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Holy Week: Holy Tuesday
Holy Teaching As mentioned in Monday’s post, one of the activities Jesus did throughout the week was to teach in the Temple. He shared parables and illustrations, teaching His audience about the Kingdom of Heaven and the great commandments. He also faced the religious leaders who were asking Him questions, not to learn, but to trap Him with His words. Of course, Jesus knew what they were plotting. Each time He was confronted, His answers left the leaders and the crowd astonished, to the point the leaders finally stopped asking questions. Considering the Gospels only mention Jesus appearing to His disciples and various groups of people after His resurrection, we…
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Holy Week: Holy Monday
Cleansing the Temple The specifics as to what happened each day beginning Holy Monday through Holy Wednesday are not detailed by the hour or sometimes even the day; however, there is enough information to discern what Jesus and His disciples did during this time. Jesus taught in the Temple, healed people, and faced the religious leaders. The one action that stands out though is the cleansing of the Temple. This wasn’t the first time Jesus cleansed the Temple. In John 2:13-22, Jesus cleansed the Temple at the beginning of His ministry. At that time, Jesus, using a whip of cords, chased the merchants out of the Temple and overturned the…
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Holy Week: Palm Sunday
A Misunderstood Plan Crowded with travelers, the city of Jerusalem bustled with activity as everyone prepared for the Passover feast later that week. Suddenly, a boisterous crowd entered the city shouting and rejoicing and laying cloaks and palm branches on the ground in front of a man riding a baby donkey. People stopped what they were doing and hurried to see what was happening. When asked what was going on, the crowd excitedly proclaimed that the man on the donkey was the prophet Jesus. This would be known as the Triumphal Entry. The crowd that followed Jesus to Jerusalem was a combination of disciples (not just the 12, but others…
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Holy Week: An Introduction
Today is Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week. This is the time of year where Christians reflect upon the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The original Holy Week occurred during the time of Passover (though at the time it wasn’t Holy Week. It wasn’t until around the 4th century that the observation of Holy Week started). The Gospels record Jesus and His disciples heading to Jerusalem in order to observe Passover the week leading up to His death and resurrection. For the full story of the Passover, please read Exodus 11 – 12. Looking at the elements of the Passover, it is not hard to recognize…
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One of the Scariest Verses in the Bible
I was talking with someone the other day about this verse found in Matthew 7: “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your names, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.‘” – Jesus Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus spoke these words while giving His Sermon on the Mount. He may…
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Abide in Him: John 4
Welcome back to our study of the Gospel of John! In this lesson, we will look at Jesus’ meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well. We’ll also read about Jesus’ first healing (at least the first one mentioned in John). Let’s get started! The Text Jesus and the Samaritan Woman John 4 begins with Jesus and His disciples journeying back to Galilee, partly to avoid the Pharisees. The religious men were after Jesus because many people were being baptized and becoming disciples of Jesus. They didn’t like this. So, Jesus, hearing they were coming after Him, left for Galilee to continue His work. Rather than taking the usual route,…
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Abide in Him: John 3
Welcome back! I realize I’ve dropped the ball a bit in posting this study in a timely manner. I do hope to do better with future posts. In this post, we will cover John 3. It begins with the story of Nicodemus and Jesus meeting together to discuss what it means to be born again. As we’ll read, Nicodemus had several questions for Jesus. Jesus answers them and continues the conversation by telling Nicodemus how much God loves the world. Finally, we end the chapter with John the Baptist exalting Jesus before his own disciples. Let’s get this study started! The Text Jesus and Nicodemus (Verses 1 – 15) At…
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The Choice is Yours
“If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them…I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” Leviticus 26:3,12 Though some may think Leviticus is a book full of do’s and don’ts, it actually reflects the fatherly love the Lord has for His children. Like the Good Father He is, the LORD explains to the Israelites in chapter 26 the consequences of obedience and disobedience and tells them the choice is theirs to make. For their obedience, the Lord will provide many blessings, including peace and security in the land. Most importantly though, the LORD will make His dwelling…
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Jesus and Sinners
Recently, I’ve heard several people comment through various sources (interviews and articles) on how Jesus kept company with sinners, in particular the more “troublesome” sinners, such as prostitutes and thieves. The context of these interviews was to slam conservative Christians. I rarely write about politics on this blog, so this post is not about the slam towards Christians. I will talk about Jesus, however. It’s true. Jesus did keep company with sinners. He traveled with them. He ate dinner with them. He dwelt among them. Considering we’re all sinners, who else would He have kept company with? Once, when confronted by the Pharisees for eating dinner with tax collectors, He…
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What’s So Good About Good Friday?
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 “…but God shows his love for us in that while were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 ESV “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” – Jesus John 15:13-14 Today is Good Friday – the day Jesus faced his accusers and death. He was whipped, mocked, and beaten before being nailed to the cross and dying a torturous death. If what Jesus…
