Peter and John do not ignore this man who is regularly ignored and on the margins of society. The see the man, and evidently, the man looks away or turns his attention to others because Peter tells him to look at them. Peter explains to this lame beggar that he has no silver or gold, but that is not the man's greatest need anyway. Peter commands the man to rise up and walk in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
The disciples wait in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit gathering daily and blessing God in the temple. Pentecost takes place fifty days after Passover as the people celebrate the first fruits of the harvest. This particular Pentecost changes things forever.
Luke's two-volume work includes the Gospel according to Luke and the book of Acts. These two books account for almost one-fourth of the New Testament, and the book of Acts picks up where Luke ended his previous work. This book is a continuation of Jesus' work after the ascension as he uses the apostles, sermons, signs, and wonders through the Holy Spirit.
The angel tells the women that Jesus is not there because he had risen just as he promised. He invites them to investigate the tomb, confirm what he says is true, and then he instructs them to tell the disciples post-haste. Jesus was going ahead of them to Galilee where they will see Jesus. The women leave quickly, filled with both fear and joy as they make their way to the disciples. As they make their way to Jerusalem to tell the disciples, Jesus meets them.
The greatest day in history is filled with wonder, unbelief, questions, and discussion. The same day two disciples journey to a village about seven miles outside of Jerusalem named Emmaus. The conversation is dominated by the events that had just occurred and as they are discussing these things Jesus joins them on the road but Jesus kept his identity hidden. Jesus asks them what they were talking about causing their countenance to drop as they came to a halt.
The Apostles' Creed only mentions two people by name other than Jesus, Mary, and Pilate. Pilate is the Roman Governor of Judea, and the Jewish authorities came to him in order to convince him that Jesus should be crucified. It would take more than some religious violations to convince Pilate to execute Jesus. The Jewish leaders present Jesus as a revolutionary and a threat to Rome, so Pilate asks Jesus if he is the King of the Jews.
What would you say to your loved ones if you knew that you only had a few hours left? Time is short, and Jesus' earthly mission will soon come to an end as he departs this world and returns to the Father. He loves his disciples, and he will do so all the way to the end. Jesus never abandons his people. All of the drama that will soon unfold will not come as a surprise to Jesus because this is the plan of God and the hour is finally at hand.
Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection are at hand, and this passage marks the end of Jesus' teaching ministry in Matthew. Jesus informs the disciples that the Passover will soon begin and Jesus will be delivered up to be crucified. The disciples struggle to understand Jesus' mission and soon have their world turned upside down in less than forty-eight hours. While Jesus is preparing the disciples, the religious leaders are involved in a wicked conspiracy.
The intimacy between Jesus and the Father is on full display in this passage as Jesus finishes his farewell address, lifts his eyes heavenward, and prays to the Father. Jesus has been saying that his hour had not arrived since the first miracle recorded in chapter two, but now the time has finally come for Jesus to be glorified as he glorifies the Father.
John introduces a man named Lazarus who is sick. He lived in Bethany, and his two sisters are worried about him. This illness had become severe, and they thought it would be wise to send for Jesus. Mary is identified as the one who anointed Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The sisters send word to Jesus that his friend Lazarus is very sick in the hopes that he will come.
The grumbling of the Pharisees and scribes resulted in three parables to show that the gospel is for everyone. Jesus came to seek the lost so he would associate with the dregs of society. He engaged those who had made a mess of their lives or failed to meet society's standards. Jesus' parables challenge the beliefs of the Pharisees.
Jesus appoints seventy-two of his followers to go ahead of him in pairs to every town where he was headed. The harvest was plentiful, and Jesus instructs these laborers to pray and ask God for more laborers to join in the harvest. The Lamb of God sent his followers as lambs in the midst of those who would devour them.
The tension between Jesus and the religious leaders is increasing, but so are the crowds. Jesus heads for the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is also called the Sea of Tiberias depending on whether you are speaking of it from a Jewish or Roman perspective. The rumors are spreading about this Rabbi from Nazareth named Jesus, and when the people in Jerusalem saw the miracles of healing, they began to follow in large numbers.
The disciples are beginning to understand Jesus identity, but they are still struggling to understand his mission. Jesus clarifies his mission, explains the cost of following him, and declares that some of his followers will not die before they see the kingdom of God come with power. The disciples may have been struggling to comprehend all that was revealed to them in such a short period of time, so Jesus takes Peter, James, and John away from the group to join him for an excursion that would help them begin to grasp the beauty and glory of Jesus.
These leaders will not tolerate such behavior, and they ask the man who told him to violate the Sabbath law. The man who had been healed did not know Jesus' name and Jesus had slipped away unnoticed. Later, Jesus finds the man in the temple and calls him to walk in obedience with the implication being that the man's suffering was connected with past sin. The man tells the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who healed him.
Jesus continues to teach kingdom ethics and offers some examples for practical application as the Sermon on the Mount comes to a conclusion. The righteous demands of the law will require Jesus' disciples to keep watch over their own hearts as they relate to others. Jesus instructs his followers not to be judgmental toward others. This passage is often misused as a way to say that no one should question, critique, or call anyone to give an account for their beliefs or behavior. However, Jesus also instructs his people to confront one another in their sins and to bring it publicly before the church if they continue in that sin (Matthew 18:15-20). The people of the kingdom are called to analyze and evaluate every spirit and teaching and "judge" whether it is from God (1John 4:1). The disconnect comes when people are unwilling to submit to one another or receive correction because they are being "judged."
Jesus did not come to eliminate the law; he came to fulfill it. The problem is many see the law only in external behavior when public religion may be practiced for the praise of man rather than honoring God. Jesus teaches that the kingdom of God is not about external religious formalities. It is possible to do the right things with wrong motives and displease God. Formal external religious practices are not wrong, but they are not necessarily indicative of faith.
Jesus' reputation is spreading, and the crowds are increasing at an exponential rate. Jesus is aware of the crowd and goes up on a mountain where he sits down to teach his disciples and the crowds. The Sermon on the Mount is like Jesus' inaugural address concerning his kingdom. Almost fifteen centuries prior, Moses came down from a mountain with the law God had given to him for his people. However, God himself has come down and is seated on this mountain to deliver the law of grace without abolishing the old law.
Jesus returns to Capernaum as his popularity, and his reputation spread throughout the region. When the word begins to spread that Jesus has returned home, the people gather in droves until there is no room left in the house. The people intently listen as Jesus preaches the word. Four men arrive at the house carrying a person with paralysis.
Mark does not begin with a genealogy or a birth account. Instead, he plainly states his thesis. He wants the reader to understand that this was the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Christ is not Jesus' surname; it is the identifier that Jesus is the Messiah, the Anointed of God.
