The attorney should have known better. This was not your standard deposition. Nevertheless, he posed the question: Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? The teacher countered with a question of his own: What is written in the law? How do you read it? The attorney knew the law, and he answered accordingly: You shall love the Lord … Read More
You can read all that Jesus said on prayer in a few minutes. In twice that time, you can read all the Gospel accounts of Jesus praying. However, you will never tap the God-given resource of meaningful prayer in that amount of time. You will need to put in the hours that Jesus did as he learned to pray. Jesusâ … Read More
Perhaps youâve seen the picture of Jesus kneeling by a rock in the garden; hands folded, eyes turned upward, the perfect picture of serenity. The gospel writers paint a different picture; it doesnât include serenity. Mark records that he âfell to the groundâ in distress. Luke describes a dangerous condition known as hematidrosis in which, under extreme anguish or physical … Read More
Jesus spent time in prayer before he made major decisions. Two occasions bear this out. In the opening days of ministry Jesus was shifting ministry locations (Mark 1:35, 38). If youâve ever made a move, you know thereâs a lot involved in that decision. Jesus had previously moved his ministry operations to Capernaum (Matt. 4:13). Now he would extend his … Read More
In the gospel record we find a number of instances where Jesus could have chosen to feel sorry for himself. When we examine the surrounding circumstances and his response, we gain a greater understanding for how we should respond in similar situations to avoid self-pity. Change your role. Our culture prizes being served. Google âpamper yourselfâ and expect to find … Read More
Imagine, the perfect man submitting to imperfect authorities. Jesus purposed to do this because of his strong confidence in the sovereignty of his Father. This confidence is best revealed in the most preposterous of all trials. On the eve of his crucifixion Jesus will undergo six trialsâthree of them Jewish, and three of them Roman. As he stood before Pontius … Read More
When we face temptation, we would do well to examine the lessons Jesus practiced when he was tempted. Here are four: (1) He was led by the Spirit of God (Matt. 4:1) Matthew records that Jesus was led by the Spirit of God into the wilderness to be tempted. We know that God cannot be tempted, neither tempts he any … Read More
Jesus could not have been publicly crucified without a trial, but that didn’t mean that the trial would be fair or legal. In fact, it was a great travesty of justice. Consider these ways both the Jews and Romans violated their own laws. The trial was at the wrong time (at night). The trial was in the wrong place (Caiaphasâ home). … Read More
There were six trials that Jesus endured prior to his crucifixion. Three of them were Jewish and three were Roman. Two of them involved the Jewish high priest, Caiphas. Perhaps if Caiphas could have told the story it might have sounded like this. It was harder than we thought it would be. Getting him to the point where Rome would … Read More
As we head into the Palm Sunday weekend, perhaps you, like me have always wondered how the people can go from cheering for Jesus one minute to jeering at him the next. The answer, as Dr. Doug Bookman explained, is actually in a four-fold process. (1) Jesus claims to be the King. (2) The people receive Him as King. (3) … Read More
