my daily walk

Week of 4 Advent - Christmas Odd

This Bible Study was originally published at

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based on the Lutheran Book of Worship two-year Daily Lectionary for personal devotions* The daily readings are according to a Calendar based on the Church Year, which begins on the first Sunday of Advent, usually sometime at the end of November in the year preceding the secular calendar year.

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*Lutheran Book of Worship, Daily Lectionary, p. 179-192, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1978.

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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 4 Advent - Odd
Sunday 4 Advent - Odd
Use only until Christmas Day.
First posted 12/18/04;
Podcast: Sunday 4 Advent - Odd

Isaiah 11:1-9 - The messianic king;
Ephesians 6:10-20 - The whole armor of God;
John 3:16:-21 - The Gospel;

Isaiah Paraphrase:

The Messiah is the descendant of Jesse (David’s father). The Spirit of the Lord is upon him. The Spirit provides wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and the fear of the Lord. The Messiah will delight in the fear of the Lord.

The Messiah is the righteous judge who does not judge by appearances or by what people say, but with righteousness and equity for the poor and the meek. His Word will smite the earth like a rod and will slay the wicked. He will embody righteousness and faithfulness. In his reign, peace and harmony will be restored to creation. Creatures will no longer prey upon one another. There will be no fighting or killing, because all creation will be full of the knowledge of the Lord.

Ephesians Paraphrase:

Paul urged believers to be strong in the Lord and his might. We are to arm ourselves with the armor of God, so that we might not fall as a casualty to the attack of Satan. Christians are in a battle against spiritual forces of evil in the universe who rule this present world. Paul urges us to put on the whole armor of God so that we may be able to stand and survive the battle.

The armor of God is truth, righteousness, the Gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God which is the sword of the Spirit. We should pray always in the Spirit, always alert and with perseverance, for all believers and for all who proclaim the Gospel, so that it will be declared boldly.

John Paraphrase:

God loves the world so much that he sent his only Son to die for our sins, so that all who believe in him would not have to die eternally, but could live eternally with him. God sent Jesus into the world to save us, not to condemn us. Those who believe in (i.e., trust and obey) Jesus will not be condemned, but those who do not believe in Jesus condemn themselves because they have refused to believe in the only Son of God.

Jesus is the light of righteousness who has come into the world, but mankind prefers darkness, because their deeds are evil. Those who do evil do not come to the light, so that their deeds might not be exposed, but those who do what is right come to the light so that all may see that their deeds have been done in accord with God’s will.

Commentary:

God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to save us from sin and to show us the way to eternal life. Jesus demonstrated the Spirit-filled and directed life, and he provided the way for us to be Spirit-filled and guided. Those who believe in Jesus, who love him and keep his commands, will receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17).

The Spirit provides God’s wisdom, understanding, guidance, power, knowledge, and the desire to please and serve God. The Lord will judge the earth; those who have not lived in accordance with his Word will be eternally destroyed. Those who remain will live eternally in peace and harmony in paradise (Matthew 25: 31-46).

Believers need to put on the “armor” of God which he has given us in Jesus Christ. Believers have been given a promise, but we must appropriate that promise for ourselves by applying the Word of God to our lives. We need to be disciples of Jesus Christ. We need to read the Bible and spend time daily in prayer with the Lord. We need to seek the gift of the infilling of the Holy Spirit, which the Lord has promised to those who keep his commands.

God sent Jesus into the world knowing what we would do to him. All of us participated in Jesus’ crucifixion because we have all sinned (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-9) and have made his crucifixion necessary for our forgiveness and restoration to fellowship with God (Romans 6:23; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). It is wisdom to understand that God has the power of eternal life or death over us. But God exercises that power in love, for our welfare. God loves us and wants to forgive and restore us to eternal life with him. God doesn’t use his power to force us to do his will. God holds out the “scepter” of his power to us through Jesus Christ. All we have to do is reach out and take hold of it to be saved.

Jesus is God’s only provision for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12). Are you walking in his light?

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 4 Advent - Odd
Use only until Christmas Day.
First posted 12/19/04;
Podcast: Monday 4 Advent - Odd

Isaiah 11:10-16 - The messianic age;
Revelation 20:1-10 - The final conflict;
John 5:30-47 - Jesus' relation to God;

Isaiah Paraphrase:

In the Day of the Lord, "a root of Jesse" [the Messiah; Jesus] will be a sign, a standard, to the peoples. All nations will seek him. His dwelling will be glorious. The Lord will recover the remnant of his people yet a second time, from where they have been scattered throughout the world. God’s people will no longer be divided (Ephraim represents Samaria, which was the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, the rival of the Southern Kingdom of Judah.) God’s people won’t fight among themselves and their enemies will be subjugated or destroyed. There will be a highway for the remnant of God’s people, like the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt.

Revelation Paraphrase:

John had a vision of the binding of Satan and the reign of the martyrs. Satan, the ancient serpent, the dragon, the devil, was bound with a great chain and cast into the bottomless pit which was sealed for a thousand year (the number symbolizing perfection; completion) so that Satan would no longer be able to deceive the nations. After the thousand years Satan will be released for a short time. John saw thrones where the first disciples of Jesus will judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30).

John saw the souls of those who had been martyred (during the Great Tribulation) for their testimony to Jesus and for God’s Word, who had not worshiped the beast, and who had not taken the mark of the beast on their foreheads or hands (Revelation 13:6-7; 14:9). Theirs is the first resurrection; they are not subject to the second death (eternal destruction of sinners), but will be priests of God and will reign with him for a thousand years. The rest of the dead will not be resurrected until the end of the thousand years.

At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be loosed to deceive the nations at the ends of the earth, Gog and Magog (Ezekiel chapters 38-39; Gog is the king of Magog), and they gather to fight the final battle against God’s kingdom. Their armies are as vast as the sands of the sea. They surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city (the Church), but fire fell from heaven (2 Kings 1:10-12; 1 Kings 18:38) and destroyed them, and Satan “was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone (sulphur) where the beast and the false prophet were (Revelation 19:20) “where they will be tormented night and day forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).

John Paraphrase:

Jesus said that he does nothing on his own authority. His judgment is that of God’s; completely just and without bias. Jesus does not seek his own will, but the will of God. Jesus’ own testimony to himself would not be convincing, but God has testified to Jesus as truth. John the Baptizer also testified that Jesus is the Messiah, not that Jesus needs any human authentication.

John served as a source of enlightenment for a while, but the works that Jesus has done are a greater testimony that Jesus has been sent by God than John’s word. God himself has borne witness to Jesus in his scripture.

No one has ever seen God or heard his voice, but whoever reads and believes scripture would recognize that Jesus is Christ, the Son of God. Knowledge of the scriptures is not saving knowledge if it does not lead trust and obedience of Jesus Christ. Jesus does not need to be glorified by mankind, but anyone who truly loves God will rejoice in Jesus.

Those who give honor to one another but do not honor God cannot truly believe God. Those who put their trust in their keeping of the Law of Moses will be condemned by the Law. Those who truly believed Moses would have believed in Jesus, because the books of Moses testify to the Messiah. Those who don’t believe the scriptures aren’t going to believe Jesus’ words either.

Commentary:

In the Day of the Lord, everyone will long for Jesus, but for those who have rejected Jesus and opposed God’s people it will be too late; they will be destroyed. The Lord will gather his people from the ends of the earth and bring them into his eternal kingdom as he brought Israel out of bondage in Egypt.

Satan was defeated at the cross of Jesus but has been allowed to remain until Christ’s return. Satan will be imprisoned and then condemned to hell with all evil, where he will be tormented for all eternity. The enemies of God will be eternally destroyed.

This life is our opportunity to know and evaluate Jesus and decide for ourselves who Jesus is. I truly believe that the meaning and purpose of this life is to allow us to seek and find a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ (Acts 17:26-27).

Who we decide Jesus to be is of eternal consequences for us. Those who truly believe God’s Word will recognize and know that Jesus is the promised Christ (Messiah), the Son of God. Those who believe in Jesus, that he is truly the Son of God, will do what Jesus teaches, and they will know with certainty that Jesus is Lord, and that they have eternal life in him.

Tuesday 4 Advent - Odd
Use only until Christmas Day.
First posted 12/20/04;
Podcast: Tuesday 4 Advent - Odd

Isaiah 28:9-22 - The Cornerstone;
Revelation 20:11-21:8 - Final Judgment;
Luke 1:5-25 - John the Baptizer’s birth announced;

Isaiah Paraphrase:

Whom will the Lord teach and explain the message; those who have just been weaned? “For it is precept upon precept…, line upon line, here a little, there a little" (Isaiah 28:10; suggests the slowness of Israel to learn, and the patience required to teach them anything). Instead the Lord will speak to the Israelites through foreign people (the Assyrians), since the Israelites did not listen when the Lord tried to give them rest. Therefore the Word of God will be difficult for them to understand and they will fall and be taken captive.

The civil rulers of Israel are scoffers who have abandoned faith in God and have made alliances with idols; they have taken refuge in lies and falsehood. The Lord is building the New Jerusalem, with a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation. Those who trust in God will not stumble.

The New Jerusalem will be founded on righteousness and justice, and the Lord will sweep away lies and false security. Those who have relied on false security will be swept away in the wrath of God’s judgment. The situation will be terrible, but there will be no remedy.

The Lord will execute judgment as he did at Perazim (2 Samuel 5:20; where Israel defeated the Philistines and captured their idols) and at Gibeon (Joshua 10:1-14; where Joshua defeated the king of Jerusalem, with divine assistance of hailstones and the sun standing still). Isaiah warns Judah not to scoff or their punishment will be worse, because the judgment of the Lord has been decreed upon the whole land.

Revelation Paraphrase:

John had a vision of a great white throne with the Lord upon it. All the dead stood before it and the records of their lives were examined. There was also a book of life, and the dead were judged according to what they had done. Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire, which is the second (eternal) death. Anyone whose name was not recorded in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Then John saw a new heaven and earth which replaced the present heaven and earth. In the new creation there are no seas anymore. John saw the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven from God, which he compared to a bride adorned for her husband. God declared that he would dwell with mankind. They will be his people and God will be with them. God will remove every sorrow from them and there will be no more mourning, crying or pain.

God declared that he makes all things new, and that these words are true and worthy of trust. God declared that he is the beginning and end of all things. He gives the water of life without cost to those who are spiritually thirsty (the fulfillment of the promise of Isaiah 55:1; John 4:13-14; John 7:37-38). Those who persevere in trust and obedience until the end will be God’s sons (or daughters) but the cowardly, faithless, the corrupt, murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters and liars will be condemned to the lake of fire, the second (eternal) death.

Luke Paraphrase:

Zechariah was a priest of the division of Abijah (a descendant of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, and head of one of twenty-four divisions of the priesthood). He was married to Elizabeth, who was a descendant of Aaron. They were both righteous and obedient to the Law of God, but were growing old and had been childless.

While Zechariah was serving his duty in the temple, in about 7 or 6 B. C., when Herod was king of Judea (37-4 B. C.), an angel of the Lord appeared to Zachariah in the temple. Zechariah was frightened but the angel reassured him. The angel told Zachariah that his prayers had been heard, that his wife would bear a son and that the child was to be named John.

The angel said that many would rejoice at John’s birth because John would be great in God’s sight, and that he would not drink alcohol, but would be filled with the Holy Spirit from the day of his birth. John would turn many in Israel to the Lord their God, and he would have the spirit and power of Elijah. He would turn the hearts of fathers to their children, the disobedient would turn to righteousness, and he would prepare the people for the Lord.

Zechariah asked the angel for proof of what he had been told, and the angel told him that his name was Gabriel, that he served in the immediate presence of God, and had been sent to deliver this message to Zechariah. Gabriel told Zechariah that because Zechariah had not believed the angel's words, Zechariah would be mute, unable to speak, until John had been born.

People noticed and wondered at Zechariah’s delay in completing his duties. When Zechariah came out he was unable to speak, and the people realized that he must have seen a vision, but Zechariah could only make signs with his hands.

Commentary:

What is the Lord to do with people who do not listen and learn from God’s Word and God’s prophets? He has gone over these precepts repeatedly and yet the leaders of the people have abandoned faith in God and have made alliances with idols, and have sought security in lies and falsehood. Since they haven’t learned from God’s Word they will have to learn from experience.

God allowed Judah to be carried off to exile in Babylon for seventy years as an object lesson. That Exile is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy and an illustration of God’s Judgment. On the Day of Judgment those who have refused to trust and obey Jesus will be carried off to eternal exile in Hell.

The Lord is building a New Jerusalem, the kingdom of God, founded on Jesus Christ, the cornerstone. Those who trust in him will not stumble. Those who rely on false security will be swept away by God’s wrath. Scoffers are warned that their unbelief will be punished.

John’s vision is of the Final Judgment. Everyone who has ever lived on earth will be accountable to the Lord for what he has done in life. Those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus are recorded in the “Lamb’s (i.e., Jesus’) book of life” (Revelation 13:8; 21:27). They will live eternally in the new creation. Everyone who is not recorded in that book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire (Hell), the second (eternal) death. The faithless and disobedient will be punished.

Zechariah was a righteous man, obeying all the commandments and ordinances of God, and yet he was struck mute for nine months because he questioned God’s Word delivered through the angel Gabriel. God has made plain in his Word, the Bible, his plan to establish an eternal kingdom, and the eternal consequence of disobedience and unbelief.

Wednesday 4 Advent - Odd
Use only until Christmas Day.
First posted 12/21/04;
Podcast: Wednesday 4 Advent - Odd

Isaiah 29:9-24 - Spiritual insensibility;
Revelation 21:9-21 - Measuring the city;
Luke 1:26-38 - Jesus’ birth foretold;

Isaiah Paraphrase:

Judah’s leaders are as spiritually insensible as one who is in a drunken stupor; they are spiritually blind. The eyes of her prophets are closed, and her seer’s heads are covered (so that they cannot perceive). Spiritual insight has become for them like the words of a book which is sealed. Those who can read cannot know what is in the book any more than if they were unable to read, because the book is sealed.

The people draw near to God with their mouths, and honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. The fear of the Lord is just a memorized concept, not a practical reality. Therefore the Lord will do great things overshadowing the wisdom of their wise men and the discernment of their discerning men.

Woe to those who think their thoughts and deeds are hidden from the Lord. These people have turned their relationship with God upside down. They’re like the clay telling the potter what to do. The day is coming when the deaf shall hear the words of the book and the blind shall see. The meek and the poor shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. The ruthless, the scoffer, and evildoer will cease to exist, and injustice will no longer be practiced. Then Jacob will no longer be ashamed. He will reverence the name of the Lord when he sees his posterity. Those who err in spiritual things will realize their error and accept correction.

Revelation Paraphrase:

John saw a vision of the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It had the glory of God, described in terms of precious jewels. All its attributes and measurements are in multiples of twelve, for the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve Apostles. The city is described as a cube, symbolizing perfection. The wall of the city is built of twelve kinds of precious stones. It has twelve gates, each made of pearl, and the streets are paved with gold.

Luke Paraphrase:

In the sixth month (of Elizabeth’s pregnancy; Luke 1:24) the angel Gabriel (who had announced the birth of John the Baptizer to Zechariah; Luke 1:19) came to Nazareth in Galilee to a virgin named Mary who was engaged to be married to Joseph, a descendant of David.

The angel greeted her by name and told her God was with her. She was troubled, wondering what this encounter might mean, but the angel reassured her that she had found favor with God. The angel told her that she would conceive and bear a son who was to be named Jesus. Jesus would be called the Son of God, and would inherit the throne of David and reign over the “house of Jacob” (i.e. Israel) forever. His kingdom will be eternal.

Mary asked the angel how this could happen since she had no husband, and the angel told her that she would conceive by the Holy Spirit, and that the child would be the Son of God. Gabriel told her that her kinswoman Elizabeth, although past the age of childbearing and considered barren, had also conceived. With God nothing is impossible. Mary told Gabriel that she was the Lord’s servant, and that she accepted the Lord’s will, and Gabriel left her.

Commentary:

Judah had become spiritually deaf and blind, because although they claimed to reverence God, they didn’t reverence God in their hearts and in their deeds. Instead of accepting God’s will and direction they had turned their relationship upside down. They were the clay trying to tell the potter what to do.

God declared that he would do great things which would overshadow Israel’s wise and discerning people, and he fulfilled that promise in Jesus Christ. In the day of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the ears of the deaf and the eyes of the blind were opened, but the wise and discerning leaders of Judah didn’t recognize Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.

John had a vision of the fulfillment of God’s plan foretold by Isaiah: the New Jerusalem in which the meek and poor will rejoice in the Lord, and the ruthless, the scoffers and the evildoers will be no more.

The fulfillment of the promise of the coming kingdom of God began with a woman in a small town in an insignificant province, Galilee, because the woman was an obedient servant of God. God did a wonderful thing that defied the wisdom of the wise and discerning.

Podcast Download: Week of Christmas and Following - Odd
Thursday Christmas Day
First posted 12/25/04;
Podcast: Thursday Christmas Day

Zechariah 2:10-13 - The coming of the Lord;
1 John 4:7-16 - Abiding in God;
John 3:31-36 - John’s further testimony;

Zechariah Paraphrase:

The Lord promised to come to his people and dwell in their midst. He promised that his coming is not just for the Jews, but for all nations. We will know that he has come from God. The coming of the Messiah will restore the people to fellowship with God and will establish God’s eternal kingdom. Let us wait quietly for the Lord to act.

1 John Paraphrase:

We should love one another, because God is love and those who know God and are born of God share his nature. Those who do not love are not of God. God’s love was made known to us when he sent his only Son into the world to die as a sacrifice for our sins, so that we might have life through him. He did that not because we loved him, but because he loved us. Since God loved us that much we should love one another.

We can’t see God, but we can see the effect of God in our lives. If we love one another we know that God abides in us and his love is being perfected in us. We know that God abides in us and we in him through the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit. Through the Spirit we are able to testify that God has sent his Son as the savior of the world. Whoever truly believes that Jesus is the Son of God abides in God and God in him. So we are able to know and believe the love God has for us. God is love and if we abide in love, we abide in God and he in us.

John Paraphrase:

Jesus comes from heaven and is above all; John is of the earth, and his understanding is limited. Jesus bears witness to what he has seen (of heavenly things), but many do not believe his testimony. But John and others who do believe Jesus’ testimony bear witness that Jesus speaks the Word of God. He whom God sent speaks God’s Word, because God has given him the Holy Spirit in his fullness, without limits. God loves his Son and has given all authority to Jesus. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him” (John 3:36).

Commentary:

The Lord promised to come and dwell in our midst to restore us to fellowship with him and to establish his eternal kingdom. Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise. Jesus demonstrates the love that God has for us. Those who truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God receive the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, through whom we have personal fellowship with the Lord. Jesus is the Messiah (Christ) whom God sent, and who speaks God’s Word.

If we believe in Jesus we will keep his word and we will know that we have eternal life through his indwelling Holy Spirit. “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he his given us of his own Spirit” (1 John 4:13).

Have you received the gift of fellowship and eternal life 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)?

Friday December 26
First Posted 12/26/04
Podcast: Friday December 26

Wisdom 4:7-15 (apocrypha) - The good (sometimes) die young;
2 Chronicles 24:17-22 - The stoning of Zechariah;
Acts 6:1-7 - Appointment of the seven deacons;
Acts 7:59-8:8 - Stoning of Stephen and martyrdom;

Wisdom Paraphrase:

The life of the righteous may be cut short by death, but he will be at rest. Honor does not reside in long life or number of years; wisdom is worthy of veneration, and an unstained life is better than old age. He who loves and pleases God is better taken to heaven early, lest the wickedness and deceit around him should have time to corrupt him. Temptation obscures truth, and lust undermines the unwise.

The Lord hastened to take away from among the wicked him whose soul pleased the Lord. The people saw but did not understand that God’s “grace and mercy are with his saints, and that he hath respect unto (honors) his chosen” (Wisdom 4:15).

2 Chronicles Paraphrase:

After the high priest Jehoiada died, during the reign of Joash, King of Judah, the princes of Judah forsook the house of the Lord and took up idolatry. The Lord sent prophets among them to call them back to the Lord, but they would not give heed.

Then Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, was filled with the Holy Spirit and rebuked the people, saying “Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you” (2 Chronicles 24:20).

“But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 24:21). “Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying he said ‘May the Lord see and avenge’” (2 Chronicles 24:22).

Acts 6 Paraphrase:

In the early days of the Christian Church, before persecution arose, the Church was growing rapidly, and they were living a communal lifestyle (see Acts 2:44-47).The Helenists [Greek-speaking Jews; the Hebrews (Acts 6:1) probably spoke Aramaic] felt that they were being neglected in the daily distribution of food and perhaps other resources. Therefore the Twelve “apostles” (the 11 original disciples of Jesus plus Mathias, who replaced Judas; see Acts 1:15-26) delegated the duties of distribution to a group of seven, traditionally regarded as the first deacons.

They chose Stephen, “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit,” Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus (a Gentile who had converted to Judaism prior to becoming a Christian; the names are Greek; Acts 6:5). These were commissioned for this work by prayer and the laying-on of hands by the Apostles. [“And Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8) in addition to serving tables, and also taught (Acts 6:9-10), and he preached before the Jewish council (Sanhedrin), (which led to his stoning; Acts 7:1-53).]

Acts 7 Paraphrase:

Stephen was brought before the Sanhedrin, the “council”, the chief court of the Jews, on false charges that he prophesied against the Temple (as Jesus also had been charged). Stephen preached the Gospel, in response, and his hearers were so enraged by what he said that they dragged him out of the city and stoned him to death (Acts 7:58). The witnesses laid their garments at the feet of Saul (of Tarsus, who became the apostle Paul), who agreed that Stephen should be killed (Acts 8:1).

As Stephen died, he forgave his executioners [as Jesus had forgiven his (Luke 23:34)]. That day marked the beginning of a great persecution against the Church in Jerusalem, and believers were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria, except the Apostles.

Commentary:

Saul became a leading persecutor of Christians. The dispersal brought about by the persecution led to the spread of the Gospel to the surrounding area, including Samaria, which was inhabited by a mixed remnant of the northern kingdom interbred with non-Jews introduced following the fall of the northern kingdom to Babylon. Philip, the deacon appointed along with Stephen, preached the Gospel in Samaria and many gave heed to his preaching which was accompanied by healing miracles.

The passage from the book of the Wisdom of Solomon (a non-canonical book included in the apocrypha, as found in Catholic Bibles), offers an explanation for why God allows the righteous to die young. It emphasizes that righteousness and a personal knowledge of the Lord is more important that long life. It expresses the faith that God will rectify injustice; that in his mercy and grace he will bless those who trust in him, and that there is hope beyond this present world.

After Jehoiada, the high priest, died, King Joash of Judah was influenced by his counselors to stray from the worship of the Lord and into idolatry. The Lord sent prophets to call the people to repent and return to the Lord, but the people wouldn’t listen to the prophets of the Lord. Then Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the high priest, was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of the Lord.

The rebuke from Zechariah made the people so angry that they stoned him to death. Joash ordered Zechariah’s death, although Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father had done much kindness to Joash. As Zechariah was dying he said “May the Lord see and avenge” (2 Chronicles 24:22b). [The Lord did see, and he will avenge: see Luke 11:51.]

Stephen was the first martyr for the Gospel. Stephen was an exemplary disciple of Jesus: He was a servant (see Luke 22:27), teacher and preacher, “full of faith and the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:5). He was obedient to Jesus’ ways. He was, like Jesus, falsely accused of preaching against the Temple, and like Jesus he forgave his executioners. Although his life was cut short, it was not in vain; he had a profound impact, even to this day, and he had the assurance of eternal life in heaven with God (Acts 7:55-56). God’s “grace and mercy are with his saints, and…he (God) honors his chosen” (Wisdom 4:15).

Don’t expect the world to honor and reward faith and obedience to Jesus. Jesus said, “for what does it profit (a person) to gain the whole world and forfeit his (eternal) life?” (Mark 8:36). Joash unjustly repaid the faithful service of Jehoiada the high priest by killing Jehoiada’s son Zechariah for speaking the truth.

Believers have a faithful and just King who remembers and rewards faithfulness justly. Trust in Jesus and walk in his ways. The Lord sees and he will avenge the persecution of his saints. The Lord is merciful to forgive all who repent and turn to him in true faith [like Saul, the persecutor of the church, for example, who became Saint Paul the Apostle; see Acts 9:1-22]. The Lord is able and desires to honor obedient faith in Jesus with eternal life in heaven.

Proverbs 8:22-30 - Divine Wisdom;
1 John 5:1-12 - Victorious faith;
John 13-20-35 - Jesus’ betrayer;

Proverbs Paraphrase:

Divine wisdom is the first of God’s creations. It was established before all things. It is the binding force which by which all creation is held together. Everything in creation was made in accordance with divine wisdom.

1 John Paraphrase:

Those who believe that Jesus is the Messiah (Christ) are God’s children, and those who love the parent will love the children also. When we love God we will keep his commandments and we can be sure that we love his children also. God’s commandments are not too difficult, because if we have been born of God we have overcome the world through faith.

Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God have overcome the world. Jesus comes through the water of baptism and the blood of the cross. The Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus because the Spirit is truth. The indwelling Holy Spirit, our baptism into Christ, and Jesus’ blood shed for us on the cross, bear witness that we are God’s children.

God’s testimony to Jesus is greater than human testimony. Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony within themselves. Those who have not believed call God a liar, because they do not believe God’s testimony to his Son. This is the truth: God has given us eternal life and this life is in his Son and no one else. Anyone who has received the Son has life, and anyone who has not received the Son does not have eternal life.

John Paraphrase:

At the Last Supper Jesus told his disciples that anyone who receives one whom Jesus sends receives Jesus, and he who receives Jesus receives God. Then he declared that one of his twelve disciples would betray him. The disciples didn’t know who Jesus was referring to. Simon Peter asked the disciple sitting next to Jesus to ask Jesus whom he meant. The disciple did so, and Jesus told the disciple that he would give his betrayer a morsel. Jesus gave the morsel to Judas, and after receiving the morsel, Jesus told Judas that he should do quickly what he had decided to do.

Judas got up and went out into the night. The other disciples supposed that Jesus had sent Judas on some errand. Jesus told the remaining disciples that the time had come for him to glorify the Father and to be glorified by God. Jesus told them that he would soon be separated from them. Jesus told them to love one another as Jesus loved them. They would be recognized as Jesus’ disciples by their self-sacrificing love of one another.

Commentary:

All creation was designed according to divine wisdom. Divine wisdom is distinct from what the world falsely calls wisdom (1 Corinthians 1: 18-25, 2:6-7). Jesus is the wisdom and power of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). God foresaw the need for a savior from the very beginning of creation, and included him in his plan (John 1:1-5, 14).

“Born-again” believers (John 3:3-8) can be assured that they have eternal life because they believe that Jesus died on the cross for their sins, they have been baptized into Jesus Christ, and they have the indwelling Holy Spirit, the seal and guarantee that they are in Christ and have eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). The Holy Spirit is truth and the witness within believers. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of the risen Lord (Romans 8:9b) and testimony that Jesus rose from the dead to eternal life.

Jesus calls each of us to follow him in trust and obedience. The decision is up to us. 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, December 20, 2014

Week of 4 Advent - Christmas Odd - 12/21 - 27/2014

Shepherdboy David

google translation

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