“I saw you while you were you still under the fig tree before Philip called you” (John 1:48). Jesus saw Nathanael before Nathanael saw him. This is a statement of a huge spiritual truth: Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation always starts with God. It never starts with us. It is God’s work from start …
“Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.’ So, they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed Him” (Luke 5:10-11) “Fear not and follow Me.” Five words that sum up the call that Christ makes to all of us. Casting aside our concern about tomorrow …
“When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from …
“On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding.” (John 2:1-2) There are two facts that are key in this story of Jesus turning water into wine. Number 1 - Mary expects her Baby Boy to …
“He made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; He scattered the coins of money changers and overturned their tables” (John 2:15) There is a time when the only thing you can do is clean house. That is exactly what Jesus decided to do. He decided …
Day 16 – The Temple Courts: Jesus Makes a Ruckus Read More »
“Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them” (Luke 5:29) Evangelism, discipling at its finest. Jesus is being followed by the tax collector and entertained him. Plus, he included his tax collector buddies to come on over. It was a …
“Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, your sins are forgiven,’ or to say ‘get up, take your mat and walk’”? Mark (2:9) Is this a trick question? He was making His critics think and then think some more. “Your sins are forgiven.” It is easy to say those words. But it is another …
“But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with His finger. When they went on questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them, ‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be first to throw a stone at her’” (John 8:6-7). It is not known what Jesus wrote on …
Day 19 – The Temple Courts: Casting the First Stone Read More »
“Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes” (Matthew 11:21). Once it was an important city, but today it lies in ruins. In Jesus’ day, Korazin was part of the …
Day 20 – Korazin: The Danger of Knowing Too Much Read More »
“Jesus had to go through Samaria” (John 4:4) Geography helps us understand this story: In Jesus’ day there were three regions stacked on top of one another. There was Galilee in the north, Samaria in the middle, and Judea in the south. The easiest and quickest way to get to Galilee from Judea was to …
“Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God in a loud voice. He fell on his face, giving thanks to Jesus. And he was a Samaritan” (Luke 17:15-16) There were ten lepers cleansed Luke tells us, but only the one came back to give thanks. The story …