Category Archives: Bible Study

LUKE’S GOSPEL…FOLLOW ME – 9

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“When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When we read this account of Jesus’ call to the fishermen brothers to follow Him, it sounds quite ordinary on the surface. An itinerant preacher watches some guys fishing fruitlessly, pulling in their boat, dejected, because, after a night’s work, they came back empty handed. This meant another day without income, with families to feed, no bread on the table. 

However…then, the tale takes a twist.  A rabbi, of all people, who knew nothing about fishing, tells them to go back and try again! Why should they listen to Him? There was something about Him, something in His voice that commanded attention. So they turned tail and moved back into deep water. What was empty space a few minutes ago became a boiling sea of fish…such a huge catch that the nets began to tear. They yelled for help from others fishing in a boat nearby.  They were soon back on shore with their magnificent catch, both boats groaning under the load and dangerously close to sinking. 

Peter was deeply moved. Something much deeper than a record haul of fish had touched him. Never had anything so outrageously miraculous ever happened to him. He was a seasoned fisherman who knew the Galilean lake like the back of his hand. He had no idea that there were schools of fish that big and…to crown it all, it had happened when a rabbi had issued instructions. How did He know they were there? 

Grabbing his cloak, Peter tumbled out of the boat, scrambled to the shore, and fell down at Jesus’ feet. “Master,” he panted, “please move away from me. I am so tainted that I can’t even be near to you.”

Jesus looked into Peter’s face, His eyes engaging the expression of agony on the face of the man kneeling before Him. “Don’t be afraid, Peter,” He said. “Follow me and I’ll teach you how to fish for people!” 

Miraculous catch of fish or not, these young Jewish men instantly turned their backs on their boats, their fish, and their rugged life of fishing and, without a backward glance, they walked away from the lake in the company of Jesus. 

How did this happen, all in the space of a short time?

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…OPPOSITION GROWS – 8

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“Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!” And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭31‬, ‭33‬-‭37‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Amazing how a demon-possessed man could be comfortable in a synagogue…until Jesus showed up! Does this mean that there was no one in that particular company, not even among religious people, who made the demon in that man uncomfortable enough to reveal its presence by resisting the company?

The moment Jesus arrived, the demon protested. Its comfortable environment had been invaded by holiness that made it cry out in agony. What did it say? 

“Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 

Only something from the spiritual dimension could blurt out the truth. The demon knew the identity of the one who confronted it. It not only knew Him, it also feared Him because it knew its destiny. Here was one from hell face to face with the most powerful representative from heaven. This was about authority…which one would give way?

Satan masquerades as the one who has authority on earth. He deceived Adam and continues to deceive all in the human race who believe his lies. He claims the authority of lordship he does not have and creates all kinds of delusions to cover up his deception. 

This confrontation was also an exposure. Jesus refused to acknowledge the demon’s confession. Instead, He confirmed it by evicting the demon without an argument. 

How did He overcome the opposition of this agent of Satan? Exactly as He did in the wilderness in His confrontation with the devil in person. He spoke the word. 

“Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!”

In a final act of defiance, the demon threw the man on the ground and left without another murmur!

How did the congregation in the synagogue react?

They recognised and acknowledged an authority they had never witnessed before. 

“All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!”

To the people of that day, authority was everything. Their spiritual leaders claimed to have the authority to teach them God’s word and enforced their rule by hypocritical acts of “righteousness”, parading their “obedience” as publicly as possible as proof of their authority…. but Jesus…He did stuff that outshone all the others. 

So, Jesus’ opposition was lining up against Him, truth versus deception. His own townspeople, demons and, by and by, the religious leaders of His nation who were supposed to be the custodians of truth, all revealed their hatred of the one who embodied truth and had the authority to act on it. 

One group claimed to represent the truth but had no evidence to confirm their claim…Jesus proved by His actions, that the words He spoke were the truth. He came from heaven to represent the truth that His people had long since perverted to suite their own ends and that their leaders upheld and perverted even more for their own purposes, money! In the end as Jesus accurately diagnosed, Israel’s shepherds were nothing more than hirelings, mercenaries who were in it for the money. 

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ..All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them…The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full…The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.”

‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬, ‭8‬, ‭10‬, ‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Is it any wonder, then, that Jesus gathered a huge following to begin with, first, because He had so much to give them and, second, because they still had to learn about the all-or-nothing cost of following Him. 

Jesus’ ministry was not about curing all the ills of His people. It was about showing them the nature of the kingdom of God He had come to usher in…a place of holiness and perfection where God rules in righteousness, justice, and peace, and where all evil will be banished forever. Those who participate in this kingdom have to be in keeping with its nature. 

The day would come when these same people would hang this same Jesus on a cross because the standard this kingdom demands was just too high for them. By their action, they were unwittingly opening the door to this kingdom for all who would accept the sacrifice made on their behalf. 

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…NAZARETH – 7b

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The people of Nazareth rejected Jesus because they thought they knew who He was. They judged His message without exploring the evidence of His claims.

Jesus made it clear to His own disciples, “You can trust me because of what I do””. 

“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus’ entire ministry focused on the restoration of God’s kingdom, not only to His own people but also to the entire Gentile world as prophesied in Isaiah…

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. “…I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭42‬:‭1‬, ‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As much as the Jewish leaders hated Him for exposing their hypocrisy, and even accused Him of using demonic powers to cast out demons…His works were incontrovertible evidence of the real source and purpose of His ministry…

“If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12‬:‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Why did Jesus do the miracles He did? Why did He heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demons? Was He looking for popularity or trying to gain a following in competition with the religious leaders? 

Jesus had one goal in view…

“After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

His message was the good news of the kingdom, with all the ramifications of that message…including His own death and resurrection, and the miracles as evidence of God’s benevolent rule at work. Jesus came to herald and to bring about the return of the order, justice, righteousness, and peace of His rule, which would culminate in the restoration of everything, including creation, to His original plan, on His return at the end of time. 

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.””

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬

To the Jews, this message was both revolutionary and unpalatable because there was no place in their Messianic expectation for the Gentiles. Their very mention brought about responses of anger and contempt. 

So, they rejected their very own “homeboy”, despite His teachings and His work, because of their bitter prejudice, which even cancelled their own covenant relationship with God. From that moment on, He was unwelcome in Nazareth. Their unbelief shut Him out, limited His power in their town, and sealed their fate as it did for everyone who refused to believe in His name. 

This brings me to the part of my meditation that is relevant for us humans…the issue of skepticism and prejudice that is damaging to our attitude to truth.

He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, ‘Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.’ And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.” – Mark 6:1-6

“After Jesus restored Jairus’ daughter to life with his healing touch, he and the disciples departed Capernaum and traveled 25 miles south to Nazareth. For Jesus, this was a homecoming, a chance to see his family and the friends with whom he was raised. We might expect the town to be excited about his visit and welcome Jesus as a local celebrity. After all, they would have heard all about how he taught with authority, healed diseases, drove out demons, and even calmed a storm. That’s a fairly impressive resume! 

“And yet, the people of Nazareth greeted Jesus with skepticism and outrage. Others might be empowered by God to perform such works, but this was Mary’s Son. He grew up down the street, and they knew he was just a carpenter. While today we value the opportunity to achieve, advance, and make a new way in the world, the people of Jesus’ day were defined by their families and their upbringing. Jesus did not come from a line of teachers and preachers; he was not a scribe or a priest. And so, the people took offense at what he was doing and who he claimed to be. They felt entitled to define Jesus according to their terms.

“How does your skepticism keep you from experiencing the full and awesome power of Jesus? Have you sought to understand and define him from your earthly perspective? Faith is about surrender and trust.”

(Source: biblestudymedia.com)

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…NAZARETH – 7a

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“Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus’ resolve to live by the words of His Father was quickly put to the test in His hometown, Nazareth. What better place to begin, where He had grown up under scrutiny, where He was best known by the community, so they thought. 

Once again, come Sabbath, Jesus took His place in the synagogue, however, not as a regular worshipper but as a recognised “rabbi”, a teacher of the law. He has become well-known in the region for His teaching and authority. 

Jesus stood up to read the Scripture for that day. He deliberately selected a passage that formed part of Isaiah’s prophetic picture of the Messiah. How fitting that Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah’s ministry of deliverance and healing for His broken people, an exact description of His mission which had already begun in nearby Capernaum. 

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” …He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬-‭19‬, ‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Well, that set the cat among the pigeons! Imagine the audacity of the man! One of their own villagers, a young upstart who grew up in front of them, claiming to be the fulfilment of their great prophet Isaiah’s immortal words!Who did He think He was? 

Jesus’ next words struck a raw spot. He made it clear that He already knew that He would be rejected. 

“Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’ ” “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Using two stories from Israel’s own history, Elijah’s miracle for a Gentile widow in Zarephath and Elisha’s healing of Naaman, the Syrian, as illustrations, He foretold that His own people would reject Him because of His ministry to Gentiles! Well, that did it!

Before He even said any more, a heated debate broke out. Some were impressed…others were incensed. The mention of the Gentiles made their blood boil. Without giving any consideration to His message of hope, or His mission of mercy to all people, they unceremoniously threw Him out and even tried to eliminate Him. 

However, this was Jesus…and their murderous rage didn’t work. At least not this time. 

One thing was clear…little by little, Jesus began to determine who were willing to listen to His message and who were not. By rejecting Him, they were rejecting the Father who sent Him, and His gracious message of deliverance and redemption. 

This brings us to an important consideration at this point…

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…TESTED – 6

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Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry….When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭2‬, ‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭

The events between verses 2 and 14 in this story are hugely significant, highlighting the move from potential to actual in Jesus’ life and ministry. The Father gave His blessing to His Son…His love, His approval, and His affirmation…and set Him aside for His earthly ministry by anointing Him with the Holy Spirit. This was the crucial moment when Jesus entered His office as the Messiah. 

Luke described Jesus, when He came out of the Jordan River, as “full of the Holy Spirit”. This description implies, not a substance filling a container but a person under the full control of the Holy Spirit. 

Paul used the same imagery to urge Ephesians believers to allow the Holy Spirit to control their lives, leading to godly living, just liquor controls an alcoholic, leading to debauchery (…in the Bible, debauchery means excessive indulgence in sinful, sensual pleasures like drunkenness, sexual immorality, gluttony, and unrestrained revelry – Google AI). 

“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Anointed by the Holy Spirit, after His baptism as an act of obedience, Jesus was  equipped to begin His public ministry, which was revealing the true nature of the Father, in submission and obedience to the Father’s will, up to His death on the cross…

…or was He?

We have learned, especially, for example, from Joseph’s life that, just as he was subjected to rigorous testing before he became the second ruler in Egypt…

“He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food; and he sent a man before them— Joseph, sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭105‬:‭16‬-‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…so also, Jesus had to be tested before He could be trusted with a great responsibility. 

So, the Holy Spirit shepherded Jesus into the wilderness, away from all human contact and creature comforts, for the final phase of His training. Did Jesus know why He was being driven into absolute isolation? Did He understand this unusual and unexpected separation from civilisation? 

I don’t think so. 

What were His thoughts during forty days of “solitary confinement”, held there by an invisible restraint, in the heat, cold, and misery of hunger and thirst. Were His thoughts concentrated on His uncomfortable circumstances or was He using the situation to commune with the Father, to listen to Him and to prepare Himself for His entry into a serious and seriously challenging mission?   

We don’t know! Let’s see what happens. 

Finally, after forty days…six weeks of silence… nothing happening…gazing at a sterile, barren landscape…the action begins. Was Jesus contemplating, during those long, lonely, uncomfortable days, how He was going to carry out His Father’s will on earth? After all, as much as He was the Son of God, He was also a man who had to live from moment to moment in an uncertain world with the next moment unknown. 

Suddenly, all hell broke loose…literally! The devil himself entered the scene, the “serpent” that he was, egging Jesus on with sssubtle sssuggestions! “You must be very hungry! Why don’t you just use your power to make some bread?” Why not! No one would know. 

Jesus caught that thought before it entered His soul. No! Doing that would cut right across His Father’s will. His choice? The Father’s word above Satan’s word.  Despite His gnawing hunger, He would not fall into the trap that ensnared the first man, Adam. 

His response was simple and uncompromising…”It is written…” 

And so, as the tests got closer to the bone…His mission…His submission to the Word… His union with the Father…so His resolve grew. He would do everything in His life, His public ministry, His choice and training of His disciples, His connection with people, friends and enemies, in union with the Father and in obedience to His Word.  

For Jesus, the Father’s word, not to manipulate but to trust and submit to in its truest context, took precedence in every situation. He took time, often many hours before dawn, to keep in touch with the Father, and to receive His instructions for each situation.

So, Jesus could declare with no fear of contradiction…

“For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.””

‭‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭49‬-‭50‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How significant for Jesus, then, to set in concrete His resolve and His chosen method of operation, to speak the word of God as His everything. God’s word was His weapon of attack in conflict with His enemies, as well as His meat and drink, His protection and defence, the reason for His presence and calling on earth, and His appeal to the Father’s prophetic word as His blueprint for being who He was, the Son of Man… 

If the Word of God was everything for Jesus, what of us, His followers? Should not God’s Word be to us what it was to Jesus, the power we need, appropriate for every situation, provided by the Holy Spirit as we trust in Him?

To be continued…