This is a Three-Year Lectionary based on the Lutheran Book of Worship 3-year Lectionary (for public worship), "Prayers of the Day..." (Propers), p. 13-41, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1978. It is based, with only minor variations, on the Revised Common Lectionary, used by many denominations, including the Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches:
and:
http://www.commontexts.org/rcl/usage.html
The daily readings are the Propers (Lections) for the following Sunday, so that the daily devotions can prepare us for worship. Additional lections are from Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church, "Scripture lessons for Matins and Vespers," United Lutheran Church of America, General Rubrics VIII. Scripture lessons for Matins and Vespers, p. 299 - 304, Philadelphia, 1918.
The previous 2- year Bible Study based on the Lutheran Book of Worship, Daily Lectionary for personal devotions p.179-192, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1978, is available at:
http://shepboy.snow.prohosting.com
Journalspace.com, my former 'blog host has gone out of business. I have also lost mypodcast.com, my podcast host. This 'blog is mirrored at
http://shepboy.multiply.com/
Please Note: I will post weekly by Saturday, noon, (God willing), Pacific time (UTC-8:00) for the week of the Church Season which begins on Sunday. Please scroll down for the desired day, or save the week to your desktop/hard drive.
1 Epiphany - Sunday
First posted January 11, 2009
Isaiah 42:1-7 The Lord's Servant
Psalm 45:7-9 The Bridegroom
Acts 10:34-38 The Gospel Proclaimed to Gentiles
Mark 1:4-11 Jesus' Baptism
Isaiah:
The Lord delights in and upholds the servant whom he has chosen. The Lord has put his Spirit upon him, and he will give justice to the nations (including the Gentiles). The servant will faithfully bring forth justice; he will not incite or harangue crowds; he won't break a bruised reed or quench a dimly burning wick. He will not fail to establish justice on earth; he will not become discouraged. Distant lands await his law.
The Lord God, who created the heavens, who caused the earth to appear, and what comes from it, "who gives breath (life) to the people upon it and spirit (the Holy Spirit; the breath of eternal life) to those who walk in it" (in obedience to the Holy Spirit; Isaiah 42:5d, e).
The Lord has called his servant forth, and has guided and protected him; the Lord has given his servant as a covenant to the people, to be a light to the nations (including Gentiles). to give sight to the blind, to release prisoners from the dungeon and those who are imprisoned by spiritual darkness.
Psalm:
This psalm was written for the celebration of a wedding or a wedding anniversary of a king of Israel. It is prophetic and applies also to the ultimate fulfillment of the wedding of God's "anointed" eternal king and his "bride," the Church.
The Lord's "anointed" loves what is righteous and hates what is wicked (according to God's Word). That is why the Lord has anointed him "with the oil of gladness" above his peers. He is clothed in robes fragrant with myrrh, aloes and cassia (herbs used in perfumes, and also in embalming; John 19:39; myrrh was given the the Christ child by the Magi, "Wise Men," Matthew 2:11; was also mixed with wine and used as an opiate; Mark 15:23).
The marriage setting is an ivory palace, with music by stringed instruments. The ladies of honor are the daughters of royalty, and at the "anointed" king's side is his bride, adorned in gold from Ophir.
Acts:
Cornelius was a Roman Centurion, a Gentile, but a God-fearing man, living in Caesarea, the capital of the Roman province of Judea. The Holy Spirit guided Cornelius to send servants to Joppa, where Peter, one of the original Twelve of Jesus' disciples, was staying. At the same time the Holy Spirit was preparing Peter to present the Gospel of Jesus to Gentiles. Peter came to Cornelius' house in Caesarea, and when the household had gathered, Peter began to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them (Acts 10:1-33).
Peter said that he had learned (by the Holy Spirit, who had revealed to him by a vision; Acts 10:9-16) that God is not partial to anyone, and whoever does what is right (according to God's Word) is acceptable to him. Cornelius probably had already heard of Jesus' activity, and Jesus' Gospel, so Peter reviewed it for Cornelius. After the (water) baptism of John, the Baptizer, Jesus began proclaiming throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, the "good news" ("gospel" means "good news") of peace with God. God had anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with (supernatural) power, and Jesus went about doing good "and healing all who was oppressed by the devil" by the power of God within him.
Mark:
In the wilderness outside Jerusalem, at the Jordan River, a man called John the Baptizer, began preaching a (water) baptism for repentance and forgiveness of sin (disobedience of God's Word). Everybody in Judea and Jerusalem was going to him for baptism, confessing their sins.
John was dressed in a camel's hair shirt and a leather belt (Mark 1:6; the same clothing worn by Elijah, the great Old Testament prophet and forerunner of John; 2 Kings 1:8), and John lived on locusts and wild honey (which he could forage in the wilderness). He preached that someone greater than John was coming, of whom John was not worthy of being a most menial servant. John declared that he had baptized people with water; but the coming one would baptize them with the Holy Spirit.
At that time, Jesus came from his home in Nazareth in Galilee, and was baptized in the Jordan River by John. When Jesus came up out of the water, John saw the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, decend and remain on Jesus, "and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased" (Mark 1:11)
Commentary:
In the Old Testament, "the Lord's servant" refers to the nation of Israel, and also to individuals who are committed to serving God, but also to the promised Messiah. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the promised Messiah and Servant of the Lord. The Church is the heir to the call of Israel be the Lord's servant.
Jesus was not a demagogue, a political agitator. He was not trying to stir up the people to political revolution. His teachings offended the religious leaders of Israel, and continue to offend all who believe they are "good people," because of the "good things" they do; they don't want to face (divine, eternal) truth, and admit their sinful nature.
Jesus came, not to condemn us, but to heal and save us. He didn't come to break spiritual "bruised reeds" or quench "dimly burning spiritual wicks;" he came to give us forgiveness of sin, spiritual healing, salvation (from eternal condemnation), and true, abundant, eternal life. But he cannot help people who aren't willing to hear truth and acknowledge their sinfulness (Matthew 11:6).
Jesus is the example of the Lord's Servant for us to follow. We cannot become Jesus; we cannot become God, but we can be "like" Jesus (followers of his example), when we are fully trained (Matthew 10:24-25; but note that the desire to become "God" is one of the original and basic, fundamental temptations in this world; Genesis 3:5).
God's Word is eternally true, and is fulfilled over and over again, as the conditions for its fulfillment are met. The promise of God's Word is that those who are willing to become servants of God are those in whom he delights and whom he chooses to be his people, and he promises to put his Spirit upon them.
The gift of the "anointing" of the Holy Spirit is conditional upon the commitment to be obedient to God's Word. God has given us physical life (the breath of life). This lifetime is our only opportunity to claim and receive the indwelling Holy Spirit, who is the breath of spiritual, eternal life within us. Only Jesus gives the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34) only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus. Jesus says that one must be "born-again" (John 3:3, 5-8) by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit in order to see the kingdom of God which is all around us now, and to see and enter it ultimately in eternity. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
"Born-again Christians have the same call to carry on Christ's mission by the guidance and empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit; to work for divine justice, to be light is the spiritual darkness, to give spiritual hearing and sight to the spiritually deaf and blind; to offer release to the prisoners of sin and spiritual darkness, and to give hope beyond physical death.
Jesus is the Bridegroom and the Church is his bride. The Holy Spirit is the "anointing" with the oil of gladness, which we, too, can receive through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. Jesus provides the "garment" of salvation; the righteousness that is only through faith in Jesus by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 3:21-22).
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9). The Holy Spirit is at work in the world today, and he is near to us. He confronts us when we are heading for disaster, like he confronted Paul (Saul of Tarsus) on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-6; although not always so dramatically).
I personally testify to a similar confrontation. As a result I turned to the Bible for answers, and as I began reading the entire Bible, I felt the Holy Spirit at my right hand, opening my mind to understand the scriptures (Luke 24:45). By the time I had finished reading the Bible through, I was convinced that Jesus is the way, truth and life, and I accepted him as my Lord and Savior.
He discipled me as I continued to read a portion of the Bible daily, with meditation and prayer, seeking his guidance one day at a time. After several years of learning to walk with the Lord daily, he asked me if I believed that if I pursued a spiritual "pilgrimage" during the Lenten season to Pentecost I could be "born-again" by the "anointing" of the Holy Spirit. I said yes, and that is exactly what happened, in my Lutheran congregation (see Personal Testimonies, sidebar, top right).
Peter is the example of a "born-again" Christian disciple that we can be. Peter, who had been afraid to admit that he was a disciple of Jesus to a menial servant of the high priest on the night Jesus was betrayed (Mark 14:66-72), was dramatically transformed into a bold preacher of the Gospel on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-42) by the inspiration and empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Cornelius submitted to the prompting of the Holy Spirit beside him, and sent for Peter, a "born-again" disciple who could disciple him until Cornelius and his household received the "anointing of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:44-48). It takes "born-again" disciples to make "born again disciples. How can an "unregenerate" (not "reborn") disciple make "reborn" disciples? He has no idea what he is missing, and no idea how to get it!
Jesus is the only one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. The Church has the role of John the Baptizer, to call people to repent and be baptized with water for the forgiveness of their sins so that they are prepared to receive the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ through the "baptism" of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
The Messiah was revealed to John by the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:9-11; John 1:29-34), and then John pointed people to Jesus, testifying that Jesus was the Messiah (John 1:35-42). Those who received John's testimony followed Jesus and became Jesus' disciples (John 1:43-51). This is what the Church is called to be doing.
God showed John the visible sign that Jesus was the Messiah, and that he had the "anointing" of the Holy Spirit. Jesus taught his disciples to seek and wait for the "anointing" of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8), and, as his disciples trusted and obeyed, they experienced the fulfillment of that promise; and the Church was born of the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). The transformation of the disciples was apparent to those around them (Acts 2:5-12), but was subject to various individual interpretations Acts 2:13).
Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
1 Epiphany - Monday
First posted January 12, 2009
Psalm 67 Let All People Praise the Lord!
"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee! "Psalm 67:1-3).
The Lord guides the nations and judges all the peoples with fairness and righteousness, so let all nations and peoples rejoice and sing for joy. Let us all rejoice and sing for joy, and give praise to our Lord.
The earth has produced its harvest. God has blessed us. Let all in the farthest corners of the earth fear (have appropriate awe and respect for the power and authority of) the Lord.
Commentary:
This is the kind of ecstatic song of praise that is inspired by the indwelling Holy Spirit. When we realize how gracious God has been to all of us, even those who do not acknowledge him, we will want to praise the Lord, and we will want to share the "good news" the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world.
God called Israel to be his chosen people, so that the other nations would see the goodness of the Lord toward Israel, and so that the blessings of God would come to all people of the world through Israel (Genesis 12:2-3). At the right moment in history, the Messiah (Christ), the Savior of the world, and eternal King came into the world. At his coming he established a New Covenant ("Testament;" Matthew 26:28 RSV note "g;" Hebrews 8:6-8; 12:24; of grace through faith (obedient trust; Ephesians 2:8-9), and through that Covenant, a "New Israel," the Church of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the fulfillment of all the promises of God's Word, and the source of all the blessings of God to the world. Jesus has been designed into Creation from the beginning (John 1:1-5, 14).
This earth is designed to be a garden, a "seedbed" to produce eternal children of God, to be "transplanted" into God's eternal kingdom. God's Word is the "seed" which germinates in our hearts and comes to life within us by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The earth has produced, and is producing a spiritual harvest of eternal life.
We must be spiritually reborn (John 3:3, 5-8) in this lifetime in order to see the kingdom of God which is all around us now, and to see and enter it ultimately in eternity in heaven. This spiritual rebirth is only by the "baptism" ("anointing," "gift") of the indwelling Holy Spirit which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
God blesses us with all the spiritual gifts in heaven through the indwelling Holy Spirit, but that blessing is to be a spring of "living" water flowing through us out into the world (John 7:38-39; John 4:10-14) to give real, eternal, life to the people in the farthest corners of the world.
The Lord is God, whether we acknowledge and accept him as our Lord or not. His will will be done, whether we are willing to do it or not. During this lifetime in this Creation he allows us to freedom to choose for ourselves whether or not to trust and obey God's Word. This lifetime is our opportunity to seek and find God (Acts 17:26-27), and to learn by trial and error that God's will is good, feasible, and our very best interest (Romans 12:2).
"Born-again" Christians have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and God our Father through the gift of the Holy Spirit. We have "tasted" the Lord's goodness (Psalm 34:8). We rejoice because our Lord is in control of this world, whether or not it seems so at times. We rejoice that ultimately we will be vindicated and that we will be fairly judged by the Lord. The Lord will fulfill his promise to redeem us from sin and save us from eternal destruction.
There is a Day of Judgment coming for everyone who has ever lived on this earth. In that Day every one who has ever lived will bow before Jesus and acknowledge him as Lord (Philippians 2:9-11). In that Day, the Lord will command, and we will have no choice but to obey. In that Day it will be too late to change our eternal destiny.
Those who haven't sought to know the Lord now, won't be known by him as his eternal children in that Day (Matthew 7:22-23). Those who haven't been "reborn" to spiritual, eternal life, will go to their eternal death and destruction in hell with all evil, separated eternally from the love and providence of the Lord. (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
1 Epiphany - Tuesday
First posted January 13, 2009
1 Samuel 3:1-10 The Call of Samuel
Samuel's background:
Samuel was the child God had given Hannah, who had been barren, in answer to her prayer. She had promised that if God gave her a child, she would "lend" him to the Lord's service all his days (1 Samuel 1:1-28).
Samuel, who was about twelve at the time, was serving in the temple at Shiloh, about ten miles north of Bethel, where the tabernacle and ark were set up, after Israel had entered and established territory in the Promised Land (Joshua 18:1-10). Samuel was serving in the tabernacle under Eli, the priest.
1 Samuel:
During this time in Israel's history, "the Word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision" (1 Samuel 3:1b). Eli had begun to lose his eyesight. He was sleeping in his accustomed place, and Samuel was sleeping in the temple where the Ark of the Covenant was (perhaps tending the lamp of God's presence). The lamp (which burned all night) had not yet gone out (so it must have been near dawn).
The Lord called Samuel by name, and Samuel answered and ran to where Eli was and asked Eli what he wanted, thinking that it was Eli who had called him. But Eli told him to go back and lie down, because Eli had not called him. This happened a second time with the same results.
"Samuel did not yet know the Lord; and the Word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him" (1 Samuel 3:7). The Lord called Samuel a third time, and when Samuel went to Eli, Eli realized that it was the Lord who was calling Samuel. He told Samuel to go back and lie down, and if the Lord called, he was to say, "Speak, Lord, for thy servant hears" (1 Samuel 3:9). And the Lord called again, and Samuel replied as Eli had told him.
Commentary:
Throughout the history of God's dealings with Israel he revealed himself and spoke with a few individuals he chose, to accomplish his purpose and to make his will known, but this was rare. God began preparing his people to receive the promise of a personal fellowship with the Lord (Numbers 11:29b), which Jesus later made possible through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Jesus came to be the one and only sacrifice acceptable to God to cleanse us from sin and make it possible for us to be individually temples of the Holy Spirit. By the indwelling Holy Spirit we are in his presence as he is within us.
Only Jesus gives the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). It is possible for one to know with certainty that one has been spiritually "reborn" (John 3:3. 5-8) by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit within.
In my own personal experience, when I turned to trust and obey Jesus, I began to hear the Lord speak to me, in the "still, small, inner voice," at "my right hand," before I was "reborn." As I began to hear and respond, praying back what I heard, the Lord began to lead me (see Personal Testimonies).
Samuel heard the call so clearly that he thought it must be Eli calling him. Eli helped Samuel understand that it was the Lord who was calling Samuel. This is why it takes "born-again" disciples to make "born-again" disciples.
The Bible warns us not to believe every spirit, but to test the spirits to see whether they are of God, because there are also demonic spirits (1 John 4:1). In one early experience, I heard his voice clearly, and I asked who I was hearing, and he replied, "The Lord and giver of life" (the third person/article of the Nicene Creed; i.e. the Holy Spirit; see Personal Testimony; Spiritual Growth). God is able to identify himself to us in a uniquely personal way. Note that the Lord will never contradict Bible scripture, or ask us to do anything which would harm ourselves or others.
As I began to seek the Lord's guidance daily, with Bible reading, meditation and prayer the Lord "discipled" me and led me to spiritual rebirth by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. As he began showing me things in his Word I prayed them back to make sure I understood.
The Lord wants us to seek and find him (Acts 17:26-27). He wants to reveal himself to us (John 14:15-17, 21, 23). He wants us to hear him and listen to him. He wants to guide and empower us through the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit. He wants us to be spiritually reborn to eternal life, so that we can spend eternity in his presence in his kingdom in heaven.
When we are committed to seeking God's Word, one day at a time (Matthew 6:11, 34), for the purpose of doing it, for trusting and obeying it, he is willing and able to make his Word known to us. One of the seemingly hardest things to do in this society is to live one day at a time, and to wait upon the Lord. It takes faith and committment.
Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)
1 Epiphany - Wednesday
First posted January 14, 2009
1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Spiritual Discipline
background:
The Church at Corinth had been founded by Paul's preaching of the Gospel. He was writing this letter to correct some doctrinal and ethical problems that had arisen after Paul had left. One of the issues was abuse of God's grace (see False Teachings, sidebar, top right).
1 Corinthians:
Libertines in the congregation were saying that everything was lawful (since they were not under law but grace - God's unmerited favor). Paul responded that they were not bound by the law, but not everything was beneficial, and one should not become enslaved to anything.
Some were saying that the stomach was created for food, and food for the stomach, but Paul pointed out that both will pass away (and the same thing is true of sex). Our bodies are not created for immorality but for the Lord. The Lord Jesus gave himself for us, and we should give ourselves for him. God raised up Jesus and he will raise us up (from death to immortality) by his power.
We must realize that our bodies are members of Christ (the Holy Spirit is within the bodies of "born-again" Christians), and when we have sexual union we become one flesh with our partner. How can members of Christ allow themselves to become members of a prostitute. Let that never happen! One who is united with the Lord becomes one spirit with Christ.
Reject all forms of immorality! Every other sin is committed against others outside our own bodies, but immorality damages our own bodies. We must realize that our bodies are temples of the indwelling Holy Spirit which we have received from God. Remember that we have been redeemed (purchased from slavery to sin by the precious blood of Jesus), and therefore we belong to the Lord; we are not our own. So in our bodies let us glorify God.
Commentary:
The Corinthians were new Christians living in a licentious society. Paul was "discipling" them. There were false teachers within the church, who were teaching that because we have been saved from eternal condemnation by God's grace as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-10) and are no longer under the obligation of the Law of Moses, they were free to indulge their bodies and to enjoy their freedom in any way they chose. The same conditions exist today, particularly in America and the American Church.
Christians are freed from obedience to the Law of the Old Testament, provided that we are obedient to the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-9). Obedience to the Old Covenant of Law was motivated by fear of eternal punishment, and it is impossible for us to satisfy all the of the requirements of the Law (Galatians 2:16). Our best efforts would never be enough.
The New Covenant of grace through faith (obedient trust; Ephesians 2:8-9) is motivated by love, in gratitude for what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. Only God's grace through Jesus Christ is abundantly sufficient to bridge the gap between our best efforts and God's standard of righteousness (doing what is right, and good, and true according to God's Word).
The false teaching that was disturbing the Corinthian congregation is still present and being taught in the nominal "Church" today. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Lutheran pastor and Theologian, executed by the Nazis for his opposition to Hitler, called it "Cheap Grace"* meaning the teaching of Salvation by Grace (which is true), without the requirement of discipleship and obedience to Jesus' teaching (which is false; see False Teachings, sidebar, top right).
We have been redeemed from slavery to sin so that we could become servants of the Lord. The result of slavery to sin is eternal destruction, but the result of serving the Lord is eternal life. Satan is a cruel master; Jesus is the good master. Jesus' yoke is gentle and his burden is light (Matthew 11:29:30). We will either serve the Lord or we will serve Satan (Matthew 6:24).
Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
*See: The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing Co., NY 1963 ISBN 0-02-083850-6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_Bonhoeffer
1 Epiphany - Thursday
First posted January 15, 2009
John 1:43-51 Philip and Nathanael
John:
After his baptism by John the Baptizer(Matthew 3:13-17; John 1:31-34), Jesus decided to return to Galilee, and he found Philip and invited him to follow Jesus. Philip was from Bethsaida in Galilee, the city of Andrew and Simon (whom Jesus had named Peter; John 1:42), who had become Jesus' disciples from the testimony of John the Baptizer the previous day (John 1:35-41). Philip went and found Nathanael (probably the same person as Bartholomew), and told him that Philip had found Jesus of Nazareth, son of Joseph, the one foretold in the (Old Testament; the Jewish Bible) scriptures of Moses and the prophets (the Messiah; Christ, both mean "anointed" in Hebrew and Greek respectively). Nathanael expressed skepticism that anything good could come from Nazareth, but Philip told him to come and see for himself.
Jesus saw Nathanael coming, and said of Nathanael that he was a guileless Israelite (unlike Jacob, before God changed his name to Israel; Genesis 27:35; 32:28). Nathanael asked how Jesus knew about him, and Jesus told Nathanael that he had seen Nathanael under a fig tree before Philip had come to him. Nathanael was amazed and declared that Jesus was not only a teacher, he was the Son of God and King of Israel (the Messiah). [It is important to note that Jesus did not refute Nathanael's proclamation (compare Acts 14:11-18; John 20:28-29.]
Jesus said that Nathanael had believed because Jesus had said he had seen (supernaturally) where Nathanael was and what he was doing before Philip found him. Jesus told Nathanael, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man" (John 1:51).
Commentary
Jesus invited Philip to follow Jesus, and Philip was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah (Philip may have been the other disciple of John who had heard the testimony of John the Baptizer that Jesus was the Lamb of God, the unblemished sacrificial "lamb" of Passover, and had followed Jesus with Andrew the preceding day; John 1:35-37). Philip went to his friend Nathanael and testified that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah.
Jacob was the second-born twin son of Isaac, the son of the promise (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-4), and grandson of Abraham (Abram). The first-born son is the inheritor of the birthright, a double-portion of the father's estate and superior rank. But Jacob tricked and took the birthright from his twin brother, Esau (Genesis 25:29-34).
Jacob, who God renamed Israel Genesis 32:28), was the father of the heads of the Twelve Tribes, and whose name was given to his descendants, the "Israelites," and the nation of "Israel."
After gaining the birthright, Jacob went to the land of his forefathers to take a wife from his forefathers' people in Haran (in Chaldea; Babylon; on the border between modern Syria and Iraq), but also to escape his brother, Esau's, revenge for being tricked out of the birthright. On his way to Chaldea, he camped overnight at Bethel (then known as Luz; the name Bethel means "House of God"), where he had the dream of Jacob's Ladder (Genesis 28:10-19). When Jacob awoke from the dream he realized that God was present even in that place, and declared that it was the "house of God" and "the gate of heaven" (Genesis 28:17).
When Jacob returned to the Promised Land, about twenty years later Genesis 31:41), after acquiring two wives, he again camped at Bethel, and during the night he wrestled with the angel of God. It was then that God changed Jacob's name to Israel (Genesis 32:25-31).
Jesus' physical, public ministry is intended to be a series of visual "parables" (physical "pictures" of spiritual truths). Jesus came to show us how to be God's children. At the beginning of Jesus' public ministry, he was revealed to John the Baptizer at Jesus' baptism. John the Baptizer witnessed and testified that Jesus is the Son of God, who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33-34).
John was not making disciples of himself; he was pointing people to Jesus. John testified that Jesus is the Lamb of God. The Passover lamb was a spotless, blemish-free lamb, sacrificed on the night of the Passover feast. The lamb's flesh provided the main course of the feast, and the blood, applied to the door of the house, protected the Israelites from the destroyer who killed the Egyptians' first-born (Exodus Ch 12-13; Leviticus 23:4-8).
Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise of the Passover. Jesus' is the spotless, unblemished "lamb" whose flesh provides the main course of the spiritual feast of the Holy Sacrament (the Eucharist; the Lord's Supper), which Jesus instituted on the night of his betrayal (which was the night of Passover; Matthew 26:1-28). Jesus' blood, shed on the cross is the sign that marks his disciples to be "passed over" by the eternal destroyer.
Jesus had been revealed by God to John the Baptizer, and then John testified of Jesus to his disciples and they followed Jesus, and became Jesus' disciples. They went and told their friends that they had found Jesus, and invited their friends to "come and see" for themselves. When we trust in the witness of Jesus' disciples and come to "see for ourselves," the Lord will reveal himself to us (John 6:69).
Jesus is the fulfillment of Jacob's dream of a ladder to heaven. Jesus is the "ladder" by which the spiritual blessings of heaven descend upon us, and only by whom we can ascend into heaven (John 3:13). Jesus is the only way to know divine, eternal, truth, the only way to be restored to fellowship broken by sin (disobedience of God's Word), the only way to true, eternal, life (John 14:6).
Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
1 Epiphany - Friday
First posted January 16, 2009
Isaiah 61:1-6 The Year of the Lord's Favor
Isaiah:
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted (or poor); he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God" (Isaiah 61:1-2).
The Lord's servant comes to comfort those who mourn in Zion (Israel; the people of God; the Church), to give them, instead of ashes, the garland of celebration; instead of mourning, the "oil of gladness," instead of a faint spirit, "the mantle of praise" (Isaiah 61:3), so that they may be known as the planting of the Lord, mighty oaks of righteousness, to his glory. "They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations" (Isaiah 61:4).
Foreigners will be the servants of God's people; aliens will tend their flocks and their fields and vineyards, but God's people will be known as ministers of God; they will receive and enjoy the wealth of nations.
Commentary:
This portion of Isaiah was written right before and in the generation following the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus of Persia, which made it possible for the remnant of Israel, in exile in Babylon, to return to their Promised Land, after seventy years of exile, in fulfillment of God's Word (Jeremiah 25:12).
This prophecy of the Lord's servant applies to the prophet, Isaiah, in the context of the exile, but it is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Luke 4:16-21). It also applies to God's people, the disciples of Jesus Christ; the Church.
The real needs of this world are spiritual. God's Word is good news to the afflicted, the poor, the brokenhearted, the captives and prisoners of this world, particularly in the spiritual sense (compare Matthew 5:1-10), although physical problems can cause us to be aware of our spiritual needs and seek Jesus' healing.
Jesus' miracles of physical healing, feeding, and resurrection were intended to demonstrate that Jesus can heal, feed, and resurrect us spiritually unto eternal life. But Jesus cannot heal, feed and raise people who do not know and acknowledge their spiritual need (Matthew 9:12). People who do not realize their spiritual need will not be able to appreciate or benefit from what Jesus can do for them spiritually (Luke 6:24-26).
Before the coming of Jesus Christ, only a few individuals, like Isaiah, were chosen by God and "anointed" with the Holy Spirit to proclaim God's Word. Jesus came to offer himself as the one and only sacrifice acceptable to God for the forgiveness of our sins (disobedience of God's Word). Through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus, we can be spiritual cleansed and individually become temples of God through his indwelling Holy Spirit abiding within us (see Numbers 11:29).
We have all been born physically alive, but spiritually dead. This lifetime is our only opportunity to be spiritually "reborn" to eternal life, and this is only possible through the "anointing" (gift; "baptism") of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 3:3, 5-8).
Only Jesus gives the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
The gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit is not optional; not only for "super Christians." God's people are called to be God's servants to the poor, helpless, afflicted and spiritually lost of this world. We are called to carry on the mission of Christ to the world, but that can only be done by the guidance and empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit within us (Zechariah 4:6).
The gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit is the "Comforter" ("Paraclete," meaning: intercessor; consoler; advocate; comforter; John 14:16, 26 KJV). The "anointing" of the Holy Spirit" is the "anointing" with the "oil of Gladness." The Holy Spirit within us is our "robe" of praise; our reason and our ability for praising the Lord.
In a sense, God is our Father because he is our Creator, whether we acknowledge him or not. We are all, in a sense, prodigal sons and daughters of God our Father (Luke 15:11-24), because we have all strayed from obedient trust in his Word. When we return to him with the commitment to serve him, he welcomes us with the "garland of celebration" the "robe of praise," and the anointing of the "oil of gladness." God has prepared a feast for us, which begins now in the celebration of the Lord's Supper (Holy Communion; Eucharist), and is fulfilled in God's kingdom in heaven (Matthew 26:29).
Jesus is the only way to forgiveness and restoration to fellowship with God which was broken by our sin (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). Jesus is the only way to know God (Matthew 11:27; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).
This is the "year" of the Lord's favor; now is the time of Salvation, the only time we have to be forgiven of our sins, to be saved from eternal condemnation and destruction, and to be "reborn" to true, eternal life.
There is a "day" of Judgment coming when everyone who has ever lived on this earth will be accountable to the Lord for what we have done in our lifetimes. Jesus is the righteous judge, and the standard by which all will be judged. Those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord, and have trusted and obeyed Jesus will have been "reborn" during this lifetime, and will enter eternal paradise in God's kingdom. Those who have rejected Jesus and have refused or failed to trust and obey Jesus will be condemned to eternal destruction and spiritual death, with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
1 Epiphany - Saturday
First posted January 17, 2009
Romans 12:6-16a Christian Life
John 2:1-11 Wedding at Cana
Romans:
Each disciple has been given differing gifts by God's grace, to be used for the benefit of the Church and the kingdom of God. Examples are prophecy, serving (ministry), teaching, exhortation, financial contribution, administration, compassionate aid. Whatever our gifts, we should use them enthusiastically to the best of our ability.
Let our love be genuine. Let us abhor evil, and pursue what is good. Let us have brotherly affection for one another. Let us try to outdo one another in giving honor to others. Let us remain zealous, radiant with the Holy Spirit, serving the Lord. Let us always rejoice in our hope, endure tribulation patiently, and pray constantly. Let us be generous in contribution to the needs of the saints (believers; those consecrated to God's service; our spiritual brothers and sisters) and practice hospitality.
Instead of cursing them, let us bless those who persecute us. Let us share in joy with those who rejoice, and share the sorrow of those who mourn. Let us live together with one another in harmony, never being haughty or conceited, nor regarding and shunning others as inferior.
John:
After his baptism by John the Baptizer, Jesus returned to Galilee with his new disciples (John 1:29-51), and they went to a wedding in Cana, near Nazareth, where Jesus and his mother, Mary, had been invited. When the host ran out of wine, Mary told her son. But Jesus asked her why she was telling him, because his hour (of self-disclosure) had not yet come. His mother told the servants to do what ever Jesus would tell them.
There were six stone jars at hand for Jewish ceremonial purification, and Jesus told the servants to fill them with water, and they filled them to the brim. Then Jesus told them to draw a sample and take it to the steward of the feast, and the servants did so. The steward did not know where the sample had come from, although the servants did. When he tasted the water which had become wine, he summoned the bridegroom and told him that people use the good wine first, and then when the guests have drunk freely, the poorer quality wine, but the groom had apparently kept the good wine until this moment. "This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him" (John 2:11).
Commentary:
This Creation has been designed by God to be a garden, a "seedbed" to grow spiritual children of God to live eternally with God in his kingdom in paradise. Jesus has been designed into this Creation to accomplish this purpose from the very beginning (John 1:1-5, 14).
This lifetime is our opportunity to seek, find and come to fellowship with God our Creator (Acts 17:26-27). This is possible only through Jesus Christ, by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Only Jesus gives the gift ("baptism," "anointing") of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17).
We are all born physically alive, but spiritually dead. This lifetime is our only opportunity to be spiritually "reborn" (John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life, which is only possible through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
The Holy Spirit is given to those who trust and obey Jesus, so that they can be guided and empowered to carry on the mission of Jesus Christ in the world. Christ's mission is to bring forgiveness of sin (disobedience of God's Word; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10) and salvation (from God's eternal condemnation and destruction in hell with all evil, which is the penalty for sin; Romans 6:23; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).
Christ's mission is to make "born-again" disciples and to teach them to live according to his teaching and example; and his disciples are to carry on that process (Matthew 28:19-20).
A Christian is a "born-again" disciple of Jesus Christ (Acts 11:26c). New believers are to be discipled by "born-again" disciples in the Church (the "New Jerusalem"), before they are sent out into the world to carry on Christ's mission (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8). Christ's mission cannot be accomplished without the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). It takes "born-again" disciples to make "born-again" disciples.
Believers need to learn to recognize the "still, small voice" of the Lord, and to be guided by God's Word and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, one day at a time (Matthew 6:11, 34). As we begin to trust and obey Jesus, he will guide us, by his indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9), to know his will for us personally and individually; and he will provide every resource to do what he leads us to do.
As we walk in obedient trust he will show us that he is completely faithful and trustworthy, and will cause our faith to grow as we experience the fulfillment of his promises. As we grow spiritually the Lord will give us opportunities that are suitable for our level of faith and our situation and resources (see Personal Testimonies, sidebar, top right).
Paul was "discipling" the Roman Christians. Discipleship is not learned instantaneously, nor accomplished automatically upon church membership. Discipleship is a spiritual growth process, with the goal of spiritual maturity at the Day of Christ's return (Philippians 1:6). It requires a lot of practice. We need to learn new ways of thinking and of living, according to Jesus' example and teaching (Romans 12:2).
Jesus taught by example as much as by word. Jesus modeled "disciple-making," and taught his disciples to repeat the process (Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus submitted to water baptism by John the Baptizer before beginning his public ministry, and John testified that Jesus was the Messiah (Christ). John testified that he had seen the Holy Spirit descend and remain upon Jesus at Jesus' baptism, and that God had revealed to John that Jesus was the one who would baptize with the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34).
Jesus did not change the water into wine at Cana to please his mother, or to impress his disciples. Jesus was guided by the Holy Spirit. But Mary demonstrated her faith in her son by preparing the servants to do whatever Jesus would tell them.
Beginning disciples must trust in Jesus, and be willing to wait for him to disclose himself and his power to them. We cannot expect Jesus to answer our prayers the moment we decide to be his disciples. We need to demonstrate our commitment. We're going to have to continue to trust and obey even if the answer is not immediate. But when we begin to experience his manifestation of himself to us (John 14:21), our faith will grow.
The Holy Spirit is the "good wine," of the wedding of Jesus Christ and his bride, the Church, anticipated now in the Lord's Supper (Holy Communion; Eucharist), and ultimately fulfilled in eternity in heaven (Matthew 26:29).
Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
