Meditate on it

Section 117 PREPARATION FOR PASSOVER DISCIPLES CONTEND FOR PRECEDENCE (Bethany to Jerusalem. Thursday afternoon and, after sunset, beginning of Friday.) MATT. 26:17-20 MARK 14:12-17 LUKE 22:7-18, 24- 30 The disciples were in Bethany at present but needed to go to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.  Jesus made arrangements (either supernaturally or humanly) that they could celebrate this meal corporately. "He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” -Matthew 26:18 It's debatable as to whether Jesus' knowledge of this man with the water jar was supernatural or the result of pre-arrangement: "There can be little doubt that Jesus was acquainted with this man, and that he was a disciple. The direction which he gave his disciples most clearly proves that he was omniscient. Amid so great a multitude going at that time into the city, it was imposs

Section 116 JESUS PREDICTS, THE RULERS PLOT FOR, AND JUDAS BARGAINS FOR HIS DEATH. (Mount of Olives, Bethany, and Jerusalem. Tuesday after sunset, which Jews regarded as the beginning of Wednesday.) MATT. 26:1-5, 14-16 MARK 14:1, 2, 10, 11 LUKE 22:1-6 Summary: The chief priests and elders gather in the high priest's palace (Caiaphas) with the initial plan of killing Jesus but waiting until after the Passover to avoid reaction from the crowds.  Judas went to the chief priests with the intent of bargaining over Jesus. The words, When Jesus had finished saying all these things, are the last of five such turning points in the book (cf. Mat_7:28; Mat_11:1; Mat_13:53; Mat_19:1). -BKC "Thirty silver coins were the redemption price paid for a slave (Exo_21:32)."-BKC "Judas" means "praise." It's a beautiful name, but Judas wasted it and ruined it for future generations. How many parents name their kids Judas today? "Isacariot" most

Section 115 CONCLUSION OF OUR LORD'S DISCOURSE. PARABLES OF VIRGINS AND TALENTS. THE FINAL JUDGMENT. (Mount of Olives. Tuesday, April 4, A. D. 30.) MATT. 25:1-46 Jesus relates two parables regarding the end times.  The first, the Parable of the Ten Virgins, is a warning to be watchful and prepared.  The second is another parable of talents, conveying the truth that we should be diligent while we wait and look to Him in faith. My Thoughts on the End Times... End times are some of my least favorite parts of the gospels.  Yes, I look forward to His return, and Briggs pointed that out immediately. the overwhelming thought of stars falling from the sky, people caught off guard, and judgments being cast-- From the last section, I agree with the comments of the Fourfold Commentary in this regard: 25 And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows [We can conceive of nothing

Section 114 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST MATT. 24:29-51  MARK 13:24-37 LUKE 21:25-36 Detail from the Arch of Titus, Rome What does Jesus mean by "this generation will not pass away until... .?" "Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place." Matthew 24:34 Adam Clarke sees this comment as being true of the current generation, but more specifically, of the Jewish race: "This generation shall not pass - Η γενεα αυτη, this race; i.e. the Jews shall not cease from being a distinct people, till all the counsels of God relative to them and the Gentiles be fulfilled." "One should keep in mind that the primary application of this section is directed toward the future generation that will experience the days of the Tribulation and will be looking forward to the immediate coming of the King in glory. A secondary application of this passage, as with much of Scripture, is to believers living today

Section 113 DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM FORETOLD. MATT. 24:1-28 MARK 13:1-23 LUKE 21:5-2 Summary:  The disciples comment on the impressive nature of the temple, and Jesus responds by predicting its complete demise.  This leads into Andrew, James, John, and Peter approaching him privately and asking when this will occur and what will be the sign. Jesus says they should watch for the following: 1. False Christs 2. Wars and rumors of wars 3. Great natural disturbances--earthquakes, famines, disease 4. Outbreak of persecution Jesus elaborates on some aspects of this persecution---that there would be false prophets, they will be hated by all men, love of many would grow cold, it would separate families, etc. "In your patience ye shall win your souls. " v 19 [The Christian's battle is won by endurance and not by violence, and he that can patiently hold out unto the end can, by the grace of God, save his soul.]  -Fourfold 5. Jerusalem encompassed by armies, abomin

Section 112 GREEKS SEEK JESUS. HE FORETELLS THAT HE SHALL DRAW ALL MEN UNTO HIM.  (In the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, A. D. 30.)  JOHN 12:20-50 Summary:  Jesus speaks to some Greeks and reflects upon his current role on earth and His Father's larger will. "The mention of Greeks is significant. They were the wanderers of the ancient world and the seekers of truth. These Greeks were probably God-fearers who attended Jewish synagogues and feasts. Their coming was symbolic of the coming of Gentiles to worship God through Christ (cf. Joh_10:16)."-Barnes?  John from the beginning of his Gospel (Joh_1:11) had sounded the theme of national unbelief. John now explained that in spite of all Jesus’ miraculous signs (sēmeia), they still would not believe in Him. Their unbelief was irrational, as sin always is. -BKC "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him." John 1:11 "The purpose of God’s revelation in Jesus is positive: He came to save

Hello, The catechism came to my mind this morning. I never learned it as a child----it's a very old school concept, and, like many things, can be just a mindless activity that does not touch your spirit. BUT, I think of it also as touchstones--these are the things that most Christians believe about God, based on the Bible. It's good to have these kind of touchstones in our minds and hearts--that we can articulate what we believe and base this on scripture, not our present feelings, the trends of the present cultures (secular or church) or what we've heard from others.  The first one below is seems overly simple, but it's incredibly foundational. Your purpose in life is not to glorify yourself or others. It's not to be happy necessarily or have a good job. It's to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. Don't breeze over that---ponder it. It's a huge concept. What does it really mean to glorify God? To enjoy Him? What does that look like in practical

Section 111  OBSERVING THE OFFERINGS AND WIDOW'S MITES (In the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, A. D. 30.) MARK 12:41-44; LUKE 21:1-4 "We are disposed to measure the value of actions quantitatively rather than qualitatively. Moreover, we are better judges of actions than of motives, and can see the outward conduct much clearer than the inward character. God, therefore, in his word, constantly teaches us that he looks rather upon the inward than the outward. In this case, the value of the woman's gift was measured, not by quantity, but its quality; in quantity it was two mites, in quality it was the gift of all she had. From considering the corrupt character of the Pharisees, Jesus must have turned with pleasure to look upon the beautiful heart of this devout widow." -Fourfold

Section 110  JESUS' LAST PUBLIC DISCOURSE. DENUNCIATION OF SCRIBES AND PHARISEES (In the court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, A. D. 30.)  MATT. 23:1-39 MARK 12:38-40 LUKE 20:45-47 One principle Jesus taught through this indictment is that the moral acts are greater than the observances. The second is the idea that the Pharisees and scribes were guilty of acts of omission rather than commission. Charles Gilbert Weston (1924-1974) views the passage as a declaration of the proper relationship between man and God: "It is a declaration of the essential relations of man to God.  Three things constitute a Christian—what he is, what he believes, what he does; doctrine, experience, practice.  Man needs for his spiritual being three things—life, instruction, guidance; just what our Lord declares in the ten words of the Gospel—“I am the way, and the truth, and the life”... . Acknowledge no man as Father, for no man can impart or sustain spiritual life; install no man as an i

Section 109 JEWISH RULERS SEEK TO ENSNARE JESUS (Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, A. D. 30.) Subdivision D. JESUS' QUESTION WHICH NONE COULD ANSWER MATT. 22:41-46 MARK 12:35-37 LUKE 20:41-44 Summary:  After being asked many questions, Jesus asks them one of his own. The Fourfold Gospel asserts this was not in a malicious spirit but to provoke thought.  He asks,  “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” Matthew 22:42  This led into an inquiry of Psalm 110. "The complexities of this theological discussion were too much for the Pharisees who were not ready to acknowledge the deity of this Son of David. No one… dared answer His question or debate points of practice or theology with Jesus. All His opponents had been silenced, including the chief priests and elders (Mat_21:23-27), the Pharisees and the Herodians together (Mat_22:15-22), the Sadducees (Mat_22:23-33), and the Pharisees (Mat_22:34-36)."-BKC &qu

Section 109 JEWISH RULERS SEEK TO ENSNARE JESUS  (Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, A. D. 30.) Subdivision C A LAWYER ASKS ABOUT THE GREAT COMMANDMENT MATT. 22:34-40 MARK 12:28-34 LUKE 20:40 "Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. ’"  -Mark 12:29-30 It's easy to think I understand this concept--"loving God with all parts of me."  But I can't say I fully understand any of these pieces or how they differentiate/blend.  Here are some of the nuances from Vincent's Word Studies Comments on  "heart" With all thy heart (ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου) Lit., out of thy whole heart. The heart, not only as the seat of the affections, but as the centre of our complex being - physical, moral, spiritual, and intellectual. Comments on "soul" 

Section 109 JEWISH RULERS SEEK TO ENSNARE JESUS (Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, A. D. 30.) Subdivision B SADDUCEES ASK ABOUT THE RESURRECTION MATT. 22:23-33 MARK 12:18-27 LUKE 20:27-39 Summary: The Sadducees put forth their argument that there is no bodily resurrection by asking Jesus what would happen in the case that a woman remarried her husband's brother after his death 7 times. "The disbelief of the Sadducees manifested itself in a triple form, for they denied the resurrection and the existence of angels and spirits (Acts 23:8), but the basal principle of their infidelity was the denial of spirits. It was, as it were, the tree trunk from which their other errors sprang as branches. If there were such things as spirits, it was not worth while to deny that there was an order of them known as angels. If man had a spirit which could survive his body, it was reasonable to believe that God, having so fashioned him that a body is essential to his activity and

Section 109 JEWISH RULERS SEEK TO ENSNARE JESUS (Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, A. D. 30.) Subdivision A. PHARISEES AND HERODIANS ASK ABOUT TRIBUTE. MATT. 22:15-22 MARK 12:13-17 LUKE 20:20-26 "This answer is full of consummate wisdom. It establishes the limits, regulates the rights, and distinguishes the jurisdiction of the two empires of heaven and earth. The image of princes stamped on their coin denotes that temporal things belong all to their government. The image of God stamped on the soul denotes that all its faculties and powers belong to the Most High, and should be employed in his service." -Adam Clarke "Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words." Matthew 22:15 It seems stupid to me that the Pharisees thought that they could "entangle him" in his words because Jesus, as God, with God, since the beginning, is the Creator and the Supreme Master of Rhetoric: "In the beginning was the Word, "

Section 108 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 D PARABLE OF THE MARRIAGE OF THE KING'S SON MATT. 22: 1-14 Summary  A king is giving a wedding feast for his son.  Those who have been invited are notified by servants that the feast is ready;  they "call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come" (Matt 22:3). What type of person disregards a feast thrown by a king for his son?  Some invited are merely indifferent, distracted by their own land and affairs.  Others are actively hostile to the messengers, abusing and killing them. The king's justifiably angry response was to send some to destroy the murderer and burn their city. How bizarre this is when I take pains to think about it and relate it to real life. If I prepared a lavish meal to celebrate the marriage of our son and had that type of response! T

Section 108 C 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 C PARABLE OF THE WICKED HUSBANDMEN MATT. 21:33-46 MARK 12:1-12 LUKE 20:9-19 Summary:  A man establishes a house, vineyard, press, wall, and tower.  He leases the land to tenants and goes to another country.  When it was time for the harvest, he sent his servant to collect due fruit.  The tenants beat the servants.  He sent more and they beat them too.  Then the owner sent his son, and they plotted to kill him so that they could gain his inheritance. So, Jesus says that the kingdom will be taken away from them and given to another and references that the "stone the builder has rejected has become the capstone" (Ps 118:22). "Mankind mistakes the patience of God for impotence." -Courson "Jesus frequently refers to this withdrawal of the visible presence of God from the world,