Category Archives: Jesus

Holy Week – Palm Sunday

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This is all of the Palm Sunday stories about the ride into Jerusalem put together.

I will be looking at what and where Jesus was each day of Holy Week.

See Holy Week 2014 – Palm Sunday- Jesus Had a Need

Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:29-44, John 12:12-19

New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once as you enter it, you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her, which no one has ever ridden. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:5 “Say to Daughter Zion, 15 “Do not be afraid,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them 4 and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd 12 that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

16 At first, his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him.

11 Jesus went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

 

The Jesus Psalm

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I refer to Psalm 22 as the Jesus Psalm just because so much of it refers to the Easter story. I know there are other New Testament verses that will fit with Psalm 22 but this is a good start. I will encourage you to do one of these; there are several places in the New Testament that I will be doing during Holy Week and beyond.

Psalm 22

New Testament Verse
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?
2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. .3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises.
4 In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people.7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads.

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8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”

9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

 12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

13 Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me.

14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me.

15 My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.

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 16 Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.

17 All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me.

18 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.

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 19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me.

20 Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

 22 I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you.

23 You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

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25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.

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 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him— may your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,

28 for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.

29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!

 Matthew 27: 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lemasabachthani?” (Which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)..John 8: 54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”.

Matthew 27: 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”

Matthew 27: 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

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Luke 22: 63 The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him.

Luke 14: 64 “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death. 65 Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.

John 19: 28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”

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John 20: 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

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Luke 23: 34 And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. (John 19:23)

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Luke 22: 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

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.Luke 4: 43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” 44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

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Matthew 21: 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

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Mark 8: 8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

 

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

You Can Touch Jesus

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Mark 5:21-34, Luke 8:43-48, Matthew 9:20-22 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman

21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had woman healedbeen subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, 43no one could heal her, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched 44the edge of his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”  29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. They all denied it.

31 “You see the people crowding and pressing against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 22 Jesus turned and saw her.  33 Then the woman, 47 seeing that she could not go unnoticed and knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 47 In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” 22And the woman was healed at that moment.

I know that you usually focus on the woman or Jairus in this story. I think the woman with the bleeding problem was really for Jairus so that his faith would be strong. The woman’s story speaks for its self and is/has/will be told many times but what about the crowd? They, according to the disciples, were touching Jesus! Did they have needs, wants or desires? Why was the woman the only one to draw power? I guess my real question here is: You can touch Jesus and have nothing happen?

Ok, that may mess with your theology but is it elsewhere in the Gospels?

  • The Ten Lepers; they “touched” Jesus with their cries and only one came back. The one leperLuke 17:11
  • The One Talent Servant was part of the kingdom and knew the requirements but yet he hid his talent. Matthew 25:14-30
  • The soldiers who beat Jesus.
  • The “Lord when did we see you” group in Matthew 25:43-45.

Now, there is a difference when Jesus touched someone. The Nine Lepers were healed, the other two servants knew and did the Master’s will and way more Seed was productive. The difference may be that Jairus and the woman came with faith to Jesus. The crowd was just following because who doesn’t like a parade and being around someone famous. In Matthew 9:25 the “crowd” was put outside so that faith in the house would not be hindered, after all, it was not their little girl.

http://clipart.christiansunite.com/Pictures_of_Jesus_Clipart/Healing_the_Sick_Clipart/index4.shtml

Tribes of Israel – Judah

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Judah is the fourth son of Jacob and Leah and became the family leader. His name means “praise” because Leah decided to praise God at the birth of this son. The tension in this family that is reflected in the names of the sons is astonishing; the lesson here is don’t marry sisters:-)

His first recorded act after being tapped to be family leader was to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites; so that they would profit from the loss of a brother. I read the story in chapter 38 as occurring quickly but Er, the first born, would have been only thirteen when Joseph became ruler of Egypt so the incident with Tamar must have been around the beginning of the famine. (a movie made an interesting point that he moved out to get away from a grieving Jacob) Remember Tamar is a grandmother of Jesus which is why this part is included in Scripture. He does seem to take a positive lead of the family in chapter 43 when he repeats the deal Reuben tried to make with Joseph. He is the main spokesman in chapter 44:16 and Jacob sent him for directions in 46:28.

Jacob at the end of Genesis leaves this blessing for Judah: Genesis 49:8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you.
9 You are a lion’s cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.
11 He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.

That blessing pretty well covers everything: family leadership, authority over his enemies, personal wealth and good looks.

The two main people from Judah in the Exodus story are Bezalel, the artist, found in Exodus 35:30 and Caleb, the faithful spy, first mentioned in Numbers 13:6. Both of these men are again mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2 where the clans of Judah and the family of Jesse, David’s father, and David’s sons are discussed. This family history goes to chapter 4:23 and covers Jabez and his pray. It also covers the rulers after the Exile. This family tree is repeated again in Matthew 1, which is Joseph’s line, and again in Luke 3:23, which is Mary’s family line.

Deuteronomy 33: 7 And this he (Moses) said about Judah: “Hear, O Lord, the cry of Judah; bring him to his people. With his own hands he defends his cause.
Oh, be his help against his foes!”

Jesus is from Judah through David’s son Nathan, brother of Solomon. In one sense much of the Old Testament is about that family; 1 & 2 Samuel, much of 1 Chronicles and the books of the Kings and 2 Chronicles covers that family. While the prophets spend many of their words talking about Jesus and His coming.

Pictures are from http://www.freebibleimages.org/illustrations/ , http://www.biblepicturegallery.com/Pictures/David.htm

Jesus as the Master Preacher

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The idea of preaching as I have gathered from several sources is a passionate appeal on a topic, usually religious. The more I have read and fit that idea into the messages that people (especially Jesus) preached in the Bible it seemed that they preached on things that they were consumed with as their “message.”  I got a feeling that the passion was in the preacher and that was conveyed to the people that are listening. I think that is why the disciples were taught for quite a while before they were sent out. They had to get the “message of Jesus” and make it theirs before they could truly give it as a “passionate appeal.” I have seen a lot of people that can get a congregation excited for forty-five minutes and then in the parking lot the people cannot remember the point of the sermon. But people who have preached on “their messages” because it is what God has put into them and their hearts make a difference.

The miracles that Jesus would do after His preaching was to convey the authority that He had to be preaching that message and to show them the real Kingdom He would bring and not just an earthly kingdom that would free them from Rome. This is why the leaders of the day were so afraid of Jesus’ message; it came with power and had hope and peace as the core of what He said.  The leaders of the day had seen other “messiahs” come and go but I think that the “passion of His message” and the miracles were more than they could handle. Gamaliel in Acts 5 said it best; “if it is from God” you are wasting your time.

This is why it is a “now kingdom”. We should be preaching His message that He has given to each of us and when we do that His power will be there to do His miracles.

Art from – http://clipart.christiansunite.com/