We would urge you to read the passages in John 15 again and really ponder the message of staying connected to Him and being able to bear much fruit.
Secrets of the Vine is an excellent little book to read that explains this passage beautifully.

John 16:11
and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
Satan may be prince of this world now, but he stands condemned at judgment.

We would urge you also to read John Chapter 16 again.
John 16:23
In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
If you read this in full context, it becomes clear what Jesus is talking about in regards to what we are to ask for. (See James 1:5)

James 1:5
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and with no reproach, and it shall be given to him.

When Jesus speaks to the disciples about sending the Holy Spirit, they didn't have a handle on exactly what that meant. They understood about the Holy Spirit "coming upon" someone temporarily but they really didn't understand about the Holy Spirit coming to dwell within. They didn't quite get the personal relationship that they could have with God, the Father and God, the Holy Spirit.

Jesus prays for Himself. He prays for the disciples. And lastly this…
John 17:20
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
That’s us!!! Jesus is praying for US! In His last hours on earth, He was praying for US! What an awesome and humbling thought!

The last supper…not THE Passover supper, simply the last supper the disciples would have with Jesus before the crucifixion. During the Feast of Unleavened Bread, meals together were called Passover meals. Notice in this passage the disciples are now called apostles. Disciples are learners. Apostles are the “sent out ones”. They are being prepared by Jesus to be sent out.

When Jesus announces that one of them would betray Him, the disciples didn’t automatically think of Judas. This lets us know they didn't suspect Judas of any wrongdoing or at least they didn't suspect him of anything this wrong.

The passage about washing the disciples’ feet is so much deeper that just Jesus setting the example of servitude. It’s all about forgiveness. Jesus set the example of forgiveness of sins. He forgave their sins, they were in turn to forgive each other. We need to come to Jesus daily for the removal of the dirt of sin from our lives. If we are saved we are clean but our feet get dirty living in a sinful world.

John 14:1-4 is a very familiar passage that is quoted often.  In these verses Jesus tells His disciples and us that He is going to prepare a place.  For information about the significance of some of the Greek words in this passage, see the book These Last Days pages 328-331.

John 14:13
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.
Whatever prayers we lift up should bring the Father glory!

Mark 14:26
When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Go to this link for more information on just what that hymn might have been.

http://www.philandpatti.com/abiblicalviewofholyweek

Jesus warns His disciples about forsaking Him.  Peter adamantly responds that he will never forsake Jesus. He even says that he will die with Jesus if necessary. And all the other disciples said the same thing.  How about all of us as Believers in Jesus?  Are there times when we have forsaken Him?  Praise God that even in our weakness of forsaking Him, we have the assurance that He will never forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)

When Judas bargained to betray Jesus, Scripture is very clear that Satan entered into Judas.  Satan knew that he couldn't send one of his lackeys to do the work, he had to go himself.

Some sad words in Scripture:
"Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him."
Not much has changed today.

If ever there was a doubt concerning the Son of God appearing to the Old Testament people, this one lays that to rest.
John 12:41
Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him.

More sad words from Scripture:
"for they loved praise from men more than praise from God."
Again, not much has changed today.

As you continue reading, start paying close attention to the frequent mentioning of the Father by Jesus. He begins to mention the Father more and more the closer He gets to the crucifixion. I (Patti) tend to wonder how Jesus felt. When I was younger (before I met Phil) I always had a very loving relationship with the most important people in my life, my parents. Whenever I was hurt or upset or scared, I always sought the comfort of my parents, especially my daddy. Wonder if the human part of Jesus was feeling that way and He  was longing for the comfort of the Father. Something to think about…

When Judas bargained to betray Jesus, Scripture is very clear that Satan entered into Judas.  Satan knew that he couldn't send one of his lackeys to do the work, he had to go himself.

Some sad words in Scripture:
"Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him."
Not much has changed today.

If ever there was a doubt concerning the Son of God appearing to the Old Testament people, this one lays that to rest.
John 12:41
Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him.

More sad words from Scripture:
"for they loved praise from men more than praise from God."
Again, not much has changed today.

As you continue reading, start paying close attention to the frequent mentioning of the Father by Jesus. He begins to mention the Father more and more the closer He gets to the crucifixion. I (Patti) tend to wonder how Jesus felt. When I was younger (before I met Phil) I always had a very loving relationship with the most important people in my life, my parents. Whenever I was hurt or upset or scared, I always sought the comfort of my parents, especially my daddy. Wonder if the human part of Jesus was feeling that way and He  was longing for the comfort of the Father. Something to think about…

There is so much to say about the Scripture in today’s reading and we have tried to keep things short…but this reading can’t be kept short. With so much talk from so many places today on the events of these last days, it is easy to get caught up in what people are saying. The question for us as Believers in Jesus is this:
What Did Jesus Say?

Jesus words are written in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 concerning the signs of His coming and the events of the last days. Considering that at the time Jesus spoke these words He had only a few more days with the disciples before the crucifixion, we can logically conclude that the things Jesus would tell the disciples at this time would be extremely important. If they were important enough for Jesus to tell  to His disciples in the remaining few days before the crucifixion, shouldn’t they be important enough for us to pay close attention to today?

Jesus’ lessons had gotten progressively more intense than when He first began teaching. The heart of His teaching began to move away from taking care of the physical needs, the miraculous healings and the feeding of the multitudes, and became more focused on the coming kingdom.

This conversation took place three days before His crucifixion. Jesus and the disciples left the temple in Jerusalem. They journeyed on to the Mount of Olives, opposite the temple. Peter, James, John and Andrew asked Jesus privately what would be the sign of His coming and the end of the age.

Matthew 24:3
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
These inner four disciples are asking, “When are you coming back to establish your kingdom to stay forever? What supernatural occurrence is going to happen to tell us that you are coming?” That’s what they were really asking.

Jesus answers their question with a warning to watch out and not be deceived. He tells His disciples that false prophets will come claiming to be the Messiah or claiming they know who and where the Messiah is. Some false prophets will also acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah but will pervert and distort the gospel. False prophets will claim, without using evidence that the end is near. They will misquote Scripture. Many will be deceived. Jesus warns His disciples that if anyone claims that they alone know where He is, to not believe it because He says He will come so that no one can miss it. There will be wars and rumors of wars. Nations will rise up against nation, kingdom against kingdom, not necessarily against each other in battle but will just rise up beside each other. There will be new nations and kingdoms formed, greedy for power and wealth. There will be earthquakes, famines, pestilences, fearful events and great signs from heaven.

Jesus tells them not to be alarmed. These things will happen. They are the beginnings of birth pains but the end is still to come. As the time gets closer to Jesus’ coming, the events of these last days will be on an ever increasing scale. As time progresses, they will become more severe. They will increase in intensity and frequency, just as labor pains.

Next Jesus tells the disciples what will happen to them before all this takes place. Jesus tells them that they will be handed over to local councils and flogged in synagogues. They will stand before governors and kings and those in authority. They will be put in prison. They will be betrayed by parents, children, brothers, relatives and friends. They will be hated by all nations for no other reason than their faith in Jesus. They will be persecuted and even put to death. He warns them to be on their guard. He tells them not to worry beforehand about what they are to say in their defense. The Holy Spirit will be speaking for them with words and wisdom that none of their adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.

Jesus tells His disciples that when they see these things happen, they will know that the end is near, right at the door. Jesus also reminds the disciples that no one knows the day or hour, not the angels in heaven, or even Jesus Himself, only God the Father knows. And while we cannot know the day or hour, we can know the "season".

Jesus compared events of the last days to labor pains. As birth pains increase, become more frequent and closer together, so will the frequency and intensity of events that lead up to Jesus’ coming. Then many more false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect-- if that were possible. There will be more wars and rumors of wars. More nations will rise up against nations, more kingdoms against kingdoms, greedy for power and wealth. There will be many more earthquakes, famines, pestilences, fearful events and great signs from heaven.

When all these things happen that Jesus predicted many people will be leading normal lives in their unbelief, eating, drinking, marrying, etc. just like they were in Noah’s day before the flood. They will be unaware that Jesus’ return is imminent. And they will not care. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

The events of these last days will be startling when they take place to those who don’t know what to be watching for. Those who are learning about the events leading up to these last days will know the signs so that those days will not catch them by surprise. They will not be “comatose”. The day of the Lord will not come upon believers like a thief in the night. We are watching because we are children of light.

The events of these last days are nothing to fear. When we read of devastating events going on around us it can be very frightening. But in many ways it can be very comforting to know that these things must take place. We must endure these things as we wait for His glorious appearing.

There are some truths to be learned from the incident with the fig tree.  If the fig tree represents Judiasm, then it is full of leaves, but has no fruit.  The fig tree withered quickly.  Judiasm came quickly to an end.  They were given a chance to accept Jesus as the Messiah and bear much fruit for the kingdom.  They rejected Him and so figuratively speaking, Judiasm withered quickly.

Ponder this concerning the parable of the two sons.  The first son represents sinners who repent and accept Jesus as Savior, then go to work for the kingdom..  The second son represents "cradle Christians", those who grew up in the faith who practice "churchianity", but never do any real work for the kingdom. What if the man had three sons and the third son, said yes and then followed through with doing work for the kingdom?

The following verse leaped off the pages of the Bible for us when we read it. This is what could be referred to as a "rhema" word from the Lord.  That is when the Holy Spirit "quickens" a word or phrase or verse and gives new understanding.

Matt 22:2
"The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.

God is the King who is preparing a wedding banquet for His Son, Jesus and Jesus’ bride (that would be us!) This gives us a foretaste of the banquet that is to come, the heavenly banquet as we prepare to take up residence in our eternal home. Our temporary life here should be lived in anticipation of our eternal life to come. In light of the uncertainties and uneasiness of the political climate of today, the most important thing is to keep our eyes on eternity. For additional writing on how to live our lives as Christians in a fallen world email us for the writing Kingdom Living in a Foreign Land.

See the book These Last Days for other details on the heavenly banquet to come.


The religious leaders continue to prod Jesus with questions, hoping to trap Him into making a seditious statement against the Roman authorities.  Jesus continued to astound them with His answers.

When Jesus was asked by one of the teachers of the law about the commandments, He, in effect condensed all ten commandments into two.  The first four commandments concern our relationship with God.  Jesus condensed those four into "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
The last six commandments concern our relationships with others.  Jesus condensed those six into "Love your neighbor as yourself."  
Keep in mind that Jesus has only a few more days before the crucifixion.  He's wrapping up the law.  Judiasm has only a few final days. Isn't it interesting that this particular teacher of the law answered by acknowledging that all the law really boils down to these two.  Jesus responded to that revelation by saying, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  The teacher of the law is almost there but not quite.

Jesus had no problem condemning self-righteousness, false religion, legalism, injustice, hypocrisy, and persecution.  All those words sound sinful in nature, descriptions of non-believers...right???  Not so!   Jesus was speaking of the religious leaders of the day. Jesus said the religious leaders were like white-washed tombs.  They looked good on the outside but were full of dead men's bones.  The religious establishment was full of spiritually dead people. Any connections to today???

A very crucial verse is the one that tells us that Mary anointed Jesus in Bethany six days before the Passover.   This little verse establishes the entire timeline of Holy Week. Scripture tells us the next day (Saturday, not Sunday) was the triumphant entry.
For clarification see the website writings A Biblical View of Holy Week.
http://www.philandpatti.com/abiblicalviewofholyweek

Bethany was the home of Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and also Simon the Leper. It was about two miles from Jerusalem.

Many in the crowd that met Jesus and shouted Hosanna to Him were expecting a conquering Messiah. They were expecting a political ruler who would free them from the oppression of the Romans (among others).

John 12:16
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 they had done these things to him.

The disciples still do not understand. Many people think of the disciples as being well versed in Jewish law and scripture but they may not have been. They may not have been regular worshipers at all and may have know very little of the prophecies of the Messiah. That may explain why they did not understand so many things, even after Jesus explained things to them. They didn’t understand many things until Jesus was glorified.

The Pharisees were worried that "the whole world has gone after him!" Since there were people from all over the known world, they perceived Jesus to be a real threat to them.

"The next day as they were leaving Bethany...". Jesus and the disciples left Jerusalem on that Saturday (the Triumphal Entry) and traveled back to Bethany. The next day would have been Sunday when they arrived back in Jerusalem and Jesus cursed the fig tree.

Jesus was very indignant when he overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the temple. He did the same thing at the beginning of His mission. Since Jesus lived a perfect life, His actions tell us that righteous indignation is not a sin.

When Jesus quoted scripture, He was quoting from the law which the chief priests and teachers of the law knew very well. They knew the law. Jesus knew they knew the law. That’s why He quoted it!

The crowd said they had heard in the Law that the Christ must remain forever. This is why they were confused when Jesus said He must be crucified. The Law in this case means all of the Old Testament writings, not just the first five books of Moses or just the Ten Commandments.

When Jesus say “Father, glorify your name!” a voice spoke from heaven. Some said it thundered, others said an angel had spoken. Why the difference? Could it be that non-believers heard thunder, believers heard an angel? Why would people have thought they heard thunder? Was there a presence of dark clouds?

Are we as believers listening for the voice from heaven? If we are, maybe, just maybe we may hear it!

Since we could write a “book” on each day’s reading, we are going to try to pick out only a few selected verses to write about.

Concerning divorce: Jesus left no questions on this one A "no-fault" divorce is not scriptural. Modern day Jews however have something known as a "get" which is basically a "no-fault" divorce. 

The rich young man was keeping the old law. Jesus tells him, there's more.

When Jesus talks about the "renewal of all things", He is speaking of the Millennial Kingdom when the earth will be renewed. That is when the disciples will rule the twelve tribes of Israel. Couldn't help but think about missionaries concerning leaving everything behind. Not only will they receive eternal life, but will receive a hundred fold.

When speaking to the disciples about His soon-to-come crucifixion, Jesus said men would condemn Him to death and...
Mark 10:34
who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise."

Jesus makes it pretty clear that He will rise in three days (three full days and three full nights), not three “parts” of days.

Mark 10:38
"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"

This baptism has nothing to do with water. Salvation happens when a person becomes a believer in Jesus. Being water baptized is an outward symbol of an inward change. The real baptism is baptism of the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus asked the blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?” Kind of a rhetorical question, don’t you think? But it illustrates an important point. Even though God knows what we need before we ask Him, He still wants us to ask. Amazing!

For details concerning the parable of the minas, see Parables to Ponder on the website.
http://www.philandpatti.com/biblestudies

One of the most important verses in Scripture for understanding the timeline of the last week of the life of Jesus is the following:

John 12:1
Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

For details concerning the timeline of Holy Week and the anointing of Jesus by Mary, see A Biblical View of Holy Week on the website.
http://www.philandpatti.com/abiblicalviewofholyweek

Let's ponder this verse today, the question that Jesus asked blind Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” and think about all we ask Jesus to do for us. How about directing that verse to Jesus and ask Him what He wants us to do for HIM!

When Jesus learned that Lazarus was sick, he delayed two more days. Why? By the time Jesus reached Lazarus' tomb, he had been in the tomb for at least three days. Mary and Martha would have already been back after the customary three days to permanently anoint his body. They knew Lazarus was dead. See the website writing A Biblical View of Holy Week for details on the importance of the three days. 

KJV says he “tarried”. How often when we are in distress and call out to God, does He “tarry” in His answer? But look at why He tarried in the story of Lazarus. He tarried so that they would believe. Could He tarry with our answers to prayer to bring about an even deeper faith or that we may grow spiritually?

When Jesus was returning to raise Lazarus, the disciples knew that He was in danger by going there, yet they said they were willing to die with Him. What happened later when Jesus was arrested? Were they willing to die for Him then?

When Jesus saw them weeping over Lazarus, he was deeply moved in spirit. KJV says he “groaned in the spirit”. He was troubled not only because they were sorrowful, but also troubled that they didn’t understand the “cocoon”. We can equate our life on earth as the life of a “caterpillar”. It isn’t until we go into the “cocoon” of death and spend a time that we are able to emerge as beautiful “butterflies” in the resurrection. Too often we want to remain a worm! Stay tuned for Phil's newest book - Butterfly Living in a Caterpillar World.  We have been promising this book for several years now. Maybe next year....

When the Sanhedrin met, they were concerned about what Jesus was doing and wanted to stop Him. Notice what Caiaphas prophesied. Jesus avoided them after that and retired to Ephraim, a city sixteen miles northeast of Jerusalem on the borders of the wilderness. 

Jesus rebuked the disciples concerning the children. In fact, He was indignant! He said they should not hinder them. Does that tell us how Jesus feels about little children? Does that tell us how important is the teaching of children?

Even adults should enter into salvation with the innocence and faith of little children and with the temper and spirit of a child with a teachable, mild, and humble spirit, free from prejudice.

The rich young ruler had been keeping the old law, but Jesus is telling him there is more.
“Jesus looked at him and loved him”. Put your name in there. See how it sounds?

Love of possessions. Having wealth won’t keep you from heaven, making wealth your god, (instead of making Jesus your God) will.

There is much debate on the camel and eye of the needle. Many think camel may have been mistranslated and it should have read rope instead of camel. It would be harder for a rope to go through the eye of a needle. Others think the eye of the needle was a small gate going into the Jerusalem wall. In order for a camel to get through this gate, all the baggage heaped upon the camel would have to be removed and the camel to go down on it’s knees to get through. This sounds like we must get rid of all the “baggage” of sin that we carry with us, or anything that hinders us and get down on our knees to enter heaven. Or Jesus may have meant it exactly as it is written, for a camel to go through the eye of needle, a profound and comical illustration.

Jesus tells the disciples they will sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

James and John, the sons of thunder, the bold and the loud, want Jesus to do whatever they ask of Him. They were thinking earthly. They were asking to be on either side of Him in His kingdom. How they must have felt to know about the two criminals on either side of Him at the crucifixion.

“…you will drink the cup I drink…”
Jesus is telling His disciples that “the cup” is His death and that they will also drink of “the cup”.

When blind Bartimaeus shouted out to Jesus to have mercy, Jesus asked him what he wanted. Jesus knew what he wanted! The man was blind!  He wanted to see! Jesus wanted him to ask. Just as God wants us to ask even though He already knows what we want before we ask Him.

In response to the question, “Are only a few people going to be saved?”, Jesus responded by telling them that it is a narrow door and many will try to enter and not be able to. Many say, “I came to church, I took communion, I served, I listened.” But did they really? Was it just “lip service”? Delusional involvement? What does God say about that? 

Each one of us must weigh in our hearts what God wants us to do. “For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” We speak and act from an attitude of our hearts.

For many of us, serving may not mean serving inside the walls of the church, it may be serving and witnessing on the job, in our homes, in our families, in our neighborhoods.

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
These words are found also in Psalm 118 the center chapter of the Bible – the heart of the Bible you might say. It is a prophecy of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the beginning of Holy Week. He enters through the east gate of Jerusalem. Jesus calls Himself the gate. Psalm 118 says we will enter the gates of righteousness which Jesus will open for us.

In the parable of place of honor Jesus is teaching basic humility.

Jesus says to invite the poor, etc. and you will be blessed. If we give expecting something in return and get it we have already received our reward, but it is better to give not expecting anything in return, then our reward will come later.

Parable of the Great Banquet
Jesus is making the illustration of salvation and the invitations given to us. We have all received the invitation. The master of the banquet says to the servant to go to those who have been invited (the Jews) and tell them to come, everything is ready. But they are too busy with things of this world. Then the master says to go into the streets and bring in the poor, etc. (the tribes of Israel). The servant does so and they come to the banquet but there is still room for more. The master says to go into the country lanes (everybody else, the rest of the world) and make them come in until his house is full.

The first invitation was to those who were directly and selectively invited- the Jews. The second invitation was to bring in (to lead into) the people in the streets and alleys (the other tribes of Israel). This invitation was a little more persuasive. The third invitation was to make them come in. This word "make" means "to compel, to necessitate with an implication of distress". In other words, this invitation came with an exclamation mark! The objective was to fill the house. There is a certain number of souls to be saved. There is a finite number written in the Book of Life. John 1:35-51. 

What did Jesus mean when He said we must hate our family or we can’t be His disciple?
To hate in this case means to love less. Compared to our love for God it should be so much greater than our love for anything else that is off the scale. We must love everything else less than our love for Jesus.

What does it mean to carry his cross?

We may not be called to die for Jesus, but to live for Him!

Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin
Jesus says there is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents, and there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of heaven over one sinner who repents. The only time the Bible says the angels sing is when they sing the new song. (KJV records the angels say)

Parable of the Lost Son
The son wanted his reward now. He still is the son of his father and will inherit but his rewards will be less. Our salvation is secure. We can store up treasures in heaven or use them up here on earth. The lost son was not removed from the family, even though the older son thought he should be. The older son could be compared to “cradle” Christians who have been Christians most of their lives and have lived for Him and served Him.

Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man - also known as a midrash
There are a couple of lessons to be learned:
1. There is no second chance! When the door is shut, the door is shut!
2. Someone needs to go evangelize those who are not saved and are facing eternal death.
3. There are some who will not believe even if someone rises from the dead to tell them about it.

…the kingdom of God is within you.” The Holy Spirit dwells within every believer.

Parable of the Persistent Widow
Jesus is telling the disciples they should always pray. God will bring about justice for his chosen ones who pray to him.

Parable of the Vineyard Workers
Many come to salvation at the 11^th hour, but still receive salvation. “Cradle” Christians should not look down on “criminal on the cross” conversions.

When all is said and done, what matters is that we find that narrow gate to eternal life with Him!

Scripture says that Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. His entire being was focused on the job He had to do in Jerusalem.

When the people in a Samaritan village refused to welcome Jesus, the disciples James and John (the sons of thunder) wanted to call down fire from heaven but Jesus rebuked them. Jesus had no problem rebuking even His disciples.

The ten lepers according to Jewish law had to go show themselves to the priest to be declared to be officially clean, by going through ceremonial washing. This declaration of being clean was not made easily or quickly. See the Leviticus rules. They are specific and lengthy.

The man who came back to thank Jesus was the only Samaritan of the group. Isn’t it ironic that the only one who came back was a Samaritan? It was a Samaritan village who had not welcomed Jesus and the disciples.

When the 72 returned they were filled with joy.
“…rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Jesus was full of joy through the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ spirit testifies to their spirits. Their joy was genuine for all the right reasons. They had been obedient!
Just imagine, if we are full of joy through our obedience, then Jesus is full of joy because of it and He praises God, the Father. Filled Jesus with joy lately???

“For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
This sounds like a contradiction. Didn’t He earlier say that we must take up our cross and follow Him? How then can it be easy and light? The word "easy" means it is "well fitted". Whatever He asks us to do is a job well fitted just for us. He never asks us to do anything that He doesn't "fit" us to do. If we are well fitted for a job, the burden is not burdensome. It is light. 

In the story of Mary and Martha, what was it that Jesus valued most? Martha was busy “doing”. Mary was devoted in her "listening" to the words of Jesus. We do that today through worship, Bible study, and prayer.

“…everyone who asks receives…”
What was He referring to in the asking? Later on He says “…how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Asking doesn't always mean physical, earthly things.

Solomon’s Colonnade was a two-story roofed portico (porch) on the east side of Herod’s Temple. It was a part of the outer courtyard. This was most likely the place where Jesus later stood during His trial before the crucifixion when He looked at Peter when Peter denied Him.

“…no one can snatch them out of my hand…”
Praise God our salvation is secure with Him!

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
“While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Jesus was the light of the world at the beginning as He will be at the end. “And God said, ‘Let there be light…” Genesis
“The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”  Revelation
Jesus tells us that while He was walking on this earth, He was the light of the world. He no longer walks on the earth as a human man. When He left earth He promised His disciples He would send them the Holy Spirit. When we have the Holy Spirit living in us, we are the light of the world.

Jesus had no problem telling the Jews the way things really were with them. He rebuked them openly, even saying to them that they belong to their father, Satan.
“When he lies, he speaks his native language.”

“…before Abraham was born, I am!” Jesus establishes himself as the Divinity. He has no past tense, no future tense, but always the present.
Jesus is the “I AM” of the Old Testament. Jesus is not the “I was” or the “I will be”. He is the “I AM!” And always will be!

Jesus heals the blind man but notice the man doesn’t believe in Jesus at first. In fact he seems to not really know who Jesus is. When he is questioned by the Jews he is beginning to believe. “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” The Jews threw him out of the temple. They not only threw him out of the building, but by implication, excommunicated him. When Jesus finds the man he asks if he believes. This is the first time the man has actually seen Jesus. When Jesus healed him, the man had to go to the pool to wash before his sight was restored. The man’s response to Jesus’ question, “Lord, I believe.” Not only did Jesus open the man’s eyes, but He opened his “eyes” of understanding as well.

“…the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.” Only through Jesus is salvation. He makes it pretty plain!

“The watchman opens the gate for him…” God, the Father, is the watchman.

“…He calls his own sheep by name…” He knows us and calls us by name.

“…his sheep follow him because they know his voice…” We know Him and know His voice and follow Him. If we really know Him, we will be able to recognize false teachers and false teaching.

Jesus identifies himself as the gate. He tells us that He has come that we might have life abundant. That doesn’t just mean everlasting life. He has come so that we may have an abundant life here on this earth.

“…but I lay it down of my own accord…”
Jesus willingly allowed himself to be arrested and crucified. Are all of us as Believers in Jesus willing to lay down our own lives in service to Him?

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
We should go to the well (the Bible) to be filled, and then spill ourselves out for others.

Just as a tree soaks up water and produces luscious fruit, if we soak up God’s word, we’ll bear fruit. The more we delight in God’s presence the more fruitful we are. If a tree is planted by streams of water, it survives when drought or bad times come. If we “plant our tree” by God’s word, we will survive when bad times come.

Who was The Prophet the people were looking for? Is The Prophet John the Baptist? Or Jesus? Who?

The woman caught in adultery…the Law of Moses commanded both parties be put to death. Where was the man? What did Jesus write on the ground when the woman caught in adultery was brought to Him? Could it be that Jesus was writing the men's names in the dirt when He bent down the first time? When He wrote the second time, immediately after asking them about their own sins, could He have written down some secret sin they had each committed?  When Jesus said he didn’t condemn her, He also admonished her to go and sin no more. There are conditions to "no condemnation".

It is at Caesarea Philippi that Jesus asks the question of a lifetime. “Who do you say that I am?”
Our entire destiny depends on how we answer that question.

Matt 16:18
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
To better understand this passage we must look at the Greek words and their meanings.
Peter (petros- a piece of a rock) rock (Petra – a mass of rock) When Jesus says He will build His church on this rock, He is speaking of Himself (Jesus) as the foundation. Jesus is saying that Peter is a part – a piece of the rock.

When Jesus spoke of the "gates of Hades" He was referencing gates as being somewhat of the courthouse of the day. Jesus is saying that Satan's rulership of eternal death will not prevail against believers.

Jesus gives the "keys of the kingdom", He gives the power and authority so that all things that we bind or loose on earth will be bound or loosed in heaven. If we have the power and authority of the kingdom, we will be only operating in righteousness.

Peter rebukes Jesus telling Him that His crucifixion will never take place. John Wesley says that this was the deadliest advice that could ever be given. If Jesus had not gone to the cross, where would we be? Notice Peter goes from being the ROCK to being a stumbling rock.

Jesus says that some of them will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come in power. He is telling them that some of them will see Him transfigured. John got a “double dose”, once on the mountain and once on the Isle of Patmos.

While on the mountain, a bright cloud enveloped Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. This word "enveloped" is the same Greek word used concerning Mary at the conception of Jesus, except it is translated overshadow in that gospel account. "Overshadow" means "to envelop in a haze of brilliancy". 

Jesus said, "Elijah comes and will restore all things." The word "restore" in this passage was a bit confusing to us until we looked at the Greek word. It means that John completed the prophecies concerning the Messiah and ushered in a new order of things.

Immediately following the transfiguration. Scripture says the people were overwhelmed with wonder when they saw Jesus. Why? Could it be that He still glowed somewhat from the transfiguration? Remember Moses’ face when he came down from the mountain?

In the epileptic boy episode, we can see a micro model of Satan and his inter action and demise in the world.  The man who brought his son to have demons cast out, told Jesus that the disciples had tried and could not drive the demon out. Was it the man’s lack of faith that may have contributed to the failure? He asked Jesus, “… if you can do anything…”
Jesus responds with, “If you can?”
When Jesus rebukes the evil spirit he commands it to come out and never enter again. The spirit shrieks and convulses the body before it comes out. If we compare this to Satan’s reign on earth, he knows he has been defeated, but he is convulsing us now. He will shriek at the end!

Jesus tells the disciples that they were not able to drive out the spirit because they have so little faith. And these were His disciples! They had seen Him perform many signs and wonders. Was it their lack of faith in Jesus or their lack of faith in God’s ability to work through them? They had been given the power but maybe they had turned the spigot off. Or were they trying to do it in their own strength. "This kind can come out only by prayer." Some manuscripts add the words "and fasting." The Greek word for prayer is "proseuche" and carries the idea of abiding in an intimate relationship with God as we present our prayers and are willing to sacrifice something back to God in thanksgiving for answers to those prayers. This adds a bit of a different perspective to praying doesn't it?

Jesus tells the disciples they should become like little children, with a childlike innocence, to believe without question.

“See that you do not look down on one of these little ones…”
How little is little? Is it as little as two cells at conception? The words "look down on" means "to entice to sin, to cause to distrust, to fall away, to place a stumbling block in front of". With that definition in mind, the meaning of the verse reads quite deeper.

“thrown into hell, where their worm does not die…”
Hell in this instance is the Valley of Hinnom, ghenna, a valley outside Jerusalem where garbage is burned. The fire never goes out. It smolders and burns all the time. Worm here means grub, maggot, earthworm, all those things that go along with dead, rotten things. 

“Everyone will be salted with fire.”
Everyone will be salted. Will we be salted in hell’s fire and make it burn better or will we be salted with His Divine grace?
Fire is brought into our lives to make us better. It stings and smarts but it often takes us in a new and better direction.

Jesus explains about the testimony of two or three witnesses. This is important when studying the Bible as well. Check scripture to see if it confirms itself.

Jesus explains to Peter about forgiveness. This was a whole new concept for Peter. How about all of us Believers? Do we have a handle on the importance of forgiveness? It isn't always easy is it?

At the beginning of the reading today it is recorded that Jesus withdrew from the people and tried to keep His presence a secret.  Later on we read these words:

“He looked up into heaven and with a deep sigh…”
Jesus seems tired because all the people want physical healing and not spiritual healing. Could it be Jesus was demonstrating to the Father and to the people around Him how exasperated He was?

Jesus feeds 4,000 with seven loaves and some fish, with seven baskets left over. What was different this time from the feeding of the 5,000? There must be something significant in this because Jesus spoke to His disciples about it.  For one thing, even though there were fewer people, they consumed more this time than the previous time with the 5,000.  Could it be that the people were craving more of the physical and less of the spiritual?

Jesus warns them about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Leaven (yeast) is not a good thing in this case.  In fact leaven is not a good thing in most cases.  We need only read in Matthew 22 and 23 about the religious leaders of the day.  Just read about all the "woes" Jesus pronounced on them.

Why did Jesus perform this miracle of restoring sight to the blind man in two parts?
This blind man was brought by friends. The friends begged Jesus to touch him. Could it be the man didn’t have the faith himself? Was his belief or knowledge of Jesus confused or fuzzy at first (like the man saw fuzzy shapes at first). As knowledge and faith grows, things are seen more clearly. Faith is active. It requires action on the part of the person being healed. This man at first didn’t act. It was the action of his friends. Faith is personal!

Is our faith and knowledge in Him growing so that we are beginning to see more clearly like the blind man that Jesus healed? Is our faith active?

When Jesus fed the 5,000 men (not counting women and children, the number was much higher) He was moved with compassion. This means he was full of tenderness and concern at their plight. Notice Philip immediately told Jesus how much food it would take to feed this many people. Andrew on the other hand immediately brought Jesus the loaves and fishes, knowing that He could somehow make it work.

The people thought the Prophet had come. They wanted to make Jesus king. They wanted their physical needs met.

Jesus sent His disciples ahead of Him with the promise that He would join them later. It was between the hours of 3 and 6 am when they saw Jesus walking on the water. Peter wanted to come to Him, so Jesus commanded him to come. Peter did just fine until he took his eyes off Jesus. Does that happen to us? When we take our eyes off Jesus we begin to sink. When the winds of life thrash around us, do they beat us down and make us afraid?  If so, time to look to Jesus!  Remember, He can calm the wind and the waves of our lives.

Jesus rebukes the people who are looking for miraculous signs. Even though they had witnessed the miracle of the feeding of the multitude and they knew the crossing to the other side of the lake was a miracle, they still seemed to pay little attention to it and only wanted the miracles of God in ways to satisfy the physical needs, namely the demands of their appetite. Few were looking for the spiritual blessings. 

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.”
If we bury ourselves in the Word, we will eat and drink the Word, something we must do every day! Just as we must eat every day or we will get weak. If we don’t internalize the Word every day we will get weak in our faith.

“From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.”
Did they turn back to their sinful ways? To remember the parable of the soils, did the birds come and eat the seeds? Did they turn back because of hard teaching or because they didn’t believe? Check out the address of this scripture. Its John 6:66. Hmmm....

Jesus asked the Twelve if they wanted to leave too. Peter answers, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words to eternal life.”
Indeed! Only Jesus! 

Jesus condemned many of the traditions, such as the ceremonial washing of dishes.
“You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”

Can you think of some ways that we hold on to the traditions of men and ignore the commands of God? How about the way we celebrate Jesus’ birth? Do we celebrate according to the traditions of men? Or do we honor His birth as fulfillment of prophecy?