Jesus, Lessons for Life 17
Harvest is Ripe
We have been discussing Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well.
Jesus and his team of disciples stayed on for a time with the Samaritans. As a result, both the Samaritans and the disciples gained and grew in faith and understanding.
John 4:34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
35 Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.
36 Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.
37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true.
38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”
40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.
41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
His disciples were shown that their mission was to “reap for the Lord,” and the paradigm of God’s grace being limited to the Jewish people was shattered. If the despised people of Samaria were to find salvation, then it must be God’s intent for all people to be saved.
· Many of the Samaritans believed in Christ and were saved.
· The “harvest” beyond the Jewish nation commenced on this trip.
Key Lesson — Jesus wanted his disciples to see that his Grace was available for all the world. Ultimately, He had come to open the way to God for even the Gentiles. It is still our mission to share Christ to all the world.
Blessings,
Larry
| Jesus, Lessons for Life 16
Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman continued from where we left off last time. He, knowing all about this woman, gave her a small test by asking about her husband. She answered truthfully, after which Jesus revealed to her that He in fact knew all about her, even though they had just met.
John 4:16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband.
18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.
This simple act of being truthful with the Lord opened the door to more spiritual teaching. She expressed some of the frustration that existed between the Jews and Samaritans regarding worship practices and beliefs. Jesus taught her that God seeks a kind of worship that is more than simply being in a specific place at a specific time. God desires from us "worship in spirit and in truth."
John 4:20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
Her willingness and receptivity in this conversation with Christ led to even more revelation. Jesus revealed to her that He was the Messiah.
John 4:25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.”
Several key points are embedded in this interesting passage surrounding this beautiful conversation at the well:
- Jesus confirms with his own voice that He is the Messiah.
- Through Jesus we have access to “spiritual water” that can satisfy our spiritual thirst and give us eternal life.
- God wants true worshipers—those who will worship the Father in spirit and truth.
Key Lesson — Jesus wants us to approach him authentically and openly receptive to his message. As we open ourselves to him, He will reveal spiritual meaning to us that can change our lives and deepen our understanding of God's will in our lives.
This conversation resulted in Jesus staying in Samaria for a few days. Next time we will see that still more believed. This woman's receptivity to Christ enables more people to come and to know him.
Blessings,
Larry
| Jesus, Lessons for Life 15
More lessons as Jesus talked with the Samaritan woman
Jesus' simple conversation with the woman at the well took an interesting turn. It began with Christ's simple request for a drink of water from Jacob's well. That request for a physical thing, a drink of water, was a simple step in order for the Lord to have a deeper conversation with the woman, a spiritual conversation. Again with see this pattern with Christ -- He used physical needs in order to teach about spiritual needs.
John 4:10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?
12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
Key Lesson — Through Jesus we have access to “spiritual water” that can satisfy our spiritual thirst and give us eternal life. We need to be receptive to the eternal perspective that Christ teaches us and desires for us.
It was not easy for the woman to understand the context in the words of Jesus. She was stuck in her physical chores of life, such as the daily need for water in order to live. We can have this same struggle at times. We can be so focused on the problems of today that we don't have focus on the eternal priorities.
It was even true for Jesus' disciples in this setting in Samaria. They did not understand immediately. Not until later would they understand that Christ was teaching them the need to witness to all people. As we will see later in this conversation, Jesus will teach them about the "harvest" of souls that was at that time ready in Samaria.
Next time we will continue with the conversation between Jesus and this Samaritan woman.
Blessings,
Larry
| Jesus, Lessons for Life 14
Our Lord next decided to leave Judea and return once more to Galilee. In this journey He chose to go through Samaria. Herein lies an important lesson regarding how God seeks all people, not just the Jewish people.
In his travel through Samaria, he has a remarkable encounter with a Samaritan woman.
John 4:5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”
Location of Jacob's Well near Samaria, where Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman.
We need to understand that this meeting would have been very unlikely in this time. Jews simply did not want to have anything to do with Samaritans. They would normally go out of their way to avoid Samaritans. You can see that from the text of John 4:9. Yet, our Savior chose to engage.
John 4:9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
Undoubtedly the woman was surprised to find a man sitting by the well, particularly a Jewish man. Jesus' initial approach was a simple request for water. One would hardly refuse a drink of cold water to a thirsty traveler in the heat of the day. The request did have a surprising element, however, for no Jewish rabbi would have volunteered to carry on a public conversation with a woman, nor would he have asked to drink from a Samaritan's cup, as she implied by her answer. There was a trace of sarcasm in the woman's reply, as if she meant, "We Samaritans are the dirt under your feet until you want something; then we are good enough!" [1]
Of course, that was not so. Jesus made it clear through his actions and words that the Samaritans were precious to him -- precious in the eyes of God.
Key Lesson — As the story plays out, it is clear that Jesus mission, as demonstrated by such actions, included reaching the lost—all people that are separated from God. Likewise we will see that his intention for us it to take the Good News of Christ to all people.
Blessings,
Larry
[1] Zondervan NIV commentary on John 4
| Jesus, Lessons for Life 13
The next accounts that we have of Jesus and his team of disciples were in the Judean countryside, where He was teaching and they were baptizing. John the Baptist was also baptizing in this region, and we can begin to see that John’s role was coming to completion as Jesus’ role in ministry was accelerating and growing.
John explained this to his followers, and then echoed the plan of salvation that Jesus had shared with Nicodemus.
John 3:30 He must become greater; I must become less.
31 “The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.
32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.
33 The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful.
34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
So, our next lesson for life from Christ comes from John the Baptist teaching his disciples, that Christ was greatest. John's disciples were actually upset that more people were coming to Jesus. John's teaching had some wonderful elements, and it was a beautiful lesson in humility.
- How did John the Baptist's role change and ultimately decline?
- He went from fame to less fame
- He later ended in jail
- He was executed – beheaded
- John knew his role and did it forcefully
- He did not try to be something more that God intended
- He put Christ first
Key Lesson — The lesson from John the Baptist then was how he perceived himself relative to Christ. We should strive to be who God intends us to be; we should be strong in that role, but we should not allow pride to take us out of God's plan.
John concluded this important lesson to his disciples with the key to salvation --
John 3:36 "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
We see this vital message woven throughout the Gospel of John. It was in fact our focus last week in lesson 12.
Blessings,
Larry
| Jesus, Lessons for Life 12
The Most Essential Lesson
Our Lord then speaks plainly about his mission/purpose for being on earth—to provide our path to eternal salvation.
Here is one of the many places where scripture spells this out clearly, without question.
John 3:13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
I really love to read from the book of John, because it is full of this precious message of salvation. Jesus was sent to save us! While he was here, he taught us a lot, and we will continue to explore the lessons of his life and teaching in the weeks to come.
Nothing is more important than this one.
Key Lesson — The lesson most important for our salvation is this then, that we must believe in Jesus. God loved us and sent him. The choice is then ours. We can believe and receive eternal life. If we do not, we already stand condemned. This message is brought through clearly, time and time again.
Blessings,
Larry
| Jesus, Lessons for Life 11
Truths essential to salvation
In lessons 9 and 10 we discussed the variety in teachings from Jesus, and we saw how some people, especially the religious leaders of Jesus' time, struggled to understand.
While some teachings in our Bible are not spelled out in 100% detail, those essential to salvation are provided completely. I particularly like the Gospel of John. Christ's messages about the source of our salvation are woven throughout the text.
Our Lord spoke plainly about his mission/purpose for being on earth—to provide our path to eternal salvation.
John 3:13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Key Lesson — The lesson most important for our salvation is this then, that we believe in Jesus. God loved us and sent him. The choice is then ours. We can believe and receive eternal life. If we do not, we already stand condemned. This message rings through the books of the Gospel time and time again.
Blessings,
Larry
| Jesus, Lessons for Life 10
Last time we quoted scripture from John 3, as Jesus was instructing Nicodemus. Jesus was instructing his about the need to be born of the spirit, which was a very difficult lesson for Nicodemus.
We see in the context of that discussion what a marvelous teacher our Savior is. Christ gives us examples to illustrate the faith He requires. He did so for Nicodemus. Those examples, often in the form of metaphors, parables, stories and questions, are great tools to help us think about the "spiritual things" so important in our walk with Christ.
In this example, Jesus used the wind as an example to help us understand and have faith about the "Spirit" He is referring to in the lesson.
Jn 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’”
Jn 3:4 “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”
Jn 3:5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
Jn 3:6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
Jn 3:7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’
Jn 3:8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Jn 3:9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
Jn 3:10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?
What a wonderful metaphor -- the wind. We don't question all of the details about the wind, yet we know it is real, that it is blowing, whether we simply hear it, or see the movement of things around us, or feel the breeze on our faces. So it should be with the Holy Spirit.
Yet still Nicodemus could not get his mind and heart around this important teaching.
Key Lesson — Faith is fundamental to our growth as Christians. It is fundamental to salvation. As we seek to learn details, we must be aware and willing to accept Christ and his teachings on faith, learning from the powerful metaphors He provides as we grow.
Blessings,
Larry
| Jesus, Lessons for Life 9
Lessons from Christ require faith.
As his fame was rapidly growing, Jesus revealed his true mission on earth. This happened in the context of teaching and counseling Nicodemus, a high ranking Jewish Pharisee.
It is interesting that, given his position of power and influence, Nicodemus sought out Jesus under the cover of darkness. Even so, it shows how even some high ranking members of Jewish leadership were drawn to the Truth of our Savior.
Jesus taught him using metaphors, yet is still left Nicodemus struggling to find answers. He remained in a position where he would have to make some decisions and commitments based on faith, just as we do.
John 3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.
2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’”
4 “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’
Key Lesson — Every lesson from Christ may not be 100% spelled out in black and white. That would be where faith enters the picture as we study. The Bible does not elaborate completely on all topics. It requires faith to learn and follow.
Thank you,
Larry
| Jesus, Lessons for Life 8
Jesus Know Our Hearts
Confrontations with religious leaders
Throughout Christ’s ministry, He had many encounters with religious leaders and teachers of the day. We will use these along our journey to see how Jesus confronted their past practices, his efforts to provoke them to think, his striving to teach them, even his love for them. It must have been so very sad for him to see the teaching and leadership errors within the leadership of God’s chosen people.
After clearing the temple of the vendors, the Jewish leaders demanded some “miraculous sign” or proof of his authority. It is here that we start to see a trend by Christ that he used frequently in his teaching ministry—to speak of things in metaphors and with symbolism in order to provoke thought.
Actually, during this Passover period, we see that Christ did provide miraculous signs, and as a consequence, more came to believe in him. Yet those religious leaders who had demanded of Jesus miraculous signs to prove his authority did not accept the miracles as proof.
We also see that Jesus could know the hearts of men, and that as people came to him, he was able to discern what was in them, just as he can discern our motives behind all of our actions.
John 2:23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name.
24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men.
25 He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.
Key Lesson — Jesus knows our hearts. We must understand that it is vital that we learn to follow Christ in the right spirit, not just going through the motions, sitting in church each Sunday, etc. Our Lord knows our internal thoughts and motivations.
| Jesus, Lessons for Life 7 Learning from Christ's Lessons Sometimes Occurs Later
As we encounter life's challenges and difficult circumstances, it can be difficult to discern God's hand in the context of what is happening at that moment. We often have tunnel vision about the pain we feel. Sometimes we are not even looking for what God is perhaps trying to work in our lives.
Let's look at an example from John. In "Lessons for Life 5" we examined the time when Jesus cleared the temple, as told in John 2. As a part of that emotional event, Christ made a statement which would be important for his disciples and followers. However, they did not have a clue what He was describing in the moment, but Jesus knew that following his resurrection that they would recall these words and have a full understanding of the lesson and its meaning.
Here is the passage and this explanation.
What was the purpose of Jesus’ statement in John 2:19?
Jn 2:19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
It was a lagging lesson for his disciples, part of his plan to prepare them, but when they were ready to understand, not now.
Jn 2:22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
You perhaps can recall and describe times when God was taking action in your life, but you did not know the lessons until later. Wouldn't it be great if we could improve our capacity to catch these lessons from God as they happen. Here is a question that is worth our time to think about:
How do we become better at recognizing God’s hand in our life?
As our faith increases, as we grow in Christ, we should gain more aware. Here are some suggestions that can help.
- Learn to watch. Be more aware, especially in emotional and/or painful moments.
- Take time to reflect, to look in the rear view mirror to find the lessons from past events in your life, both the peaks and the valleys; pay particular attention to the valleys. In our pain and suffering as a consequence of life's challenges, we often do not recognize the Lord's hand until later, sometimes much later.
- Trust. When in a difficult time, know that God is in control. Take comfort in that. Recognize that you may not understand until later, but seek understanding.
- Pray for discernment and understanding.
It can be easy to miss God's plan and his work. When God rescues us, in the moment we may simply credit it to "good luck," not taking the time and effort to see that it was actually the work of the Holy Spirit. Give God the credit. If you find yourself saying or thinking as follows:
- "What good luck..."
- "What a coincidence..."
- "Fate was..."
These should be like triggers that send you into deep reflection to recognize lessons that God is teaching you. Don't pass up the chance to learn and to draw closer to Him.
Blessings to you all,
Larry
| Jesus, Lessons for Life 6
Beyond These Walls - Taking ministry to the world
We can see that Jesus was mobile in the early parts of his ministry. After the miracle at the wedding, Jesus, traveling with mother, brothers, and his disciples, moved on. Travel was by foot, so even short distance required considerable time. We know they went to Capernaum, and then on to Jerusalem just before the Passover holiday.
Jn 2:12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples.
Immediately thereafter He and his disciples were again on the move.
Jn 2:13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
There in Jerusalem is where we saw his emotions, including zeal and anger, as we discussed last time. This trend of moving frequently from place to place was His practice. Each location provided opportunities for deep lessons, for his disciples and all those He encountered.
Ultimately, Christ would give the command to his disciples to take the Good News to the world. We often refer to this as the "great commission."
Mt 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
What we are seeing in this early period of Christ's ministry is Jesus living out the example of traveling and preaching. This was common practice for Rabbis of this time, so Jesus fit perfectly with the cultural expectation for Rabbis and teachers of the time, traveling continuously with his band of disciples.
Key lesson -- our work for the Lord is not limited to time within the walls of our churches. We are to take the message "beyond these walls."
In our church, Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, TX, we have a working fellowship group within the church that goes by this title--Beyond These Walls, with the specific function of creating momentum to serve and take the Gospel message into the community and world.
As you grow in Christ and within your church, be thinking "beyond these walls."
Blessings in your studies & ministry,
Larry
| Jesus, Lessons for Life 5
Emotion in Ministry
As Jesus began his ministry, we see that He could and did become emotional with some of the things He encountered.
On an early trip to Jerusalem we can see emotions displayed, including zeal and anger, manifested in Jesus’ behavior. When he observed that his Father’s house was being used as a marketplace for selling animals and changing money, Jesus drove the merchants from the temple courts.
John 2:13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.
15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.
16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!”
17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
Key Lesson — Ministry is not absent of human emotions
Our savior demonstrated emotions. Emotions and feelings are a part of our human condition. The lesson here is that emotions are real. They were even real for Christ.
Key Lesson — Christ’s emotions were related to acts against God, not against self.
What most of us must strive to understand is, “what should be the basis for strong emotion? When are they appropriate?” In this example of Jesus’ anger, it is anger at what people were doing to dishonor God. It was not because someone had hurt Christ, or said something bad to Jesus. Rather, his anger was aroused because of this flagrant disrespect of God the Father.
For a lot of us, we are most angry when someone hurts us or offends us.
That was not the case here. As we will see in later scriptures, when Christ was under personal attack, to the point of facing death, his reaction was silence, and forgiveness.
As we ponder this amazing example of Christ’s humanity, full of emotion, let’s strive to look past the simple fact that he displayed emotion, and seek the core of what provoked the emotions.
Blessings in your studies,
Larry
| Jesus, Lessons for Life 4
Miracles
With part of his team now assembled, the Gospels reveal that his ministry began to include miracles. The first of these was at a wedding, where at him mother’s request, he turned water into wine.
Jn 2:1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,
:2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.
3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so,
9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside
10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
Verse 11 gives us the reason for this miracle. Jesus was revealing his glory through the action, thereby strengthening their faith in him. They were seeing live and in person that this man, Jesus, who was fully flesh and blood just like them, was also fully divine.
Key Lesson — Jesus, though fully human, was and is fully divine.
This lesson is important for us to understand. We may never in this world understand fully how it could happen, that incarnation that brought our divine God into his fully human form here on earth, but it is a central concept that we see as absolutely true.
Blessings,
Larry
| Jesus, Lessons for Life 3
Becoming Disciples
Jesus then began to pull his early believers together—the disciples, some of whom would be appointed as the apostles at a later time.
What does disciple mean? It refers most often to someone who is following and studying from a specific person. Synonyms include everything from “believer” to simply a “student.”
John 1:35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.
36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.
38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”
39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.
41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).
42 And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter ).
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
These men were Jews, and it seems they had special longing for the coming of the Messiah. In these initial brief encounters each had with Christ, they became convinced that Jesus was the Messiah they had been so hopefully anticipating.
Key Lesson — Follow Him; become a disciple, a learner…
What was their reaction upon Jesus revealing himself to them? They followed.
That of course is a huge lesson for us—when our hearts are touched with the reality and truth that Jesus is Lord, we need to follow.
| Jesus, Lessons for Life 2
Dealing with Temptation from Satan
Following baptism, Jesus was confronted by temptation from Satan. At this time we witness another action by Jesus that must be mentioned.
He was fasting.
Fasting seems quite rare among many Christians these days. Perhaps it should not be. If it was important to Jesus, perhaps it is a behavior that is also important for us.
What is fasting? It is the act of giving up food (and possibly other things) in order to dedicate time to God, time without distraction of worldly things. It is a simple act of sacrifice done in devotion to God.
Key Lesson — It is important to separate ourselves from worldly things from time to time in order to focus on God.
We cannot tell if Jesus, as God in the flesh, had the same vulnerability to temptation as we all do. We can see that Satan did, as he does with us all, confront Jesus when he was vulnerable—after the long period of fasting.
Here in the first days of his ministry, Jesus demonstrates resistance to sin. Throughout his life He continued to resist all temptations and remain sinless—our perfect role model for life. As he is confronted by sin and temptations, we can extract important lessons to learn how we can successfully face temptation and make good choices.
Matt 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.
6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’’”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’’”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. [1]
Satan tempted Jesus in several ways:
1. To use his power to satisfy his physical hunger—turning stones into bread
Jesus’ focus—we need the word of God much more than bread
2. To use his power to demonstrate his deity, throwing himself down so that the angels would then attend him
Jesus’ focus—don’t put God to the test
3. To worship Satan in order to gain all that the world has to offer
Jesus’ focus—to worship and serve God alone
Perhaps the greatest temptation of all was Satan’s provocation of Jesus to use his deity, his divine power, rather than to standup to the challenges and temptations as a human.
Key Lesson — Jesus countered each provocation by Satan with Holy Scripture.
Here we find a very important lesson—as we are tempted, we can find the answers and guidance we need to avoid the temptation by turning to Scripture. Therein exist the truth and wisdom we need in the face of Satan’s lies.
Blessings,
Larry
[1] Mark 1:12-13 and Luke 4:1-13
| Jesus, Lessons for Life 1
Welcome. In the coming posts we will examine the three to three and one-half years of Jesus’ ministry on earth. He did a lot of teaching during that brief time. More importantly, the four books of the Gospel share a lot with us about what Christ did and said.
Our focus will be to learn key principles or lessons from his actions and words during his ministry. He is our role model, our reference point for life’s many questions. We will follow his actions and teaching sequentially, as they occurred over these brief years.
What was the first act by Jesus in his ministry? What did he do first? What initiated His ministry?
He was baptized, and this was by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. John was reluctant, as he thought he should be baptized by the Savior, not the other way around. With Jesus’ gentle persuasion, John consented.
Matt 3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.
14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.
17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” [1]
This is a beautiful passage.
- God actually spoke in such a way that gave validation to Jesus' authority in beginning his ministry
- The Holy Spirit of God was witnessed descending and resting upon Christ
These two miraculous elements accompanied the Savior's obedience in baptism. That is why we are baptized; to demonstrate our obedience to the Lord whom we have accepted in our hearts.
The doctrine of baptism differs across the many Christian denominations and churches. We will not go into all of that here. Please go back and reference our past blog posts by clicking on the key word “baptism” for a refresher on our previous studies and discussions.
The point to be made now is simply that the decision for baptism is important.
- Our Savior made that decision, as a young adult preparing for his ministry. Jesus was baptized.
- So, regardless of the endless debates, we can take His lesson to heart and realize that baptism is an important step for each of us in our walk with Christ.
Key Lesson — Baptism is important.
New believers then should be encouraged to follow the model of Christ in this behavior and to be baptized.
Blessings,
Larry
[1] Mark 1:9-11 and Luke 3:21-23
| Jesus , Lessons for Life
Welcome back. We will now begin a series that looks at the three to three and one-half years of Jesus’ ministry on earth. Whenever I have one of life’s questions to wrestle with, I try to look for an answer first in this period of Christ’s life. My search is for “What did Jesus do?” or “What did our Lord say?” in relation to the question.
Christ is our role model. Very often our search for answers can be found within this time period when Jesus was teaching and preaching, preparing his disciples to carry the Good News and lead His church. As we study, it is important to follow a couple of principle of systematic theology:
Who was Jesus addressing and what was the situation then?
What other examples of this can be found elsewhere in the scriptures?
What “timeless principles” seem obvious from the scriptures?
How can we apply those principles to our lives?
For this series, we will use the timeline as represented in The Daily Bible, published by Harvest House Publishers. This Bible uses the New International Version translation, which we use in our international work. The Daily Bible arranges the writings of the Bible in chronological order. So as we read the Gospels, we are seeing them harmonized, or blended, so that the events come to life for us in the sequence in which they occurred rather that arranged by the four authors, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
In the coming weeks, we will simply looks at the sequence of events during these years while Christ was teaching and preaching, and we will search for key lessons that are valuable to us in growing in faith in Christ.
A little history of the Gospel accounts might be useful here.
The Gospel of Matthew provides a bridge from the Old Testament. It shows that Jesus fulfilled the history of Israel. In his writing, Matthew constantly refers to the Old Testament, illustrating how Jesus was the Messiah the Jews were awaiting. The date of the writing is thought by many to be about 80-90 A.D.
The oldest book of the Gospels was Mark. It is also the shortest of the four books. It was not written by an apostle, but instead by a disciple of one of the apostles. Mark was Peter’s companion in Rome. The composition of Mark's Gospel could be placed after Peter's death, i.e. at between 65 and 70 A.D. Later Gospel authors would probably have used Mark’s account as a reference.
The Gospel of Luke probably dates around 80-90 A.D. Luke is thought to have been a cultivated man, a physician, and a companion to the Apostle Paul. His narrative portrays facts using the accounts and information of eyewitnesses.
The Gospel of John is quite different from the other Gospel account in how it was written. It is thought to be written last of the four, near the end of the Apostle John’s life. It was probably written around the end of the first century A.D. approximately sixty years after Jesus death and resurrection.
Next time we will begin to explore the blending of these four accounts as we search for key lessons from Jesus’ adult life and ministry.
Blessings,
Larry
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