Monthly Archives: March 2026

LUKE’S GOSPEL…THE PROMISE – 69

Bible Study, ,

“He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭44‬-‭47‬ NIV

On hindsight, all becomes clear! “Life is lived forwards but understood backwards!”

“This famous quote by 19th-century Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaardhighlights the paradox of human existence: we can only find meaning in our experiences (struggles, joy, decisions) by looking back in hindsight, yet we must constantly make choices and move forward into the unknown future.” (Source: Google AI)

How well this quote fits the experience of the disciples! Why had they been so dull…so unbelieving…whenever Jesus had spoken of His impending death? Much as they had believed Him to be the Son of God, they could not make the connection between the Scriptures they were schooled in from childhood and the words Jesus spoke of His coming suffering and death. 

Their minds were clouded by the anticipation of a showdown with Rome. They fervently believed that Jesus could do it…like waving a magic wand and causing every vestige of Rome’s presence to disappear. 

How foolish! How childish! They had yet to grasp that Jesus was about sin! Not Rome! Sin…the great chasm between themselves and a holy God. Not all the blood of bulls and goats poured out in a sacrificial river, could ever be the bridge between themselves and the Father Jesus had mirrored. Only God Himself could provide the perfect sacrifice, and He, Jesus, was that sacrifice…the Father’s greatest gift of love.  

All the mysteries of Jesus’ words…His deeds…His actions…His eager move towards Jerusalem…the climax of all His prophetic utterances…the bloody, broken figure hanging on a cross…came together, in a flash, in His final revelation on the Mount of Olives. In a lightbulb moment of understanding, they saw it all! 

What joy! What celebration! What ecstasy of hope! The disciples, all eleven of them, were infused with an expectation that rose above mere human optimism. They had inadvertently lived and walked with the God of the universe, who had come to them in human form! Was this possible…but it was true!  

Jesus cautioned them, in their zeal, to wait. They must not rush off, in the heat of His disclosure, to fulfil a commission for which they were not yet prepared. Something more was needed than mere knowledge and enthusiasm. Their human energy must be controlled and directed by the indwelling presence of God Himself…to tame their fleshly nature and to provide the authority and power to fulfil so   great a task. 

The promise and coming of the Holy Spirit must fit perfectly into the fulfilment of the festivals God had required them to celebrate year after year. Seven feasts, in order, each one a picture of the Father’s great work of redemption. 

Their journey to the Promised Land, in all its phases, was a picture and a preparation for their spiritual journey through life. 

The feasts fulfilled…

The Sabbath…the weekly celebration of God’s rest…the exchange of useless self-effort for grace…God’s gift to those who believe.  

““Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work…For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭8‬-11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Spring Feasts

Passover…the first of the annual feasts predicted…

“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus…God’s Passover Lamb…

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Unleavened Bread…the removal of leaven, the symbol of sin… a fountain opened for sin and uncleanness. 

“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.”

‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭13‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Firstfruits…the promise of the harvest to come.  

“Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭16‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Pentecost…the celebration of the ingathering of the harvest… outpouring of the Holy Spirit…

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.”

‭‭Joel‬ ‭2‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭32‬-‭33‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It was all there…in the Scriptures!

The feasts yet to be fulfilled…

The Autumn Feasts

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 “The three fall festivals of Israel—the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teru’ah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles(Sukkot)—are considered prophetic and yet to be fulfilled. These feasts are generally understood to represent end-times events, including the second coming of Jesus, national repentance for Israel, and the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom.” (Source: Google AI)

Since Jesus fulfilled the spring feasts, perfectly and in order, we can be sure that He will also fulfil the  autumn feasts. 

The disciples were to wait…for the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father, who would come in His wisdom and power upon them first…and then upon all people…This was the birth of the church…Jesus’ body…His representative and agent to finish what He started. They were to begin where Jesus ended…to proclaim the New Covenant to fulfil and complete the Old. 

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…THE PROOF! – 68

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Supper forgotten…left to grow cold… the two from Emmaus flew, on winged feet, back to Jerusalem, back to the frightened disciples cowering behind a locked door…their gloom and misery forgotten as they retraced their steps to the city where their Master had been crucified. 

“They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.”

What a story they had to tell! The disciples listened to their incredulous tale…skeptical, with dull ears, still afraid in their unbelief. It all sounded just too good to be true. Not even the glimpse of the wounds in His hands could convinced these men that the report they were hearing was the truth. 

“While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.”

At that very moment, at the height of their spiritual darkness, something happened…as if Jesus Himself, invisible and listening to their conversation, stepped out of heaven into their sight…to confirm their story. The disciples were shocked…scared out of their wits…their unbelief so powerful that they had only one thought…a ghost! 

Did they really believe in ghosts? It seems so because, once before, when Jesus came to them on the stormy lake, the disciples thought He was a ghost. Really! Did Jesus make a habit of turning into a ghost in a crisis?  How foolish they had become at the height of fear!

What would convince these confused men that the stories they were hearing were true? First Peter, then these two from Emmaus, were telling them the same thing! It sounded so far-fetched that it could not possibly be true until…

“…Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

Finally…it was true! The fairy tales of resurrection melted into reality before their very eyes.  

“When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭40‬-‭43‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Not only did the skeptics hear His greeting of peace, not only did they see the gaping holes in His hands and feet, but He also did something no ghost could do…He ate real food in front of them. That clinched it. Jesus was alive, real!

Relief…amazement…joy flooded their souls. Everything He had ever told them, over and over again, about death…about rising again…about laying down and taking up His life…words that had bounced off their ears… were true after all. Their beloved Master was back…never to die again!

This is much more than a narrative…a legend invented out of unbelievable events. This is eyewitness truth. Some of the greatest legal minds, using all the  facts, evidence l, and logic they could muster, not disprove this report. 

Many thousands, especially among sworn enemies, have seen the risen Jesus, have held conversations with Him…and have turned from their unbelief to fervent faith, despite losing everything….parents, family, home, and community, just as Jesus had warned… They have found Him to be more precious, more convincing, more satisfying than everything they had lost.   

Yes! It is true! Jesus is alive!

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…THE EMMAUS ROAD – 67

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“Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭13‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Back home…to the old routine…to dashed hopes and broken dreams…to disillusionment, devastating and bitter! Their steps were slow, dragging, reluctant. They longed to stay in Jerusalem, to mourn with their fellow followers…but to home they must go. Life must go on. Much as they wished to reverse time, to go back to those moments when Jesus was still with them… it could not be. 

A stranger followed them, unrecognisable in the gathering darkness. He listened to the conversation…heard the gloom and despair in their voices…and hastened to join them. 

He slowed His pace, kept in step with theirs and, knowing full well what they were discussing, joined the conversation. 

“One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?””

“What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭18-21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

All in the past tense! Unbelief in every word! Grief…disappointment…misery in their tone. It’s all over! “We had hoped…!” Nothing left in this huge, promising interim of Jesus among us. Now it’s gone! Our hearts are broken. Our hopes are dashed. Going back home to the old routine is bitter!

Jesus listened to their torrent of disillusionment, His anger rising with every miserable utterance. He could no longer keep quiet…hold back His rebuke…

“He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

These were God’s covenant people. They knew the Scriptures. They were schooled in God’s Word from birth. Yet, they had never made the connection. How could they not see that His story was written on every page of their holy book?

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Finally…the penny dropped. They connected all the dots…and the picture that emerged blew them away. What this stranger was telling them made sense. The one they had watched…dying a humiliating death on a Roman execution stake, was truly their Messiah. 

So enamoured were they with this well-informed stranger that they invited Him home for dinner. Only as they sat around the table, as He lifted His hands in blessing, did the truth hit them like a thunderbolt. The hands… the open wounds…the nails…the cross! It was Jesus Himself at their table!

In a flash, He was gone! He did not tarry to socialise with them… He was still there, but invisible in the realm of the spirit. Enough that they had seen Him. Their faith had been lit, like a candle in the dark. They were now witnesses…with a story that, together with every other believer that He was alive, would shake the world. 

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…THE THIRD DAY – 66

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“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The resurrection…vividly recalled by different people! Luke told the story of the women. Did he talk to them? Did he ask them the questions that they loved to answer, to tell their story again and again? 

According to their culture, the witness of women was unreliable. Why did Jesus choose to reveal Himself first to women? John’s story is tender…delicate…intimate. Mary Magdalene, a woman sorely harassed, demonised…a prisoner of her sin…set free to love and serve her Redeemer…was the first to see Him! Perhaps it was His way of restoring authenticity and dignity to His crown of creation. 

Luke’s story…the women, loyal despite the danger of association with Jesus, were at the tomb at daybreak, eager to add their ministrations to the work of Joseph and Nicodemus. Forgetting the problem of the stone, they sped through the dark streets to the burial place to give their love- gift to Jesus. 

The stone…they hardly noticed that the stone was gone. They bent down through the narrow opening, groping their way into the cave. In the faint light of dawn…but…the tomb was empty. Where was the body? The stone slab held only a pile of grave clothes as though the body it had protected had mysteriously vanished. 

Two men, their garments glowing with supernatural light, suddenly appeared beside them. Their message was riveting. “He is not here! He is risen!” As they spoke, the truth slowly began to dawn on the frightened women. The words Jesus had spoken to them…the words they had ignored…dismissed as fantasy…forgotten through unbelief…were real! He had risen…just as He had told them!

They remembered…and they ran…back to the city, back to the upper room, back to the disciples cowering behind a locked door…to tell their fantastic story…to a bunch of skeptics!

“When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others…But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭9‬, ‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Only Peter…the impetuous, disgrace, heartbroken  Peter… ran to the tomb to see for himself…Could it be true? He saw…he looked…and he left, wondering, hoping…Was it possible that he would see Jesus again…fall at His feet and beg His forgiveness?

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…THE BURIAL, SO FINAL – 65

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“Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭23‬:‭50‬-‭56‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The hullabaloo was over! The mocking crowd has gone home, satisfied with a day’s work. The soldiers guarding the lifeless body of Jesus, the Son of God, dangling limply on the nails…the last drops of blood congealing on the remnants of His beard…the final trail of bloody liquid from His pierced side trickling down His torso…kept watch. 

The two criminals crucified alongside Jesus still lingered in their misery, perhaps for hours to come. How was it that Jesus’ suffering was cut so short?

What now? 

A lone figure made his way to Pilate’s residence…Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the council that had condemned Jesus to death…but he was not able to save Him. All he could do now was rescue the body of Jesus from the valley of Hinnom, the city dump where the bodies of criminals were burned. 

Pilate readily gave consent to Joseph to take charge of the man he had also tried to saved, surprised that His death had come so quickly. 

There happened to be a new tomb nearby, prepared for Joseph’s own burial…which he, a wealthy man, gladly dedicated to the one he had reverenced and respected. No fires of Hinnom for Him! 

Another Pharisee joined Joseph…Nicodemus, the one who had visited Jesus after dark. The two men watched as the soldiers took down the body of Jesus. With supernatural strength, they carried Him to the tomb and gently placed Him on the stone slab prepared for a burial.  This was the least they could do for the one who had taught them the truth and given them hope. 

Silently, carefully, they worked. Covering the mutilated body with herbs and spices, they wrapped Jesus in a piece of finely woven linen cloth, then covered His face with a separate cloth and, finally satisfied with their ministry to their Lord, they left the tomb and manoeuvred the heavy stone across the entrance. Wet with perspiration, and smeared with  the blood of their Master, they returned home to clean up and rest on the Sabbath. 

Their hearts were heavy with grief …these two men who had held such high expectations of this man…had buried their hopes with Him. They had believed that a new dispensation of grace and mercy had come. Jesus had opened their eyes to a new understanding of the Torah…of a Father whose love for His people was unlimited snd unconditional. He had done miracles that took their breath away. He had provided proof upon proof that He was who He was, the promised Messiah who had come from God to establish a new dispensation, the forgiveness of sins and the kingdom of God within them. Now He was gone! Dead…and all their hopes lay with Him…there, buried behind the stone…in the tomb…sealed and secure. 

To be continued