Podcasts about in nazareth

Friends of the Rosary, Today, the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time is the Sunday of the Word of God, instituted by Pope Francis in 2019. In today's Gospel (Luke 4:14-15), we see Jesus returning to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and teaching in the synagogues being praised by all. In Nazareth, where he had grown up,Christ Jesus unrolled a scroll of the prophet Isaiah and read: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,because he has anointed meto bring glad tidings to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captivesand recovery of sight to the blind,to let the oppressed go free,and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. He said to them,"Today, this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • Enhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University iOS app. • ⁠January 26, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

In Nazareth, Jesus made the radical claim that He was the Anointed One who had come to bring freedom to the captive. This Good News was met only with scoffs and anger. Centuries later in a small French village, an unlikely duo of troubled men wrote "O Holy Night" - a song that proclaims freedom is made possible through the Miracle of Christmas. What does this Good News mean for our hearts seeking Justice? How can we join the Chain-Breaker in His Righteous mission of Mercy?

Sermon Date: 12/08/24 Speaker: Brian Crawford Luke 4:31-44 . Check us out at: https://citylightvicksburg.org/ Or check us out here: https://www.facebook.com/citylightvicksburg . In Jesus, you can bet your life on him. And he claimed that is true! But Jesus’s declarations are often not accepted by the crowds. In Nazareth, he declares what He is there for. But in Capernaum, they get to see what he does! Once in Capernaum, Jesus begins fulfilling what he just said he would do. He teaches in the Synagogue on the sabbath, with the kind of authority that compelled Awe. Then begins setting free demons from the people. Even the demons know His power and authority. And they fear Him. “You are the Son of God,” they say. Jesus rebuked them - be silent, and come out. Jesus has not only the power to cast them out, but silence them from talking about the things He doesn’t want them talking about. But Jesus also protects the bodies of the victims. The power of Christ is over the ENTIRE situation. Even the demons know His name, and know their place. In the situation with Simon’s Mother-in-law, when Jesus rebuked the fever, she immediately rose and served Jesus. When Christ improves our life, it can often lead to us receiving earthly gifts. We have to make a choice, do we stay focused on our gifts, and take our sight off God? Or do we keep our focus on Him, and serve Him, rather than serve ourselves. Jesus is dedicated to His mission. Despite the people around Him wanting Him to stay, Jesus knows He must go and proclaim the news to other places. God didn’t call us to be comfortable in your own journey. But to spread the ministry of the Gospel in both word and deed. We are called to pursue a walk that is modeling the talk!

Sermon Date: 12/08/24 Speaker: Brian Crawford Luke 4:31-44 . Check us out at: https://citylightvicksburg.org/ Or check us out here: https://www.facebook.com/citylightvicksburg . In Jesus, you can bet your life on him. And he claimed that is true! But Jesus’s declarations are often not accepted by the crowds. In Nazareth, he declares what He is there for. But in Capernaum, they get to see what he does! Once in Capernaum, Jesus begins fulfilling what he just said he would do. He teaches in the Synagogue on the sabbath, with the kind of authority that compelled Awe. Then begins setting free demons from the people. Even the demons know His power and authority. And they fear Him. “You are the Son of God,” they say. Jesus rebuked them - be silent, and come out. Jesus has not only the power to cast them out, but silence them from talking about the things He doesn’t want them talking about. But Jesus also protects the bodies of the victims. The power of Christ is over the ENTIRE situation. Even the demons know His name, and know their place. In the situation with Simon’s Mother-in-law, when Jesus rebuked the fever, she immediately rose and served Jesus. When Christ improves our life, it can often lead to us receiving earthly gifts. We have to make a choice, do we stay focused on our gifts, and take our sight off God? Or do we keep our focus on Him, and serve Him, rather than serve ourselves. Jesus is dedicated to His mission. Despite the people around Him wanting Him to stay, Jesus knows He must go and proclaim the news to other places. God didn’t call us to be comfortable in your own journey. But to spread the ministry of the Gospel in both word and deed. We are called to pursue a walk that is modeling the talk!

Today I started over a cycle of reading the Bible in a year.  https://hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/read-bible-in-a-year-2024-2025.pdf Wikipedia on Rosh Hashanah https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosh_Hashanah In the first reading of the yearly Bible reading in Genesis it's shows how God seems to have built this concept of cycles into the fabric of His creation. Day Week Month Year - disputes around the proper calendar - 12 months Shmita - 7 years - let land rest Jubilee - 50 years From Revival Ministries International Publish date: 03/30/2003  The Lord began dealing with me recently about the Year of Jubilee. I believe that this is our Year of Jubilee! In Nazareth, at His local Synagogue, Jesus was handed the book of Isaiah and He read from chapter 61:  The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed one, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity], 19 To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound.] Luke 4:18-19 AMP  Jesus preached that the acceptable year of the Lord was here—the Year of Jubilee, which took place every 50th year—the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound (Leviticus 25). What Jesus was really saying was, "I am your Year of Jubilee!"   THE LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 2 Say to the Israelites, When you come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath to the Lord. 3 For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits. 4 But in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the Lord; you shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard. 5 What grows of itself in your harvest you shall not reap and the grapes on your uncultivated vine you shall not gather, for it is a year of rest to the land. 6 And the sabbath rest of the [untilled] land shall [in its increase] furnish food for you, for your male and female slaves, your hired servant, and the temporary resident who lives with you, 7 For your domestic animals also and for the [wild] beasts in your land; all its yield shall be for food.8 And you shall number seven sabbaths or weeks of years for you, seven times seven years, so the total time of the seven weeks of years shall be forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall sound abroad the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month [almost October]; on the Day of Atonement blow the trumpet in all your land. 10 And you shall hallow the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his ancestral possession [which through poverty he was compelled to sell], and each of you shall return to his family [from whom he was separated in bond service]. 11 That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall not sow, or reap and store what grows of itself, or gather the grapes of the uncultivated vines. 12 For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat the [sufficient] increase of it out of the field. 13 In this Year of Jubilee each of you shall return to his ancestral property. 14 And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another. Leviticus 25:1-14 AMP Under the Old Covenant every seventh year was a time to let the ground rest so that it could recover and come back stronger, producing a stronger, healthier, more abundant harvest. But the fiftieth year—Jubilee—was an extra special year. It was a Holy year. In the last year, before the year of rest, God caused the ground to produce three times as much fruit so that His people could eat and be satisfied whilst the ground rested and whilst they rested in His goodness.   Jubilee is a year of faith—where you rest from your own labors and your own efforts—allowing God's goodness to lead you and feed you. God wants us to remember that it is He Who watches over us, feeding us, guiding us, and providing for us. If we forget this, we will wear ourselves out with our own efforts, but if we remember that He is the source of our life and every good thing in our life, then we can relax in Him and focus on worshipping Him and yielding to Him.  Jubilee is a time to let slaves go free, to redeem what has been lost and to reach out and help both family and neighbors and those who cannot help themselves. In the year of Jubilee, even though you do not plow or prune or sow, you are still able to eat of the fruit that the ground produces.  You cannot reap from a field that you have never sown, but when you have faithfully sown and sown and sown and then God calls a Jubilee year for you, then you know that it is a year of rest for you, a year of extra blessings, a year of eating from the abundance of the provision that your Father has provided for you as you rest in Him.  When Jesus said, "Today is this scripture fulfilled in your ears," the people of Nazareth were very angry with Him and did not receive Him, but I declare to you today that Jesus is YOUR Jubilee—if you receive Him you will go free! Jesus has come to restore your joy, your family, your property and your inheritance. Every promise that God has made you in His Word is yours.   So receive Him as your Jubilee—rest in Him and enjoy His blessings.  https://www.revival.com/a/287-jesus-our-jubilee#:~:text=Jesus%20preached%20that%20the%20acceptable,profusely%20abound%20(Leviticus%2025). Continuing on with cycles: Beyond Jubilee? 1 day is as a thousand years. Plan for His creation built into the first week of Creation Why the Jubilee? Freedom, pointing to Yeshua Messiah 2030 https://youtu.be/4AG_nJNcTjM?si=4ONS-wbC3oOqQM3A Uses many prophesies and the concept of the Jubilee Entering into year 5785 What is purpose of cycles? Virtuous vs vicious cycles Do not just a mindless pattern but an opportunity to repeat and through our choices either improve or get worse, evolve or devolve, become more like God or less like God, more holy or more wicked, more wise or more foolish How does our culture generally and Christianity specifically treat cycles Main difference is degree to which they are specifically tied to God and His ways as defined by God Himself With time, our week begins on Monday and ends on Friday defined by our work, followed by a 2-day weekend, defined by our priorities (fun or home projects), if you're church goer that weekend also includes church on Sunday.  What do we ask Monday morning and how do we answer? Our months vary in length of days, are named after Greek Gods. The year is mostly defined by a mix of civil and religious holidays, none if which were prescribed in the Bible and none of which significantly improve our understanding of God, His ways, and His grand plan for all time including His future plans, second coming of Christ and how we will spend eternity.  Some other ways, depending on our interests, our cycles are defined are by sports or politics. There is no concept or even awareness of a Shmita or Jubilee year and there is no recognition of the moedim or appointed times throughout the year, namely the Lords Feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Shavuot, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Feast of Tabernacles. One exception is the Christian church celebrates Pentecost or Shavuot but because there is no attempt to understand how it was originally practiced much of its richness and meaning is lost. Why is this important?  Virtuous cycle. By our definition? Improving financially? More educated (know more of what we think is important to know)?  More loving? Love is the common agreed upon worthy goal, but how should love be defined, by us? By the creation or the Creator? One of Gods desires for us, as stated by Yeshua, is for us to worship Him in Spirit and Truth. The New Covenant as described in prophesies like Jeremiah as well as by Yeshua and writers of the New Testament is for the law to be written on our hearts.  My limited understanding of this is that God wants us to love Him and others, and to do it in the way He wants us to do it.  I've only been participating in and practicing the Lord's Feasts and observing His Sabbath on day 7 for a handful of years.  I'm certainly no expert. But with my limited exposure and understanding I can see how following His law and His cycles of life, to the extent that I'm doing so, puts me into a virtuous cycle. Each day, week, month, year I'm learning more about the Fathers ways and how wonderful, and simultaneously complex and simple they are. I also am learning more about His great plan for all time including what to expect in the future.  This is incredibly important at a time when the future of our nation and the world, as well as the future of our own personal lives, can seem on the surface to be so uncertain. We may at times feel like we've made no “progress” in our lives, especially if we're going a difficult season.  With the proper perspective, though, we can see how God works what appear to us to be tragedies and “bad” events for our good, helping shape us to be more like Him, understand His character better, and be more dependent on Him. Praise: Malachi 3:6 "I am the LORD, I change not" James 1:17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." Hebrews 13:8: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Thank You Abba that You do not change.  We're not trying to figure out how You changed, but rather than how WE need to change to be more like You, and more like the person You made us to become. Help us to understand how Your cycles which You built into the fabric of Creation are important, and why You asked us to follow them as You have commanded.  And when we don't understand the why, Father help us to obey even without the full understanding and trust You that Your ways are best, best for us individually as well as best for all of mankind.     Psalm 110:4: "The LORD has s

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 7th of September, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Matthew 13:58: “Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” What a sad scripture! Jesus did not do many mighty works in His own hometown, Nazareth, because of their unbelief. He says just earlier in the passage: “A prophet is not without honour except in his own country and in his own house.” Matthew 13:57So sad. From Nazareth down to Capernaum is half a day's walk. In Nazareth, where Jesus worked in the carpenter shop with His earthly father, Joseph, and his brothers, sisters and mother, Mary, He could perform very few miracles. Yet, a half a day's walk, down to Capernaum, amazing miracles, feeding 5,000 people with two fish and five barley loaves of bread, walking on the water, healing the sick, setting captives free, delivering people from demons because the people believed.I want to ask you one thing, and I want you to listen very carefully. Please do not tie God's hands because of your unbelief. When a person wants to pray for you, it is not the person who is going to heal you. It is the name of Jesus Christ, when a person anoints you with oil and prays the prayer of faith. You can find that in James 5:16. It is the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man that avails much, the Bible says. So many times when I have been overseas, people have come from distances to receive healing and they have received their healing, not because of me. I am merely a vessel of the Lord, but because of their faith in Jesus Christ. Remember the woman with the issue of blood? She pushed through the crowd and touched the hem of Jesus' garment. She said to herself, “If I can only touch the hem of His garment, I will be healed.” She was healed immediately. That woman had spent all her money going to doctors. What about Bartimaeus, the blind man? “Oh Rabboni (Teacher), if I could just receive my sight.” Immediately, he was healed. Do not tie God's hands through unbelief - that is why He could not perform many miracles in His own hometown. Jesus bless you and have a day where you contemplate the miracle working power of The Carpenter from Nazareth.Goodbye.

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, is led into the wilderness where He fasts for forty days and is tempted by the devil. He resists each temptation using the Word of God. Afterward, Jesus returns to Galilee and begins His ministry, teaching in synagogues. In Nazareth, His hometown, He reads from Isaiah in the synagogue, proclaiming the fulfillment of the prophecy in Himself. Initially, the people marvel at His words, but their admiration turns to anger when He speaks of God's grace extending to Gentiles. They drive Him out of town, intending to throw Him off a cliff, but He miraculously passes through the crowd unharmed.  The Rev. Matthew Lorfeld, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Wisconsin Rapids, WI, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Luke 4:1-30.  The Gospel of Luke, filled with rich narratives and detailed accounts, offers an inspired and historical perspective on the life and teachings of Jesus. Emphasizing Jesus' concern for the poor, outcasts, and social justice, this Gospel narrates parables and miracles that underscore the theme of God's salvation for all people. Luke's account is unique in its inclusion of the birth of John the Baptist, the parable of the Good Samaritan, and the story of the Prodigal Son, culminating in a vivid portrayal of Jesus' death and resurrection, affirming the universal offer of redemption. This Gospel serves as an invitation to understand the depth of God's love and the breadth of His grace extended to humanity through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

First Joyful Mystery of Christ's life: The Annunciation at Nazareth in Galilee.In Nazareth, we see nestled inside the Church of the Annunciation, the small ancient cave-house where Mary lived in that tiny village. Here she received the messenger from God, the Lord of all the universe, revealing his desire to become flesh through her consent.Second Joyful Mystery of Christ's life: The Visitation of Mary with her cousin Elizabeth who was expecting John the BaptistThe picturesque town of Ein Karem is nestled in hill-country of Judea close to Jerusalem. Mary may have encountered Elizabeth at the well of her home within a vineyard, the remains of both of which are protected inside the lower lever of the two-story Church of the Visitation, on a hillside overlooking Ein Karem's beautiful garden-filled valleys.Third Joyful Mystery of Christ's life: The Nativity of Jesus at BethlehemInnumerable caves dot the fields in and around the small but important town of Ancient Bethlehem. The one identified by first Christians as the place where Mary gave birth to Jesus lies secure within the 4th century Church of the Nativity, about 5 miles from Jerusalem.Fourth Joyful Mystery of Christ's life: The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem.Pilgrims can still touch the first-century stone door frames of the ancient Hulda Gates that lead up the ancient Temple Mount at the time of Jesus. Mary and Joseph like ascended these stone steps with the infant Jesus when they met the wise Simeon and Anna who had been awaiting the Salvation of the Israelites.Fifth Joyful Mystery of Christ's life: The Finding of Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem by Mary and JosephThe ancient temple mount is recognized by the stunning golden Dome of the Rock that is part of the Al Aqsa Mosque, built where the temple of Jesus' time once stood. The Western Wall of the temple is the main place of prayer for Jewish people today, and is where Bar and Bat mitzvas are still celebrated today, for children of the same age as when Jesus stayed in the temple

Bobby Schuller predigt über das Thema „Heiliges Land – Kapernaum: Glaube!“. Erleben Sie eine besondere Predigt aus Israel, direkt aus der Synagoge in Kapernaum. In Nazareth konnte Jesus keine Wunder tun, weil die Menschen dort nicht geglaubt haben. Sie werden herausgefordert, zu glauben und Glauben nicht als etwas anzusehen, was Sie fühlen, sondern als etwas, das Sie tatsächlich tun. (Aufzeichnung letztes Jahr, vor Kriegsbeginn) Hier können Sie den wöchentlichen Newsletter von Hour of Power bestellen: https://t1p.de/buxf Weitere Informationen, inkl. unserem kostenlosen Freundesbrief, finden Sie hier: https://hourofpower.de/

Bobby Schuller predigt über das Thema „Heiliges Land – Kapernaum: Glaube!“. Erleben Sie eine besondere Predigt aus Israel, direkt aus der Synagoge in Kapernaum. In Nazareth konnte Jesus keine Wunder tun, weil die Menschen dort nicht geglaubt haben. Sie werden herausgefordert, zu glauben und Glauben nicht als etwas anzusehen, was Sie fühlen, sondern als etwas, das Sie tatsächlich tun. (Aufzeichnung letztes Jahr, vor Kriegsbeginn) Hier können Sie den wöchentlichen Newsletter von Hour of Power bestellen: https://t1p.de/buxf Weitere Informationen, inkl. unserem kostenlosen Freundesbrief, finden Sie hier: https://hourofpower.de/

In Nazareth. Thank you for listening! Please leave a 5 star review, share and subscribe!

Audio Transcript:This media has been made available by Mosaic BostonChurch. If you'd like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston,or donate to this ministry, please visit mosaicboston.com. Heavenly Father, we thank you that you are good, and glorious, and gracious. And despite our sin, because of your loving kindness and grace, you sent your son, Jesus Christ, the word of God. Jesus, everything was created through you. Nothing was created apart from you because you are the word of God. God spoke everything into existence ex nihilo. And Jesus, you, the word of God, came to reveal yourself, and you do that. You reveal God to us through the written word of God. I pray, Lord, in the same way that everything was created, I pray that you recreate us by your word today. I pray that you give us tender hearts, humble hearts that are teachable, hearts that can truly pay attention to you, pay attention to your word, to listen in order to heed and obey. I pray, Lord, if there's anything in the soil of our hearts that is not conducive to the seed growing, be it thorns, or thistles, or rocks, or hardness, I pray today by your love and by the power of the Spirit, till, break the ground up. No matter how painful it is, I pray make the ground fertile by the power of the Spirit. Lord, prepare us now to hear from your holy scriptures, the holy Bible, your word. This is the seed that Jesus is talking about. And I pray this seed is planted deep in our hearts, that the root structures go deep so that the harvest may be plentiful, and make us a people who want to be fruitful, who want to bear the fruit of the spirit in our lives, and want to be fruitful by drawing others close to you by making converts, making disciples not of ourselves, but of Jesus Christ. Lord Jesus, I pray that you send a hunger for your word in this nation, in the world at large. There's a famine of your word because there's a lack of hunger for your word. And I pray that you make us a hungry people, people that hunger, in desperation cry out, "Lord, speak to us. We're ready to do your will." Lord bless our time in the holy scriptures. Holy Spirit, come meet with us. Do the deep work. I pray, prepare us to hear from you, to hear from your holy scriptures, and give us power to then go and do what it says. We pray all this in the beautiful name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen. We're continuing our sermon series through the incredible Gospel of Mark. We're entitling the series Kingdom Come, the Gospel of Mark and the Secret of God's Kingdom. The title today is Pay Attention to God. In the same way that there's a difference between just viewing and actually seeing, there's a difference between hearing and listening. Hearing is the process, and function, and power of perceiving a sound. Listening is to hear with thoughtful attention. Hearing is passive and involuntary. Listening is active and requires attention. You can hear without listening, in one ear and out the other. Listening requires focus, concentration, and effort. Listening requires paying attention. One time I was taking one of my daughters to school, one of the younger ones. I always say this. It got into just habit. My parting words, my parting blessing is pay attention. There was a mom standing right next to me, and she's like, "Hey, that's a good thing to say." She turns to her son, and she's like, "Pay attention." Because kids forget. They think it's just you go have fun and it's just a social thing. Well, a lot of us, we forget to pay attention to the word of God. Many people hear God's word but they don't listen to it. They don't seek depth of understanding. And to listen to God's word also means listening with the intent to accept it and obey it no matter how paradigm-shifting the implications. And that's when true understanding comes, when you receive the word humbly and you seek to do God's will. These are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ in John 7:17. He said, "If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I'm speaking on my own authority." He's saying, "Do you want certainty that this is true, that this is truly true?" Well, do you listen with the intent to do God's will? And the more you desire to listen to God's word in order to do his will, the more understanding, the more certainty you receive that it's really God's word. Today we're in Mark 3:31 through 4:20. This paragraph at the end of chapter three, Tyler covered it last week. I'm just going to just make a few comments upon it because it does prepare us to hear the parable of the sower. Would you please look at the text with me? "And his mother and his brothers came. And standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, 'Your mother and your brothers are outside seeking you.' And he answered them, 'Who are my mother and my brothers?' Looking about at those who sat around him, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.'" "Again he began to teach beside the sea, and a very large crowd gather about him so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea. The whole crowd was beside the sea on the land, and he was teaching them many things in parables. And in his teaching, he said to them, 'Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it did not have much soil, and immediately it's sprang up since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched. And since it had no root, it withered away. "'Other seed fell among thorns and thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. And he said, 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear.' "And when he was alone, those around him with the 12 asked him about the parables, and he said to them, 'To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God. But for those outside, everything is in parables so that they may indeed see but not perceive and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven. "And He said to them, 'Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word, and these are the ones along the path where the word is sown. Where they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground, the ones who when they hear the word immediately receive it with joy, and they have no root in themselves but endure for a while. Then when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And Others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold.'" This is the reading of God's holy, inerrant, infallible authoritative word. May he write these eternal truths upon our hearts, three points to frame up our time. First, the king's true family does the will of God. Second, the king reveals the secret of the kingdom of God. And hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit. The king's true family does the will of God. In the previous text, Jesus decisively puts down his most vociferous opponents, the Pharisees and the scribes. And Jesus now turns to a more intimate "enemy" of his opponents, his family who encounter him because they think that he is out of his mind. They grew up with him. They saw him on a daily basis. And as the phrase goes, familiarity breeds contempt. So they think he's out of his mind, that he's insane. This is verse 20. "Then he went home. The crowd gathered again so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying he's out of his mind." Jesus in the previous context said that those who follow him are those who do God's will. And those who do God's will, that's who is part of his true family. And what happens is his family who is saying that he is outside of his mind, literally in the Greek, they find themselves to be outside of the inner circle of Jesus. They find themselves, the family of Christ, to be outside of the family of God. Verse 31, "And his mother and his brothers came. And standing outside, they sent to him and called him." His family find themselves outside of his circle of followers, which is emblematic of being in opposition to God's will. His mother was Mary. His father is not mentioned after the Christmas and the advent narrative of Jesus' birth. After that narrative, Jesus' father isn't mentioned at all. Most likely it's because he has already passed away. His mother and his brothers are here. If you remember, his brothers later get converted. James and Jude actually write the later books of the New Testament. They introduce themselves as the brothers of Jesus Christ. But here they're not yet believers. And instead of responding to Jesus' call, they actually try to pull Jesus away from his mission away from doing God's will. Why? Because they absolutely misunderstand the nature of his ministry. Why? Because God's thoughts and plans run contrary to all natural human inclinations. They weren't given the revelation just yet. They needed a move of the Holy Spirit to believe in the resurrected Christ. It wasn't until probably Pentecost and the Spirit came that James and Jude were converted. Who's in the kingdom? It's those to whom the mystery has been revealed. In Mark 4:11, in our text, "He said to them, 'To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God. But for those outside, everything is in parables.'" Lesson here is friends don't let your family tempt you away from God, don't let your family pull you away from God. There are many people who have been saved at Mosaic and have been baptized at Mosaic. They say, "Look, no pictures or videos of the baptism. Because if my family finds out, there's going to be dire consequences." That's the world that we live in. And yet we are called to stand firm in Christ no matter what our family believes. We have to close our ears to the siren song even of family if they try to pull us away from the Lord. Matthew 10:34, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I've not come to bring peace but a sword, for I've come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." In Mark 3:32, "And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, 'Your mother and your brothers are outside seeking you.' He answered them, 'Who are my mother and my Brothers?' looking about at those who sat around him, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.'" How serious were the concerns of his family for Jesus? Well, where is Jesus? He is ministering in Capernaum. He's probably living out of Peter's house in Capernaum. Where did Jesus grow up? Where is his family based out of? In Nazareth? How far is Nazareth from Capernaum? 25 miles. They make a 25-mile trek, presumably largely on foot, which tells us something about how seriously their concerns were for Christ. But when they get there, the house is so filled they can't even get in. A little about his family, from Mark chapter six, we know that Jesus has four brothers, James, and Joseph, Judas, and Simon. He also had some sisters. Interestingly, in the parallel passage in Matthew 13, Matthew talks about all of Jesus' sisters, not just both of his sisters, so the implication is there's more than two. So he's got at least three sisters and at least four brothers, so there's at least eight of them. And they didn't believe in him. They didn't believe that this was the Messiah. They didn't believe that this was the son of God. In John 7:5, "For not even his brother believed in him." You and I have a savior friends that understands, totally gets it when family gets complicated, and sometimes family gets really complicated. But Jesus bore with them, and he continued to minister to them and told about the arrival of his mother and brothers. Jesus refuses to submit to their summons. Instead, he gestures to his followers with his eyes, and he says, "These people, these who are following me, and listening to the word of God, and doing the will of God, this is my true family." Indeed, this is another demonstration of Jesus' deity. He equates following him with doing the will of God. It is remarkable condescension on God's part to call us children. It's remarkable privilege, remarkable privilege for us to be granted a place in God's family. He doesn't just call us servants. He could have just left at that. He says, "No. When we repent of our sin and trust in Jesus Christ, he becomes our older brother. God becomes our father, and we become brothers and sisters." It's a point that the text makes here by adding the word sister in that culture, at that time, this was a significant addition which validates the equality of men and women in admission to the kingdom of God. As Jesus will say later point-blank in the Sermon of the Mount, it isn't just the one who believes in Jesus that enters the kingdom of God. Jesus says, "A lot of you'll say, Lord, Lord. We knew you as Lord." And Jesus said, "You didn't do my will." He says, "A lot of you'll say, 'We did religious works in your name. We even cast out demons in your name.'" Jesus says, "That's not what brings you into the kingdom of God. No, it's doing the will of the Father in heaven." This is what repentance is, and this is why repentance is so important. Repentance is saying, "Lord, I lived doing my will. I lived according to my terms, according to my values, according to my own truth. I repent of all of that. Now I want to follow you and do your will." And these are the true sons and daughters of God who seek to do God's will. Take Abraham for example, the father of the faithful. Scripture says that Abraham believed and it was counted to him as righteousness. But the story doesn't end there. His faith led to his obedience. Later, he proved willing to sacrifice even his son Isaac should the Lord demand it. And God solemnly repeats the promises he made to him, to bless him and to make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, to bless him above all nations. He said he would keep all of his promises to Abraham. Why? Because you have obeyed me. In other words, Abraham showed himself a true child of God by doing God's will. We see this same message to the very end of scripture. It says in Revelation, Christ says to the Christians in Thyatira in Revelation 2:26, "To him who does my will to the end shall be saved." In some of the very last chapters of the Bible, the beginning of account of the second coming, we're told that the bride, the church has been made ready for the wedding of the lamb. And her dress is fine linen given to her to wear. The fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints. The saints, in other words, are those who do the will of God. They live in obedience to his will, his commandments, and his summons. They serve the Lord. Galatians 5:6 says, "For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love." Well, what is faith working through love? We have a parallel passage that defines it. 2 Corinthians 7:19, "For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God." This new relationship with God is spiritual. It's inward. It's not outward. It's not natural, as was generally assumed by Israel in the time of Jesus. They assumed that the Messiah belonged to them by right. This was the attitude of Mary and the brothers of Jesus. This was the typical attitude of the whole nation. They confidently believed that they have a prior right to the kingdom of God because of their physical descent from Abraham. Jesus is saying physical descent in terms of kingdom of God, it actually means nothing. This is incredibly revolutionary teaching that Jesus brought in a Jewish context where the primary obligation was to one's own family. It's commanded, "Honor your father and your mother." But there's a commandment that is higher, more important than that one, which is, "Thou shall have no other gods before me." What's happening is that Jesus is acknowledging whatever claims of love and honor his natural family had on him, God, the Father, has a higher claim on him. Here, before we go into the parable of the sower or the parable of the soils, I want to meditate on Mary's faith for a bit. However bright and strong Mary's faith was when the angels came to her, when the magi came, when the shepherds came while she held infant Jesus in her arms, however strong her faith was then, somehow, the course of her journey between then and this moment has led her to a place where her faith has been eclipsed. Yes, she's had a very difficult journey. We don't know how long she's been a single mom, a single mom to eight children, no husband in the home to help. Her faith has been eclipsed because of suffering. Now we know from later on in scripture she doesn't stay here. She doesn't stay in this moment. She doesn't stay in this moment of disbelief. When her son Jesus Christ was hanging on the cross crucified and all of his disciples were scattered, bar John... One of his disciples betrayed him, the other denied him. And there she is standing there. She was there right to the very end watching her son die. The Lord Jesus Christ, in a very tender moment, speaks to her from the cross, and he entrusts her to be kept by his beloved disciple, the Apostle John. She seems to have come back to the place of trust in the Lord Jesus. But at this point in the story, her faith has suffered eclipse. At this point in the story, she's more like the first soil, hardened by suffering of life. She can't even hear the word of God. Just a moment just to meditate, I will say there are moments when we do suffer. There are moments when we go through darkness and it seems like the darkness is so thick that eclipses our faith. And friends, my pastoral encouragement to you is at those moments, do not allow Satan to steal the word of God from you. The word of God is the only nourishment to keep you going through those moments, and he will get you through. Point two is the king reveals the secret of the kingdom of God. This is Mark 4:1. "Again, he began to teach beside the sea. A very large crowd gathered about him so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land." This is the very first time the adjective very large is used. It's the biggest crowd yet. His followers are continuing to invite people to hear the message of the gospel, and the size of the group thronging about Jesus is steadily increasing. He's beside the seas preaching from a boat, which is a floating pulpit so to speak. This picture of Jesus, God, on the sea, on the boat reminds us of Psalm 29. In Psalm 29, God is sitting in royal majesty on the waters giving utterance in his earth-shattering voice. Psalm 29:1, "Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters. The God of glory thunders, the Lord over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The Lord sits enthroned over the flood. The Lord sits enthroned as king forever. May the Lord give strength to his people. May the Lord bless his people with peace." He got into the boat. He sat on the sea, and the size and the urgent interest of the crowd is emphasized by the fact that they are not all here to listen to his word. Probably anchored in shallow water, shallow kind of like the hearts of many listeners. It's an impressive scene. Crowds are always impressive. Seeing a lot of people gathering to hear from one person is always very impressive. But large crowds don't necessarily mean that God's work is being done. Jesus knew the selfish and fickle hearts of sinful people. John 2:23, "Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man for himself knew what was in man." People love a gospel that is good news as they define it. Especially nowadays, it's like there's an internal translator whenever even people are having conversations. Someone says something, and they're like, "So by saying that, you're saying this," and they say something completely different. This is what people do with God's word times infinity. Many didn't come to hear his word, but just to sample it, just to get a taste. You know charcuterie boards? I love charcuterie boards. They're incredible. A lot of people approach the word of God like that. They just say, "I like this part, I like this part. I don't like that part. I'm going to skip the rest," just like I usually skip all the vegetables. I go straight for the cold cuts. No, it's take it or leave it. It's the whole thing. Some people had no spiritual interests whatsoever. Crowds attract crowds. It's very entertaining. Go hear something. You've got something to think about, and you leave. By their repeated hearing Jesus's warning here, by their repeated hearing the word of God, and not believing, and not obeying, the word of God actually hardens them to make it even harder for them to believe. In Mark 4:2, "And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them." Now the word parable in the Septuagint, that's the Greek translation of the Hebrew text. In the Hebrew it is masal, and is a term related to the verb to rule. Therefore, it's talking about authoritative speech. Jesus here is using parables to say, "I have authority to regulate revelation." By using this form of teaching, he is regulating revelation where the same teaching reveals the truth to those who are willing to hear it and obey it, and it conceals the truth from those that do not have spiritually sensitive hearts. It's a system of instruction specifically designed to sift the wheat from the chaff among his hearers because he knew people had mixed motives. And his parables, they're designed to test not intelligence, but the spiritual responsiveness. Matthew 13:34, "All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables. Indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet. I will open my mouth in parables. I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world." Psalm 78:1-2, "Give ear, O my people, to my teaching. Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings from of old." In verse three of Mark 4, we have the parable. He says, "Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path and the birds came and devoured it. Listen, this is verbal. Use your ears." Then he says, "Behold." He says, "Look." He's painting a picture with his words. This is a crucial parable, and it's bracketed with exhortations to listen on the front and on the back. He uses a very familiar agricultural image. Perhaps there was a guy sowing as he is preaching. It was a man, a farmer would take a bag of seed, tie it to his waist, and walk the fields, rhythmically casting the seed, broadcasting the seed. We do devotions with our daughters in the evenings and a scripture study, a little prayer. I call it community group for our family. Same thing we do in community group, we do with our group. I was just zonked yesterday. I was like, "Ah." I was like, "I'm going to re-preach my sermon to you real quick right now." As I'm going through, I said the word broadcast. One of my daughters is like, "What's broadcast mean?" I'm not talking about television. I'm talking about broadcasting. That's what he's doing. He's throwing it indiscriminately, just everywhere. He's got a lot of grain. He knows not all of it is going to produce fruit. Here in the beginning, some falls on a path, a path that was tread probably by villagers, worn down since the last time of the harvest. Birds eat that one. Verse five, "Other seed fell on rocky ground where it did not have much soil and immediately it spraying up since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched. Since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it yielded no grain." The landowner didn't cut back the thorns. He didn't uproot them. Or perhaps he just cut them back and they grow up even stronger, and they throttle, and choke the fruit. There's been a progression in the case of the first three seeds. The first never took root at all. The second started but died. And the third survived but bore no fruit. In the end, the first three are of no value to the farmer. What is he after? He's after the grain. He's after the fruit. Verse eight, "And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold." The yield was calculated by comparing the amount of seed that was sown with the amount of grain that was harvested. The yields of 30, 60, a hundredfold are considered remarkable, especially even in modern times in which yields of sevenfold to elevenfold are typical of countries using traditional cropping systems. The punchline is given verse nine. "He said, 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear.'" Because of the mysteriousness of God's kingdom, a special sort of perception is required to understand, to register its presence. The parable concludes with another exhortation to hear. There is, however, progression between these two uses of the word to hear. In the beginning, he says, "Everybody hear. Everybody listen." Here he says at the end, "Let him who has ears to hear. Let him who has been given the gift of spiritual hearing, make sure you use those ears." Not all can receive Jesus' strange message about the arrival of God's royal power. In the midst of suffering, in the midst of weakness of this fallen world. Not everyone has ears to hear. The only ones who can hear this paradoxical message, rather, are those who have been granted the organ to do so by God. In verse 10, "And when he was alone, those around him with the 12 asked him about the parables. And he said to them, 'To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God. But for those outside, everything is in parables.'" Jesus now retires with his disciples to a private place, giving his intrigued and mystified followers an opportunity to ask about the parable. And to speak about the arrival of the dominion as a mystery or as a secret implies that there is something elusive to it. The parable does not only describe successful seed, but three quarters of its space is devoted to unsuccessful seed. Because of this mysterious hiddenness, one needs eyes of faith in order to discern the presence of God's reign. Why didn't Jesus' brothers believe in him? Why didn't Jesus' mother believe in him? Especially his mother. I've been meditating on this. I think it's because she lived through incredible suffering for years. She's like, "You're the son of God? You're the son of... You're supposed to make everything better. You're supposed to alleviate the pain. You're supposed to remove the suffering and here we have years of suffering. You're saying you're the king of kings?" And When we proclaim that Jesus Christ is king, we understand the difficulty of believing that he's king. When you look around in the world and you're like, "What? Jesus is kingdom. Why are you allowing all of this to happen?" Especially moments of pain. This last Friday, our worship night, I was worshiping through pain because I got the biggest toothache I have ever had in my whole life, consequences of being a son of immigrants. It's mind-numbing. I wish it was mind-numbing. Mind-splitting. It's pain I have not experienced in probably ever. That was Friday, and then last. By the time I called... Long story. I'm going to the dentist on Tuesday, Lord willing. But moments of pain where you're just crippled. You're like, "Lord Jesus, I'm preaching that you're a healer. Could you please heal me?" I'm casting out demons from my... Whatever it is. In the name of Jesus. Moments like that, and it's fallen world, and it's fallen flesh where just pain, and suffering, and just evil and darkness. You're like, "You're the king?" Jesus says, "I'm a king that comes like a seed. I'm a king that comes like a seed. I need to be put in the ground. I need to die in order for that seed to bear fruit. Everything that I'm teaching here is along those lines. It's a mystery. It's truth, but it's shrouded. It's veiled revelation." And we do need the power of the Holy Spirit to see that God truly is King. Martin Buber once put it, "The true victories won in secret sometimes look like defeats." In the limelight, our faith that God is the Lord of history may sometimes appear ludicrous. But there is something secret in history which confirms our faith. This secret is most evident on the cross of Jesus Christ. On the cross of Jesus Christ, you have God who is dying. The author of life is being crucified. The blood from the author of life is dripping down the cross. It seems like the greatest defeat of all defeats. Then, Jesus is buried, and then he rises on the third day, and the greatest defeat turns into the greatest victory, God's victory in apparent defeat. Those outside only see the defeat, and the secret has not been revealed to them. Therefore, what is spoken to them is spoken in parables. "Jesus, why are you using parables?" And this is his answer, Mark 4:12, "So that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven." God does not intend for everyone to receive his word, so it should come as no surprise that some people reject it. It is not God's intention that Jesus' parables should enlighten the outsiders. Instead, it should blind them, close off their understanding, prevent them from attaining repentance and forgiveness. There is deliberate divine intention that some people misunderstand and remain impenitent. It's part of God's justice upon them. We see this in this text that's quoted by Jesus in the original context in Isaiah 6. Isaiah 6 begins with the revelation of God enthroned in awesome splendor, the king of the cosmos. Isaiah sees this. Isaiah is in the throne room of God. He sees the seraphim, the angels of God, serenading God, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty." Isaiah, realizing he's in the presence of God, he says, "Woe, that's God. Woe is me. Who am I, a man of unclean lips that lives amongst the people of unclean lips." God then sanctifies, forgives him of his sin. Then, God says, "Who shall we send? Who will go for us to preach the word?" Isaiah says, "Here am I. Send me." Then, the following verses, we see one of the deepest mysteries in all of scripture, that God sovereignly grants salvation to his elect, and sinners are fully responsible for their persistence in sin and their ultimate condemnation. Isaiah 6:9, "And he said, 'Go, and say to this people, 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand. Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this people dull and their ears heavy and blind their eyes, lest they see what their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts and turn and be healed." How did Isaiah obey the strange commission? It wasn't by preaching obscure expressions or complex reasoning. No. You read his preaching. It's very plain, very systematic, very reason. People's reaction was they scoffed at him, and they scoffed at the message. When we read this and we realize to know the truth of the gospel, to believe the word of God is a gift. Why are you a Christian to dear saint? Why are you a follower of Jesus Christ? The only answer that is true is that Jesus saved me. God saved me. God changed my heart. God revealed the truth to me. It wasn't because of my ingenuity, it wasn't because of my studies, it wasn't because of my own reading. No, it was God saved me. God chose to reveal the secret to me. So what does that do to our pride? Absolutely decimates it. We have no pride. We're on our knees before the throne and we say, "Lord Jesus, thank you for revealing the truth." To me, the same word that comes as revelation to the insiders comes as blinding to the outsiders. The difference between the two groups is not that one gets parables while the other does not. No, it's one gets parables in order to understand and the other group gets parables in order to harden them in disbelief. Veiled revelation, just like God in Christ is both revealed and veiled. His siblings saw him and they're like, "You look normal. You look like us." Because his mother saw him like, "Can you unveil, please?" It's veiled revelation. I have sisters. One of my sisters, she's a tremendous gift giver, even better gift wrapper. Whenever you see her gifts wraps and the gift bags, I'm like, "Oh, this is going to be good." then you get the present. It's pretty good. Then, I have another sister who caress nothing for wrapping. She wraps all her presents in Trader Joe's bags. You get it, you're like, "What is this, Amazon? What's going on?" You know it's going to be good though because it's coming from her. Don't let the packaging keep you from opening the package. Don't let the veil keep you from unveiling the veil and seeing the revelation. I saw a video of this guy walking around offering people either $20 or an ounce of gold, gold coin. Everyone took the $20. I'm watching. I'm like, "No, don't take the $20." Then, he revealed. Someone took the 20 bucks, and he's like, "How much is an ounce of gold?" He's like, "I don't know, like $1,200 give or take." Everyone's like, "Is it too late?" A lot of people, they read the word of God, they don't have taste buds that value. There's taste buds of your soul. Their soul don't value that this is the word of God that leads to eternal life. We're not just talking about money or this... You can't quantify the value that you can get from the word of God. It's veiled, but it's veiled for a purpose, a purpose of those with humble hearts to go and to keep asking, to keep seeking, just like his disciples. The crowds all left. They didn't understand. The disciples, they come to Jesus like, "We don't get it." And Jesus gives them even more revelation. God has hidden his mysteries from the wise and discerning, but he does so only in order to accentuate the miracle that God has now revealed them to babies. The parables serve two functions, first to reveal truth to those who are spiritually responsive and, second, to conceal truth from those who are spiritually superficial or scoffing. One commentator says, "Parables are a mine of information to those who are in earnest, but they are a judgment on the casual and careless." Verse 13, "And he said to them, 'Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?'" Here, the word understand in the English, in both sentences, it's the same word, but in the Greek it's two different words, oidate and gnosesthe. The first one is to know as if by intuition. That intuition is a gift from God. You can only have the intuition, spiritual perception, intuition if you're gifted it. And the second one is knowledge that comes with experience. He's saying, "Do you understand? Do you have the intuition? If not, I'm going to give it to you." Then, that intuition must deepen with the experience, and only God can give you spiritual intuition which deepens with experience. Here, Jesus makes the cruciality of this parable clear. He's saying, "This parable is the key that actually unlocks the rest of the parables and the rest of the scriptures. To one who already has something more will be given some spiritual insight into the meaning of one parable will lead to further insight into the meaning of the other parables. And failure to understand this one continues to mystify and further and further brings people into the fog of disbelief." As in all spiritual matters, we either hear or we do not hear. And to see the spiritual truth, to hear is proof that we have received illumination from the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can give us eyes to see spiritual truth. Why? Because we're blind by nature, blinded by sin. The more of God's revealed truth we assimilate, the more our capacity for assimilating truth grows. And further spiritual perception of God's truth can be perilous. It only condemns us unless we act upon it. Increased knowledge merely brings increased responsibility. In Luke 12:47, Christ says, "And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required. And from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more." This brings us to point three. Hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit. In verse 14, Jesus begins expounding his own parable. The sower sows the word. The seed here is a powerful symbol of the word of God that has power to sprout eternal life, bring forth eternal life. James 1:8, "Of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures." 1 Peter 1:23, "Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God, for all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you." Four soils symbolize four hearts. The first is the hard heart. The second is the shallow heart. The third is the over-cluttered heart. And the fourth is the good heart. How does the seed, which is the word of God, release power? By going deep. What does the depth depend on? The condition of the soil. The soil represents the condition of each listener's heart. Are you listening with your heart? Are you listening with a soft heart? And how do you know that God's power has entered your life? Well, he's no longer a theory. He's no longer an abstraction. He's no longer a thing. He's no longer just a religious category. No, he becomes the priority. He becomes the center. He becomes number one in the hierarchy, in the org chart of your life. Everything revolves around him. The whole of the Christian life is one of continual and progressive response to the fresh spiritual revelation we get from God's word. Verse 15, "And these are the ones along the path where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them." This word falls on deaf ears. Perhaps the heart has been hardened with distractions. Perhaps not necessarily anything bad, just something that takes your mind off of God. It's like you're reading the Bible, and then you read a chapter, you read a second chapter. And if someone stopped you there and they said, "What did you just read?" You're like, "I have no idea. I have no clue." Or you're listening to the sermon, and you're like, "I've already heard this before." all of a sudden you think about how Mac Jones is terrible. The Pats are awful. And Belichick-Brady, it was clearly Brady, not Belichick. All of a sudden, you're not thinking about the word at all. And you know that's all true. Or you're like, "You know what? That's interesting." There's a lot of intellectuals in the city, and you're like, "This is very interesting. I'll just think about." But then you never think about, "Well, how should I respond? What does God want me to do with this word?" That's how you take it in. You receive it so that it actually changes you. The words that we read in holy scripture, in the holy Bible, these aren't just human words. This is the word of God, and it gives us power for life, and it gives us power to find eternal life. Deuteronomy 32:47, "For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess." This is Satan tempts Jesus, and Jesus says, "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." There he's quoting the book of Deuteronomy. Every single one of those words is from the mouth of God himself. Or maybe you hear a sermon or you read scripture and you think about the implications of this for someone else, but never for yourself. Distractions send more people to hell than even doubt. Satan, what does he do? Satan's, by the way, not a figure of speech. Jesus knows who Satan is. He's taking Satan head on in the desert. There is a real spiritual battle raging for the souls of men and women, and Satan hardens people's hearts by the traffic of world philosophies. This is one of the main things that hardens people's hearts. Just years and years of indoctrination, of demonic ideologies, and it hardens your heart to the point where the word just bounces off. That's all Satan's work. Verse 16, "And these are the ones sown on rocky ground, the ones who when they hear the word immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves but endure for a while. Then when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away." The seed falls on a thin layer of soil over hard limestone or other stone. This is people who are initially moved. They hear the word, and they make a decision that's short-lived enthusiasm. Perhaps it's very impulsive, but not always are they responding to God. Perhaps they're responding to a feeling. And as soon as that feeling is gone, so is the faith. What's proof of our faith? It's not the intensity in the beginning, but endurance to the end. Once saved, always persevering. The word for fall away here comes from the word skandalon or scandalized. Refers to someone who views the message of the cross as an offense, as a barrier to belief. And to fall away is to trip over an obstacle. Jesus points out in these cases the shame of persecution is greater than the person's embrace of the message, and they stumble over the message in times of trouble, when things get hard. Here, dear Christian, dear saint, we have to resolve. We have to make a resolution. No matter the persecution, no matter the trials or the challenges, I will stand strong on the word of God no matter what. God help me. Verse 18, "And others are the ones who are sown among thorns. They're those who hear the word. But the caress of the world, and deceitfulness of riches, and the desires of other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful." Here we have the case of a divided heart, a heart infested with irreconcilable loyalties. Some of you won't follow through on obedience to God's word because the caress of the world begin to choke it out. It's not a conscious decision to reject God, but little by little God's word gets crowded out by other things. And all of a sudden, God's not that important. Reading scripture doesn't become that important, doesn't become... It's no longer imperative. Little by little, we lose our love for the Lord. Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters." And 1 John 2:15 says, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." This soil pictures those who get so encumbered with the basic enticements of this world that they produce no fruit. Again, the seed fails to accomplish its purpose. Think of someone like Judas, Judas who heard all of Jesus' sermons. He saw all of Jesus' miracles. Why, he even performed some miracles himself in Jesus' name. How could this man, how could it possibly be that this man would turn away from the son of God? And how could theologians, describes in the Pharisees, who knew God's words supposedly, and saw Jesus drive out demons, and do miracles, and heal the sick, and they call him an agent of Satan? Well, why didn't they believe? Because no one expected that the king of kings, the Messiah, the God of the universe would come like this. When the king came, all of Israel was to fall into his train and worship him, or so they thought. But the kingdom didn't come that way, not the first time. It comes the way of the seed. In John 12:23, "Jesus answered them, 'The hour has come for the son of man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.'" If you think about planting a seed, it's such a tender thing. It's so gentle. You take some soil, you take a pot of soil, and you place it gently in, you water it, you care for it. Jesus said, "This is how the kingdom enters your life." Jesus, in the same way that your body entered the ground, you are the living seed of God, the living word of God. You died in order to be raised again. Why? To give us life, to give us new life. In Mark 4:20, "But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who bear the word, hear the word, and accept and bear fruit thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold." 30, 60, a hundred shows that different disciples have different levels of productivity, just like different people have different talents that the Lord gives one talent to some, two talents to another, five to another. But they're all productive. They do the best that they can with what they have. When the word reaches a prepared heart, it flourishes, and the seed does what the seed is supposed to do to, bear fruit. I urge you to aspire to greater fruitfulness. Where are you in this category? First of all, which soils are you? I urge all of you to join me in being number four. Altogether, all of us number four, please. Receptive to God's word, humble under the authorial intent. Focus on exegesis, taking the truth out of text, instead of eisegesis, infusing it into the text. But the whole goal is to be as productive as possible. By productivity, yes, I mean fruit of the Holy Spirit and being transported, be more and more Christ-like, but I also mean converts. And this is what this text is, that one seed led to 30 seeds, or 60 seeds, or a hundred seeds. In the same way that someone shared the gospel with you, you are to share the gospel with others. How many people have entered the kingdom of God thanks be to your witness? Now, let's aspire to do more. Whenever I see categories like this, I was like, "I want to be in the hundred mark. I want to be in the hundred mark." How do we get there? Lord, I come to your word with a humble and contrite heart. Lord, plant your seed in my heart. And Lord, bring the growth. When you have a receptive heart, I'm like, "God just does incredible things." I'm walking to church today, and some lady's walking her dog. She comes up to me. In Boston, no one really comes up to you. I'm like, "Oh, this is strange." She's like, "Do you know where the dog park is?" Oh, do I know. Because I have a daughter that wants a dog, and we won't get her dog, so we spent a lot of time in the dog park. So I told her. I gave her directions, the dog park. Then, I'm preaching, and I see her come in, like the first service. Then after the service, all of a sudden, she's weeping. She's like, "God brought us together." I'm like, "Yes, he did. You need to repent and trust in Jesus Christ." She's weeping and praying. When you say, "Lord, this is my posture of heart. Lord, use me. Lord, plant your word into my heart. Have a go deep. Lord, I want to be used by you so that other people meet you, lots of people, 30, 60, a hundredfold, even more." The word is not only the message about the kingdom, but also God's instrument for liberating humanity, and thus bringing in the kingdom. The people who really hear the word, listen to it continually, allow themselves to be broken apart and put together again by the word, as they're growing, plant shatters and transforms the earth in which it is sown. It no longer occupies a secondary place in their lives but has moved to the very center of existence. The word of God promises... When we seek him with all of our heart, we will find him. Jeremiah 29:13, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 'I will be found by you,' declares the Lord. 'And I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I've driven you,' declares the Lord, 'and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile." Dear friend, if today you're not sure that you are a believer, that you are saved from your sins, from the condemnation that your sins deserve, today, in your heart of hearts, cry out to the God of universe, "Lord Jesus, have mercy on my soul. Lord Jesus, give me grace. Forgive me of my sin. Plant the seed of the gospel in my heart," and you shall be saved. Then, follow Jesus Christ. Study the good book, and do what it says. For us as believers, if there is anything in your life, in your heart that's choking out the productivity of the word, if there are any distractions today, remove them, and ask the Lord to cultivate a good soil in your heart. Amen. Let us pray. Lord God, we thank you for this time in the word. What a rich word this is. I pray that you make us not just hearers of the word but doers of it by your grace and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lord, everything that you call us to do, we cannot do perfectly. But still, you say, "Be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." So Lord, we aspire to do your will perfectly. We thank you for the grace when we fall and don't do it perfectly. I pray, Lord, continue to tenderize our hearts by the power of the Spirit so that we can be evermore fruitful as individuals, as families, and as a church. We pray all this in Christ's holy name. Amen. 

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, January 23, 2022 (EPISODE: 346) Readings for Sunday, January 23, 2022 - Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C FIRST READING: Neh 8:1-4a, 5-6, 8-10 ++ Psalm 19:7, 8, 9, 14. “Your Words, Lord, are Spirit and life” SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 or 12:12-14, 27 GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Luke 4:18cd). Alleluia, alleluia! The Lord has sent me to bring Good News to the poor and freedom to prisoners. GOSPEL: Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21 Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. ID: 2096412949 - Nazareth, Israel - December 24, 2021: The interior of Synagogue Church. In Nazareth, Israel – Contributor: RnDmS +++++ References: prologue by Fr Paul W. Kelly Homily by fr peter Dillon THE DAILY STUDY BIBLE. GOSPEL OF LUKE. (REVISED EDITION). BY WILLIAM BARCLAY. SUNDAYS AND HOLY DAY LITURGIES. YEAR C. FLOR MCCARTHY S.D.B. Abbot's homily. Monastery of Christ in the desert. (1) 'Galilee of the nations', which refers to gentiles who settled there at the time that the book was written, either by their own volition or as a result of being deported there. From; Room, Adrian (2006). “Place-names of the World: Origins and Meanings of the Names for 6,600 Countries, Cities, Territories, Natural Features, and Historic Sites.” (2nd, revised ed.). McFarland. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-7864-2248-7. Retrieved 21 February 2011. Source: Wikipedia on “Galilee” Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. ID: 2096412949 - Nazareth, Israel - December 24, 2021: The interior of Synagogue Church. In Nazareth, Israel – Contributor: RnDmS Image Credit: A hilltop near Nazareth, Israel. Photograph by Fr Paul W. Kelly). ++++++++ Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here. NB - It is often a week or so Ahead: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul's homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog: "Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL) Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA) "The Psalms” ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers. Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia). Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org. - "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John Kelly - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019. “Quiet Time.” Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020. - “Today I Arise” - For Trisha J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019. Sound Engineering and editing - P.W. Kelly. Microphones: - SHURE MV5-USB Editing equipment: NCH software - MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 12.44 Sound Processing: iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor [Production - KER - 2022] May God bless and keep you. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [ Production - KER - 2022] May God bless and keep you. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pastor Stephanie preaches on the Gospel text for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost. In Nazareth, the townspeople question Jesus' authority because they can't see him as anything but a carpenter. The Good News is that we aren't trapped by the circumstances of our birth when it comes to doing God's work in the world. We too can move beyond society's place for us to do great things when we love God and love our neighbor!

Grace, authority, power. These are the qualities of Jesus we've observed so far in the Gospel of Mark. In Nazareth, people marveled at His gracious words. In Capernaum, people were astonished at how Jesus taught with authority. And He demonstrated His power when He healed Peter's mother-in-law. He is able to do everything with all power and authority. And He is also willing to do it with all grace. Not just for those in Nazareth and Capernaum. He is willing to heal YOU and cleanse YOU of the debilitating, disfiguring, and disgusting effects of sin. All He has to do is say the word and you will be clean. And yet, as we see in our study, He is willing to do so much more.

Tidings of the wilderness prophet and his wonderful announcement, spread throughout Galilee. The message reached the peasants in the remotest hill towns, and the fisher folk by the sea, and in these simple, earnest hearts found its truest response. In Nazareth it was told in the carpenter shop that had been Joseph's, and One recognized the call. His time had come. Turning from His daily toil, He bade farewell to His mother, and followed in the steps of His countrymen who were flocking to the Jordan.

Luke 4: In Nazareth, Jesus announced His mission. How does this affect the way you think about the gospel and your mission?

(Gn.15:1-6,21:1-3;   Ps.105:1-9;   Heb.11:8,11-12,17-19;   Lk.2:22-40) “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon Him.”  What child is this of whom Simeon the prophet, filled with the Holy Spirit, declares to the Lord, “My eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all peoples,” even as he holds Jesus in his arms?  This indeed is He who is the “light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for [His] people Israel”; this indeed is the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham, foreshadowed in the birth of Isaac, by whom Abraham's descendants would be “as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore.”  “Binding for a thousand generations,” forever, was the covenant the Lord “entered into with Abraham and by His oath to Isaac,” and now that covenant is brought to perfection in the sight of Simeon and Anna; now “all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem” could rejoice and “give thanks to the Lord,” for to the temple had come the Christ of God: here is the Messiah. “Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord!” for in Jesus His Son you shall find Him.  Though raised in a humble family in the town of Nazareth, this is He who raises all His chosen unto heaven, who brings salvation to His people.  And so rejoice indeed “you descendants of Abraham, His servants, sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!” for even as “there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead,” innumerable descendants, even as the Lord fulfilled His promise to Abraham by the birth of Isaac, so the Lord's promise to Simeon “that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord” is fulfilled in all our midst even this day.  Listen to the prophet's proclamation: the light has come!  We are no longer in darkness, no longer in mournful anticipation.  And so with Anna we should come forward now and speak “about the child” to all who will listen, to all who long to hear the good news of God. Brothers and sisters, let the Lord grow in our midst.  In this Holy Family that is His Church let Him be nurtured and known.  For God's favor rests upon Him alone and by no other child does salvation come.  Today He is presented to all waiting hearts. Written & chanted by James Kurt; read by Sylvia Kurt; produced by Roger Fortney. Music by Abouna Joseph; used by permission. ******* O LORD, let your Word be fulfilled in the lives of all your children – let our eyes see your salvation. YHWH, your Word you fulfill in our midst for you are faithful.  Your Christ you send among us to save us from our sins that we might be as your children forever.  Let us enter your generation, LORD, and be of your Holy Family. Your Son has become our brother and so we know you as our Father, LORD.  Your promise is fulfilled and He now dwells among us – and so you, too, are with us.  From the womb of the Virgin Mary is born a Child with whom we grow into your holy image; we are made pure as she by the grace upon her Son. In Nazareth let us make our home, O LORD, with Jesus and Mary and Joseph; then our home in Heaven will be secure and even here we will have your blessing.  Though a sword must pierce our heart as it has with Jesus and Mary and Joseph and all your saints, yet we shall rejoice in your goodness toward us, that you make us fruitful with Abraham as children of a living faith.  Let us become strong and wise in your sight.

(Gn.15:1-6,21:1-3;   Ps.105:1-9;   Heb.11:8,11-12,17-19;   Lk.2:22-40) “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon Him.”  What child is this of whom Simeon the prophet, filled with the Holy Spirit, declares to the Lord, “My eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all peoples,” even as he holds Jesus in his arms?  This indeed is He who is the “light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for [His] people Israel”; this indeed is the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham, foreshadowed in the birth of Isaac, by whom Abraham's descendants would be “as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore.”  “Binding for a thousand generations,” forever, was the covenant the Lord “entered into with Abraham and by His oath to Isaac,” and now that covenant is brought to perfection in the sight of Simeon and Anna; now “all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem” could rejoice and “give thanks to the Lord,” for to the temple had come the Christ of God: here is the Messiah. “Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord!” for in Jesus His Son you shall find Him.  Though raised in a humble family in the town of Nazareth, this is He who raises all His chosen unto heaven, who brings salvation to His people.  And so rejoice indeed “you descendants of Abraham, His servants, sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!” for even as “there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead,” innumerable descendants, even as the Lord fulfilled His promise to Abraham by the birth of Isaac, so the Lord's promise to Simeon “that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord” is fulfilled in all our midst even this day.  Listen to the prophet's proclamation: the light has come!  We are no longer in darkness, no longer in mournful anticipation.  And so with Anna we should come forward now and speak “about the child” to all who will listen, to all who long to hear the good news of God. Brothers and sisters, let the Lord grow in our midst.  In this Holy Family that is His Church let Him be nurtured and known.  For God's favor rests upon Him alone and by no other child does salvation come.  Today He is presented to all waiting hearts. Written & chanted by James Kurt; read by Sylvia Kurt; produced by Roger Fortney. Music by Abouna Joseph; used by permission. ******* O LORD, let your Word be fulfilled in the lives of all your children – let our eyes see your salvation. YHWH, your Word you fulfill in our midst for you are faithful.  Your Christ you send among us to save us from our sins that we might be as your children forever.  Let us enter your generation, LORD, and be of your Holy Family. Your Son has become our brother and so we know you as our Father, LORD.  Your promise is fulfilled and He now dwells among us – and so you, too, are with us.  From the womb of the Virgin Mary is born a Child with whom we grow into your holy image; we are made pure as she by the grace upon her Son. In Nazareth let us make our home, O LORD, with Jesus and Mary and Joseph; then our home in Heaven will be secure and even here we will have your blessing.  Though a sword must pierce our heart as it has with Jesus and Mary and Joseph and all your saints, yet we shall rejoice in your goodness toward us, that you make us fruitful with Abraham as children of a living faith.  Let us become strong and wise in your sight.

This week has brought elections closer – again. But Israelis are more excited to visit the reopened malls.  In Nazareth, they might have identified Jesus' childhood home and in the weekly portion Jacob dreams about the ladder that has so many interpretations. Enjoy Inside Out.

In Nazareth ist scheinbar das Elternhaus von Jesus gefunden worden.

In Nazareth ist scheinbar das Elternhaus von Jesus gefunden worden.

In Matthew 13 Jesus has been teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven, but then we read 2 stories straight afterward where people resist the Kingdom because it doesn’t fit with the storylines of their own lives. In Nazareth, they can’t see Jesus as the Saviour King because they’re determined to see Him as the kid who grew up in their backwoods town. For King Herod, his family story was one of lust for power and sensuality and he didn’t respond well to John the Baptist’s ministry of inviting people to repent in order to receive the Kingdom – particularly when John was very specific about what he needed to repent of! Being aware of the storylines of our own lives – how we’ve been shaped by family and community in particulary – can help us understand the areas of our lives where we struggle to live as citizens of God’s Kingdom or why we even refuse His invitation to be part of it. What we think we know and what we think will make us happy can get in the way of us understanding truly and experience real satisfaction and joy. How does the storyline of your life fit with Jesus’ message of the Kingdom?

3. Homeless and Full of Peace and Hope(Luke 3)Jeanette is one of my absolute favorite people on the planet. She is AH-MAZING. Every time I see her, she encourages me more than most anyone I have ever known. When I think of what it means to be a Christian who models a life of peace and hope, Jeanette is the first person who pops into my mind. She is compassionate, generous, full of joy, wise… and homeless.Yup, she's homeless. She's not the kind of homeless most people picture when they think of a homeless person. The people you see on the streets with signs are only part of the picture of homelessness in America. Many people are like Jeanette, caught in a cycle of poverty that is really hard to get out of.Jeanette stays with friends and in shelters. She works whenever she can find something to do. But she has trouble maintaining a job because years of drug abuse has left its toll on her memory and her body (and her work history). Honestly, she has no concept of saving any money for the future. When she gets money, it's for spending and giving away.Jeanette doesn't ask for handouts. If you give her something, she will find someone to share it with. Whenever I saw her at the shelter where I used to volunteer, she would always give me way more than I could ever give her. She was thrilled with being a Christian and how much Jesus changed her life. So, she spent most of her days praying for people and looking for ways to encourage them. As I was having meltdowns about leaving my teaching career, she was praying for me to find my way. She didn't always know where her next meals were coming from, but she'd tell me not to worry. She had more peace than me because she knew her peace wasn't based on something as unreliable as a job. The hope she has for the world is infectious. When she reads her Bible, she writes down Bible verses over and over on pieces of paper and walks around looking for people to share them with.How absolutely AH-MAZING is that?I couldn't help but think of her story as I read Luke 3 and the lessons John the Baptist preached. He was homeless too, or more accurately, his home was in the woods.It's so crazy to think about the story of John the Baptist. He was a bold man who had a huge following. Though he was following God faithfully, his life was pretty tough. He preached in the wilderness and ate wild locusts and honey. Many people believe he was used to living on his own because his parents died when he was very young. In Roman occupied Israel, most Jews were poor, so John's relatives couldn't provide for him. He knew how to survive in the wilderness so that is where he set up camp to preach.This arrangement worked out really well, since the Romans were extremely strict about gatherings which might lead to riots. The Jews were already known for not being cooperative with Roman leaders. So, it was safer for John to camp out in the woods away from civilization and yell at religious people about how they needed to change their heart and get right with God.It's hard for me to imagine this working. ‘Cause when I think of yelling preachers, I think of obnoxious religious people cramming their opinion down other people's throats. Turns out, John was yelling at those people!I love to think about Luke's Roman readers reacting to John's sermon. They had grown up around Jewish people. They were used to Jews thinking they were “unclean” and refusing to associate with them lest they become unclean also. Imagine how they felt when they read about John calling those people out:John said to the (Jewish) crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” Luke 3:7-9 (NIV).So, what's up with calling people a brood of vipers?Well, that might not seem like a big insult to you. But it was a major insult back in the ancient day. It was like the Queen Mother of insults with an F-bomb attached. The Roman dudes reading this were like “Dammmmn!” and somebody yelled “Oh no he didn't!!!” (or whatever ancient Romans did when somebody “just got burned”).Vipers were considered the vilest creatures on earth to ancient people. They believed when vipers were born, they ate their mothers. (I don't know why they believed this...I'm guessing no one really wanted to get close enough to intensely study baby vipers…)The viper comment was a terrible insult, like saying you were the worst kind of double-crossing back-stabbing backstabber. It was also a fitting picture for what John's religious audience was doing. God had given them commandments to follow in order to have a relationship with him. He promised to protect them and provide for them if they would follow him. God would make them a great nation that would bless all other nations. Instead of being grateful and obedient, they tried to use God's laws to manipulate God and to hurt the people they were supposed to bless.The Jewish religious leaders thought they were special and blessed by God just because of their birth. This is what John the Baptist is referring to when he said, “Do not even begin to think that you can justify yourself by saying that you have Abraham as your father. He basically said, “Geesh people, this is God we are talking about. He could make descendants of Abraham out of these rocks if he wanted to. You can't possibly think all it takes for you to be in God's kingdom is to be born into the right family. You have to follow him!Then John used a word which has really been ruined by religious people: repent. When I hear someone talking about repentance, I immediately assume they are judgmental. It makes me think of this obnoxious preacher on my college campus who called me a whore for wearing a mini-skirt. Unfortunately, when religious people these days use the word repent, they are most often condemning other people because of a behavior they disagree with.However, the ancient Greek word which has been translated “repent” was about a much deeper change than just behaviors. The word they used, metanoia, is more like our modern word “mindshift.” It was actually used in contrast to only changing your behaviors or changing so you could get a better outcome. Metanoia was about a complete overhaul in how you think.So, when John said repent, he wasn't simply saying, “here's a list of bad behaviors you need to quit doing.” He was saying, “your abusive behaviors show that you need to change your whole way of thinking about God.”It's crazy, but John's bold approach worked. The people knew they were messed up, so they said, “What should we do?”John replied, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same” Luke 3:11(NIV).Which seems like a Yoda-ish answer. I mean, two shirts aren't a lot of shirts John. How are we supposed to live that out in America?John was issuing a call to extreme generosity. This isn't another formula to measure if we are “in” or not. It's a check for our heart. Are we willing to be so generous with others that we might even give if we aren't completely sure we will be able to make it without what we gave away?John's call to extreme generosity was a glaring contrast to what the religious leaders of the day were professing. They lived in luxury and favor with the Roman government. They believed their lives of ease proved they were blessed by God. Meanwhile, most of the working-class people were struggling. They had been conquered by Rome and lost much of their land. They also had to pay heavy taxes to maintain the Empire. In addition, they gave offerings to support the priests. The priests did not respect the common people for their sacrifices or hardship. Instead, they judged them harshly.I believe John was proclaiming that this life is not about how much stuff we can get, but about how much we can help others. Two shirts aren't a lot of shirts, especially back in the day when you had to make them by hand. Giving from your excess doesn't require much (and the priests weren't even doing that). Giving when you have very little reflects the heart of God for all humanity. It's a gracious, loving act which elevates the person with less.Because of John's preaching something crazy happened. Verse 12 says, “Even tax collectors came to be baptized.” (NIV).Did you catch that? Is your mind blown? Probably not. But it would be if you were living back in the ancient day and you heard about tax collectors being baptized by a Jewish prophet.See, the Jews believed they were God's chosen people and God was going to set up an earthly kingdom. This was true, but they were wrong about how God's kingdom was going to work. All they could imagine was a political kingdom with them at the top ruling over the rest of the world. So, when they were conquered by Rome, they decided Rome was the enemy of God and God's plan. Tax collectors were therefore seen as Jewish people who made money by collecting money for the enemy of God. Even worse, they took more than was required and kept the extra for themselves.Tax collectors were such hated traitors that when religious teachers of the day wanted to make a point about someone being really, really, obnoxiously bad, they just said, “he was as bad as a tax collector.”And you know who backed up tax collectors? Soldiers. Think of all you know about Roman soldiers. They were tough guys who did a lot of messed-up stuff. I mean, these dudes were BRUTAL. Plus, they were the muscle behind the Roman Empire, God's supposed enemy.Think about how people viewed tax collectors and soldiers, then consider the rest of this scene from Luke 3. Some tax collectors got baptized and asked John, “So what should we do...I mean besides just giving away our shirts and food?”“Don't collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”He replied, “Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” Luke 3:13-14 (NIV).Wait?! What???? Don't you mean stop siding with the enemy and find a new job?Religious people in comfortable lives of ease don't like to admit this, but sometimes life sticks you in difficult situations with no way out. John didn't tell the soldiers to desert their posts (they'd have gotten killed). He told them to be as fair as possible in their duties. And tax collectors, they were like the mafia for Rome. They were hated more than soldiers, but John didn't tell them anything except: be fair in collecting money from people.Whatever you are struggling with in your life, whatever injustices you see around you, this little nugget of truth should calm your soul. God doesn't expect you to right all of the wrong systems in the world, even the ones in which you might currently be trapped. He expects you to follow him to the best of your ability as you navigate this broken world.And just to be crystal clear: Do not think for a second this means you have to stay in a situation where you are being abused!!! That is not what I'm saying at all! But when you don't know the way out, that doesn't mean God has abandoned you. Follow him as closely as you know how and he will honor your heart and show you the next steps. Psalms 34:18 declares that “God is near to the brokenhearted.” (NIV). He sees your struggles, dear one! They matter to him. This world is a broken, hurt-filled mess, but there is beauty in every day. There is hope. God knows you can't change all of your circumstances. He sees your heart. God longs to walk through this broken, messy world with you.My friend Jeanette showed me this. She will probably never look like the picture of Christianity put before us in popular media, but her handwritten Bible verses inspired me more than a thousand sermons. She gives to everyone she comes in contact with and she blesses everyone who knows her. She may be homeless still, but she is a strong warrior in God's kingdom. She is full of peace and she shares hope everywhere she goes.My DisclaimerThroughout this book, I completely rag on religion, which I'm sure is completely confusing since, “Uhmm aren't you religious, Cindy?”Yes. Yes, I am. Truthfully, I think we all are and it isn't always all bad. But when religion is bad, it is insidiously awful and damaging like nothing else. Religious shaming hurts people at the very core of who they are and religious hatred unites people to do some of the worst atrocities ever committed against humanity. And in my years of working with survivors, I've grown to absolutely hate how people use religion to shame the people who God wants us to embrace and encourage.For the sake of clarity, in this book, when I refer to religion, I mean “any system of beliefs, values, or practices which we believe somehow make us more worthy than other people.”I'm aware that this definition creates a HUGE mess for how we look at the world. It's easy to identify religions like Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. And it's easy to look at world history and identify where these religions have gotten ugly. It's hard to recognize the less defined, less traditional religions people are currently clinging to.We live in a time where people are largely rejecting traditional religions for a lot of good reasons. However, they aren't replacing traditional religions with anything better. Instead, they are just drawing different dividing lines and we are all hating each other as much, if not more, than ever.One of the main messages of the book of Luke is about how Jesus taught a different way. Each story shows how strict religious adherence does not give us what we are all seeking. Strict religious adherence all by itself does not produce good things in us. The only way religion can help us is if it points us to our need for God.My point is that all of us are religious to some degree. Christians like to say Christianity isn't a religion, it's a relationship. I would say, it's supposed to be a relationship. However, the American versions of Christianity are mostly religion. Often these religions can show us our need for a relationship with Jesus. Sometimes, these religions can get in the way of our relationship with Jesus.In my own life, I spent years and years trying to be “good enough” for God and trying to prove myself through serving him. I failed over and over. I wrestled with depression and anxiety all the time because I was living with constant shame over mistakes I had made.God was there the whole time, loving me and wanting to walk through all the hurt and struggles of this life with me. But my foolish pride wanted to do it on my own. My pride kept me from seeing God when he was right there, longing to help me.The following story in Luke presents a picture of how our religious practices and foolish pride can keep us from recognizing Jesus when he is right here with us.In Luke 4:14-44, after Jesus' temptation in the desert, he returned to a region called Galilee. He went around preaching in the local synagogues. He was teaching the people and they were all super-impressed with what he said. Jesus was wowing the crowds with his understanding of scripture and pointing out the hypocrisy of their current practices.Well, Jesus was wowing everyone except the people in his hometown. When he visited his hometown of Nazareth, he got a different reception. In Nazareth, Jesus went into the local synagogue on a Sabbath day and began to teach the people. In those days, different rabbis would stand up and read the scripture and then the leaders would talk about it. Following this tradition, Jesus stood up and read the following excerpt from the Old Testament:“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,because he has anointed meto proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisonersand recovery of sight for the blind,to set the oppressed free,to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:18-21 (NIV)In other words, Jesus read a prophecy they were all familiar with and said, “Guys this happening. I'm the one you've been waiting for.”Luke tells us that their reactions were mixed. “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.” Luke 4:22 (NIV). But at the same time, they were saying, “Isn't this Joseph's son?” Luke 4:22 (NIV).Jesus had grown up in their hometown. He did chores just like them. How could he be anything special? They all recognized what he said was amazing and gracious, but they also like “Hold up. How can you be the Messiah, you're just a regular dude?”Then, OH MY GOODNESS! I crack up every time I read Jesus' response to them as they questioned him. He knew their hearts. He knew that they didn't want to know him or God's plan, they only wanted him for what he could do for them.Jesus totally called them out. In Luke 4:23-27, he said:“Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!' And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.'”“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” (NIV).Basically, Jesus said “All y'all are going to tell me I need to prove myself to you. But I have no need to. I don't do miracles to gain power in this world, I do miracles to bless people who call on me. Consider these stories that y'all are all familiar with: the famous prophet Elijah miraculously provided food for a widow during a severe famine. There were many widows in Israel who were not seeking God, so Elijah went to a woman who you would consider an unredeemable pagan.”Then Jesus continued: “And Elisha, another of your favorite prophets, remember him? Well, he also healed a foreigner, another person you would consider unredeemable. Religious people just like you wouldn't listen to Elisha. You honor Elisha as being from God but you are just like the religious people who wouldn't listen to him.”This was a total mic drop moment. Everyone there understood what he was implying. Today we would have been going, “Oh no he didn't!!!”He just called the whole crowd out for missing the point of God's plan. It was never supposed to be a religious system for just one race to rule over the world. And the crowd totally felt the burn from Jesus' insult. Luke says they were furious. Jesus had accused them of not knowing God at all! And in perhaps the most ironic thing ever to happen on planet earth, this crowd drove Jesus out of town and tried to throw him off of a cliff!It's kind of like they were saying, “We'll show this guy how much we love and follow God. Let's kill him!”The sad, (and, if you're twisted, comical) irony in this story is that Jesus was the Messiah they had been reading about their whole lives. What he told them about themselves and their ancestors was absolutely true. No one even tried to say it wasn't. They just wanted to get rid of him for saying it. They wanted the Messiah to give them power over others, not confront the problems of their hearts.It's interesting to note that when Jews spoke of peace, they were referring to living in harmony with God and his good plan for the world. They greeted each other and parted with the word “shalom” which we translate as peace, but it is much more. Shalom refers to seeking to live in harmony with God's good desires for this world. It was a constant reminder of the kingdom Jesus was bringing for the whole world. Though they said, “shalom” they wanted what we all want: lives of ease, power, comfort, control, and satisfaction with who we are.Their extreme response is a picture of how much we don't like seeing the ugliness in our own hearts. None of us like confronting how our religion may be blinding us to actually knowing God. None of us want to confront who we really are deep in our souls. None of us want to deal with the brokenness within us. The most amazing thing about Jesus is that he loves us way too much to not push us to deal with the conflicts deep in our soul. He wants us to have inner shalom peace with him.Therefore, he wasn't just confronting the people in his hometown to be a giant jerk and get a rise out of some religious people (I mean, not gonna lie, I'd still think he was cool if he did!) He wanted them to see that even though they were good at being religious, they were missing the point. They were missing walking in peace with God.Even after all of these years of seeing God work in my life, I still don't immediately like confronting the issues deep in my soul. I still don't like seeing my own hypocrisy and bitterness. I can totally relate to the wanting to throw someone off of a cliff thing. I mean, I like to believe it would be a child abuser and not Jesus, but I totally understand frustration over being confronted with what I'm really like.However, this is also the most amazing part about following Jesus. I am completely loved and adored by God. As I confront those parts of me, I wish would stay hidden, I get to change them. I get to continually grow and be better. I get to have a mindshift as I walk in shalom with Jesus. I get to share his peace with the world. I don't have to live in shame, hypocritically hiding behind religious rules which do nothing but separate me from others. I get to share this peace with the world the way my friend Jeanette does.Jesus will show you the truth about who you really are as he walks with you and helps you become better. And yeah, as you cling to whatever religious belief makes you feel safe and in control, seeing who you really are might make you kinda want to throw him off a cliff sometimes. Thankfully, he's been there before. He will love you anyway.How freaking awesome is that?

Jesus reveals that he is God through his power and compassion True disciples hear, believe and come to Jesus (27-28) Above healing her physically, Jesus declared her his daughter, whole, and at peace. (34) Mark 5:35-43 – Jesus cancels a funeral Vv. 35-36. The daughter died – why trouble the teacher. Jesus says “do not fear, only believe.” Jairus just had an example of faith in the woman. Nothing could keep her from Jesus, not embarrassment nor the crowd. She believed Jesus could heal her. She exemplifies and defines faith for Jairus – trust Jesus despite everything to the contrary. That faith knows no limits – not even the raising of a dead child. No matter the circumstances, trust in Jesus – in hopelessness, in long-suffering, even in death – trust in Jesus. He is the Deliverer. v. 37 Jesus allowed smaller groups at times – Peter, James, John v. 38. In ancient times families hired professional mourners. Perhaps they were already there v. 39. “she is only sleeping”. In Christ, death is more like sleep, temporary. We may die in this life, but we will rise to eternal life. v. 40. “They laughed at him.” This was nonsense if Jesus were only a man, a teacher. v. 41. Jesus takes the little girl’s hand and says, tells her to arise. Jesus takes on the uncleanness of the demoniac, of the woman with a bleeding issue, now he takes on the uncleanness of death in this little girl. v. 42. Immediately she got up – they were overcome w/amazement. Jesus’ power brought healing to a bleeding woman. His word “arise” raised a dead girl out of death back to life. Jesus said to Martha at her brother Lazarus’ death in John 11: 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Jairus and the woman had little in common: one a ruler, the other an outcast. They were both desperate, without hope apart from Jesus. Trust Jesus despite everything to the contrary. Believe, do not despair. Mark 6:1-6A – A Prophet without Honor vv. 2-3. They see only a man, only a son, only a carpenter. They wanted something different from what God has given. Despite Jesus’ demonstration of compassion and supernatural power, he will encounter people from his nation, his own home town, his own family, and even a disciple who will not believe that he is the Son of God, that he is the Messiah. v. 6. In Nazareth it is not the crowds or disciples who are amazed, but Jesus. He is amazed at their disbelief. There are so many that are hard-hearted and refuse to believe no matter what they see or hear. “Humanity wants something other than what God gives. The greatest obstacle to faith is not the failure of God to act, but the unwillingness of the human heart to accept the God who condescends to us as only a carpenter, the son of Mary.” - James R. Edwards

In Nazareth und in Kafarnaum begegnen uns zwei verschiedene Arten des „Wissens“ über Jesus. In Nazareth meinen die Seinen, „den Sohn Josefs“ zu kennen. Und dass ihr Junge begnadet redet, ist ihr ganzer Stolz. Dass er der Messias ist, bleibt außerhalb ihrer Vorstellungskraft. Er darf kein anderer sein als der, den sie kennen. Weil er es aber ist, schlägt ihre Begeisterung in Hass um. In Kafarnaum ist es der Dämon, die personifizierte Entfremdung des Menschen von Gott, der Jesus wirklich kennt: „Ich weiß, wer du bist: der Heilige Gottes.“ Die Macht, die Gott geschaut hat bevor sie von Gott absah, erkennt ihn auch in Menschengestalt wieder. Sie kennt ihn und will nichts mit ihm zu schaffen haben, weil sie weiß, dass das ihr Ende ist. Es gibt Menschen, die sich vor Jesus Christus fürchten, weil sie ihn nicht, schlecht oder nur eine Karikatur von ihm kennen. Und das oft, weil man ihnen von ihm nicht, schlecht oder als Karikatur erzählt hat. Aber es gibt auch Menschen, die Jesus kennen und sich deshalb vor ihm fürchten. Weil sie wissen, dass sich auf ihn einzulassen bedeutet, dass sich mein Leben verändert. Dass ich Welt und Menschen in einem neuen Licht sehe. Das ich nicht weitermachen kann, wie bisher. Wo die Abkehr von Gott zur Lebenshaltung geworden ist, wird die Hinkehr Gottes zu uns als lebensbedrohlich empfunden. Es reicht nicht, zu wissen, wer Jesus ist. Und es hilft nichts, die Güte Gottes nur zu kennen. Wir sollen ihr glauben und sie wollen – als Güte zu uns und als Güte zu denen, die er mit uns zusammen lieben will. Fra' Georg Lengerke

From Luke 4, Pastor Isaiah takes us to the start of Jesus ministry. In Nazareth, His hometown, Jesus proclaims who He is and what He has come to do from the prophecy of Isaiah 61. But the people respond to Jesus with unbelief, with demands for signs, and with pride in their hearts. Jesus exposes this in them, and by extension in us, because God is truly God alone. He works as He determines is best and mankind is called to respond to Him in faith and trust, not arrogance or pride.

Pastor Vlad stated a new series on healing. This series will talk about how it's the will of God to heal and how we should treat those who are sick and how to approach Jesus as our healer. Sermon Notes: Medicine treats. Jesus heals. Healing is mentioned 138 times. It was 1/5 of gospel Divine health was God’s goal. Divine healing is a means to that goal. Healing proves God’s value on human body. He created it. Glorify God in it. Indwells in it. Heals it. Resurrects it. Rewards what’s done in the body. It’s His will to heal everyone as it is His will to save everyone. - Nazareth - Mark 6:1-6 vs. - Gennesaret - Mark 6:53-56 1. Nazareth experienced few healings, Gennesaret saw as many as touched Him were made well. Even in place of total unbelief Jesus healed the sick. Same Jesus, different place, people and results. Healing explosion is the work of Jesus but absence of it is the work of religion. 2. Nazareth was offended at Jesus, Gennesaret recognized Jesus. Nazareth was offended because of their history with Jesus. Experiences can lead us to change who God is or if we recognize who he is it can change us. God is fixed. God is what Jesus was! You are not given right to define God but to discover Him. Being offended at what God has not done does not give you an opportunity to be Who He Is Doubt says “I can’t believe, I need more proof”; unbelief says “I wouldn’t believe in spite of evidence.” Doubt is honest; unbelief is stubborn. Doubt is looking for the light; unbelief is content with darkness. You are not given right to define God but to discover Him. How we perceive Jesus will affect what we receive from Jesus. 3. Healing explosion happens when I don’t change God’s will based on my situation. In Nazareth people brought arguments to Jesus, in Gennesaret they brought the sick. Offended people can’t see beyond themselves. Job prayed for friends. Joseph translated dreams. Jesus prayed for healing. Lack of healing explosion is not always due to the fact that the sick people don’t have faith but that healthy lack compassion. It was not about healing, it was about people who were hurting. 4. In Nazareth leaders questioned Jesus about history, in Gennesaret leaders begged Jesus about the hurting. Healing principle: Cry out in the private, take risks in public (Jesus told us to heal the sick, not to pray for the sick). Healing explosion does not always depend on the faith of the sick but on the warfare of the healthy. 5. In Nazareth Jesus touched few sick people, in Gennesaret as many as touched Jesus were healed Create an opportunity for people to touch Jesus vs Jesus only laying hands on the sick #pastorvlad #healing #hungrygen Stay connected with Pastor Vlad Instagram http://www.instagram.com/vladhungrygen Facebook http://www.facebook.com/vladhungrygen Twitter http://www.twitter.com/vladhungrygen Subscribe to his blog: http://www.hungrygen.com/blog Invite Pastor Vlad to speak http://www.hungrygen.com/invite

The response that Christ receives in each area of His ministry was dependent on the people’s response to His grace; it was dependent on faith. In Nazareth the people expected Him to do mighty works... The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe and the scriptures make it clear that Christ is able to save to the uttermost all who come to Him through repentance and faith.

In Nazareth, Jesus learns that his transformation only bewilders his hometown.

In Nazareth, Jesus learns that his transformation only bewilders his hometown.