Lesson 1790

(Lesson 1790)(08-08-16) Luke 20:9-19

"Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out. Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them."

The parable Jesus presented in today's quote, demonstrated how God had sent Moses and many other good and devout prophets to the Jewish people in an attempt to give them every opportunity to repent, obey His laws and come to Him. The parable also demonstrated that after seeing the Jews reject all the efforts He had made over the many years, God even sent His only begotten Son as a last resort to appeal to His chosen people to repent. Instead of accepting God's Son and turning to God through Him, the Jews murdered God's redeemer.

As we now know, God, at that point, took the "chosen" status away from the Jews and opened salvation up to everyone who would believe come to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.~

Lesson 1789

(Lesson 1789)(08-07-16) Luke 20:1-8

"And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders, And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority? And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not? But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was. And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things."

As we read in today's quote, when the chief priests, scribes and elders of the Jews challenged Jesus as to who granted Him authority to teach in the temple, Jesus returned the challenge by asking, "I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?" The Jews, after reasoning among themselves, refused to answer fearing that the people would rise up against them.

There are two distinct lessons in today's quote, the one already mentioned, Jesus' challenge to the authority and authenticity of the Jewish leadership.

The second lesson is to properly express the meaning of the phrase "the baptism of John". Defining that phrase is very important in that so many who study or simple read the bible, automatically, and wrongfully, relate the word "baptism" to some means of cleansing by the ritual use of water, either by total immersion or simple sprinkling etc..

In truth, the phrase "the baptism of John", as it is applied in today's quote, is in reference to both the message that John brought from the wilderness, "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And, the preparatory ritual of water "baptism". ONLY if the verbal part of John's message was accepted, could ritual water immersion follow as an integral part of "the baptism of John.

To maybe better clarify, it should be restated that the water portion of "the baptism of John", was administered ONLY after the listener had heard and accepted the fact that Jesus was coming to die as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world and to fulfill the Law for all those who would come to believe in Him.

It also behooves us to remember that water immersion (baptism) originated with the ancient Jews and was required under God's law to be administered before any Jew could enter a tabernacle or temple to pray or offer sacrifice. It also was required of all Jews before they could enter into ANY form of religious service. This is why the water portion "the baptism of John" was required of those who accepted John's message and who would convert to Jesus.~

Lesson 1788

(Lesson 1788)(08-06-16) Luke 19:45-48

"And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him."

Today's quote relates how Jesus was insulted to find that the scribes and chief priests of the Pharisees had turned the only authorized "house of God" into a form of shopping center for items sold for sacrifice. In apparent anger, Jesus through out, what were called, the "money changers".

This event triggered the beginning of the Jews plot to destroy or even kill Jesus.~

Lesson 1787

(Lesson 1787)(08-05-16) Luke 19:29-44

"And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? And they said, The Lord hath need of him. And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation."

Today's quote tells of Jesus' grand and triumphant entry into Jerusalem as he came down from the Mount of Olives to prepare for the Passover celebration.

In the latter part of the quote, Jesus agonized over the future of Jerusalem because of the disobedience of the Jews and their failure to accept Him and the saving grace of God.

Jesus cried for Jerusalem as He said, "For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation."

Jesus, as always, was correct in His prophesy seeing that about forty years later Jerusalem was totally destroyed by the Romans.~

Lesson 1786

(Lesson 1786)(08-03-16) Luke 19:1-28

"And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem."

In the first part of today's quote, Jesus rewarded Zacchaeus for his good work, and ultimate faith, when he said, "This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham." Zaccaeus was a Jew and had demonstrated that he was living according to the Law.

In the latter part if the quote, Jesus related a parable that essentially asserts that earthly wealth is meaningless and benefits nothing unless it is gained through Godly efforts and is used to further the purpose of our Lord Jesus Christ, to uplift the weak and to spread the good news of God's amazing saving grace through faith in Him.~

Lesson 1785

(Lesson 1785)(08-02-16) Luke 18:35-43

"And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God."

In today's lesson, Jesus, because a blind man's faith, healed his eyes and restored his sight by simply saying, "Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee."

The importance of faith is again made evident in this lesson. "Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." (Matthew 17:20 in part.)~

Lesson 1784

(Lesson 1784)(08-01-16) Luke 18:31-34

"Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken."

In today's quote, Jesus forewarned His apostles that He would soon be brought before Pilate and hanged on the cross. He told them how he would rise again on the third day claiming victory over death and the grave for all who will place their faith in Him.

Even though Jesus knew his apostles didn't understand what He was telling them, He also knew the mystery would be uncovered after He had finished His sacrificial ordeal and had sent the Holy Ghost to empower His disciples and give them understanding of all things.~