Podcasts about in galilee

Mark 15:37 - 16:8 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.“Don't be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'”Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Having been to Israel many times, leading tours, I have a much clearer vision of what a crucifixion was really like and how horrendous it must have been to have watched anyone dying on a cross. We have tended to romanticize the cross a bit, with our jewelry and pictures of a cross on a hill far away, but actually the place of crucifixion was the most horrible place in Jerusalem. It would have been by a busy road so everyone could see and mock and be terrified by a crucifixion. It was meant to be a deterrent to crime and rebellion, to cause anyone who thought they might challenge the rule of Rome to think twice, because they would have to endure this horrible death. Knowing how awful a crucifixion was, it is amazing to read in Matthew 27:55 that: Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Moses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons. In Mark 15:40 we read: Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there. Luke tells us that: A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him (Luke 23:27). And John tells us: Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene (John 19:25). By my count, there are seven women who are identified in the four Gospels, but we know there were many others as well. It's interesting that the women are named, and yet there are no named men at the cross. Certainly, there were men there, but how many were the friends and disciples of Jesus Christ? We only know for sure that John was there, because Jesus refers to him in John 19:26-27, as he instructs him to care for his mother. Where were the other disciples? And why were all these women there at this ugly scene? It was not a place for a woman; unless it was your close relative, no woman would have intentionally gone to such a horrible place. Yet, there were all these women at the cross of Jesus. These women had gathered there to mourn and to wail the crucifixion of their Savior, Jesus Christ. They were there because they loved Jesus. They had been delivered from their sins and their pasts by Jesus, and they were determined to stay with him until the end, as ugly as it was. Can you even imagine what it meant for these women to stay there throughout the whole crucifixion? Mary Magdalene was there. We know Jesus had delivered her from seven demons. There have been some scurrilous writings and suggestions that Jesus had a romantic relationship with Mary Magdalene. That is a lie and totally unsubstantiated by Scripture or history. But for sure, this woman had deep feelings for Jesus because he had delivered her from her past. And it was an awful past. Can you even imagine being possessed by seven demons? What could be worse than to be indwelled by seven demons from hell? No doubt she had been abused and suffered great harm from these demons for many years. No doubt she was full of guilt and gloom and despair, fearing she would live all her days possessed by them. And then she met Jesus. In Mark 16:9 we read that Jesus had driven out those demons. However he did that, it had to be dramatic—perhaps painful—but no doubt the best day of her life. She was set free from her past, her guilt, her shame. And because Jesus has risen from the dead, he is able to do the same for you today. It may not be demons you are dealing with, but whatever haunts you from your past, Jesus is a qualified Savior because he is risen from the dead. He can deliver you, too. We are told that Mary, his mother, was at the cross. As she stood there, she must have remembered the prophecy told to her by Simeon when they took baby Jesus ...

Written and presented by Erik Jones.In Galilee, a Pharisee invited Jesus to share a meal at his home. However, it's not so much the Pharisee we remember today, but an unexpected visitor.Read Online: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/god/who-is-jesus/a-sinful-woman-washes-jesus-feet/

Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness Have seen…

Talk 47  Mark 15:40-47 The Burial of Jesus    Welcome to Talk 47 in our series on Mark's Gospel. We have now reached Mark 15:40. Today we'll be concentrating on Jesus' burial and, as we do so, we'll take time to note the importance of the certification of his death and of the key roles played by Joseph of Arimathea and women like Mary Magdalene. Next time, which will be our final talk in this series, we'll be looking at Mark's account of the resurrection and the Great Commission.   As we proceed we will take time to stress the importance of each of these historical facts without getting involved with relatively minor issues like the apparent differences in the Gospel accounts, or whether, as some have argued, Jesus was actually crucified on the Thursday, rather than, as is traditionally taught, on what we know as Good Friday. Such discussion is generally unproductive.   As far as any differences in the accounts are concerned, I have already pointed out in my book, You'd Better Believe It, that the Schofield Bible offers an explanation of how the different accounts of Christ's resurrection appearances can be reconciled. What's more, any such differences actually strengthen the case for the resurrection as they suggest that there was no collaboration between the four writers. And does it really matter what day he was crucified? Surely what matters is that Christ died for our sins… was buried… and rose again. This, says Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, is the essence of the gospel.   So, over these two final talks, we'll take the text of Mark's Gospel as we have it and consider Jesus' burial, the confirmation of his death, his resurrection, and his last instructions to his disciples.   We'll begin today by reading verses 42-47: 42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.   We'll start with the confirmation of Jesus' death. Joseph goes to Pilate and asks for the body of Jesus, but Pilate needs to be sure that Jesus is already dead. Some victims of crucifixion had been known to survive for days. He summons the centurion who crucified Jesus, who assures him that Jesus really is dead. So Pilate gives the body to Joseph.   Why is this important? Why has Mark chosen to include this detail about the certification of Jesus' death? Because the entire truth of the resurrection rests upon it. There have always been those who, refusing to believe the clear evidence of the Gospel writers, have argued that Jesus only appeared to die on the cross but recovered in the tomb and walked out! And if Jesus did not die, the resurrection is a myth! There is no truth in the gospel that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried and that he rose again (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The certainty of the resurrection rests securely on the certainty of his death.   And his burial is important too. This not only gives added confirmation to the fact that Jesus was truly dead, but it also helps us in our understanding of the significance of baptism. In Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12 Paul teaches us that in baptism we are buried with Christ and raised with him to live a new life through our faith in the power of God. Of course, the word for baptise in Greek is baptizo which always means immerse, and all baptisms in the New Testament were by immersion. But how does this relate to Jesus' burial? Let me put it like this:   When we first put our faith in Jesus we acknowledged that on the cross he died in our place, to take the punishment for our sins. In so doing we identified ourselves with his death. That's why Paul could say in Galatians 2:20, I was crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. When you gave your life to Christ, you became a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). The old you died and a new you came alive. Baptism is a wonderful picture of that truth. Jesus died, was buried, and rose again. In baptism you act out your identification with him as you are buried in the water and come up out of it to live out the new life he has already given you. (See my book, You'd Better Believe It, for more on this).   But let's look now at the man who buried the Lord Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea. Let's read again verses 42-43. 42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. And  verses 46-47 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.   First, please note the urgency of the situation. As I'm sure you know, the Jewish Sabbath lasted from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. That's why it was important for Jesus to be buried very soon after he died. Apart from the fact that it was against the Law for a dead body to remain exposed overnight, for the Jews all forms of work were prohibited on the Sabbath. So if Jesus' followers didn't bury him before sunset the Romans would have disposed of his body as they were not subject to the laws of the Sabbath. And, as verse 42 tells us, evening was already approaching when Joseph went to Pilate to ask for Jesus' body.   Joseph was a well-respected member of the Sanhedrin, most of whom, as we know, were bitterly opposed to Jesus, but Joseph was an exception. When Mark says that he was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, he is implying that Joseph was a follower of Jesus, albeit until now, secretly. He had been present at Jesus' trial before the high priest, but we're told in Luke 23:51 that he had not consented to their decision and action.   Clearly Joseph had now decided to let his respect for Jesus be known publicly. What he was about to do could hardly be kept a secret. By coming in contact with a dead body he would make himself ritually unclean and would not be able to attend the synagogue the following day. His absence would be noticed. What's more, it was a risky thing to show sympathy with anyone who had been crucified, especially on a charge of sedition. He was in danger not only of incurring the wrath of the Jewish authorities, but of the Romans too. No doubt that's why Mark says that Joseph went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body.   Verse 46 tells us that, after Pilate had authorised Joseph to have the body Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.   Matthew 27:60 explains that this tomb was one which Joseph had had carved for himself, and, to complete the picture, John 19:39 tells us that he was accompanied by Nicodemus, the member of the Sanhedrin who had come to Jesus by night in John 3. Perhaps he too had decided that it was high time to make his secret discipleship public. The message of Christ crucified demands a decision of us all. In the light of his death, are we prepared to stand up for him?     But Joseph and Nicodemus were not the only ones to play a significant part in the burial of Jesus. Verse 47 tells us that Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. It's time for us now to consider the important role of such women in the life of Jesus, and now at his death. We'll start by going back to verses 40 and 41.   40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there. In many ways these verses should have been included at the end of our last talk, as they are part of the story of the crucifixion, but I have left them until now to link them with the references to these women a little later in the story. We have been told so much about Jesus' male disciples that it's easy to forget that he had female disciples too. Three women are named in these verses, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and Salome. But Mark tells us that many other women were also there watching the crucifixion from a distance. They had followed him since the early days of his ministry in Galilee and had cared for his needs. And, as we see in the last verse of the chapter and the first of the next, these devoted disciples were determined to care for his needs even after his death.   47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. 15:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. The three women named in these verses were among many who were not only devoted followers of Jesus, but who also supported Jesus and the apostles out of their own means. Luke 8:1-3 tells us that as Jesus travelled about proclaiming the good news of the kingdom…   …The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out 3 Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. These verses indicate the highly valued role of women among the early disciples, their devotion to Jesus often exceeding that of the men, as it does so often today. Apart from the apostle John, it was women, not men, who stood near the cross as Jesus was crucified (John 19:25-27), and, apart from secret disciples like Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, it was women who participated in his burial and brought precious spices to anoint his body. And, as we see in the next chapter, it was to women that was given the first good news that Christ was risen. We'll move into Chapter 16 next time for the final talk in our series, but let's conclude today's talk by considering the role of Mary Magdalene.   Perhaps the first thing to notice is that it is Mary Magdalene who is mentioned first each time these women are mentioned:   40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.   47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. 15:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Secondly, Mary was the first person to witness the resurrection of Jesus:   15:9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.   Thirdly, she was the first person to proclaim the news that Jesus was risen:   15:10 She went and told those who had been with him.   The question naturally arises as to why Mary was so honoured. That verse in 1 Samuel 2:30 comes to mind – Those who honour me, I will honour. Mary had honoured the Lord by supporting him throughout his ministry, by remaining to the end at the scene of the crucifixion, by following Joseph to see where Jesus was buried, and by buying spices to anoint his body. She was clearly devoted to him. And that devotion sprang from what Jesus had done for her. He had driven seven demons out of her. Her deliverance led to a lifetime of devotion. And isn't that what motivates us? We love him because he first loved us. And if we honour him, the day will come when he will honour us.

Saturday, 24 August 2024   And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.” Matthew 2:23   “And having come, he dwelt in a city being called Nazareth, that it should be fulfilled having been spoken through the prophets, that a Nazarene He will be called” (CG).   In the previous verse, Joseph was warned in a dream concerning where to live in the land of Israel, noting that he withdrew to the allotments of Galilee. Now, Matthew records, “And having come, he dwelt in a city being called Nazareth.”   Albert Barnes gives a brief description of Nazareth at the time of Jesus –   “This was a small town, situated in Galilee, west of Capernaum, and not far from Cana. It was built partly in a valley and partly on the declivity of a hill, Luke 4:29. A hill is yet pointed out, to the south of Nazareth, as the one from which the people of the place attempted to precipitate the Saviour. It was a place, at that time, proverbial for wickedness, John 4:46.”   Modern Nazareth is described in Wikipedia –   It “is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. In 2022 its population was 78,007. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel", Nazareth serves as a cultural, political, religious, economic and commercial center for the Arab citizens of Israel, as well as a center of Arab and Palestinian nationalism. The inhabitants are predominantly Arab citizens of Israel, of whom 69% are Muslim and 30.9% Christian. The city also commands immense religious significance, deriving from its status as the hometown of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity and a prophet in Islam.”   Next, based on where Joseph decided to settle, Matthew records, “that it should be fulfilled having been spoken through the prophets.”   Here, Matthew notes the plural, prophets. Therefore, unlike almost every translation, the following words are not a quote. In fact, citing it as a quote causes a false sense of the words in the minds of readers, and it sets up a real, seemingly insurmountable, problem. Rather, something was fulfilled concerning Jesus, but it is not a specific prophecy, which is “that a Nazarene He will be called.”   The word hoti (that) continues to show that this is not a quote. If it was a quote, he would have said something like Matthew 1:22, “which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying...”   However, because it is supposed by many to be a quote, innumerable commentaries have been made trying to justify the name and specify what is being quoted. In other words, and to understand some of the attempts to justify the name as being connected to the Old Testament, the Pulpit Commentary says –   “First, it may be said Nazarene cannot = Nazarite: the word differs in form, and in no sense could Christ be called a Nazarite. Secondly, the quotation is probably not from a lost prophecy. One meaning of the word Nazoræus is an inhabitant of Nazareth, but the word either (1) recalls the Hebrew word netser a Branch, a title by which the Messiah is designated Isaiah 11:1, or (2) connects itself in thought with the Hebr. natsar, to save or protect (see above), and so has reference to the name and work of Jesus, or (3) is a synonym for “contemptible” or “lowly,” from the despised position of Nazareth. Of these (3) is perhaps the least probable explanation. The play upon words which (1) and (2) involve is quite characteristic of Hebrew phraseology. The sound of the original would be either (1) He whom the prophet called the “Netser” dwells at “Netser”—(for this form of Nazareth see Smith's Bib. Dict.), or (2) He who is called “Notsri” (my protector) dwells at “Natsaret” (the protectress).”   Such commentaries have completely missed the point of what is being conveyed. Because this is not a quote, the place Nazareth and the name Nazarene do not need to be discovered in a prophecy from the Old Testament. Rather, one such reference to what Matthew is saying is:   “Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.” Isaiah 9:1, 2   Nazareth is a town located within Naphtali. This is in the greater region of Galilee. In other words, Matthew wasn't citing Scripture in a quote, as translations imply (quote marks, etc.). Rather, he was making a point about the writings of Old Testament prophets, such as Isaiah 9:2. Isaiah is saying the light is Christ, being called a Nazarene is a fulfillment of this prophecy.   One can think of it this way. If a prophecy noted someone would be a noted surfer in Sarasota, and he was actually living on “ta Key, they may say, "He will be called a Siesta Surfer. As Siesta Key is a part of Sarasota, the prophecy would make complete sense to those who understood it.   This explains why the word hoti, that, is included in Matthew's words. If he was citing a prophecy, the word would not be needed. But it is an explanatory preposition. If Joseph had moved to Tiberius instead of Nazareth, the words of Matthew would still speak of the fulfillment of the words of the prophets. For example –   “...that it should be fulfilled having been spoken through the prophets, that a Tiberian He will be called.”   As for the other prophets that Matthew was referring to, there are enough references to the area of greater Galilee to form many pictures of the coming Christ. For example, the selection of Hiram, the son of a widow from Naphtali, to accomplish the building of the temple for Solomon provides pictures of the coming Christ (see 1 Kings 7).   Specificity is not necessary in pinpointing a single reference to the name Nazareth, and all of the unnecessary attempts to find a suitable Hebrew word to justify this inclusion by Matthew have proven meritless.   Life application: Speaking of Nazareth and Nazarenes, there is a modern couple, Nazarenes, who have helped bring the land of Israel to the attention of innumerable people. If you enjoy travel and life videos concerning Israel, including modern Nazareth, you can go to YouTube and search for Sergio and Rhoda in Israel.   These two intrepid trekkers have traveled throughout the country, meeting with archaeologists, travelers, and common folk to highlight the great variety of all types of life in the land. Take time to visit their channel and learn to experience Israel in unique and interesting ways that will inform you about this land selected by God to reveal to us the Messiah of the world, Jesus Christ.   Lord God, thank You for Your precious word that tells us about Your interactions with humanity in and around the land of Israel. Thank You for the innumerable examples of life, rebellion, restoration, intimate fellowship, and so much more that teach us how we can fully understand and appreciate who You are and what You have done for us. Thank You for Your wonderful word. Amen. Matthew 2   2 And Jesus, having been born in Bethlehem Judea, in days Herod the king: Behold, magicians from sunrisings – they came unto Jerusalem. 2 Saying, “Where is He having been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the sunrising, and we came to worship Him.”   3 And Herod the king, having heard, he was agitated, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And having convened all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ is born. 5 And they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus has it been written through the prophet: 6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are not-at-all least in the governors of Judah. For out of you will come forth – ruling, Who will shepherd My people Israel.'”   7 Then Herod, having called the magicians secretly, exacted of them the time of the appearing star. And having sent them to Bethlehem, he said, 8 “Having gone, exactingly inquire about the Child. And when you should find, report to me so I also, having come, may worship Him.”   9 And they, having heard the king, departed. And behold! The star that they saw in the sunrising, preceded them, until, having arrived, it stood above where the Child was. 10 And having seen the star, they rejoiced – joy exceedingly great. 11 And having come into the house, they found the Child with Mary His mother. And having fallen, they worshipped Him. And having opened their treasures, they offered Him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.   12 “And having been admonished in a dream not to return to Herod, through another way, they withdrew into their country.”   13 “And they having withdrawn, behold, a messenger of the Lord – he appears in a dream of Joseph, saying, ‘Having arisen, take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt. And you are there until if I should tell you. For Herod is about to seek the Child to destroy Him.'”   14 And having arisen, he took the Child and His mother – night, and withdrew to Egypt. 15 And he was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled, having been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt, I called my Son.”   16 Then Herod, having seen that he was mocked by the magicians, was exceedingly en raged and, having sent, he killed all the boys in Bethlehem and in all her borders, from two years and under, according to the time which he exacted from the magicians. 17 Then it was fulfilled that having been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying:   18 “A voice – it was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, and a wailing, and a mourning – great. Rachel sobbing – her children. And she would not be comforted, For they are not”   19 And Herod having died, behold, a messenger of the Lord in a dream appears to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Having arisen, take the Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for they have died – those seeking the soul of the Child.” 21 And having arisen, he took the Child and His mother and came to the land of Israel.   22 And having heard that Archelaus reigns over Judea instead of Herod his father, he feared to go there. And having been admonished in a dream, he withdrew to the allotments of Galilee. 23 And having come, he dwelt in a city being called Nazareth, that it should be fulfilled having been spoken through the prophets, that a Nazarene He will be called.  

The Gospel of Mark 1-8 Pt 2: Jesus' Authority By Louie Marsh, 4-14-2024   1) Like Jesus I need to see every moment as a TEACHING moment.   “2And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. (Mark 2:2–4, ESV)   ·       This is what true friendship LOOKS LIKE.   In Galilee, the ancient village of Qatzrin has been excavated and reconstructed. Although it was populated centuries after Jesus' time, scholars believe that the buildings and artifacts discovered there represent the practices of the first century.   A typical Galilean home was built of basalt (a dark volcanic rock) and had either one or two stories. A stonemason (sometimes translated as a "carpenter") used a wooden scaffold as he carefully squared the larger rocks and wedged smaller stones in between to provide stability and strength.   Sometimes walls were plastered with mud and straw. The doorframe was built of shaped stones and covered by a wooden door. A courtyard, located between various rooms of a family's housing complex, was paved with stones.   Roofs were flat and often made of wooden beams topped with tree branches and covered with clay. Many homes also used mats between the wooden beams to help hold the clay in place. When it rained, the clay absorbed water, sealing the roof, while the rest ran off. Sometimes people did their work on their roofs, which needed to be repaired every year.   Archaeological work has continued and has found that there were some homes during and after the time of Christ that had tiles on their roofs. So, it's possible that the building Jesus was in during this incident could have had a tile roof as Luke reports.   Archaeologists in Israel say they have discovered the remains of a home from the time of Jesus in the heart of Nazareth. The Israeli Antiquities Authority said the find “sheds light on the way of life at the time of Jesus” in the Jewish settlement of Nazareth... The find marks the first time researchers have uncovered the remains of a home in Nazareth from that time period, the Israeli Antiquities Authority said in a statement.   In the excavation, a large, broad wall that dates to the 15th century was exposed. It was constructed on top of and used the walls of an ancient building…This earlier building — the one that dates to the time of Jesus — consisted of two rooms and a courtyard in which a rock-hewn cistern collected rainwater. Few artifacts were recovered from inside the building — mostly fragments of pottery vessels from the first and second centuries.   “19but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.” (Luke 5:19, ESV)   ·       Jesus SAW their faith.   5And when Jesus saw their faith,… (Mark 2:5a, ESV)   “18But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18, ESV)   2) Jesus does the exact OPPOSITE of what we want.   5… he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”” (Mark 2:5b, ESV)   ·       The Scribes were right but they were WRONG!   “6Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7“Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”” (Mark 2:6–7, ESV)   3) Jesus says NOTHING is hard much less impossible for God.   “8And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk'? 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”” (Mark 2:8–11, ESV)   ·       It takes no more ENERGY to say one that the other.   ·       If Jesus can forgive sins which makes him GOD.   “25“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” (Isaiah 43:25, ESV)   4) Jesus CREATES another teaching moment.   ·       This would be legal if not for the SABBATH.   “23One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”” (Mark 2:23–24, ESV)   ·       Jesus goes to the ORIGINAL INTENT of the Law with Scripture.   “25And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?”” (Mark 2:25–26, ESV)   ·       Jesus is Lord, has AUTHORITY, over the Sabbath.   “27And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”” (Mark 2:27–28, ESV)   o   So Jesus has authority over EVERYTHING!   “18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18, ESV)    

Islington Baptist is a church for the Islington and wider Newcastle community sharing the life-changing message of Jesus. Our sermon/Bible teaching is a central part of our gatherings. Mark 15:21-41 The Crucifixion of Jesus 21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. 25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews. 27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can't save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. 33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he's calling Elijah.” 36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” 40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

Mark 15:40-47 NIV - Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

Mark 15:40-47 NIV - Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

Mark 15:40-47 NIV - Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

Mark 15:40-47 NIV - Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

Lord's Day 15-1. In Galilee-2. At Gabbatha-3. On Golgotha

QUESTION: What does it mean to ‘follow' someone today? 1. Women Following Jesus, Lk 8; Mk 15; Lk 23 “After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.”(Luke 8:1–3 NIV11) “In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.” (Mark 15:41 NIV11) “But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.” (Luke 23:49 NIV11) QUESTION: What did it mean for these women to ‘follow' Jesus? As disciples, seeing his life, hearing his teaching, watching him interact with people Jesus travelled, lots of moving about, 12 + women - how find accommodation, travel? High commitment. Supporting him in mission, listening to him, talking to crowds as listen, supporting Jesus, work, out of own means, things that belong to them. Women disciples there as he teaches large crowd. What does it mean to follow Jesus as a disciple?  Leave - Go his way Support his agenda Essentially - “Jesus is Lord” 2. Women Learning from Jesus, Mk3; Matt 14; 15 QUESTION: What examples can you think of in the Gospels? ““Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!” (Mark 3:33–34 NIV11) “The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.” (Matthew 14:21 NIV11) “The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children.” (Matthew 15:38 NIV11) Taught by him, in mixed groups as many taught QUESTION: What did it mean for these women to learn from Jesus?  Sacrifice time - inconvenient Listen with the object of learning Respond 3. Women Knowing Jesus - by Experiencing the Life of Jesus, Cross, Resurrection…. QUESTION: What shows us that the women were close to Jesus? To the Cross “A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.” (Luke 23:27 NIV11) “But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.” Luke 23:49 “Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.” Mark 15:40-41 To the tomb “The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it.” Lk 23:55 What shows us that the women were close to Jesus? At the cross, at the tomb, feeling fear, doubt, hope  Loyalty Sacrifice i.e. Love What does it mean to learn from Jesus as a disciple?  Want his life — accept when God takes us into experiences that are like those of Jesus “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”(Philippians 3:10 NIV11) Conclusion Women were an integral part of the ministry of Jesus What if every time we read ‘disciple' we think men and women unless it specifically excludes women? We see no tension between the men and women followers of Jesus We see a symbiotic joint ministry support and learning situation This is really about Jesus  He was so inspiring people followed Do you know this Jesus? Apply Discipleship is the only way to that vision Have you made that decision? What holds you back? Remember the promise “everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29 NIV11) Please add your comments on this week's topic. We learn best when we learn in community. Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here's the email: [malcolm@malcolmcox.org](mailto:malcolm@malcolmcox.org). If you'd like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/). Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review. “Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11) God bless, Malcolm

QUESTION: What does it mean to ‘follow' someone today? 1. Women Following Jesus, Lk 8; Mk 15; Lk 23 “After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.”(Luke 8:1–3 NIV11) “In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.” (Mark 15:41 NIV11) “But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.” (Luke 23:49 NIV11) QUESTION: What did it mean for these women to ‘follow' Jesus? As disciples, seeing his life, hearing his teaching, watching him interact with people Jesus travelled, lots of moving about, 12 + women - how find accommodation, travel? High commitment. Supporting him in mission, listening to him, talking to crowds as listen, supporting Jesus, work, out of own means, things that belong to them. Women disciples there as he teaches large crowd. What does it mean to follow Jesus as a disciple?Leave - Go his way Support his agenda Essentially - “Jesus is Lord” 2. Women Learning from Jesus, Mk3; Matt 14; 15 QUESTION: What examples can you think of in the Gospels? ““Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!” (Mark 3:33–34 NIV11) “The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.” (Matthew 14:21 NIV11) “The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children.” (Matthew 15:38 NIV11) Taught by him, in mixed groups as many taught QUESTION: What did it mean for these women to learn from Jesus?Sacrifice time - inconvenient Listen with the object of learning Respond 3. Women Knowing Jesus - by Experiencing the Life of Jesus, Cross, Resurrection…. QUESTION: What shows us that the women were close to Jesus? To the Cross “A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.” (Luke 23:27 NIV11) “But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.” Luke 23:49 “Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.” Mark 15:40-41 To the tomb “The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it.” Lk 23:55 What shows us that the women were close to Jesus? At the cross, at the tomb, feeling fear, doubt, hopeLoyalty Sacrifice i.e. Love What does it mean to learn from Jesus as a disciple?Want his life — accept when God takes us into experiences that are like those of Jesus “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”(Philippians 3:10 NIV11)   Conclusion Women were an integral part of the ministry of Jesus What if every time we read ‘disciple' we think men and women unless it specifically excludes women? We see no tension between the men and women followers of Jesus We see a symbiotic joint ministry support and learning situation This is really about Jesus He was so inspiring people followed Do you know this Jesus? Apply Discipleship is the only way to that vision Have you made that decision? What holds you back? Remember the promise“everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29 NIV11) Please add your comments on this week's topic. We learn best when we learn in community. Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here's the email: [malcolm@malcolmcox.org](mailto:malcolm@malcolmcox.org). If you'd like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/). Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review. “Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11) God bless, Malcolm

Isaiah 8:23-9:3 (In Galilee of the nations the people has seen a great light) 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17 (Make up the differences between you instead of disagreeing among yourselves)

Speaker or Performer: Pastor Grover Cleveland Scripture Passage(s): Isaiah 9:1-3 & John 1:1-9 Date of Delivery: December 24, 2022 Light In DarknessIsaiah 9:1-3 John 1:1-9(Christmas Eve Service)Isaiah 9:1-31 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,As when at first He lightly esteemedThe land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,And afterward more heavily oppressed her,By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,In Galilee of the Gentiles.2The people who walked in darknessHave seen a great light;Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,Upon them a light has shined.3You have multiplied the nationAnd increased its joy;They rejoice before YouAccording to the joy of harvest,As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.John 1:1-91 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.John’s Witness: The True Light6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

Speaker or Performer: Pastor Grover Cleveland Scripture Passage(s): Isaiah 9:1-3 & John 1:1-9 Date of Delivery: December 24, 2022 Light In DarknessIsaiah 9:1-3 John 1:1-9(Christmas Eve Service)Isaiah 9:1-31 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,As when at first He lightly esteemedThe land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,And afterward more heavily oppressed her,By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,In Galilee of the Gentiles.2The people who walked in darknessHave seen a great light;Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,Upon them a light has shined.3You have multiplied the nationAnd increased its joy;They rejoice before YouAccording to the joy of harvest,As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.John 1:1-91 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.John’s Witness: The True Light6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

Having been to Israel many times, leading tours, I have a much clearer vision of what a crucifixion was really like, and how horrendous it must have been to have watched anyone dying on a cross. We have tended to romanticize the cross a bit, with our jewelry and pictures of a cross on a hill far away, but actually the place of crucifixion was the most horrible place in Jerusalem. It would have been by a busy roadway so everyone could see and mock and be terrified by a crucifixion. It was meant to be a deterrent to crime and rebellion, to cause anyone who thought they might challenge the rule of Rome to think twice, because they would have to endure this horrible death. Knowing how awful a crucifixion was, it is amazing to read in Matthew 27:55-56 that “Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Moses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.”  In Mark 15:40-41 we read: “Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.” Luke tells us that “A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him” (Luke 23:27). And John tells us “Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene” (John 19:25). By my count, there are seven women who are identified in the four gospels, but we know there were many others as well. It's interesting to me that the women are named, and yet there are no named men at the cross. Certainly, there were men there, but how many were the friends and disciples of Jesus Christ?  We only know for sure that John was there, because Jesus refers to him in John 19, as he instructs him to care for his mother. Where were the other disciples? And why were all these women there at this ugly scene? It was not a place for a woman; if it was your close relative, you might have been there, but typically women did not go to such a horrible place. Yet there were all these women at the cross of Jesus. These women had gathered there to mourn and to wail the crucifixion of their Savior, Jesus Christ. They were there because they loved Jesus. They had been delivered from their sins and their pasts by Jesus, and they were determined to stay with him until the end, as ugly as it was. Can you even imagine what it meant for these women to stay there throughout the whole crucifixion? Mary Magdalene was there. We know that Jesus had delivered her from seven demons. There have been some scurrilous writings and suggestions that Jesus had a romantic relationship with Mary Magdalene. That is a lie and totally unsubstantiated by Scripture or history. But for sure, this woman had deep feelings for Jesus because he had delivered her from her past. And it was an awful past. Can you even imagine being possessed by seven demons? What could be worse than to be indwelled by seven demons from hell? No doubt she had been abused and suffered great harm from these demons for many years. No doubt she was full of guilt and gloom and despair, fearing she would live all her days possessed by these demons. And then she met Jesus. In Mark 16 we read that Jesus had driven out those demons. However he did that, it had to be dramatic, perhaps painful, but no doubt the best day of her life. She was set free from her past, her guilt, her shame. And because Jesus is risen from the dead, he is able to do the same for you today. It may not be demons you are dealing with, but whatever it is in your past that haunts you, Jesus is a qualified Savior because he is risen from the dead, and he can deliver you, too. We are told that Mary, his mother, was at the cross. No doubt as she stood there,

Wednesday, 12 January 2022   “let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. Acts 4:10   Peter's response to the council that has been assembled concerning the healing of the beggar has already begun. He continues his opening words to them now by naming the Source of the healing miracle that took place, saying, “let it be known to you all.”   Commentators give various ideas on Peter's words, noting the boldness of what he says. Although this is true, it fails to acknowledge Jesus' words from the gospels –   “You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” Matthew 10:18-20   Peter was given this promise and he knew that what he was saying was being directed by the Lord. As such, the credit for the boldness may only go to him indirectly. Ultimately his conduct is because of the Lord's promise and because of the Lord's hand upon him. As such, he could boldly proclaim the words to this notable gathering of Israel's highest officials.   But Peter's words extend beyond them. This is because they stand as the representatives of the nation. What they determined would decide the direction and the fate of the nation. Because of this, Peter continues with, “and to all the people of Israel.”   Whether the records of such meetings were available to the public or not, the intent of the words is that the proclamation stands, and that it will be one that affects everyone who belongs to the nation. It is as if Peter is calling out a judicial decree. As Jesus promised that it would be “the Spirit of your Father” who is speaking, it is – in fact – just this. The Lord God of Israel was conveying through His chosen apostle the words for Israel to hear and understand His intent.   With that in mind, Peter now directly refers to the Source of the healing, saying, “that by the name of Jesus Christ.”   Rather than “by the name,” the Greek more appropriately reads, en tō onnomati, “in the name.” The proclamation was made by Peter, and it had its effect –   “Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.'” Acts 3:6   The Name itself is where the healing was derived from because the name reflects the being. As Jesus Christ is the Lord, in Peter's invoking the name, the healing was realized. But more, the title “Christ” is affixed to the name. As the word “Christ” is the Greek form of “Messiah,” Peter is saying, “in the name of Jesus the Messiah.”   What this demonstrates is that the office of Messiah is One that was completely misunderstood by the rulers of the people. This is clearly evident from what is happening. If Jesus is the Messiah, and if it was in His name that the man was healed (and determining the Source of the healing is the purpose of the gathering), then they have misunderstood everything about what was to be expected concerning the Messiah, even that He was “of Nazareth.”   They had already dismissed Jesus for exactly this reason –   “They answered and said to him, ‘Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.'” John 7:52   As Nazareth is in the area of the Galilee, they had misunderstood their own Scriptures which clearly identified that God's light would shine forth from that area –   “Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.” Isaiah 9:1, 2   What may have been veiled was at least understandable in the general sense of the words. Something magnificent would occur in this area, and it would shine a wondrous light upon the people. As Israel's leaders, it is inexcusable that they would not know this. It was their job, above all else, to know what the Scriptures that established and guided them as a people proclaimed.   With this understood, the words of Peter continue, saying, “whom you crucified.” Peter has proclaimed that Jesus is the Messiah. As this is so, and as the Scriptures testified to His life and work, it is apparent that their misunderstanding of who the Messiah was to be went even further.   It is unthinkable that the Messiah could have been crucified without it being a part of God's plan. But here was Peter, proclaiming an obviously miraculous healing in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, “whom you crucified.”   The first point of this is that the blame rests squarely on those seated before the apostles, and to whom the words are directed. The word “you” means the council and thus all of Israel, who was also addressed. The nation bears the guilt for the crucifixion of their Messiah.   However, the second point is that this means the act had to be a part of God's plan. The words of the Spirit of the Father, through Peter, are manifestly pointing to the fact that they had completely misunderstood everything in Scripture about the coming Messiah. This is true whether they acknowledge it or not.   But the Scriptures clearly indicated that Christ would die for the people. Isaiah 52:13-53:12 indicates this. It is acceptable for them to have misunderstood this, but it is no longer acceptable that they should continue in their ignorance. They have the Scriptures, they have the healed man bearing witness to the power of God being displayed, and they now have an explanation of the Scriptures that resulted from the own actions. The facts and the evidence of the events are undeniable.   Now that this has been clearly and unambiguously presented to the council, Peter tells the leaders what at least some of them already knew, saying “whom God raised from the dead.”   A dead Messiah couldn't do a thing to heal a man. And in Israel's history, there had been plenty of “Messiahs” that had come and gone. However, the One now proclaimed by Peter is given full credit for having accomplished the miracle. As this is so, He cannot be dead. Peter's words testify that He is not, and that it is God who raised Him. Thus, God's approval must have been upon Him.   The amount of theology that is piling up in what is stated is literally incredible. It will continue to be explored for thousands of years. New insights into what occurred will arise and be contemplated based on what Peter is proclaiming to the council.   Each person there would be responsible for considering what they heard and applying their knowledge of Scripture to determine if what he was saying was in accord with it or not. From there, they would then be responsible for determining the meaning of it all. Or they could simply dismiss his words and ignore the truth of what was completely obvious that was being presented to them. And that truth is based on the very response to the question that they had asked. Their question was –   “By what power or by what name have you done this?” Acts 4:7   The summary of the response is, “by Him this man stands here before you whole.” Again, the word says, “in Him.” It is in Jesus Christ because it is in the name of Jesus Christ that the miraculous had been realized. The man who was obviously doomed to life as a cripple stood whole and restored, and with a new direction in both his physical and spiritual life, was healed in the name of Israel's Messiah. The crucified One had prevailed over death and the power that was realized in His name is evidenced in that fact.   Life application: It was noted that Israel had the Scriptures that testify to the coming of the Messiah. They tell what He would do, where He would do those things, and the result of His work. These Scriptures testified against them –   “And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38 But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” John 5:37-40 & “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” John 5:45-47   Those same Scriptures are still available to Israel today. In their continued rejection of Him, the same condemnation remains that came upon the people two thousand years ago. We must never make the mistake in assuming that because Israel is back in the land that they are right with God. They are not. The favor of the Lord that is promised to be upon the people and the land is future to us now.   We cannot pick and choose our allegiances. Rather, we must take God's word as it is given to us. Until they, as a nation and under the approval of their leaders, call out to Jesus, they remain under the wrath of God. His reestablishing them, and the resulting catastrophes to come upon them are also detailed in the prophets.   Pray for Israel just as you would pray for any lost people. But thank God for His faithfulness to them, despite their continued rejection of Him. Great are His tender mercies to those He has covenanted with. If you are in Christ, this includes you. So thank God for His favor towards you.   Lord God Almighty, thank You for the hope we possess in Jesus Christ our Lord. Thank You for Your faithfulness to us, even when we stray. And Lord, we lift up Israel. Guide them to search out Your word and to find what they have missed for so long. Yes, Lord God, lead them to You through Your precious word. Amen.

In Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. Taught at Agape Bible Church on December 12, 2021. [40 minutes]

Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian. 5 For every warrior's sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire. 6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 9:1-7

Call to Worship - 1 Peter 1:3-53 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.Sermon - Mark 15:40 - 16:815:40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body.44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.16:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.6 “Don't be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'”8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Friday, 12 November 2021   “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— Acts 2:22   With his completion of quoting the prophet Joel, Peter now begins to explain how the fulfillment of that prophecy came about through the work of Christ Jesus. As such, he begins by referring to those he is addressing. In the Greek, it is only two words. But they are two words that, if paid attention to, would resolve innumerable errors found within the church today.   In Peter's coming words are all kinds of directions for the people, but they are not directions for the reader of Acts today. This is perfectly clear with the opening of his address, saying, “Men of Israel.”   As noted, in the Greek, it is two words, “Men, Israelites.” This is the context. Taking a verse out of context will inevitably form a pretext. Peter is addressing his fellow Israelites. These are the descendants of Jacob, who is Israel. It would also include any who were brought into Israel as proselytes according to the established norms. With that understood, he next says, “hear these words.”   He is calling for complete attention so that the reason for quoting Joel can be properly explained. The main connection between the events and the citing of the prophecy will be seen in verse 2:33, but he must first give a logical explanation of what led up to the pouring out of the Spirit. With that understood, he immediately introduces the main Subject of his explanation, saying, “Jesus of Nazareth.”   The entire point and purpose of his words comes forth in the stating of the name. In saying “of Nazareth,” he is tying in the reason it is Galileans who spoke the astonishing tongues (see verse 2:7). But more, it is an explanation as to why Nazareth is relevant at all. It is a reminder of the prophecy of Isaiah –   “Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.” Isaiah 9:1, 2   The “great light” that shone in Galilee of the Gentiles had come, thus – without saying it – not only is the prophecy of Joel fulfilled, but it is fulfilled by the One prophesied by Isaiah as well. Thus, it is the reason those who stood before the gathered of Israel were Galileans. They already knew these things, but Peter is reminding them in order to set the stage for his coming words. After noting his Subject, he says of Him, “a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs.”   The word translated as “attested” is introduced into Scripture here, apodeiknumi. It signifies “to show by proof,” “to demonstrate,” and so on. A claim is made, and the claim is then substantiated by a demonstration of validation. In this, there could be no doubt that the things Peter is recalling to mind are true. The entire nation had seen or heard of the marvelous things Jesus has done, thus attesting that God had approved of His work. For example, this was said of Him in John 9 –   “The man answered and said to them, ‘Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! 31 Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. 32 Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. 33 If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.'” John 9:30-33   The gospels clearly testify to the fact that the people understood God has approved of Jesus' ministry. As this was only a short time before, it would be fresh on the minds of all. Of His works, Peter notes three aspects. The first is “miracles.” The word is dunamis, and it speaks of mighty, powerful, and marvelous works. The second is “wonders.” The word is teras. It speaks of an extraordinary event which is given to bring forth a reaction from those who witness it, such as a portent from heaven. The third is “signs.” The word is sémeion. A sign is something that speaks to, or provides evidence of, something else. In other words, a sign is not the thing itself, but points to something other than itself. A sign in the sky may tell the people the Messiah has come. The changing of water to wine may testify to the coming change from the Mosaic Covenant to a New Covenant. And so on. It is these things that Peter says, “which God did through Him.”   The works of Jesus Christ are the works of God, being wrought through His physical existence. They are, however, of a magnitude greater than the prophets who came before Him. And this is for notable reasons, some of which will be explained by Peter as he continues. The words of Jesus to the people had already claimed what Peter now repeats –   “But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.” John 5:36, 37   The works were given as a validation of the fact that He was the prophesied Messiah. From giving sight to the blind and cleansing lepers, even to casting out demons and raising the dead, everything that Jesus did was to validate that the power and authority of God was working through Him. And Peter next says that this was done “in your midst.”   The things Christ Jesus did were not accomplished in Rome or in Tibet. They were accomplished in the midst of the people to whom the prophecies were given. There was no need to wonder if the stories coming out of Crete were true about someone doing amazing things, God had spoken through Israel, to Israel, and about what would occur in Israel. Specific names were prophesied in advance, such as Galilee and Bethlehem. Miracles were done in Jerusalem and before the leaders and attendees of synagogues. There could be no doubt of these things, and so Peter finishes the verse with, “as you yourselves also know.”   The people standing before Peter were guilty of rejecting their Messiah. This was now fully evidenced by the fact that while the Spirit had been poured out upon Jesus' disciples, it had not been poured out upon them. Thus, they knew very well now that Jesus was the Messiah and that they had missed the boat on this one. Now, they could either change their minds (repent) about this fact, or they could continue with dull minds and hardened hearts. Peter will continue to speak direct, piercing words to this group of people – the “Men, Israelites” standing before him.   Life application: Acts 2, as has been noted time and again, is a descriptive account of what occurred. In the verse just evaluated, it was noted that the words are directed to the men of Israel. Not only are these only words that describe what occurred, but they are words that are directed only to the men of Israel (women also as the masculine speaks for both). What Peter says does not apply to the Lutheran Church. It does not apply to the Roman Catholic Church. It does not apply to the Church of Christ, the Presbyterians, or Pentecostals.   Luke is providing a historical record of what occurred in order to establish the church as a whole. Certain elements of it must run their course before new elements can be introduced. It is flawed thinking to say that because Peter is speaking to the men of Israel, that the church in which Gentiles now participate is a different church. Rather, the events that established the one true church is going through a process of development.   Be careful to remember the five most basic elements of interpretation –   Is this descriptive? Is this prescriptive? What is the context? What is the context? And... What is the context?   In this, you will not make the amazingly tragic errors that have led to innumerable denominations, all fighting over things that have nothing to do with proper doctrine and theology.   Lord God, thank You for the sure proofs that the Bible records concerning the coming of Christ Jesus. He and the works He would do were prophesied in advance. When He came, the gospel writers recorded His deeds for us to know what occurred. And then the epistles explain to us these things so that we can more fully understand them. In this, we truly have a sure word and a written testimony we can trust. Thank You for this wonderful word. Amen.

Wednesday, 6 October 2021 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11   In the previous verse, two men were noted as standing by the apostles when Christ ascended into heaven. With that noted, Luke next reveals their words to the apostles, beginning with, “who also said.” It is as if it took their speaking to the apostles for them to even be noticed. The apostles were so intently looking up that they failed to see the coming of these two men. In their address, they say, “Men of Galilee.”   Luke makes a point of documenting where they were from here and again in Acts 2 –   “And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Look, are not all these who speak Galileans?'” Acts 2:5-7   He notes the same again in Acts 13 –   “He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people. 32 And we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers.” Acts 13:31, 32   It appears that Luke is intentionally noting their origin to remind the reader of the prophecy of Isaiah 9 –   “Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.” Isaiah 9:1, 2   As such, Luke is making the implication that Jesus is, in fact, the fulfillment of this prophecy. It is Galilee where this great light shined, and those who were from there are now those commissioned with spreading this good news. It is to them that the two men with them now state, “why do you stand gazing up into heaven?”   Like the questions proposed to those at the empty tomb (see Luke 24:5) and later by the Lord (Luke 24:38), the words are intended to redirect the minds of the hearers. It is as they are saying, “Don't you understand? These things had to take place. It is all there, right in the Scriptures. Each thing that occurs is according to God's set plan and purpose.”   Of the possible things that could have been on the minds of the apostles, Albert Barnes provides three valid suggestions –   -------------------------- (1) In the feeling of disappointment, as if he would not restore the kingdom to Israel.   (2) Possibly they were expecting that he would again soon appear, though he had often foretold them that he would ascend to heaven.   (3) there might have been an impropriety in their earnest desire for the mere bodily presence of the Lord Jesus when it was more important that he should be in heaven. We may see here also that it is our duty not to stand in idleness, and to gaze even toward heaven. We, as well as the apostles, have a great work to do, and we should actively engage in it without delay. --------------------------   For these and/or for other reasons, their question is intended to get the apostles to think everything through in accord with the word. As such, they next state, “This same Jesus.”   The words are given to highlight the name, and thus the Person. “We have something to tell you that you should have already deduced, and it concerns this same Jesus whom you saw crucified, buried, and risen again. It is this same Jesus also that you just saw ascend... ‘who was taken up from you into heaven.'”   Again, one can only speculate on the exact intent, but it rightly seems to be, “You have seen this human being do things that no human being has ever done before. But more, you have seen that it was prophesied of before it occurred. The things that happened to Him were at the set times and by the appointment of God who said it would come about. The One you have been witnessing accomplish these things, and who has now ascended into heaven... ‘will so come in like manner.'”   In other words, there are yet to be fulfilled prophesies. “To the word! Remember the word! It has all been spoken of before! And they will be fulfilled by THIS SAME JESUS!”   There is no doubt that this is the unstated intent of their words. They are proclaiming that Jesus is the fulfillment of not only everything that has occurred, but all that will occur as well. His departure is not the end of the thing, but a planned part of it. As such, they can now put things together.   Christ rose into heaven, and so He will come again from heaven. A cloud received Him out of their sight, and so He will come again on the cloud. He ascended from the Mount of Olives, and so He will return again to that spot. “You are asking about the kingdom being restored to Israel? Look at what Daniel and Zechariah have already said” –   “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.” Daniel 7:13, 14   “Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. 5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, And all the saints with You. 6 It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights will diminish. 7 It shall be one day Which is known to the Lord— Neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen That it will be light. 8 And in that day it shall be That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur. 9 And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be— ‘The Lord is one,' And His name one.” Zechariah 14:1-9   This is what the two men are telling the apostles. This same Jesus who ascended out of their sight, who did not directly answer their question about a kingdom for Israel, didn't have to give them an answer. The Scriptures have already given it. Jesus never said, “You have misunderstood the Scriptures.” Rather, the rebuke of these two men is that they should have faith in the Scriptures. Just as He has ascended, so shall He come again, just “as you saw Him go into heaven.”   The words of Scripture have been written. They are faithful and reliable. God's people simply need to study them, remember them, and have faith in them. Those who deny a literal millennial reign of Christ from Jerusalem have not done this. Epic fail.   The words have already been confirmed by Jesus Himself –   “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthew 24:29-31 (see also Matthew 26:64 and Revelation 1:7).   Life application: If you cannot trust a literal reading of the Old Testament verses cited above, then there is no reason to trust anything else the Bible says. The two men standing on the Mount of Olives with the apostles not only confirm that Jesus will fulfill these verses, literally, but that He is also the Lord (Yehovah) of those same Scriptures.   Go back and read Zechariah 14:3, 4 cited above. It is as clear as the purest crystal that this is what they are indicating. Those who deny the deity of Jesus Christ will not be saved because they have called on a false Christ through a false gospel. Epic Fail. Don't be an epic failure. Instead, believe the word, call out to God through Christ, and be reconciled to Him forever. God has done it all, and He has done it through JESUS!   Lord God, the wonder and marvel of Your word is beyond comprehension. We have a sure and great hope that can never be taken from us because Your word tells us of Jesus, Your coming in human flesh. Nothing can take away our joy, and our hope in Him is secure. Thank You for Your word that reveals these truths to us. Amen!  

A Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity Romans 6:3-11 & St. Matthew 5:20-26 by William Klock Our Gospel today is just a short clip from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.  The whole sermon runs for three chapters, from Matthew 5 to Matthew 7.  Luke records a similar sermon preached another time.  You could say that this was Jesus' kingdom manifesto and he probably preached this sermon or something very much like it wherever he went.  And wherever he preached it people responded just as people today respond to it: Jesus starts out his sermon with what we call the Beatitudes: Blessed are the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, the peacemakers, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.  Jesus tells them that they've got to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Hearing that we think, “Oh!  That's really nice.  Wouldn't the world be a better place if we all lived that way.”  But as Jesus keeps preaching and as what he says sinks in we think, “But Jesus, that's impossible!”  In verse 20, as today's Gospel begins, Jesus announces: Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.   The Pharisees were the most righteous people around.  They lived their lives, right down to the last detail, as if they were living in the temple itself—the place where earth and heaven intersected.  They weren't priests, but they lived as though they were.  They lived each day as if they were in the presence of God and they encouraged everyone else to repent and do the same.  That, they believed, was how the kingdom would come: when Israel stopped compromising the law and living like the Gentiles.  The problem was that it was next to impossible for an ordinary person to do.  The Pharisees were mostly rich people who didn't have to worry about getting dirty with life.  And yet here's Jesus talking to ordinary people and telling them: If you want to see the kingdom, you've got to do better than the Pharisees. Jesus spoke with authority.  He did amazing things.  People were eager to listen.  People had to have been taken aback when he said this, but they were willing to keep listening.  Maybe he didn't mean what it sounded like he meant.  But then Jesus goes on and it's exactly what he said—the righteousness of the Pharisees doesn't go far enough.  Look at verses 21 and 22: You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.'  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.   Sin culminates in violence.  That's the lesson we see in Genesis, back at the beginning of the story.  Cain resented his brother Abel, he hated him, and eventually his hate boiled over and he killed him.  Before long violence broke out everywhere.  The first king in Genesis was praised by the people for his violence.  Genesis says that on the eve of the great flood the earth was filled with violence.  The Lord chose and called Israel to be a light on a hill—to show the nations a better way—and so in the law the Lord told Israel, “Thou shalt not murder.”  But people were still angry and they still hated.  Israel—the people who were supposed to be the light of the world—was boiling over with anger and hatred, the Pharisees against the Sadducees, the Zealots against the Herodians, and everyone against the Romans.  We still struggle with anger and hatred.  Watch or read the news and your blood boils against this person or that group who aren't doing things right.  Your boss is a jerk.  Your husband or your wife knows exactly how to push your buttons.  Your kids don't do what they're told.  Your neighbour is loud and his dogs won't stop barking.  The Prime Minister, your MP, or your MLA, they're destroying the country.  The anger smoulders.  Granted, most of us probably don't seriously think of murdering anyone, but Jesus says that stopping short of murder isn't enough.  It's not the point.  Your anger may not go any further than anger and your hate may not go any further than hate, but it's still not pleasing to God and the person who thinks he's righteous because he satisfied his anger or his hate with brooding, bitterness, name-calling, or cursing instead of pulling a knife or a gun is no more righteous for it. Instead, Jesus offers an alternative: reconciliation. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.  Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.  (Matthew 5:23-26) No matter how you read it, this is a challenge.  But it's more challenging than it might seem at first glance.  We tend to read it as if Jesus is talking directly to us.  We picture ourselves coming to worship on a Sunday and as we put our offering in the plate or as we come to the Lord's Table we realise that we need to go and reconcile with a brother or sister.  But Jesus isn't talking directly to us.  He was talking to people who lived in Galilee two thousand years ago.  What he's actually describing is one of these people making the three- or four-day trip down to Jerusalem to go to the temple.  They make the long trip, wrangling an animal for sacrifice all the way there.  Jesus describes that person going to the Temple, but as he leads the animal to where the priests offer the sacrifices, as he's reminded of God's love and God's holiness, he's also reminded of his own sin—how because of his own hate or his own anger he's at odds with, separated from some person he should be close to.  He's gone to all this trouble to make things right with God, but done nothing to make things right with his brother.  Back at home.  In Galilee. Jesus didn't really expect that this person would run back home to Galilee to make things right and leave the animal there in the temple for a week.  But Jesus' point stands.  The kingdom way is not patting yourself on the back for hating your neighbour but not actually killing him.  The kingdom way is reconciliation.  And it contrasts not just with the righteousness of the Pharisees, but the general attitude of Jews and everyone else.  The Pharisees tried to live their lives as if they were perpetually, every day and in every thing, in the temple, in the presence of God.  And yet it wouldn't have occurred to many of them, even if they were in the actual temple itself, that to come before the presence of our holy and loving God, to come before his presence seeking reconciliation—that was the point of the sacrifice Jesus describes—while being angry and at odds with a neighbour or a brother or a sister made a mockery out of the whole thing. Jesus says: Yes, live each day as if you were living in the temple, living in God's presence.  The Pharisees are right about that.  But that means understanding and appreciating that God has forgiven you and reconciled you to himself and that you need to make love and reconciliation part of your own life.  You can't live deliberately at odds with someone, you can't wilfully hold onto your anger and bitterness towards someone if you're going to live before the holy and loving God who has forgiven you. This is what it looks like to be God's people.  This is what it means to be salt and light.  This is what it means to be Israel.  But that's not what Israel was doing.  Jesus warns the people to reconcile before they wind up in court.  Again, to understand what Jesus is saying we have to remember to whom he was speaking.  The Jews were waiting eagerly for their day in court.  They were going to drag their enemies before the Lord and they prayed that day would come soon so that the Lord could rain down judgement on those enemies.  But that's not what it looks like to be the salt of the earth or the light of the world.  And so Jesus warns: Your day in court will come, but it may be your enemies who win.  Judgement may fall on you instead—because you haven't been salt and light.  As Jesus continues preaching this theme gets stronger and stronger.  To be light means to seek reconciliation because to be light means shining the reconciling love of God into the anger and hate of the world.  And if that sounds hard to us, it sounded even harder to Israel.  The Jews had suffered centuries of defeat and exile and oppression and persecution.  If any people had a right to be angry, to hate, to lash out with violence, to pray for judgement they did.  But Jesus warns: That's not the way.  Not the way for Israel and not the way for us.  The reconciliation Jesus talks about, this loving your neighbour even though you have every right to hate him, all of this sounds impossible.  We all have people in our lives that are impossible to love.  It can't be done.  Until we look at Jesus. Brothers and Sisters, think of Jesus.  He was scorned and rejected.  He was mocked and beaten.  He was killed in the most brutal and humiliating way imaginable.  He didn't deserve any of it.  He was God himself.  In Jesus God humbled himself and took on our flesh.  He became one of us.  Specifically, he became Israel's representative, he took up the mission God had given her, the mission she had failed at so miserably, he took her punishment on himself, and being lifted on the cross on that hill outside Jerusalem he was lifted up as the true light of the world.  He embraced sin and returned love and in that God's light was blindingly beautiful. And now we need to leave Matthew and turn to Paul and our Epistle from Romans.  We're jumping into the middle of Romans, but to this point Paul has been talking about grace and Jesus dying for the sins of his people.  It is by grace that sin is forgiven, he says, and wherever sin abounds, grace abounds even more.  And so he anticipates someone then saying, “Oh well, then, if grace is so good, we should keep living in sin in order to receive more grace.”  And Paul writes, “No!  Absolutely not.  We've died to sin.  How can we then live for sin?  We can't!”  It's not very different from hearing Jesus tell us to do the impossible—to reconcile with and to love our enemies.  How can we do that?  And Paul reminds us: It was impossible, but something's changed.  We've died to sin and that changes everything.  He goes on in Romans 6:3-4. Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. Baptism changes everything.  Again, just as we need to imagine ourselves as First Century Galileans when we hear Jesus preaching we need to remember that Paul, too, was writing to mostly Jewish Christians only a few decades later.  When we do that what we realise is that in Romans Paul is retelling Israel's story and in Romans 6, as he writes about Baptism and what it means and does, he's simultaneously telling the story of Israel's exodus from Egypt. Israel cried out to the Lord from the misery of her slavery and oppression.  The Lord heard and he sent Moses.  Moses led the people out of their bondage and into the Promised Land and that journey began at the Red Sea.  They entered the sea as slaves and they came out the other side a free people, their captors crushed and drowned under the waves.  And yet they had to pass through the wilderness.  It took longer than the people expected.  They grumbled a lot and even got angry with the Lord and with Moses and talked about going back to Egypt.  But the Lord led his people—a cloud by day and fire by night—and eventually they entered the Promised Land. Again, the Israelites entered the Sea slaves and they came out the other side a free people.  And Paul uses this to illustrate what happens in baptism.  We go into the water dead and we come out alive.  We go into the water slaves to sin and death and we come out free people.  And that's what makes Jesus' impossible calling possible.  It's what makes possible a righteousness greater even than the righteousness of the Pharisees.  Paul says that in our baptism we are united with Jesus in his death and resurrection.  God called Israel to be salt and light.  No matter how hard she tried she couldn't do it.  But Jesus came as the true Israelite.  His life and ministry embodied Israel's calling.  He even followed Israel's pattern symbolically in his own baptism and his own forty days in the wilderness.  And then he took on himself the crucifixion that Israel deserved.  His enemies killed him, but instead of returning judgement and violence on them, instead of cursing them, he responded by praying to his Father: “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  Sin and death, anger and hate did their worst to Jesus at the cross and Jesus overcame them with love and with sacrifice.  Impossible?  For human beings who have only their own sinful wills to rely on, yes.  But not for Jesus and not for those who have been baptised into the death and resurrection of Jesus.  We are not who we once were.  Earlier in Romans Paul describes what we used to be as being “in Adam”.  By birth we are part of the old humanity, fallen and enslaved to sin.  By virtue of our baptism we are born again.  We are now “in Christ”—in the new Adam, in Jesus the Messiah. This is what Paul means when he writes in verses 6 and 7: We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.  For one who has died has been set free from sin. Sometimes sin comes knocking at the door and it seems impossible to say no.  Sometimes that certain person who irritates us comes around and we know we should forgive and love them but it seems impossible.  It feels like we're still slaves to sin.  All sin has to do is show up, give us a little wave, and we cave in to it.  But Paul says, No!  That old self is dead.  It was crucified with Jesus.  We are no longer slaves.  We have been set free from bondage to sin.  Like Israel wanting to go back to Egypt, it's easy to be tempted to go back to that bondage.  The wilderness isn't an easy place to be, but the Lord is with us anyway.  And Paul stresses that we need to remember that sin no longer has any hold on us.  We're new and free people in Christ. Paul goes on: Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.  (Romans 6:8-11) Jesus burst alive from the tomb that first Easter.  Other people, like Lazarus, had come back from the dead too, but Jesus' resurrection is different.  Lazarus had to die again, but Jesus has gone through death and come out the other side into a kind of life that death can never touch and, Paul says, if we are in Christ then we have a share in this new life. We're not there yet.  We too still have to face death, but we live in hope knowing that like Jesus we will come out the other side of death alive in a way we never have been before—alive in the way that God truly intended us to be when he created us.  But what about today?  Sin and death can't touch our future, but what about our present?  Jesus' calling still seems impossible so much of the time.  And this is why Paul makes this point.  Our baptism pulls our future hope into the present.  It takes the life of Jesus and his victory over sin and death and applies it to us today.  There's a change whether we feel it or not.  The Israelites didn't necessarily feel any different on one side of the Red Sea than they had on the other, but everything was still different for them.  They had been slaves; now they were free.  And just so for us.  We are no longer in Adam; we are in Christ.  Jesus has poured God's Spirit into us and the Spirit is at work to renew our minds and regenerate our hearts as we live in this in-between time. In verse 11 Paul says that we must consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Jesus Christ.  That word “consider” is an accounting term that Paul uses.  And here's his point.  When you send your books to your accountant he adds everything up and gives you the bottom line.  His reckoning doesn't change your financial situation.  Nothing about your situation has actually changed by the fact that your accountant has added up your profit and loss columns.  But that bottom line he reckons for you shows you in fact where you stand.  It might mean you've got money you need to invest or creditors you need to pay or it might mean you need to cut back and tighten your belt.  Adding up your profits and losses doesn't itself have an impact on the health of your business, but it does make you aware of it and it tells you what you need to do. And so Paul looks at the cross and he looks at the empty tomb and he looks at the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost and everything else and he says: I've done the math and it says that you are in Christ.  You are dead to sin and alive to God.  Now start living that way! Is it a challenge?  Of course.  Jesus was baptised, the heavens opened up, the Spirit descended on him and the Father spoke, “This is my Son.  With him I am pleased”.  And then the Spirit sent Jesus straight into the wilderness to battle the devil.  The Lord led Israel out of Egypt through the miraculous parting of the sea, he was present with her, giving the law and leading as cloud and as fire and yet he led her straight into the wilderness.  And we too.  We're baptised and the Lord sends us straight from the Font into the world.  There's a reason why, in our baptism, we're called on to renounce the world, the flesh, and the devil.  All three will come after us.  They'll tell us that nothing has changed.  They'll tell us that following after Jesus is impossible.  They'll tempt us to give up or at least to compromise.  When others sin against us, when they hurt us, when they wrong us the temptation comes saying: “It's okay, be angry or be bitter.  Get that person out of your life—you don't need them.  Hey, look how well you're doing!  You didn't kill them!”  Brothers and Sisters, that's sin calling.  Jesus calls us to seek to reconcile.  Jesus calls us to embrace the wrongs that others do to us and to return those wrongs with grace.  Jesus calls us to break the cycle of anger and hate and violence.  And when it seems impossible, remember your baptism, remember that you have died and risen again with Jesus, remember that he has poured his Spirit into you and then in faith live the impossible life that he has made possible.  Not only will you and I see the kingdom of God, the people all around us will see it too. Let us pray: Gracious Father, you have poured your gracious love into us poor sinners by giving your own Son as a sacrifice.  Teach us to pour that love back out to the world.  When it seems impossible to break the cycle of sin and anger and hate, remind us of our baptism and that we have in faith trusted in your promise of forgiveness and life in Jesus.  Remind us that we have died with him and risen with him and that sin and death no longer hold us captive.  Teach us to live for righteousness that the world might see Jesus and his kingdom through us.  We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Introdcution Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness…

In this episode of Love Letters from Your Father, Catholic evangelist and missionary Romuald B. Simeone presents the Gospel of John 6:1-15. In Galilee #1: "Feeding 5000" (April 15, 2020)

In the Spring of 1966 Time magazine produced one of its most famous ever cover stories, asking Is God Dead?. Many people were convinced that God was indeed dead. Yet today Christianity is booming in many parts of the world, and there is great interest in Jesus even in the so-called 'secular West'. In this moment of pandemic, billions of Christians still celebrate Christ's resurrection this Easter.The foundational claim of Christianity is that Jesus certainly was dead but that he didn't stay dead. And 2000 years on, the Christian church still confidently proclaims that truth. On the third day after his crucifixion Jesus was up and out of the grave and back in action. At first the disciples couldn't believe it. But soon the disciples and, at one time, a group of 500 people had first-hand experience of Jesus's resurrection.Three key characters in the Easter story were very real people with very real problems who met with the risen Christ. This encounter changed them and our lives can also be changed by Jesus. See if you identify with any or all of them:• Mary was full of grief (John 20:11-16, Mark 16:9) • Peter was full of guilt (Matthew 26:75)• Thomas was full of doubt (John 20:25)When they met the risen Jesus it changed everything for each one of them:• Mary was comforted and filled with joy (Psalm 34:18, Psalm 30:5)• Peter was totally forgiven and restored (Mark 16:6-7)• Thomas became a man of faith and a great worshipper (John 20:26-29)ApplyDo you relate to any of these three individuals who each had very real problems in their own lives? Do you need Jesus to remove hurts and troubles in your life? Mary was full of grief, heartbroken by all that had taken place. No one had helped her like Jesus - before she met Him, her life had been a total mess and she had been a tormented soul, but Jesus had given her dignity, purpose, and His unconditional love. Peter was full of guilt, blaming himself for letting Jesus down because of his own fear and panic. He felt like a total failure, and, like many people today, he couldn't forgive himself for what he had done. Thomas was cynical, and his logic and doubts prevented him from believing the good news of Jesus's resurrection.Do you need to encounter the risen Jesus to change your life today? After Jesus's resurrection, Mary, Peter and Thomas were all transformed by a personal meeting with Him. Mary was comforted and filled with joy. All sadness and tears were gone, and she couldn't help but tell everyone that 'I have seen the Lord.' God can comfort you in all your troubles and prepare you for heaven where there are no more tears. Peter was totally forgiven and restored, and was singled out in Mark 16:6-7 because the Lord knew how bad he felt. In Galilee, Jesus had breakfast with Peter and recommissioned him to be one of the great leaders of the first century church. Today you may have failed but you are not finished. Your past need no longer define you. God wants to forgive you and to heal you and to open up a bright new future to you. Like Peter you can start over. Finally, Thomas became a man of faith and a great worshipper, whose doubts disappeared when Jesus appeared before him. Thomas instantly changed when he had an encounter with Jesus. He became a believer and he worshipped Jesus as his Lord and His God. You too can worship the Lord with great joy when you believe that the risen Jesus can change everything in your life (in your home, marriage, children, family, health, finances, business, studies and more). Because He lives, you can live both in this life and the next.

COMMENTARY Today’s reading tells the account of Jesus’ crucifixion. As we read this story, we shouldn’t miss the agony Jesus would have endured as He died on the cross. Our familiarity with images of the cross can numb us to the brutality of Jesus’ death. The reality is that it was likely much worse than we imagine. Roman crucifixion was an excruciatingly slow, public, and humiliating form of execution. Victims often experienced some form of torture beforehand like flogging (Mark 15:15). After being tortured, they were stripped naked, so as to bring shame (Mark 15:24). Then they were nailed to wooden posts, where they slowly and painfully suffocated as their lungs were crushed under their own body weight. This torturous style of execution was used as psychological warfare to discourage potential rebels. It was considered so barbaric that the word “crucify” became an expletive in Roman society. It’s no wonder Jesus prayed from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). While we should never forget the agony Jesus experienced on the cross, we also shouldn’t miss the dramatic and deliberate irony in this story. While Jesus was on the cross, religious leaders mocked Him, saying, “He saved others . . . but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe” (Mark 15:31-32a). The irony of this group’s misunderstanding is that the cross was the place where Jesus became their Messiah. Saving others meant He couldn’t save Himself. In the same way, before His crucifixion, Jesus is led to a “palace” where He is dressed in a purple robe, given a “crown,” and hailed as “king” (Mark 15:16-20). This triumphant imitation of victorious Roman emperors was intended by Jesus’ executioners to be a form of mockery. But as the book of Mark has prepared us to see, Jesus’ execution is also the moment of His enthronement and ultimate triumph over evil. This is the moment when Jesus becomes King. The story of the cross is, therefore, a story of agony and irony. The cross was meant to bring torture. God used it to bring triumph. You may respond to this story with tears, guilt, or gratitude, but what Jesus deserves most is our allegiance, for us to hail Him as our Messiah-King. SCRIPTURE MARK 15 CHAPTER 15 JESUS BEFORE PILATE 1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. 2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “You have said so,” Jesus replied. 3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.” 5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. 6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. 9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. 12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. 13 “Crucify him!” they shouted. 14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. THE SOLDIERS MOCK JESUS 16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS 21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. 25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews. 27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. THE DEATH OF JESUS 33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” 36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” 40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there. THE BURIAL OF JESUS 42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day be- fore the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summon- ing the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid. REFLECTION 1. In Mark 15:34, Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These words come from Psalm 22, a psalm of lament. By quoting this psalm, Jesus showed that He felt let down by God, just as many worshippers before and after Him have felt. When have you felt abandoned by God? How might Jesus’ words be an encouragement to you? 2. It can be easy for us to cast judgment on the various characters who appear in the stories of Jesus’ arrest, trials, and crucifixion. It is more difficult, but perhaps more important, that we consider how we might have fit into the story. When have you acted like Peter, denying Jesus? Like an onlooker, insulting Jesus? Like Pilate, caving to pressure and condemning Jesus?

Isaiah 9:1-4 (NKJV) 1  Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. 2  The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. 3  You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4  For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian.  Matthew 4:12-23 (NKJV) 12  Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. 13  And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14  that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 15  "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: 16  The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned." 17  From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 18  And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." 20  They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 21  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22  and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. 23  And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.        

'Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian. For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.' Isaiah 9:1-6 NOTES: Great things come in small packages God loves blowing your mind with the small things Hebrew name El Gibbor - The Mighty Might Ones We should have a healthy fear of the Mighty One If Jesus is still the Mighty Mighty one the we too must step out of the boat in faith Want to receive text updates from our church? Send the keyword VBPH to 757-665-2410. Please let us know how this message has influenced you using one of these options: Email: pastor@vbph.org Voicemail: https://anchor.fm/vbph-sermons/message Thanks for listening! Has this message been a blessing to you? Please consider giving a generous donation --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

'Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian. For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.' Isaiah 9:1-6 NOTES: Jesus is a consultant Jesus can send a consultant when everything is crazy Jesus doesn’t just want to make you feel better but wants to give truth in the midst of the “winter” Relationships are are hard and need effort or else they fail We need to seek council as well Do not be afraid only believe! Even in the midst of pain and difficulty - believe! Want to receive text updates from our church? Send the keyword VBPH to 757-665-2410. Please let us know how this message has influenced you using one of these options: Email: pastor@vbph.org Voicemail: https://anchor.fm/vbph-sermons/message Thanks for listening! Has this message been a blessing to you? Please consider giving a generous donation --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

The Christmas Story Part Two: A Crisis of Angels & Taxes By Louie Marsh, 12-8-2019  Christmas is all about the FOOLISHNESS OF GOD.  22  For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23  but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24  but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25  For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 (ESV)   26  In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27  to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. Luke 1:26-27 (ESV)   Mary was a young girl living in the hill country of Galilee in the small town of Nazareth.  Situated inside a bowl atop the Nazareth ridge north of the Jezreel valley, Nazareth was a relatively isolated village in the time of Jesus with a population less than two hundred. Today the population is 60,000.   Most young ladies were betrothed at 13 and married at 14 years of age. Those who weren’t would usually marry a year or two later to less desirable men such as Shepherds and spend their days raising children in lonely caves in the hillsides.   Mary was very much in love with a young man named Joseph who was a carpenter. He had been apprenticed at his bar mitzvah when he was 13, now he was 19 and was establishing his own business. Not that carpentry was much of a business in the Galilean countryside. Lumber was rare and most people only decorated the insides of their homes with wooden items. The houses were cut from stone and had small windows high on the walls. Most of them were set against a hill and had a stone doorsill over which hung a cloth drape you pushed aside to enter.   The homes had two rooms. The front room was Joseph’s shop and the back room was the living space with an earthen oven about 6 feet long and 2 feet high. Not only did they cook on it, but during the cool season they would sleep on the earthen top of the oven to keep warm. Near the stove there was tether for a very important family member – the donkey. He was well cared for as he carried lumber for Joseph and many other things as well.   Mary did not yet live in the house but would as soon as they were formally married. Presently she and Joseph were betrothed in what the Jews called the qiddushin. It carried with it the finality of marriage without all the benefits. It was such a strong bond that the only way you could end the engagement was by divorce. In Galilee couples in the qiddushin did not have sexual relations but in Judea to the south they often did.   28  And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29  But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30  And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33  and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:28-33 (ESV)   Mary was a pious and faithful Jewish woman. And at some point between their betrothal and formal marriage the first Angel of our story appeared to her. It was none other than Gabriel. We don’t know how he appeared to Mary, but he saw before him a quiet, humble 14 year old girl.   “You are favored by the Lord!” He said, “The Lord is with you.”   Mary was both surprised and confused, what could this mean, if it was even real?   Gabriel continued, “Don't be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God.  You will become pregnant, have a son, and name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. Your son will be king of Jacob's people forever, and his kingdom will never end.”   I can be both FAITHFUL & question God.   Mary was shy but not stupid, so she boldly brought up the big flaw in this plan,   34  And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” Luke 1:34 (ESV)   God doesn’t always give me the answer I’m LOOKING FOR.   35  And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36  And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37  For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:35-37 (ESV)   Gabriel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come to you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy child developing inside you will be called the Son of God. You know your relative Elizabeth? She’s six months pregnant with a son at her age after everyone said she was too old. Remember nothing is impossible for God.”   I must ACCEPT what God says and act on it.   Mary bowed her head in acceptance answering,   38  And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:38 (ESV)   She knew there was one way to find out if all this was real, just wait a few months.   She did just that telling no one of Gabriel’s appearance. Soon she was showing and the controversy began. Everyone in little village began to speculate who the father was and what would Joseph do about this?   19  And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. Matthew 1:19 (ESV)   Joseph agreed that was a good question. He was heartbroken to learn the news. Yet in spite of Mary’s seeming betrayal he still loved her. The fact that she had done wrong didn’t justify him being mean or spiteful. He wanted to right by her even though she had refused to explain to him what she had done, or even to ask forgiveness. Joseph didn’t know that on the tip of her tongue was the greatest secret of all time, yet she could not, would not reveal it. Instead she trusted God to make all things right.   He had three choices. He could divorce her publicly but then the village Elders would demand to know why he wanted to do this. When he told them and swore that he was “without knowledge of her,” the priests would judge her to be an adulteress. The traditional punishment for this was stoning. Such things were illegal under Roman rule, but the Romans were far from Nazareth and wouldn’t know if she was pushed off a cliff on one of their hills and then stoned by the towns people if she moved.   He could not bear to think of that. Another option under the law was to pay to have her sent to a remote place there to have her baby and remain. The third option was to swallow his pride and heartbreak and marry her anyway.   Joseph agonized over this decision for days. Finally he decided to do the just and merciful thing and have her sent away. Exhausted from stress and at peace with his choice he fell asleep. It was in his dreams the second angel of our drama made his dramatic appearance.   20  But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21  She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23  “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). Matthew 1:20-23 (ESV)   The angel, who didn’t give his name, said, “Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”   That’s all he said because that’s all that needed to be said. Joseph sat up wide awake. Now he knew the truth as incredible as it seemed. He must have ran to Mary as soon as he could to tell her this and it was then that she shared her story with him.   God’s promises were true, they thought. The words of the prophet were: “The virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.”   Somehow God was choosing to bring the long awaited Messiah into Israel through them. They didn’t understand it but they did understand obedience was fully possible without complete comprehension.   And so soon after Mary and Joseph were joined together in holiness before God.   They were less than 9 months from one of the most titanic events in human history. Mary and Joseph knew what was coming. But like the rest of the world they didn’t fully understand what their first child would accomplish and how he would change the world forever.   Joseph patiently waited till after the birth before he and Mary had sexual relations which would result in children as well. He cared for Mary, worked hard and thought he was ready for this child of God to come. But very soon now, things would happen that would shake up all his plans and show him wonders he could have never imagined.   God works through EVERYTHING. 1  In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2  This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3  And all went to be registered, each to his own town. Luke 2:1-3 (ESV)   Just over 1400 miles from Israel sits the so called Eternal City, Rome. Of course in Jesus day it was the center of the Roman Empire and the known world. Caesar Augustus lived a life of luxury that was not only beyond anything most of his subjects, including Joseph and Mary, would ever achieve but beyond what they could probably even imagine.   Roman historian Dio Cassius tells us that  Caesar Augustus was so concerned about the declining marriage and birth rate in the empire, that he passed legislation that made promiscuity a crime. It penalized bachelors in their right to inherit, and bestowed political and tax advantages on fathers of three or more children. It’s likely that one of the reasons that Augustus authorized this particular censuses was to see whether his legislation was working. Another reason of course was to find a way to increase the Empire’s tax revenue without causing riots or revolts. Even the Roman Empire faced budgetary short falls. Imagine taking two weeks off for everyone to go to their ancestral home to be counted. Well it did happen and we have evidence to show that such traveling was indeed done during a Roman census.  A Roman document, dated 104 A.D., has been discovered in Egypt, in which citizens were specifically commanded to return to their original homes for the census. Another census document from 119 A.D. has been found in which an Egyptian man identifies himself by giving 6 different facts about himself including his and his parents name and original village, his age and profession. This document was signed by the village registrar and three official witnesses. Don’t expect things to be EASY just because I’m serving God. 7  And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:7 (ESV) Caesar must have known the chaos he was inflicting upon his people, but probably didn’t lose any sleep over it. He had bigger fish to fry and as a Roman was more concerned with ensuring the glory of both the Empire and his family than anything else. Little did he know the part God had picked for him to play in his grand design. Mary was well along in her pregnancy and Joseph tried to get a wavier for her, but there were none to be had. The Caesar spoke and the people either obeyed or answered to the Legions of Rome.   So they set off. Joseph told Mary he hoped to time it just right so that they would top the rise and see Jerusalem about sunrise of the fifth day. And so it happened. The exhausted young couple saw the golden temple ablaze with beauty as the setting sun spotlighted it before slipping below the horizon. Both agreed that as horrible as Herod was this was one thing he had done right.   If they continued on that evening it would have been a difficult trip. Night time travel was almost unknown during the time of Christ. Only the desperate or those with no other choice would risk the robbers that skulked in the shadows and the evil spirits that were said to roam the night.   The road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem curved broadly and climbed steadily. To their left the drop into the valley was sharp. They could see the shepherds four hundred feet below and sometimes even hear them as they whistled at their sheep.   Mary was uncomfortable after these many days on the donkey but made light of her discomfort. Finally they entered the city of David and at first both Joseph and his young wife must have shared a sigh of relief. At last they had arrived. Now to find a place to stay and relax.   Only there were no places to stay. Joseph had never seen anyplace so jammed with people. There were people everywhere. Camping in the town square and along the roads. Every house was full and the Inn had been long since been filled to capacity.   At that time Bethlehem consisted of one main road running north and south and just two cross streets.  The Inn was on the left, built on a rocky cliff and Joseph quickly found out there was no room there. His heart must have sank. What could do now? His very pregnant Mary needed shelter and soon. The situation became even more dire as Mary announced she was beginning to feel what she was sure were labor pains.   Joseph went back to the owner of the Inn and pleaded his case. His wife needed help and needed a quiet and private place to give birth now. Perhaps the owner’s wife reminded his husband of the little cave back which served as stable.   Joseph thanked them and then went to break the humiliating news to Mary. Did he feel shame at being such a poor provider for his wife?  Perhaps but Mary was just grateful to have a place to go to prepare for the birth which was going to happen and happen soon.   According to Jewish custom at that time all births were to be overseen by a Midwife.  Midwifes were skilled and common in that era. Sometimes they were even called to help at the birth of animals. Did Mary and Joseph have a midwife with them that holy night? The New Testament, the sole source for information about Christ’s birth, says nothing about it either way. So while it is possible we simply do not know.   Mary would have worn a long sleeved garment designed to preserve her modesty throughout the birthing process. She would have been experienced at assisting in many births so what she about to undergo was no surprise to her. God had brought her to his point and He would see her through and bring forth His Son into the world.   As her labor pains increased Joseph tried, with varying levels of success, to be calm and helpful. Both of them know God’s was present with them in the darkness so they did not fear. But neither of these young people from rural Israel knew the wonders and the terror that lay just ahead of them.

Storyline Of The Bible - page 11 1st Review of Storyline Of The Bible – 10th page by Carl Vasta2nd Kathy tells us that EMPEROR AUGUSTUS ORDERS A CENSUSMARY GIVES BIRTH TO A SONTHE CHRISTIAN CALENDARTHE ASTROLOGERS ( Wise Men ) COME FROM THE EAST LOOKING FOR THE BABY JESUS.JOSEPH IS WARNED IN A DREAM TO TAKE THE CHILD AND HIS MOTHER AND FLEE TO EGYPT AND STAY THERE UNTIL I TELL YOU TO RETURN.HEROD IS DECEIVED AND DECIDES TO KILL ALL MALE BABIES YOUNGER THAN TWO YEARS OLD IN BETHLEHEM AND THE REGIONS SURROUNDING THE CITYHEROD DIES AND IS SUCCEEDED BY HIS SON ARCHELAUSJOSEPH IS TOLD BY AN ANGEL IN A DREAM TO TAKE MARY AND THE CHILD AND RETURN TO ISRAEL AND IS GUIDED BY GOD TO SETTLE IN THE CITY OF NAZARETH, IN GALILEE.

Mark 14:43-15:47 New International Version (NIV)Jesus ArrestedJust as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. The men seized Jesus and arrested him. Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.“Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” Then everyone deserted him and fled.A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.Jesus Before the SanhedrinThey took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together. Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’” Yet even then their testimony did not agree.Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked.“You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”They all condemned him as worthy of death. Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.Peter Disowns JesusWhile Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.“You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said.But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway.When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” Again he denied it.After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.Jesus Before PilateVery early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the lawand the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.“Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.“You have said so,” Jesus replied.The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.“Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.“What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.“Crucify him!” they shouted.“Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.The Soldiers Mock JesusThe soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.The Crucifixion of JesusA certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.The Death of JesusAt noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.The Burial of JesusIt was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

Mark 15:16-47 New International Version (NIV)The Soldiers Mock JesusThe soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.The Crucifixion of JesusA certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.The Death of JesusAt noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.The Burial of JesusIt was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

Mark 15 (NIV)Jesus Before Pilate1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.“You have said so,” Jesus replied.3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.13 “Crucify him!” they shouted.14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.The Soldiers Mock Jesus16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.The Crucifixion of Jesus21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] [a] 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can't save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.The Death of Jesus33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).[b]35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he's calling Elijah.”36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,[c] he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph,[d] and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.The Burial of Jesus42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.Footnotes:Mark 15:28 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Luke 22:37.Mark 15:34 Psalm 22:1Mark 15:39 Some manuscripts saw that he died with such a cryMark 15:40 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph; also in verse 47Luke 16 (NIV)The Parable of the Shrewd Manager1 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.'3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.'5 “So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?'6 “‘Nine hundred gallons[a] of olive oil,' he replied.“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.'7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?'“‘A thousand bushels[b] of wheat,' he replied.“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.'8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God's sight.Additional Teachings16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.The Rich Man and Lazarus19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'30 “‘No, father Abraham,' he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'”Footnotes:Luke 16:6 Or about 3,000 litersLuke 16:7 Or about 30 tons

Mark 15 (NIV) Jesus Before Pilate 1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. 2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “You have said so,” Jesus replied. 3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.” 5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. 6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. 9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. 12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. 13 “Crucify him!” they shouted. 14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. The Soldiers Mock Jesus 16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. The Crucifixion of Jesus 21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. 25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews. 27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] [a] 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can't save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. The Death of Jesus 33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).[b] 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he's calling Elijah.” 36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,[c] he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” 40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph,[d] and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there. The Burial of Jesus 42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid. Footnotes: Mark 15:28 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Luke 22:37. Mark 15:34 Psalm 22:1 Mark 15:39 Some manuscripts saw that he died with such a cry Mark 15:40 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph; also in verse 47 Luke 16 (NIV) The Parable of the Shrewd Manager 1 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.' 3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.' 5 “So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?' 6 “‘Nine hundred gallons[a] of olive oil,' he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.' 7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?' “‘A thousand bushels[b] of wheat,' he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.' 8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? 13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” 14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God's sight. Additional Teachings 16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law. 18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. The Rich Man and Lazarus 19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' 25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' 27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' 29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' 30 “‘No, father Abraham,' he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'” Footnotes: Luke 16:6 Or about 3,000 liters Luke 16:7 Or about 30 tons

Mark 15 (NIV)Jesus Before Pilate1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.“You have said so,” Jesus replied.3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.13 “Crucify him!” they shouted.14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.The Soldiers Mock Jesus16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.The Crucifixion of Jesus21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] [a] 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can't save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.The Death of Jesus33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).[b]35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he's calling Elijah.”36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,[c] he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph,[d] and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.The Burial of Jesus42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.Footnotes:Mark 15:28 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Luke 22:37.Mark 15:34 Psalm 22:1Mark 15:39 Some manuscripts saw that he died with such a cryMark 15:40 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph; also in verse 47Luke 16 (NIV)The Parable of the Shrewd Manager1 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.'3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.'5 “So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?'6 “‘Nine hundred gallons[a] of olive oil,' he replied.“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.'7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?'“‘A thousand bushels[b] of wheat,' he replied.“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.'8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God's sight.Additional Teachings16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.The Rich Man and Lazarus19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'30 “‘No, father Abraham,' he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'”Footnotes:Luke 16:6 Or about 3,000 litersLuke 16:7 Or about 30 tons

The Early Childhood of Jesus (1355.1) 123:0.1 OWING to the uncertainties and anxieties of their sojourn in Bethlehem, Mary did not wean the babe until they had arrived safely in Alexandria, where the family was able to settle down to a normal life. They lived with kinsfolk, and Joseph was well able to support his family as he secured work shortly after their arrival. He was employed as a carpenter for several months and then elevated to the position of foreman of a large group of workmen employed on one of the public buildings then in process of construction. This new experience gave him the idea of becoming a contractor and builder after their return to Nazareth. (1355.2) 123:0.2 All through these early years of Jesus’ helpless infancy, Mary maintained one long and constant vigil lest anything befall her child which might jeopardize his welfare or in any way interfere with his future mission on earth; no mother was ever more devoted to her child. In the home where Jesus chanced to be there were two other children about his age, and among the near neighbors there were six others whose ages were sufficiently near his own to make them acceptable play-fellows. At first Mary was disposed to keep Jesus close by her side. She feared something might happen to him if he were allowed to play in the garden with the other children, but Joseph, with the assistance of his kinsfolk, was able to convince her that such a course would deprive Jesus of the helpful experience of learning how to adjust himself to children of his own age. And Mary, realizing that such a program of undue sheltering and unusual protection might tend to make him self-conscious and somewhat self-centered, finally gave assent to the plan of permitting the child of promise to grow up just like any other child; and though she was obedient to this decision, she made it her business always to be on watch while the little folks were at play about the house or in the garden. Only an affectionate mother can know the burden that Mary carried in her heart for the safety of her son during these years of his infancy and early childhood. (1355.3) 123:0.3 Throughout the two years of their sojourn at Alexandria, Jesus enjoyed good health and continued to grow normally. Aside from a few friends and relatives no one was told about Jesus’ being a “child of promise.” One of Joseph’s relatives revealed this to a few friends in Memphis, descendants of the distant Ikhnaton, and they, with a small group of Alexandrian believers, assembled at the palatial home of Joseph’s relative-benefactor a short time before the return to Palestine to wish the Nazareth family well and to pay their respects to the child. On this occasion the assembled friends presented Jesus with a complete copy of the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures. But this copy of the Jewish sacred writings was not placed in Joseph’s hands until both he and Mary had finally declined the invitation of their Memphis and Alexandrian friends to remain in Egypt. These believers insisted that the child of destiny would be able to exert a far greater world influence as a resident of Alexandria than of any designated place in Palestine. These persuasions delayed their departure for Palestine for some time after they received the news of Herod’s death. (1356.1) 123:0.4 Joseph and Mary finally took leave of Alexandria on a boat belonging to their friend Ezraeon, bound for Joppa, arriving at that port late in August of the year 4 B.C. They went directly to Bethlehem, where they spent the entire month of September in counsel with their friends and relatives concerning whether they should remain there or return to Nazareth. (1356.2) 123:0.5 Mary had never fully given up the idea that Jesus ought to grow up in Bethlehem, the City of David. Joseph did not really believe that their son was to become a kingly deliverer of Israel. Besides, he knew that he himself was not really a descendant of David; that his being reckoned among the offspring of David was due to the adoption of one of his ancestors into the Davidic line of descent. Mary, of course, thought the City of David the most appropriate place in which the new candidate for David’s throne could be reared, but Joseph preferred to take chances with Herod Antipas rather than with his brother Archelaus. He entertained great fears for the child’s safety in Bethlehem or in any other city in Judea, and surmised that Archelaus would be more likely to pursue the menacing policies of his father, Herod, than would Antipas in Galilee. And besides all these reasons, Joseph was outspoken in his preference for Galilee as a better place in which to rear and educate the child, but it required three weeks to overcome Mary’s objections. (1356.3) 123:0.6 By the first of October Joseph had convinced Mary and all their friends that it was best for them to return to Nazareth. Accordingly, early in October, 4 B.C., they departed from Bethlehem for Nazareth, going by way of Lydda and Scythopolis. They started out early one Sunday morning, Mary and the child riding on their newly acquired beast of burden, while Joseph and five accompanying kinsmen proceeded on foot; Joseph’s relatives refused to permit them to make the trip to Nazareth alone. They feared to go to Galilee by Jerusalem and the Jordan valley, and the western routes were not altogether safe for two lone travelers with a child of tender years. 1. Back in Nazareth (1356.4) 123:1.1 On the fourth day of the journey the party reached its destination in safety. They arrived unannounced at the Nazareth home, which had been occupied for more than three years by one of Joseph’s married brothers, who was indeed surprised to see them; so quietly had they gone about their business that neither the family of Joseph nor that of Mary knew they had even left Alexandria. The next day Joseph’s brother moved his family, and Mary, for the first time since Jesus’ birth, settled down with her little family to enjoy life in their own home. In less than a week Joseph secured work as a carpenter, and they were supremely happy. (1356.5) 123:1.2 Jesus was about three years and two months old at the time of their return to Nazareth. He had stood all these travels very well and was in excellent health and full of childish glee and excitement at having premises of his own to run about in and to enjoy. But he greatly missed the association of his Alexandrian playmates. (1356.6) 123:1.3 On the way to Nazareth Joseph had persuaded Mary that it would be unwise to spread the word among their Galilean friends and relatives that Jesus was a child of promise. They agreed to refrain from all mention of these matters to anyone. And they were both very faithful in keeping this promise. (1357.1) 123:1.4 Jesus’ entire fourth year was a period of normal physical development and of unusual mental activity. Meantime he had formed a very close attachment for a neighbor boy about his own age named Jacob. Jesus and Jacob were always happy in their play, and they grew up to be great friends and loyal companions. (1357.2) 123:1.5 The next important event in the life of this Nazareth family was the birth of the second child, James, in the early morning hours of April 2, 3 B.C. Jesus was thrilled by the thought of having a baby brother, and he would stand around by the hour just to observe the baby’s early activities. (1357.3) 123:1.6 It was midsummer of this same year that Joseph built a small workshop close to the village spring and near the caravan tarrying lot. After this he did very little carpenter work by the day. He had as associates two of his brothers and several other mechanics, whom he sent out to work while he remained at the shop making yokes and plows and doing other woodwork. He also did some work in leather and with rope and canvas. And Jesus, as he grew up, when not at school, spent his time about equally between helping his mother with home duties and watching his father work at the shop, meanwhile listening to the conversation and gossip of the caravan conductors and passengers from the four corners of the earth. (1357.4) 123:1.7 In July of this year, one month before Jesus was four years old, an outbreak of malignant intestinal trouble spread over all Nazareth from contact with the caravan travelers. Mary became so alarmed by the danger of Jesus being exposed to this epidemic of disease that she bundled up both her children and fled to the country home of her brother, several miles south of Nazareth on the Megiddo road near Sarid. They did not return to Nazareth for more than two months; Jesus greatly enjoyed this, his first experience on a farm. 2. The Fifth Year (2 B.C.) (1357.5) 123:2.1 In something more than a year after the return to Nazareth the boy Jesus arrived at the age of his first personal and wholehearted moral decision; and there came to abide with him a Thought Adjuster, a divine gift of the Paradise Father, which had aforetime served with Machiventa Melchizedek, thus gaining the experience of functioning in connection with the incarnation of a supermortal being living in the likeness of mortal flesh. This event occurred on February 11, 2 B.C. Jesus was no more aware of the coming of the divine Monitor than are the millions upon millions of other children who, before and since that day, have likewise received these Thought Adjusters to indwell their minds and work for the ultimate spiritualization of these minds and the eternal survival of their evolving immortal souls. (1357.6) 123:2.2 On this day in February the direct and personal supervision of the Universe Rulers, as it was related to the integrity of the childlike incarnation of Michael, terminated. From that time on throughout the human unfolding of the incarnation, the guardianship of Jesus was destined to rest in the keeping of this indwelling Adjuster and the associated seraphic guardians, supplemented from time to time by the ministry of midway creatures assigned for the performance of certain definite duties in accordance with the instruction of their planetary superiors. (1357.7) 123:2.3 Jesus was five years old in August of this year, and we will, therefore, refer to this as his fifth (calendar) year of life. In this year, 2 B.C., a little more than one month before his fifth birthday anniversary, Jesus was made very happy by the coming of his sister Miriam, who was born on the night of July 11. During the evening of the following day Jesus had a long talk with his father concerning the manner in which various groups of living things are born into the world as separate individuals. The most valuable part of Jesus’ early education was secured from his parents in answer to his thoughtful and searching inquiries. Joseph never failed to do his full duty in taking pains and spending time answering the boy’s numerous questions. From the time Jesus was five years old until he was ten, he was one continuous question mark. While Joseph and Mary could not always answer his questions, they never failed fully to discuss his inquiries and in every other possible way to assist him in his efforts to reach a satisfactory solution of the problem which his alert mind had suggested.* (1358.1) 123:2.4 Since returning to Nazareth, theirs had been a busy household, and Joseph had been unusually occupied building his new shop and getting his business started again. So fully was he occupied that he had found no time to build a cradle for James, but this was corrected long before Miriam came, so that she had a very comfortable crib in which to nestle while the family admired her. And the child Jesus heartily entered into all these natural and normal home experiences. He greatly enjoyed his little brother and his baby sister and was of great help to Mary in their care. (1358.2) 123:2.5 There were few homes in the gentile world of those days that could give a child a better intellectual, moral, and religious training than the Jewish homes of Galilee. These Jews had a systematic program for rearing and educating their children. They divided a child’s life into seven stages: (1358.3) 123:2.6 1. The newborn child, the first to the eighth day. (1358.4) 123:2.7 2. The suckling child. (1358.5) 123:2.8 3. The weaned child. (1358.6) 123:2.9 4. The period of dependence on the mother, lasting up to the end of the fifth year. (1358.7) 123:2.10 5. The beginning independence of the child and, with sons, the father assuming responsibility for their education. (1358.8) 123:2.11 6. The adolescent youths and maidens. (1358.9) 123:2.12 7. The young men and the young women. (1358.10) 123:2.13 It was the custom of the Galilean Jews for the mother to bear the responsibility for a child’s training until the fifth birthday, and then, if the child were a boy, to hold the father responsible for the lad’s education from that time on. This year, therefore, Jesus entered upon the fifth stage of a Galilean Jewish child’s career, and accordingly on August 21, 2 B.C., Mary formally turned him over to Joseph for further instruction. (1358.11) 123:2.14 Though Joseph was now assuming the direct responsibility for Jesus’ intellectual and religious education, his mother still interested herself in his home training. She taught him to know and care for the vines and flowers growing about the garden walls which completely surrounded the home plot. She also provided on the roof of the house (the summer bedroom) shallow boxes of sand in which Jesus worked out maps and did much of his early practice at writing Aramaic, Greek, and later on, Hebrew, for in time he learned to read, write, and speak, fluently, all three languages. (1358.12) 123:2.15 Jesus appeared to be a well-nigh perfect child physically and continued to make normal progress mentally and emotionally. He experienced a mild digestive upset, his first minor illness, in the latter part of this, his fifth (calendar) year. (1359.1) 123:2.16 Though Joseph and Mary often talked about the future of their eldest child, had you been there, you would only have observed the growing up of a normal, healthy, carefree, but exceedingly inquisitive child of that time and place. 3. Events of the Sixth Year (1 B.C.) (1359.2) 123:3.1 Already, with his mother’s help, Jesus had mastered the Galilean dialect of the Aramaic tongue; and now his father began teaching him Greek. Mary spoke little Greek, but Joseph was a fluent speaker of both Aramaic and Greek. The textbook for the study of the Greek language was the copy of the Hebrew scriptures — a complete version of the law and the prophets, including the Psalms — which had been presented to them on leaving Egypt. There were only two complete copies of the Scriptures in Greek in all Nazareth, and the possession of one of them by the carpenter’s family made Joseph’s home a much-sought place and enabled Jesus, as he grew up, to meet an almost endless procession of earnest students and sincere truth seekers. Before this year ended, Jesus had assumed custody of this priceless manuscript, having been told on his sixth birthday that the sacred book had been presented to him by Alexandrian friends and relatives. And in a very short time he could read it readily. (1359.3) 123:3.2 The first great shock of Jesus’ young life occurred when he was not quite six years old. It had seemed to the lad that his father — at least his father and mother together — knew everything. Imagine, therefore, the surprise of this inquiring child, when he asked his father the cause of a mild earthquake which had just occurred, to hear Joseph say, “My son, I really do not know.” Thus began that long and disconcerting disillusionment in the course of which Jesus found out that his earthly parents were not all-wise and all-knowing. (1359.4) 123:3.3 Joseph’s first thought was to tell Jesus that the earthquake had been caused by God, but a moment’s reflection admonished him that such an answer would immediately be provocative of further and still more embarrassing inquiries. Even at an early age it was very difficult to answer Jesus’ questions about physical or social phenomena by thoughtlessly telling him that either God or the devil was responsible. In harmony with the prevailing belief of the Jewish people, Jesus was long willing to accept the doctrine of good spirits and evil spirits as the possible explanation of mental and spiritual phenomena, but he very early became doubtful that such unseen influences were responsible for the physical happenings of the natural world. (1359.5) 123:3.4 Before Jesus was six years of age, in the early summer of 1 B.C., Zacharias and Elizabeth and their son John came to visit the Nazareth family. Jesus and John had a happy time during this, their first visit within their memories. Although the visitors could remain only a few days, the parents talked over many things, including the future plans for their sons. While they were thus engaged, the lads played with blocks in the sand on top of the house and in many other ways enjoyed themselves in true boyish fashion. (1359.6) 123:3.5 Having met John, who came from near Jerusalem, Jesus began to evince an unusual interest in the history of Israel and to inquire in great detail as to the meaning of the Sabbath rites, the synagogue sermons, and the recurring feasts of commemoration. His father explained to him the meaning of all these seasons. The first was the midwinter festive illumination, lasting eight days, starting out with one candle the first night and adding one each successive night; this commemorated the dedication of the temple after the restoration of the Mosaic services by Judas Maccabee. Next came the early springtime celebration of Purim, the feast of Esther and Israel’s deliverance through her. Then followed the solemn Passover, which the adults celebrated in Jerusalem whenever possible, while at home the children would remember that no leavened bread was to be eaten for the whole week. Later came the feast of the first-fruits, the harvest ingathering; and last, the most solemn of all, the feast of the new year, the day of atonement. While some of these celebrations and observances were difficult for Jesus’ young mind to understand, he pondered them seriously and then entered fully into the joy of the feast of tabernacles, the annual vacation season of the whole Jewish people, the time when they camped out in leafy booths and gave themselves up to mirth and pleasure. (1360.1) 123:3.6 During this year Joseph and Mary had trouble with Jesus about his prayers. He insisted on talking to his heavenly Father much as he would talk to Joseph, his earthly father. This departure from the more solemn and reverent modes of communication with Deity was a bit disconcerting to his parents, especially to his mother, but there was no persuading him to change; he would say his prayers just as he had been taught, after which he insisted on having “just a little talk with my Father in heaven.” (1360.2) 123:3.7 In June of this year Joseph turned the shop in Nazareth over to his brothers and formally entered upon his work as a builder. Before the year was over, the family income had more than trebled. Never again, until after Joseph’s death, did the Nazareth family feel the pinch of poverty. The family grew larger and larger, and they spent much money on extra education and travel, but always Joseph’s increasing income kept pace with the growing expenses. (1360.3) 123:3.8 The next few years Joseph did considerable work at Cana, Bethlehem (of Galilee), Magdala, Nain, Sepphoris, Capernaum, and Endor, as well as much building in and near Nazareth. As James grew up to be old enough to help his mother with the housework and care of the younger children, Jesus made frequent trips away from home with his father to these surrounding towns and villages. Jesus was a keen observer and gained much practical knowledge from these trips away from home; he was assiduously storing up knowledge regarding man and the way he lived on earth. (1360.4) 123:3.9 This year Jesus made great progress in adjusting his strong feelings and vigorous impulses to the demands of family co-operation and home discipline. Mary was a loving mother but a fairly strict disciplinarian. In many ways, however, Joseph exerted the greater control over Jesus as it was his practice to sit down with the boy and fully explain the real and underlying reasons for the necessity of disciplinary curtailment of personal desires in deference to the welfare and tranquillity of the entire family. When the situation had been explained to Jesus, he was always intelligently and willingly co-operative with parental wishes and family regulations. (1360.5) 123:3.10 Much of his spare time — when his mother did not require his help about the house — was spent studying the flowers and plants by day and the stars by night. He evinced a troublesome penchant for lying on his back and gazing wonderingly up into the starry heavens long after his usual bedtime in this well-ordered Nazareth household. 4. The Seventh Year (A.D. 1) (1361.1) 123:4.1 This was, indeed, an eventful year in Jesus’ life. Early in January a great snowstorm occurred in Galilee. Snow fell two feet deep, the heaviest snowfall Jesus saw during his lifetime and one of the deepest at Nazareth in a hundred years. (1361.2) 123:4.2 The play life of Jewish children in the times of Jesus was rather circumscribed; all too often the children played at the more serious things they observed their elders doing. They played much at weddings and funerals, ceremonies which they so frequently saw and which were so spectacular. They danced and sang but had few organized games, such as children of later days so much enjoy. (1361.3) 123:4.3 Jesus, in company with a neighbor boy and later his brother James, delighted to play in the far corner of the family carpenter shop, where they had great fun with the shavings and the blocks of wood. It was always difficult for Jesus to comprehend the harm of certain sorts of play which were forbidden on the Sabbath, but he never failed to conform to his parents’ wishes. He had a capacity for humor and play which was afforded little opportunity for expression in the environment of his day and generation, but up to the age of fourteen he was cheerful and lighthearted most of the time. (1361.4) 123:4.4 Mary maintained a dovecote on top of the animal house adjoining the home, and they used the profits from the sale of doves as a special charity fund, which Jesus administered after he deducted the tithe and turned it over to the officer of the synagogue. (1361.5) 123:4.5 The only real accident Jesus had up to this time was a fall down the back-yard stone stairs which led up to the canvas-roofed bedroom. It happened during an unexpected July sandstorm from the east. The hot winds, carrying blasts of fine sand, usually blew during the rainy season, especially in March and April. It was extraordinary to have such a storm in July. When the storm came up, Jesus was on the housetop playing, as was his habit, for during much of the dry season this was his accustomed playroom. He was blinded by the sand when descending the stairs and fell. After this accident Joseph built a balustrade up both sides of the stairway. (1361.6) 123:4.6 There was no way in which this accident could have been prevented. It was not chargeable to neglect by the midway temporal guardians, one primary and one secondary midwayer having been assigned to the watchcare of the lad; neither was it chargeable to the guardian seraphim. It simply could not have been avoided. But this slight accident, occurring while Joseph was absent in Endor, caused such great anxiety to develop in Mary’s mind that she unwisely tried to keep Jesus very close to her side for some months. (1361.7) 123:4.7 Material accidents, commonplace occurrences of a physical nature, are not arbitrarily interfered with by celestial personalities. Under ordinary circumstances only midway creatures can intervene in material conditions to safeguard the persons of men and women of destiny, and even in special situations these beings can so act only in obedience to the specific mandates of their superiors. (1361.8) 123:4.8 And this was but one of a number of such minor accidents which subsequently befell this inquisitive and adventurous youth. If you envisage the average childhood and youth of an aggressive boy, you will have a fairly good idea of the youthful career of Jesus, and you will be able to imagine just about how much anxiety he caused his parents, particularly his mother. (1362.1) 123:4.9 The fourth member of the Nazareth family, Joseph, was born Wednesday morning, March 16, A.D. 1. 5. School Days in Nazareth (1362.2) 123:5.1 Jesus was now seven years old, the age when Jewish children were supposed to begin their formal education in the synagogue schools. Accordingly, in August of this year he entered upon his eventful school life at Nazareth. Already this lad was a fluent reader, writer, and speaker of two languages, Aramaic and Greek. He was now to acquaint himself with the task of learning to read, write, and speak the Hebrew language. And he was truly eager for the new school life which was ahead of him. (1362.3) 123:5.2 For three years — until he was ten — he attended the elementary school of the Nazareth synagogue. For these three years he studied the rudiments of the Book of the Law as it was recorded in the Hebrew tongue. For the following three years he studied in the advanced school and committed to memory, by the method of repeating aloud, the deeper teachings of the sacred law. He graduated from this school of the synagogue during his thirteenth year and was turned over to his parents by the synagogue rulers as an educated “son of the commandment” — henceforth a responsible citizen of the commonwealth of Israel, all of which entailed his attendance at the Passovers in Jerusalem; accordingly, he attended his first Passover that year in company with his father and mother. (1362.4) 123:5.3 At Nazareth the pupils sat on the floor in a semicircle, while their teacher, the chazan, an officer of the synagogue, sat facing them. Beginning with the Book of Leviticus, they passed on to the study of the other books of the law, followed by the study of the Prophets and the Psalms. The Nazareth synagogue possessed a complete copy of the Scriptures in Hebrew. Nothing but the Scriptures was studied prior to the twelfth year. In the summer months the hours for school were greatly shortened. (1362.5) 123:5.4 Jesus early became a master of Hebrew, and as a young man, when no visitor of prominence happened to be sojourning in Nazareth, he would often be asked to read the Hebrew scriptures to the faithful assembled in the synagogue at the regular Sabbath services. (1362.6) 123:5.5 These synagogue schools, of course, had no textbooks. In teaching, the chazan would utter a statement while the pupils would in unison repeat it after him. When having access to the written books of the law, the student learned his lesson by reading aloud and by constant repetition. (1362.7) 123:5.6 Next, in addition to his more formal schooling, Jesus began to make contact with human nature from the four quarters of the earth as men from many lands passed in and out of his father’s repair shop. When he grew older, he mingled freely with the caravans as they tarried near the spring for rest and nourishment. Being a fluent speaker of Greek, he had little trouble in conversing with the majority of the caravan travelers and conductors. (1362.8) 123:5.7 Nazareth was a caravan way station and crossroads of travel and largely gentile in population; at the same time it was widely known as a center of liberal interpretation of Jewish traditional law. In Galilee the Jews mingled more freely with the gentiles than was their practice in Judea. And of all the cities of Galilee, the Jews of Nazareth were most liberal in their interpretation of the social restrictions based on the fears of contamination as a result of contact with the gentiles. And these conditions gave rise to the common saying in Jerusalem, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (1363.1) 123:5.8 Jesus received his moral training and spiritual culture chiefly in his own home. He secured much of his intellectual and theological education from the chazan. But his real education — that equipment of mind and heart for the actual test of grappling with the difficult problems of life — he obtained by mingling with his fellow men. It was this close association with his fellow men, young and old, Jew and gentile, that afforded him the opportunity to know the human race. Jesus was highly educated in that he thoroughly understood men and devotedly loved them. (1363.2) 123:5.9 Throughout his years at the synagogue he was a brilliant student, possessing a great advantage since he was conversant with three languages. The Nazareth chazan, on the occasion of Jesus’ finishing the course in his school, remarked to Joseph that he feared he “had learned more from Jesus’ searching questions” than he had “been able to teach the lad.” (1363.3) 123:5.10 Throughout his course of study Jesus learned much and derived great inspiration from the regular Sabbath sermons in the synagogue. It was customary to ask distinguished visitors, stopping over the Sabbath in Nazareth, to address the synagogue. As Jesus grew up, he heard many great thinkers of the entire Jewish world expound their views, and many also who were hardly orthodox Jews since the synagogue of Nazareth was an advanced and liberal center of Hebrew thought and culture. (1363.4) 123:5.11 When entering school at seven years (at this time the Jews had just inaugurated a compulsory education law), it was customary for the pupils to choose their “birthday text,” a sort of golden rule to guide them throughout their studies, one upon which they often expatiated at their graduation when thirteen years old. The text which Jesus chose was from the Prophet Isaiah: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the meek, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and to set the spiritual prisoners free.” (1363.5) 123:5.12 Nazareth was one of the twenty-four priest centers of the Hebrew nation. But the Galilean priesthood was more liberal in the interpretation of the traditional laws than were the Judean scribes and rabbis. And at Nazareth they were also more liberal regarding the observance of the Sabbath. It was therefore the custom for Joseph to take Jesus out for walks on Sabbath afternoons, one of their favorite jaunts being to climb the high hill near their home, from which they could obtain a panoramic view of all Galilee. To the northwest, on clear days, they could see the long ridge of Mount Carmel running down to the sea; and many times Jesus heard his father relate the story of Elijah, one of the first of that long line of Hebrew prophets, who reproved Ahab and exposed the priests of Baal. To the north Mount Hermon raised its snowy peak in majestic splendor and monopolized the skyline, almost 3,000 feet of the upper slopes glistening white with perpetual snow. Far to the east they could discern the Jordan valley and, far beyond, the rocky hills of Moab. Also to the south and the east, when the sun shone upon their marble walls, they could see the Greco-Roman cities of the Decapolis, with their amphitheaters and pretentious temples. And when they lingered toward the going down of the sun, to the west they could make out the sailing vessels on the distant Mediterranean.* (1364.1) 123:5.13 From four directions Jesus could observe the caravan trains as they wended their way in and out of Nazareth, and to the south he could overlook the broad and fertile plain country of Esdraelon, stretching off toward Mount Gilboa and Samaria. (1364.2) 123:5.14 When they did not climb the heights to view the distant landscape, they strolled through the countryside and studied nature in her various moods in accordance with the seasons. Jesus’ earliest training, aside from that of the home hearth, had to do with a reverent and sympathetic contact with nature. (1364.3) 123:5.15 Before he was eight years of age, he was known to all the mothers and young women of Nazareth, who had met him and talked with him at the spring, which was not far from his home, and which was one of the social centers of contact and gossip for the entire town. This year Jesus learned to milk the family cow

Sunday January 26thMatthew 1:18-2:23Even though we're almost at the end of January, we're going to take a look today at Matthew's account of Jesus' birth. And I think that's just fine since the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 7th and the Feast of the 3 wise men was on January 6th. So here's what Matthew has to say, starting in chapter 1 verse 18: Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” 24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.Someone said that we could sum up those verses as “Jesus' Dad hears from Jesus' Father”! Joseph was Jesus' legal father, his earthly Dad, but not His literal or actual father. God alone is Jesus' true father.We actually don't know much about Joseph. In all of gospels put together there is not one single quote from Joseph. We never hear him speak a word. But the man knew how to LISTEN! And that alone made Joseph the right man for God's plan. Not only would he listen, he would OBEY!Notice that Matthew only records Joseph's encounter with the angel, not Mary's. Mary's visit from the angel is found in Luke's gospel. Matthew also doesn't mention the journey to Bethlehem, the manger, or the shepherds. Those details are also found in Luke. But Matthew adds this record of Jesus' other visitors in chapter 2:Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;For out of you shall come forth a RulerWho will shepherd My people Israel.'”7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” 9 After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.Some people have referred to the magi, or wise men, as “The most famous trio to ever attend a baby shower.” Someone also referred to their journey as “The Original Star Trek!” The wise men actually didn't follow the star all the way to Bethlehem, like the song We Three Kings would lead us to think. The bible simply says that they saw the star of the Messiah in the east and that it caused them to seek out the new King of the Jews. So they went to Jewish capital, Jerusalem.Of course, the first stop they made in Jerusalem was to see King Herod. They figured “surely the current king will be able to tell us where to find the NEW king!”Herod IS able to pinpoint the town of Bethlehem when his scribes look it up in the book of the prophet Micah.But of course he's not too thrilled to learn that he's going to be replaced, so he asks the Magi to report back to him after they find the child so that he can go and “Worship” him. Thankfully God speaks to them in a dream to return home by a different route and to bypass Herod.As they begin their journey toward Bethlehem the star actually reappears and it directs them right to where Jesus is staying. Notice it says “After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother”. The fact that Jesus and Mary were in a house rather than a cattle stall shows that they probably didn't arrive on the actual day of Jesus' birth, but some time after.When the wise men finally do come to Jesus, they bring three gifts: Gold, which is a gift for royalty, a gift for a king. Incense, which was for divinity, a gift you give to a God. And myrrh, which is a funeral gift, a spice used for burial. Their gifts show that they understood a lot about the Messiah. They knew He would be not only a king, but God himself, and that the reason he had come was to die. You might think these gifts were just an amazing coincidence, but they're not. God actually set up these events years in advance.Nine months before all of this, God sent angels to tell Joseph and Mary about the birth of His Son. On Christmas night, God sent angels to communicate with shepherds about the birth of His Son. Hundreds of years before Christmas, God sent the prophet Daniel to Babylon to teach their wise men to watch for a certain star and when they see it, to respond by bringing gifts to celebrate the birth of His Son.Ultimately these Magi were looking for “Messiah the Prince” spoken of by Daniel's in his prophecy.Daniel 9:25 shows why they were watching for the star and looking for the Messiah at this particular time in history:“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”To do the math, we have 7 weeks, “threescore weeks” which means 60, and 2 weeks, so in totalit would be 69 “weeks” from King Cyrus' decree to allow a group of Jewish men to go back to Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah to rebuild the city walls until Messiah the Prince would arrive.Prophetically 1 week is equal to 7 years, so 69 weeks times seven years for each week would total 483 years.The wise men already had the exact date of Cyrus' decree so they kept track of those 483 years and therefore they knew the time was at hand for Daniel's prophecy to be fulfilled. So now they came looking for the newborn king who would fulfill that prophecy.God had communicated to the wise men that the Messiah would be both a king and a God, and that He would come to die. Through a combination of Daniel's prophecy, the Hebrew Scriptures, and the appearance of a certain star, these wise men seemingly knew more about the coming of the Messiah than the Jewish leaders did.Someone summed up the situation this way:“The magi were seeking the King; Herod was opposing the King; and the Jewish priests were ignoring the King.” So the Magi came and brought their presents and then returned home. But their visit had accidentally put the young Messiah in danger, because Herod was now aware that his rival has arrived. However, God has already made provision to protect His Son.13 Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”14 So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. 15 He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. 17 Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,Weeping and great mourning,Rachel weeping for her children;And she refused to be comforted,Because they were no more.”Mathew is focusing his Gospel towards his fellow Jewish citizens, so he goes out of his way to show all of the fulfilled Old Testament scripture that applies to Jesus as the promised Messiah. Matthew quotes from Hosea 11:1 “Out of Egypt I called My Son” and from Jeremiah 31:15 to describe the weeping of the mothers whose sons were slaughtered by Herod's soldiers.The fact that Herod ordered the killing of all male children “from two years old and under” is another indication that the visit from the wise men didn't happen on Christmas day, but sometime after. I think maybe they saw the star for the first time on the day that Jesus was born, but finally visited him after traveling all the way from their county to Israel.Then Joseph has two more dreams, which is how Jesus ends up back in Nazareth:19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, 20 “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child's life are dead.” 21 So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, 23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”In God's awesome, perfect plan, EVERYTHING has significance! He allows Daniel to be taken into Babylon so that many years later these wise men will honor the birth of the Messiah. He has angels speak over and over to Joseph through dreams to bring Jesus just where He wants him.And where does God want His Son raised? In Galilee, some remote, insignificant region of Israel, and in Nazareth, a town that was looked down upon even by other Israelites.Look at John 7:52: They answered him, “You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.”   And again in John 1:46: Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” God went out of His way to select the least of the least as a place for Jesus to grow up, so that the wisdom of the world would be overturned by the foolishness of God. He chose to make humility an essential part of who Jesus would be, and who WE must be if we intend to follow Him!Things haven't really changed that much since these events unfolded over 2000 years ago. I think we could sum it up this way:“The Wise Still Seek Him, The World Still Hates Him, And God Still Saves Those Who Come To Him!”

The civil and religious authorities have asked to seal off Jesus' tomb because He has promised to rise from the dead. The fact that the authorities recognized this but not the disciples gives some indication as to how much of a shock the events must have been.The women take on a major role as they return to anoint Jesus' body. Upon arrival, an angel appears telling the women that Jesus is no longer in the tomb, and that the women must tell the disciples that He will meet them at the appointed place in Galilee.In Galilee, the disciples meet Jesus on a mountain, and worship Him, but some doubt (the word here also means to hesitate). Jesus comes out to meet them and gives them the Great Commission, telling His disciples to make disciples of all nations, to baptize them in the Trinitarian formula of Father Son and Holy Spirit, and to observe all that He has commanded.The Gospel of Matthew was probably not conceived as a manual for converts, and the organization of the book suggests that a main theme was the progression of Jesus' teachings and how increasing tensions affected His ministry. This does not preclude reading Matthew as such a manual.The closing theme is Gerard Satamian's Chansons Sans Paroles Op. 2 Pastorale, from the album Dry Fig Trees. www.magnatune.com

Mark 15:22-41 (NIV)22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can't save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he's calling Elijah.”36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.