Meditate on it

Section 108 B IN REPLY TO THE QUESTIONS AS TO HIS AUTHORITY JESUS GIVES THE THIRD GREAT GROUP OF PARABLES. (In the Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, A. D. 30.) Subdivision B PARABLE OF THE TWO SONS MATT. 21:28-32 Audience--The Jewish leaders "A bad promise well broken; a good promise sacrificed" BI, Talmage Jesus asks the leaders to decipher a parable where one son says he will go and doesn't, while the other says he won't go and does.  "Who did the will of his father," he asks.  The answer points to the preceding context where the leaders questioned where his authority originated and also that works, their works, were not God's works. "For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him."   -Matthew 21:32 "The parable of the two sons teaches that hard heart

Section 108 A IN REPLY TO THE QUESTIONS AS TO HIS AUTHORITY, JESUS GIVES THE THIRD GREAT GROUP OF PARABLES (In the Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, A. D. 30.) Subdivision A INTRODUCTION MATT. 21:23-27 MARK 11:27-33 LUKE 20:1-8 Summary: The religious leaders approach Jesus in the temple.  Mark supplies that it was while he was walking in the temple. "By what authority ... - There was a show of propriety in this question. He was making great changes in the affairs of the temple, and they claimed the right to know why this was done, contrary to their permission. He was not “a priest;” he had no civil or ecclesiastical authority as a Jew. It was sufficient authority, indeed, that he came as a prophet and worked miracles. But they professed not to be satisfied with that."  -Barnes "If they couldn't tell that much about John, why did they question the authority of One who was greater than John? This passage shows that the great essential in teaching God&

Section 107 FINDING THE FIG-TREE WITHERED (Road from Bethany to Jerusalem, Tuesday, April 4, A. D. 30.) MATT. 21:20-22 MARK 11:19-25 LUKE 21:37, 38 Summary--Matthew and Mark report that on the way to Jerusalem, going by the Mount of Olives, the disciples observe the withered fig tree that Jesus cursed the day before.  They are astonished that it withered so quickly.  Mark mentions that it's Peter who points it out. Luke relates that every day he teaches in the temple, but at night he returns to Mount Olivet. (Mount Olive). " And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, to hear him ." Luke 21:38 "The enthusiasm of the triumphal entry did not die out in a day: Jesus was still the center of observation." -Fourfold "When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How did the fig tree immediately wither away?" Matthew 21:20 "Jesus had simply condemned it to fruitlessness, but his condemnation involved it in an ev

Section 106  BARREN FIG-TREE TEMPLE CLEANSED (Road from Bethany and Jerusalem. Monday, April 4, A. D. 30.) MATT. 21:18, 19, 12, 13 MARK 11:12-18 LUKE 19:45-48 My Summary In Matthew, Jesus cleanses the temple when he first enters Jerusalem and heals the lame and sick.  Then he lodges outside of Jerusalem in Bethany.  He curses the fig tree when heading back into Jerusalem the next day, and it withers (Matthew 21). Mark relates that Jesus was hungry when heading back into Jerusalem, that he saw a fig tree in the distance, went to look for fruit and found none.  He adds the detail that it was not the season for figs and curses it. Odd.  Why expect figs in the wrong season?  Why bother to curse a tree?  It's got to be symbolic.  After exploring commentary--yup, I think I'm right, it's symbolic: "Scripturally, historically, and presently, the fig tree is a symbol of the nation of Israel. Jeremiah, Amos, Ezekiel, Hosea, and Isaiah all liken Israel to the fig

Section 105  JESUS' TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM (From Bethany to Jerusalem and back, Sunday, April 2, A. D. 30.) MATT. 21: 1-12, 14-17 MARK 11: 1-11 LUKE 19:29-44 JOHN 12:12-19 My summary: Jesus directs his disciples to get an ass from a certain place and bring it to him.  They follow his directions precisely and throw their cloaks on the donkey (who has never been ridden, so has no saddle).  Christ rides into Jerusalem on the donkey and the common people throw their cloaks and palm branches on the ground before his path.  The crowds are shouting "Hosannah in the Highest" which traces back to Psalm 8 and means "God save!"  The vocal supporters are probably from Lazarus' resurrection the week before, and the religious leaders are insulted and threatened by this reaction from the crowd.  In Luke, they tell Jesus to quiet them, and he says that the rocks would cry out if they were quiet.  This is the day before Passover begins, and in Mark, Jesus go

PART VII (of VIII) Last Week of our Lord's Ministry The Fourth Passover The Crucifixion Sections #104-133  Section 104  JESUS ARRIVES AND IS FEASTED AT BETHANY (From Friday afternoon till Saturday Night, March 31 and April 1, A. D. 30.) JOHN 11:55-57; 12:1-11  MATT. 26: 6-13  MARK 14: 3-9 Jews begin arriving in Jerusalem to purify themselves for Passover. They talk among themselves about whether  Jesus will show up.  The priests and Pharisees put out an order for any appearance of Jesus to be reported. According to John's chronology, this is the night before the triumphal entry. I have a student who is an orthodox Jew, and she was explaining to me yesterday some of their pre-passover purifying preparations.  I had no idea the regulations could be so complex--covering counters, cleaning the entire house very thoroughly, putting away the silver utensils, eating only Passover approved food opened during Passover.  Her descriptions and preparations help me connect the

Section 103 ZACCHÆUS PARABLE OF THE POUNDS JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM (Jericho) LUKE 19:1-28 Zaccheus Bartimaeus was outside the gates of Jericho and Zacchaeus is inside them.  One was physically poor and handicapped.  The other, an outcast socially.  Both respond instinctively and quickly; Bartimaeus throws off his outer garment and Zacchaeus makes haste: " And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house. " "This is the only instance where Jesus invited himself to be any man's guest." -Fourfold " And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. " Luke 19:6 Parable of the Pounds The context of this parable is stated upfront---Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem and wished to correct his audience's understanding that His kingdom was eminent and earthly.  Was this parable told to the larger crowd or the disciples?  It's not clear f

Section 102 BARTIMÆUS AND HIS COMPANION HEALED. (At Jericho) MATT. 20:29-34 MARK 10:46-52 LUKE 18:35-43 This is the story of the blind beggar, Bartimaeus, sitting by the roadside.  Mark has the best snippets of detail: "And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus." Mark 10:50 The urgency of Bartimaeus speaks clearest through this detail.  It reminds me of my father's rush to the ER when he was sick with leukemia.  It helps me as I listen to our boxer of nine years breathing heavy at the foot of our bed with surely something similar.  We are surrounded by the pain of others in this world, and even though the sun may shine today in our worlds, we are not ultimately excluded from it either. Thank you, Jesus, that you care and honor our weakness--that you have pity on our condition, as you did on Bartimaeus.  And, may our response and gratitude be also like the beggar's: "Being a beggar, it would have been natural for him to hunt first

101. FORETELLING HIS PASSION. REBUKING AMBITION. (Peræa, or Judea, near the Jordan.) MATT. 20:17-28 MARK 10: 32-45 LUKE 18:. 31-34 Summary: Jesus heads toward Jerusalem, and the disciples are afraid.  He pulls aside his twelve disciples and explained his suffering, death, and ultimate resurrection.  They don't understand what he was predicting and only did so much later in retrospect as their understanding of his role and position was ruling over an earthly kingdom. John and James' mom (Salome) approaches Jesus and asks that he would grant their request.  Jesus indulges them in the conversation and asks what the request is.   Salome wants one of her sons to sit on the left side of Jesus and the other on the right. The Fourfold Gospel points out that this thought probably initiated from Jesus' reply to Peter in Matthew 19 after the rich young ruler rejects the opportunity to follow him. Jesus predicted that in the "new world," he would rule on a throne

Section 100 PARABLE OF THE LABORERS IN THE VINEYARD (In Peræa) Matthew 20:1-16 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Matthew 19:27 "This parable originated in Peter’s question. He had seen the rich young man go away sorrowful, because he could not meet the test which had been put to him; and he contrasted with that great refusal the swift willingness with which he and his fellow Apostles had left all to follow the Lord Jesus." -FB Meyer We always have our blind spots when it comes to familiar texts. Here I'm guilty of knowing this parable apart from the context of Peter's question.  I teach this in rhetoric as the foundation of any situation.  Who is the speaker?  The audience? The larger context?  Jesus speaks in rely to Peter, and this is directed to the disciples primarily.  How does that change things?  Like the parable of the prodigal son, this parable is directed to the ones "doing the d

Section 100 THE RICH RULER PERIL OF RICHES. REWARD OF SACRIFICE (In Peræa) a MATT. 19:16―20:16 b MARK 10: 17-31 c LUKE 18:18- 30 "Money is not an unmixed good. It brings in its train many temptations. It is easier to bear poverty than wealth-easier to be a saint when life is hard than when prosperity lavishes her gifts." -F.B. Meyer The story of the rich young man is in all three of the synoptic gospels. I prefer Mark's account for his small but telling details: The rich young man seems earnest in his question: "And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Mark 10:17 "And Jesus, looking at him, loved him , and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Mark 10:21 Christ grants the young man everything he needs in his response---love and di

Hello, Proverbs 2 completes the 31 day cycle for us. Nothing spectacular here, but just a solid basic reminder: "For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity." -Proverbs 2:6-7 Look to God and the rest will work out--perhaps not always in the ways we would like or expect, but His wisdom and perspective always trumps our limited sight range. Common sense is a gift of God. God shields us from harm when we act with integrity. I've enjoyed my 31 days with you each morning, now I'm off to finish up reading through the gospels systematically. xoxo Mom

Hello, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor  in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night." Proverbs 1:1-2 So begins the book of Proverbs.  Yesterday I was talking with David and shared my firm belief that IF you consider yourself to be a Christian THEN you should be reading the Bible regularly.  Period. The Bible is the primary way God chooses to reveal Himself to us.  Without reading it, how do we know what and how He thinks about things?  I said to David, "I suppose we could guess," and he laughed, but so many Christians actually operate under this logic.  As you are figuring out, most Christians do NOT read the Bible regularly and thus have minimal understanding of God's plans and purposes for their lives. They cobble their beliefs and thoughts together as they go.  They make decisions based on their feelings.  They are vulner

Hello, This is from yesterday--last proverb and the last day of March.  Happy April! I might continue my emails for two more days though to get in Proverbs 1 and 2 since I didn't begin until the 3rd of March. Proverbs 31 is all about the "proverbs woman"---great chapter to ponder with regard to the qualities of a wise woman.  I've always favored this verse: "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30 Our world places undue emphasis on beauty and charm, particularly with regard to women.  Note how the writer negates the value of those qualities and instead praises the woman who "fears the Lord."  What does it mean to fear the Lord?  I've been listening to a biblical scholar's lectures on Proverbs the last week, and he says that it's a compound concept that combines fear and love, united by trust.  We are fearful in the sense that we respect His authority and trust Go