/the religious leadership and of course one of his apostles. He has been betrayed and sold out and rejected and he will shortly be punished for our sins. He will be separated from his father for the first time in the history of forever. Add to that the intense physical pain he knows that he will soon go through. Nothing we experience can ever come close to what he went through unless of course one goes to hell.
34. The human body can only take so much sorrow and then it dies. Jesus is at that point. He is on the verge of dying right here in the garden of Gethsemane.
35. Jesus speaks of "the hour." This was the hour that God would allow himself to be beat up, flogged, spit upon, and nailed to the cross to pay for our sins. The hour has arrived to pay for man's sin and Jesus will do the paying.
36a. Since everything is possible for God he could have easily removed Jesus from the situation. But whether it's Jesus and the cross or some terrible situation we find ourselves in it is always more than just a question of: can God get us out of this? Of course he can. All things are possible for God, but God looks at the big picture. He knows what is best in the long run and sometimes what is best in the long run is painful in the short term.
36x. Jesus is human will was not always exactly the same as the father's will but it was always submitted to the father's will.
Your will may not always be the same as God's will. Just make sure that it is your will that is set aside to do the father's will. That's what Jesus will do here in the garden of Gethsemane and on the cross.
37. Jesus singles out Peter possibly because Peter was so self-confident. Peter is feeling Christ by not staying awake and praying so how in the world will he be loyal when the pressure is really on?
38. Victory over our sin nature comes when we pray and praise God. Peter needed to pray right now more than ever. His sin nature made him overconfident and gave him a fabulous self-image and great self-esteem and all those things will combine to make him a colossal spiritual failure in a few minutes. The Bible says Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Peter was full of pride and self assurance with a haughty spirit and if it wasn't for the grace of God and the prayers of Jesus his faith would've been destroyed and he would ended up like Judas.
39, 40 . The apostles fail Jesus again and they knew it. Consequently they don't know what to say. Really there isn't much to say; it is what it is so just say you're sorry.
Sometimes Christians fail Jesus so often that they are embarrassed to ask for forgiveness. They feel like they shouldn't say anything because they've committed that same sin so many times. They are embarrassed and they are ashamed and they don't want to confess again but one should always be embarrassed over there sin whether it's the first time or the 50th time and in spite of our feelings God wants us to confess because he wants to forgive us.
41. The disciples had been given an opportunity to pray but they didn't and now it's too late and now their failure is a certainty.
42. The father did two things for his son as a result of his praying: he pulled Jesus out of a very deep depression and also gave him the courage to meet his enemies head-on.
A Christian who is prayed up will be bold in the face of whatever challenge God sets before them.
43. How foolish! I'm talking about this mob that was led by Judas. They should have known that Jesus, the one who did too many miracles to count could have also turned their clubs into sawdust and melted their swords like butter. He also could've turned the people who carried those clubs into dust and ashes if he chose to remove their soul which he placed in them at birth. If he chose not to be arrested then they would not have been able to do it. Do they really think that the one who raised the 12-year-old girl, the widow's son, and Lazarus from the dead could be subdued by their clubs? Not a chance! Not if he doesn't let it happen.
44, 45. Judas would gladly be your friend as long as there was something in it for him. He's the type of person who makes a commitment but then breaks it as soon as something better comes along. He made a "commitment" to Christ until Jesus started saying things like his kingdom was not of this world. When Judas understood that he wouldn't be a big shot with Jesus on this earth he sold Jesus out for a few bucks.
46. It looks like this mob is in control; it looks like things are out of control. Reality is: Jesus is in control; it's time to pay for sin.
47. Interesting that Mark wrote his gospel by the information given to him from Peter and Peter conveniently leaves out the fact that he was the one who struck with the sword. Remember he did not pray earlier so he did not respond in the spirit when things started happening. He didn't pray earlier so he wasn't ready to do the work of God. He didn't pray so instead of responding to this crisis in the spirit he responds in the flesh with his sword and Jesus is not going to be happy.
If a Christian is not prayed up then they will respond to trouble in the flesh and make matters worse.
48. Jesus knew that he would be arrested and he was willing to go along with it because he was determined to pay for our sins on the cross. How this mob is going about his arrest is what bothers Jesus. They bring their weapons as if he's a hardened criminal who must be taken by force. They don't get it! They don't understand that the only reason they can arrest him in the first place is because he is allowing it.
49. The Scriptures must be fulfilled! You never want to believe anything contrary to the Bible or go against the Bible for any reason no matter how you may feel. Why? Because the Bible never misses; it is always correct, and it will always come to pass.
50. Instead of praying the disciples slept and that's one big reason why they fail Jesus right here. They didn't pray so they panicked they didn't pray so they ran away under pressure.
The more we pray the more spiritual energy and boldness we will have to remain steadfast in God's will even under pressure.
51, 52. And that young man who remain nameless was none other than Mark the writer of this gospel; that's according to many scholars. Mark definitely had a shaky start as a follower of Christ and that's even seen later on in the book of acts but Mark hung in there and turned out to be a strong Christian man.
Failure is no reason to quit; many of you have probably heard how Thomas Edison failed about a thousand times in his attempt to create a light bulb before he finally got it right; it's good thing he didn't give up. Perseverance pays in our walk with Christ as well. Don't be quick to give up on yourself or for that matter others.
53. Jesus is now standing for the Jewish ruling council. Rome was in charge of Israel but they gave this counseled the power to handle crimes against the Jewish religion. By the way, this trial was illegal because it took place before sunrise. It was also a private, secret hearing, which was also illegal under Jewish law.
54. I think there was a battle raging inside of Peter. He wanted to keep his promise of not feeling Christ and yet he was afraid to be connected to Jesus. As a result, he seems to have struck a compromise at least with himself by following Jesus but only from a distance.
55. The religious rulers have things completely backwards. First they arrest Jesus and then they search diligently for some evidence against him.
Hatred and jealousy are driving these leaders. They will kill Christ; the fact that he is innocent doesn't bother them at all.
56. The religious leadership found several miserable lowlifes who agreed to give false witness against Christ. But they weren't smart enough to get together ahead of time to make sure there lies matched consequently their testimony was invalid.
57,58. If you have ever said something, and had it twisted and taken out of context and then used against you then you have experienced with Jesus experienced right here. For starters he never said that he would destroy any temple. He told his enemies to destroy his body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit and then he would raise it up after three days. So these witnesses were lying.
59. These religious rulers could not find two witnesses whose lies matched so they had to throw out the false testimony about Jesus destroying the temple also.
60. The high priest is getting frustrated because he can't find any false testimony that will work against Christ. Consequently he goes to plan B; he tries to intimidate Christ by standing up and saying why aren't you responding to all these accusations against you? What accusations? Do you mean all these lies that everyone in this room knows our lies? Why respond to them? The just meaningless babble senseless blather.
61a. People who lie do not deserve a response so Jesus didn't give them one. Since a liar obviously has contempt for the truth any truthful response to their lies is going to be rejected anyway so what's the point?
61, 62. In other words, you men are making a big mistake by doing this to me. You are attempting to kill the God who created you. Jesus is saying: someday I will return to this world that I have made and then you will know and by implication and then you will pay.
When Jesus returns it won't be as the mild-mannered Lamb of God. It will be as the sin judging, evil hating, condemnor of all who refuse to repent. And these high and mighty religious rulers are right at the top of the list.
63, 64. By saying he would be seated at the right hand of God and that he would return in the clouds they knew perfectly well that Jesus was claiming to be God. In their minds Jesus was guilty of blasphemy
and that was punishable by death. The only charge that stuck against Christ was that he claimed to be God which is the truth.
65. They blindfolded Jesus, punch him in the face, and marked his claim of being God by saying: Telus, who hit you? Then the officers of the high priest got in on it as well and they started slapping Jesus also. What amazes me is that God waited 40 years before sending the Roman army to destroy this bunch.
66. The trial of Jesus took place in the upper story of the high priest palace. That's why it's as Peter was below in the courtyard.
67. She knew she had seen Peter somewhere and then it hit her so she blurted out: you're one of his followers!
68. Peter was caught off guard and in a moment of panic he lied and denied Christ.
In a moment of panic it is possible for devoted Christians to say or do something that they will later regret. That's another reason to be prayed up because boldness will suppress panic under any circumstances.
69, 70. Peter is in a tough spot because more people are recognizing him. This is his big chance to make up for his first two denials.
Many times being used by God involves discomfort or us feeling some sort of pressure.
71. In other words he swore that he didn't know Christ. He actually lied under oath here. This one who was so dedicated to Christ is acting as if he's ashamed of Christ and right now he is. Right now Peter cares more about his popularity than he does his loyalty.
Anytime we sin we care more about ourselves than we do Jesus.
72. Peter was dedicated to Jesus and yet in this moment of weakness he failed him. He should have prayed earlier in the garden when he had a chance but he didn't; he failed Jesus in that as well. He felt terrible about all these things and he should and so should we as Christians when we sin and if we are Christians we will feel terrible.
A Christians sin will tear at them. On the other hand a non-Christian can sin and really not care at all.
Feel bad when you sin but do not feel bad because you feel bad. Feel good you feel bad because it's a sign that you are saved.
Chapter 15
1. The religious ruling council reached a decision which was never in doubt. They found Jesus guilty and worthy of execution even though they knew he was innocent.
1x. The Jews convicted Jesus of the religious crime of blasphemy but only the Roman government could execute someone and they would never do that for the crime of blasphemy. So the Jews will have to invent another crime that will cause Rome to execute Jesus.
2. Pilot was interested in Jesus's claim of being the king of the Jews. Claimant to be arrival came to Caesar would be treason and punishable by death.
3. Yes Jesus said nothing because he never did anything wrong in all their accusations were lies in its impossible to prove a negative so he just kept his mouth shut. Besides their lies were not worthy of a response.
By the way, if you stand for Jesus don't think it's strange if at some point you are falsely accused by those who do not like Jesus or the word of God. The world doesn't like to be uncomfortable in God's word has a habit of making ungodly impenitent sinners uncomfortable.
4. The hate of the religious rulers has exploded into a wild frenzy of lies and false charges pilot is shocked because Jesus isn't responding to them. Of course it didn't pay to respond because it doesn't pay to defend truth to those who know the truth but willfully reject it.
5. Pilot can't believe what's going on here: Jesus is facing the death penalty and he doesn't even try to defend himself. As always Jesus is the perfect picture of calm and self-control.
6. Pontius Pilate hated the Jews and they hated him right back. Of course pilot had some of that hatred coming because he enrage them several times and each time they rioted. Caesar did not like riots in his empire so to get on the good side of the Jews Pilate invented this law that once a year he would set a Jewish prisoner free, whichever one they chose.
7. Barabbas was an evil man worthy of execution because he was a convicted murderer. God commands his people to not have pity on murderers; God commands justice. Well the Jews will disregard the will of God with respect to that as well.
8. In other words, they want Pilate to let them pick a criminal to be released.
9. Pilot is mocking the Jews here. Remember Jesus had been beaten bloodied and so Pilate points to him and says do you want this king of the Jews to be released? No doubt he enjoyed calling someone that Rome had beaten nearly to death the king of the Jews.
9, 10. Pilot would love to release Jesus because he knew that the leadership envied him. He would love to put Jesus back into circulation if for no other reason than it would irk the religious rulers.
11. The religious rulers were very shrewd to do evil. They knew what buttons to push in order to turn the people against Jesus and they push them right here.
That is so much like the devil; the devil and his helpers know us very well and they know what buttons to push to get us out of the spirit and into our sinful flesh. In other words the devils know our weaknesses and they will exploit them with every opportunity we give them.
By the way, these are the same people who welcomed Jesus into town as their hero Messiah just a few days earlier.
When the word of God isn't a person's moral compass they will be all over the map, easily influenced by whatever catches their fancy.
12. The only thing that made sense to Pilate was to release Jesus. That's because the governor knew that he was innocent.
13. The religious rulers and actually all the Jews were supposed to be representatives of the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob: the one true God. They were supposed to be living testimonies to lost souls like Pontius Pilate that God is really God. Well I got news, no one will be interested in following God if those who are supposed to represent him are self-centered, petty, jealous, immoral sinners, like the religious rulers. What a horrible testimony they were to Pontius Pilate. What a terrible thing to do to God and to hell bound sinners who need him. Their behavior misrepresented the one true God who is our only hope and made him repulsive in the minds of hell bound sinners.
14. They didn't want to talk about Jesus's crimes because they knew he didn't commit any. As a result they get loud.
People who know they have no substance to their argument often get loud or go on the attack. That's what we see here.
15. Pilot was against crucifying Jesus but he wasn't against it enough to take a stand for justice and deny the Jews demand for Christ to be executed. Pilate was against crucifying Jesus but he knew that there might be a riot if he didn't and he also knew that one more riot may cost him his position. In other words, Pilate knew what was right and he didn't do what was right. He was the type who was in favor of doing right unless it made him uncomfortable. He did what was right unless it cost him something.
Hell will be filled with people like Pontius Pilate: people who didn't always do bad things but also didn't do the most important thing which is repent and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Do good? Sure, but don't make me feel uncomfortable by taking my pet sins away from me. Do good? Sure but don't ask me to follow Christ because that will make me uncomfortable and probably unpopular with some. So people like that choose to reject Christ in favor of their comfort in this life and then they spend forever and the flames of hell pain for their sins. It's not a question of if you will give up your comforts that come from sin; the question is when: now when you receive Christ and forgiveness and eternal life or in hell when you give up your sinful comforts for eternal torment; the choice is ours.
16, 17. He claimed to be a king so they mocked his claims by putting a purple robe and a crown of thorns on him. They will not show Jesus any mercy at all.
The Bible says judgment without mercy will be given those who show no mercy. If these men didn't at some time repent and receive Christ than they are experiencing hell without mercy right now.
18. They mocked his claims to being a king and here they mock him with phony worship. Come Judgment Day when they will be forced to bend their knee and worship to Jesus they will remember the day that they mocked him with this phony worship.
19, 20. I don't know how much pain a man can take but Jesus was certainly pushed to the limit for us. They drove the crown of thorns deep into his head when they smashed it with their clubs and then to add insult to injury they spit at him.
This would be a terrible thing if Jesus had been a guilty criminal. It would be worse if he was simply an innocent man falsely accused. But this is the innocent eternal son of God who never did anything but good for people. The only thing that amazes me more than their evil is the willingness of Jesus to put up with it; to put up with it in order to suffer and die for those very sins that are tormenting him as well as all other sins.
21. Simon was minding his own business when suddenly the Romans forced him to carry the cross. Jesus was no doubt very weak from nearly being beaten to death so there's no way that he's going to carry his cross all the way to Calvary. As a result, you have Simon, who didn't know it, but he was serving God by carrying the cross. To Simon it was just an unexpected interruption.
The unexpected interruptions that sometimes bother us, that sometimes even seem unfair are a part of God's sovereign plan and should be embraced by faith.
22-24. God doesn't go into detail about the horrors of the crucifixion. The people back then knew exactly how terrible it was because it was commonplace. The Romans crucified so many people that sometimes they would run out of crosses.
25. 9 AM is the time they nailed Jesus to the cross.
26. Pilot authorized the sign on the cross. He had always hated the Jews and he hated them even worse after they pressured him into executing Jesus. This sign was his way to say: hey Israel, look at I'm doing to your king.
27. Being crucified between two criminals just added to our Lord's humiliation. He died like a criminal for our crimes.
28-30. In other words, if you are God then prove it by doing exactly what we say. So, if God doesn't act the way they want than they won't believe in him? Well too bad, I guess they will just have to die in unbelief because no one challenges God to do anything. They especially won't get him off the cross when he is graciously paying for their sins and our sins as well.
By the way, God doesn't need to prove himself to anyone. He has already done that. The Bible says creation declares the glory of God and the Bible itself is the word of God. Both of those divine revelations speak volumes to anyone with an honest soul. God is not on trial people are.
31, 32. These leaders knew full well that Jesus had already done more miracles than could be counted. One more miracle isn't going to change their mind about Christ.
There comes a point when God says enough is enough; you either repent or you don't.
33. From noon until three the brightest time of the day it was dark. And no it wasn't an eclipse of the sun either. There was a full moon and you can't have an eclipse of the sun during a full moon. There is no natural explanation for this; this was the father turning the lights off as his son paid for our sins.
34. The father broke fellowship with his son while he was pain for our sins. The Bible says that Jesus became sin for us. Those who think that they can go to their grave in sin, unforgiven through Jesus Christ and still make it to heaven better take a good look at this. If God broke fellowship with his son when he bore our sin then God certainly will not allow any impenitent sinner into his presence after they die.
35,36. They did not give Jesus a drink out of compassion; they just wanted to prolong his life to prolong their morbid entertainment. They're hoping to see Elijah come back and rescue Christ; that'll really tickle them.
37, 38. The thick heavy veil that took several men to hang and could never be ripped by the power of man; that veil which separated God from man, illustrating how sin had separated man from God; that veil was ripped by the hand of God to show that the death of his son opened the way into his presence. Sin had been paid for by Jesus and it was paid for when he died on the cross. He did not have to go to hell and defeat the devil in hand-to-hand combat like the word of faith heretics teach. The veil ripped the moment he died! The way was made open the moment he died! The victory over hell and the devil was accomplished after he suffered and died! Jesus said it is finished then he died and that veil ripped immediately opening the way for us to enter into the presence of God. The victory was won by Jesus on the cross.
39. Here was an honest man, honest enough to confess is God.
If you read the four Gospels and observe Jesus objectively, honestly, you will come to the same conclusion. All the evidence , his impeccable character and sinless behavior, his countless miracles, his teaching, his loving unselfish demeanor on the cross, the unexplainable darkness that covered the land from noon until three and the earthquake that took place the moment that he died all testify to the fact that Jesus is God and this Roman soldier was honest enough to admit it.
40,41. These ladies had supported our Lord's ministry and they proved their loyalty by staying near during his suffering.
Good Christians are loyal to Jesus even when it's difficult. They can be counted on when there's nothing in it for them except an opportunity to show their devotion.
42, 43. There were many bad religious rulers; Joseph was a good one. He had been a secret follower of Jesus but it's no secret anymore. After seeing what his fellow leaders did to Christ he doesn't care what they think of him; he goes public for Jesus.
A secret follower of Christ will at some point stop hiding; if they don't then you're not a real Christian. Jesus said if you deny me before men that I will deny you before my father.
44. Crucifixion was designed to be a slow, torturous death. Some lingered for a couple of days. Most lived a lot longer than Jesus but most were not beaten like he had been either.
44-47. The Mary's watched where Jesus was laid so they could return after the Sabbath on Sunday morning and anoint his body.
1. The religious rulers had been trying to kill Jesus for a long time, actually for several years. But all their efforts had failed because it wasn't God's time for his son to die. God's plan was for Jesus to minister for over three years and no effort of man could stop it from happening. But now the 3+ years is up so now they will be allowed to kill him.
No one can hurt, hinder, or kill God's people until God allows it. Nothing can happen to Christians, absolutely nothing can happen to Christians unless God allows it.
2-5. The apostles are completely out of touch with God here. They were angry with this woman who was trying to do and actually doing a very nice sacrificial thing for Jesus. Will Jesus is going to stick up for her.
6,7. The disciples, minus Judas were concerned about the poor and that was good. However Jesus shows us that devotion to him is more important than even devotion to the poor.
Devotion to Jesus is more important than good deeds done to mankind. Doing good deeds, doing charitable things, are no substitute for a pure devotion to Jesus Christ. Now that devotion to Jesus Christ may flesh itself out in doing good deeds for people and putting others before yourself, that's true, but don't be guilty of putting the cart before the horse and substitute good deeds for relationship with Jesus Christ. Our relationship with Jesus Christ; a holy relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important thing in what happens as a result of that is up to the Holy Spirit. If someone is really close to Christ then they will do all the good deeds that God wants them to do as a byproduct.
8. Maybe you remember what Jesus said a few chapters earlier? He said, the most important command is to love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength. The second most important command is to love your neighbor as yourself. This woman was putting Jesus before the poor and that is exactly the way it should be.
8x. Notice she did what she could. God doesn't expect great things from us. He is happy when we simply do what we can. Sometimes well-meaning Christians say: I wish I could do what they do for Christ. Why? There is something that each one of us can do for Jesus and if we focus on doing that which we can, then we are making our Savior happy. This woman couldn't be an apostle, or pastor, or a lot of things, but she did what she could, and that made Jesus happy.
9. What this devoted woman did for Jesus was so in the will of God that Jesus wants it to be told everywhere in the world, right along with the plan of salvation. The reason: to show the result that receiving Christ as Lord and Savior should have on our lives.
The natural result of receiving Christ should be the outpouring of ourselves in devotion to Jesus. If that's not there, then we either haven't received Jesus Christ or we are treading on thin ground because we are a lukewarm Christian and that's not gonna last long with Jesus.
10. And according to another gospel Judas actually led the attack against this woman and Jesus rebuked him right on the spot. Evidently Judas didn't like being rebuked and didn't like hearing that Jesus was going to die because that would mean that he wasn't setting up his kingdom which was the only reason that Judas followed him in the first place so he decided from this point on to sell Jesus out.
11. You may recall that Jesus prayed all night before he chose the 12 apostles out of the larger group of disciples. One of those 12 he chose was Judas, who started out well but didn't finish well. The Bible doesn't say that Jesus chose a traitor; it says that he later became a traitor. He may have started out as a devoted follower of Christ even if his motives were selfish but he definitely turned pure evil over time.
I'll tell you what happened to Judas: his love for money got the best of him. That's what happens when one tolerates sin instead of dealing with it and getting rid of it. His sin eventually turned his heart away from Jesus. The Bible says that we are to guard our hearts because out of it comes the issues of life. When you start to lose your heart for holiness and Jesus you're headed for trouble.
12-15. Instead of giving detailed instructions on exactly where the house was Jesus used supernatural means to lead his men.
Sometimes God uses natural common sense things to lead his people, and other times he may do something in direct answer to prayer, or in some supernatural way. I know this for certain: our part is to stay close to Jesus so that whichever way he chooses we will respond to it correctly. Our part is always simple: stay close to Jesus.
16. They found it just as Jesus told them it would be.
It is always the way Jesus tells us it will be. It's always that way; God says obey me and you will have peace and you will be blessed and you will have the abundant life; you will feel like a rich person even if you are poor. And when we walk with him we discover that it is just the way Jesus said it would be. God says trust Christ, and you'll get to heaven where you be happy all the time and when we get there we will find that it will be just as Jesus said it would be.
The flipside is also true Jesus said unless you believe in me you will die in your sin and Jesus said he will tell you on Judgment Day depart from me into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels and it will be just as he said it will be and there are no exceptions and you will never get used to hell, you will never get used to the pain, it will never be lessened, it'll always be horrible times infinity and it will last for infinity; it will be just as Jesus said it would be.
17-19. Did you notice how the apostles were not suspicious of each other but only of themselves.
We should be like them we should be more concerned about policing our own walk with the Lord than someone else's. It's like Jesus says how can you take the sliver out of someone else's side when you have a beam in your own?
20,21. Talking about Judas: that man sinned of his own free will, and just because God brought the redemption of man out of his sin doesn't mean that he's not accountable for what he did. He is accountable to the point that he would've been better off if he had never been born.
Hell is so terrible that it makes one forget any good times they may have had while on earth. Nonexistence would be preferred to the eternal torment one suffers in hell, but nonexistence will not be an option because we have been created an immortal soul that will never pass away and that will exist in a body that will not die whether it's in heaven on the new earth or in hell.
22-24. Jesus would rather die than put his will above the father's. Remember in the garden of Gethsemane how he prayed, father if there is any other way than let it be done but if not then not my will but thy will be done.
Jesus said, "this is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many." I said he would rather die than put his will before the father's and he did die.
A deep love for God will result in a deep hatred for sin. The more we love God the more we will hate sin and the more we hate sin the more willing we will be to sacrifice to avoid it.
25. Jesus look forward to the good times that would be enjoyed in the kingdom of God. He endured the cross and despise the shame because he saw the good times on the other side; the good times with the redeemed whose salvation he paid for on the cross.
26. It was the father's will for his son to die on the cross so that he could pay for our sin. Jesus was about to be murdered, but before that, he and his men sung a hymn.
When sacrifice is called for in the will of God there should be praise to God not self-pity toward ourselves. Faith rejoices that they are counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ; that's what the Bible says.
27,28. Jesus knew that his apostles would scamper away after his arrest but he also knew that was not the end of the story; good times lay ahead. He spoke of his death and of their desertion but he spoke of his resurrection and their reunion as well.
Jesus always left his followers with some good news something to look forward to after the bad news runs its course.
29. Peter was always quick to speak his mind and proclaim his loyalty to Christ. He had great self-esteem and it nearly destroyed him.
When we think that we are better than others we are setting ourselves up for spiritual failure. Paul wrote I beat my body into subjection blessed after I have preached to others I myself become a castaway.
Every Christian needs a healthy fear of sin and an understanding of their own frailty. God remembers that we are dust and so should we.
30. Jesus will allow Peter to fail. Peter self-confidence is riding high but it needs to be destroyed so that he relies more on prayer and the power of God than himself. He's not ready to be used by God until he gets rid of his self-image and develops a Christ image and neither are we. This ungodly un-biblical emphasis in modern evangelicalism concerning self-love self image self-esteem self-actualization is contrary to Scripture and has more in common with Satan than it does God. Self-esteem stifles usefulness to God we need Christ esteem; nothing else matters.
God breaks us so that he can make us. People cannot live spiritually fruitful lives on their own. God wants us to be strong in him. He wants us to grow strong in him rather than trusting in ourselves. It's like Jesus said apart from me you could do nothing. It's not about trusting in ourselves or in our supposed self-worth its about trusting in the power and grace of Jesus Christ who wants to use us and empowers us himself for service and holiness and that will result in joy that people so often seek but fail to achieve.
31. I'm sure that Peter was sincere but he was still wrong. Jesus said one thing and Peter said the opposite and guess who was proven to be correct?
Sincerely believing something that is contrary to the word of God will still end up in disappointment every single time.
32, 33. Take your deepest despair, multiply it times infinity, and maybe you will just begin to scratch the surface of what Jesus was going through here in the garden of Gethsemane. He has been rejected by his brothers/Israel/hometown/the religious leadership and of course one of his apostles. He has been betrayed and sold out and rejected and he will shortly be punished for our sins. He will be separated from his father for the first time in the history of forever. Add to that the intense physical pain he knows that he will soon go through. Nothing we experience can ever come close to what he went through unless of course one goes to hell.
34. The human body can only take so much sorrow and then it dies. Jesus is at that point. He is on the verge of dying right here in the garden of Gethsemane.
35. Jesus speaks of "the hour." This was the hour that God would allow himself to be beat up, flogged, spit upon, and nailed to the cross to pay for our sins. The hour has arrived to pay for man's sin and Jesus will do the paying.
36a. Since everything is possible for God he could have easily removed Jesus from the situation. But whether it's Jesus and the cross or some terrible situation we find ourselves in it is always more than just a question of: can God get us out of this? Of course he can. All things are possible for God, but God looks at the big picture. He knows what is best in the long run and sometimes what is best in the long run is painful in the short term.
36x. Jesus is human will was not always exactly the same as the father's will but it was always submitted to the father's will.
Your will may not always be the same as God's will. Just make sure that it is your will that is set aside to do the father's will. That's what Jesus will do here in the garden of Gethsemane and on the cross.
37. Jesus singles out Peter possibly because Peter was so self-confident. Peter is feeling Christ by not staying awake and praying so how in the world will he be loyal when the pressure is really on?
38. Victory over our sin nature comes when we pray and praise God. Peter needed to pray right now more than ever. His sin nature made him overconfident and gave him a fabulous self-image and great self-esteem and all those things will combine to make him a colossal spiritual failure in a few minutes. The Bible says Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Peter was full of pride and self assurance with a haughty spirit and if it wasn't for the grace of God and the prayers of Jesus his faith would've been destroyed and he would ended up like Judas.
39, 40 . The apostles fail Jesus again and they knew it. Consequently they don't know what to say. Really there isn't much to say; it is what it is so just say you're sorry.
Sometimes Christians fail Jesus so often that they are embarrassed to ask for forgiveness. They feel like they shouldn't say anything because they've committed that same sin so many times. They are embarrassed and they are ashamed and they don't want to confess again but one should always be embarrassed over there sin whether it's the first time or the 50th time and in spite of our feelings God wants us to confess because he wants to forgive us.
41. The disciples had been given an opportunity to pray but they didn't and now it's too late and now their failure is a certainty.
42. The father did two things for his son as a result of his praying: he pulled Jesus out of a very deep depression and also gave him the courage to meet his enemies head-on.
A Christian who is prayed up will be bold in the face of whatever challenge God sets before them.
43. How foolish! I'm talking about this mob that was led by Judas. They should have known that Jesus, the one who did too many miracles to count could have also turned their clubs into sawdust and melted their swords like butter. He also could've turned the people who carried those clubs into dust and ashes if he chose to remove their soul which he placed in them at birth. If he chose not to be arrested then they would not have been able to do it. Do they really think that the one who raised the 12-year-old girl, the widow's son, and Lazarus from the dead could be subdued by their clubs? Not a chance! Not if he doesn't let it happen.
44, 45. Judas would gladly be your friend as long as there was something in it for him. He's the type of person who makes a commitment but then breaks it as soon as something better comes along. He made a "commitment" to Christ until Jesus started saying things like his kingdom was not of this world. When Judas understood that he wouldn't be a big shot with Jesus on this earth he sold Jesus out for a few bucks.
46. It looks like this mob is in control; it looks like things are out of control. Reality is: Jesus is in control; it's time to pay for sin.
47. Interesting that Mark wrote his gospel by the information given to him from Peter and Peter conveniently leaves out the fact that he was the one who struck with the sword. Remember he did not pray earlier so he did not respond in the spirit when things started happening. He didn't pray earlier so he wasn't ready to do the work of God. He didn't pray so instead of responding to this crisis in the spirit he responds in the flesh with his sword and Jesus is not going to be happy.
If a Christian is not prayed up then they will respond to trouble in the flesh and make matters worse.
48. Jesus knew that he would be arrested and he was willing to go along with it because he was determined to pay for our sins on the cross. How this mob is going about his arrest is what bothers Jesus. They bring their weapons as if he's a hardened criminal who must be taken by force. They don't get it! They don't understand that the only reason they can arrest him in the first place is because he is allowing it.
49. The Scriptures must be fulfilled! You never want to believe anything contrary to the Bible or go against the Bible for any reason no matter how you may feel. Why? Because the Bible never misses; it is always correct, and it will always come to pass.
50. Instead of praying the disciples slept and that's one big reason why they fail Jesus right here. They didn't pray so they panicked they didn't pray so they ran away under pressure.
The more we pray the more spiritual energy and boldness we will have to remain steadfast in God's will even under pressure.
51, 52. And that young man who remain nameless was none other than Mark the writer of this gospel; that's according to many scholars. Mark definitely had a shaky start as a follower of Christ and that's even seen later on in the book of acts but Mark hung in there and turned out to be a strong Christian man.
Failure is no reason to quit; many of you have probably heard how Thomas Edison failed about a thousand times in his attempt to create a light bulb before he finally got it right; it's good thing he didn't give up. Perseverance pays in our walk with Christ as well. Don't be quick to give up on yourself or for that matter others.
53. Jesus is now standing for the Jewish ruling council. Rome was in charge of Israel but they gave this counseled the power to handle crimes against the Jewish religion. By the way, this trial was illegal because it took place before sunrise. It was also a private, secret hearing, which was also illegal under Jewish law.
54. I think there was a battle raging inside of Peter. He wanted to keep his promise of not feeling Christ and yet he was afraid to be connected to Jesus. As a result, he seems to have struck a compromise at least with himself by following Jesus but only from a distance.
55. The religious rulers have things completely backwards. First they arrest Jesus and then they search diligently for some evidence against him.
Hatred and jealousy are driving these leaders. They will kill Christ; the fact that he is innocent doesn't bother them at all.
56. The religious leadership found several miserable lowlifes who agreed to give false witness against Christ. But they weren't smart enough to get together ahead of time to make sure there lies matched consequently their testimony was invalid.
57,58. If you have ever said something, and had it twisted and taken out of context and then used against you then you have experienced with Jesus experienced right here. For starters he never said that he would destroy any temple. He told his enemies to destroy his body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit and then he would raise it up after three days. So these witnesses were lying.
59. These religious rulers could not find two witnesses whose lies matched so they had to throw out the false testimony about Jesus destroying the temple also.
60. The high priest is getting frustrated because he can't find any false testimony that will work against Christ. Consequently he goes to plan B; he tries to intimidate Christ by standing up and saying why aren't you responding to all these accusations against you? What accusations? Do you mean all these lies that everyone in this room knows our lies? Why respond to them? The just meaningless babble senseless blather.
61a. People who lie do not deserve a response so Jesus didn't give them one. Since a liar obviously has contempt for the truth any truthful response to their lies is going to be rejected anyway so what's the point?
61, 62. In other words, you men are making a big mistake by doing this to me. You are attempting to kill the God who created you. Jesus is saying: someday I will return to this world that I have made and then you will know and by implication and then you will pay.
When Jesus returns it won't be as the mild-mannered Lamb of God. It will be as the sin judging, evil hating, condemnor of all who refuse to repent. And these high and mighty religious rulers are right at the top of the list.
63, 64. By saying he would be seated at the right hand of God and that he would return in the clouds they knew perfectly well that Jesus was claiming to be God. In their minds Jesus was guilty of blasphemy
and that was punishable by death. The only charge that stuck against Christ was that he claimed to be God which is the truth.
65. They blindfolded Jesus, punch him in the face, and marked his claim of being God by saying: Telus, who hit you? Then the officers of the high priest got in on it as well and they started slapping Jesus also. What amazes me is that God waited 40 years before sending the Roman army to destroy this bunch.
66. The trial of Jesus took place in the upper story of the high priest palace. That's why it's as Peter was below in the courtyard.
67. She knew she had seen Peter somewhere and then it hit her so she blurted out: you're one of his followers!
68. Peter was caught off guard and in a moment of panic he lied and denied Christ.
In a moment of panic it is possible for devoted Christians to say or do something that they will later regret. That's another reason to be prayed up because boldness will suppress panic under any circumstances.
69, 70. Peter is in a tough spot because more people are recognizing him. This is his big chance to make up for his first two denials.
Many times being used by God involves discomfort or us feeling some sort of pressure.
71. In other words he swore that he didn't know Christ. He actually lied under oath here. This one who was so dedicated to Christ is acting as if he's ashamed of Christ and right now he is. Right now Peter cares more about his popularity than he does his loyalty.
Anytime we sin we care more about ourselves than we do Jesus.
72. Peter was dedicated to Jesus and yet in this moment of weakness he failed him. He should have prayed earlier in the garden when he had a chance but he didn't; he failed Jesus in that as well. He felt terrible about all these things and he should and so should we as Christians when we sin and if we are Christians we will feel terrible.
A Christians sin will tear at them. On the other hand a non-Christian can sin and really not care at all.
Feel bad when you sin but do not feel bad because you feel bad. Feel good you feel bad because it's a sign that you are saved.
Chapter 15
1. The religious ruling council reached a decision which was never in doubt. They found Jesus guilty and worthy of execution even though they knew he was innocent.
1x. The Jews convicted Jesus of the religious crime of blasphemy but only the Roman government could execute someone and they would never do that for the crime of blasphemy. So the Jews will have to invent another crime that will cause Rome to execute Jesus.
2. Pilot was interested in Jesus's claim of being the king of the Jews. Claimant to be arrival came to Caesar would be treason and punishable by death.
3. Yes Jesus said nothing because he never did anything wrong in all their accusations were lies in its impossible to prove a negative so he just kept his mouth shut. Besides their lies were not worthy of a response.
By the way, if you stand for Jesus don't think it's strange if at some point you are falsely accused by those who do not like Jesus or the word of God. The world doesn't like to be uncomfortable in God's word has a habit of making ungodly impenitent sinners uncomfortable.
4. The hate of the religious rulers has exploded into a wild frenzy of lies and false charges pilot is shocked because Jesus isn't responding to them. Of course it didn't pay to respond because it doesn't pay to defend truth to those who know the truth but willfully reject it.
5. Pilot can't believe what's going on here: Jesus is facing the death penalty and he doesn't even try to defend himself. As always Jesus is the perfect picture of calm and self-control.
6. Pontius Pilate hated the Jews and they hated him right back. Of course pilot had some of that hatred coming because he enrage them several times and each time they rioted. Caesar did not like riots in his empire so to get on the good side of the Jews Pilate invented this law that once a year he would set a Jewish prisoner free, whichever one they chose.
7. Barabbas was an evil man worthy of execution because he was a convicted murderer. God commands his people to not have pity on murderers; God commands justice. Well the Jews will disregard the will of God with respect to that as well.
8. In other words, they want Pilate to let them pick a criminal to be released.
9. Pilot is mocking the Jews here. Remember Jesus had been beaten bloodied and so Pilate points to him and says do you want this king of the Jews to be released? No doubt he enjoyed calling someone that Rome had beaten nearly to death the king of the Jews.
9, 10. Pilot would love to release Jesus because he knew that the leadership envied him. He would love to put Jesus back into circulation if for no other reason than it would irk the religious rulers.
11. The religious rulers were very shrewd to do evil. They knew what buttons to push in order to turn the people against Jesus and they push them right here.
That is so much like the devil; the devil and his helpers know us very well and they know what buttons to push to get us out of the spirit and into our sinful flesh. In other words the devils know our weaknesses and they will exploit them with every opportunity we give them.
By the way, these are the same people who welcomed Jesus into town as their hero Messiah just a few days earlier.
When the word of God isn't a person's moral compass they will be all over the map, easily influenced by whatever catches their fancy.
12. The only thing that made sense to Pilate was to release Jesus. That's because the governor knew that he was innocent.
13. The religious rulers and actually all the Jews were supposed to be representatives of the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob: the one true God. They were supposed to be living testimonies to lost souls like Pontius Pilate that God is really God. Well I got news, no one will be interested in following God if those who are supposed to represent him are self-centered, petty, jealous, immoral sinners, like the religious rulers. What a horrible testimony they were to Pontius Pilate. What a terrible thing to do to God and to hell bound sinners who need him. Their behavior misrepresented the one true God who is our only hope and made him repulsive in the minds of hell bound sinners.
14. They didn't want to talk about Jesus's crimes because they knew he didn't commit any. As a result they get loud.
People who know they have no substance to their argument often get loud or go on the attack. That's what we see here.
15. Pilot was against crucifying Jesus but he wasn't against it enough to take a stand for justice and deny the Jews demand for Christ to be executed. Pilate was against crucifying Jesus but he knew that there might be a riot if he didn't and he also knew that one more riot may cost him his position. In other words, Pilate knew what was right and he didn't do what was right. He was the type who was in favor of doing right unless it made him uncomfortable. He did what was right unless it cost him something.
Hell will be filled with people like Pontius Pilate: people who didn't always do bad things but also didn't do the most important thing which is repent and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Do good? Sure, but don't make me feel uncomfortable by taking my pet sins away from me. Do good? Sure but don't ask me to follow Christ because that will make me uncomfortable and probably unpopular with some. So people like that choose to reject Christ in favor of their comfort in this life and then they spend forever and the flames of hell pain for their sins. It's not a question of if you will give up your comforts that come from sin; the question is when: now when you receive Christ and forgiveness and eternal life or in hell when you give up your sinful comforts for eternal torment; the choice is ours.
16, 17. He claimed to be a king so they mocked his claims by putting a purple robe and a crown of thorns on him. They will not show Jesus any mercy at all.
The Bible says judgment without mercy will be given those who show no mercy. If these men didn't at some time repent and receive Christ than they are experiencing hell without mercy right now.
18. They mocked his claims to being a king and here they mock him with phony worship. Come Judgment Day when they will be forced to bend their knee and worship to Jesus they will remember the day that they mocked him with this phony worship.
19, 20. I don't know how much pain a man can take but Jesus was certainly pushed to the limit for us. They drove the crown of thorns deep into his head when they smashed it with their clubs and then to add insult to injury they spit at him.
This would be a terrible thing if Jesus had been a guilty criminal. It would be worse if he was simply an innocent man falsely accused. But this is the innocent eternal son of God who never did anything but good for people. The only thing that amazes me more than their evil is the willingness of Jesus to put up with it; to put up with it in order to suffer and die for those very sins that are tormenting him as well as all other sins.
21. Simon was minding his own business when suddenly the Romans forced him to carry the cross. Jesus was no doubt very weak from nearly being beaten to death so there's no way that he's going to carry his cross all the way to Calvary. As a result, you have Simon, who didn't know it, but he was serving God by carrying the cross. To Simon it was just an unexpected interruption.
The unexpected interruptions that sometimes bother us, that sometimes even seem unfair are a part of God's sovereign plan and should be embraced by faith.
22-24. God doesn't go into detail about the horrors of the crucifixion. The people back then knew exactly how terrible it was because it was commonplace. The Romans crucified so many people that sometimes they would run out of crosses.
25. 9 AM is the time they nailed Jesus to the cross.
26. Pilot authorized the sign on the cross. He had always hated the Jews and he hated them even worse after they pressured him into executing Jesus. This sign was his way to say: hey Israel, look at I'm doing to your king.
27. Being crucified between two criminals just added to our Lord's humiliation. He died like a criminal for our crimes.
28-30. In other words, if you are God then prove it by doing exactly what we say. So, if God doesn't act the way they want than they won't believe in him? Well too bad, I guess they will just have to die in unbelief because no one challenges God to do anything. They especially won't get him off the cross when he is graciously paying for their sins and our sins as well.
By the way, God doesn't need to prove himself to anyone. He has already done that. The Bible says creation declares the glory of God and the Bible itself is the word of God. Both of those divine revelations speak volumes to anyone with an honest soul. God is not on trial people are.
31, 32. These leaders knew full well that Jesus had already done more miracles than could be counted. One more miracle isn't going to change their mind about Christ.
There comes a point when God says enough is enough; you either repent or you don't.
33. From noon until three the brightest time of the day it was dark. And no it wasn't an eclipse of the sun either. There was a full moon and you can't have an eclipse of the sun during a full moon. There is no natural explanation for this; this was the father turning the lights off as his son paid for our sins.
34. The father broke fellowship with his son while he was pain for our sins. The Bible says that Jesus became sin for us. Those who think that they can go to their grave in sin, unforgiven through Jesus Christ and still make it to heaven better take a good look at this. If God broke fellowship with his son when he bore our sin then God certainly will not allow any impenitent sinner into his presence after they die.
35,36. They did not give Jesus a drink out of compassion; they just wanted to prolong his life to prolong their morbid entertainment. They're hoping to see Elijah come back and rescue Christ; that'll really tickle them.
37, 38. The thick heavy veil that took several men to hang and could never be ripped by the power of man; that veil which separated God from man, illustrating how sin had separated man from God; that veil was ripped by the hand of God to show that the death of his son opened the way into his presence. Sin had been paid for by Jesus and it was paid for when he died on the cross. He did not have to go to hell and defeat the devil in hand-to-hand combat like the word of faith heretics teach. The veil ripped the moment he died! The way was made open the moment he died! The victory over hell and the devil was accomplished after he suffered and died! Jesus said it is finished then he died and that veil ripped immediately opening the way for us to enter into the presence of God. The victory was won by Jesus on the cross.
39. Here was an honest man, honest enough to confess is God.
If you read the four Gospels and observe Jesus objectively, honestly, you will come to the same conclusion. All the evidence , his impeccable character and sinless behavior, his countless miracles, his teaching, his loving unselfish demeanor on the cross, the unexplainable darkness that covered the land from noon until three and the earthquake that took place the moment that he died all testify to the fact that Jesus is God and this Roman soldier was honest enough to admit it.
40,41. These ladies had supported our Lord's ministry and they proved their loyalty by staying near during his suffering.
Good Christians are loyal to Jesus even when it's difficult. They can be counted on when there's nothing in it for them except an opportunity to show their devotion.
42, 43. There were many bad religious rulers; Joseph was a good one. He had been a secret follower of Jesus but it's no secret anymore. After seeing what his fellow leaders did to Christ he doesn't care what they think of him; he goes public for Jesus.
A secret follower of Christ will at some point stop hiding; if they don't then you're not a real Christian. Jesus said if you deny me before men that I will deny you before my father.
44. Crucifixion was designed to be a slow, torturous death. Some lingered for a couple of days. Most lived a lot longer than Jesus but most were not beaten like he had been either.
44-47. The Mary's watched where Jesus was laid so they could return after the Sabbath on Sunday morning and anoint his body.
Chapter 16
1,2. They came to anoint his body but there was a problem: his body wasn't there. They bought the spices they spent good money on perfumes to anoint the dead body of Jesus but there was no dead body. They should have saved their money, and they would have saved their money if they had believed the word of God. If they had believed the words of Jesus when he said that he would come back on day three they would not have wasted their money.
Unbelief always cost us something. We can disbelieve the word of God if we want to but somehow someway it's going to cost us something. It may cost us time or money; unbelief and sin certainly will cost us a wasted life; it will most certainly be something because God is not mocked and he doesn't like it when we don't believe him; it dishonors him and there will be a price to pay.
3. Most probably would have thought about that multi toned stone before they bought the spices and headed for the tomb. But not these ladies; they were driven by the devotion to Christ; somehow someway it would work out; that's what they thought.
Do what you believe God wants you to do and trust him to remove any obstacles that may pop up along the way which he will do if they indeed stand in the way of his plans and purposes for you.
4. The women went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. Well I guess it wasn't God's will for them to anoint the body, but it was his will for them to see the empty tomb. As a result, the rock was removed for them, not to let Jesus out but to let them see that he was already out.
If there is something that God wants us to do then he will make a way for us to do it. It's important to do what we can to show good faith but God will make the way and remove all obstacles.
5. The young man was an angel. He is there to explain why the tomb is empty.
6. If God was ruled by our faith or lack of faith as some heretics teach today then Jesus never would have been raised because no one, including these ladies, his closest followers, believed him when he said he would come back.
7. Jesus told the angel to make sure to mention Peter by name. He knew Peter felt bad about denying him so he bent over backwards to give him some extra attention.
God doesn't kick his children when they are down; he encourages them through his kind words of mercy and forgiveness. He doesn't want you to feel bad or guilty after you confess your sin and have repented; he wants you to forget the past and know that he has received you back and things are normal as they were before you committed sin.
8. They were excited, terrified, and astonished all at the same time. They were so charged up that they were oblivious to anyone that they met on the way. They didn't say anything to anyone they just kept running.
When we connect with God in some way other things just don't seem to be as important as they once were. When we connect with God our definition of important changes dramatically.
9, 10. Three days after his brutal murder his followers are still crying. Jesus had been their life for the last 3+ years; how could something so horrible happened to one who was so good?
11. Sometimes people ask: why did Jesus pick these 12 men to be his apostles? I don't know why he didn't but I do know that Jesus did not pick these men because they were super saints full of faith I can tell you that much. They had the report of all the ladies who saw the angel. They had the report of Mary who actually saw and touched Jesus. And most importantly they had the promise of Christ himself that he would return on day three and yet they still didn't believe that he was actually raised from the dead.
12, 13. By the time these two men finished talking with Jesus they knew that it was him. They really couldn't wait to tell the rest of the disciples, but the disciples didn't believe these two men either.
14. God does not expect us to believe everything people tell us. However, when someone's testimony agrees with the word of God as was the case here then he expects us to believe.
15. Jesus is the only way to heaven! Anybody who doesn't say that as a heretic! Anybody who doesn't teach that is a cult leader! Anybody who doesn't believe that is a liar or a fool or at best ignorant but they should keep their mouth shut until they know what they're talking about especially in matters of eternal life. Jesus is the only way to heaven if that wasn't true he never would've told us to take the message of salvation through him to everyone in the entire world. He didn't say going tell as many as you can but take your time and don't worry about it because there are many different ways to get to heaven.
16. The word of God assumes that if one truly believes that they will take the next step and that's to be baptized. If your saved then baptism is the most natural thing in the world because you want to be identified with your Savior and that's what baptism is all about.
17, 18. Jesus is not saying: if you don't do these things and you're not really a Christian; he's not saying that. However if you read about the early church in the book of acts you will see that the apostles confirmed the message of salvation through Jesus Christ by experiencing these sorts of things.
.
19. The right hand of God is the place of authority. The Bible is saying that Jesus is in charge of the world. He holds the keys to death and hell. Jesus opens the doors that no one can shut and he shuts the doors that no one can open. Bible says that God works all things after the counsel of his own will.
20. The gospel doesn't need to be confirmed by miracles today because it already has been confirmed by the miracles recorded in the Bible. Now it's just a matter of people believing what the word of God says. And remember what Jesus said: he said if someone doesn't believe the word of God than they won't believe even if someone does a miracle.
1,2. They came to anoint his body but there was a problem: his body wasn't there. They bought the spices they spent good money on perfumes to anoint the dead body of Jesus but there was no dead body. They should have saved their money, and they would have saved their money if they had believed the word of God. If they had believed the words of Jesus when he said that he would come back on day three they would not have wasted their money.
Unbelief always cost us something. We can disbelieve the word of God if we want to but somehow someway it's going to cost us something. It may cost us time or money; unbelief and sin certainly will cost us a wasted life; it will most certainly be something because God is not mocked and he doesn't like it when we don't believe him; it dishonors him and there will be a price to pay.
3. Most probably would have thought about that multi toned stone before they bought the spices and headed for the tomb. But not these ladies; they were driven by the devotion to Christ; somehow someway it would work out; that's what they thought.
Do what you believe God wants you to do and trust him to remove any obstacles that may pop up along the way which he will do if they indeed stand in the way of his plans and purposes for you.
4. The women went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. Well I guess it wasn't God's will for them to anoint the body, but it was his will for them to see the empty tomb. As a result, the rock was removed for them, not to let Jesus out but to let them see that he was already out.
If there is something that God wants us to do then he will make a way for us to do it. It's important to do what we can to show good faith but God will make the way and remove all obstacles.
5. The young man was an angel. He is there to explain why the tomb is empty.
6. If God was ruled by our faith or lack of faith as some heretics teach today then Jesus never would have been raised because no one, including these ladies, his closest followers, believed him when he said he would come back.
7. Jesus told the angel to make sure to mention Peter by name. He knew Peter felt bad about denying him so he bent over backwards to give him some extra attention.
God doesn't kick his children when they are down; he encourages them through his kind words of mercy and forgiveness. He doesn't want you to feel bad or guilty after you confess your sin and have repented; he wants you to forget the past and know that he has received you back and things are normal as they were before you committed sin.
8. They were excited, terrified, and astonished all at the same time. They were so charged up that they were oblivious to anyone that they met on the way. They didn't say anything to anyone they just kept running.
When we connect with God in some way other things just don't seem to be as important as they once were. When we connect with God our definition of important changes dramatically.
9, 10. Three days after his brutal murder his followers are still crying. Jesus had been their life for the last 3+ years; how could something so horrible happened to one who was so good?
11. Sometimes people ask: why did Jesus pick these 12 men to be his apostles? I don't know why he didn't but I do know that Jesus did not pick these men because they were super saints full of faith I can tell you that much. They had the report of all the ladies who saw the angel. They had the report of Mary who actually saw and touched Jesus. And most importantly they had the promise of Christ himself that he would return on day three and yet they still didn't believe that he was actually raised from the dead.
12, 13. By the time these two men finished talking with Jesus they knew that it was him. They really couldn't wait to tell the rest of the disciples, but the disciples didn't believe these two men either.
14. God does not expect us to believe everything people tell us. However, when someone's testimony agrees with the word of God as was the case here then he expects us to believe.
15. Jesus is the only way to heaven! Anybody who doesn't say that as a heretic! Anybody who doesn't teach that is a cult leader! Anybody who doesn't believe that is a liar or a fool or at best ignorant but they should keep their mouth shut until they know what they're talking about especially in matters of eternal life. Jesus is the only way to heaven if that wasn't true he never would've told us to take the message of salvation through him to everyone in the entire world. He didn't say going tell as many as you can but take your time and don't worry about it because there are many different ways to get to heaven.
16. The word of God assumes that if one truly believes that they will take the next step and that's to be baptized. If your saved then baptism is the most natural thing in the world because you want to be identified with your Savior and that's what baptism is all about.
17, 18. Jesus is not saying: if you don't do these things and you're not really a Christian; he's not saying that. However if you read about the early church in the book of acts you will see that the apostles confirmed the message of salvation through Jesus Christ by experiencing these sorts of things.
.
19. The right hand of God is the place of authority. The Bible is saying that Jesus is in charge of the world. He holds the keys to death and hell. Jesus opens the doors that no one can shut and he shuts the doors that no one can open. Bible says that God works all things after the counsel of his own will.
20. The gospel doesn't need to be confirmed by miracles today because it already has been confirmed by the miracles recorded in the Bible. Now it's just a matter of people believing what the word of God says. And remember what Jesus said: he said if someone doesn't believe the word of God than they won't believe even if someone does a miracle.