… in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Summary: Coming in the name of Jesus carries with it both responsibility, and power and authority.
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:20b – In His Name”Ephesians 4:24 – Intro to Part II: All the Work
… put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Summary: Why does it feel like “putting on” this “new self” is a lot of work? The answer, like so many things in life, depends on how you look at it. Looked at correctly, we are not doing any work at all. Instead we are honoring our King, Jesus.
Continue reading “Ephesians 4:24 – Intro to Part II: All the Work”Galatians 5:9 – The Yeast We Can Do
“A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”
Summary: Let’s do a quick review of where we have been and then look at where God is leading us.
Continue reading “Galatians 5:9 – The Yeast We Can Do”James 2:19 – The Ruler’s Ruler
… there is one God.
Summary: One of the rules that rulers have to follow is that they are supposed to make the rules. But what happens when we ignore that rule?
Continue reading “James 2:19 – The Ruler’s Ruler”2 Kings 9:32 – Confronted by Choice
“Who is on my side?”
Summary: Being in one kingdom or another is sometimes a matter of choice. Being forced to make that choice can be a terrifying thing.
Continue reading “2 Kings 9:32 – Confronted by Choice”Revelation 19:5 – Before The King
Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small!
Summary: Why do we fear God? That is a question that will be easily answered when we shed this life and discover what is beyond the grave’s veil.
Continue reading “Revelation 19:5 – Before The King”Matthew 5: 2 — Who is Jesus? Part III
King
… and he began to teach them.
Summary: It is important to understand who it is who is teaching us the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus is more than an itinerant rabbi, he also happens to be a king.
Continue reading “Matthew 5: 2 — Who is Jesus? Part III”On the Map – John 12: 19
So the Pharisees said to one another, ”See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
John’s gospel includes many interesting tidbits. This verse is one of them.
The Pharisees, who have been plotting against Jesus say, “…this is getting us nowhere.” What is the “this” that they are referring to?
Verse 53 in chapter 11 tells us that they were plotting to take Jesus’ life. Then in verse 57, we learn that they had given orders. Anyone with information on Jesus’ whereabouts should report it. Then they could arrest him.
It seems clear from the context here that what was getting them nowhere was their plan to arrest Jesus. Waiting on someone to betray him wasn’t working out.
If their goal was to quietly take Jesus out of circulation, they were failing miserably.
Continue reading “On the Map – John 12: 19”Humility – John 12: 14-16
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:
”Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey’s colt.”
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.
These days, if visiting royalty were to come to town, or the President of the country, or even the Pope, they would be conveyed in a very nice limousine. They would also be accompanied by other people in more limousines. They might even have a police escort or other security around them.
Years before Jesus’ time, in the days of King David, people did something similar. When David’s son, Absalom, was plotting to take over the kingdom, he exalted himself by buying the fanciest chariot he could and then hiring fifty men to run ahead of him. (2 Samuel 15: 1)
Throughout time, the more important the person, the fancier the car, and the more people they have attending them.
Enter Jesus.
Continue reading “Humility – John 12: 14-16”Defiance – John 12: 12-13
The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
”Hosanna!”
”Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
”Blessed is the king of Israel!”
Up to this point, John has skipped through three years of time rather quickly. In his gospel, John has given us a portrait of Jesus that emphasizes his divinity. Now we move into the second half of John’s gospel. In the next nine chapters, John covers the last few days of Jesus’ life before his crucifixion. In a way, it is if we have been watching a time-lapse movie of Jesus’ life. At this point, the movie abruptly shifts to slow motion. Now every moment is examined in minute detail.
We begin with an amazing closeup of Jesus as king.
John 11: 55 tells us, “When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover.” Verse 56 adds, “They kept looking for Jesus…” Perhaps some of these people had been with Jesus when he fed the four thousand or the five thousand. Many of them likely knew someone Jesus had healed. Many had been healed themselves.
This point is the crescendo of Jesus’ ministry.
It looks like the worst fears of the chief priests are coming true! The crowds have decided that Jesus is king. They defy their instructions to report a sighting of Jesus and ignore the chief priests. Instead, they welcome Jesus with palm branches and shouts of “Hosanna!” Out in the open! Without fear of the chief priests!!
Let’s Discuss: If Jesus had been a man like any other, and not God, what might have happened at this point?