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Bible Reading: Mark 2

BIBLE READING: John 2-4 DISCUSSION                                                                                             In John 3 and 4 we have two stories of people that are having their first one on one contact with Jesus.  The encounter is with Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews who visits Jesus at night. In John 4 we meet the nameless Samaritan woman who goes to the well to draw water.  As I study these two separate accounts, I cannot help but notice a significant correlation.  The two people in the stories, Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman, are opposites. ...

BIBLE READING: Matthew 4; Luke 4-5; John 1. 15-51 DISCUSSION                                                                     The writer of Hebrews tells us that “ we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15).   That means that Jesus had to endure temptation, to make a way for us to overcome.  The accounts of Matthew and Luke 4 give us a vivid picture of what that temptation was like for Jesus.   Fresh off His baptism, Jesus goes into wilderness to pray and fast for forty days to prepare Himself for His ministry.  While He is at maybe hi...

BIBLE READING: Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke3 DISCUSSION                                The reading today introduces us to another colorful character of God’s providential story… John the Baptizer.  Hope for the Jews was continuing to grow with the empire of Rome seizing control of the world. There were those devout Jews, who we are aware of in Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, and a realization that within the Roman kingdom, God would establish His kingdom that would last forever.  This prompted many people like Simeon and Anna who were “waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2.38), to keep watch for events that would be prompted.  One of the prophecies that would serve as a key to when this hope would be realized was from Isaiah  “A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in th...

BIBLE READING: Matthew 2; Luke 2. 39-52 DISCUSSION                                                                           When it comes to the childhood years of Jesus I have so many questions:  was he ever spanked as child? Did he ever catch a cold or have a fever? When was it that He understood that He was the Creator of the Universe? However, in God’s infinite wisdom, He chose to not include anything from His childhood years.   Instead, we have a gap in the story from his birth until he was twelve years old.  Luke’s account of Jesus, at twelve, in the Temple may offer us a little insight as to when Jesus understood He was not your typi...

BIBLE READING: Matthew 1; Luke 2. 1-38 DISCUSSION                                                                              As the Jews begin to look for this Messiah, the world begins to see many people begin to make a false claim of being that “Anointed One”.  To ensure any validity to His claim of being the Christ, there had to be a few things that had to be checked out; namely His ancestry and virgin birth.  Within the Old Testament, we see hints left for us concerning the family lineage of Jesus.  For instance, the Messiah must be from the lineage of Abraham to fit the Promise; He must be of the tribe of Judah to fit prophe...

BIBLE READING: Luke 1; John 1. 1-14 DISCUSSION                                                           AS we embark upon our journey into the life of Christ and the New Testament, I feel it fitting to mention just how important this portion of Scripture is to the believer.  God had made a promise to His people through the patriarch Abraham; within the story of Jesus and the New Testament we will begin to see the benefits of that Promise come to fruition.  God’s people have suffered a lot because of sin, but the Old Testament Prophets leave us with a great deal of hope for the future.  After four hundred years of silence in the time between the testaments, that Hope begins to be seen in the form of a Star.  I...