December 24, 2022
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in our Advent readings from “The Life of Jesus”? Here’s today’s reading:
Day 24 in the Book: “The Life of Jesus“
The Year of Growing Opposition
Read Sections 4.1 through 4.4 (pages 67-72)
This book is an account of Jesus’ life and teachings told through in chronological order from the four Gospels to create one continuous story.
*If you do not have a copy of the book please contact the church at (401)667-0775 and we can get you a copy.
Jesus sends out the 12 apostles. The kingdom of God is near! What kingdom were people Looking for. Not many looking for a spiritual kingdom. But a ruling kingdom to overthrow Rome. Do not take anything with you. Jesus wanted them focused on spreading g the gospel. If greeted with peace. Bless these people. If not. Send them a lesson. Shake their dust off your feet and leave them. That must have hurt some people. Jesus tells them they Will experience hardships. As he told them. Remember they will hate you. But they hated me first. The Pharisees woild hate them like ravaging wolves coming at them. Tough to find the right balance to be shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves. My first impression would be not passive. Comforting to know that when we face opposition to pray the Holy Spirit will give us the words to speak. Nothing can shake the Holy Spirit from us. Do whatever to this body. You cannot touch my soul! Worth so much more than a sparrow. So much that Jesus came to die for us! God should be our first priority. Even before family. Not to neglect family. But love. Keeping God first! Herod kills John the Baptist. More concerned about people’s thoughts than doing the right thing. Should have asked his wife. Ask for something else. Not doing that. But he was spineless!!
Day 24
4.1 – 4.4
Jesus makes it clear that we are to carry on His work on earth. When we have true faith we are able to access the same power to heal, to cast out demons, and to raise the dead. What an amazing thought! But our priority list is clear here…God first before everything. People struggle with the words here about hating family but Jesus is simply reminding us of that priority list and that family is not an excuse for disobedience to God’s plan and purpose for our life. In fact we are a better person, parent, spouse when we are right with God. Herod makes a slip up in that capacity when he allows his wife to dictate the death of John the Baptist even though he knows it is not right!
Feeding 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish….can you imagine what a sight that was to see!
Jesus sends out the 12 and gives them their marching orders. He tells them what to say, what to expect, how to react to acceptance and rejection and what provisions He has made for them. It really should be a model for how we are sent as well. Jesus here doesn’t want His message forced on people but taken to places that are willing to receive. They should expect opposition, just as their master has and will face, but they are free to walk away from them, knowing their judgement for rejection will be fierce. It is amazing that they are given Jesus’s powers of healing, raising the dead and casting out demons. How much greater is Jesus’ power that He can give it to someone else? Jesus shows Himself to be a good leader in how He prepares them for their mission and sharing and allowing them to participate in the very mission that He had. In this way, His mission is multiplied. And how honest Jesus is about the nature of the dedication to Him that is required, in the priority He should have compared to other relationships and what they would face in a world that hated Jesus as well.
And how tragic to have the greatest man that was ever born killed in this way. It is such a revelation about the nature of evil, and jealousy and lying and misplaced passion. How wrong that Herod’s wife would be so upset about someone who told her the truth. And that she would bring her daughter into that corruption. And how utterly amazing is the feeding of the 5,000. Maybe you can try to explain other miracles that Jesus did in practical means that take away from their miraculous nature….but 5,000 (and that’s just the men) fed to the full by 5 loaves and 2 fish, how do you explain that….in a way that wouldn’t be noticed by everyone……uh he had a lot of bakers hiding behind trees and already had a bunch of fish already caught…and….hogwash. Then why would the people be amazed. But realistically, you could argue that this is the greatest miracle that Jesus performs……multiplying food…..creating fish on the fly? He is amazing!
Even though Jesus and his followers were tired, Jesus had compassion on the people who were at the place they went to get some rest. He continued to teach them, and he took care of them by miraculously feeding them. He also finds the time to pray when he must have been exhausted. May we do the same when we see the need even if we are tired and weary.
More about not being afraid:
So, don’t be afraid of those people. Everything that is hidden will be shown. Everything that is secret will be made known.
Don’t be afraid of people. They can kill the body, but they cannot kill the soul. The only one you should fear is God, the one who can send the body and soul to be destroyed in hell.