John Chapter 19

• John 19:1-42 NLTse Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. (2) The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. (3) “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped him across the face. (4) Pilate went outside again and said to the people, “I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty.” (5) Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Look, here is the man!” (6) When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” “Take him yourselves and crucify him,” Pilate said. “I find him not guilty.” (7) The Jewish leaders replied, “By our law he ought to die because he called himself the Son of God.” (8) When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever. (9) He took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked him, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave no answer. (10) “Why don’t you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?” (11) Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.” (12) Then Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders shouted, “If you release this man, you are no ‘friend of Caesar.’ Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar.” (13) When they said this, Pilate brought Jesus out to them again. Then Pilate sat down on the judgment seat on the platform that is called the Stone Pavement (in Hebrew, Gabbatha). (14) It was now about noon on the day of preparation for the Passover. And Pilate said to the people, “Look, here is your king!” (15) “Away with him,” they yelled. “Away with him! Crucify him!” “What? Crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the leading priests shouted back. (16) Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus away. (17) Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). (18) There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. (19) And Pilate posted a sign over him that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” (20) The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it. (21) Then the leading priests objected and said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.'” (22) Pilate replied, “No, what I have written, I have written.” (23) When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. (24) So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it. This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did. (25) Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. (26) When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” (27) And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home. (28) Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” (29) A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. (30) When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit. (31) It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was the Passover). So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down. (32) So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. (33) But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. (34) One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. (35) (This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also can believe.) (36) These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,” (37) and “They will look on the one they pierced.” (38) Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. (39) With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. (40) Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. (41) The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. (42) And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

  When we look back at the theme in the previous chapter, it’s impossible not to see how it not only continues in chapter 19, but provided an illustration even the basest people in the world will see. We have three main factions represented by Pilate, the priests, and Jesus as a contrast. Which one had to carry the cross?

  That’s a theme carried throughout the world everyday. It is repeated by every class in every society. It doesn’t matter what language people speak, their color, not even their income matters. The world views spirituality as a weakness and will take advantage of it any way they can.

  The previous chapter showed how Satan is behind all those deceptions, trials, pain, suffering, and sins. Let’s call it what it is, sin. We had to look all the way back to chapter 13 to find Satan on the scene. The theme is also explained in Revelation 13, the only chapter in that book that does not begin in Heaven. John showed how Satan will hide. He hides behind idols and obvious deceptions. John must have been thinking about that experience he went through during Jesus’ trials when he wrote this chapter in his Gospel. Turn back a few chapters from Revelation 13 to see what the real issue is. The main theme in previous chapters in Revelation is worship. Look at those chapters for yourself. Most of them begin with worshiping God at His throne, and Jesus for His sacrifice. You have to turn back one chapter from Revelation 13 to see Satan is behind all the false forms of worship Satan has introduced. And there are many forms of false worship he loves to hide behind.

  Consider the parable of the camel through the eye of a needle. Why is it, poor people can understand, but rich people cannot see? When we look at the previous stories to see how Jesus taught children and talked about the womb, we can see how Jesus pointed to the only time God can fit a camel through the eye of a needle. At conception. Jesus told the man he had to sell everything. It wasn’t money and riches that condemn people, it is everything they learn from this world. The more money you accumulate by learning the tricks of the trade from this world, the more you have to forget. A rich man has to forget everything he learned. He has to return to a state long before he was a child so he can begin to learn what is right and what is wrong.

  Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer. How long will you people ruin my reputation? How long will you make groundless accusations? How long will you continue your lies? You can be sure of this: The LORD set apart the godly for himself. The LORD will answer when I call to him. Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent. Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the LORD. Many people say, “Who will show us better times?” Let your face smile on us, LORD. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe. (Psalms 4:1-8 NLTse).

  We can see how David saw how people plot against each other because he saw people plotting against himself. He saw people trying to ruin his reputation using lies, and everything they could to tear him down. Once you make a stand with God, you’ll see the same thing. Keep in mind, that process didn’t begin the day you gave your heart to Jesus. The enemy will try to convince you God is the cause of all your problems. But listen to God’s voice instead of the enemy. Once you learn to listen to God’s voice, you’ll see how those people ruining your reputation with lies were around long before you turned to God. The only difference is, you are more aware of them. If your wise and honest with yourself, you’ll see God’s Spirit showing how you were a part of that process, how you lied, ruined reputations, broke a few laws to gain an advantage, or tried to keep place with the competition. The first steps are the most difficult. You can’t see any way things will work out if you stopped cheating and lying. Satan will marshal his forces in ways you never imagined. Let me give you a bit of advise. As long as you waver between two worlds and compromise, your gonna see a world of problems ahead. Your going to miss a lot of the lessons and new ways God is teaching. Your not going to miss a lot of the doors God is opening for you. But the quicker you learn to listen to God, the quicker you can make a come back. And remember, God’s blessing will be manifold, which means, they will reach out in new directions people never imagined. Your new blessings and gifts are meant to be shared.

  Learn to listen to God’s small voice in your thoughts. It shouldn’t be difficult to recognize new people God placed in your life to encourage and help guide you. Also stay in God’s Word to the best of your ability and strive to expand that ability. Concentrate on at least one type of daily Bible Study, at least a simple reading. You’ll soon see how God uses His Word to reach, guide, and confirm. You’ll learn the role and definition of each. You’ll learn when a message is for you or when it’s meant to deliver or share with another. Maybe you’ll have a dream. If you know only God can provide its interpretation, He may use that channel to communicate. When your memory brings back vivid scenes, treat it like a vision and keep it in mind as you compare it to your present situation and what your reading from the Bible that week. Always rest assured, God’s is always watching over you and knows everything that will happen long before you see it happen.

  I actually opened up to Psalms ch 4 this morning. It was the next chapter in my daily reading of the Bible. It seemed to be the words I needed that day. I have the bank trying to take my house while I am in the process of selling it. Another agent showed my house, but insisted the buyer may get a better price if they wait for the bank to foreclose. Is that the type of Christian support one licensed agent should give to another, or to a customer? Teaching people how to use the law to pressure people? My house is priced $50,000 below market value, but agents insist they can get a better price. How do they know? If an investor buys the house, do you think the investor will sell it for less than market value? Some times the lack of common sense amazes me.

  A little later in the day, one of the companies I work for called me and I was fired. I list construction equipment on their Internet site for companies selling equipment. It has been a great way to meet and network with company owners who happen to have a need to buy or sell Real Estate. I’m not sure what the equipment advertising company had in mind. They beat around the bush. But I didn’t need an answer from them. God already provided the answer. God gave me Psalms chapter 4.

  As a matter of fact, later that day I had an appointment to meet with a pastor to look at some properties. He started an organization to network with small businesses, ministries, and organizations offering all kinds of different services. God told me the year 2015 is the year to put ministry first and business second. I can still network with the list of businesses I’ve been working with and branch out to network with more while working with that pastor. We need all kinds of contractors in the Real Estate phase of the project. We will also network with local businesses for job placement and training. God closed one door but opened up a dozen. All I could do is praise the Lord.

  How does all that apply to Jesus being sent to the cross? We have to look at this chapter. When we look at key words, we can’t help but see how crucified stands out above the rest. It is the central focus in the middle of this chapter. In the beginning of the chapter, Jesus was mocked. At the end of chapter 18, a crowd of people rejected Jesus for a convicted thief. A lot of sermons have been written and preached on those individual subjects, but here we have to ask, what do those events have in common?

  We could use the method of the five W’s. Who, what, when, where, and why. But I am only looking at who for the moment. All of those events focused on Jesus. Now we have to ask why. What do they have in common? Each of them were designed to discourage Jesus. Deeper yet, they were meant to test Jesus’ trust in scripture and God’s Spirit. Jesus had the choice to either trust 100% or be like the rest of us.

  God gave me one example to share. I’m sure you have your own. The first spiritual gift is communication with God. What good are any of the other gifts without communication? God will use a number of methods to confirm His message. We just have to learn to listen, and compare the events much like we do when studying the Bible. Time to study this chapter.

  • The Purple Robe

    John 19:1-8 NLTse Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. (2) The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. (3) “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped him across the face. (4) Pilate went outside again and said to the people, “I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty.” (5) Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Look, here is the man!” (6) When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” “Take him yourselves and crucify him,” Pilate said. “I find him not guilty.” (7) The Jewish leaders replied, “By our law he ought to die because he called himself the Son of God.” (8) When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever.

    How do you divide this story into sections? I’m not sure. I hope I chose the proper sections. The good news is, we always have the opportunity to go back and review the previous section until we see the stories blending together and relate to each other.

    One of the words or phrases we see repeated in the introduction is, purple robe. To me this showed how the guards mocked Jesus. I know a lot of people like to point out, purple represents royalty in the Bible. They’ll say, “look, they used the word king.” That may be true but the way John recorded the story, he showed us how Jesus was mocked. People are gonna ask how I determined the context. I hear this all the time. People are stuck on what they know and they would rather argue every point and detail they know instead of trying to learn anything new. It’s kinda the old, “if the Spirit didn’t tell me, there’s no way it could be true,” syndrome. Which is the same attitude that made those religious leaders mistrust Jesus. As far as those religious leaders were concerned, the guy insulted them and God would never do that. Jesus sent a leper He healed to the religious leaders as a testimony or announcement to begin His ministry. A lot of people thought that was a great way of getting started, but the religious leaders didn’t agree.

    How do we prove we’re examining this chapter, and that color purple in context? One of the things I like to do is review a definition of context. In simple terms, context is the sequence of sentences around a word or phrase that explain its meaning. Does the word king explain the color purple? The world king does not define the color purple any more than those soldiers honored Christ as their King. There should be no doubt, those soldiers were making fun of Jesus. That was their goal. They thought of it as part of the job, or a benefit.

    Let’s dig a little deeper into context. The previous story showed the crowd chose Barabbas over Jesus. Were they honoring or dishonoring Jesus? What about the line or sentence after the word purple was repeated? Pilate presented Jesus and the priests shouted, “crucify Him.” Were they honoring Jesus as their King? Then were do people come up with the interpretation, purple represents royalty? It may in other parts of the Bible, but here in John chapter 19, those soldiers are using that purple robe to mock Jesus.

    We may want to check the summation to see if it agrees. Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. (41) The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. (42) And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

    The summation presented a different group of people who did honor Jesus by placing His body in a tomb. We have a contrast between the introduction and summation. What does that tell us about the entire chapter?

    Whenever we see contrasts used in the introduction and summation in a chapter, we can expect to see contrasts within the chapter. Contrasts are often more difficult for people to see and learn from. God often teaches in contrasts, so He placed this guide, or red flag within chapters throughout the Bible. This emphasizes the importance of the introduction and summations. Not only do those establish the context of the chapter, they also provide a clue to the writing style and how lessons are presented.

    This gives us a clue or hint telling what to look for in this chapter. We can’t help but see a contrast between those soldiers and the few people who placed Jesus’ body in that tomb. We have to look at more of the overall story before we comment on those contrasts.

    We also see another important phrase repeated. “I find Him not guilty.” Because we looked at the introduction and summation, we should have our radar screens up and of course ears open to God’s Spirit tapping us on the shoulder to show another contrast. Look at the first sentence in this chapter. Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. How can a guy whip a person half to death then say he’s not guilty? Is that a contrast or what? This revealed a portion of Pilate’s personality John wanted us to see as well as understand. It will reveal another contrast later in the chapter.

    That crown of thorns is also repeated. Another symbol that John focused on to show how they mocked Jesus. It makes me wonder how the religious world turned that crown of thorns and purple robe into icons of worship when John identified them as symbols a few soldiers used to mock Jesus. Could it be John knew those things were going to be used to confuse people, or limit their understanding of Jesus. On a spiritual level, those items are still used today to mock Jesus, because the focus is placed on a few insignificant material items, then shifts to a few individuals trying to make themselves look important while Jesus, who should be the real focus of this story takes a backseat.

    Looking back at Pilate, the previous chapter showed Jesus told him, he had all the witnesses he needed. Pilate heard all those reports about Jesus, but didn’t know what or how to believe. When we see how Pilate had Jesus whipped, then said He was not guilty, we can’t help but see a pattern formed which explains a problem in religion today.

    People, including preachers and teachers know a lot of things about Jesus. They know a lot of things about those stores, or at least attempt to appear they know a lot. They know how to dazzle people with a few little details on some of those material items in those stores. But do they really know Jesus? Are they able to stand up and provide a public testimony of what Jesus did for them? Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.” (Luke 5:13-14 NLTse).

    I think those people need to go back, find out what spiritual message was sent out when Jesus cleansed that leper, and then they might be ready to do their jobs. Look at that story. Who did Jesus send that leper to? The priests. Shouldn’t priests know the answer, if they are qualified to preach?

    What good is it to preach about a few material objects if your unable to send people to the One who is able to reveal the spiritual meaning of every symbol in the Bible because He wrote the book, or collection of books? Christianity today is like taking one page out of the biggest reference book in the universe and convincing people, they should be happy with that single page. Until every Christian finds out how to get back to the original source, Jesus and the Spirit He sent, we are all going to remain confused, blind, and naked because we are never going to be on the same page without direct communication with Jesus.

    About the only subject Christians are able to agree on is the theory about some kind of world order who is going to unit the world against what they refer to as God’s church. I have no idea where they get that from. But if Satan was going to make a deception to make sure people remained divided and ignorant, and battling one another instead of him, that would be a good start.

  • Here is Your King

    John 19:9-15 NLTse He took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked him, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave no answer. (10) “Why don’t you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?” (11) Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.” (12) Then Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders shouted, “If you release this man, you are no ‘friend of Caesar.’ Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar.” (13) When they said this, Pilate brought Jesus out to them again. Then Pilate sat down on the judgment seat on the platform that is called the Stone Pavement (in Hebrew, Gabbatha). (14) It was now about noon on the day of preparation for the Passover. And Pilate said to the people, “Look, here is your king!” (15) “Away with him,” they yelled. “Away with him! Crucify him!” “What? Crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the leading priests shouted back.

    We’ve developed, or noticed a trend in key words. The first one I noticed is, JESUS. This story is about HIM. Why concentrate and try to impress people with a few material items in a story when the main character is the only one who can save you? John also repeated the word power? Lets see who said what. That is part of learning context. Pilate thought he had the power to release Jesus or crucify Jesus. What was Jesus’ response? “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.” What direction did Jesus point Pilate and us? Jesus told Pilate where real power comes from. Jesus used words Pilate could understand. Not the type of argument people today would use with a Pagan. They would try to explain everything they knew about God. In other words try to impress them. Jesus talked to Pilate the way He did because Jesus understood him.

    The next subject Jesus addressed was were the greater sin lead. Jesus introduced two points for Pilate to consider. God’s Spirit always works this way. Pilate had to consider the source. That was the easy part. Pilate was also pointed back to what we identified as the main point to consider in this chapter, the contrasts. Pilate had to take a few minutes to look at and compare witnesses, those priests, other reports Pilate received, and the man standing in front of him.

    We see the word release repeated and another contrast. Pilate wanted to release Jesus. He tried to release Jesus, but the priests wouldn’t cooperate. Another clear contrast. We see conflicting personalities. How does this apply to Christians today? We have people with one view of Jesus, scripture, prophecies, doctrines, you name it, people have different opinions on it. Some are constantly in conflict with people who don’t agree on every single solitary point. They would rather die than give in on a single point, or allow another Christian to have an opposing view. What they are really doing is the same thing they love to do with those material items. They use their views, opinions, beliefs, doctrines, traditions, ideas on prophecies, and everything they can image to create separation from Jesus. They will not allow Jesus or His Spirit to work in any person’s life, or their church until they convince God’s Spirit it is either their way or the highway. They won’t allow Jesus to be released in the church or in society. They would rather be friends with Caesar, and make him their king than see God’s Spirit work in individual lives. They believe any spiritual work beyond their control is a risk.

    I get a lump in my throat every time I see or think about this story and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why every Christian can’t understand this story, accept it, and learn from scripture where these stores point to and how they are related. We see the word Passover again. John repeated the date so there would be no excuse for anyone to miss it. What does the Passover mean to you? What do you remember about that first Passover and how does it relate to the day Jesus died?

    You can read the entire story In Exodus chapter 14 for yourself. Pay attention to verse 4. Don’t be lazy, read it. I am not going to copy any of the texts and do your work for you. If you want to review that story with God’s Spirit and learn to communicate with Him, that would be great. If you choose to be lazy, that’s your choice.

    Okay are you back? What did you learn by reviewing that story in Exodus 12? No that wasn’t a mistake. I didn’t mislead you. I wanted you to see Exodus 14:4 so your in the proper mind set to review Exodus chapter 12. Did it work? Did you see God’s glory in both those chapters? If you did, your ready to see the link to John chapter 19. If you didn’t read those chapters, close this book, delete it, your a lost cause. Your going to wander through life looking for easy answers and trying to impress people like you know everything. Look in the mirror if you want to see what caused God’s Spirit to leave the church and many of the people in this world.

    Exodus 12 showed us a lot of details about the Passover and what it pointed to. Jesus of course. Just like His name is repeated throughout this chapter, He is in the Passover. His blood protected the first born. Now doesn’t that seem like a strange statement? Think about that. We have this festival described in a chapter that tells us the blood protected the first born. What about the rest of us? Are we wasting our time? Should we just give up? Based on the way a lot of people read the Bible, that showed what many people walk away with, a tiny bit of the information. I’ll bet you didn’t know how to look at scripture to see God has a way of drawing attention to a list of subjects when most people only see one or two.

    The sacrifice and blood are a few of the links between that first and last Passover. The death of the spiritual first born is another. We covered that earlier in this book, but it is worth repeating.

    “Dedicate to me every firstborn among the Israelites. The first offspring to be born, of both humans and animals, belongs to me.” (Exodus 13:2 NLTse)

    “Look, I have chosen the Levites from among the Israelites to serve as substitutes for all the firstborn sons of the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me, for all the firstborn males are mine. On the day I struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both of people and of animals. They are mine; I am the LORD.” (Numbers 3:12-13 NLTse)

    At first God chose all the firstborn sons to be His. Later He changed His mind and choose only the firstborn sons of the Levites. What did the Levites represent? The priests. Which firstborn sons died on that last Passover? I should ask, based on John chapter 19, which firstborn sons weren’t protected by the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice? The answer should be obvious.

    So why repeat that lesson here? Do you think I like repeating myself? What about God’s Spirit? Do you think He likes repeating Himself? Don’t you think Jesus could have made everything clear in a much shorter book, or collection of books? Why were so many details repeated in those four gospels. I could be, God knows He’s dealing with a bunch of dumb sheep. Or it could be His way of showing how much He cares. Or both. Can we call it love? Don’t you repeat words to show the one you love how much you love them? Or are you the type of person who thinks saying it once is enough for one lifetime?

    If you read this whole book, I hope you noticed how much I’ve stressed the power or repetition. God used it throughout His book. Look for those patterns. And talk to God about it. I can show you another one. The Passover or date is repeated in this chapter. What does that tell you? Did you read Exodus chapter 12? Did you see a date there? How many days did the family have to spend with that lamb? Look at it, I’m not going to tell you. I refuse to rob God’s Spirit. What does that tell you? Now think for a while.

    Did you find it? Did God’s Spirit tap you on the shoulder or knock you on the head? Look back a few chapters. Did John record a whole bunch of road signs like, three days before the Passover, and others? Are you getting the point? What did Jesus teach over those days? You should remember what Jesus taught a few hours before He was arrested. We covered those chapters in detail. Go over them with God’s Spirit and show how small and insignificant I really am. Look at the other Gospels and look at what Jesus taught over those few days when the family was supposed to spend time getting to know that lamb. What do those lessons tell you? Can you see the Spirit in that Lamb? Don’t be lazy – LOOK!!!!! The choice is yours. You can look upon your King, or crucify Him.

  • The Cross

    John 19:16-22 NLTse Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus away. (17) Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). (18) There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. (19) And Pilate posted a sign over him that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” (20) The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it. (21) Then the leading priests objected and said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.'” (22) Pilate replied, “No, what I have written, I have written.”

    In this portion of John chapter 19, we see the key word cross repeated twice, and once more later in this chapter. That is another icon Christians like to place special emphasis on. I’m not sure why. I’m not sure who said it, but someone questioned why Christians decorate their churches with images of a fallen, beaten dying, or dead Savior, but have little evidence of a risen King. I tend to agree.

    We see Jesus repeated more often than any other name of word in this chapter. Shouldn’t the emphasis be on Him? Then we see the word crucified repeated a number of times. That has been and emphasis with some people, but many times people use the word cross to describe what Jesus went through. Is that a sign of respect or a way of desensitizing what Jesus had to suffer? When we look at this chapter based on general rules of context, John placed the main theme in the introduction where he recorded Jesus’ encounter with the whip at the hands of Roman soldiers. The summation told about His burial. In between we see the word crucified repeated more than any of the other key words outside of Jesus.

    Then there is a shift in focus, the word written. John added details about that sign Pilate had written. Why? Not many people comment on that sign. But what’s the message from the Spirit? That sign was like a death warrant for Pilate. But like we’ve learned in the last chapter, we can’t judge, but we can look at the evidence.

    Pilate couldn’t make up his mind. He tried passing off responsibility. That didn’t work. But Pilate’s mind was open and Jesus gave him a lot to think about. Those were all factors leading to that sign. Jesus tried as hard as He could to reach Pilate as well as those priests, and everyone in that crowd who cried out against Him. Other gospels showed how God’s Spirit talked to Pilate’s wife in a dream and she warned Pilate. All four gospels showed how many times Jesus sent the priests back to scripture and God’s Spirit. Jesus healed thousands of people in public as well as taught a number of lessons and parables. Those parables were designed to send people back to scripture and God’s Spirit to find and understand their interpretations. What more could Jesus have done?

  • Divided His Clothes

    John 19:23-24 NLTse When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. (24) So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it. This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did.

    This section of the story introduced something unusual. We haven’t seen an established pattern in this chapter, but an unusual blend of short stories in a particular sequence. Each of these stories seems to bring out items that some how draw our attention away from Jesus onto those materials. In this portion of the story, the focus is on Jesus’ clothing. This small section contains some unusual literary construction. While John used four words related to clothing, not one of the key words is repeated. We also notice another contrast. John began by pointing out, they divided His clothing. But they didn’t tear His robe. There has to be some spiritual meaning and lesson behind this clothing. Where does it point?

    When we look at how the world views Jesus’ clothing, His robe of righteous usually comes to mind. I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels. The Sovereign LORD will show his justice to the nations of the world. Everyone will praise him! His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, with plants springing up everywhere (Isaiah 61:10-11 NLTse).

    When we look at the introduction of Isaiah 61, we see an obvious connection. The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory. (Isaiah 61:1-3 NLTse).

    I have to cover a very important point in this story. As I’m writing this, I am as amazed as I’m sure you are in the direction this lesson is heading. I never compared the introduction of Isaiah 61 to those verses about the robe of righteousness. But once I looked at them, there was no doubt there is a link between Isaiah 61 and John chapter 19.

    I have to be honest. My mind was more or less fixed on another piece of cloth, the one they buried Jesus in. Some people look at that burial cloth like it has some kind of mystical power. I remember seeing a movie about Jesus’ robe. In that movie they placed some type of mystical power on His robe. Much like the purple robe, crown of thorns, and other icons in this chapter, more emphasis is placed on those items than the main character in this story, Jesus.

    I can’t help but keep thinking about how much emphasis is placed on Jesus suffering on the cross and His death and so little placed on what happened after His resurrection. I have no idea why. Luke told us darkness covered the land for about three hours as Jesus hung on that cross. I studied that word darkness and found some interesting details. The ark Noah built was covered in black tar. Look at the KJV of that story where you’ll see the word pitch repeated a number of times. This is another example showing, when God repeats Himself, we better pay attention. The word pitch in the original Hebrew language is one of the most unusual words you’ll find in scripture. It has two meanings. In the story about Noah’s ark it is translated pitch or tar. Everywhere else it is translated, a redemption price.

    Another place we find darkness is at the beginning of Genesis. Before creation began, darkness covered the earth. It was covered in water and God’s Spirit covered the entire world. There are a ton of illustrations where God used darkness to illustrate or announce a new beginning. Look at the story with Nicodemus. Didn’t Jesus tell Nicodemus there would be total darkness before he would understand? Jesus told Nicodemus he had to be born again. Get it?

    Getting back to those garments. We see how the world looks at them in different ways much like the world views Jesus’ death on the cross. Many people and religions are stuck at the cross. It is almost like those nails in Jesus’ hands and feet show how people will be forever nailed to a cross. Never moving. Never getting anywhere. Now that I think of it, people had to take Jesus down. They had to go up on that cross and pull those nails out by hand. They had to feel the blood and get a little on themselves.

    Another way of looking at it is, people are stuck in the dark, they never learned how to move into the light. In the dark they came up with the simple answer the world likes. Jesus died. He rose from the dead. We are forgiven. Let’s wait for His return. Okay….. that is simple, but what happens in the mean time? They have an answer for that. Sit in the pew, drop in a few coins, and listen to us. Umm…. what happened to those letters from Paul. Oh ya, I know. A few verses are used to create a few new doctrines. That’s about it. Hardly anyone knows the stories in those books. Seems like no one can find the order of worship Paul outlined for all Christian meetings, or find what type of worship John warned us to look out for.

    I’ve seen a lot of people who are convinced Paul’s letters are confusing and difficult to understand. And I know why. Bits and pieces of Paul’s letters have been taken out, used to write a series of doctrines, and those doctrines don’t agree with what Paul wrote. That’s a nice way of saying they took scripture out of context. The same is true with Daniel and especially the book of Revelation. People have been brain washed into thinking one or two texts mean this or that. But the human interpretation doesn’t fit the story and lesson those few texts were taken from. So those teachers insist the Bible is a mysterious book that takes a special education to understand. Now for the connection between modern Bible Study and those garments.

    The first connection is how the world looks at those pieces of cloth like they have some type of mystical power. No one understands that power, nor can they prove it, because it really doesn’t exist. People find it difficult to understand the Bible because they have the same misunderstanding about God’s Word. People take out a few texts, say it means something, but can’t prove it. The only thing they create is another fable that confuses people. But in their minds, they think think they accomplished something. They have people just where they want them – confused and coming to them for all the answers. But a wise student of the Bible working along side God’s Spirit will see how they will learn more in one night with God’s Spirit than those people will hope to learn in their lives. It’s not Jesus who remains nailed to their cross, it is them. They nail themselves to a cross. They remain in the darkness they created. “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. (Matthew 10:37-39 NLTse).

    Jesus not only indicated a movement, He demanded it. If you rely on mother, father, priest, pastor, or love listening to Internet videos more than Jesus, well you can read the rest of the chapter to find out what Jesus referred to. You can look at what Jesus promised and what the conditions are to receive those gifts.

    We were never expected to remain in the dark. Noah left that ark. The first thing God gave this world was light. And Jesus rose from that tomb. We will cover those details when we study the next chapter. We still have a number of changes to cover in this chapter.

    The contrast of divided and one piece beg for a second look. In previous chapters, Jesus taught about a relationship. What better way to study that relationship then to look at it from the view points of a division and the contrast of staying together. What lesson does that division teach about the relationship with God and His Spirit Jesus talked about before He was arrested?

    Do we really have a relationship with Christ if we don’t have a relationship with His Spirit or His Father? What about a relationship with God’s law? When one part is missing, is the remaining part as effective as it should be? That’s a personal decision. While your thinking about your answer, think about what happened to Israel when they asked Moses to stand between them and God.

    What about the other piece, the robe? Does that robe point to salvation? Is that the only piece we need? Is salvation enough? Is that robe complete without the other pieces of clothing? What are those other pieces of clothing? From what John recorded, those other pieces will remain a mystery much like the remainder of God’s Word when all you care about is salvation.

  • Here is Your Mother

    John 19:25-27 NLTse Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. (26) When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” (27) And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

    In a few simple words Jesus showed us there is more to that scene at the cross than salvation. John, the disciple who loved Jesus, was trusted enough for Jesus to ask him to take care of His mother. Jesus knew He was coming back. Jesus knew He was going to teach those disciples for another forty days. Jesus knew He would be in Heaven with His Father and He could do much more for His mother than John would ever be able to accomplish. Jesus also knew, John’s ability to care for and protect His mother was really in God’s hands. Yet Jesus asked John to take care of His mother, and Mary to trust John. This was nothing short of a new symbol telling us, there is much more than His death on that cross to consider. There is a work to do. Jesus gave John a job to do.

    Caring for a mother represented a special gift. Caring for Jesus’ mother represented the trust He placed in each of us. Are we living up to those expectations? Do we care for this world like we would care for Jesus’ mother? Or do we spend too much time judging, placing our own interpretations on this story, and our own value on people? This is another subject your going to have to take up with Jesus.

  • It Is Finished

    John 19:28-30 NLTse Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” (29) A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. (30) When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit.

    Immediately after Jesus showed His trust in John, He knew His mission was finished. At that point, John sent us back to scripture. After carefully following the basic rules of context, we know, the only way to understand the spiritual meaning of that sour wine is to look at the scripture John sent us to.

    Answer my prayers, O LORD, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful. Don’t hide from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble! Come and redeem me; free me from my enemies. You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace. You see all that my enemies are doing. Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. If only one person would show some pity; if only one would turn and comfort me. But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst. Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare and their prosperity become a trap. Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and make their bodies shake continually. Pour out your fury on them; consume them with your burning anger. Let their homes become desolate and their tents be deserted. To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury; they add to the pain of those you have hurt. Pile their sins up high, and don’t let them go free. Erase their names from the Book of Life; don’t let them be counted among the righteous. (Psalms 69:16-28 NLTse).

    Look at the detail it showed. Not only was it a prophecy about Jesus, it is a prophecy about the condition of the church for many generations. A sad condition that continues today.

    The prophecy begins with God’s unfailing love, the message Jesus died to teach. A lesson not often taught or discussed and almost never associated with Jesus’ sacrifice, the way it was meant to be understood.

    The prophecy reminds us about God’s help, concern, and care. The same message Jesus gave on the cross when He asked John to look after and care for His mother. John took Mary into his home. We receive God’s love and protection because we’re supposed to share it. If we understand that simple concept, we can see the movement associated with following Jesus.

    It’s sad how people miss the message in this prophecy. They don’t look at this chapter like they should. Otherwise, they could see how their misuse of Jesus’ sacrifice has turned it into a trap. Too many people profit from that cross. They make icons, jewelry, pictures, and a host of other idols out of that cross. They pattern it, copy right the cross, sell it, and profit from the symbol and sign of a cross in any way they can. They’ve turned it into such a cliché, it’s lost most of its meaning. Artists, churches, and leaders have been trying to out do each other to call attention to themselves. They want to draw people with a creative icon more than the truth. Often far more time and money is spent on forming a new idol than learning and teaching about a relationship with the person who died on that day. They don’t know Him because He doesn’t fit into their marketing plans.

    John is the only author who recorded the words, “it is finished.” For the most part, those words have been misinterpreted for generations. A few simple words represent how much this world misunderstands and misuses Jesus’ sacrifice. Jesus never said, “it is finished.” That’s another man made fabrication to create another doctrine from scripture. Look up the original Greek.

    FINISHED G5055 teleo

    From G5056; to end, that is, complete, execute, conclude, discharge (a debt): – accomplish, make an end, expire, fill up, finish, go over, pay, perform.

    Many theologians will say the word has two meanings. Which may be true if you look at only one aspect of its definition. To say the definition means to finish is like saying your going on a trip. Anyone concerned about you will ask where. Of course if you cared about them, you would tell them your destination. The Greek word teleo indicates an action as well as describes what is accomplished, or in this case finished. To say something is finished is not a complete sentence, much less a complete thought. John never intended to write a book that left the world guessing what Jesus finished. Using the entire definition of the word teleo, tells us the debt has been paid. Payment for sin is finished.

    I doubt if John ever thought people would be distorting that one little sentence so much. Instead of translating Jesus’ last words as, “the debt is paid,” they decided to use only half its real meaning and use the phrase, “it is finished.” It’s been translated like that because a lot of people want to say, “Jesus died to free us from God’s law.” If that were the case, why didn’t He teach that during His last hours before His arrest? If ending the law was the great light Jesus died to shed on this world, why didn’t He say something about it when He instructed His disciples for forty days?

    That misquoted sentence is another on a long list of misunderstood details in this chapter. John chapter 19 is shaping up to be one of the most misunderstood chapters in the Bible. I’m not sure why.

  • Not One of His Bones Will Be Broken

    John 19:31-37 NLTse It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was the Passover). So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down. (32) So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. (33) But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. (34) One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. (35) (This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also can believe.) (36) These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,” (37) and “They will look on the one they pierced.”

    John wanted everyone to know what day Jesus died. It was a Sabbath that fell on the Passover. John called it a very special Sabbath. I wonder if he knew that detail on when it was happening. I’ll admit, I got ahead of John’s book when I covered the Passover earlier. This may be a good time to review those details. What do those dates have to do with Christianity today? After covering a number of details, we see how this chapter is filled with a series of items related to man made icons more important to their religion and this world than Jesus,His crucifixion, and the sacrifice He gave to this world. Does the modern priesthood belong in that category? When we shoot forward in the New Testament, we see Peter repeating the same offer God gave Israel during their exodus.

    And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” (1 Peter 2:8-10 NLTse).

    When we look at the structure of this portion of the story, we see a spiritual link between that special Sabbath Jesus died on and broken legs. We see what those broken legs represented when we look at 1 Peter 2, which begins with stumbling, a clear connection to legs. “They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.” Who is Peter referring to? Is he referring to people who continue to receive the role of a priest, or people who make rules based on Old Testament theology? If Jesus died to end the Levitical priesthood, why do people insist on resurrecting it from the grave? What proof do they have from the Bible to prove God changed His mind again?

    ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.” (Exodus 19:4-6 NLTse).

    God’s original offer reminds us about how God worked long and hard to free Israel from bondage in Egypt. The first Passover was designed to put the priesthood in the hands of every head of the family. God knew it was an important step in the plan of salvation for them to learn that lesson. Although those people walked out of Egypt, they weren’t completely free. They still served fear. You can read Exodus to find a list of those fears.

    Peter explained, Christ’s sacrifice should have put an end to that fear. “You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” It’s time to leave that darkness and bondage.

    I’m not sure why Pilate had to order their legs broken, as well as grant permission to bury Jesus’ body. But this shows how much control the state has over humanity. Most people agree, the state should have full control over the criminal court and punishment system. Most people think, that’s the way its always been. But that wasn’t the case in Exodus and the other books Moses wrote. The church or priests had full responsibility of the court and punishment system. God gave them detailed laws to follow. This shows how modern priests follow part of the Old Testament order while ignoring other duties. The system we see today is a cut up version of the Old Testament.

    When one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, blood and water flowed out. Here again we see another portion of this chapter that has become an icon. But these details are different. They were a personal part of Jesus. His blood covers our sins like water covered this entire world at the beginning of creation. Genesis also established a connection between water and the Holy Spirit. But here we see those symbols escaping from Jesus’ body. In one sense that blood and water was separated from Jesus. They fell together to the ground and mixed with the dust at the base of the cross. That part of Jesus didn’t see the tomb. They also remained behind when Jesus returned to Heaven.

    John also pointed out two prophecies Jesus fulfilled. First is the lack of broken bones. We can use a chain reference to quickly locate the Old Testament scripture. Each Passover lamb must be eaten in one house. Do not carry any of its meat outside, and do not break any of its bones. (Exodus 12:46 NLTse). When we look at the prophecy, we see John referenced the original Passover. John sent us back to the original Passover a number of times. This makes me think there are details many people may miss.

    One of those details may be the theme recorded in the introduction and summation of Exodus 12. Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household. This instruction applies to everyone, whether a native-born Israelite or a foreigner living among you.” So all the people of Israel followed all the LORD’s commands to Moses and Aaron. On that very day the LORD brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt like an army. (Exodus 12:3, 49-51 NLTse)

    Instructions were given to the entire community. That not only included the Israelites, but people from other nations who left Egypt. When we relate that back to the cross, we see how Jesus died for everyone. Now we just don’t have to say it, we can show people in the Bible where it is written.

    John sent us to a second prophecy about Jesus. The second one is about His pieced side. I never noticed how John actually recorded his story. First the portion of the story about the soldier going out to break their legs. When He found Jesus dead, the soldier used his spear to make sure He was dead. It seems like a natural way to tell the story in the sequence in happened. After the two events, John listed references to two prophecies Jesus fulfilled. In between John wrote something most people will miss. “This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also can believe.”

    John listed references to two scriptures, but didn’t name the eyewitness. Maybe John felt we should know who the eyewitness was. Since John listed those scriptures the answer is obvious. The witness is the Old Testament. Now it’s time to look at what that witness had to say.

    “The LORD will give victory to the rest of Judah first, before Jerusalem, so that the people of Jerusalem and the royal line of David will not have greater honor than the rest of Judah. On that day the LORD will defend the people of Jerusalem; the weakest among them will be as mighty as King David! And the royal descendants will be like God, like the angel of the LORD who goes before them! For on that day I will begin to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died. The sorrow and mourning in Jerusalem on that day will be like the great mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddo. “All Israel will mourn, each clan by itself, and with the husbands separate from their wives. The clan of David will mourn alone, as will the clan of Nathan, the clan of Levi, and the clan of Shimei. Each of the surviving clans from Judah will mourn separately, and with the husbands separate from their wives. (Zechariah 12:7-14 NLTse).

    It’s easy to see how one part of this prophecy applied to Jesus being pieced, but it is a little difficult to determine the spiritual meaning of the beginning of the prophecy. Jesus was one of David’s descendants. So we can see a connection, but not on the spiritual level usually found in the Bible. We have to remember, symbols always point to something far greater. In this case, the reference to David could only point to Jesus. What royal descendant could be like God? And the weak will be like David. What do you think that points to?

    Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?” “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then. (Matthew 19:27-30 NLTse). The disciples who were looked upon as criminals with little or no respect from government and religious leaders, they did stand out as great in God’s eyes. The disciples were looked upon as weak in the eyes of this world but like kings in God’s eyes.

  • Jesus in the Tomb

    John 19:38-42 NLTse Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. (39) With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. (40) Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. (41) The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. (42) And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

    I’m not sure if anything was ever written about Jesus’ time in the tomb. I wasn’t sure how anyone would know. I’m not sure if anyone ever prayed about it before or wanted to go to the place of the dead in vision to see what it was like for Jesus. As I was praying about finishing this chapter, I asked Jesus about His experience in the grave, if there was anything He wanted the world to know about it. The answer was more obvious than I imagined.

    He said, “look back. What do you see?” When we look back in scripture, what events and details take us into a scene inside that tomb? Other gospel writers told us how darkness covered the earth. Did we ever look at that as a view into the grave? What happened during that time? What events led up to that period? And why was it about three hours? I always thought there was something rather strange about the connection between three hours of darkness and three days in the tomb. One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself–and us, too, while you’re at it!” (Luke 23:39 NLTse).

    Scripture tells us what happened in the grave. In total darkness, thousands of angels shouted false claims and accusations at Jesus. Like those trails in front of the priests, Herod, and Pilate, not one of them agreed, nor could any claim be proved. Jesus listened to those accusations for three days. It was much like a dream in total darkness where voices were heard, but images could not be discerned.

    Satan sat still watching and listening to the scene. That total darkness showed him what his ministry in this world had become, and where it was heading. Like Pilate, Satan knew Christ was innocent. If you think Pilate received detailed reports about Jesus, can you imagine what Satan knew about Jesus? Satan knew everything, every detail, every life Jesus touched, every word He spoke, every talk He had with His Father. Satan sat silent with his head resting against his hand looking down into total darkness listening to three days of lies, until God said, “that’s enough. Prophecy must be fulfilled on time.” Satan began to see, God had a plan and there was little He could do to interfere.

Psalms 107:29-32 He Calmed the Storm

Psalms 107:29-32 NLTse He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. (30) What a blessing was that stillness as he brought them safely into harbor! (31) Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. (32) Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation and before the leaders of the nation.

 

Using key words storm and waves, we’re led to two events in the gospels describing the fulfillment of this prophecy. This is another in a series of prophecies in the Psalms that’s been recorded in more than one gospel. Once we compare the three chapters, we’ll learn how each adds a piece of information. This is God’s way of communicating, showing us it takes more than a light regard of His Word to understand. This prophecy also shows how important it is to stay within God’s Word and not allow ourselves to wander off on our own to form a private interpretation. The first texts to examine Is of course the fulfillment of the prophecy which shows how consistent God’s Word is.

 

Matthew 8:23-27 NLTse Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. (24) Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. (25) The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” (26) Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly all was calm. (27) The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”

 

Luke 8:22-25 NLTse One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and started out. (23) As they sailed across,Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger. (24) The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. The storm stopped and all was calm! (25) Then he asked them, “Where is your faith?” The disciples were terrified and amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “When he gives a command, even the wind and waves obey him!”

 

Comparing the three texts, we see how carefully they’ve been arranged. Hundreds of years separated the prophecy from the fulfillment, but God’s Spirit guided each author to the proper key words allowing us to make the connection generations later. We see a distinct difference in writing style between Matthew and Luke while the main theme still remains. The records of the fulfillment may be consistent, but when we follow another Bible Study rule telling us to look back at previous texts, we see a surprise. Matthew and Luke do not agree on what happened before Jesus ushered His disciples into the boat.

 

When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake. Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.” (Matthew 8:18-22 NLTse).

 

Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they couldn’t get to him because of the crowd. Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, and they want to see you.” Jesus replied, “My mother and my brothers are all those who hear God’s word and obey it.” One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and started out. (Luke 8:19-22 NLTse).

 

Before we begin dissecting these texts, let’s look at some of the details each author brought out about Jesus calming the storm. Another Important rule of Bible Study is to pay attention when God repeats Himself. One of the details each author included is Jesus sleeping in the boat. To understand why we have to examine what happened before the event and what the reaction to the lesson was. Matthew tells us about another disciple that told Jesus, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” Two details we need to pay attention two are, he was called another disciple and had an excuse not to follow Jesus. This seems like a minor detail until we compare it to details Luke recorded which tells us how Jesus viewed the people in His ministry. Each of us are viewed as part of Jesus’ family. This shows how the disciple with an excuse not to follow Jesus represents Christians with better things to do then join the disciples and follow Jesus.

 

Looking ahead we see Jesus crossed the lake to the Gentile side of the lake. This would have been unacceptable to almost every Jew, especially leaders. Matthew covered that point when he wrote about, “one of the teachers of religious law,” in his gospel. Small details like this come out only through close examination and much prayer.

 

Matthew recorded the disciple’s fear while both authors recorded their lack of faith which is the main reason most Christians refuse to follow Jesus’ example and reach out to people because their different. Let’s be honest, most Christians are happy fighting among one another rather than doing what their supposed to do. Comparing these chapters shows us why – they are afraid. Let’s face the facts – Christians today are controlled by fear. Their afraid their going to fail. Preachers and administrators are afraid of loosing members. Christians also have another fear hiding in the closet they don’t want to talk about. Their afraid of being wrong. Still their greatest fear has been and always will be, their afraid to love.

 

Jesus slept in the boat to symbolize His disciples lack of involvement. Jesus showed His disciples how they were spiritually asleep. These events were early in Jesus’ ministry. This was one of a series of crossing Jesus took His disciples on from the Jewish side of the lake to the Gentile and back again. The series of crossings taught a series of lessons. One of the first lessons Jesus had to teach His disciples was how they were spiritually sleeping. This is the first lessons many Christians need to learn. Many Christians spend little time in God’s Word or Jesus’ ministry, but think they know everything. They spend little if any time in prayer. Their only method of sharing God’s Word is to direct others to a subject they think they’ve mastered, spout off what they believe is true, and walk away trying to convince themselves they earned a gold star and a couple of brownie points by straightening out some wayward soul. They’ve never been led by God nor learned to listen to His Spirit. No one ever taught them how to read, study, or understand God’s Word. In most cases they have little interest in learning, but the truthful, loyal Christian is praying for them, waiting patiently for an opening, an order from God to advance, a message to deliver and a seed to plant. Jesus’ real followers know the battle against evil is fought with patients and seeds to feed, not verbal clubs and swords to attack and wound.

 

Jesus also slept to draw attention to His confidence in God’s Spirit. Jesus showed His disciple how close God’s Spirit always is. We see the word disciple and boat repeated an number of times by each author. Why do you think they did that? What is God’s Spirit using these simple details to lead your mind to? I’ll give you a moment to think about it………………………………….. PRAY!!!!

 

What do the disciples and boat have in common? Some of Jesus’ disciples were what? Fishermen! They knew everything about a boat. They were the experts. Jesus taught them one of the most valuable lessons in an environment they considered themselves experts at. Who were the most boastful disciples? The fishermen. Jesus knew this and went out of His way to teach them a little humility. Notice how patient Jesus was? Jesus didn’t verbally abuse His disciples they first time they didn’t get the lesson. No! Jesus waited for God’s Spirit to create the next opportunity to teach. In all of those events, Jesus was able to use each of Satan’s attacks to teach a spiritual lesson. Jesus not only lived a sinless life but batted 1000% when it came to turning Satan’s trials into blessings. How are you doing? What’s your batting average following your own plan?

 

The disciple’s first reaction was to fight the storm on their own. Their pride was at stake. Can you imagine how bad that storm had to be for them to give up and turn to Jesus? A tax collector and physician described it as a fierce storm. I wonder how the fishermen would have described it. This shows how severe our trials will be before we listen. Are you sleeping soundly through your trials or are you busy trying to fight your way through them? Notice the connection? Christians who fight their own way through a trial continue fighting while claiming to share God’s Word. Fight, fight, fight! That’s all they know ….. Where will it end? Christians who know Jesus and live a personal relationship with Him know it takes a lot of prayer to reach Christians who feel they were born to fight.

 

There are so many lessons in the small details found in the stories about Jesus crossing that lake. Each time you read them you’ll see something you missed the last time. That’s how God’s Word works. Now it’s time to move onto the next phase of our study, the introductions.

 

Psalms 107:1-3 NLTse Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. (2) Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. (3) For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south.

 

Matthew 8:1-4 NLTse Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. (2) Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” (3) Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. (4) Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”

 

Luke 8:1-3 NLTse Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, (2) along with some women he had healed and from whom he had cast out evil spirits. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; (3) Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples.

 

The prophecy David recorded tells us how the LORD loves us and will redeem us. “Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.” Matthew and Luke tells us a small part of how this was accomplished. When we combine the three chapters we understand where this plan came from, how Jesus followed that plan, and how He taught others about God’s plan of redemption. With all the faith and confidence in the world, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.

 

We see a sort of contrast in these two stories. A leper goes to Jesus. He traveled hundreds of miles and shouted, “unclean, unclean,” for weeks. Finally he saw Jesus and said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus was not only willing, but knew this leper was part of God’s plan.

 

Leprosy is a disease that attacks the nerves as well as flesh. Many look at the outside physical effects of the disease, and some try to look at the emotional scaring they really can’t understand unless they experience it. Few look at the spiritual effects of leprosy. It separated people from society. Not only on the physical, but emotional and spiritual sense. Few people would choose to become a leper, but in their spiritual life they welcome and covet the effects of leprosy by clinging to a religion that teaches them to separate from the world. The only thing that seems to be missing is their cry of, “unclean – unclean.” But the shout is there. It’s in their traditions and doctrines designed to separate themselves from the world. Like leprosy attacking the nervous system, their pride and pious attitude dull their senses of right and wrong, not only separating themselves from the world but from God.

 

This is why Jesus followed this event by gathering His disciples into a boat and crossing over the lake to minister to Gentiles, in this case pig farmers. It was a simple lesson made up of a series of events designed to teach His disciples the true meaning of His ministry. Luke not only confirmed the lesson, he expanded on it by showing us how Jesus reached out and touched the lives and hearts of so many people.

 

Jesus seems to contradict this point when He told the leper; “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.” Actually this reveals another important lesson in Jesus’ ministry. Luke also confirmed this lesson by recording the individual names of people Jesus healed. Jesus knew each of those people required an individual message as well as His personal healing touch. Jesus also knew the priests needed a custom made message. Why a leper? The leper represented not only the priest’s spiritual condition, he also was a reminder of the priest’s role as servant. “Every third year you must offer a special tithe of your crops. In this year of the special tithe you must give your tithes to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows, so that they will have enough to eat in your towns. Then you must declare in the presence of the LORD your God, ‘I have taken the sacred gift from my house and have given it to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows, just as you commanded me. I have not violated or forgotten any of your commands. (Deuteronomy 26:12-13 NLTse).

 

God worded His command in Deuteronomy 26 in such a way it not only spelled out the Levite’s and priest’s responsibility to care for less fortunate people, God also listed the Levites in the same group as outcasts of society. Jesus wanted them to remember their obligations as priests as well as their deteriorated state without a Savior. When we combine Deuteronomy 26 with Leviticus chapters 8 and 14, we see more of the message Jesus sent them. The strange ceremony that consisted of placing blood on the right ear, hand, and big toe is used for only two people, priests and lepers who have been healed. If the priests would have studied scripture the way they claimed they did, why didn’t they see this connection? Come on now. I don’t have a degree in Bible Study or formal education in religion, still God’s Spirit was able to lead me to these texts and see the message. I’m sure there’s much more God wants to share with anyone willing to spend time to look and listen. Can that be you?

 

Luke wrote a different account of events before Jesus gathered His disciples in that boat. Some far left wingers claim this is a mistake that discredits the Bible. This shows how far removed they are from God’s Spirit because they can’t see any of the spiritual messages. A force they know nothing about is driving them on to keep other people from seeing the spiritual messages. So what is that message? Like I said before, we can’t hope to cover them all here. I’m certain many of you have a lot of details to add. Go for it!

 

Luke concentrated on Jesus’ ministry in nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. Luke felt this was a good opportunity to introduce the term Good News. Luke concentrated on Jesus’ personal ministry by recording a few names. This shows how small the beginning of Jesus’ ministry was and how people support it. This was another lesson the priests should have noticed and learned from. It’s amazing how Jesus cast seven demons out of Mary Magdalene, an army of demons from a man on the Gentile side of the lake, but couldn’t do anything with the priests. Look at the trouble Jesus had in the synagogues. He cast demons out of people in synagogues, healed people in synagogues, and was thrown out of synagogues. The priests show – people have to feel a need and have faith to be healed and released from demons. Luke’s story brings much more out of Matthew’s stories than what most people can see. Are you ready to learn these stories, make them a part of yourself and teach them? What we’ve learned so far should make you eager to look at the summations to see what they’ll reveal.

 

Psalms 107:38-43 NLTse How he blesses them! They raise large families there, and their herds of livestock increase. (39) When they decrease in number and become impoverished through oppression, trouble, and sorrow, (40) the LORD pours contempt on their princes, causing them to wander in trackless wastelands. (41) But he rescues the poor from trouble and increases their families like flocks of sheep. (42) The godly will see these things and be glad, while the wicked are struck silent. (43) Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the LORD.

 

Matthew 8:28-34 NLTse When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They lived in a cemetery and were so violent that no one could go through that area. (29) They began screaming at him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?” (30) There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding in the distance. (31) So the demons begged, “If you cast us out, send us into that herd of pigs.” (32) “All right, go!” Jesus commanded them. So the demons came out of the men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water. (33) The herdsmen fled to the nearby town, telling everyone what happened to thedemon-possessed men. (34) Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.

 

Luke 8:49-56 NLTse While he was still speaking to her, a messenger arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. He told him, “Your daughter isdead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.” (50) But when Jesus heard what had happened, he said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith, and she will behealed.” (51) When they arrived at the house, Jesus wouldn’t let anyone go in with him except Peter, John, James, and the little girl’s father and mother. (52) The house was filled with people weeping and wailing, but he said, “Stop the weeping! She isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” (53) But the crowd laughed at him because they all knew she had died. (54) Then Jesus took her by the hand and said in a loud voice, “My child, get up!” (55) And at that moment her life returned, and she immediately stood up! Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. (56) Her parents were overwhelmed, but Jesus insisted that they not tell anyone what had happened.

 

You may be asking yourself what, “raising large families there, and their herds of livestock increase,” has to do with a herd of drowning pigs. Once again we have to look at the spiritual side of the prophecy and let God’s Word answer the question. But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them. (Mark 5:19-20 NLTse).

 

One man testified to his family and ten towns. How much have you done? Now we see how comparing prophecies to their fulfillments brings out details most people miss. We see a lot more when we look at the connecting stories as a whole. We see how God’s Spirit leads our minds to consider facts that led into the events and how they’re related. Since we’ve seen the relationship between the leper and priests our minds should be led to search out similar connections to the demon possessed man and the message Jesus delivered on the Gentile side of the lake.

 

Pigs show us Jesus is ministering on the Gentile side of the lake. This is the region occupied by pagans Israel was told to eliminate. “But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live.” (Numbers 33:55 NLTse). Those pagans worshiped a number of gods. They had a god of the sun, moon, stars, water, sky, lightening, thunder, seed, crops, trees, grass, one for the right foot, another for the left. They had a god for every item of imagination anyone calling themselves a priest could come up with. If something went wrong and they found out you weren’t following one of their gods, they’d sacrifice you or one of your sons or daughters. If things were going fine they’d sacrifice one of their own sons or daughters. The legion of demons represented the hundreds of gods those people worshiped. Each demon demanded worship of their own. Jesus had another plan for them. He cast them into pigs because that’s the only sacrifice and worship they were worthy of – an unclean form of worship from a dumb animal. How dumb were those pigs?

 

All the pagans walked around with demons controlling their lives. It took the pigs a few seconds to realize what happened and make up their minds. To the pig death was better than being controlled by a demon. What about people? Do they have a choice? The demon possessed man was separated from society much like the leper. People tried to chain him, but he was able to break those chains. This allowed the man to do what he really wanted to do – go to Jesus for relief and release. Out of thousands of people only one man – held back by thousands of demons – went to Jesus. The others asked Jesus to go away. The man stayed on his side of the lake and with the help of God’s Spirit was able to help his family and people in ten towns find God. How have you been doing?

 

Many professed Christians are following in the footsteps of the vast majority or pagans. They follow priest who make up doctrines and traditions to replace a true relationship with God. Pagans worshiped all sorts of images and idols. The same is true today. Statues, trinkets, and all sorts of idols in the church, home, and even in cars are used by Christians today. They say these items are to remind them of God or Jesus – but in fact these items are designed for the same purpose as the idols Demetrius the silversmith made in Acts chapter 19 – for profit. NO image can ever be a substitute for a personal relationship with God. If you think you need little reminders, you better reexamine your relationship with God. Jesus never gave His disciples trinkets or images to remember Him by, nor did any of His disciples fabricate, collect, or distribute images in their ministry.

 

The summation of Luke’s eight chapter adds another event which is repeated in other gospels. This involved a religious leader. Like the other events in these chapters we have to look back to see the personality of the people Jesus was trying to reach so we can understand the message.

 

Most of the religious leaders didn’t support Jesus. After He sent them a leper to testify about His healing power and to send them back to scripture and God’s Spirit, He was able to touch some of them, to open their hearts to understanding. This teaches the lesson, we can’t judge everyone based on the group they belong to. Where did Jairus get the idea Jesus could heal his daughter? This was early in Jesus’ ministry and at this point religious leaders considered Jesus one of the many who claimed to be the Messiah. The priests didn’t want to give Jesus any extra attention because this would have aroused the attention of the people. They sent spies to follow Jesus, but wanted to avoid any rumors which would arise if people saw any interest from the leading priests to listen to Jesus speak. This also teaches us how far people have to go before they’ll listen. We see this when we look at the beginning of the story. Then a man named Jairus, a leader of the local synagogue, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come home with him. (Luke 8:41 NLTse). Jairus came to Jesus but was very careful not to address Him with any kind of title. This shows how little faith Jairus had. He went to Jesus as a desperate father pleading for his daughter, but he was stuck between two worlds – trusting in Jesus and his status as a religious leader.

 

We saw how Jesus at the direction of God’s Spirit tried to teach the priests in an orderly manner. First Jesus sent them a leper as a testimony. Now one of the religious leaders comes to Him, but will not acknowledge His status as the Son of God. So far all the priests suspect is Jesus is claiming to be a prophet. Jesus doesn’t instantly try advancing their faith from one point they can’t accept and reveal the full truth. Jesus followed God’s plan that awakened the hearts of some individuals a few at a time. Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from death, but He did it in a private manner. Jesus knew He stood little chance of marching into Jerusalem to announce Himself as the Messiah. Jesus also knew how many people would be saved if He was able to reach the priests and they believed He is the Messiah. Jesus knew the effects one man, a true believer could have on priests when he was working on the inside. Jairus was chosen as a bridge between religious leaders and Christ.

 

Jesus didn’t try to exceed His suspected role as prophet, the role some of the priests were ready to accept or at least consider. By healing the girl, Jesus was calling minds of the priests back to scripture. Elijah raised the son of a widow form the dead and Elisha raised a woman’s son to life. Jesus was willing to work with those priests where they were on their spiritual walk and hoping they would turn to scripture to discover the spiritual lessons taught in those stories. When Jesus told Jairus and his family not to tell anyone, Jesus was telling them to wait until they formed a real relationship with God and His Spirit before working in His fields. Jesus knew how far they were from the truth and how much they needed to learn. Why did Jesus instantly send a demon possessed pagan to his family, but told a religious leader to wait? Strange as it may seem look at how Jesus was addressed when He faced the demon possessed man. The demons addressed Jesus as the Son of God and the man accepted His position.

 

It seems strange we can learn more from a demon possessed pagan than a religious leader, but that’s the way it is. When people put their faith in a priest they’re no better off than the pagans who had a list of gods and priests to turn to on any given day. If they didn’t get the answer they were looking for from one priest, they’d go to another and another until they found one they agreed with. Which happens to be a pretty good definition of religion today. People have a preconceived idea about religion and search for a group of people who believe just like them thinking there’s safety in numbers. If something goes wrong it’s time to change priests. Those people don’t want a personal relationship with Jesus any more then the priests who opposed Jesus did. Neither do they want to personally study God’s Word which is where Jesus tried to direct the priests. What about priests today? Do they know how to study God’s Word on their own or are they relying on tradition and doctrines to lead their flock? Are they as stubborn as priests in Jesus’ day and just as difficult to reach? Maybe you’ll have a small role in reaching them – some day. There is a storm out there we have to calm today. But you are as powerless at reaching some of those people as the disciples were against the storm. Sure you can fall back on what you know and struggle against the storm with all your might. What good do you think that’ll do? Where was Jesus during that storm? Where is Jesus in your storm? Are you talking to Him or ignoring Him?

2 Kings 5:9-10 Naaman the Leper is Healed

2 Kings 5:9-10 NLTse So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. (10) But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.”

 

The Bible only has a limited amount of stories about lepers who were healed. Moses’ sister Miriam was one of the first. Naaman may be one of the most popular stories. When we look at this section of the story about Naaman, only a few key words are repeated – the series of wash, restored, and healed – as well as leprosy. These are enough key words to lead us to texts in the Gospels where Jesus healed a leper. The parallels are amazing and much deeper than expected.

 

Matthew 8:1-4 NLTse Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. (2) Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” (3) Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. (4) Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”

 

Now that we found and matched parallel texts between the Old and New Testament – what do we do next? What I usually see is people spouting off on what they see. Oh they may go on and on about what an awful disease leprosy is – how lepers had to cry out, “unclean – unclean.” They may make up a story about how lonely lepers were. Does any of that information tell us what God’s Spirit is trying to teach? Let’s put this into perspective. God’s Spirit leads people to these texts showing a distinct similarity – then they let their imagination run away. God’s Spirit tries to teach a lesson, but they treat God’s Spirit with less respect than they treat other people. They shut out God’s Spirit, refusing to listen. Their reply to God’s Spirit is the same they give to people — they try to impress them with what they know. Time to break the mold, get out of the rut, put away tradition, and learn to listen instead of trying to impress. Let’s take a moment and see where God’s Spirit leads.

 

We let God’s Spirit lead when we look at details in God’s Word. First the small details – which words match up? What key words are in common? Obviously leprosy and healed are found in both texts. On the surface we have two lepers who were healed. That’s the physical portion of the lesson. What about the personalities in these stories – not to mention the spiritual lessons? How do we see the personality in God’s Word and unlock the spiritual lessons? One rule of Bible study is to look back at previous texts. Another rule is to compare introductions and summations of each chapter. Since Matthew 8:1-4 is the introduction to Matthew chapter 8, we should compare it to the introduction in 2 Kings chapter 5. These are basic rules of context.

 

2 Kings 5:1-8 NLTse The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the LORD had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy. (2) At this time Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid. (3) One day the girl said to her mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.” (4) So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said. (5) “Go and visit the prophet,” the king of Aram told him. “I will send a letter of introduction for you to take to the king of Israel.” So Naaman started out, carrying as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothing. (6) The letter to the king of Israel said: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy.” (7) When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, “This man sends me a leper to heal! Am I God, that I can give life and take it away? I can see that he’s just trying to pick a fight with me.” (8) But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes in dismay, he sent this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.”

 

Its amazing how God uses a combination of similarities and contrasts to teach a lesson. The young girl had faith God’s prophet could heal Naaman’s leprosy. Even though she was a slave, her faith in God overcame her trials. Her concern for her master overcame the pain in her heart when she was taken away from her home and family, then treated like a material possession. Only a heart touched by God’s love could overcome such an ordeal. Aram’s king, a Pagan also showed a considerable amount of faith. Elisha never saw a leper healed, but when he head about the situation his king was in, he had faith God would heal Naaman. Elisha knew there was a far greater lesson to learn. It seems everyone had faith except for Israel’s king. He thought he had to be God to heal Naaman. Israel’s king thought it was a trick and wanted to give up. When we compare Matthew 8:1-4, we see the leper meeting Jesus also had faith. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Why is there such an overwhelming number of people with faith between these two stories? The lesson must lie in the contrast. Its easy to say you have faith in Jesus. We also see a mighty warrior displaying his faith by carrying gifts of 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothing to a distant land. Naaman had enough faith to travel to a conquered nation to seek help. Now we have to display enough faith to travel to the end of both chapters to compare the summations.

 

2 Kings 5:23-27 NLTse “By all means, take twice as much silver,” Naaman insisted. He gave him two sets of clothing, tied up the money in two bags, and sent two of his servants to carry the gifts for Gehazi. (24) But when they arrived at the citadel, Gehazi took the gifts from the servants and sent the men back. Then he went and hid the gifts inside the house. (25) When he went in to his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” “I haven’t been anywhere,” he replied. (26) But Elisha asked him, “Don’t you realize that I was there in spirit when Naaman stepped down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to receive money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and cattle, and male and female servants? (27) Because you have done this, you and your descendants will suffer from Naaman’sleprosy forever.” When Gehazi left the room, he was covered with leprosy; his skin was white as snow.

 

Matthew 8:28-34 NLTse When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They lived in a cemetery and were so violent that no one could go through that area. (29) They began screaming at him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?” (30) There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding in the distance. (31) So the demons begged, “If you cast us out, send us into that herd of pigs.” (32) “All right, go!” Jesus commanded them. So the demons came out of the men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water. (33) The herdsmen fled to the nearby town, telling everyone what happened to the demon-possessed men. (34) Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.

 

Its easy to see in 2 Kings 5, Gehazi accepted gifts and became a leper. How does this compare to Matthew 8 where Jesus casts a bunch of demons out of two men into a group of pigs – then the entire town comes out and asks Jesus to leave? This is where God’s Spirit and a little knowledge on the Bible comes in. Remember God’s Word is arranged to take us to a higher level every time we study – and this is no different. God’s Spirit is always adding another study tool – taking us to the next level of learning. If you study without learning… is it studying at all? In this instance we find Matthew recorded one version of the story while Mark and Luke recorded what they saw. When we look at those two versions we find each adds a little more detail.

 

Mark 5:15-20 NLTse A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. (16) Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs. (17) And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone. (18) As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. (19) But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” (20) So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.

 

Mark’s end to the story adds a significant detail. The man went out to evangelize Ten Towns. God shows how He used a demon possessed man to become one of the greatest evangelist of his time. We see more amazing facts when we study the details. The man lived in a town where they raised pigs. Obviously Jesus was on the Gentile side of the lake. Not only was this man possessed by demons, he was a Gentile. This may have been the first and only contact he had with God and Jesus. With the little he was given, he was able to reach hundreds, maybe thousands. We see more amazing facts when we compare this to the summation for 2 Kings 5 and look back at what we’ve learned from the previous study.

 

Elisha received a double blessing from Elijah. Gehazi became Elisha’s assistant – the next in line to receive a double blessing at a time Israel needed it most. Satan used greed, the love of money to trap Gehazi. He not only turned his back on God – he tried to trick Elisha. Of course Elisha made it clear God’s Spirit showed him everything and Elisha gave all the glory to God. Gehazi on the other hand wanted the reward and glory to fall on himself. For that, God gave Gehazi the curse Naaman suffered and was healed because of his faith, the faith of the girl, his king, and of course Elisha. They all had to work in faith to bring about the healing.

 

We see a spiritual lesson when we compare the results of Gehazi’s story to the demon possessed man. When Gehazi became a leper, no one would go to him or his sons for advise, help, or prophecies. Gehazi lost the ability to lead people to God. Look at this in contrast to Naaman and the leper Jesus healed. In both cases God used leprosy to lead people to Himself. God’s blessing was opening in a geometric pattern like a flower turning to the sun. It ended with Gehazi, who put money before faith and God’s Spirit. Gehazi represents the priests Jesus sent the leper to. Leprosy represents their inability to lead people to God. The demon possessed man, a Gentile represents the slavery religious leaders place on people by withholding gifts from God they refuse to share. Jesus freed the man from bondage imposed by the demons. Once freed, he told everyone what Jesus did for him and led Ten Towns to Jesus. More than the priest would accomplish in a life time. All of this comes to mind because God’s Spirit and Word brought us to Mark 5:15-20 where the words, told, tell, and proclaim are key thoughts. When we look back at what each individual in the stories was told, and what they proclaimed, we see the pattern God is using to teach. We how how different individuals view the same story and their reactions. Some came away with more faith, others preferred to rely on themselves.

 

We can learn what the pigs represent by following another simple rule of context – looking back at previous texts to see how the author led into the story.

 

Matthew 8:23-27 NLTse Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. (24) Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with wavesbreaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. (25) The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” (26) Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly all was calm. (27) The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”

 

This story shows how people call on Jesus when trials come into their lives, but really don’t know Him. His disciples asked, “Who is this man?” They saw what Jesus can do, but didn’t really know Him. Look at who the main characters are … Jesus’ disciples. These are the people who were going to receive the double blessing Gehazi was supposed to receive. When we look back at the previous story we find out why the disciples did not know Jesus.

 

Matthew 8:18-23 NLTse When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake. (19) Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” (20) But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Manhas no place even to lay his head.” (21) Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” (22) But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.” (23) Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples.

 

One of the teachers of religious law and one of Jesus’ disciples didn’t have time to follow Him. Common sense will tell you, if you don’t have time to follow Jesus, you are giving time over to Satan and his demons. Its as simple as that. Pigs were there when Jesus healed the demon-possessed man. Jesus didn’t come to save the pigs. He gave them up to demons, who sent them into the sea. Once they were gone, the man had the time, energy, and gift to lead people to God. Its the same in this world. People will waste time, inflict undue stress, trials, and temptations. Without knowing what they are doing — people will lead us in the wrong direction. Eventually Jesus has no choice but to leave them up to demons who will work to end their lives one way or another.

 

When Jesus healed the leper we not only see the faith of the leper, but the faith of a large crowd that followed Him. The only trouble is, some people seem to be following Jesus when they really don’t know Him or have time for Him. Its not by mistake one of Jesus’ own disciples and a teacher of religious law are used as examples and a warning. Many people want to preach about the Bible. Are they preaching about Jesus? Do they have a witness as simple as the man Jesus cast demons out of? Do they have faith the little girl or Naaman’s king had? Or do they exhibit doubts like Israel’s king or make money a standard of faith like Elisha’s servant? The fact of the matter is, will we ask Jesus to cure us of leprosy – having the wrong message and cast demons out of our lives – giving us the gift to be witnesses for Him? When we see disciples and teachers of religious law don’t have time for Jesus — its never an excuse for us to follow their examples. 

Understanding Romans

So you think you know Paul’s letters. I’ve talked to a number of people having trouble understanding exactly what Paul is writing about in his letters to the early churches. First of all you have to know something about the back ground of who Paul is writing to. When Jesus sent out His twelve disciples, and later seventy more, little did they know they were building the foundation of the early church. Jesus instructed His disciples to stay in homes, accepting all the hospitality offered. The Holy Spirit worked behind the scenes building good will and bases for Jesus’ disciples to launch ministries when the time was right. Paul’s letters were addressed to these small home based churches to answer questions and problems they were facing, as well as teaching them how to properly conduct the ministry Jesus trusted them with.

 

I hear a number of methods people use in an attempt to understand a particular scripture. One of them involves looking at a number of translations. I don’t approve of this method based on the fact you are relying on individual interpretations which could be accurate or not. Another method is to consult commentaries. Although commentaries can be great for learning about back ground and locating related texts, this is not the best method to understand a particular subject. Subject commentaries can be tainted by doctrine and tradition. One useful study method for Paul’s letters is the simple introduction, summary method. When you see texts you don’t understand, look at the first and last few verses in the chapter. Also the introduction and summary Paul wrote in his letter. Remember, these are letters with Paul using the same style we often use in letters, which begin with an introduction and end with a summary of the main concepts.

 

The most useful, easiest, and most accurate method to study and understand Paul’s letter is to look at all the scripture Paul refers to. Whenever you use this method you will find Paul wrote less than one tenth of the information he was conveying to the new home churches. This served two purposes. Paul not only pointed new believers to the source of all the answers they would need, he also showed them how to instruct other believers. Paul knew Jesus wanted all of His disciples to learn how to point people back to scripture and the power of the Holy Spirit. While other study methods draw you away from God’s Word and Spirit, following this simple method Paul recorded lives on, leading people to eternity.

 

1 Corinthians 4:6 NLTse (6) Dear brothers and sisters, I have used Apollos and myself to illustrate what I’ve been saying. If you pay attention to what I have quoted from the Scriptures, you won’t be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another.

 

Romans 1:2-5 NLTse God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. (3) The Good News is about his Son, Jesus. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, (4) and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. (5) Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.

 

Paul defines the Good News at the very beginning of his letters. The Good News is the scriptures pointing to Jesus, making it know He is the Son of God, the Messiah. Now see how Paul uses scripture to point us to the source of all knowledge.

 

Romans 1:17 NLTse This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

Habakkuk 2:1-4 NLTse I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guard post. There I will wait to see what the LORD says and how he will answer my complaint. (2) Then the LORD said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. (3) This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. (4) “Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.

 

Romans 1:21-22 NLTse Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. (22) Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.

Jeremiah 8:8-9 NLTse “‘How can you say, “We are wise because we have the word of the LORD,” when your teachers have twisted it by writing lies? (9) These wise teachers will fall into the trap of their own foolishness, for they have rejected the word of the LORD. Are they so wise after all?

 

Romans 2:24 NLTse No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.”

Isaiah 52:4-6 NLTse This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “Long ago my people chose to live in Egypt. Now they are oppressed by Assyria. (5) What is this?” asks the LORD. “Why are my people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout in exultation. My name is blasphemed all day long. (6) But I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognize that I am the one who speaks to them.”

 

Romans 3:10-12 NLTse As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous– not even one. (11) No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. (12) All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”

Psalms 14:1-6 NLTse Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! (2) The LORD looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. (3) But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one! (4) Will those who do evil never learn? They eat up my people like bread and wouldn’t think of praying to the LORD. (5) Terror will grip them, for God is with those who obey him. (6) The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed, but the LORD will protect his people.

 

Romans 3:13 NLTse “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.”

Psalms 5:7-12 NLTse Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe. (8) Lead me in the right path, O LORD, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow. (9) My enemies cannot speak a truthful word. Their deepest desire is to destroy others. Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with flattery. (10) O God, declare them guilty. Let them be caught in their own traps. Drive them away because of their many sins, for they have rebelled against you. (11) But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy. (12) For you bless the godly, O LORD; you surround them with your shield of love.

 

Romans 3:14 NLTse “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.“

Psalms 10:1-8 NLTse O LORD, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I am in trouble? (2) The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor. Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others. (3) For they brag about their evil desires; they praise the greedy and curse the LORD. (4) The wicked are too proud to seek God. They seem to think that God is dead. (5) Yet they succeed in everything they do. They do not see your punishment awaiting them. They sneer at all their enemies. (6) They think, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us! We will be free of trouble forever!” (7) Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats. Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues. (8) They lurk in ambush in the villages, waiting to murder innocent people. They are always searching for helpless victims.

 

Romans 3:15-17 NLTse “They rush to commit murder. (16) Destruction and misery always follow them. (17) They don’t know where to find peace.”

Isaiah 59:5-10 NLTse They hatch deadly snakes and weave spiders’ webs. Whoever falls into their webs will die, and there’s danger even in getting near them. (6) Their webs can’t be made into clothing, and nothing they do is productive. All their activity is filled with sin, and violence is their trademark. (7) Their feet run to do evil, and they rush to commit murder. They think only about sinning. Misery and destruction always follow them. (8) They don’t know where to find peace or what it means to be just and good. They have mapped out crooked roads, and no one who follows them knows a moment’s peace. (9) So there is no justice among us, and we know nothing about right living. We look for light but find only darkness. We look for bright skies but walk in gloom. (10) We grope like the blind along a wall, feeling our way like people without eyes. Even at brightest noontime, we stumble as though it were dark. Among the living, we are like the dead.

Proverbs 1:10-16 NLTse My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them! (11) They may say, “Come and join us. Let’s hide and kill someone! Just for fun, let’s ambush the innocent! (12) Let’s swallow them alive, like the grave; let’s swallow them whole, like those who go down to the pit of death. (13) Think of the great things we’ll get! We’ll fill our houses with all the stuff we take. (14) Come, throw in your lot with us; we’ll all share the loot.” (15) My child, don’t go along with them! Stay far away from their paths. (16) They rush to commit evil deeds. They hurry to commit murder.

 

Romans 3:18 NLTse “They have no fear of God at all.”

Psalms 36:1-4 NLTse Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all. (2) In their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are. (3) Everything they say is crooked and deceitful. They refuse to act wisely or do good. (4) They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots. Their actions are never good. They make no attempt to turn from evil.

 

Romans 4:3 NLTse For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

Genesis 15:5-7 NLTse Then the LORD took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” (6) And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith. (7) Then the LORD told him, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.”

 

Romans 4:7-8 NLTse “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. (8) Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin.”

Psalms 32:1-6 NLTse Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! (2) Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! (3) When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. (4) Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. (5) Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. (6) Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.

 

Romans 4:17 NLTse That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

Genesis 17:2-8 NLTse I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” (3) At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, (4) “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! (5) What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. (6) I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them! (7) “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. (8) And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.”

 

Romans 4:18 NLTse Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping–believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”

Genesis 15:3-7 NLTse You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.” (4) Then the LORD said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” (5) Then the LORD took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” (6) And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith. (7) Then the LORD told him, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.”

 

Romans 8:5-9 NLTse Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. (6) So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. (7) For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. (8) That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. (9) But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)

 

Romans 8:14-17 NLTse For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. (15) So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” (16) For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. (17) And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

 

Romans 8:36 NLTse (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)

Psalms 44:18-26 NLTse Our hearts have not deserted you. We have not strayed from your path. (19) Yet you have crushed us in the jackal’s desert home. You have covered us with darkness and death. (20) If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods, (21) God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart. (22) But for your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep. (23) Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Get up! Do not reject us forever. (24) Why do you look the other way? Why do you ignore our suffering and oppression? (25) We collapse in the dust, lying face down in the dirt. (26) Rise up! Help us! Ransom us because of your unfailing love.

 

Romans 9:9 NLTse For God had promised, “I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Genesis 17:20-21 NLTse As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. (21) But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year.”

 

Romans 9:11-12 NLTse But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; (12) he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, “Your older son will serve your younger son.”

Genesis 25:22-24 NLTse But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the LORD about it. “Why is this happening to me?” she asked. (23) And the LORD told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.” (24) And when the time came to give birth, Rebekah discovered that she did indeed have twins!

 

Romans 9:13 NLTse In the words of the Scriptures, “I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau.”

Malachi 1:1-5 NLTse This is the message that the LORD gave to Israel through the prophet Malachi. (2) “I have always loved you,” says the LORD. But you retort, “Really? How have you loved us?” And the LORD replies, “This is how I showed my love for you: I loved your ancestor Jacob, (3) but I rejected his brother, Esau, and devastated his hill country. I turned Esau’s inheritance into a desert for jackals.” (4) Esau’s descendants in Edom may say, “We have been shattered, but we will rebuild the ruins.” But the LORD of Heaven’s Armies replies, “They may try to rebuild, but I will demolish them again. Their country will be known as ‘The Land of Wickedness,’ and their people will be called ‘The People with Whom the LORD Is Forever Angry.’ (5) When you see the destruction for yourselves, you will say, ‘Truly, the LORD’s greatness reaches far beyond Israel’s borders!'”

 

Romans 9:15 NLTse For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”

Exodus 33:17-23 NLTse The LORD replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.” (18) Moses responded, “Then show me your glorious presence.” (19) The LORD replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose. (20) But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.” (21) The LORD continued, “Look, stand near me on this rock. (22) As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. (23) Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.”

 

Romans 9:17 NLTse For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.”

Exodus 9:14-18 NLTse If you don’t, I will send more plagues on you and your officials and your people. Then you will know that there is no one like me in all the earth. (15) By now I could have lifted my hand and struck you and your people with a plague to wipe you off the face of the earth. (16) But I have spared you for a purpose–to show you my power and to spread my fame throughout the earth. (17) But you still lord it over my people and refuse to let them go. (18) So tomorrow at this time I will send a hailstorm more devastating than any in all the history of Egypt.

 

Romans 9:20-21 NLTse No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” (21) When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?

Isaiah 45:8-9 NLTse “Open up, O heavens, and pour out your righteousness. Let the earth open wide so salvation and righteousness can sprout up together. I, the LORD, created them. (9) “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’

 

Romans 9:25 NLTse Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea, “Those who were not my people, I will now call my people. And I will love those whom I did not love before.”

Hosea 2:21-23 NLTse “In that day, I will answer,” says the LORD. “I will answer the sky as it pleads for clouds. And the sky will answer the earth with rain. (22) Then the earth will answer the thirsty cries of the grain, the grapevines, and the olive trees. And they in turn will answer, ‘Jezreel’–‘God plants!’ (23) At that time I will plant a crop of Israelites and raise them for myself. I will show love to those I called ‘Not loved.’ And to those I called ‘Not my people,’ I will say, ‘Now you are my people.’ And they will reply, ‘You are our God!'”

 

Romans 9:26 NLTse And, “Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.‘”

Hosea 1:8-11 NLTse After Gomer had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she again became pregnant and gave birth to a second son. (9) And the LORD said, “Name him Lo-ammi–‘Not my people’–for Israel is not my people, and I am not their God. (10) “Yet the time will come when Israel’s people will be like the sands of the seashore–too many to count! Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ it will be said, ‘You are children of the living God.‘ (11) Then the people of Judah and Israel will unite together. They will choose one leader for themselves, and they will return from exile together. What a day that will be–the day of Jezreel–when God will again plant his people in his land.

 

Romans 9:27-28 NLTse And concerning Israel, Isaiah the prophet cried out, “Though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand of the seashore, only a remnant will be saved. (28) For the LORD will carry out his sentence upon the earth quickly and with finality.”

Isaiah 10:18-23 NLTse The LORD will consume Assyria’s glory like a fire consumes a forest in a fruitful land; it will waste away like sick people in a plague. (19) Of all that glorious forest, only a few trees will survive– so few that a child could count them! (20) In that day the remnant left in Israel, the survivors in the house of Jacob, will no longer depend on allies who seek to destroy them. But they will faithfully trust the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. (21) A remnant will return; yes, the remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God. (22) But though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand of the seashore, only a remnant of them will return. The LORD has rightly decided to destroy his people. (23) Yes, the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, has already decided to destroy the entire land.

 

Romans 9:29 NLTse And Isaiah said the same thing in another place: “If the LORD of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of our children, we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah.”

Isaiah 1:8-19 NLTse Beautiful Jerusalem stands abandoned like a watchman’s shelter in a vineyard, like a lean-to in a cucumber field after the harvest, like a helpless city under siege. (9) If the LORD of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of us, we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah. (10) Listen to the LORD, you leaders of “Sodom.” Listen to the law of our God, people of “Gomorrah.” (11) “What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. (12) When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony? (13) Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me! As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting– they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings. (14) I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them! (15) When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims. (16) Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. (17) Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. (18) “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. (19) If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat.

 

Romans 9:33 NLTse God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said, “I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. But anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”

Isaiah 8:11-17 NLTse The LORD has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, (12) “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. (13) Make the LORD of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. (14) He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah he will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. (15) Many will stumble and fall, never to rise again. They will be snared and captured.” (16) Preserve the teaching of God; entrust his instructions to those who follow me. (17) I will wait for the LORD, who has turned away from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my hope in him.

Isaiah 28:15-18 NLTse You boast, “We have struck a bargain to cheat death and have made a deal to dodge the grave. The coming destruction can never touch us, for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception.” (16) Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken. (17) I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness. Since your refuge is made of lies, a hailstorm will knock it down. Since it is made of deception, a flood will sweep it away. (18) I will cancel the bargain you made to cheat death, and I will overturn your deal to dodge the grave. When the terrible enemy sweeps through, you will be trampled into the ground.

 

Romans 10:6-10 NLTse But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven‘ (to bring Christ down to earth). (7) And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead’ (to bring Christ back to life again).” (8) In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: (9) If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (10) For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.

Deuteronomy 30:11-16 NLTse (11) “This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand, and it is not beyond your reach. (12) It is not kept in heaven, so distant that you must ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven and bring it down so we can hear it and obey?’ (13) It is not kept beyond the sea, so far away that you must ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to bring it to us so we can hear it and obey?’ (14) No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it. (15) “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. (16) For I command you this day to love the LORD your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.

 

Romans 10:11-12 NLTse As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” (12) Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him.

Isaiah 49:22-23 NLTse This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “See, I will give a signal to the godless nations. They will carry your little sons back to you in their arms; they will bring your daughters on their shoulders. (23) Kings and queens will serve you and care for all your needs. They will bow to the earth before you and lick the dust from your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD. Those who trust in me will never be put to shame.“

 

Romans 10:13-14 NLTse For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” (14) But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?

Joel 2:29-32 NLTse In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants–men and women alike. (30) And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth– blood and fire and columns of smoke. (31) The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and terrible day of the LORD arrives. (32) But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved, for some on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will escape, just as the LORD has said. These will be among the survivors whom the LORD has called.

 

Romans 10:15 NLTse And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

Isaiah 52:5-8 NLTse What is this?” asks the LORD. “Why are my people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout in exultation. My name is blasphemed all day long. (6) But I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognize that I am the one who speaks to them.” (7) How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! (8) The watchmen shout and sing with joy, for before their very eyes they see the LORD returning to Jerusalem.

 

Romans 10:16-17 NLTse But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “LORD, who has believed our message?” (17) So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

Isaiah 53:1-5 NLTse Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm? (2) My servant grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. (3) He was despised and rejected– a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. (4) Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! (5) But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

 

Romans 10:17-18 NLTse So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. (18) But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have: “The message has gone throughout the earth, and the words to all the world.”

Psalms 22:26-28 NLTse The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the LORD will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. (27) The whole earth will acknowledge the LORD and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him. (28) For royal power belongs to the LORD. He rules all the nations.

 

Romans 10:19 NLTse But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God said, “I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation. I will provoke your anger through the foolish Gentiles.”

Deuteronomy 32:19-22 NLTse (19) “The LORD saw this and drew back, provoked to anger by his own sons and daughters. (20) He said, ‘I will abandon them; then see what becomes of them. For they are a twisted generation, children without integrity. (21) They have roused my jealousy by worshiping things that are not God; they have provoked my anger with their useless idols. Now I will rouse their jealousy through people who are not even a people; I will provoke their anger through the foolish Gentiles. (22) For my anger blazes forth like fire and burns to the depths of the grave. It devours the earth and all its crops and ignites the foundations of the mountains.

 

Romans 10:20 NLTse And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying, “I was found by people who were not looking for me. I showed myself to those who were not asking for me.”

Isaiah 65:1-3 NLTse The LORD says, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name. (2) All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people. But they follow their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes. (3) All day long they insult me to my face by worshiping idols in their sacred gardens. They burn incense on pagan altars.

 

Romans 10:21 NLTse But regarding Israel, God said, “All day long I opened my arms to them, but they were disobedient and rebellious.”

Isaiah 65:1-6 NLTse The LORD says, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name. (2) All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people. But they follow their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes. (3) All day long they insult me to my face by worshiping idols in their sacred gardens. They burn incense on pagan altars. (4) At night they go out among the graves, worshiping the dead. They eat the flesh of pigs and make stews with other forbidden foods. (5) Yet they say to each other, ‘Don’t come too close or you will defile me! I am holier than you!’ These people are a stench in my nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes away. (6) “Look, my decree is written out in front of me: I will not stand silent; I will repay them in full! Yes, I will repay them–

 

Romans 11:2-3 NLTse No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said, (3) “LORD, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

1 Kings 19:9-12 NLTse There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the LORD said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (10) Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” (11) “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. (12) And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.

 

Romans 11:4 NLTse And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!”

1 Kings 19:15-18 NLTse Then the LORD told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. (16) Then anoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet. (17) Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha! (18) Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”

 

Romans 11:8 NLTse As the Scriptures say, “God has put them into a deep sleep. To this day he has shut their eyes so they do not see, and closed their ears so they do not hear.”

Isaiah 29:8-13 NLTse A hungry person dreams of eating but wakes up still hungry. A thirsty person dreams of drinking but is still faint from thirst when morning comes. So it will be with your enemies, with those who attack Mount Zion.” (9) Are you amazed and incredulous? Don’t you believe it? Then go ahead and be blind. You are stupid, but not from wine! You stagger, but not from liquor! (10) For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets and visionaries. (11) All the future events in this vision are like a sealed book to them. When you give it to those who can read, they will say, “We can’t read it because it is sealed.” (12) When you give it to those who cannot read, they will say, “We don’t know how to read.” (13) And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.

 

Romans 11:9-10 NLTse Likewise, David said, “Let their bountiful table become a snare, a trap that makes them think all is well. Let their blessings cause them to stumble, and let them get what they deserve. (10) Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and let their backs be bent forever.”

Psalms 69:21-29 NLTse But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst. (22) Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare and their prosperity become a trap. (23) Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and make their bodies shake continually. (24) Pour out your fury on them; consume them with your burning anger. (25) Let their homes become desolate and their tents be deserted. (26) To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury; they add to the pain of those you have hurt. (27) Pile their sins up high, and don’t let them go free. (28) Erase their names from the Book of Life; don’t let them be counted among the righteous. (29) I am suffering and in pain. Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.

 

Romans 11:26-27 NLTse And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, “The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness. (27) And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins.”

Isaiah 59:20-21 NLTse “The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem to buy back those in Israel who have turned from their sins,” says the LORD. (21) “And this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children’s children forever. I, the LORD, have spoken!

 

Romans 12:19 NLTse Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD.

Deuteronomy 32:34-37 NLTse (34) “The LORD says, ‘Am I not storing up these things, sealing them away in my treasury? (35) I will take revenge; I will pay them back. In due time their feet will slip. Their day of disaster will arrive, and their destiny will overtake them.’ (36) “Indeed, the LORD will give justice to his people, and he will change his mind about his servants, when he sees their strength is gone and no one is left, slave or free. (37) Then he will ask, ‘Where are their gods, the rocks they fled to for refuge?

 

Romans 12:20-21 NLTse Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” (21) Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Proverbs 25:21-22 NLTse (21) If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. (22) You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the LORD will reward you.

 

Romans 13:9-11 NLTse For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These–and other such commandments–are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (10) Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. (11) This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

Exodus 20:12-20 NLTse “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you. (13) “You must not murder. (14) “You must not commit adultery. (15) “You must not steal. (16) “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor. (17) “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.” (18) When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear. (19) And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!” (20) “Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”

 

Romans 14:11-13 NLTse For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the LORD, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.'” (12) Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. (13) So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.

Isaiah 45:22-25 NLTse Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other. (23) I have sworn by my own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to me.” (24) The people will declare, “The LORD is the source of all my righteousness and strength.” And all who were angry with him will come to him and be ashamed. (25) In the LORD all the generations of Israel will be justified, and in him they will boast.

 

Romans 15:3-4 NLTse For even Christ didn’t live to please himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of those who insult you, O God, have fallen on me.” (4) Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

Psalms 69:19-23 NLTse You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace. You see all that my enemies are doing. (20) Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. If only one person would show some pity; if only one would turn and comfort me. (21) But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst. (22) Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare and their prosperity become a trap. (23) Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and make their bodies shake continually.

 

Romans 15:4 NLTse Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

 

Romans 15:9 NLTse He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote: “For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to your name.”

Psalms 18:47-50 NLTse He is the God who pays back those who harm me; he subdues the nations under me (48) and rescues me from my enemies. You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies; you save me from violent opponents. (49) For this, O LORD, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing praises to your name. (50) You give great victories to your king; you show unfailing love to your anointed, to David and all his descendants forever.

 

Romans 15:10 NLTse And in another place it is written, “Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles.”

Isaiah 42:8-12 NLTse “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols. (9) Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens.” (10) Sing a new song to the LORD! Sing his praises from the ends of the earth! Sing, all you who sail the seas, all you who live in distant coastlands. (11) Join in the chorus, you desert towns; let the villages of Kedar rejoice! Let the people of Sela sing for joy; shout praises from the mountaintops! (12) Let the whole world glorify the LORD; let it sing his praise.

 

Romans 15:11 NLTse And yet again, “Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles. Praise him, all you people of the earth.”

Psalms 117:1-2 NLTse Praise the LORD, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. (2) For he loves us with unfailing love; the LORD’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the LORD!

 

Romans 15:12 NLTse And in another place Isaiah said, “The heir to David’s throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hope on him.”

Isaiah 11:9-11 NLTse Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the LORD. (10) In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place. (11) In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to bring back the remnant of his people– those who remain in Assyria and northern Egypt; in southern Egypt, Ethiopia, and Elam; in Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands.

 

 

Romans 15:20-21 NLTse My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. (21) I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says, “Those who have never been told about him will see, and those who have never heard of him will understand.”

Isaiah 52:13-15 NLTse See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. (14) But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man. (15) And he will startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not been told; they will understand what they had not heard about.

 

Romans 16:26-27 NLTse But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him. (27) All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.
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Romans 1 Paul Defines the Good News

Romans 1:1-5 NLTse This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. (2) God promised this Good News long agothrough his prophets in the holy Scriptures. (3) The Good News is about his Son, Jesus. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, (4) and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. (5) Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.

In the beginning of his letters, Paul identifies the message he was given to teach. He called it the GOOD NEWS. It is about Jesus and His life here. It is about showing, Jesus is God’s Son. Nothing more. Nothing less. Why don’t the churches know this message in the last days?

Romans 1:19-22 NLTse They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. (20) For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. (21) Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. (22) Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.

This includes everything. All the doctrines and traditions men made up to replace the simple message of the GOOD NEWS. In their fight to make themselves look better than the churches down the street they lost the original message Jesus gave them to teach. Paul tells us when this will come to its height. When the message will be forgotten. Paul set the time through symbols.

Romans 1:23-25 NLTse And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. (24) So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. (25) They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

Paul points to the man made concept of evolution. This is a concept that is obviously wrong. But put this into context. Who was this letter written to? Was it for believers or nonbelievers? It was written to believers so they could see the signs of the times when believers trade lies for the truth. When believers forget the simple message. When they forget what the GOOD NEWS is.

Romans 1:26-28 NLTse That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. (27) And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. (28) Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.

Another sign is the world wide gay movement and its acceptance by the world. It is a sign we see in our lives today. People can take this two ways. They can take this information, twist it in their own minds and replace the GOOD NEWS with a warning. Or they can see the warning, recognize the time and search to find the GOOD NEWS so they can effectively teach it. They can accept the message from Heaven, or turn to the world for answers. When the choose to study the message of the world: Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. (Romans 1:29-32 NLTse).

There is only one God.

One Message.

One love from Heaven.

There are many ways to be deceived.

The GOOD NEWS is in God’s written Word.

It is explained.

Verified by God.

The GOOD NEWS is not:

doctrine

traditions

personal preference

imagination

from this world

limited to this world

about this world

of anyone’s personal interpretation!

Matthew 26:58-75: Peter Denies Jesus

Matthew 26:58-75 Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end. (59) Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. (60) But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward (61) who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.'” (62) Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” (63) But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God–tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” (64) Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (65) Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. (66) What is your verdict?” “Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!” (67) Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him, (68) jeering, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?” (69) Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.” (70) But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. (71) Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” (72) Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said. (73) A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.” (74) Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying–I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed. (75) Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.

 

Peter felt so ashamed, falling asleep when Jesus asked him to watch and pray. He remembered how his father gave him tasks to do, and how he put his childish games before his work. This cut much deeper than the disappointment he saw in his fathers eyes when he returned to see the task uncompleted.

 

When the temple guards arrested Jesus, Peter tried to make up for his mistake. He remembered how the other disciples followed his example when he vowed never to leave Jesus. It was the first time he ever felt like a leader and he had to take every opportunity to live up to the new role. As two guards grabbed Peter, he broke free. Pulling out his knife he lunged forward to protect Jesus. His wild, aggressive movements alerted the guards to Peter’s lack of military training. If it were not for God’s angel looking over him, making the two guard trip over one another, they would have finished Peter’s life before he reached the temple guard in front of Jesus. Swinging violently from behind Peter laid what he thought would be a decisive blow to the head. The light kitchen knife slide off the top of the helmet, down the side, taking off a piece of the guard’s ear before bouncing harmlessly off the armor covering his shoulder. One of the guards behind Peter rolled forward at Peter’s legs. The impact from behind left Peter with no choice but to fall to the ground. The other guard now held his sword at Peter’s throat. He felt as helpless as he looked.

 

If it was not for a sudden gust of wind and Jesus’ intervention, Peter would have never seen the light of day. Even as Jesus said, “Put away your sword, those who use the sword will die by the sword.” Peter was asking himself, wasn’t it Jesus who told him to take a sword?

 

When they took Jesus away Peter followed at a distance. He breathed a sigh of relief when they turned from the road leading to the temple and headed towards the high priest’s house. He was certain everything would be okay when they reached the courtyard and took Jesus inside. Peter went in, sat with the guards waiting to see how it would all end.

 

The guards took Jesus inside. A group of priests stopped Jesus in the hallway to get a better look at this man they heard so much about. As they inspected Him, Jesus looked beyond the priests to the breastplate of righteousness displayed in the hallway. Jesus suddenly realized He was about to be judged by priests claiming to serve God, but Jesus could see, His Father’s guidance and wisdom were not to play a role in His trial. Tears came to His eyes. The priest inspecting Him wondered why Jesus would not look at them. They interpreted His tears as a sign of guilt and remorse. Their minds were made up. The priests turned and walked in the meeting chamber ahead of Jesus.

 

Inside the chamber, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Two of the priests stood behind Caiaphas, discussing a plan. They remembered something Judas mentioned to them when he came to talk to the high priest. Finally the two men came forward declaring, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’ Jesus looked at them, wondering how they heard His statement. He also wondered if they saw the relationship between the temple and three days in the belly of a fish He declared to them in the temple court. There was very little time to think. The high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?”

 

Jesus had no reason to answer. Knowing the priests had no place for His Father in the trial told Jesus there was no chance they would listen to Him. Instead Jesus gave the high priest a stern look as He thought about all He taught in the temple court a few days earlier. Caiaphas felt uncomfortable with Jesus’ stare. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God–tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” Jesus continued to look Caiaphas in the eyes. He tried to read them like a book, to look deep inside his soul. Jesus was looking for a spark of compassion, justice, concern, anything indicating any sign of hope. There was nothing there. It was like looking into an abyss. Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

 

Jesus observed Caiaphas’ every movement. Caiaphas’ eyes tried to burn through Jesus, as if he was attempting to display his power and authority over Him. Jesus changed His look to one of compassion. Was there a way He could reach Caiaphas? Jesus knew no man has heard more about His mission, every word He preached, every part of scripture He quoted, every person He healed, the group He collected and called His disciples. Jesus wondered how anyone could undergo such a quest for knowledge and achieve such a low degree of wisdom. Jesus knew Caiaphas’ quest for power blinded him at every turn. No matter how the Spirit tried to explain the wealth of knowledge Caiaphas held, his heart would not understand a single word in.

 

Jesus watched as Caiaphas felt around his collar with his fingers. His eyes had a look of fear as if he had forgotten something and was about to be embarrassed. As his fingers fumbled around his collar, they stopped at one point. His expression changed from fear to confidence. Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy.” The entire chamber broke out in sheiks and shouts. Some feel to the ground as if their strength left them. Others waved their fists in the air. Jesus released His contact with Caiaphas by turning His eyes to the ground, thinking for a moment about His conference with the priests when He was a young boy.

 

Caiaphas raised his hands to bear his chest and quite the room. He shouted out, what is your verdict?” Raising their fists in the air the priests shouted back, “guilty, guilty, guilty, He deserves to die!” Jesus knew He had passed the point of no return. The timing of the prophecies was to be fulfilled on time. They began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him, jeering, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?” Jesus did not fight back, He couldn’t. He was stilled tied, presented to the counsel in the image of a criminal.

 

Jesus’ beating began with the guards holding Him fast. It quickly spread to the highest ranking priests, each attempting to make the biggest spectacle of himself by striking a man unable to defend Himself. Justice was not going to interfere with their ambition for power. It was not clear which supported Jesus’ mock trial, and which opposed it. What was evident was the fact all the priests knew Caiaphas’ future depended upon how he handled this situation. They knew a single error would open up the opportunity for them to compete for the position of high priest.

 

Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. The night was cold with a slight breeze. Clouds hid the stars and moon. The fires lite throughout the courtyard cast noticeable shadows along every wall. Peter stood close to a fire to warm himself. He wanted to be the first to greet Jesus when he was released. It took three years for him to reach his new status with the disciples and was not about to let it go. He wondered how John was able to gain access to Caiaphas’ house. As he gazed into the fire he contemplated the situation and how he could make it work to his advantage. Peter thought John’s association with the priests may be an advantage to tip the scales in his favor. He wondered how he could overcome this major obstacle. As Peter’s mind became lost in the future, a servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.” Peter thought, it was bad enough John was welcomed into Caiaphas’ house. If he was brought in for questioning it would show he had no influence with the priests. At that moment the door to the house opened. People ran up to get a glimpse inside the high priests’ house. Peter looked as the guards dragging Jesus into the court. The priests did not want Him present as they plotted their next move. It was very important for Caiaphas to gauge his followers and their loyalty.

 

Peter was shocked to see the disfigured face of his Teacher. Jesus’ head hung low as one of the guards helped to support Him. The woman questioning Peter stepped between him and Jesus. Remembering her accusation Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” To emphasis his point Peter turned his back and walked toward the gate.

 

Satan was making a point. He knew Peter’s pride and ambition. He knew what prompted Judas to betray Jesus, and Satan decided to use a small servant girl to topple the burley fisherman with sights set on becoming an honored leader.

 

Peter was asking himself if this was all a dream. He wanted to convince himself none of this was happening. How could this be happening? He never imagined the priests would attack and beat Jesus. How could they consider Him a threat? Didn’t they see Jesus was the key to freeing the nation. Peter was completely confused. His mind shifted from thoughts of national conquest to protecting himself from the now evident threat. By the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” This time Peter viewed the comment as a threat. Fearing for his life Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man.”

 

Peter moved along the wall hiding in the shadows while he tried to make sense of the situation. Everything was changing so fast with too many unexpected events. Peter remembered Jesus teaching how they needed to place his faith in the Spirit. Thinking about how he was going to accomplish this, he began to review his actions. He began to realize he acted out of pride. He admitted to himself, he struck out at the guard, pledged his life to Jesus, and followed Jesus here, not because He loved Jesus, but ultimately for personal gain.

 

Something began to change in Peter. He went over point after point of the past three years when He spoke up, not because he had the right answer, or believed what he was saying, but to draw attention to himself. He began to compare his actions to the example Jesus set for him, and see the drastic contrast. He realized how patient Jesus had been these past years, and how little growth he experienced. Peter began to pray, if given another chance he would be willing to give everything.

 

A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.” Peter’s mind once again swung into a defensive mode. Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying–I don’t know the man!”

 

Peter quickly walked away staying close to the wall, looking behind him to see if anyone was following. He turned to look ahead. At that moment he unexpectedly looked straight into the battered and swollen eyes of Jesus gazing straight at him. Peter took a deep breath, and immediately the rooster crowed. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” As disfigures as His face was from the beating, Jesus’ eyes still conveyed the love He had for Peter. A love Peter felt across the court yard. Jesus could see the sorrow in Peter’s eyes. Peter walked closer to Jesus, stopping a short distance away. He felt Jesus had a message for him. With the flames flickering off Jesus’ face, Peter watched His broken lips spell out the words, “I never wanted to hurt you.” Peter didn’t know what to do. For the first time he wanted to help Jesus, not to draw attention to himself, but to help the Teacher he loved and respected. Peter wanted to step forward and try to free Jesus. With more than a dozen guards standing around, Peter felt helpless. Feeling he had no other choice, Peter went away, weeping bitterly.

Matthew 14:22-33: Jesus Calms the Wind and Waves

Matthew 14:22-33 MKJV And immediately Jesus constrained His disciples to get into a boat and to go before Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. (23) And when He had sent the crowds away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray. And when evening had come, He was there alone. (24) But the boat was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves; for the wind was against them. (25) And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. (26) And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a phantom! And they cried out for fear. (27) But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Be of good cheer, I AM! Do not fear. (28) And Peter answered Him and said, LORD, if it is You, tell me to come to You on the water. (29) And He said, Come. And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. (30) But seeing that the wind was strong, he was afraid. And beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me! (31) And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him; and said to him, Little-faith! Why did you doubt? (32) And when they had come into the boat, the wind ceased. (33) And those in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, Truly You are the Son of God.

 

After feeding the four thousand, Jesus knew there were a number of men who did not open their hearts to understand His parables, miracles, or mission. He knew what harm they could cause if they were allowed to present their ideas to Him and His disciple.

As the sun was setting the sea was calm. Jesus quietly gathered up His disciples. “I want you to return to the shore on the other side and wait for me.” Peter asked Him, “where are you going?” Jesus exclaimed, “up to the mountain to pray. I have a few things to work out on my own.” Remembering how He had been troubled by the news of John’s death, Peter gathered the others into the boat, and they cast off, headed for the other side.

Jesus climbed to the top of the mountain, praying as He ascended. Beginning the rigorous climb, His mind was set on John, and the trials He knew were ahead of Him. The long arduous trek reminded Him of the trials everyone faced on their journey to Heaven. Jesus sat upon a rock which for centuries had overlooked the sea. As He prayed, He was shown two lessons His followers must understand. They must have a proper vision of Heaven. With this they would be able to keep the trials they were about to face in perspective. Knowing this world was only temporary would help them overcome their trials. This was the only way to experience the love His Father had for them. This would provide the comfort required in times of trouble. Both of these required an open heart, an open mind with vision beyond the material world. Jesus prayed for the proper examples so the lessons would never be forgotten, but handed down until the end of days.

Looking out over the sea, Jesus could see and hear the winds increasing in speed and strength. The light of the full moon showed trees bending under the mighty power of the winds. The Spirit told Jesus what He must do to teach the disciples the lessons they needed. In the darkness Jesus began His decent down the mountain.

James and John also heard the approaching wind, and knew it was not good news. Their years of experience on the seas told them to point the tiny boat into the wind. Immediately upon changing course, the waves began to crash upon the small craft. Wave after wave beat against the boat. Water splashed up over the bow. As James and John fought against the wind and waves others bailed out water as quickly as possible. John knew they were not rowing on the intended course, but not turning the boat into the wrath of storm could result in a loss of everything.

After an hour of struggling against the storm, Peter looked up at the sky. It was unusual to have such a wind on a clear night. The moon and stars were completely visible. Peter looked behind Him to see if the shore was insight, wondering if turning the boat to the south would save them. He noticed a figure on the water. At first he thought his eyes were deceiving him. Or maybe it was a devils spout, a rare cyclone forming on the open sea. He covered his face with his hands to keep the blowing water out of his face. Examining the water around the strange figure in the distance he saw a calm surrounding it. A little while later he noticed the figure dressed in a white cloak, but it was not being blown by the wind. In shear terror Peter called out, “It is a phantom!” James and John looked up from their labored rowing. Without skipping a beat they cried out in fear, “lets get away from this place.” The others turned around, waiting for their eyes to adjust to the scene before adding in, “it is a demon. What are we to do?” Jesus called out, “Be of good cheer, I AM! Do not fear.”

Seeing the sea was calm around the figure, Peter tried standing in the boat as it was still tossed by the wind and waves. He could not stand straight, but hung onto the boat with his left hand. He used his right hand to direct his voice as he shouted, “LORD, if it is You, tell me to come to You on the water.” Jesus stopped a short distance from the boat. The look on Jesus’ face and the calm water around Him gave a feeling of confidence to Peter. Jesus answered, “come!”

The water between Jesus and the back of the boat suddenly became calm, leaving a path between Peter and Jesus. The front of the boat was still caught up in the storm, making it difficult for Peter to steady himself for the first step. He looked at Jesus, who didn’t say a thing, but opened up His arms to welcome Peter. Grabbing onto the side of the boat with both hands, staying as low as possible, Peter worked his way out of the boat, placing one foot upon the water, pressing it down to test the footing. To his surprise, he found it as solid and any earth he had walked upon. He had no explanation for it, and the situation left him little opportunity to think of one, as his faith directed him toward Jesus.

As soon as Peter placed his other foot on the water he straightened upright, looking at Jesus, hardly believing he was actually walking on water. Jesus walked toward him. Peter’s right hand still rested on the side of the boat which was violently tossing and turning with the waves. Looking at the scene James and John discontinued their rowing. The boat was quickly launched backward just missing Peter. As he turned to watch the boat skipping past him, he began to sink. He turned back to Jesus shouting, “Lord, save me!” Jesus reached out, taking hold of Peter’s hand, lifting him out of the water saying, “What little faith! Why do you doubt?”

Andrew, sat stunned at the front of the boat. The waves crashing over did little to distract his attention. He pondered the scene, wondering what lessons Jesus was teaching, and how this related to the parables He had taught. Holding onto Peter, Jesus helped him into the rocking boat. The sea and winds still threatened the disciples, but knowing Jesus was present felt safe and assured. The moment Jesus’ foot entered the boat, the winds died, and the sea calmed. The miracle stunned all the disciples, who bowed down to Jesus inside the boat, with the exception of Andrew, who said, ” truly, you are the Son of God.”

Andrew began to understand the lessons Jesus was teaching. He remembered what Jesus has taught about the resurrection. This was the day all of Jesus’ followers would be taken to Heaven. Andrew could see a connection. The second Jesus entered the boat, the winds and waves lost their power. The threats and fear were gone There was no more reason to worry. There was nothing but peace, and Jesus. That is the way it will be when Jesus returns. Those alive will see an instant change from a disturbed world, to one without cares or worries. Everything will be calm and serene. When Jesus appears the cares of the world will end as quickly as the storm.

Matthew 8:28-34: Jesus Heals the Demonics

Matthew 8:28-34 MKJV And when He had come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, two demon-possessed ones met Him, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one might pass by that way. (29) And behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with You, Jesus, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time? (30) And there was a good way off from them a herd of many swine, feeding. (31) And the demons begged Him, saying, If You cast us out, allow us to go away into the herd of swine. (32) And He said to them, Go! And when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea and perished in the waters. (33) And those who fed them fled. And going into the city, they told everything, and what had happened to the ones who had been possessed of demons. (34) And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged that He would depart out of their borders.

 

Little was discussed during the remainder of the night as the disciples contemplated the events of the storm, and how Jesus vanquished the powers of darkness with His word. John and James continued their slow steady pace through the clam waters until they heard the sandy shore slide along the bottom of the ship. After securing the oars, they jumped out into the shallow water, pulling the ship onto the shore. One by one the disciples climbed onto solid ground waiting for Jesus’ next instructions.

They arrived on shore just as the sun was coming up over the horizon where shouts and cries of anguish were heard. It was difficult to determine the origin of the sound. It was neither man, nor animal, at least not any the disciples had encountered before. Holding their hands to their foreheads to shade them from the rising sun, they made out a pair of human images on the horizon.

As the two men moved closer the disciples could make out the bent and twisted images a pair of humans figures covered with open wounds and covered in blood. Shackles and chain links hung from each arm clanking away as they wildly waved their arms is a show of defiance. When the figures approached close enough to show their matted hair, and twisted agony on their faces, fear filled the hearts of the disciples as they darted behind Jesus. With the memory of the storm still fresh in their minds instinct moved them to safety.

Huddled together between the ship and Jesus the disciples watched in horror as Jesus stepped closer to engage the demented men, who let out a series of howls and screams in an attempt to discourage the Son of God. Finally one of the demons spoke. “What have we to do with You, Jesus, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”

Jesus knew the demons could not harm Him. As long as He was obedient to God and carrying out His work, He was under God’s supreme protection. The demon asked, “what have we to do with You?” Implying they were in control. The demons viewed the world as their domain, and all it’s souls their possessions. Little more than toys to play with and occupy their time. This was the greater understanding they believed Satan promised to deliver.

The demons addressed Jesus as the Son of God. They knew who He was, and they knew the power at His command. They also indicated they knew their reign would one day come to an end. On one hand the demons tried to believe, because Jesus was now in their world, He was under their control. In reality the demons knew they were no match for Jesus. They may have put on a display of superiority for a time, but in the end they knew their time had come. God’s perfect plan of salvation was in motion, and the demons hope for victory was quickly disappearing. Thousands of years of preparation had thus far failed. They could not defeat Him as an infant, nor a little boy. Jesus passed the trials of a teenager and a young adult. Now He stood before the demons as a man. In Him the demons could see His glory. Not the same shining glory they remembered when Jesus sat upon His throne in Heaven, but the glory of His heart, forever one with His Father still remained.

The demons knew they were no match for Jesus’ power and glory. They knew Jesus was about to heal the poor men held against their will. Even though it appeared the demons had total control of the two men, Jesus still heard a faint cry for help. Looking for an acceptable way out they looked around and saw a herd of swine grazing in a nearby field. The demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, allow us to go away into the herd of swine.” Jesus studied the anguish on the faces of the two men as he felt their inward cries for help. Jesus knew the freedom they were seeking. Jesus looked over at the swine, then back at the men, and said, “go!”

In an instant the faces of the two men changed. Below the blood, under the wounds, a look of peace now replaced anguish. Their entire bodies relaxed. They no longer showed signs of involuntary twitches. They looked down at their bodies as if seeing them for the first time. Finally they looked at Jesus, dropped to their knees thanking Him over and over again for their release until a commotion in the field caught their attention.

The herd of swine began to act wrestles. At first they showed signs of irritation, then anger toward one another. The larger hogs began demonstrating dominance over the smaller, then against each other. The battles became more and more violent until the smallest began to run for safety. This began a chain reaction as one after another began to give chase. It was as if they could smell fear and were determined to find pleasure in exploiting it. The frightened mass followed by the stronger vengeful swine raced up, over, and down a steep hill, straight into the sea with no regard for life. As the swine crashed head long into the rocks at the bottom, devilish shrills could be heard over the pounding of battered bodies, and thrashing swine in the water. Soon they all lay motionless, dead. The demons had gained a victory, small, but in their eyes decisive.

The men watching the herd of swine stood helpless as the event unfolded before them. They had no power to change the outcome, no hope of saving a single pig. Their hearts sank as they watched their livelihood, income, security, their entire lives first controlled and then destroyed before their eyes.

The herdsman ran up the hill, stood at the top and surveyed the damages. All was lost. Not a single swine remained. They turned, looked at Jesus, then ran into town to report the entire matter.

Arriving in town they shouted to gather every person. They began to relate the story in their own words. “All of our swine are dead. We do not even have a pair for breeding. We are finished, we have lost our income, our living. What are we going to do?” One of the village elders asked, “how did his happen?” The lead herdsman answered, “a group of men came by ship in the early morning. They landed right where the crazy men live, by the tombs. The crazy men came out to scare them away, like they always do. Instead of just getting back in their ship and leaving, one of them begins talking to the crazies. The next thing we know is, the entire herd runs up over the hill and plunges into the sea.” The elder questions, “do you think these new visitors had anything to do with it?” The herdsman answers, “I think the one that talked with the crazies gave them the idea.” The elder asked, “an idea for what? How did they force the herd to run into the sea and kill themselves?” The herdsman thought for a moment, turned to confer with the other workers, then answered the elder, “we don’t know, but it happened.” The elder turned to the crowd and announced, “we have a stranger among us, I do not understand the powers he has, but they are not for our good. We must make certain they leave, and leave now.”

The entire town followed the elders and herdsmen as they made their way to the beach. On the way they met Jesus followed by His disciples, and the two men released from the demons. Sensing their anger Jesus stopped when He saw the crowd. The entire village stopped then they surrounded Jesus on three sides. Only the head elder spoke. “We’ve been told what you did to our swine. Do you realize what you did? How are we supposed to eat, and support our families? You brought this curse on us. We want nothing to do with you. Please leave now before you bring more destruction on us.”

One of the men Jesus healed was about to speak up when Jesus reached back to silence him. Jesus did not answer a word, but turned around. His disciples opened a path for Him as He headed back for the ship.

When they arrived at the ship, one of the men freed from the demons begged Jesus to let Him go with Him. Jesus told the man, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and has had mercy on you..” Jesus entered into the ship followed by his disciples. John and James pushed the ship back into the sea, and they headed to Decapolis.

Mary, A Short Story

As Mary leaned on the wall next to the door, she thought to herself, “Oh, what am I doing here? I just sold everything. All my clothes. All my jewelry. All my perfumes. Everything but the clothes on my back. This is all I have, right here in this tiny little bottle. Everything I have, in all the world.
As thoughts went through her mind, Jesus sat back after his meal. His eyes looked over the group. He knew by the people around Him that the topic for the evening would be politics. A smile of confidence came over His face. He even let out a little laugh, as He thought to Himself……”politics, they have no idea.”

Mary peeked into the room and looked directly into the eyes of Jesus. Her head quickly darted back behind the door. Their eyes had only met an instant. The image of His eyes rested on her mind like a vision that would last a generation. Those eyes seemed to be calling out to her. She hesitated for just one more moment. Doubts began to fill her mind. “Was this the true Son of God? Why doesn’t anyone else see what he must suffer? If He is, why does He seem so calm? Doesn’t He know His life is in danger? Am I seeing something in the scriptures that is not there? Why would I be the only one in the whole world that God would allow to see such a message? Is this all just my imagination? Did I just waste all my money? My whole life just thrown away?”

Mary wanted to run away. Her feet wanted to carry her so far away. To a place where no one would know her. To a place no one would ever find out about the mistake she had just made. That was the answer. Just disappear forever. Her mind was made up. Her heart wanted just one more look at Jesus before she left. For one last time she needed to turn, stand in the doorway and look right into His eyes.

The eyes of Jesus looked past her face, down to the very depths of her soul. It was not her feet carrying her body

Mary Washing Jesus' Feet

forward, it was her heart. It was like a dream. In an instant she was standing over Jesus. The bottle of oil she never remembered opening. She was pouring it over His head. As the last drop came from the bottle and hit His head she remembered what she had been shown. Why she was there. The oil was for His burial. The thought of Him giving Himself, His life away for her was too much to bear. She only wanted to drop down beside Him. She found herself at His feet. But it didn’t matter to her. There was never enough she could ever do for Him.

 

Mary could not stop crying. Her tears fell upon the feet of the Son of God. The feet that had walked upon 1000 stars. The feet that had carried Him through all time. The feet that had stood in Heaven, before the Father. Her tears were now washing the feet of the Son of God. The feet she knew would soon carry the nails for her.

Study on the Word Bones Matthew 23

Matthew 23:25-35 NKJV 25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 “Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 “Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 “and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ 31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 “Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. 33 “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? 34 “Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 “that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

The first step in analyzing any text is to look at the physical attributes that can be easily understand.  Jesus  is talking to a group of scribes and Pharisees.  These people were the religious leaders of Israel.  They were also the people that plotted to put Jesus to death.  “Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.  From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” KJV Matthew 12:14, Matthew 16:21

There is no need to analyze what frame of mind Jesus was in when He spoke these words.  We need to concentrate on the words that Jesus spoke.  Jesus tells these people that they are blind.  We can assume that Jesus is speaking about their spiritual state.  They are told to first clean the inside of the cup and dish and the outside will also become clean.  Jesus is referring to the inside of a person, the heart.  Jesus then begins to compare them to tombs that are painted white on the outside to make them more appealing.  This could be a reference to the Pharisees style of dress;  “they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,”  Matthew 23:5   Jesus continues to tell them on the inside they are full of dead men’s bones.  This phrase is true in every physical sense.  You usually find bones inside of tombs.  But what is Jesus attempting to portray spiritually?  Was there a message for the Pharisees to see?

Jesus gives us a clue in verse 28.  Could these dead man’s bones represent hypocrisy and uncleanliness?

These Pharisees have built elaborate monuments in honor of the prophets.  They claim that if they were alive in the days of the prophets they would have had the scriptural knowledge to recognize and follow them.  They pride themselves on the fact they would not have made the same mistakes others did.  The scribes had copied the scriptures letter by letter and know it well.  But before them stands the Son of God and before Him they reveal their understanding of the scriptures.

There are a number of spiritual words to choose from in this text.  To keep this study short and to the point we will consider only one spiritual word, “bones”.  This will aid in illustrating the point that when we take the time to examine only one word in the Bible it can open up new avenues of understanding.  The Pharisees were experts in the law.  If Jesus was attempting to reach these people it would have been the most practical place to lead them and the most obvious place for us to look.

KJV Numbers 19:16  And whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. 17.  And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel: 18.  And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave: 19.  And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even. 20.  But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the Lord: the water of separation hath not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean. 21.  And it shall be a perpetual statute unto them, that he that sprinkleth the water of separation shall wash his clothes; and he that toucheth the water of separation shall be unclean until even. 22.  And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean; and the soul that toucheth it shall be unclean until even.

The book of Numbers tells us exactly what is to be done when anyone touches a dead body or a bone.  That person in unclean and needs to be cleansed.  Jesus was not telling this to the scribes and Pharisees because He was upset by them.  Jesus was telling them this because He wanted to reach them.  Jesus wanted to draw their minds to scripture they should have been familiar with.  This scripture when combined with the leading of the Holy Spirit would have lead their minds to the spiritual meaning of some of the other words used in Numbers 19.  Two thousand years later when we hear the word hyssop we are all reminded of the Passover.  The third day should have been a clue pointing to Jesus and His resurrection.  We are shown in the book of Acts that this passage must have made an impression on some of the priests.   “And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.”  KJV Acts 6:7

Another text that they may have been lead to is found in the book of Psalms.

KJV Psalms 51: 6.  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7.  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8.  Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9.  Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10.  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11.  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12.  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13.  Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Some of the priest didn’t take the time to study the scriptures.  They relied upon their own memory for judgment.  In doing so they completely missed the point Jesus was trying to make and as a result crucified Him.

KJV Psalms 58: 3.  The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. 4.  Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; 5.  Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.

KJV Numbers 35: 33.  So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

KJV Lamentations 4:12  The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem. 13.  For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her, 14.  They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments.

KJV Revelation 18:23  And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. 24.  And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

Jesus was trying to reach these people.  They should have known the scriptures.  Did they bother looking?  If they did the key words here would have confirmed that Jesus was the Son of God.  Some of the priest didn’t take the time to study the scriptures.  They relied upon their own memory for judgment.  In doing so they completely missed the point Jesus was trying to make and as a result crucified Him.

What was the result of the priests that did look at the scriptures?
KJV Acts 6:7
7.  And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

One of the great lessons we need to learn from this study is the fact that there were people standing right in front of Jesus that could not see He was the Son of God.  People did not recognize Jesus for one reason. Because they did not study the scriptures.  “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”  KJV John 5:39

“Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed”.  KJV John 20:29  We see Jesus through the scriptures.  We reveal a path to Jesus through our actions.  Others can see the way to Jesus through us but they do not gather a full impression of Jesus through us.  That can never happen.  If we know that this is true, why is it I see so many people satisfied with their knowledge of Jesus through the words of a pastor or other teacher?  No one on this earth can ever portray one tiny little fraction of Gods glory.  A true teacher will teach others how to study, how to see God for themselves.  A true teacher will never take the credit of saving a soul.  A true teacher will be interested in what each and every person sees within the scriptures.  The Spirit has the power to reveal God’s light to the spiritually lame, the spiritually blind, the deaf.  We are only vessels by which this message is carried.