Select the picture to watch this video. The written document is not available at this time. This video gives the reason that John writes that Jesus had to go to the Father before appearing to the disciples and before Mary could touch Him. No other gospel tells this magnificent fact.
A PASSION TO SHARE THE GOSPEL
Are you aware of your unique qualities? One of the beauties of life is the uniqueness each of us brings to it. We are created by God with particular interests, abilities, and personalities. Our individuality is compounded by our history- including sins, failures and best of all our victories. We are all unique, but God calls us to the same task: to share His gospel. Our individual histories and experiences provide opportunities for us to bring the gospel into the lives of others. Like Paul taught that our sufferings for Christ gives us the experiences and opportunities to assist others who may be experiencing the same situations. So, will our past situations help us to share the gospel? Clearly, we need to ask for God’s wisdom in understanding His word and for the boldness to be ambassadors for Christ. God calls us out of our brokenness to share the gospel.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:11
Paul was indicating that the driving force behind his ministry- “the fear of the Lord”. Fear is a reverential awe for God, in light of His perfect holiness, righteousness, omniscience, and omnipotence, that leads a person to live in obedience to Him. Paul may have been speaking of his evangelistic ministry when he said, “We persuade men”, but it was more likely that he meant his effort to persuade the Corinthians of his sincerity. He had been criticized as being insincere. In response to this he had just revealed his constant awareness of God’s purpose and judgment. It was characteristic of Paul that he always us thought of God as seeing and knowing his every act.
The “fear of the Lord” is a prominent theme in the Old Testament. In Proverbs 1:7 it is said to be “the beginning of knowledge”. It is the basic attitude of awe and reverence that puts life in proper perspective. It is a kind of energy that purifies and empowers life. It was the fear or holy respect that Paul produced as exhibit A to prove his sincerity. His true character was known to God, and he felt that the Corinthians were spiritually sensitive enough to know it too.
Having a “fearful responsibility to the Lord” does not mean that believers become paralyzed. On the contrary, knowing God’s perfection and that He will judge everyone’s actions (5:10) should spur Christians to good deeds, to what pleases our God. The fear of the Lord also frees believers from all of life’s anxieties and worries. Knowing that God is “for us” (Romans 8:31), can keep believers unafraid of earthly powers- people, governments, or the forces of nature (Proverbs 3:25-26). God takes care of His own. The fear of God gives us uncommon courage in the face of life’s troubles.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Verses 14-21 constitute one of the most important statements of the message of the gospel in all the New Testament. The controlling factor of his ministry, Paul emphasized, was the love of Christ as seem in His death. This was where he learned such dedication. By “the love of Christ controls us” Paul did not have in mind the impulse that sent him on his mission, but the restraint that kept him from seeking his own advantage and held him to the cross. The word for “control” has the sense pressure which confines and restricts. Such a total commitment to the good of others kept him from doing anything that would falsify the gospel or hinder Christian growth.
In verse 15, the motive of Paul’s ministry and his message are seen to be the same, for both flow from the cross. The death of Christ was the most important fact in Paul’s thinking. It affected all people by making possible the most radical change in their lives. Paul saw Christ as the second Adam (Romans 5:14-17), God’s new beginning in the creation of humanity. As such, He was the representative of the human race. What happened to Christ happens to all in some sense. Those who accept their unity with Him by faith take part in the death He died for them. Death to sin and resurrection to new life became the pattern of their lives. They no longer live to serve themselves. To live for self is sin. They live for Christ, and thus for others. This more than mere acceptance of an idea. It is participation in a new reality. So, Paul saw his task as notifying all persons of this new possibility and enlisting them to join in experiencing it. The word “all” is prominent in verses 14-15, and it indicates the breadth of Paul’s missionary goal.
Paul’s critics judged him – and themselves- “from a human point of view”, literally “by what he is in the flesh”. They valued persons on the basis of outward appearances and superficial signs. He now told the Corinthians that such evaluations were sub-Christians. The merely human point of view missed what God was doing. Since Paul’s conversion he did not see or evaluate people merely in terms of their human characteristics. He was concerned with their hearts and the work of the Spirit in their lives. Before conversion he saw Christ as the world saw Him, a troublesome teacher who died a shameful death. But now the emphasis was on the present. As a believer in Christ Paul now knew Him as the loving Savior who brings grace by His death and life by His resurrection. This statement does not mean that Paul had no interest in the earthly life of Jesus, simply that he now saw it from a new point of view. As a new person, he saw with new eyes. This led to his overwhelming concern for others.
Verse 17, with its great “therefore”, points back to what Paul said about Christ’s dying for all and all dying with Him (vv. 14-15). When Christ rose from the dead, the human race made a new start. All who are united with Him by faith are part of this new creation. They are “in Christ”, a term Paul used constantly throughout his letters to describe his relationship with Christ. It implied that those who exercise faith in Christ enter into a real, personal union with Him. Because they participate in His death to sin, the old things have passed away. This is true even though the old order hangs on for a while. The new creation will not be fully revealed until the new heaven and the new earth appear; but for those who are in Christ, the new order has already begun.
Everything that Paul and his companions did was to honor God. Not only did fear of God motivate them (5:11), but Christ’s love controlled their actions. The word for “controls” means “to hold fast”. In other words, the love of Christ was constraining them to certain courses of action. They knew that Jesus, out of His great love, had given up His life for their sakes. He had not acted out of His own self-interest, selfishly holding on to the glory of heaven that He already possessed (Philippians 2:6). Instead, Jesus had willingly “died for everyone”. Because Christ died for us, we also are dead to our old life. Like Paul, we should no longer live to please ourselves, we should spend our life pleasing Christ. Christians are brand-new people on the inside. The Holy Spirit gives them new life, and they are not the same anymore. While this newness is true individuality, Paul is saying much more. Not only are believers changed from within, but a whole new order of creative energy began with Christ. This is a new covenant, a new perspective, a new body, a new church. There is a new creation is being renewed. So, take notice, this is not a superficial change that will be quickly superseded by another novelty. This is an entirely new order of all creation under Christ’s authority. It requires a new way of looking at all people and all of creation.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:18-21
God brings us back to Himself (reconciles us) by blotting out our sins (Ephesians 2:13-18) and making us right with Him. When we trust in Christ we are no longer God’s enemies, or strangers or foreigners to Him. Because we have been reconciled to God, we have the privilege of encouraging others to do the same, and thus we are those who have the “task of reconciling people to Him”. As believers, we are Christ’s ambassadors sent with His message of reconciliation to the world. An ambassador of reconciliation has an important responsibility. We dare not take this responsibility lightly.
When we trust in Christ, we make an exchange. He takes our sin and makes us right with God. Our sin was laid on Christ at His crucifixion. His righteousness is given to us at our conversion. This is what Christians mean by Christ’s atonement for sin. In the world, bartering works only when two people exchange goods of relatively equal value. But God offers to trade His righteousness for our sin- something of immeasurable worth for something completely worthless. How grateful we should be for this kindness to us!!!
The word “reconcile” occurs three times in various forms in verses 18-19. It also is found in Roman 5:10-11. A similar word, also translated “reconcile”, is used in Ephesians 2:16 and Colossians 1:20. In all these cases the reference is to persons being reconciled to God. The emphasis is on something God does for humanity to overcome their hostility toward Him. Verse 19 restates the truth of verse 18 and adds the explanation, “not counting their trespasses against them”. Reconciliation implies that a state of enmity had existed due to sin. “Trespasses” means violations of God’s law or failures to do what is right. Such offenses God could have counted against mankind. Rather than do this, He overcame the enmity. Reconciliation requires effective treatment of the root cause of the hostility. This means that it is more than something that changes people’s attitudes. It is something that God accomplishes that draws God to man and man to God. Certainly, God loved us even before Christ died for us.
He did not have to have His mind changed in order to become our friend. But God demanded holiness of us and rejected our sin. Something had to be done to remove that sin so that God could receive us and we could receive the love God has for us. To accomplish this, Christ took upon Himself the judgment for our sin.
To reinforce His appeal, Paul restated the means and results of reconciliation in verse 21. It is made possible by Christ’s remedy for sin. “Made Him to be sin” means at least that God made Christ to bear the consequences of sin. But it is a daring phase that may mean much more. In some mysterious sense, the sinless Christ became identified with our sin so that we could become identified with His righteousness. As a result of this, those who are in Christ by faith “become the righteousness of God- that is, they receive the benefits of God’s righteousness. They (we) become righteous as they are transformed into the image of Christ. With that stated and believed, we should have the passion to share the gospel whenever and wherever we can.
REVELATION: What are Christians Affirmations? They are a method to reprogram your mind to gain spiritual confidence in agreement with God's word. It is a marvelous way to gain an amazing insight into God's loving character. Affirmations that lift your life.
A FRESH START
Movies and TV shows are full of time travel. Sometimes the time travel goes back to the past to change some event(s) for the better. Sometimes the leap is into the future to see if there is change needed for a fresh start. At the heart of these adventures is to find a different method or situation for some improvements. In real life aren’t many people searching for some guaranties or a fresh start? However, most ignore the best new start- not only in this life but for all of eternity. When we fail, Jesus restores us and gives us hope. When we come to faith in Christ, we realize there is nothing we can do to earn a right relationship with God. Now that we are Christians, we still fail, but we sometimes chastise ourselves for failing. The same grace we needed for salvation is the same grace we need to live it out. The hope we have in Christ is grounded in grace, and we need to experience that grace every day.
Read John 18:15-18, 25-27
The events in these verses occurred on the night before Jesus’ crucifixion, at the high priest’s residence in Jerusalem after Jesus’ arrest. This situation happened quickly in different locations.
The other disciple mentioned here I probably John, the author of this Gospel. He knew the high priest and identified himself to the woman at the door. Because of this connection, John got himself and Peter into the courtyard. So, Peter was not alone, but Peter refused to identify himself as a follower of Jesus. Peter’s experience in the next few hours would change his life.
Jesus had not come to that place alone. During this time, it was not clear whether Annas or Caiaphas was the high priest. Each held this office at different times, but it was likely Annas residence and Caiaphas may have still lived or had an office there. So, there was some confusion if there existed official authority to try Jesus. In fact, the pretrial of Jesus was not only informal but illegal. Peter and likely John showed up at the entrance to the court of the high priest’s place (v.15). The unnamed disciple was clearly known at that residence, so he gained easy entrance to the courtyard when Jesus was brought there. However, Peter was left standing at the entrance until John spoke to the doorkeeper (who was a slave girl) and she let Peter in.
Perhaps as she opened the door or gate for Peter she asked a question that was actually phrased in such a way that it would have been easy for him to say “no”. The question, in fact, was stated that “no” was the expected answer. “You are not one of this man’s disciples, too, are you?” Following the line of least resistance Peter indicated that he was not (v.17). She obviously had doubts about who she was letting into the courtyard. And Peter answered the simplest way, even though it was the untruthful way, the way of denial. Since it was cold that night the officers and servants or slaves had made a charcoal fire in the courtyard and were warming themselves around the fire (v. 18). Apparently trying to melt into the crowd, and likely because he was cold too, Peter joined the crowd around the fire, warming himself while Jesus was being subjected to questioning.
So, the stage was set (vv. 15-18) for Peter’s complete denial of Jesus. Jesus had predicted earlier that Peter would deny Him three times (13:38) before daybreak even though Peter had boasted that he (Peter) would be willing follow Jesus even to the death. While still warming himself around the fire Peter was further questioned about his relationship to Jesus. The other servants there seem to have taken up the question asked by the slave girl who served as the gatekeeper. They, too, phrased the question such a way that a negative answer was anticipated when they asked Peter if he were a disciple of Jesus. Again, Peter answered negatively (v.25). We all need to search our soul for what our answer to that question would be for us.
But once this subject was pursued one person, at least, was not willing to give up. This slave of the high priest was also a relative of Malchus, the high priest’s slave whose ear Peter had cut off in the garden. The light was probably uncertain in the garden and not too bright around a charcoal fire, but he still thought he recognized Peter as the man who had wielded the sword. He asked Peter directly if he had not seen him in the garden with Jesus. This time the question was phased in such a way that an affirmative answer was expected (V.26). But Peter’s answer was again negative. He denied that he had been in the garden with Jesus (V.27). And with this denial the cock crowed, just as Jesus had predicted. This reminds us that all of Jesus’ predictions have come true to this point in time. So, we can count on His prediction that He “will come again quickly”.
Peter had shown physical courage in the garden when he tried to protect Jesus by hacking away at Malchus. However, Peter was showing moral cowardice when tried to protect himself from the questions of a little slave girl. There is a significant contrast in the reaction of Peter and Judas to their actions. After his betrayal, Judas fell into despair and took his own life (Acts 1:18). After his denial Peter was moved to repentance and returned to Jesus, as we will see in the next segment. There is an interesting side note that many believed happened while Jesus was taken through the courtyard. It is believed Jesus actually looked at Peter following his third denial (Luke 22:61). This may have been significant in Peter’s encounter with Jesus after His resurrection.
Read John 21:15-19
The events in these verses took place after Jesus’ resurrection (perhaps a couple of weeks later). After they had finished breakfast Jesus directed a question to Simon Peter. Addressing him formally and fully as “Simon, son of John”, He asked Peter if he loved Him. Responding that Jesus knew he loved Him, Peter gave an affirmative answer to which Jesus replied by assigning him the task of feeding His lambs. But then Jesus repeated the question twice- for a total of three questions. Each time Peter answered that he loved Jesus. And each time Jesus responded by giving him a responsibility (vv.15-17). The third time Peter was grieved by the continued questions and affirmed his love for Jesus with a statement that the Lord knew everything, and He knew Peter loved Him.
This examination of Peter and his assertion of love and loyalty was a restoration of Simon Peter to ministry and service. Three times Peter had denied Jesus. Three times Jesus asked about his love for Him. I believe we can be certain that Peter had grieved a great deal about his denial of the Lord. Obviously, the other disciples knew about it and had probably discussed it among themselves. Before the group, Jesus had Simon Peter declare his love and loyalty to Him and accepting Peter’s confession gave him a ministering responsibility. He was to shepherd the sheep of Christ’s fold. This is the same responsibility we have as believers in Christ.
When Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him “more than these”, what was His comparison? More than what? It could have meant more than those other men loved Jesus. After all, Peter had asserted that he would remain loyal even if it meant death (13:37). Or He could have asked Peter if he loved Him more than those things around him: the boat, the nets, the sea, the fishing enterprise. Peter had gone back to fishing, and it may have been as a vocation. If this were true, then Jesus’ question to Peter was a call to final and full commitment.
There is also a difference in the words used for “love” in the questions that Jesus asked Simon. The first two times Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him with the love that C.B. Williams in “The New Testament: A Translation in the Language of the People” translated “devoted”. Peter answered with the word for love that Williams rendered “tenderly love”. The third time Jesus asked Peter the question He used the same word for love that Peter had used ‘tenderly love”. Peter may have been more grieved that Jesus had dropped to his level of love- than that He asked him the question three times. With the affirmative answer that Peter loved Him, Jesus assigned Peter a ministering responsibility. Jesus was not just interested in a profession of love but proof of his love by his actions. Peter had professed love but had failed in his actions. Jesus wanted the profession of love proved by his practice of love. Notice that love was the only requirement Jesus gave for witness and ministry. He just wanted to see the actions. That is what Jesus wants of all of us.
Jesus then made an observation that was rather proverbial. When Peter was young he could dress himself and carry himself wherever he wanted to go. But when he would get old then he could not care for himself that way. He could neither dress himself not determine his destination. The writer of the Gospel (John) interpreted this as an indication of the way Peter would die. In his old age Peter died by martyrdom (vv. 18-19). Traditionally, it has been thought that Peter died by crucifixion, upside down at his own request since he was not worthy to die in the same manner as Jesus.
Then in verse 19 Jesus said to Peter the same words that he had said in calling him to discipleship, “Follow me”. Following Jesus is the nature of Christian discipleship. When Peter was called to discipleship it was to follow Jesus. When Peter was restored and recommissioned it was with the same command, to follow Jesus. In this beach scene, Jesus led Peter through an experience that would remove the cloud of his denial. Peter’s occupation changed from fisherman to evangelist; his identity changed from impetuous to “rock”, and his relationship to Jesus changed – he was forgiven, and he finally understood the significance of Jesus’ words about His death and resurrection. Peter had a fresh start and that is the way- the only way – for any of us for a fresh start.
“Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning” (Lam. 3:22-23). In verse 19, Jesus uses the tense of the verb translated “feed” refers to an ongoing action, which could be rendered “keep on feeding”. This was not to be a one-time action for Peter- or for any of us. Thinking about Peter’s three denials in Chapter 18, used the time recorded by John in chapter 21, as a way to have Peter declare his allegiance to Him the same number of times as Peter’s denials. This was to Peter his fresh start- and it worked. This tells us that we can always count on Jesus for our fresh start.
CONTINUE WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF GOD’S PRESENCE BY LOOKING AT THE DETAILS OF THE FOLLOWING LINK-COPY AND PASTE:
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BATTLE PLAN
“IF you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle” – from the fifth century BC Chinese battle treatise “The Art of War”. This truth seems self-evident, but that doesn’t mean that we always practice it. No one should go to war without a clear knowledge of the enemy’s strategies and capabilities. On the battlefield, knowing the enemy helps your side to prepare to defeat the enemy forces. But we must also know ourselves- our strengths, weaknesses, and our limitations. Spiritual battle has only one difference. We need to have a clear knowledge of our enemy, his capabilities, and his usual methods of attack- but we also need to seek the help of God. The Old Testament is full of examples where God intervenes and gives the people a marvelous victory. But there are other examples where not calling on God for His help led to disasters.
We discover our battle plan by looking to Jesus, asking for God’s help, and seeking the Holy Spirit to guide us. The Gospel of Matthew reveals how Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. Matthew showed how Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. For these reasons, it is likely that Matthew was written primarily for a Jewish (or mostly Jesus) audience. It’s vital to remember that Jesus was an Israelite (Matt. 1:1-17), so the expectations and hopes of Israel were very real for Jesus. He did not come to replace Israel, but to fulfill what God had always said He would do through Israel.
Read Matthew 4:1-4
Matthew never identified himself as the author of this Gospel. It was the early church tradition that linked the apostle Matthew to the Gospel book bearing his name. However, it is clear that Matthew had access to Mark’s account of the life and ministry of Jesus, because there is some overlap between them. But Matthew’s Gospel is different from the Gospel of Mark in that it contains an introduction and five major teaching blocks of material. All of this material set the stage for the climactic events recorded at the end of the book: the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 26-28).
One of the things that stands out in Jesus’ ministry is the consistency in which He was led by the Spirit of God. In Matthew 1-2, angels appeared to Mary and Joseph, but in Matthew 3-4, the Spirit of God descended upon Jesus (Matt, 3:16) and led Him (4:1). Jesus was empowered by the Spirit of God for the work that God called Him to do. The first verse of Matthew 4 reminds us that Jesus was not a mere man doing good things. He was not a guru or sage. He was empowered by the Spirt of God to do the specific work of God. Spiritual power and authority was critical to Jesus’ ministry. The Spirit’s anointing, leading, and power characterized Jesus’ ministry. The same Spirit helps us understand who Jesus is, what He did, and what He’s doing. So, Jesus had great help with His “battle plan” and the same help is available to us also.
Verse 1 says that “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil”. Why did Jesus go there? What is it about the wilderness? Perhaps it is in the wilderness, away from comfort and ease, where desires are best refined and faithfulness to God is proved. Today, the earthly “wilderness” is where most are tempted. So, it was with Jesus, and so it is with those who follow Him. Jesus’ model prayer says, “And do not bring us into temptation” (Matt. 6:13). The Holy Spirit does not drive us to temptation, but He can. Temptation may come in the wilderness, but it is not the Spirit who brings us into temptation. The Spirit leads us, like He did our Savior, into wilderness. It is in the wilderness that we face trials, experience God’s refining fire, and gain intimacy with our Lord. So, the Spirit did not lead Jesus into temptation, nor does He lead us into temptation. But rather He leads us to the wilderness, where much of God’s transformative, refining work takes place.
The echoes from the stories of the Old Testament in Matthew 4 are too significant to ignore. In the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, God’s people traverse the wilderness on their way to the promised land. It is in the wilderness that God’s people fail in their obedience to the Lord and falter in their faith. In fact, the wilderness is the place of death. The Hebrew title if the Book of Numbers is actually called “bamidbar”, which is translated “in the wilderness” (and we thought it was due to all of the numbers). It is in this book that we read of an entire generation dying because of their unbelief and sin. We see that Moses died because he failed to consecrate the name of the Lord (Num. 20). Miriam and Aaron died in the wilderness too. The difference is that Jesus was faithful to God in the wilderness and resisted temptation (Matt. 4:1-10).
There are other things here that connect Jesus to the story of Israel, such as: 12 tribes of Israel, with a king at their head, and 12 disciples of Jesus, who is the King at their head; Moses waited 40 days on the mountain in the wilderness to receive God’s law, and Jesus waited 40 days in the wilderness; Moses received God’s instruction at Mount Sinai (Ex. 19-24), and Jesus gave God’s instruction in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). Other connections appear throughout Matthew’s Gospel as well. The point of all of these connections is simply to say that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament and the Old Testament points to Him.
Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights to prepare Himself for the temptations He would face and the ministry He would soon begin. He was determined to complete the work the Father had given Him. Prayer and fasting are powerful spiritual disciplines that remind us that while we are flesh and blood, we are more than mere flesh and blood. Fasting and prayer open us up to God in a unique way, growing our intimacy with Him and helping us hear His voice. Fasting and prayer reminds us that nourishment and health for our lives requires more than food; it requires us to feast on the Lord and all that He is for us. Fasting and prayer strengthen us and prepare us for spiritual battle.
From the introduction to Jesus’ time in the wilderness, Matthew moves us to Jesus’ experience with the tempter. This title connects Satan’s work with the temptation that is mentioned in verse 1- “to be tempted by the devil”. This title “tempter” reminds us that Satan’s work is to lead us away from God, His will, and His ways. And often Satan’s means of temptation is a lying voice. Consider that the voice of God had already declared over Jesus: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased” (3:17). Satan tempted Jesus to think differently- he wanted to split Jesus away from God’s declaration by speaking another word. It is as if Satan was saying “If you really are God’s beloved Son, then do a magic trick and turnstones to bread; fill the rumbling of your empty belly”. Recognizing the mode of Satan’s temptation- his voice- is important to be able to stand firm against him. Satan tempted Jesus three times, with different “hooks”. He tempted Him regarding physical appetites, a desire to test God and experience freedom from pain, and a compromise in devotion.
The first temptation involved hunger and “bread” -turn bread to stones. Jesus response was clear and unambiguous: He would not yield to Satan’s temptation with a statement: “Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God”. Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. Our Savior proclaimed that His appetite did not determine His life. He could and would be sustained by the Lord. Tricks like turning stones to bread would not provide the nourishment that Jesus really needed at the time. Jesus needed God’s strength to sustain Him all the way to the cross. As Jesus would later say, “My food is to do the will of the One who sent Me and to finish His work” (John 4:34). Jesus’ food was the will, the work, and the ways of God. He would trust in God and not Himself.
Read Matthew 4:5-7
The devil’s second strategy was to get Jesus to test God. The goal was to get Jesus to avoid pain and suffering (the cross). Satan took Jesus to the pinnacle, the highest point, of the temple in Jerusalem. Sacrifices were made at the temple. God met humanity there through the shedding of blood. But the devil wanted Jesus to avoid shedding His blood at the temple. The devil brought Jesus to this place and encouraged Him to throw Himself down, only to be rescued by angels. The devil actually quoted Psalm 91:11-12 in verse 6 but in a twisted way. He implied that since Jesus was the Son of God, then God would preserve Him and keep Him from pain. Satan wanted to test Jesus’ commitment to God’s purpose. The road to the cross was the path of pain that Jesus was called to walk. The journey to His death on a cross was His purpose in coming to earth. Jesus knew this as well and was determined to fulfill His mission.
Once again, Jesus replied with Scripture: “Do not test the Lord your God”, quoting Deuteronomy 6:16. Although Jesus would later ask that the cup of pain and wrath be taken from Him (Matt. 26:39), He would not be tempted away from the path of pain. His purpose was the cross. The devil attempted to draw Jesus from His mission on earth, His purpose in His incarnation. But Jesus would not be dissuaded; He would fulfill His mission to give His life as a ransom for many (20:28). Jesus embraced the ways of God- from death to life, from humiliation to glorification- and so must we as we follow the Lord. We can always trust God regardless of what may tempt us to think otherwise.
Read Matthew 4:8-10
Satan’s final temptation was to split Jesus away from His pure devotion to the Lord. In short, Satan tempted Jesus to compromise. Satan showed Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world” and Satan promised to give Jesus all of these things if Jesus would worship him. Satan tempted Jesus by offering glory without humiliation. It was a serious offer but it was an empty one. Satan was tempting Jesus with a compromise of worship. Satan was trying to do anything to win and take Jesus’ place – and to gain revenge on God. The Gospel of Matthew is crystal clear that Jesus’ glorification comes through His suffering on the cross. Jesus taught His disciples that to do the will of God, He “must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day” (16:21). Jesus’ resurrection would bring victory and glory. But to achieve the glory that God had in store for Him, Jesus would first suffer humiliation and pain.
Jesus’ response indicated that He would not be swayed, there would be no compromise. This is the lesson for all of us. His purpose would only be met by obeying the Lord, worshiping Him only, and fulfilling the will of the One who sent Him. For a third time, Jesus responded from the Book of Deuteronomy: “worship the Lord you God, and serve only Him” (Deut. 6:13). Jesus chose to devote Himself to God’s ways and God’s plan. Jesus chose the cross rather than Satan’s short-lived, false glory. More than that, after His resurrection, God would give all power and authority to Jesus anyway. Notice that the “Great Commission” of Matthew 28 begins with the key phrase: “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18). Jesus said these words after His resurrection, and it was after Jesus’ suffering and resurrection that God the Father gave to Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. He has the authority and got all the kingdoms of the world without Satan. Because Jesus is King over all, He commissioned those who follow Him to go into all the world and spread the news of the great and gracious King who reigns forever.
We should find it extraordinarily comforting to know that Jesus faced temptation just as we do. “For since He Himself has suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted” (Heb. 2:18). But more than that, the Bible declares that we are not alone in our temptations. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin: (4:15). What a strength and a comfort we have in our tested and victorious Savior. As a reminder, the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is the same Holy Spirit who we can call upon every day. And now Jesus is at the right hand of God to provide the only path to the Father.
JESUS LIFE LESSONS CAN BE EXPLORED EVEN FURTHER, COPY AND PASTE:
JESUS TEACHES
Eighty percent of adults in the U.S., consider the Bible a holy book (according to AmericanBible.org.) but few read it. So, it seems that whatever respect the Bible gets in America is superficial. A survey by Lifeway research indicates that only 11% of Christians read the Bible daily and 34% rarely read it. Therefore, so many miss out on the joy and abundant life that comes from applying its truth to their lives. They do not really know about Jesus’ teaching, let alone understand it, if they do not read the Bible. Jesus is the ultimate Teacher, who knew His subject perfectly, and cared deeply for people. Obeying Jesus’ teachings leads to fruitful living.
Read Mark 4:1-2a
Scriptures make it clear that God plays no favorites (Acts 10:34-35). By sending Jesus into the world, God the Father was affirming His love for every person. This is the starting point for really understanding the message behind Jesus’ parable of the soils, coming up. The Greek term translated parable literally means “placed alongside” (a comparison). For the people who heard these parables they would have resembled ancient Jewish wisdom literature. There are four things about parables of Jesus that will help us understand them: 1) A parable is a story with a plot; 2) A parable refers to a real-life scenario that would have been familiar to Jesus’ audience; 3) A parable if for the purpose of instruction, not entertainment; and 4) A parable normally teaches one truth. It is not an allegory with many truths hidden inside of it. Jesus used parables to teach. However, we must be careful not to go beyond what Jesus intended to teach. Parables were simple stories from everyday life that shed light on profound spiritual truths. The parable helped make abstract teachings concrete and meaningful- moving from the known to the unknown. Parables left men and women wondering and thinking that were beyond their understanding.
Jesus taught many things by parable, but in this chapter, he focused on the kingdom of God. There are some perplexing verses in Mark 4 that leave us puzzled about whether Jesus also used parables to conceal truth. Before we examine the parables themselves, we need further insight into “the kingdom of God” and into the purpose of parables. Jesus used parables to help all to understand the “kingdom of God”. The term means the reign of God. Matthew 6:10 sheds light on the meaning of this concept, where it says, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done”. The focus here is that God is doing the ruling. This fact is the great central truth of Jesus’ ministry. The terms “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven” appear over one hundred times in the Gospels. Jesus wanted to rule in a man’s heart, not on an earthly throne. To communicate these great truths, Jesus chose parable.
Read Mark 4:2b-7
Jesus invited His listeners to “consider the sower who went out to sow”. The image of a farmer sowing seeds would have been familiar to Jesus’ audience. Seeds were planted by hand. As the farmer walked across the field, he threw handfuls of seed onto the ground from a large bag, slung across his shoulders. The plants did not grow in neat rows as they do with today’s machine planting. No matter how skillful, no farmer could keep some of his seed from falling on the footpath, from being scattered among rocks and thorns, or from being carried off by the wind. So, the farmer would throw the seed liberally, and enough would fall on good ground to ensure the harvest.
In His interpretation of the parable for the twelve disciples (vv.10-20), Jesus identified the seed as “the word” (v.14). “The word” could represent the good news of God which Jesus had been proclaiming in Galilee: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news” (1:15). “The word” could also represent Jesus Himself. “The word sown would therefore be the people’s response to Jesus would they accept Him or not?” In explaining the nature of the four soils, Jesus began with the negatives- focusing on the soils in the farmer’s field that turned out to be unproductive. This lack of productivity was to be expected. No matter how much effort the farmer exerted to prepare the ground for the seed, some parts of the field were bound to be problem areas. And since broadcasting seed resembled a kind of “shotgun approach” to planting, some of what the farmer pitched was bound to land in soil that could not produce a crop.
What kind of “rocks” make our hearts shallow so that God’s Word doesn’t take root?
What “thorns” choke out the growth of God’s Word in our lives?
Read Mark 4:8-9
Unlike most parables, the parable of the sower has more than one main point: The double thrust comes from both the condition of the soil and the yield from the seed. The parable of the sower tells about the growth of the kingdom and the conditions for that growth. The uniformly good seed refers to the good news of the kingdom, while the soil of varying conditions refers to those who hear the good news. In Palestine the planters first scattered their seed; then they plowed the ground. From everyday life they knew the farmer could never know his proportion of yield until he knew the conditions of the soil. No wonder Jesus’ hearers could picture every detail of the story.
In the story there are four kinds of soil: 1) wayside soil that served as a path and was beaten down so that it was like cement, 2) a thin layer of surface soil that was bedded on limestone,3) soil that was polluted by thorns, and 4) soil that was pure, rich, and deep. Jesus told the parable in verses 3-9 without interpreting its spiritual meaning. Basically, the meaning was this: Get the soil of your life in shape so that you can receive the seed of the good news and then bear spiritual fruit as God reigns in your life. However, Jesus interpreted the spiritual meaning in verses 13-19 after His disciples asked Him for an explanation. The conditions of the four soils are matched by four types of conditions in the lives of those who hear the good news.
The hearing Jesus wants from us is not the kind we use when we listen to background music or when someone starts to recount a long story we’ve already heard. To truly “hear” Jesus’ words is to believe them, to use them immediately in decisions and attitudes, and to base life on them- our recreation and work, family plans and money matters, praying and singing. To hear Jesus’ words is to make Jesus our true Lord. Jesus is asking what are we going to do?
JESUS RULES
There were two different tornadoes that struck Reading Road in Cincinnati, Ohio in the 1970’s? They were a few years apart, but they struck the same restaurant that we had eaten in a couple of times before. Also, we had what was called “hurricane” remnants in the Fall of 2008. It damaged my roof. In any of these or other such events we can only do so much to protect life and property. A time comes when we just need to get out of the way or leave the effected areas- like in the recent rash of hurricanes or the California fires. The forces of nature are powerful, but Jesus is more so- and He is present with His followers in everything they face. The Lord who is over all creation is working with us, and He invites us to trust Him. We can trust Jesus in the storm of life. Let’s think about what causes floods, tornadoes, or hurricanes and what is God’s role in each of them! Whatever we conclude, we need to ask God to teach us to trust Him when we go through literal and figurative storms in our lives.
Read Mark 4:35-37
The chapter includes two more parables about the Kingdom of God (vv.26-32) in addition to the parable of the soils. These two parables remind us that the kingdom was present and active in Jesus. Jesus demonstrated His authority extended over nature as well. It is easy to believe that following Jesus will solve all of our problems, but while we are on earth that is not the case. Certainly, God is in control, but we are reminded that Jesus said Satan is “the ruler in this world” (Matt. 20:25). In Revelation 19:11-21, we see Jesus taking over that role.
Now we enter a new part of Jesus’ ministry that shows God’s reign in action. Through four miracles, Jesus ruled over nature, demons, disease, and death- but not over unbelief. His display of power would serve as further preparation for the future ministry of the disciples. To perform their ministry, they also would need the power that comes from God, a power like that which Jesus had. In these verses, Jesus had taught from a boat until evening came. Then, at Jesus’ suggestion, the disciples joined Him in the boat to go across the sea from Capernaum to Gadara. The trip from the northwestern shore to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee was above six miles. Mark is the only Gospel that tells about other boats accompanying them (vv.35-36).
More often than not, the Sea of Galilee was calm and peaceful; yet it was notorious for its sudden storms. Jesus’ disciples had set sail calmly enough with Jesus asleep on a cushion (at the rear of the boat, where a guest would lie down). But a violent storm erupted, and waves began to fill the boat. The disciples were seasoned fishermen who would not panic over a few whitecaps. But the boat was almost swamped and was in danger of sinking; so, they were panic-stricken. Jesus must have been exhausted from the strain of teaching, for He was sleeping through the storm. Although His sleep was one of weariness (human condition), it was also one of faith. He had no fear! With mingled agitation and reproach, the disciples woke Jesus and questioned whether it mattered to Him that they were about to drown. (These same disciples would later sleep when Jesus needed them.)
The “lake”, in verse 35, was the Sea of Galilee (as indicated previously), a body of water 680 feet below sea level and surrounded by hills. Winds blowing across the land intensify close to the sea, often causing violent and unexpected storms. The disciples had spent their lives fishing on this same “lake”, but now they panicked. Problems occur in every area of life. The disciples needed rest, but they encountered a terrible storm. The Christian life may have more stormy weather than calm seas. As Christ’s followers, be prepared for the storms that will surely come. We should not surrender to the stress, but remain resilient and recover from setbacks. With faith in Christ, we can pray, trust, and move ahead. When a storm approaches, lean into the wind and trust God.
Read Mark 4:38-39
Storms, like described by Mark, serve as an apt metaphor for the storms we face in life. They can come up quickly with little or no warning. While weather forecasting services attempt to provide warnings and predictions of storms, we get little or no warning of life’s storms. They can come up quickly. They can toss us about, turning our lives upside down. Being a believer does not exempt us from facing life’s storms. In these verses we see that the disciples mistook Jesus’ lack of anxiety for unconcern. They assumed His ability to sleep through the violent storm meant He really didn’t care if they lived or died. Fear has a way of both driving us to Jesus and leading us to doubt His compassion.
Jesus quickly calmed the disciples’ alarm with a command to the elements. The creator of the wind and sea commanded them, “Peace! Be still” (v.39). And the storm disappeared. For the first time in the book of Mark, Jesus revealed that He had power over the elements of nature. And, as some commenters point out, if we accept a healing miracle, why stagger at a nature miracle? The Creator is also lord over His creation. As the King James version states, “There arose a great storm of wind…and He arose” (vv. 37,39). Truly, for every crisis there is Christ.
Let’s think about how the following life circumstances may cause us to wonder if God cares:
Are there others? Any thoughts on the best way to approach or handle each?
Read Mark 4:40-41
After Jesus calmed the storm, He questioned the disciples about their fear and lack of faith. “Afraid’ (V. 40) may also mean cowardly (as translated by The New English Bible). In Jesus; gentle rebuke of the disciples, He revealed that faith is the cure for fear (v.40). Then when fear seized the disciples again, Jesus did not chide them. The second fear was the awe that man should have- a reverent fear at the power of God in Jesus (v.41). No command in the Bible appears more often than “Fear not!” Faith in Jesus ends cowardly fear. But the modern Christian needs a healthy and wholesome fear of Jesus, which causes the Christian to stand in awe and to wonder at the personhood of one who has such great power.
Some try to explain away the miracle over the elements of nature. Then there are those who try to use these elements of nature to say God was punishing that area or kinds of people. But God who created the world did not create it to be a closed system, sealed off from Him. He can- and does- intervene in His creation, but not as a punishment or a reward. In the calming of the wind and sea, God in Christ overruled the disorder of nature. There are passages in Psalms that reflect God’s power over nature (Psalm 46:1-3; 89:9; 108:28-29).
The disciples lived with Jesus, but they underestimated Him. They did not see that His power applied to their very own situation. Jesus has been with His people for over 20 centuries, and yet we, like the disciples, underestimate His power to handle crisis in our lives. The disciples did not yet know enough about Jesus. We cannot make the same excuse. Faith grows over time and the disciples had to learn this- as we do. Even in the midst of life’s storms, we can know that Jesus is in control. He rules!!!
