Week of 3 Easter C - 04/14 - 20/2013

Week of 3 Easter C

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:

http://www.commontexts.org/

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:

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To get the most from these studies, it is suggested that you first read the scripture texts for the entry, and then the paraphrase and commentary. It is also recommended that you look up the scripture references, unless you recognize and recall them from memory.

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.

Podcast Download: Week of 3 Easter C 
Sunday 3 Easter C 
First posted April 18, 2010;
Podcast: Sunday 3 Easter C 

Psalm 30 – Mourning Turned into Dancing;
Acts 9:1-20 – Paul's Conversion;
Revelation 5:11-14 – Worthy is the Lamb;
John 21:1-14 – Risen Jesus Appears to Disciples in Galilee;

Psalm 30 Paraphrase:

I will glorify and praise you, O Lord, because you have lifted me up and have not let my enemies rejoice over me. When I cried to you, O Lord my God, you healed me. You lifted me up from the land of the dead and restored me to life from the grave.

Let all his saints (those committed to God's service) praise the Lord, and
give thanks to his holy name, “For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

When everything was going well for me, I thought nothing could go wrong. I had been established as a strong mountain, by God's favor; then he hid his face from me and I was beset with trouble.

Then I cried to the Lord and begged for his help. I said that there would be no benefit in my death; I couldn't praise him from the grave. If my body returned to dust, would it glorify God and testify to his faithfulness? I asked him to hear my plea, and be gracious to me, and be my helper.

He has turned my mourning into dancing, and has replaced the sackcloth of mourning with the mantle of gladness, so that I can praise him in my innermost being and not be silent. I will give thanks to the Lord my God for ever and ever.

Acts 9:1-20 Paraphrase:

Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was on his way to Damascus with authority from the Jewish council of elders in Jerusalem to arrest and bring Christians (disciples of Jesus Christ; Acts 11:26c; members of the “Way,” the early name for Christianity; see John 14:16) to Jerusalem for trial. As he neared Damascus he was struck to the ground and blinded by a bright flash of light, and he heard a voice asking him by name why he was persecuting the one whose voice he was hearing. Paul asked who was speaking and the voice identified himself as Jesus, and told Paul to enter the city and await further instructions. His traveling companions heard the voice but saw no one. They led Paul into the city where he fasted and prayed, unable to see.

There was a (“born-again” Christian; John 3:3, 5-8) disciple in Damascus named Ananias. In a vision the Lord spoke to him telling him to go to Straight Street to the house of Judas (not Iscariot) and ask to see Saul of Tarsus. The Lord told Ananias that Paul was praying and had seen a man named Ananias come in and lay hands upon Paul and restore Paul's sight. But Ananias replied that he knew that Paul had done much evil to Christians in Jerusalem and that he had authority from Jerusalem to arrest believers in Damascus. But the Lord told Ananias to go, that Paul was a chosen tool of the Lord to make the Lord's name known to the Gentiles, to worldly kings, and to the sons of Israel; and that Paul would learn to suffer greatly for the Lord's namesake.

So Ananias went and entered the house where Paul was staying, telling Paul that Ananias had been sent to restore Paul's vision and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately something like scales fell from Paul's eyes and his vision was restored. Then he arose and was baptized, ate food and regained strength.

For several days he stayed with the Christians at Damascus and immediately in the synagogues he proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God.

Revelation 5:11-14Paraphrase:

The Apostle John, one of the original Twelve disciples of Jesus, saw in a vision, while he was in exile on the isle of Patmos, the throne of the Lord in heaven. Around the throne were were the four living creatures (probably symbolizing all created beings; Revelation 4:6b-8) and the twenty-four elders (the twelve Old Testament patriarchs and the twelve New Testament Apostles; Revelation 4:4). He heard the voices of millions of millions and thousands of thousands (an uncountable number) of angels saying in unison that the Lamb who was slain (Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb of the New Passover) is the only one worthy to receiver power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing (perfect, seven-fold praise). And every creature who ever lived on earth gave blessing and honor and glory and might to the Lord God the Father and to the Lamb for ever and ever, Amen (so be it)! And the twenty-four elders fell face-down and worshiped.

John 21:1-14 Paraphrase:

After revealing himself to his disciples twice in the upper room in Jerusalem, Jesus revealed himself to them again in Galilee as he had promised (Matthew 26:32; 28:10). Seven of the disciples, led by Simon Peter, and including Thomas, Nathanael, James and John, and two others went fishing overnight on the Sea of Galilee. They fished all night but caught nothing.

At dawn, Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples did not recognize him. Addressing them as children, Jesus asked if they had caught any fish, and they replied, “No.” Jesus told them to cast the net on the right side of the boat and they would find some. They did so and the net was filled with a great weight of fish, so that they were unable to haul it in. The disciple whom Jesus loved (John; by extension, each of us) told Peter it was the Lord. Immediately Peter put on his clothes, because he had undressed for fishing, and jumped into the water to swim to shore, since they were only a hundred yards offshore.

When they got to shore they saw a charcoal fire with fish broiling, and bread nearby. Jesus told them to bring some of the fish they had just caught. Peter went aboard and dragged the net to shore, full of a hundred and fifty-three large fish. Although there were so many large fish the net was not torn. Jesus invited them to come and have breakfast. None of the disciples needed to ask who he was; they knew it was their Lord. Jesus came and gave them bread and fish. This was now the third time Jesus had revealed himself to them.

Commentary:

Psalm 30 is also my own personal testimony (see Personal Testimonies, sidebar, top right, home)! I thought that I was invincible until the Lord withheld his favor from me.

I was as good as dead, but the Lord raised me to useful service for his kingdom. The Lord's discipline is painful for the moment but it is so beneficial in the long run, if it causes us to repent and return to obedient trust in God's Word. When we cry to him in times of distress he is able and faithful to deliver us from all our troubles.

He is abundantly able to turn our sorrow into rejoicing. There is no joy more satisfying than the joy we experience in the presence of the Lord. It is my greatest pleasure to praise and glorify my Lord!

The conversion of Paul is the defining incident of the New Testament after the physical ministry and Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul (Saul of Tarsus) is the one intended by God to be the replacement for Judas Iscariot, Jesus' betrayer. The Eleven original remaining disciples were told to wait in Jerusalem for the “baptism” (“anointing;” “gift;” “infilling”) of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8), before going out into the world to proclaim the Gospel, in fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) which Jesus gave to his disciples. While waiting, they decided to choose, by chance, a successor to replace Judas, since they didn't have the guidance and empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 1:15-26). They chose Matthias, who was never heard of again in the New Testament. In contrast, from the time of Paul's conversion most of the rest of the New Testament is by or about Paul.

Paul is intentionally designed by God to be the prototype and example of a “modern, post-resurrection, born-again (John 3:3, 5-8), disciple (student) and apostle (messenger; of the Gospel)” of Jesus Christ, as we can and should be.

Paul apparently did not know Jesus during Jesus' physical lifetime. Paul was convicted by the Holy Spirit of the risen and ascended Jesus on the road to Damascus. Paul repented of his sin (Acts 9:9), accepted Jesus as his personal Lord (Acts 9:5), and became obedient to Jesus as his Lord (Acts 9:6-8).

Paul was discipled by a “born-again” disciple, Ananias (who had a personal relationship with the Lord; Acts 9:10), until Paul was “born-again” (Acts 9:17-18), and then became obedient to the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:20).

Paul's conversion was unique for its rapidity. The Twelve were with Jesus for about three and a half years and still were not ready to proclaim the Gospel until they had been “reborn.”

I personally testify that I was confronted by the Holy Spirit and was called to repentance and obedient trust in Jesus. When I did, I was restored to fellowship with the Lord.

Jesus is the unblemished sacrificial Lamb of the New Passover. God has been preparing us to understand his saving plan for this world (see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home). The Exodus of God's people from slavery to sin and death in Egypt was intended by God to be a parable, a metaphor, for life in this world. We are all in slavery to sin and death in the “Egypt” of this present world order. Satan is “Pharaoh.” Jesus is the “Moses” who leads us out of Egypt.

Jesus is the Lamb of the New Passover, initiated on the night of his betrayal and arrest (Matthew 26:26-28; compare Exodus 12:1-13). Jesus' body sacrificed on the cross provides the New Passover feast, and his blood marks believers to be “passed over” by the destroying angel.

Jesus is the ultimate example of obedient trust in God's Word. Jesus never wavered (Matthew 26:36-46), although sorely tempted. He knew his fate, and yet trusted God's Word unto the most excruciatingly (meaning “of the Cross) painful death on the cross.

Jesus was fully human. He experienced every human desire and temptation just as we do, but without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He was perfectly obedient to God's Word. Therefore God has acknowledged that he alone is worthy of glory, honor, power, wisdom, might, honor and blessing, eternally!

Jesus' miracles of physical feeding (and healing) were intended to show that he is also able to feed (and heal) spiritually. Jesus promised his disciples that he would reveal himself to them in Galilee after his crucifixion, death, and resurrection (Matthew 26:32; 28:7b). This is the fulfillment of that promise.

The feeding of the five thousand with the five barley loaves and two fish (John 5:1-13) is the preview of fellowship with Jesus in the kingdom of God. The breakfast on the beach in Galilee is the beginning of its fulfillment.

The disciples who were involved were experienced fishermen of the Sea of Galilee. They had used their best knowledge and experience and yet, all night, had caught nothing! Still, they were willing to trust and obey Jesus' command. As the result, they caught a great supernatural catch, and they enjoyed a great supernatural fellowship on the beach with Jesus.

Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? 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)?

Monday 3 Easter C 
First posted April 19, 2010;
Podcast: Monday 3 Easter C 

Psalm 23 – My Shepherd;

Paraphrase:

Because the Lord is my shepherd I can be confident that I will never lack any necessity. He provides green pastures and calm waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the ways of righteousness for the sake of his name (his whole person and character).

I fear no evil although I pass through the valley of the shadow of death, because my shepherd is with me. I am comforted by his rod and staff.

The Lord prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemies. He anoints me with oil. He gives me an overflowing cup. Certainly all my days will be accompanied by goodness and mercy, and I will dwell in the Lord's house for eternity.

Commentary:

Jesus is the one and only Good Shepherd (John 10:11-15). He alone can provide our spiritual food and drink. Jesus' miracles of physical food, drink and healing were intended to demonstrate that he can also and more importantly satisfy our spiritual hunger and thirst and need for spiritual healing.

We are all born physically alive but spiritually dead (unborn). Only Jesus can give us spiritual birth, by the gift (“baptism;” “anointing”) of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 3:3, 5-8), which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit is a personally discernible ongoing event (Acts 19:2).

We are all enslaved by sin and the fear of death. Jesus took on our physical nature so that through his physical death on the cross he could free us from fear of death and slavery to sin (Hebrews 2:14-15). Jesus' resurrection demonstrates that there is existence beyond physical death. By faith (obedient trust) in Jesus we have the indwelling Holy Spirit within us, who 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). By the indwelling Holy Spirit we have a personal daily relationship with the risen and ascended Jesus, and can personally testify that Jesus is eternally alive. When we know that Jesus is with us we can be certain that nothing can happen to us that he cannot deliver us from or bring us safely through.

The Lord has prepared a feast for us in the midst of our enemies. The Old Covenant (Testament) of Law was sealed by a sacrificial feast and God's people were marked by the blood of the sacrifice (Exodus 12:1-14). Moses was the mediator of the Old Covenant. Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant of Grace (unmerited favor; a free gift) which we receive by faith) obedient trust) in Jesus.

Jesus established the New Covenant on the night of his betrayal and arrest (Matthew 26:17-28). The Lord's Supper (Holy Communion; Eucharist) is the spiritual feast of the New Passover; Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb of the New Passover, whose body sacrificed on the cross provides the feast, and whose blood marks us to be “passed over” by the destroying angel.

Jesus' physical feeding of the five thousand, for example (John 6:1-14), was intended to point to the “marriage feast” in God's eternal heavenly kingdom, where his “bride,” the Church, his (born-again) disciples, will be united with Christ for eternity. The Lord's Supper which the Church celebrates is a foretaste of the that wedding feast that is coming in eternity (Matthew 26:29).

Jews were specifically forbidden to consume blood by itself or with its meat. The reason was that it was believed that blood contained the spirit of the animal. The Lord didn't want his people filled with the spirit of animals, but with his Holy Spirit. The cup of the Lord's Supper overflows to us; it is abundantly sufficient for our needs. That doesn't mean that one can partake of the Lord's Supper and automatically be filled with the Holy Spirit, but if one does so in faith, having been filled with the Holy Spirit, one will be renewed and will have fellowship (“communion”) with the Lord at the table.

Olive oil was used to anoint prophets, priests and kings for God's service. Oil was used for medicinal purposes to promote healing, and for welcome and celebration. The “anointing” with the Holy Spirit is the the “oil of gladness” (Psalm 45:6-7; Isaiah 61:3c, d). It is only by the indwelling Holy Spirit that we can praise the Lord and experience the goodness and joy of his presence within us (1 Corinthians 12:3). Because “born-again” Christians personally experience the risen and ascended Jesus by his indwelling Holy Spirit within us we can be certain that we will live eternally with him in heaven.

Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? 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)?

Tuesday 3 Easter C 
First posted April 20, 2010;
Podcast: Tuesday 3 Easter C 

Acts 13:15-16a, 26-33 – Paul's Sermon in Antioch of Pisidia;

Paraphrase:

On his first missionary journey, Paul (Saul of Tarsus) and his missionary companions  went into the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia (in Asia Minor; present-day Turkey) on the sabbath. After reading from the law and the prophets, as was the Jewish practice, the synagogue leaders invited the missionaries to share a word of exhortation. So Paul stood up and, addressed them as sons of Abraham and those who are God-fearing (having the appropriate awe and respect for the power and authority of God).

Paul said that God has sent Israel the message of salvation (see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home). The Jewish citizens and rulers in Jerusalem had not understood and recognized the fulfillment of the the oracles of the prophets which were read every sabbath, thus fulfilling them by condemning Jesus. Although they had no evidence to charge Jesus for anything deserving death, they asked Pilate to execute him.

When the prophecies about Jesus' crucifixion had been fulfilled, they took Jesus' body from the cross and laid it in a tomb. But God raised Jesus from the dead, and over a period of many days, he appeared to his followers who had come to Jerusalem with him from Galilee (1 Corinthians 15:1-11). These followers now testified to the fulfillment of these prophecies. So Paul was bringing the “good news”  ("Gospel" means “good news”) that God's promise to the forefathers he has fulfilled to their children, by raising Jesus, as it is written in Psalm 2:7.

Commentary:

The Jewish leaders and people in Jerusalem had the prophetic scriptures revealing God's plan for Creation from the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15), and throughout the Old Testament Scriptures, but they didn't understand them because they did not receive them with faith (obedient trust). So they fulfilled the prophesies by crucifying Jesus.

God's Word is eternal and is fulfilled over and over as the conditions for its fulfillment are met. God's Word contains both wonderful promises but also ominous warnings which are intended to keep us from receiving the consequences of disobedience. We will either receive the promises by obedient trust, or we will receive the consequences of disobedience.

For one example, Psalm 22, attributed to David, the great human shepherd-king of Israel who reigned from 1000 to 961 B.C., is a prophetic picture of Jesus' crucifixion, which was a manner of execution unknown in Israel until the time of the Roman Empire, beginning in about 27 B.C.. (Compare Psalm 22:7-8 and 16-18 with Matthew 27:35, 38-44). Jesus began to quote Psalm 22 on the cross as he was fulfilling it (Psalm 22:1; compare Matthew 27:46).

The Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah and crucified him, thus fulfilling Biblical prophecy, but they lost the salvation God intended for them. Jesus declared that the Jews would not see their Messiah until they accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior (Matthew 23:37-39). I don't believe that living Jews are irrevocably lost, although those are eternally lost who have died unregenerate [John 3:3, 5-8; un-”reborn” by the 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)]. I don't believe that the Jews are any more guilty than anyone else for crucifying Jesus, because we are all sinners (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10) and have made Jesus' crucifixion necessary for our eternal salvation (See God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).

Paul was deliberately intended by God to be the prototype and example of a “modern, post-resurrection, born-again disciple (student) and apostle (messenger; of the Gospel)." He was convicted on the road to Damascus by the Spirit of the risen and ascended Jesus Acts 9:3-5). He accepted Jesus as Lord (Acts 9:5), became obedient to Jesus' command (Acts 9:6-8), repented with fasting (Acts 9:9), was discipled by a “born-again” disciple, Ananias (Act 9:10), until  Paul was “born-again” (Acts 9:11-18), and then Paul, led by the indwelling Holy Spirit, began proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 9:19b-20). Paul began to repeat the process of making born-again disciples of Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 1:6-8) and teaching them to repeat the process (2 Timothy 2:2).

Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? 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)?

Wednesday 3 Easter C 
First posted April 21, 2010;
Podcast: Wednesday 3 Easter C 

Revelation 7:9-17 – A Great Multitude of Redeemed;

Paraphrase:

After the vision of the hundred and forty-four thousand (a symbolic number) sealed for redemption, the Apostle John had a vision of a great multitude from all nations, tribes and tongues standing before the throne and the Lamb (Jesus). They were clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. The multitude cried out that salvation belongs to our God, who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb! And all the angels and the four living creatures stood around the throne and fell down on their faces, worshiping God and saying, “Amen (so be it)! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might (seven-fold; symbolizing perfect praise) be to our God for ever and ever! Amen!

Then one of the [twenty-four] elders asked John who the white-robed multitude were, and from where had they come? John replied that the elder knew (trusting that the elder would explain it to John). The elder explained that the multitude were those who had been saved during the great tribulation; their robes had been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb.

Therefore they are constantly before God's throne, and serve him day and night in God's temple. They are sheltered in God's presence and will neither hunger or thirst anymore. They will not be stricken by sun or heat. The Lamb who is before the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of living water; and God will dry the tears from their eyes.

Commentary:

Twelve is the number of the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel, and also the Twelve original Apostles of Jesus Christ, the Eleven original disciples (minus Judas Iscariot, Jesus' betrayer) plus Paul (Saul of Tarsus) the original “modern, post-resurrection, born-again, disciple (student) and apostle (messenger; of the Gospel)" of Jesus Christ. The twenty-four elders are the twelve patriarchs of the twelve tribes and the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. One hundred and forty-four thousand is twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes of Israel times twelve, symbolizing completeness; not one is missing. Seven is a symbol of perfection and completeness.

Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb (John 1:29, 35-36) of the New Passover, which Jesus instituted on the eve of his crucifixion (Matthew 26:26-28). The New Passover was sealed with a spiritual feast, the Last Supper; the Lord's Supper; Holy Communion; Eucharist (compare Exodus 12:1-14).

Jesus' blood, shed on the cross cleanses us from sin and clothes us with the robes of Jesus' righteousness (John 7:14). Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the week of his crucifixion was hailed with palm branches by his disciples (Matthew 21:1-11). The Church is the New Jerusalem, the New City of God on earth.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd (Psalm 23; John 10:11-15). The Good Shepherd provides his sheep with their daily needs abundantly, beyond expectation. He doesn't just provide water, but “living water” (John 4:10-11; 7:37-39), the spiritual water of eternal life.

If you believe God's Word in the Bible and in Jesus Christ, the fulfillment, embodiment and example of God's Word lived in this world in human flesh (John 1:1-5, 14), you will trust and obey him. You will apply God's Word in your daily life. As the result you will come to know personally with certainty that God's Word is true and reliable and is fulfilled over and over as the conditions for its fulfillment are met. That is how God causes our faith to grow to spiritual maturity. There is no hope and security in this world apart from faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ.

Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? 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)?

Thursday 3 Easter C 
First posted April 22, 2010;
Podcast: Thursday 3 Easter C 

John 10:22-30 – Jesus and God are One;

Paraphrase:

At the feast of Dedication (celebrating the re-dedication of the temple in 164 B.C., after being desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 B.C.; the origin of Hanukkah), Jesus was walking in the portico of Solomon (a relic of Solomon's temple left standing after the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 587 B.C. by the Nebuchadnezzar, whose army carried Judah into exile in Babylon for seventy years). The Jews (Jewish leaders) surrounded him and asked Jesus to tell them plainly if he were the Christ (Messiah).

Jesus replied that he had told them, but they had not believed. Jesus was doing works (miracles) in the name of God his Father which reveal that he is the Christ, but they did not believe because they did not belong to Jesus' “sheep” (Jesus' followers; John 10:7-15). Jesus' followers recognize Jesus' voice and follow him, and he recognizes them as his followers. Jesus gives them eternal life, and they will never perish, nor can anyone take them from Jesus' control. Jesus' Father is God, who is greater than anyone, and no one is able to separate Jesus' followers from God. “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).

Commentary:

It wasn't that Jesus hadn't revealed himself as the Messiah, but the Jewish authorities hadn't accepted him by faith (obedient trust). Jesus was doing miracles which only God could do, but they refused to acknowledge him as the Son of God, the Messiah, and submit to him in faith. Instead they accused him of blasphemy (John 10:31-33).

When we hear Jesus' words in the Bible and accept them in faith, we will begin to trust and obey them in our daily lives. As we do so, he will come to us and begin to talk to us. We will know that it is Jesus who is talking to us because we have learned to know his “voice” from the Bible. There are also demonic “voices” speaking to us, so we must use the Bible to test the “voices” to know whether they are of God (1 John  4:1-3).

We are all born physically alive but spiritually unborn. We must be spiritually “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the “baptism” (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). The “baptism” of the Holy Spirit is a personally discernible ongoing event (Acts 19:2). If one is uncertain, one hasn't been.

By the indwelling Holy Spirit, truly born-again Christians have daily personal fellowship with Jesus Christ and God the Father (John 14:23). Jesus is God in human form (Colossians 2:8-9; John 14:8-11). Jesus is the Word of God, fulfilled, embodied and exemplified in human flesh (John 1:1-5, 14). Jesus' word is the Word of God (John 14:10, 24), with the creative force of God's Word (Mark 4:39-41; Compare Genesis 1:3, 9).

Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? 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)?

Friday 3 Easter C 
First posted April 23, 2010;
Podcast: Friday 3 Easter C 

1 Peter 2:11-20 – Christian Lifestyle;

Paraphrase:

We are reminded that we are aliens and exiles in this world (we are citizens of God's heavenly kingdom). We must abstain from lusts of the flesh which fight against our souls (the part of us which is eternal). Our good behavior among the Gentiles (unbelievers) will testify to God's glory when they are confronted by God's divine eternal truth, and will refute their false accusations of wrongdoing by us.

We must submit to every human institution, whether to the sovereign leader or to his delegates sent to reward right-doing and to punish wrong-doing. It is God's will that by doing what is right we may silence the ignorant. Let us live as those who are free, but without using our freedom as license to do what is evil; instead, let us live as servants of God. Let us dishonor no one. Let us love our fellow believers as our family. Let us fear (have awe and respect for the power and authority of) God. Let us respect our worldly leaders.

Let those who are under the authority of others, as slaves, subjects or employees, be submissive, regardless of the nature of the authorities, whether gentle and kind, or brutal and abusive. Those who endure abuse while suffering unjustly will be rewarded by God. But when one suffers deservedly for wrongdoing, what credit will he receive for patient endurance? But if you suffer unjustly for doing what is right in God's judgment, you will have God's approval.

Commentary:

The Bible contains a series of parables (stories of everyday common experience used to teach spiritual truth). The central parable of the Bible is the Exodus from slavery to sin and death in the “Egypt” of this current world order, through baptism into Jesus in the “Red Sea” (on dry ground; Exodus 14:21-29), through the wilderness of this lifetime, through the “Jordan River” of physical death, and into the eternal “Promised Land” of God's eternal kingdom in heaven. Jesus is our “Moses” who leads us. The Holy Spirit is the pillar of fire who leads us through the spiritual darkness (Exodus 13:21-22). Jesus is the “Joshua” [Jesus is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew “Jeshua” or Joshua; the Son of Nun, who led Israel through the Jordan River (on dry ground; Joshua 3:14-17) and into the Promised Land].

Like Israel, the people of God, who wandered in the wilderness for forty years, we are nomads in this lifetime, waiting for Jesus to lead us through the “River” of physical death into the eternal promised land. Our citizenship is not of this world. This lifetime is a spiritual battlefield. Satan and his demons are our spiritual enemies, seeking to destroy us eternally. Our weapon is the Word of God, the Bible, which is our spiritual sword, and our faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ is our armor that protects us from spiritual death. Our spiritual enemies will attempt to discredit us, but our good behavior will testify in our behalf; so let us not yield to temptation, but continue in obedient trust in Jesus.

Worldly rulers are ultimately accountable to God. There are situations in which Christians must disobey worldly rulers, when their commands are clearly in opposition to the Bible, such as were Hitler's ( *See: The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing Co., NY 1963 ISBN 0-02-083850-6). But one must be willing to suffer the physical consequences: Bonhoeffer was hanged in the last days of World War II.

Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? 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)?

Saturday 3 Easter C 
First posted April  24, 2010;
Podcast: Saturday 3 Easter C

John 16:16-23 – Jesus' Resurrection;

Paraphrase:

Jesus told his disciples that soon they would be separated from him for a while, and then, “after a little while,”  they would be restored to his presence. His disciples puzzled over this saying. They wondered about what Jesus meant by saying that he was going to the Father. What did Jesus mean by “a little while?' Jesus knew what they were wondering about and stated their questions plainly.

Jesus told them they would be sorrowful over that which the world was rejoicing, but their sorrow would turn to joy. Jesus told them that their sorrow would be like the travail of childbirth. It would be turned to joy by the delivery of that which is being born into the world. So they would experience sorrow for a time, but their sorrow would be turned to joy which no one could take from them. In that day they would be reunited with Jesus and they would have no unfulfilled needs. “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name” (John 16:23).

Commentary:

Jesus was arrested on Thursday of Holy Week after the Last Supper. He was crucified on Good Friday. He was in the tomb from Friday at sundown until Easter Sunday, the third day. From Jesus' arrest, the disciples were scattered, as Jesus had foretold (Matthew 26:31). They were in mourning for the apparent loss of their hope for a restored Israel (Luke 24:21) and the loss of their beloved Lord, and they were in fear that they could suffer the same fate (John 20:19).

When the women who had gone to the tomb on Easter Sunday reported that the tomb was empty and that Jesus had risen from the dead, the disciples at first couldn't believe it (Luke 24:9-11). Jesus continued to reveal himself to his followers over a period of forty days (Acts 1:3; 1 Corinthians 15:1-7), in Jerusalem and later in Galilee. The disciples had a couple rough days until they heard and accepted Jesus' resurrection and he appeared to them. Then their sorrow was turned to joy.

Jesus had promised the disciples that he would send the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of God (Romans 8:9) to be with and in them forever (John 14:21, 23). The only way to receive the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit is to believe (trust and obey) Jesus. Only Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only 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 infilling of the Holy Spirit within us is a personally discernible, ongoing daily experience (Acts 19:2).

It is by the indwelling Holy Spirit that we experience a close personal daily fellowship with the Lord. It is by the Holy Spirit that we experience the joy of his presence (Romans 14:7; 15:13; I Thessalonians 1:6). It is only by the indwelling Holy Spirit that we can truly praise and worship the Lord (Romans 8:15-16). The “baptism” of the Holy Spirit is our spiritual “rebirth” (John 3:3, 5-8). The indwelling Holy Spirit is the joy which no one can take from us (10:28-30).

Jesus' death on the cross made it possible for us to be cleansed by his blood sacrifice, so that we could be temples of the Holy Spirit, and made it possible for him to send his Holy Spirit to us (John 16:7). Jesus told his disciples to stay within Jerusalem (the modern equivalent is the Church, the city of God on earth) until they had received the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit (Luke24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8). Jesus promised that it would not be many days before the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5).

Jesus' death on the cross was the travail of childbirth leading to the joy of delivery. The Church was born into the world on the day of Pentecost, when the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus promises that we can ask the Father in Jesus' name, and he will guide us individually to our spiritual rebirth as we begin to follow Jesus' commands. I personally testify to these truths (see Personal Testimonies, sidebar, top right, home).

Sadly, in two many instances the nominal Church has failed to make “born-again” disciples. It has failed to teach obedience to Jesus' teachings. Nominally Christian denominations are actually teaching that spiritual rebirth is automatically given at water baptism, or some other church ritual, which actually hinders members from seeking the indwelling Holy Spirit (see False Teachings, sidebar, top right, home).

The way to protect ourselves from false teachings is to read the entire Bible for ourselves, and to read it daily for guidance, with prayer and meditation. Any average reader can easily read the entire Bible in one year and there are numerous 1-year plans available (see Free Bible Study Tools, sidebar, top right, home).

Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? 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)?