This is a big day for Jesus! Today he will appear before the religious leaders in Jerusalem. He is being brought up on two very serious charges. Charge #1: Jesus broke Sabbath by healing a man and then telling him to carry his mat (do work). Charge #2: Jesus was claiming that God was His …
After moving to Capernaum, Jesus makes the long trip down to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Jews. (Some believe this was the second Passover that Jesus attended. Some believe it was the Feast of Tabernacles, thus placing the following two events about 6-7 months later.) Remember what happened last year at the Passover (John …
Jesus now moves into a period of transition in the ministry. After preaching in Nazareth in His hometown synagogue and being rejected by the people, Jesus moves (and some believe Jesus also moved His whole family with Him). Where will He go and how will the ministry change? His fame is becoming widespread now and …
These next two phases in Jesus’ life we have titled Ministry Training and Expanded Outreach. We do this because we see Jesus doing two things here at the same time. As the movement of multiplication grows, Jesus issues His next call: “‘Come, follow me’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’” (Mark …
Jesus now moves back to the His hometown of Nazareth, the place where he had grown up. Remember what it had been like for Jesus from your study in Psalms 69? Jesus may have suffered here in His youth at the hands of the elders who had constantly discussed what they were going to do …
As Jesus and His followers leave Samaria and head back into Galilee, the news about Him has already reached the people and the talk in all Israel is about the new prophet on the scene — Jesus of Nazareth. As His hometown tries to sort through their emotions about who Jesus really is and how …
Jesus leaves His best friend John at the River Aenon and heads back down into Judea where He had left His first followers to continue testifying about Him and baptizing the people (John 4:1-3). Do you remember what baptism meant? Jesus’ early followers were helping the people to identify with the person and work of …
Take a moment and find the River Aenon on the map. Note that the river Aenon is on the border of Samaria. This is a very important place, and we need to ask the question — why was John the Baptist near Samaria? What was he doing there? Up until this time, he had spent …
Jesus’ display of passion in the temple during the Passover must have raised many eyebrows, but Jesus was then launched onto the stage of popularity in His day. The Bible says, “When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for …
Jesus leaves the wedding ceremony and heads up to Jerusalem with His disciples and family for the feast of the Passover. This seven-day Jewish feast has its roots in God’s deliverance of His people from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. Jesus enters the feast and becomes very, very impassioned. What gets Jesus’ blood pressure …