May 30, 2014

Matthew 4:12, Mark 1:14a, Luke 4:14, John 4:1-3 (The journey into Galilee)



Rachel Workman:
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
12 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. 14 Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News. 14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. 4 Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus himself didn’t baptize them—his disciples did). 3 So he left Judea and returned to Galilee. This seems to contradict the other gospels. According to John Jesus left for Galilee because he knew the Pharisees had heard he was baptizing and making more disciples. According to Matthew and Mark he left for Galilee because he heard John had been arrested. But I think that John just had more details than the other gospels. Jesus left for Galilee after he heard that John had been arrested and because he knew that the Pharisees had heard he was baptizing and making more disciples.

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John Burnett: 4 Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), He left Judea and went away again into Galilee.
The one purpose for Jesus’ ministry early on was to make disciples that would share the Gospel.  Luke adds that Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit’s job is to glorify Jesus and when new disciples were baptized, they were given the Holy Spirit to help them in their ministry. 

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Mike Grimm: 
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
12 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee.
John's imprisonment-which foreshadows Jesus' own suffering-becomes the signal for Jesus to begin public ministry. The forerunner, John the Baptist, has completed his mission of preparing the way.
14 Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News.
This was the beginning of Christ’s public ministry.
14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power.
Galilee is where Christ had been brought up, and from where He came to John at Jordan. Christ did not return to Galilee from a natural love to his country or a strong desire of being there again; but was owing to the powerful impulse of the Holy Spirit, which was in him, and moved him to return there; where he was to begin his ministry, and work his miracles, and so fulfil a prophecy of Him.
4 Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John (though Jesus himself didn’t baptize them—his disciples did). So he left Judea and returned to Galilee.
Christ would apply himself more to the preaching and teaching work, which was the more important. He would put honor upon his disciples, by empowering and employing them to do baptism.

May 29, 2014

Matthew 21:12-13, 11:15-17, Luke 19:45-46, John 2:14-22 (The cleansing of the Temple)


John Burnett: 
 Matthew 21:12-13
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Cleansing the Temple
12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. 13 And He *said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers[a]den.”  I would bet that he will say something similar to prosperity preachers one of these days.  I tremble thinking about what will happen to them.
Matthew 11:15-17
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
15 He who has ears to hear, [a]let him hear.
16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, 17 and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not [b]mourn.’  This description of the generation of the time is appropriate for describing today’s children as well.  More and more I see children who are not happy or have no feelings toward something that should stir emotion.  God says in the last days that people’s hearts will grow cold.  The school shootings in Connecticut and just recently by the young man just shooting a crowd a people on the street are examples of what Matthew was talking about.
Luke 19:45-46
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Traders Driven from the Temple
45 Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘And My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a robbers[a]den.”
John 2:14-22
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a [a]place of business.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us [b]as your authority for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this [c]temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this [d]temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the [e]temple of His body. 22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.  Just a reminder that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.  I don’t show the Zeal for the temple that I should. 
I recently had someone ask me if I thought the prayer at our graduation ceremony would be offensive to non-Christians in the audience.  I told them I didn’t care which is probably a little harsh but sometimes the truth is harsh.  This person asked if that would be Jesus’s response and I said I believe it would be.  This passage above shows me that He did not care if he offended anyone in the Temple.
Today’s word of faith/prosperity preachers resemble those removed from the Temple by Jesus that day.  They have made merchandise out of people and their main objective is how they make more money (plant more seeds or sell more books).
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Rachel Workman: 

Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
12 Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. 13 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!”[f]

15 When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace.[c] 17 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”[d]

45 Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. 46 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”[d]

14 In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. 15 Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. 16 Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”
17 Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.”[c]
18 But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”
19 “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” 21 But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said. I really like John's account here for obvious reasons. But it's interesting that this is the first act Jesus does as he starts his ministry.

May 28, 2014

John 2:1-13 (The marriage at Cana), (The Sojourn at Capernaum), (The first journey to Jerusalem)



Rachel Workman: 2 The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. 3 The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”  I think what he was telling his mother is the Father had not commanded him to do anything yet. His  time to perform miracles had not yet come.

5 But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Mary obviously knew what Jesus was capable of. And she knew that commanding or arguing would get her nothing. Jesus would obey what the father commanded him to. I think Mary knew that. Her simple statement leads me to believe she left the decision to God to lay upon Jesus' heart. In other words you see her faith in play again.

6 Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, 8 he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.

9 When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. 10 “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”

11 This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
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John Burnett:  2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
“Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”  Here is another example of Jesus’s extremely difficult task of remaining perfect.  His hour had not come yet but if he would have dishonored his mother if he had not done as she had asked he would of broke commandment number 5 and would no longer be the spotless lamb of God.
His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b]
Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.  John wrote about the signs Jesus performed being too numerous for books to hold and this was his first.  Nobody but his mother and the disciples knew about this sign but He performed many signs for people to see and yet they did not believe.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
Jesus Clears the Temple Courts
13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
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Mike Grimm:  2 The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.” The normal wedding reception in those days usually lasted a week so I guess it’s no big surprise they ran out of wine.

Mary seized the occasion to say, very significantly to Jesus, "They have no wine." She does not ask him to do anything about it; she merely tells him, "They have no wine." Being as this was Christ’s first miracle was she really expecting Jesus to turn the water to wine or was she suggesting that He go get more? There are even those who believe that because Christ showed up with 5 disciples that Mary was asking Jesus and His disciples to leave the celebration.

“Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” The fact that Jesus clearly understood her can be seen from his answer: "Dear woman, that’s not our problem" That answer was not rude or disrespectful, though it may sound that way to us. Here Jesus was using a common title of respect. (He addresses Mary from the cross in the same way, "Woman, behold your son!" (John 19:26 RSV)
But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.

When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. 10 “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”

In his very helpful book Miracles, C. S. Lewis has pointed out that every miracle of Jesus is simply a kind of short-circuiting of a natural process; a doing instantly something which in general takes a longer period of time. Lewis says, "Each miracle writes for us in small letters something that God has already written, or will write, in letters almost too large to be noticed, across the whole canvas of nature." That is what Jesus is doing: he is overleaping the elements of time, of growth, gathering, crushing and fermenting. He takes water -- an inorganic, non-living, commonplace substance -- and without a word, without a gesture, without any laying on of hands, in utter simplicity, the water becomes wine, an organic liquid, a product of fermentation, belonging to the realm of life. Thus he demonstrated his marvelous ability to master the processes of nature.

11 This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him. This was just the first of Jesus’ many miracles.

12 After the wedding he went to Capernaum for a few days with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples.