NKJV – Page 2 – by tkbrown

Jesus Turns Water to Wine

John 2:11 — “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.”

Scripture is from the Holy Bible — New King James Version (NKJV)

Notes on Scripture (below) by tkbrown

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Lesson Scripture — John 2:1-25

1 — “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.”
2 — “Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.”
3 — “And they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, ‘They have no wine.'”
4 — “Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.'”
5 — “His mother said to the servants, ‘Whatever He says to you, do it.'”
6 — “Now there were set there six water pots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.”
7 — “Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the water pots with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim.”
8 — “And He said to them, ‘Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.’ And they took it.”
9 — “When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom;”
10 — “And he said to him, ‘Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!'”
11 — “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.”
12 — “After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.”
13 — “Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.”
14 — “And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.”
15 — “When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables.”
16 — “And He said to those who sold doves, ‘Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!'”
17 — “Then His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.'”
18 — “So the Jews answered and said to Him, ‘What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?'”
19 — “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.'”
20 — “Then the Jews said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build the temple, and will You raise it up in three days?'”
21 — “But He was speaking of the temple of His body.”
22 — “Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, ‘His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.”
23 — “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.”
24 — “But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men,”
25 — “and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.”

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Old Testament Prophecy Related to John 2:1-25

v 4 — 2 Samuel 16:10 — “But the king said, ‘What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? So, let him curse, because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David.’ Who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?'”

v13 — Deuteronomy 16:1-6

1 — “‘Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.'”
2 — “‘Therefore you shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God, from the flock and the herd, in the place where the Lord chooses to put His name.'”
3 — “‘You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, that is, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), that you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.'”
4 — “‘And no leaven shall be seen among you in all your territory for seven days, nor shall any of the meat which you sacrifice the first day at twilight remain overnight until morning.'”
5 — “‘You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates which the Lord your God gives you;'”
6 — “‘but at the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide, there you shall sacrifice the Passover at twilight, at the going down of the sun, at the time you came out of Egypt.'”

v14 — Malachi 3:1 — “‘Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple. Even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,’ says the Lord of hosts.'”

v17 — Psalms 69:9 — “Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.”

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New Testament Scripture Related to John 2:1-25

v 1 — Hebrews 13:4 — “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled, but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”

v 1 — John 4:46 — “So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.”

v 1 — John 19:25 — “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.”

v 4 — John 19:26 — “When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!'”

v 4 — John 7:6 — “Then Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.'”

v 4 — John 7:8 — “‘You go up to this feast, I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.'”

v 4 — John 7:30 — “Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.”

v 4 — John 8:20 — “These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid his hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.”

v 6 — Mark 7:3 — “For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.”

v 9 — John 4:46 — “So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.”

v11 — John 4:54 — “This again is the second sight Jesus did when he had come out of Judea unto Galilee.”

v11 — John 1:14 — “And the Word became flesh and dwealt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

v12 — Matthew 4:13-16

13 — “And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,”
14 — “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying;”
15 — “‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;'”
16 — “‘the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.'”

v12 — Matthew 12:46 — “While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.”

v12 — Matthew 13:55 — “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?”

v14 — Mark 11:15-18

15 — “So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.”
16 — “And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.”
17 — “Then He taught, saying to them, ‘Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves.'”
18 — “And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.”

v16 — Luke 2:49 — “And He said to them, ‘Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?'”

v18 — Matthew 12:38 — “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, ‘Teacher, we want to see a sight from You.'”

v19 — Matthew 26:59-61

59 — “Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death,”
60 — “but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward”
61 — “and said, ‘This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.'”

v19 — Matthew 27:39, 40

39 — “And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads”
40 — “and saying, ‘You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

v21 — I Corinthians 3:16 — “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

v21 — I Corinthians 6:19 — “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”

v22 — Luke 24:6-8

6 — “‘He is not here but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,'”
7 — “‘saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'”
8 — “And they remembered His words.”

v23 — Acts 2:22-24

22 — “‘Men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know–‘”
23 — “‘Him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;'”
24 — “‘whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.'”

v24 — Revelations 2:23 — “‘I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.'”

v25 — Matthew 9:4 — “But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts?'”

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Notes on Scripture: by tkbrown

This lesson is found in the second chapter of the Gospel of John. This is a much more thorough account than seen in the other Gospels. So, I have chosen to center the lesson around this text and reveal the correlations to other scriptures in the Gospels. It is the first sign of Jesus power which would be revealed in a multitude of ways throughout His ministry here on earth.

It is interesting that Jesus’ mother, Mary, was the one who initiated His turning the water to wine at the wedding in Cana–the activation of God’s power being revealed through signs performed by Jesus. Although it was done quietly, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples were witnesses–along with the servants whom He directed. Thus, God’s power as a part of His ministry is revealed, and His disciples along with His family, believed He was–and is–the Son of God.

John, Chapter 2, verse 11 says: “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.”

After departing Cana, Jesus, His family, and His disciples went to Capernaum where they stayed a few days then went to Jerusalem because the Passover of the Jews would be soon. Upon arrival, Jesus found the temple being used as a marketplace. Merchants and moneychangers were set-up with their wares. Jesus abhorred the sight of such activities in His Father’s house. He took cords and created whips with which He drove them from the temple, pouring the money out and overturning the tables. Apparently, His disciples were taken by surprise; but–finally–they remembered the scripture where it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” This would not be the only time this occurred; deprecation of the temple was not tolerated by Jesus.

It might be some consolation to know, even God and Jesus are angered from time to time. Psalms 30, verses four and five say:

4 — “Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.”
5 — “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

In Ephesians 4:26, the apostle Paul quoted Psalms 4:4 when he said:

“‘Be angry and do not sin‘ do not let the sun go down on your wrath.”
Ephesians 4:26

“Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed and be still.”
Psalms 4:4

“Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret–it only causes harm.”
Psalms 37:8

So, though Jesus was apparently angered by the activities being wrought about in the temple of the Lord, He addressed the problem and moved on to teaching those who were there. He did not dwell on His anger.

When those who were there asked Him to show a sign since He had addressed the marketplace in the temple in such a manner, He responded they would “destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” They thought He was referring to the temple building, but He was not. His reference was to the destruction of His body (the Lord’s temple) which would be crucified on the cross, and He would raise it from the dead three days hence. They did not understand what He said.

Jesus’ time in Jerusalem was well-received by the people during the feast of the Passover; “many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did,” John 2:23.

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Lesson One: Zacharias to Have Son
Lesson Two: Jesus Birth Foretold
Lesson Three: Zacharias’ Son, John, is Born
Lesson Four: Jesus is Born
Lesson Five: And Jesus Grew . . .
Lesson Six: John Begins His Ministry
Lesson Seven: Jesus is Introduced to the World
Lesson Eight: Jesus’ Ancestral Lineage
Lesson Nine: Jesus is Tempted by Satan
Lesson Ten: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 1)
Lesson Eleven: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 2) — Sermon on the Mount (Part 1)
Lesson Twelve: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 3) — Sermon on the Mount (Part 2)
Lesson Thirteen: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 4) — Sermon on the Mount (Part 3)
Lesson Fourteen: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 5) — Sermon on the Mount (Part 4 — Conclusion)
Lesson Fifteen: Jesus Turns Water to Wine — The Wedding at Cana

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Photo Above: by Hans @ pixabay.com

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Jesus Begins His Ministry — Part 5

Scripture is from the Holy Bible — New King James Version (KNJV)

Notes on Scripture (below) by tkbrown

“Sermon on the Mount,” conclusion

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Lesson Scripture — Matthew 7:1-29

1 — “‘Judge not, that you be not judged.'”

2 — “‘For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.'”

3 — “‘And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?'”

4 — “‘Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’, and look, a plank is in your own eye?'”

5 — “‘Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.'”

6 — “‘Do not give what is holy to the dogs nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.'”

7 — “‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.'”

8 — “‘For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.'”

9 — “‘Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?'”

10 — “‘Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?'”

11 — “‘If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!'”

12 — “‘Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.'”

13 — “‘Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.'”

14 — “‘Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.'”

15 — “‘Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.'”

16 — “‘You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?'”

17 — “‘Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.'”

18 — “‘A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.'”

19 — “‘Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.'”

20 — “‘Therefore by their fruits you will know them.'”

21 — “‘Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.'”

22 — “‘Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'”

23 — “‘And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'”

24 — “‘Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock;'”

25 — “‘and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.'”

26 — “‘But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand;'”

27 — “‘and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.'”

28 — “And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching.”

29 — “for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”

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Lesson Scripture — Luke 6:37-49

37 — “‘Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.'”

38 — “‘Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.'”

39 — “‘And He spoke a parable to them: ‘Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?'”

40 — “‘A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.'”

41 — “‘And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?'”

42 — “‘Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.'”

43 — “‘For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.'”

44 — “‘For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.'”

45 — “‘A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.'”

46 — “‘But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?'”

47 — “‘Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:'”

48 — “‘He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.'”

49 — “‘But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.'”

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Old Testament Prophecy Related to Matthew 7:1-29

v 6 — Proverbs 9:7, 8

7 — “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, and he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.”
8 — “Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.”

v 8 — Proverbs 8:17 — “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.” (Below, I am going back to verse twelve to clarify this discourse for you.)

12 — “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence and find out knowledge and discretion.”
13 — “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil’ pride and arrogance and the evil way, and the perverse mouth I hate.”
14 — “Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength.”
15 — “By me kings reign and rulers decree justice.”
16 — “By me princes rule, and nobles, all the judges of the earth.”

v11 — Genesis 6:5 — “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

v11 — Genesis 8:21 — “And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.”

v15 — Jeremiah 23:15, 16

15 — “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets: ‘Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall; for from the prophets of Jerusalem profaneness has gone out into all the land.'”
16 — “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord.'”

v15 — Micah 3:5 — “Then they will cry to the Lord, but He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time because they have been evil in their deeds.”

v22 — Numbers 24:1-7

1 — “Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to seek to use sorcery, but he set his face toward the wilderness.”
2 — “And Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel encamped according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him.”
3 — “Then he took up his oracle and said: ‘The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened,”
4 — “‘the utterance of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, with eyes wide open;'”
5 — “‘How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel!'”
6 — “‘Like valleys that stretch out, like gardens by the riverside, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters,'”
7 — “‘He shall pour water from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters. His king shall be higher than a gag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.'”

v23 — Psalms 5:5 — “The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity.”

v23 — Psalms 6:8 — “Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity for the Lord will receive my prayer.”

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New Testament Scriptures Related to Matthew 7:1-29

v 1 — Romans 14:3 — “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.”

v 2 — Luke 6:38 — “‘Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.'”

v 3 — Luke 6:41 — “‘And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?'”

v 7 — Mark 11:24 — “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?'”

v 9 — Luke 11:11 — “‘If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?'”

v12 — Luke 6:31 — “‘And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.'”

v12 — Galatians 5:14 — “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'”

v13 — Luke 13:24 — “‘Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for man, I say to you, will seek and will not be able.'”

v16 — Matthew 7:20 — “‘Therefore by their fruits you will know them.'”

v16, 17 — Matthew 12:33 — “‘Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.'”

v16 — Luke 6:43 — “‘For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.'”

v19 — John 15:2 — “‘Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.'”

v19 — John 15:6 — “‘If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.'”

v21 — Luke 6:46 — “‘But why do you call Me Lord Lord, and not do the things which I say?'”

v21 — Romans 2:12-16

12 — “For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law.”
13 — “(for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified;”
14 — “for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these although not having the law, are a law to themselves.”
15 — “who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)”
16 — “in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.”

v23 — II Timothy 2:19 — “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal; ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.'”

v24 — Luke 47-49

47 — “Whoever comes to Me , and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like.'”
48 — “He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation of the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.'”
49 — “But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.'”

v28 — Matthew 13:54 — “When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, ‘Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?'”

v29 — John 7:46 — “The officers answered, ‘No man ever spoke like this Man!'”

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Old Testament Prophecy Related to Luke 6:37-49

v38 — Proverbs 19:17 — “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given.”

v38 — Proverbs 28:27 — “He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses.”

v38 — Psalm 79:11, 12

11 — “Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; according to the greatness of Your power preserve those who are appointed to die;'”
12 — “‘and return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom their reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.'”

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New Testament Scripture Related to Luke 6:37-49

v37 — Matthew 7:1-5

1 — “‘Judge not, that you be not judged.'”
2 — “‘For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.'”
3 — “‘And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?'”
4 — “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye;’ and look a plank is in your own eye?'”
5 — “‘Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.'”

v37 — Matthew 18:21-35

21 — “Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?'”
22 — “Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'”
23 — “‘Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.'”
24 — “‘And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.'”
25 — “‘But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.'”
26 — “‘The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'”
27 –“‘Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.'”
28 — ‘”But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!'”
29 — “‘So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me; and I will pay you all.'”
30 — “‘And he would not but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.'”
31 — “‘So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved and came and told their master all that had been done.'”
32 — “‘Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.'”
33 — “‘Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?'”
34 — “‘And his master was angry and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.'”
35 — “‘So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.'”

v38 — James 2:13 — “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

v39 — Matthew 15:12-14

12 — “Then His disciples came and said to Him, ‘Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?'”
13 — “But He answered and said, ‘ Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.'”
14 — “Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.'”

v39 — Matthew 23:16 — “Woe to you blind guides who say, “Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.'”

v40 — John 13:16 — “Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.'”

v40 — John 15:20-23

20 — “‘Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.'”
21 — “‘But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.'”
22 — “‘If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.'”
23 — “‘He who hates Me hates My Father also.'”

v41 — Matthew 7:3 — “‘And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?'”

v43 — Matthew 7:16-18

16 — “‘You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?'”
17 — “‘Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.'”
18 — “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.”

v43 — Matthew 18:20 — “‘For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.'”

v44 — Matthew 12:33 — “‘Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.'”

v45 — Matthew 12:34, 35

34 — “‘Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.'”
35 — “‘A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.'”

v47 — James 1:22-25

22 — “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
23 — “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;”
24 — “for he observes himself, goes away and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.”
25 — “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

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Notes on Scripture: by tkbrown

As Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount, He addresses several behaviors and attributes which differentiate His true followers from those who are not His followers. He stresses the importance of both hearing and doing what He said. The tendency of some to skip ‘doing” in favor of a way more appealing to the masses is warned against. He taught of the difficulties in adhering to a life which keeps us on the narrow road with entry at the narrow gate. Since He was persecuted while here on earth — and since then — He assures us we will be persecuted, too, for His name’s sake. He reminds us, however, in the end those who persecute my followers have their reward right here on earth. Our reward will be eternal life in heaven with Him and with God.

Discussing judgment of others, Jesus clearly states we are not granted the right, as His followers, to judge the behavior of others — whether or not it is pleasing to God. With whatever judgment we judge, we shall be judged. By whatever law we judge, we will be judged by the same law. With whatever measure we judge, we will be judged by the same measure. If we judge others harshly, we will be judged harshly in return. This includes self-righteous criticism of others; we are not to view ourselves as ‘better followers of Christ than others.’ We are to seek God’s righteousness in ourselves, but we are not to look at the behaviors of others to discern whether or not they possess God’s righteousness. It is important to remember, “When I am pointing a finger at someone else, I have three fingers pointing back at me.”

If we are a good follower of Jesus, we will lead good followers to Jesus. If we follow Jesus as we are taught in the Holy Bible, we will bring others to Christ as well. Others will want to know what we have and how to get it. Does the fig tree have to put forth effort to reproduce and bear figs on its branches? If the gardener tends the tree properly, and if it is planted in good soil, it has no choice but to bear good fruit. If the gardener does not tend the tree properly, or if it is planted in poor soil, it may bear no fruit at all. If it does bear fruit, it will likely be withered, small, or deformed — not good fruit. When this is the case, the tree will be up-rooted and thrown into the fire.

“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”
John 15:2 — Holy Bible (NKJV)

The persecution and other methods of trying our faith make us stronger as Christians. Via Christ-like compassion, which promotes the agape form of love for others, we are more prone to help others and to forgive them when we are wronged.

Oftentimes, we see someone engaging in a behavior that we deem to be sinful. Is it our responsibility to try to stop that behavior? If we do try to assist change in the other person, we must first look at our own life and clean all sin from it. Is it possible to say we are without sin? No, it is not.

“If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and the word is not in us.”
I John 1:10 — Holy Bible (NKJV)

When we have removed sin (the plank) from our life, only then are we to point out and attempt to assist in the removal of sin (the speck) from the lives of others. Even then, it is much easier to lead and assist by example.

If someone has need, we are to give freely — without expectation of return. If someone asks us for help, we are to give that help to the extent possible. Jesus uses the example of a child asking a parent for bread or for a fish. Would the parent give his/her child a stone or a snake instead of bread or a fish? No, the child would be given what he/she requested. He explains that it is the same when His followers ask of God. If we ask, we will receive; if we seek, we will find; if we knock, it will be opened. By this, He is saying, if we ask for God to help us grow as Christ’s follower, we will grow. If we seek God’s righteousness, we will become more like God. If we knock, the door to God’s way will be opened to us. God already knows our physical needs. Thus, there is no need to ask for those — though most of us do. When we are making requests of God, it is important we remember to thank Him for all Blessings bestowed upon us. It is also important to believe He will hear our requests and provide.

As noted above, if we choose the straight and narrow way, we will have difficulty staying on that path. Many who set out upon it, falter and fall by the wayside. He said the road is crowded, and many will not be allowed in. Many will say to Him, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name; did we not cast out demons in Your name; have we not performed many wonderful deeds in your name?” He said, because they have not obeyed His commandments, He will say, “Depart from Me. I never knew you!” Many will prefer to follow a path which seems right to them, not the path Jesus specified in the Scriptures. We cannot “do it our way and get to heaven.”

He cautioned against listening to the wolves in sheep’s clothing — those who teach false doctrine. Those who make it seem easy to meet the requirements set forth in the New Testament. This goes back to the concept we have seen often and will see much more as we continue our studies:

“Study to show thyself approved a workman unto God that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.”
II Timothy 2:15 — Holy Bible — King James Version (KJV)

If we study for ourselves and verify in the scriptures, everything taught by others, we can know in our hearts whether or not we have been presented a false doctrine.

Jesus concluded the Sermon on the Mount with an example of two people hearing his sayings. He said those who hear his sayings and do them are like a person building a home and setting it upon a foundation set upon solid rock. Jesus is that rock. That house is in no danger of being destroyed when the floods come. It will stand. There may need to be repairs, but the house itself will stand. The other person hearing His sayings and doing them not is likened unto the person whose house is built upon the sand with no foundation beneath it. When the floods come, that house will fall and be washed away.

Therefore, as we continue with the studies of Jesus Ministry, I continue to emphasize the importance of studying these lessons yourself. Do not just take my word for it. What I say in these notes should be verified in the scriptures. This is the only way you can form-up that foundation for a solid support to your house in heaven. Study the scriptures until you know them front to back. Even then, it is important to continue with your daily study and with verifying the things you are taught. When this is a regular part of your spiritual growth, it will become easier because eventually, you know almost instantaneously whether or not the doctrine being presented is true. As you continue going to the scriptures in the Holy Bible and studying, it will be necessary for you to begin teaching others.

I pray these lessons are a blessing to you in the learning of Christ’s teachings while He lived here on earth and the teachings of His apostles following His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension back to heaven. May God Bless and Keep you until the next lesson when we will see Jesus Continuing His Ministry here on earth.

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Lesson One -- Zacharias to Have Son . . .
Lesson Two -- Scripture: Jesus Birth Foretold . . .
Lesson Three -- Scripture: Zacharias' Son, John, is Born . . .
Lesson Four -- Scripture: Jesus is Born . . .
Lesson Five -- Scripture: And Jesus Grew . . .
Lesson Six -- Scripture: John Begins His Ministry . . .
Lesson Seven -- Scripture: Jesus is Introduced to the World . . .
Lesson Eight -- Scripture: Jesus' Ancestral Lineage
Lesson Nine -- Scripture: Jesus is Tempted by Satan
Lesson Ten -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part I)
Lesson Eleven -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 2) -- Sermon on the Mount (Part I)
Lesson Twelve -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 3) -- Sermon on the Mount (Part 2)
Lesson Thirteen -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 4) -- Sermon on the Mount (Part 3)
Lesson Fourteen -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 5) -- Sermon on the Mount (Part 4) -- (Conclusion)

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Photo above by: kieutruongphoto @ pixabay.com.

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Jesus Begins His Ministry — Part 4

Scripture is from the Holy Bible — New King James Version (NKJV)

Notes on Scripture (below) by tkbrown

“Sermon on the Mount”

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Lesson Scripture — Matthew 6:1-34

1 — “‘Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.'”

2 — “‘Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.'”

3 — “‘But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,'”

4 — “‘that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.'”

5 — “‘And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.'”

6 — “‘But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.'”

7 — “‘And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.'”

8 — “‘Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.'”

9 — “‘In this manner, therefore, pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.'”

10 — “‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.'”

11 — “‘Give us this day our daily bread.'”

12 — “‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.'”

13 — “‘And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.'”

14 — “‘For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.'”

15 — “‘But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.'”

16 — “‘Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.'”

17 — “‘But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,'”

18 — “‘so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.'”

19 — “‘Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;'”

20 — “‘but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.'”

21 — “‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.'”

22 — “‘That lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.'”

23 — “‘But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!'”

24 — “‘No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.'”

25 — “‘Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?'”

26 — “‘Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?'”

27 — “‘Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?'”

28 — “‘So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin;'”

29 — “‘and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.'”

30 — “‘Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?'”

31 — “‘Therefore do not worry saying: What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear?'”

32 — “‘For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.'”

33 — “‘But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.'”

34 — “‘Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.'”

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Lesson Scripture — Luke 18:1-14

1 — “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,”

2 — “saying, ‘There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.'”

3 — “‘Now there was a widow in that city, and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.'”

4 — “‘And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man,'”

5 — “‘yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continued coming she weary me.'”

6 — “‘Then the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unjust judge said,'”

7 — “‘And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?'”

8 — “‘I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?'”

9 — “Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.”

10 — “‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.'”

11 — “‘The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men–extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.'”

12 — “‘I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'”

13 — “‘And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner!'”

14 — “‘I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.'”

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Lesson Scripture — John 1:4-9

4 — “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

5 — “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

6 — “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John”

7 — “This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.”

8 — “He was not that Light but was sent to bear witness of that Light.”

9 — “That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.”

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Old Testament Prophecy Related to Matthew 6:1-34

v 2 — 2 Kings 4:32, 33

32 — “When Elisha came into the house, there was the child lying dead on his bed.”

33 — “He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord.”

v 7 — Ecclesiastes 5:2 — “Do not be rash with your mouth and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore, let your words be few.”

v 7 — 1 Kings 18:25, 26

25 — “Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, ‘Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.'”

26 — “So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, ‘O Baal, hear us!’ But there was no voice, no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.”

v 9 — Malachi 1:11 — “‘For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; in every place incense shall be offered to My name. And a pure offering, for My name shall be great among the nations,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

v10 — Psalms 103:20 — “Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word.”

v11 — Proverbs 30:8 — “Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches–feed me with the food allotted to me;”

v16 — Isaiah 58:3-7

3 — “‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice? In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exploit all your laborers.'”

4 — “‘Indeed you fast for strife and debate and to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, to make your voice heard on high.'”

5 — “‘Is it a fast that I have chosen, a day for man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast and an acceptable day to the Lord?'”

6 — “‘Is this not the fast that I have chosen; to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?'”

7 __ “‘Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?'”

v17 — Ruth 3:3 — “‘Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.'”

v19 — Proverbs 23:4 — “Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease!”

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New Testament Scriptures Related to Matthew 6:1-34

v 2 — Romans 12:6-8

6 — “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them; if prophecy, let us prophecy in proportion to our faith,”

7 — “or ministry, let us use it in our ministering, he who teaches, in teaching;”

8 — “he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives with liberality, he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

v 4 — Luke 14:12-14

12 — “Then He also said to him who invited Him, ‘When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.'”

13 — “‘But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.'”

14 — “‘And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid in the resurrection of the just.'”

v 8 — Romans 8:26, 27

26 — “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

27 — “Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

v 9 — Luke 11:2-4

2 — “So He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.'”

3 — “‘Give us day by day our daily bread.'”

4 — “‘And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.'”

v 9 — Matthew 5:9 — “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

v 9 — Matthew 5:16 — “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

v10 — Matthew 26:42 — “Again a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.'”

v12 — Matthew 18:21-35

21 — “Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?'”

22 — “Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'”

23 — “‘Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.'”

24 — “‘And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.'”

25 — “‘But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.'”

26 — “‘The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'”

27 — “‘Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.'”

28 — “‘But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!'”

29 — “‘So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'”

30 — “‘And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.'”

31 — “‘So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.'”

32 — “‘Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.'”

33 — “‘Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'”

34 — “‘And his master was angry and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.'”

35 — “‘So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.'”

v13 — 2 Peter 2:9 — “then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.”

v13 — John 17:9 — “‘I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom you have given Me, for they are Yours.'”

v13 — John 17:15 — “‘I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.'”

v13 — John 17:20, 21

20 — “‘I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;'”

21 — “‘that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.'”

v14 — Mark 11:25 — “‘And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive your trespasses.'”

v15 — Matthew 18:35 — “‘So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart does not forgive his brother his trespasses.'”

v22 — Luke 11:34-36

34 — “‘The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.'”

35 — “‘Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.'”

36 — “‘If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.'”

v24 — Luke 16:9 — “‘And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.'”

v24 — Luke 16:11 — “‘Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?'”

v24 — Luke 16:13 — “‘No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.'”

v24 — Galatians 1:10 — “For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”

v25 — Luke 12:22-23

22 — “‘Then He said to His disciples, ‘Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.'”

23 — “‘Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.'”

v26 – Luke 12:24 — “‘Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn, and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?'”

v33 — I Timothy 4:8 — “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”

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Old Testament Prophecy Related to Luke 18:1-14

v11 — Psalm 135:2 — “You who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.”

v11 — Isaiah 1:15 — “When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.”

v11 — Isaiah 55:2 — “Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching God.”

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New Testament Scripture Related to Luke 18:1-14

v 1 — Luke 11:5-10

5 — “And He said to them, ‘Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves.'”

6 — “‘for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him.'”

7 — “‘and he will answer from within and say, Do not trouble me, the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed, I cannot rise and give to you?'”

8 — “‘I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.'”

9 — “‘So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.'”

10 — “‘For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks, finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.'”

v 5 — Luke 11:8 — “‘I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is is friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.'”

v 7 — Revelation 6:10 — “And they cried with a loud voice saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?'”

v 8 — Hebrews 10:37 — “For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry.'”

v 9 — Luke 10:29 — “But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?'”

v14 — Luke 14:11 — “‘For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.'”

v 9 — Luke 16:15 — “And He said to them, “‘You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.'”

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Old Testament Prophecy Related to John 1:4-9

v 8 — Isaiah 9:2 — “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.”

v 8, 9 — Isaiah 49:6 — “Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.'”

v11 — Isaiah 53:3 — “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”

v14 — Isaiah 40:5 — “‘The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.'”

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New Testament Scripture Related to John 1:4-9

v 4 — I John 5:11 — “And this is the testimony; that God has given us eternal life; and this life is in His Son.”

v 4 — John 8:12 — “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world, He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.'”

v 4 — John 9:5 — “‘As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.'”

v 4 — John 12:46 — “‘While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.’ These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.'”

v 5 — John 3:19 — “‘And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.'”

v 6 — Matthew 3:1-17

1 — “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea.”

2 — “and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!'”

3 — “‘For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness prepares the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.'”

4 — “Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.”

5 — “Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him”

6 — “and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.”

7 — “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

8 — “Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,'”

9 __ “‘and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.'”

10 — “‘And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.'”

11 — “‘I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.'”

12 — “‘His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.'”

13 — “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.”

14 — “And John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”

15 — “But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.‘ Then he allowed Him.”

16 — “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.”

17 — “And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'”

v 7 — John 3:25-36

25 — “Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification.”

26 — “And they came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified–behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!'”

27 — “John answered and said, ‘A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.'”

28 — “‘You yourselves hear me witness that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.'”

29 — “‘He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore, this joy of mine is fulfilled.'”

30 — “‘He must increase, but I must decrease.'”

31 — “‘He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.'”

32 — “‘And when He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.'”

33 — “‘He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true.'”

34 — “‘For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.'”

35 — “‘The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.'”

36 — “‘He who believes in the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.'”

v 7 — John 5:33-35

33 — “‘You have sent to John, and he has born witness to the truth.'”

34 — “Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.'”

35 — “‘He was the burning and shifting lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.'”

v 7 — John 3:16 — “‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.'”

v10 — Hebrews 1:1-3

1 — “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,”

2 — “has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, who He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;”

3 — “who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

v11 — Luke 19:14 — “‘But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.'”

v12 — Galatians 3:26 — “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

v13 — I Peter 1:22-25

22 — “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.”

23 — “having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.”

24 — “because: ‘All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away.'”

25 — “‘But the word of the Lord endures forever.’ Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.”

v14 — Galatians 4:4, 5

4 — “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,”

5 — “to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

v14 — Hebrews 2:11, 12

11 — “For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,”

12 — “saying: ‘I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.'”

v14 — John 8:32 — “‘And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'”

v14 — John 14:6 — “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'”

v14 — John 18:37 — “Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘Are You a king then?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.'”

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Notes on Scripture: by tkbrown

During Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount,” He instructed us to lay up our treasures in heaven rather than here on earth. When we do for others who have need, as Christians we are laying up treasures in heaven. However, these charitable deeds for others are to be done in secret. They are not to be discussed with others. Jesus said we should not even let our left hand know what the right is doing that “your Father who sees in secret may reward you openly.”

When we pray, we should not pray in vain repetitions. God knows our needs even before we ask of Him; so, there is no need to repeat the same thing day in and day out. Say what is pressing at the time. Sometimes we may be able to utter no more than, “Help me,” which is sufficient because Jesus Christ is our High Priest. As such, He mediates for us with the Holy Spirit, making intercession to clarify those things for which we can find no utterance.

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He prayed and exemplary prayer. Today, we know this prayer as “The Lord’s Prayer.” These are some specifics to remember, if you choose to use this as your prayer:

We are taught to not make vain repetitions in our prayers. Thus, even this prayer should not become a vain repetition. It is to be used as a guide for our prayers, not as a replacement for them.
This prayer was taught the disciples prior to Christ’s crucifixion and death. In this prayer, Jesus refers to the kingdom as yet to come. We must remember His kingdom was established before Christ’s ascension into heaven. So, today we would pray regarding an existing kingdom.
The Lord’s Prayer focuses on generalities rather than specifics. This indicates that prayers for specifics are not typically necessary.
Jesus told us not to worry about our food, our body or what to wear. God provides for the birds of the air without them having to put up in store. If He provides for the birds of the air, will He not provide for us too?
The lilies of the field are beautiful. Jesus said even Solomon was not arrayed as one of those. If God arrays them so beautifully, will he not provide for us too?
In I Thessalonians 5:16-18, the apostle Paul told them to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks.” Thus, even when things are not going good, we should rejoice and thank God for helping us to learn from what we are going through, asking that he help us through trials and tribulations that we might be stronger after they are over. That we are told to pray without ceasing indicates that we should utter our requests as the need arises. Praying throughout the day keeps one much more in tune with our need for God to help us through each day.

Jesus said, if we choose to fast as part of our spiritual routine, we should not let others know we do so. He fasted many times–sometimes at great length–during His life here on earth. In Matthew Chapter 6, He said when we fast we should not present as fasting to others. We are not to go around with a sad, downtrodden countenance when we fast. We should get up, comb our hair, wash our face and go about our business as if nothing is different from any other day. It is an individual choice as to the need for fasting. However, if we choose to fast, we are not to tell others verbally, via body language or through their observation of our countenance. Fasting is a communion with God and Christ. It is never to be discussed with anyone. Fasting can greatly enrich our relationship with God if properly engaged.

Christ told the multitudes listening to His Sermon on the Mount that we are not to be concerned with building up treasures here on earth, but rather to concentrate on building up treasures in heaven by seeking to become more Godlike. As we seek Him and His righteousness, we are presented situations to make us stronger as Christians. Part of this involves doing for others who are in need here on earth. If we do this, He will see that we have what we need (i.e., food, clothing, a roof over our head). We are not to worry about what we will eat, wear or where we will lay our head. God will provide. Worrying will not add anything to our stature physically or spiritually. The more we do for others who have need, the closer we grow to God. Jesus said we are not to worry about tomorrow. This day will have sufficient trials of its own without worry about tomorrow being added to it. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you,” (Matthew 6:33).

As Christians, we are to let our lights shine before men that they may know by our actions and countenance that there is something different about us. The peace and serenity we portray should make others want to know what we have. He said our light will shine from our eyes as a beacon to others. If we do not have this light, then “how great is our darkness.”

As Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters. We cannot serve both God and Satan. We cannot be lukewarm in our service to God. In Revelation 3:15 and 16, Jesus says, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

Finally, forgive others when they do you wrong because it is the right thing to do, and so the Father in heaven will forgive you the things you do wrong. In order to have an eternal home in heaven, we must hold no malice in our hearts toward others — even those who have wronged us.

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Lesson One -- Scripture: Zacharias to Have Son . . .
Lesson Two -- Scripture: Jesus Birth Foretold . . .
Lesson Three - - Scripture: Zacharias' Son, John, is Born . . .
Lesson Four - - Scripture: Jesus is Born . . .
Lesson Five -- Scripture: And Jesus Grew . . .
Lesson Six -- Scripture: John Begins His Ministry . . .
Lesson Seven -- Scripture: Jesus is Introduced to the World . . .
Lesson Eight -- Scripture: Jesus' Ancestral Lineage
Lesson Nine -- Scripture: Jesus is Tempted By Satan
Lesson Ten -- Scripture: Jesus begins His Ministry (Part 1)
Lesson Eleven -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 2) -- Sermon on the Mount (Part 1)
Lesson Twelve -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 3) -- Sermon on the Mount (Part 2)
Lesson Thirteen -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 4) -- Sermon on the Mount (Part 3)
Lesson Fourteen -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 5) -- Sermon on the Mount (Part 4)

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Photo above by: kieutruongphoto @ pixabay.com.

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Jesus Begins His Ministry – Part 3

Scripture is from the Holy Bible — New King James Version (NKJV)

Notes on Scripture (below) by tkbrown

“Sermon on the Mount“

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Lesson Scripture — Matthew 5:21-48

21 — “‘You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.””

22 — “‘But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Ra ca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.'”

23 — “‘Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,'”

24 — “‘leave your gift there before the altar and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.'”

25 — “‘Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.'”

26 — “‘Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there ’til you have paid the last penny.'”

27 — “‘You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.'”

28 — “‘But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.'”

29 — “‘If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you, for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell,'”

30 — “‘And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for you whole body to be cast into hell.'”

31 — “‘Furthermore it has been said whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'”

32 — “‘But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.'”

33 — “‘Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'”

34 — “‘But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne,'”

35 — “‘nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.'”

36 — “‘Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.'”

37 — “‘But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.'”

38 — “‘You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'”

39 — “‘But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.'”

40 — “‘If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.'”

41 — “‘And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.'”

42 — “‘Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.'”

43 — “‘You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.‘”

44 — “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.'”

45 — “‘that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.'”

46 — “‘For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?'”

47 — “‘And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?'”

48 — “‘Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.'”

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Lesson Scripture, cont. — Mark 3:13-16

Mark’s Presentation of Jesus’ Disciple / Apostle Selection

13 — “And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him.”

14 — “Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach,”

15 — “and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:”

16 — “Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter,”

17 — “James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, ‘Sons of Thunder’;”

18 — “Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thadaeus, Simon the Cananite,”

19 — “and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.”

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Lesson Scripture, cont. — Luke 6:24-36

“Sermon on the Mount,”

24 — “‘But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.'”

25 — “‘Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.'”

26 — “‘Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.'”

27 — “‘But I say to you who hear; love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.'”

28 — “‘bless those who curse you and pray for those who spitefully use you.'”

29 — “‘To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.'”

30 — “‘Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.'”

31 — “‘And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.'”

32 — “‘But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.'”

33 — “‘And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.'”

34 — “‘And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.‘”

35 — “‘But love your enemies, do good and lend, hoping for nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.'”

36 — “‘Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.'”

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Old Testament Prophecy Related to Matthew 5:21-48

v21 — Exodus 20:13 — “You shall not murder.”

v21 — Deuteronomy 5:17 — “You shall not murder.”

v24 — Job 42:8 — “Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.”

v25 — Isaiah 55:6 — “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.”

v27 — Exodus 20:14 — “You shall not commit adultery.”

v27 — Deuteronomy 5:18 — “You shall not commit adultery.”

v28 — Proverbs 6:23-26

23 — “For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life,”

24 — “to keep you from the evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a seductress.”

25 — “Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids,”

26 — “For by means of a harlot a man is reduced to a crust of bread; and an adulteress will prey upon his precious life.”

v31 — Deuteronomy 24:1-4

1 — “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house,”

2 — “when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife,”

3 — “if the latter husband detests her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife,”

4 — “then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.”

v33 — Leviticus 19:12 — “‘And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the Lord.'”

v33 — Deuteronomy 23:23 — “That which has gone from your lips you shall keep and perform, for you voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.”

v34 — Isaiah 66:1 — “Thus says the Lord: ‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build me? And where is the place of My rest?'”

v35 — Psalm 48:2 — “Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.”

v38 — Exodus 21:23-25

23 — “But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life.”

24 — “eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,”

25 — “burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”

v38 — Leviticus 24:19, 20

19 — “If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as he has done, so shall it be done to him–“

20 — “fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, as he has caused disfigurement of a man so shall it be done to him.”

v38 — Deuteronomy 19:21 — “Your eye shall not pity; life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”

v39 — Isaiah 50:6 — “I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide my face from shame and spitting.”

v43 — Leviticus 19:18 — “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

v43 — Deuteronomy 23:3-6

3 — “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord forever,”

4 — “because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.”

v45 — “Job 25:3 — “Is there any number to His armies? Upon whom does His light not rise?”

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New Testament Scriptures Related to Matthew 5:21-48

v22 — John 3:15 — “‘that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.'”

v22 — James 2:20 — “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?”

v22 — James 3:6 — “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell.”

v23 — Matthew 8:4 — “And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.”

v25 — Luke 12:58, 59

58 — “‘When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.'”

59 — “‘I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite.'”

v29 — Mark 9:43 — “‘If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched–‘”

v29 — Colossians 3:5 — “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth; fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

v32 — Luke 16:18 — “‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.'”

v33 — Matthew 23:16 — “‘Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.'”

v34 — James 5:12 — “But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes,” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.”

v37 — Colossians 4:6 — “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”

v39 — Luke 6:29 — “‘To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.'”

v42 — Luke 6:30-34

30 — “‘Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.'”

31 — “‘And just as you want ment to do to you, you also doe to them likewise.'”

32 — “‘But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.'”

33 — “‘And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.'”

34 — “‘And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.'”

v44 — Luke 6:27 — “‘But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.'”

v44 — Romans 12:20 — “Therefore ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink, for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.'”

v46 — Luke 6:32 — “‘But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.'”

v48 — Colossians 1:28 — “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”

v48 — Colossians 4:12 — “Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you always laboring fervently for your prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.”

v48 — Ephesians 5:1 — “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.”

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New Testament Scripture Related to Mark 3:13-16

v13 — Luke 9:1 — “Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.”

v16 — John 1:42 — “And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, ‘You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas‘ (which is translated, A Stone).”

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Old Testament Prophecy Related to Luke 6:24-36

v25 — Isaiah 65:13, 14

13 — “Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry: behold, My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be ashamed;”

14 — “behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and wail for grief of spirit.”

v25 — Proverbs 14:13 — “Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, and the end of mirth may be grief.”

v30 — Deuteronomy 15:7, 8

7 — “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother,”

8 — “but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs.”

v35 — Psalm 37:25, 26

25 — “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.”

26 — “He is ever merciful, and lends, and his descendants are blessed.”

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New Testament Scripture Related to Luke 6:24-36

v24 — James 5:1-6

1 — “Come now, you rich, weep and howl, for your miseries that are coming upon you!”

2 — “Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.”

3 — “Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.”

4 –“Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.”

5 — “You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury, you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.”

6 — “You have condemned, you have murdered the just, he does not resist you.”

v24 — Luke 12:21 — “‘So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.'”

v24 — Luke 16:25 — “‘But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted and you are tormented.'”

v25 — James 4:9 — “Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.”

v26 — John 15:19 — “‘If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.'”

v27 — Romans 12:20 — “Therefore ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.'”

v28 — Romans 12:14 — “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”

v29 — Matthew 5:39-42

39 — “‘But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.'”

40 — “‘If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.'”

41 — “‘And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.'”

42 — “‘Give to him who asks from you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.'”

v29 — I Corinthians 6:7 — “Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?”

v31 — Matthew 7:12 — “‘Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.'”

v32 — Matthew 5:46 — “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?'”

v34 — Matthew 5:42 — “‘Give to him who asks from you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.'”

v35 — Romans 13:10 — “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.”

v35 — Hebrews 13:16 — “But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

v35 — Matthew 5:46 — “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?'”

v36 — Matthew 5:48 — “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.'”

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Notes on Scripture: by tkbrown

The Sermon on the Mount provides a guideline, rulebook, blueprint for living the Christian life. Jesus frequently refers to working toward the goal of being ‘perfect’ like God the Father. God treasures righteousness above all else. He knows, and Jesus knew, it is impossible for mankind to achieve perfection. The word ‘perfect’ in the New Testament can be translated to the English word ‘mature’ for better understanding of what is expected. There is not one of us without sin, but maturity — exhibiting behavior free of sin — should always be our goal. We will never achieve ‘complete maturity’ in all areas, but we should always be working on overcoming our sinful nature. Here, I attempt to summarize Jesus’ message in the scriptures above. As always, be sure to check behind me and verify that I have summarized it correctly. Your salvation and eternal home in heaven depends upon it.

— We begin this lesson continuing with Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount.” The beginning segment in Matthew Chapter Five, versus 21 through 24 addresses the commandment, “Thou shall not kill.” Jesus takes this even further. He said cursing your brother puts you in danger of judgment and calling your sibling a fool puts you in danger of hell itself. He cautions those who have anything against a sibling — or if a sibling has anything against you — it is damnation to your soul if you partake of the Lord’s Supper. When this is the case, one should leave the worship service to go make things right with the sibling. Only when you have atoned or attempted to resolve the rift can you partake of the Holy Sacraments. This approach to differences between brethren can — and should — also be applied to relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

— His instruction then addresses the case of an problem with an adversary. You should not disagree or debate the concern. If this is done, the foe may file charges and imprison you. Then, freedom will not be regained until the other has received payment for all the courts say you owe. Sometimes the courts allow you to remain free in order to do this very thing. The court record imprisons one in the community at large until the debt is paid. This would be when the courts require a period of parole and/or house arrest.

— The question of divorce was as prevalent during the time of Jesus’ life on earth as it is today. Addressing this, Jesus said if one ‘looks at another with lust in the heart,’ adultery is being committed. If a divorce is secured for any reason other than adultery, He said the one seeking the divorce causes the other to commit adultery, and anyone marrying the person who is divorced for reasons other than adultery is committing adultery.

— Then, He cautions about the tendency to repeatedly commit the same offense. “If any part of your body causes you to sin, it is better to cut it off and live without it rather than face damnation in the judgment because of that sin.”

— Old School teachings tell us to never swear, and to never take God’s name in vain. Rather, we should make oaths of affirmation to God. Jesus said we are not to swear at all: neither by God, by heaven, by the earth, by Jerusalem, nor even by our own head — “because we are not truthfully able to change one hair on our head to white or black.” His command is for us to see that our “Yes” means “Yes,” and our “No” means “No.”

The form of discipline put forth under the Hebrew Law in the Old Testament was “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” This was the guidelines in the Law given to Moses on Mount Sinai. This is the way the Hebrew Nation dealt with infractions causing harm against other people. Jesus said if someone slaps us, we are to turn the other cheek so the person can slap that one too. If someone asks for our jacket, give our clothing also. If someone asks us to go with them one mile, go two. In other words, if someone has need and asks for our help, we are to give it without expectation of a return.

— The Laws under which Jesus grew to maturity said, “love your neighbor, hate your enemy.” Jesus said we are to love our enemies too. We are to bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute and spitefully use you. He said it is nothing for us to love those who love us and do good to those who do good to us. The true test of our devotion to God is for us to extend that love to those who set about harming us as well. This is God’s way. He sends blessings to the evil and to the good, to the just and the unjust–and we are to work toward the goal of doing the same.

— In Mark Chapter Three verses 13 through 19, Jesus appoints The Twelve as Apostles and bestowed upon them power over demons and illness. Thus, we see He begins training them for the ministry they will continue after His Ascension back to heaven.

Related Scriptures in the Book of Luke are a bit scattered throughout the book rather than grouped together as they are in Matthew and Mark. Therefore, I have referenced them in the ‘Related Scriptures’ section above.

If you ever have questions about any of the information presented, please feel free to ask or comment in the section below the ‘Like’ button. I appreciate you reading the lessons. Please continue to come back. Your feedback means much to me. Blessings upon all! May God meet your daily needs and ‘pat you on the back’ after you have successfully cleared a hurdle in life.

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Lesson One -- Scripture: Zacharias to Have Son . . .
Lesson Two -- Scripture: Jesus Birth Foretold . . .
Lesson Three -- Scripture: Zacharias' Son, John, is Born . . .
Lesson Four -- Scripture: Jesus is Born . . .
Lesson Five -- Scripture: And Jesus Grew . . .
Lesson Six -- Scripture: John Begins His Ministry . . .
Lesson Seven -- Scripture: Jesus is Introduced to the World . . .
Lesson Eight -- Scripture: Jesus' Ancestral Lineage
Lesson Nine -- Scripture: Jesus is Tempted by Satan
Lesson Ten -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part I)
Lesson Eleven -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry -- Sermon on the Mount -- Part 1
Lesson Twelve -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry -- Sermon on the Mount -- Part 2
Lesson Thirteen -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry -- Sermon on the Mount -- Part 3

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Photo above by: kieutruongphoto @pixabay.com.

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Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 2)

Scripture is from the Holy Bible — New King James Version (NKJV)

Notes on Scripture (below) by tkbrown

Sermon on the Mount

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Lesson Scripture — Matthew 5:1-20

1 — “And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.”

2 — “Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:”

3 — “‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.'”

4 — “‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.'”

5 — “‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.'”

6 — “‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.'”

7 — “‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.'”

8 — “‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.'”

9 — “‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.'”

10 — “‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.'”

11 — “‘Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.'”

12 — “‘Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.'”

13 — “‘You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.'”

14 — “‘You are the light of the world, A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.'”

15 — “‘Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.'”

16 — “‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.'”

17 — “‘Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.'”

18 — “‘For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot of one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.'”

19 — “‘Whosoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.'”

20 — “‘For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.'”

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Apostle Selection Completed

Lesson Scripture — Luke 6:12-15

12 — “Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God.”

13 — “And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:”

14 — “Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,”

15 — “Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot, Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.”

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Luke’s Description of the Sermon on the Mount

Lesson Scripture — Luke 6:17-23

17 — “And He came down with them and stood on the level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases,”

18 — “as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed.”

19 — “And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.”

20 — “Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: ‘Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.'”

21 — “‘Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.'”

22 — “‘Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake.'”

23 — “‘Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.'”

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Prophecy Related to Matthew 5:1-20

v5 — Psalm 37:11 — “But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”

v6 — Isaiah 55:1 — “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”

v6 — Isaiah 65:13, 14

13 — “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, My servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be ashamed;'”

14 — “‘behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and wail for grief of spirit.'”

v7 — Psalm 41:1 — “Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.”

v8 — Psalm 15:1-5

1 — “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?”

2 — “He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart;”

3 — “He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend.”

4 — “In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;”

5 — “He who does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.”

v8 — Psalm 24:3-5

3 — “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or, who may stand in His holy place?”

4 — “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.”

5 — “He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”

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Prophecy Related to Luke 6:17-23

v21 — Isaiah 55:1 — “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the wters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”

v21 — Isaiah 65:13

14 — “‘behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and wail for grief of spirit.'”

v21 — Isaiah 61:2, 3

2 — “To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,”

3 — “to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

v21 — Psalm 126:5, 6

5 — “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.”

6 — “He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

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New Testament Scriptures Related to Matthew 5:1-20

v1 — Mark 3:13 — “And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him.”

v2 — Matthew 7:28, 29

28 — “And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching,”

29 — “for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”

v3 — Luke 6:20-23 — (See above.)

v4 — Revelation 21:4 — “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

v5 — Romans 4:13 — “For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.”

v6 — Luke 1:53 — “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.”

v8 — I Corinthians 13:12 — “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”

v10 — I Peter 3:14-16

14 — “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. ‘And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled (Isaiah 8:12).'”

15 — “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who askes you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

16 — “having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.”

v11 — Luke 6:22 (See above.)

v12 — I Peter 4:12-14

12 — “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;”

13 — “but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed you may also be glad–with exceeding joy.”

14 — “If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.”

v12 — Acts 7:52

52 — “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,”

53 — “who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it (Exodus 20:1).'”

v13 — Luke 14:34 — “Salt is good, but if the salt lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?'”

v14 — John 8:12 — “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.'”

v15 — Luke 8:16 — “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.'”

v16 — I Peter 2:11, 12

11 — “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.”

12 — “having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

v16 — John 15:8 — “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so, you will be my disciples.'”

v17, 20 — Romans 10:3, 4

3 — “For they, being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.”

4 — “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

v18 — Luke 16:17 — “‘And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.'”

v19 — James 2:10 — “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”

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New Testament Scriptures Related to Luke 6:17-23

v17 — Mark 3:7, 8

7 — “But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea”

8 — “and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan, and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they hard how many things He was doing, came to Him.”

v19 — Matthew 9:21 — “For she said to herself, ‘If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.'”

v19, 20 — Matthew 11:4-6

4 — “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which you hear and see.'”

5 — “‘The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them,'”

6 — “‘and blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.'”

v20 — Matthew 5:3-12 — (See above.)

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Notes on Scripture: by tkbrown

I apologize for the absence of a post last week. Sometimes things happen and prevent me from completing a post. I do hope you will forgive me when that happens. Thank You!

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As we begin studying the Sermon on the Mount, I would like to note, I have included Jesus’ selection of His additional six apostles as depicted in Luke Chapter 6. Luke’s presentation shows this was immediately followed by the Sermon on the Mount.

The Sermon on the Mount covers much territory and lays the foundation for Christ’s ministry here on earth. For this reason, I will divide it into several parts in order to not overwhelm you, the reader, with too much information to be digested at one time. It is important to understand how Christ’s words tie-in to other Scripture in both the Old and the New Testament.

Christ’s ministry took place under the Old Covenant until His death, we will see the vail protecting the Ark of the Covenant rent into two pieces–top-to-bottom. On the day of Pentecost, Christ’s church was established with form. Prior to this time, His kingdom is always referenced as being ‘at hand.’ After the day of Pentecost, His kingdom is always noted ‘in the present form.’ This means His kingdom was publicly established on the Day of Pentecost — when His church was established with the baptizing of three thousand souls.

Hopefully, this information will help you to ‘rightly divide the word of truth’ as we study the course of Christ’s ministry. However, do your own studying to verify whatever I mention in my notes. Do not ever take another person’s word for what the Bible says. Your salvation depends upon this one factor. The scriptures I present above are directly from the Holy Bible (NKJV). When I make a comment in my notes, verify it in the scriptures. Events noted regarding the vail and Christ’s death will be reviewed as we come to them. Study for yourself and prove all that I put forth in my writing.

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In Matthew Chapter 5, Jesus’ teachings show the underdog as more likely to go to heaven than the upper crust. The underdog’s tendency is to present as more meek and merciful and to have faith that studying God’s Word and applying it to daily life leads to purer hearts and righteousness.

Jesus alerts those in his hearing of other people’s tendency to persecute and revile those who follow God–just as they persecuted the prophets. Christ suffered during His life here on earth, and many persecute Him now and deride His teachings and life as untrue. Jesus assures you, when someone persecutes you because you are patterning your life after Him and His teachings, they have their reward already.

These trials are God’s method of refining our Christian hearts and skimming off the impurities each time suffering occurs and is met with a Christ-like attitude. Just as gold must be molten, allowing impurities to rise to the top to be skimmed off, we as Christians must also be refined. We must grow in Christ, increasing in our ability to forgive and move on. This is how maturity in Christ is attained–one trial at a time. This is also how our lives become a living example amidst a sea of worldly souls. Our lives become the light–beacon, if you will–leading others to Christ. This is why we are the salt of the earth.

Never be ashamed to stand up for what is right and be different. This is what Christianity promotes. This, and our faith, is what makes us Christlike–awaiting a home with Him in heaven.

There are those who, even today, say Jesus came to destroy the Old Covenant. He assured the crowd and His apostles this was not so. He came to fulfill the Old Covenant, and until all is fulfilled and heaven and earth pass away, not one iota of the law is destroyed. Anyone who breaks the commandments set forth by the law and by Jesus will never be great in heaven. In order to see heaven, Jesus said our righteousness must be greater than that of the scribes and the Pharisees.

Moving on to Luke’s presentation of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we see that just prior to this sermon, Jesus chose six more disciples to be a part of His twelve apostles. All followers of Christ were, and still are, known as His disciples. However, only thirteen have been called apostles of Christ. When Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, he revealed his enslavement to Satan, with whom he will spend eternity. Saul of Tarsus was subsequently appointed as the replacement apostle. We know Saul as Paul. He was one of the most grateful, for his sins prior to conversion had been great, and he was the first to admit this. Thus, he worked hard to teach others about Christ and His salvation.

Luke words his portrayal of the Sermon on the Mount a bit different, as we have seen in previous lessons, but it means much the same. He shows that those who have little are more likely to seek God through Christ and to be blessed. Those who have much are not interested in God’s blessings.

In the next lesson, we will continue reviewing the Sermon on the Mount. This is where the parables begin. Each teaches a valuable lesson for living the Christian life. Come back and join us in the feast God’s Word and Christ’s teachings provide, leading to the ultimate reward of a home with Them in heaven. Have a Blessed Week in Christ’s love!

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Lesson One -- Scripture: Zacharias to Have Son . . . 
Lesson Two -- Scripture: Jesus Birth Foretold . . . 
Lesson Three -- Scripture: Zacharias' Son, John, is Born . . . 
Lesson Four -- Scripture: Jesus is Born . . . 
Lesson Five -- Scripture: And Jesus Grew . . . 
Lesson Six -- Scripture: John Begins His Ministry . . . 
Lesson Seven -- Scripture: Jesus is Introduced to the World . . . 
Lesson Eight -- Scripture: Jesus' Ancestral Lineage
Lesson Nine -- Scripture: Jesus is Tempted By Satan
Lesson Ten -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 1)
Lesson Eleven -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 2)

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Photo above by: kieutruongphoto @pixabay.com.

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Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 1)

Scripture is from the Holy Bible — New King James Version (NKJV)

Notes on Scripture (below) by tkbrown

Disciple Selection Begins

Lesson Scripture — Matthew 4:12-25

12 — “Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.”

13 — “And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,”

14 — “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying:”

15 — “‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.'”

16 — “‘The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.'”

17 — “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'”

18 — “And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.”

19 — “Then He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.'”

20 — “They immediately left their nets and followed Him.”

21 — “Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,”

22 — “and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.”

23 — “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.”

24 — “Then His fame went throughout all Syria, and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics, and He healed them.”

25 — “Great multitudes followed Him–from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.”

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Prophecy

v15 — Isaiah 9:1, 2

1 — “Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon who is distressed, as when at first He lightly esteemed the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward more heavily oppressed her, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles.”

2 — “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.”

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Related New Testament Scriptures

v12 — John 4:43 — “Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.”

v16 — Luke 2:32 — “A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

v17 — Mark 1:14, 15 — (See below.)

v17 — Matthew 3:2 — “and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!'”

v18 — Mark 1:16-20 — (See below.)

v18 — John 1:40-42 — (See below.)

v23 — Matthew 24:14 — “‘And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.'”

v23 — Mark 1:34 — (See below.)

v24 — Luke 4:40 — “When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.”

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Lesson Scripture — Mark 1:14-20

14 — “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,”

15 — “and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.'”

16 — “And as He walked by t he Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.”

17 — “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.'”

18 — “They immediately left their nets and followed Him.”

19 — “When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.”

20 — “And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and went after Him.”

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Related New Testament Scriptures

v14 — Matthew 4:12 — (See above.)

v14 — Matthew 4:23 — (See above.”

v15 — Galatians 4:4 — “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,”

v15 — Matthew 3:2 — “and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!'”

v15 — Matthew 4:14 — (See above.)

v16 -- Luke 5:2-11
2 -- "and saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets."
3 -- "Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's and asked him to put out a little from the land, And He sat down and taught the multitude from the boat."
4 -- "When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, 'Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.'"
5 -- "But Simon answered and said to Him, 'Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing, nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the net.'"
6 -- "And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking."
7 -- "So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink."
8 -- "When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!'"
9 -- "For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken."
10 -- "and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men."
11 -- "So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him."

v17 — Matthew 13:47, 48

47 — “‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind,'”

48 — “‘which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels but threw the bad away.'”

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Lesson Scripture — John 1:35-51

35 — “Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.”

36 — “And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!'”

37 — “The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.”

38 — “Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, ‘What do you seek?’ They said to Him, ‘Rabbi’ (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), ‘where are you staying?'”

39 — “He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where He was staying and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).”

40 — “One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.”

41 — “He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated, the Christ).”

42 — “And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, ‘You are Simon the Son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas’ (which is translated, A Stone).”

43 — “The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow Me.'”

44 — “Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.”

45 — “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote–Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.'”

46 — “And Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.'”

47 — “Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, ‘Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!'”

48 — “Nathanael said to Him, ‘How do You know me?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.‘”

49 — “Nathanael answered and said to him, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!'”

50 — “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.'”

51 — “And He said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Sun of Man.'”

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Prophecy

v47 — Psalm 32:2 — “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.”

v47 — Psalm 73:1 — “Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart.”

v51 — Genesis 28:12 — “Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven, and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.”

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Related New Testament Scriptures

v36 — John 1:29 — “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'”

v37 — Matthew 4:20, 22 — (See above.)

v40 — Matthew 4:18 — (See above.)

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Notes on Scripture: by tkbrown

Here in these four sets of Lesson Scriptures–from Matthew, Mark, (Luke as it is connected to Mark’s depiction via the Related New Testament Scriptures), and John–we are shown how Jesus began selecting his disciples as he set about preaching, “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” These four presentations vary slightly as one might expect the testimony of four witnesses in a court of law to vary. Human nature is such that each of the four saw slightly different things taking place. Luke presents his in slightly more detail as an adjunct to Mark’s. In these four presentations, Jesus selects the brothers Andrew and Simon Peter, the brothers James and John — sons of Zebedee and partners with Simon Peter in the fishing industry, Philip, and Nathanael–both of Bethsaida.

Simon Peter doubted the likelihood of a successful cast after toiling all night and catching nothing but agreed to cast anyway at Jesus’ request, only to bring up nets so full of fish the nets were breaking. They summoned partners to assist in saving the catch. Then Simon Peter, ashamed at his lack of faith, tells Jesus to depart from his sinful self. Jesus assured Simon Peter that he would need only catch men in the future. In the Related New Testament Scriptures, we see Matthew13:47 and 48 connected to Mark 1:17 as an example of Jesus–in later sermons–reminding Simon of this catch.

Almost instantaneously, as Jesus begins to preach, people are drawn to Him. His command of the Word, the authority with which He casts out demons who readily obey Him, and the compassion evidenced in His ready willingness to heal the sick spoke to their hearts, and the multitudes flocked to Him wherever He went.

The beginning of Jesus’ ministry will be divided into several lessons due to the extensive and varied aspects of His interactions. Next week, we will look at the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus lays the groundwork for all His teachings while living here on earth.

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Lesson One -- Scripture: Zacharias to Have Son . . . 
Lesson Two -- Scripture: Jesus' Birth Foretold . . . 
Lesson Three -- Scripture: Zacharias' Son, John, is Born . . . 
Lesson Four -- Scripture: Jesus is Born . . . 
Lesson Five -- Scripture: And Jesus Grew . . .
Lesson Six -- Scripture: John Begins His Ministry . . . 
Lesson Seven -- Scripture: Jesus is Introduced to the World . . . 
Lesson Eight -- Scripture: Jesus' Ancestral Lineage
Lesson Nine -- Scripture: Jesus is Tempted By Satan
Lesson Ten -- Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part I)

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Photo above by: kieutruongphoto @pixabay.com.

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Jesus is Tempted by Satan

Scripture is from the Holy Bible — New King James Version (NKJV)

Notes on Scripture (below) by tkbrown

Matthew 4:1-11

1 — “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

2 — “And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.”

3 — “Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.'”

4 — “But He answered and said, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'”

5 — “Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple.”

6 — “and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you.’ and ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'”

7 — “Jesus said to him, ‘It is written again, You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'”

8 — “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.”

9 — “And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.'”

10 — “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only you shall serve.'”

11 — “Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”

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Prophecy

v4 — Deuteronomy 8:3 — “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.”

v6 — Psalm 91:11, 12

11 — “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.”

12 — “In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

v7 — Deuteronomy 6:16 — “You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.”

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Related New Testament Scriptures

v11 — James 4:7 — “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

v11 — Hebrews 1:14 — “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation?”

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Mark 1:11-13

11 — “Then a voice came from heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'”

12 — “Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.”

13 — “And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with wild beasts, and the angels ministered to Him.”

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Related New Testament Scriptures

v11 — Matthew 3:17 — “And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, ‘This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'”

v11 — Matthew 12:17, 18

17 — “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying;”

18 — “‘Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.'”

v12 — Matthew 4:1-11 (See above.)

v12 — Matthew 4:10, 11 (See above.)

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Luke 4:1-14

1 — “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.”

2 — “being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days, He ate nothing, and afterword, when they had ended, He was hungry.”

3 — “And the devil said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.'”

4 — “But Jesus answered him saying, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'”

5 — “Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment in time.”

6 — “And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.'”

7 — “‘Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.'”

8 — “And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'”

9 — “Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.'”

10 — “‘For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you.'”

11 — “‘and, ‘in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'”

12 — “And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'”

13 — “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.”

14 — “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.”

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Prophecy

v8 — Deuteronomy 6:13 — “You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him and shall take oaths in His name.”

Deuteronomy 10:20 — “You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name.”

v9 — Matthew 4:5-7 (See above.)

v10 — Psalm 91:11 — “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.”

v11 — Psalm 91:12 — “In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

v12 — Deuteronomy 6:16 — “You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.”

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Related New Testament Scriptures

v1 — Matthew 4:1-11 (See above.)

v13 — Hebrews 4:15 — “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

v14 — John 4:43 — “Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.”

v14 — Acts 10:37 — “. . . that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached.”

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Notes on Scripture: by tkbrown

Here, I have presented the Scriptures which portray Jesus’ forty days and forty nights of fasting and prayer in the wilderness when Satan tempted Him. These Scriptures are found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. While there may be slight differences in the wording of each account of the event, these are no more than would be found if three witnesses in a court of law presented accounts of a specific incident. This is important in the fact that all three testimonials also coordinate with Old Testament prophecy related to these Scriptures and with related Scriptures in the New Testament. Thus, we have ‘rightly divided the Word of Truth’ with regard to this event in Jesus’ life.

Forty days and forty nights is a long time to be without food, but this was done to show that Jesus’ Spirit form and the angels ministering to Jesus was sufficient to satisfy His human needs. This is another example of how God takes care of those who do His will. Jesus was tempted of Satan so we can know He understands the temptations we endure at Satan’s hand.

As our High Priest, Jesus’ understanding of our weaknesses regarding temptation is important. Had He never come to Earth in human form, He could never have truly understood our weakness or the desire to give in when Satan tempts us. God realized this was a faltering point in His righteous understanding of these weaknesses in man. Thus, Jesus understanding of the tendency to give in to temptations gives Him the ability to ‘argue our case’ with God and mediate with Him on our behalf. Hebrews 4:15 tells us this was God’s plan. We can look at the Scripture presented in Romans 3:21-26 to see how this all fits together.

Romans 3:21-26

21 — “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,”

22 — “even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;”

23 — “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

24 — “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”

25 — “whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,”

26 — “to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

This well-known passage from Romans chapter 3 ties in to Satan’s temptation of Jesus and of man in his struggles to overcome temptation. God’s righteousness puts Him in a position of not fully understanding these trials. Through the centuries, the Jewish Law as given to Moses on Mount Sinai allowed Jesus’ forbearance and atonement (propitiation) of their sins to go back and cover all those sins that God had passed over before Christ was born. Now, God is shown to “be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).

Jesus is now ready to begin His ministry on Earth. In our next lesson, we will see Jesus begin to select His disciples as he begins to preach and to teach the multitudes. Join us as we look closely at each account of this process as presented in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

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Lesson One -- Scripture: Zacharias to Have Son . . . 
Lesson Two -- Scripture: Jesus' Birth Foretold . . . 
Lesson Three -- Scripture: Zacharias' Son, John, is Born . . . 
Lesson Four -- Scripture: Jesus is Born . . . 
Lesson Five -- Scripture: And Jesus Grew . . .
Lesson Six -- Scripture: John Begins His Ministry . . . 
Lesson Seven -- Scripture: Jesus is Introduced to the World . . . 
Lesson Eight -- Scripture: Jesus' Ancestral Lineage
Lesson Nine -- Scripture: Jesus is Tempted By Satan

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Photo above by: kieutruongphoto @pixabay.com.

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Jesus’ Ancestral Lineage

Scripture is from the Holy Bible–New King James Version (NKJV)

Notes on Scripture (below) by tkbrown

Matthew 1:1-17

1 -- "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham."
2 -- "Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers."
3 -- "Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram."
4 -- "Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nashon, and Nashon begot Salmon."
5 -- "Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,"
6 -- "and Jesse begot David the king.
David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah."
7 -- "Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa,"
8 -- "Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah."
9 -- "Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah."
10 -- "Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah."
11 -- "Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon."
12 -- "And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel."
13 -- "Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor."
14 -- "Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud."
15 -- "Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob."
16 -- "And Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ."
17 -- "So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations."

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Notes on Scripture: by tkbrown

Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth . . .

Here, in the first chapter of Matthew, we are presented the ancestral lineage of Joseph–husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This lineage is inclusive back to Abraham in three sets of fourteen generations. The first set presents the line from Abraham to king David. The second set includes those generations from king David to the capture by Babylon, and the third set presents those from Babylon to Jesus.

It is interesting that there are fourteen generations between each division. When we look at Mary’s ancestry (below), we see that the lineage from Adam to Abraham is twenty-one generations–another multiple of seven. This first phase is the pre-Jewish lineage when God dealt with and communicated directly to the heads of family and with prophets. He chose each of these for specific reasons. This process was continued to some degree during the fourteen generations spanning Abraham to king David. He also chose specific leaders–such as Moses and Aaron, then Joshua, followed by the judges–to replay details of the law to His people and to lead them through certain trials.

When king David was a young lad, God’s people had become disgruntled with the ‘leader’ format. They had been clamoring for a king. Finally, God granted their request, and king Saul was appointed the first king. David was chosen as Saul’s successor. Thus, we complete the first fourteen generations and move into the second set when God communicated to His people through the kings and the prophets. This form of leadership was dismantled when they were carried away to Babylon.

The final set of fourteen generations, which takes us to the birth of Jesus, covers the first Jewish dispersion during which about five million Jews were deported to Babylon and then began to spread over Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. There are those who believe some were also able to inhabit the Americas, intermarrying with the natives in the western hemisphere. This final phase before Christ’s birth leads to the end of the Old Covenant and the beginning of the New Covenant. During this time, God’s people were under the direction of kings and other leaders of each country in which they resided. Each phase is governed very differently from the phase before and after. This shows us when the Old Covenant ended, a new phase began. The Old Covenant is no longer in effect.

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Galatians 3:22-26

22 -- "But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe."
23 -- "But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed."
24 -- "Therefore, the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
25 -- "But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor."
26 -- "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus."

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Notes on Scripture, cont.: by tkbrown

The original King James Version of the Holy Bible used the word ‘schoolmaster’ where the word ‘tutor’ is used in the New King James Version. God has done everything, including the divisions of time and leadership, to lead us to the New Covenant. At the instant Christ died on the cross, the veil was rent twain (torn into two pieces–top to bottom) between the outer tabernacle and the most holy of holies where the Ark of the Covenant was kept (and where God resided in the tabernacle). At that instant, the Old Covenant officially ended, and the New Covenant began.

We notice in Mary’s ancestral lineage, below, it goes all the way back to Adam. This too is done with purpose, for we see “God begot Adam” (v. 38). Thus, we are told, God is the Father of mankind. When He created Adam, He created mankind. We also see, in Luke 3:23, that Joseph–husband of Mary–was ‘the supposed father’ of Jesus. In actuality, he was the ‘step-father’ or ‘legal father’ of Jesus. God was Jesus’ father.

Under the Old Covenant, God dealt almost completely with the men. Very few women are exemplified. We are introduced to Eve, Ruth, Esther, Deborah and a few others, but mostly men are introduced. In the New Covenant, women are exemplified in much larger number, and women determine their own salvation through obedience of Christ’s commands. No individual can obey Christ’s commands for another person. That decision is strictly the choice of each.

That each set of generations presents with a different form of leadership is no accicent. The fact that they, and the period from Adam to Abraham, are all divisible by seven alludes to God’s use of numbers throughout the Bible. When a specific day was given in the Old Covenant to observe a specific feast or sacrifice, it was to be done on ‘that day,’ not another day of His people’s choosing. The same holds true under the New Covenant. There are those who say the Scriptures contradict themselves. If one takes the time to ‘rightly divide the Word’ there is no contradiction.

I hope these two genealogies now present as much more interesting and with much more meaning for application today. I pray that these lessons are beginning to clarify the meaning of ‘rightly dividing the Word of Truth.’ The next lesson will cover Satan’s temptation of Christ in the Wilderness. I invite you back for another morsel of nutrition from God’s Word.

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Luke 3:23-38

23 -- "Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,"
24 -- "the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph,"
25 -- "the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,"
26 -- "the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah,"
27 -- "the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,"
28 -- "the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er,"
29 -- "the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,"
30 -- "the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Johan, the son of Eliakim,"
31 -- "the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David,"
32 -- "the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,"
33 -- "the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,"
34 -- "the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
35 -- "the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah"
36 -- "the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,"
37 -- "the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,"
38 -- "the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God."

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Lesson One -- Scripture:  Zacharias to have Son . . .
Lesson Two -- Scripture:  Jesus' Birth Foretold . . .
Lesson Three -- Scripture:  Zacharias' son, John, is born . . .
Lesson Four -- Scripture:  Jesus Is Born . . .
Lesson Five -- Scripture:  And Jesus Grew . . .
Lesson Six -- Scripture:  John Begins His Ministry . . . 
Lesson Seven -- Scripture:  Jesus is Introduced to the World . . .
Lesson Eight -- Scripture:  Jesus' Ancestral Lineage

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And Jesus Grew . . .

old antique bible as an open book with sunlight bursting from the pages

Scripture is from the Holy Bible — New King James Version (NKJV)

Notes on Scripture (below) by tkbrown

Matthew 2:1-23

1 — “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem.”

2 — “saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.'”

3 — “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”

4 — “And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.”

5 — “So they said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet.'”

6 — “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.'”

7 — “Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.”

8 — “And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.'”

9 — “When they heard the king, they departed, and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.”

10 — “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.”

11 — “And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

12 — “Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.”

13 — “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream saying, ‘Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word, for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.'”

14 — “When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt,”

15 — “and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ‘Out of Egypt I called My Son.'”

16 — “Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry, and he went forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.”

17 — “Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying,”

18 — “‘A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.'”

19 — “Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,”

20 — “saying, ‘Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.'”

21 — “Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.”

22 — “But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.”

23 — “And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, ‘He shall be called a Nazarene.'”

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Luke 1:30

80 — “So the child grew and became strong in spirit and was in the deserts ’til the day of his manifestation to Israel.”

Luke 2:40-52

40 — “And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”

41 — “His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.”

42 — “And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.”

43 — “When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it,”

44 — “but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acuaintances.”

45 — “So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.”

46 — “Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.”

47 — “And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.”

48 — “So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.'”

49 — “And He said to them, ‘Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?'”

50 — “But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.”

51 — “Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.”

52 — “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

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Notes on Scripture: by tkbrown

So, Jesus grew in wisdom, stature and favor with both God and men. As we can see, things began to happen rather quickly in Baby Jesus’ life, but some happened not as quickly as most have touted. For example, most believe the wise men from Parthia visited twelve days after His birth (which is celebrated as Epiphany on January 6). At this time, the Parthian Maji are believed to have paid their respects via gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. According to Joseph Holleman (2019), ‘The journey from Parthia, in Babylon, to Jerusalem is approximately 500 miles. By caravan, with no major detours or disruption, this trek would have probably taken 50 to 60 days. Maybe less.” Thus, the earliest the wise men could have visited Jesus was mid-February, by modern-day calendar.

As we see in Luke 2:22, after the days of Mary’s purification according to the law of Moses, they took Jesus to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. Now, according to the Law of Moses as seen in Leviticus 2:1-4 (below), Mary and Joseph would not have left Bethlehem for Jerusalem for a minimum of forty-one days after Jesus’ birth. This says the Wise Men — or the Three Kings — could not have seen Jesus until after Mary’s purification.

When King Herod of Judea heard about the Parthian Maji who were searching for the one who had been born to rule over Judea, he requested an audience with them at his palace in Jerusalem. There, he told them he, too, wanted to worship the Young King, and he asked them to inform him of the Young King’s location. The Maji agreed to grant King Herod’s request. When they had left the palace, an angel of the Lord came to them in a dream and informed them of King Herod’s plot to kill the Young King. Thus, when they left Bethlehem, a different route was taken back to Parthia.

The angel of the Lord then appeared to Joseph in a dream, informed him of King Herod’s plan to kill Baby Jesus, and instructed him to take Mary and the Babe to Egypt where they would be safe. Joseph obeyed the angel. He arose and, in the night, took Mary and Baby Jesus away to Egypt.

When King Herod realized the Maji had evaded him, he decreed that all male children two and under in and around Bethlehem be killed. His stipulation of the age, ‘two and under’ indicates that Baby Jesus was more than a few days old. Herod had questioned the Maji extensively about their revelation of “the newborn king.” So, this indicates that the Child was probably between one and two years of age.

After King Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared again to Joseph in a dream and informed him it was now safe to return to Israel. When they arrived in Israel, Joseph learned Herod’s son was now ruler. This made Joseph fear for Jesus’ life. The angel appeared to him again in a dream to tell him to go to Nazareth in Galilee; thus “fulfilling the prophecy that Jesus would be called a Nazarene.”

Furthermore, if we look again at Leviticus 2:6-8 (below), we see that when Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem to present Baby Jesus to the Lord in the tabernacle, to atone for Mary’s impurity they were to present a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a young turtledove as a sin offering. If they could not afford the lamb, the Law of Moses allowed for them to present two young pigeons or two young turtledoves–one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. The fact that Mary and Joseph met the latter requirement indicates they were quite poor. If the Maji had already been to pay homage to Baby Jesus, they would not have been poor. The gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh would have rendered them able to present a lamb and a bird instead of two birds.

Joseph Holleman elaborated a bit on the probable date of Christ’s birth. (Holleman is CEO of Magister Technologies Inc., and Author of “The Prosperity Clock” book series.) In all likelihood, December 25 was not the date of Christ’s birth. Since we do not know, with certainty, the actual date of His birth. this date has been set aside to remember the glorious event. Below, I have included some of Holleman’s elaboration on the subject.

“The goal of the Maji was to pay homage to the infant Jesus just after the time of an extremely rare astronomical configuration, which only they were aware of, that reached its peak on March 2 of 5 B.C. right around the time that Jesus was likely born. This was also likely around the time that they began their journey,” (Holleman, 2019).

“The Parthian Maji likely arrived at the place where Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus were staying around the time of the Summer Solstice, June 21, when the Sun or the ‘Star’ was directly overhead. Jesus was likely born in late February or early March of 5 B.C.; so, he would have been around 3 or 4 months old when they arrived,” (Holleman, 2019).

Each year, Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When Jesus was twelve, they had made a day’s journey back toward home before they realized that the Young Boy was not with them. They had thought He was with a relative or friend who might have had a boy near His age. Upon realization that He was missing, they went back to Jerusalem looking for Him. Three days later they found Him in the temple both asking questions of and giving answers to the teachers who were astonished at His knowledge and understanding. When Mary reproached Jesus regarding the anxiety she and Joseph had suffered, Jesus responded, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business” (Luke 2:49, NKJV). They did not understand that He meant He must be about God the Father’s business, but Mary held all these things close to her heart–we are told.

Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, and favor with both God and men. Thus, He must have been a very obedient teen who listened to His elders when they spoke.

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Leviticus 2:1-8

1 — “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,”

2 — “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days, as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean.'”

3 — “‘And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.'”

4 — “‘She shall then continue in the blood of her purification during thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled.'”

5 — “‘But, if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days.'”

6 — “‘When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting.'”

7 — “‘Then he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who has borne a male or a female.'”

8 — “‘And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons–one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So, the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.'”

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Next week, we will look at John’s ministry as trailblazer for Jesus and His ministry.

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Sources:

Abbott, Shari. (5 January 2020). “Did the Wise Men Arrive 12 Days After Jesus Birth? Or Was it Much Later?” Reasons for Hope–Jesus. (4 April 2020). https://reasonsforhopejesus.com/did-the-wise-men-arrive-12-days-after-jesus-birth-or-much-later/.

Holleman, Joseph. (7 August 2019). “How long did it take the 3 wise men to find Jesus?” Quora. http://www.quora.com. (12 April 2020). https://www.quora.com/How-long-did-it-take-the-3-wise-men-to-find-Jesus.

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Week One -- Scripture: Zacharias to have Son . . . 
Week Two -- Scripture: Jesus' Birth Foretold . . . 
Week Three -- Scripture: Zacharias' son, John, is born . . .
Week Four -- Scripture: Jesus is Born . . .
Week Five -- Scripture: And Jesus Grew . . .

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Jesus Birth Foretold . . .

old antique bible as an open book with sunlight bursting from the pages

Scripture is from New King James Version (NKJV)

Notes on Scripture (below) by tkbrown

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Lesson Scripture — Matthew 1:18-25

18 — “Now the birth of Jesus was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.”

19 — “Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.”

20 — “But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.'”

21 — “‘And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save his people from their sins.'”

22 — “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:”

23 — “‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel.’ which is translated ‘God with us.'”

24 — “Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,”

25 — “and did not know her til she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.:

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Luke 1:26-56

26 — “Now in the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy with John — Week One] the angel Gabriel was sent by God to the city of Galilee named Nazareth,”

27 — “to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.”

28 — “And having come in, the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!'”

29 — “But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.”

30 — “Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.'”

31 — “‘And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son and shall call His name Jesus.'”

32 — “‘He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.'”

33 — “‘And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of His kingdom there will be no end.;:

34 — “Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?'”

35 — “And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.'”

36 — “‘Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.'”

37 — “‘For with God nothing will be impossible.'”

38 — “Then Mary said, ‘Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.”

39 — “Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste to a city of Judah.”

40 — “and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.”

41 — “And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”

42 — “Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!'”

43 — “‘But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?'”

44 — “‘For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.'”

45 — “‘Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.'”

46 — “And Mary said: ‘My soul magnifies the Lord.'”

47 — “‘and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.'”

48 — “For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.'”

49 — “‘For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.'”

50 — “‘and His mercy is on those who hear Him, from generation to generation.'”

51 — “‘He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.'”

52 — “‘He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly.'”

53 — “‘He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent a way empty.'”

54 — “‘He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy.'”

55 — “‘As He spoke to our fathers, to Abram and to his seed forever.'”

56 — “And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her house.'”

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Notes on Scripture: by tkbrown

Joseph and Mary are told of Jesus’ impending birth. Joseph in his dream is told not to fear taking Mary as his wife — she has not been unfaithful — she will give birth to a man-child whose name shall be Jesus — the Son of God. Joseph is relieved to learn this because he had been unsure how to handle the situation. He married her, but did not ‘know her’ until after the birth occurs.

When Mary is told of the birth, she asked how this could be, since she had not been with a man. The angel assured her the child is conceived by God through the Holy Spirit. This satisfied Mary’s discomfit. Since she w as also told of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, she went to visit Zacharias and Elizabeth.

As soon as Elizabeth heard the sound of Mary’s voice, the babe in her womb — John — leaped for joy. So, John — in the womb — recognized Jesus’ presence and rejoiced.

Thus, we have knowledge of Jesus’ conception and Joseph’s acceptance of this. Next week, we will look at the actual birth of John and his role as trailblazer for Jesus’ ministry here on earth.

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Week One -- Scripture: Zacharias to have Son . . . 
Week Two -- Scripture: Jesus' Birth Foretold . . .

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