I experience God’s endless grace every day of my life. In the small moments when I get mad over stupid things and in the big moments, too. I am struggling to be less selfish and pray for that. I try to be there for others and not be so caught up in what I want to do always. I make progress, but it’s slow.
I am grateful to God for His grace and forgiveness. In fact, I couldn’t live without it.
Let us love one another. Since God loved us enough to send his Son to die for our sins, we should love one another. God lives in us and his love is complete in us if we love others.
We have the Holy Spirit sent by God to live in us. If we acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God, God lives in us.
God is love. We have no fear if we have Jesus. If you love God, you must love your brother and sister. We love because God loved us first.
9) God demonstrated his love by sending his Son to die for our sins. His love is made known to us by the Holy Spirit that lives in us and his love is complete in us if we love others.
10) If we acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God, God lives in us and we live in God. We know and rely on the love God has for us. There is no fear.
11) Care and love for others
Here, we see who God is and how we are in God. A life of faith and love shows that we are Christ’s. God is love. A child’s life bears the imprint of their parents’ character.
God gave us Jesus as the ultimate gift of love. So we should love others, too, with the power of the Holy Spirit.
If we obey God’s word, love for God is in us. If we live in God, we must live as Jesus did. If you love your neighbor, you are in God’s light. Your sins have been forgiven; you have overcome evil; you are strong and the Word of God lives in you. Don’t love the world and what is in it; love God instead.
Whoever denies that Jesus is the Son of God is the antichrist. Beware those trying to lead you astray. Continue in Christ.
We are the children of God; He loves us. We are like him. Jesus takes away our sins. Don’t let others lead you astray. You are righteous if you do right.
Love one another. Don’t be surprised if the world hates you. If you don’t love, you remain in death. Love with actions and in truth. We know what love is because Christ died for us out of love. We ought to do the same for our brothers and sisters.
The command: to believe in God’s Son and to love one another as he commanded us. He who keeps God’s commands lives in God, and we receive from him anything we ask.
Beware of false prophets. Those who deny Jesus is not from God is the spirit of the antichrist. We are from God.
Let us love one another. Since God loved us enough to send his Son to die for our sins, we should love one another. God lives in us and his love is complete in us if we love others.
We have the Holy Spirit sent by God to live in us. If we acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God, God lives in us.
God is love. We have no fear if we have Jesus. If you love God, you must love your brother and sister. We love because God loved us first.
If we love God, we’ll keep His commands, which are not burdensome.
Jesus came by water and blood, and it’s the Spirit, water, and blood that testifies.
God has given us eternal life. If we ask God anything in His will, He hears us.
Pray for those who sin, and God will give them life.
Jesus has come and given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. When we are in Christ, we are in him.
1 ) Love comes from God, and if you love others, you’ve been born of God and know him. God loved us enough to send his only Son so that we might live through him. We should love one another, and if we do, God lives in us and makes us complete. God has given us the Spirit and his Son. Love is from God, and it gives us the power to love others.
2 ) This is a hard one. Unsure what evidence I see. It’s always a challenge to self-evaluate. I hope I love others. I’m not very assured, really.
We must depend on Jesus and let His life define and empower us. Sinful people can know God through his gift of Christ to us. Then we can have fellowship with God.
John offers us five tests of true fellowship with God:
Knowing God transforms us and the way we live, as we turn from sin. God’s grace allows us to not sin. When we are sinful, the Holy Spirit corrects us, and we repent. We vow to be more like Christ.
The Holy Spirit lives in you and changes you.
Know that you do indeed know God.
Great overview of what we’ll study this week! Themes: God loves us; therefore, we love others. As we love, we turn from sin.
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
1 John 1:7
15) I’d be less stressful, less worrisome over money and the economy, and I’d have more faith that God is leading me down the right path.
16) Not trusting people whom I love and being mean about that lack of trust that is my fault. I will pray to remove that wall.
Great week on our sinful nature and how Christ can save us from it. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we all have hope for a less sinful life. We can love more and grow closer to God each and every day if we choose to. Putting God first helps. Let us be satisfied in God’s love and walk in the light more and more.
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On Sunday after Jesus’s death, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to Jesus’s tomb. There was an earthquake and and angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled away the stone. He looked like lightning and wore white clothes. The guards were afraid, shook, and became like dead men.
The angel addressed the women, telling them that Jesus has risen like he said he would. He is not there. He tells them to come inside and see the empty tomb then to go and tell the disciples that Jesus has risen and is going to Galilee.
The women did as they were told, afraid but full of joy. Jesus met them on their way to the disciples. They clasped his feet and worshipped him. They he told them to go to his brothers and go to Galilee where they will see him.
The women went to report to the disciples. Some of the guards went to report to the chief priests what had happened. The chief priests, wanting to hide this news, bribed the soldiers to lie and say that during the night, the disciples came and took the body. They offered to protect the soldiers from consequences of falling asleep.
Paul is telling the Corinthians that they are saved by the Gospel. Christ died for our sins. He was raised on the third day. He appeared before the disciples, 500 people at the same time, James, and him. The dead rise again because Christ rose from the grave. If Christ had not risen, they you are still in sin.
9) The argument that Paul makes that if Jesus did not rise from the grave, then our faith is worthless. Jesus’s resurrection is the crux of our religion, and Paul makes a great logical argument here.
10)
John 10:17-18: Jesus willingly laid down his life for us, and he rose with his own authority.
Acts 2:31 with Psalm 16:10: Christ’s body did not decay nor was it in the grave.
Acts 17:30-31: There will be a judgment day with the proof being Jesus’s resurrection.
Romans 6:4: With Christ’s resurrection, we live a new life, as we were baptized with Christ in death.
Ephesians 1:18-23: We have God’s power because he rose Christ from the grave and placed him ruler over everything.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14: Those who have died believing Jesus will rise again.
1 Peter 1:3-6: God has given us birth through a living hope and an eternal inheritance because of the resurrection of Christ.
11a) Jesus’s willingness to die for us. Unfathomable to me.
b) It’s helpful when times are tough and the world is turbulent to have hope in him.
If you get nothing else from the study of Matthew, get this: Christ died for you, and with faith, you will have eternal life.
Great read!
The women were headed to properly prepare Jesus’s body for burial since Jewish law forbade people from touching dead bodies.
Matthew is the only Gospel to record the earthquake. Bible scholars think the angel prompted the earthquake as he rolled the stone.
Jesus was the first one to be resurrected. Elijah 1 Kings 17:17-24) and Lazarus (John 11:38-44) were brought back from the dead in their old bodies. Resurrection entails getting a new body.
Jesus is risen. He reigns in heaven. There is no tomb of Jesus to go and visit here on earth.
The women should not have been surprised as Jesus said this is what would happen.
Note that Jesus had passed through the stone barrier John 20:19. The stone was only rolled away so others could see and testify to Jesus’s resurrection.
These women saw Jesus’s body go into the tomb and now they say it missing.
Jesus’s resurrection proves God accepted Jesus as a substitute for us.
Note that women were chosen to be the first to tell of Jesus’s resurrection.
King James has “rejoice” as “all hail,” which was a normal Greek greeting.
Fun Fact: this is the first time Jesus calls his disciples “brothers.”
If the guards were asleep, how would they know it was the disciples who stole the body? Obviously, the chief priests aren’t as smart as they think they are. It would have been a loud noise to roll away the stone. There’s no way all those guards would have slept through that.
All of the lies about the denial of Jesus’s resurrection is just that — lies.
You must receive the gospel (“good news”) that Paul received from Christ himself.
“According to the Scriptures”, meaning Jesus’s death fulfilled prophesy.
Paul calls himself the least, and by the grace of God, he is a new man who labored for Christ.
The first-century Corinthians denied our/their resurrection, not Jesus’s.
If Christ did not die, then we are without hope.
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Jesus hung for three hours in this darkness. At the ninth hour, Jesus cries out to God, asking why He has forsaken him. Some who were there thought Jesus was crying for Elijah. They immediately ran to get a sponge and put wine vinegar on it. These people offered it to Jesus to drink. They waited to see if Elijah would come and save him. Jesus cried out again and then died. At that moment, the curtain in the temple was torn in two, the earth shook and the rocks split. Tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who were dead came to life. They came out of their tombs and appeared to many people after Jesus’s resurrection.
Those who were there with Jesus when he died, including the Roman centurion believed he was the Son of God. Many women were there who had followed Jesus from Galilee. These included Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zedebee’s sons.
8 ) Isaiah 13:9-10 tells us that the day of the Lord is coming to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within. Acts 2:20 says the darkness will foreshadow the coming of the Lord.
9) This was the first time God had ever been separated from Jesus as he bore our sins on the cross. It must have been agonizing for both. Plus, Jesus is in physical pain and spiritual pain.
10a) At that moment, the curtain in the temple was torn in two, the earth shook and the rocks split. Tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who were dead came to life. They came out of their tombs and appeared to many people after Jesus’s resurrection.
b) When the curtain tore upon Jesus’s death, we all immediately had access to God. There would be no need for a priest to be the only one who could be with God. The earth shook and the rocks split signify Jesus will come again. Those were were raised signify their ascension to heaven and Jesus’s power to conquer death.
11a) Fear
b) Many women were there who had followed Jesus from Galilee. These included Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zedebee’s sons. God’s inclusion of everyone in his plan for redemption.
12) Every action has a price we must pay and the cost can be severe. We are to try to walk like Jesus, repent of our sins, and be truly grateful Christ stood in our place.
So many people sugar coat Christ’s death, not thinking about the reality of death — the pain, the agony, the suffering that Christ endured for us. If we had any idea how much Christ suffered for our sins, we’d all be on our knees.
Just for fun!
An unusual darkness descended from noon to 3 pm. It is estimated that Jesus hung on the cross for 9 hours, beginning around 9 am. This showed how the entire world was in agony as Jesus was dying.
People come out of the darkness into light. In this moment, the entire world was black as Jesus was dying.
Fun Fact: This is the only time it is recorded that Jesus cried out to God without calling him “Father.”
Jesus quotes Psalm 22, as his fulfillment of the prophecy.
For the first time, Jesus is separate from God. You get the sense that that’s all that truly matters. Is that what truly matters to you, too? Yet, God was still with Jesus since they are irrevocably tied together.
Jesus was separated from God so we never have to be.
Jesus dreaded the spiritual suffering of the cross, when he took upon his own shoulders the sin of the world. This cup was what Jesus had a hard time bearing (Luke 22:39-46, Psalm 75:8, Isaiah 51:17, Jeremiah 25:15) or God’s righteous wrath.
Those who heard Jesus mistakenly thought he was calling down Elijah.
With one word, “telelestai” meaning “it is finished” in Greek, Jesus paid the price for our sin and saved us for all of eternity.
Note that Jesus had to choose to give up his life. Since he was not a sinner, he could not die like the rest of us. (John 10:17-18)
When the curtain tore upon Jesus’s death, we all immediately had access to God. There would be no need for a priest to be the only one who could be with God.
The earth cried out in agony at Jesus’s death even if man did not.
Jesus was the only person who willingly gave up his life. Humans have no choice; we all die.
Earthquakes frequently represent God’s judgment in the Bible. Note that those who came out of the grave did so on the day Jesus was resurrected, not at this moment. This is the only Gospel that records this event so this is all that we know about it.
The Roman centurion noted the uniqueness of Jesus’s death. Women came, as did all social classes and faiths. All sinners were there; all sinners were saved.
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Pilate asked Jesus if he was the King of the Jews. Jesus said yes. The governor listed the testimony against him, but Jesus gave no reply. Pilate knew Jesus was innocent and only handed over to him out of envy. At the Feast, it was tradition for the crowd to free one prisoner. They could free Jesus or Barabbas. Pilate’s wife had sent him a message saying not to have anything to do with Jesus because she had suffered greatly in a dream.
The chief priests and elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas. Pilate asked the crowd what to do with Jesus. They responded to crucify him. Pilate asked why, but no one listened. Pilate washed his hands to show he was innocent of Jesus’s blood and said it was their responsibility. The crowd agreed and said it was on their children, too. Barabbas was released, and Jesus was flogged.
The soldiers stripped Jesus and put a scarlet robe on him. They put a crown of thorns on his head. Next, the soldiers put a staff in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him. They spit on him and then hit him repeatedly. They took the robe off, put his own clothes back on him, and led him away to be crucified.
13a) Pilate asked Jesus if he was the King of the Jews. Jesus said yes. The governor asked if Jesus had heard the testimony against him, but Jesus gave no reply.
b) Pilate’s wife had sent him a message saying not to have anything to do with Jesus because she had suffered greatly in a dream. The chief priests and elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas. Pilate asked the crowd what to do with Jesus. They responded to crucify him. Pilate asked why, but no one listened. Pilate washed his hands to show he was innocent of Jesus’s blood and said it was their responsibility.
c) He tried to get Jesus to defend himself. He tried to have him released out of mercy. He even asked the crowd why crucify him, and he symbolicaly washed his hands of Jesus’s blood. It shows that Pilate might have understood who Jesus was, that he had mercy, that he was sympathetic to Jesus. He also knew Jesus was innocent and didn’t want to execute him.
14) Pilate did fight for Jesus, but in the end he bowed to political pressure. We must fight to the end for Jesus.
Powerful and sad lesson. Shows what Jesus suffered for us and how he was treated. Deepens our gratitude for Jesus and the cross.
The Jews have to go through Roman law in order to execute someone. They have no authority to do it themselves. They cook up the charge of Jesus calling himself King, which is against Roman law.
Pilate does not believe the charges, and his wife’s premonitions confirm them. He appeals to Herod who only returns Jesus to Pilate. This is the recording of the second time Jesus appears before Pilate (Luke records the first Luke 23:1-6. ). He declares Jesus innocent, but the crowd won’t relent. Since the crowd is on the verge of becoming a mob, he washes his hands of sin, but he knows he is still responsible. Jesus’s crime of “King of the Jews” is posted above the cross as a result.
The reply Jesus gives to Pilate when asked if he is king is the same reply he gave the high priests (Matthew 26:64). Pilate could not believe Jesus would not defend himself. He kept silent and let God defend him.
Pilate knew there was something special about Jesus and did not want to kill him. So he hopes the crowd will let him go free. Barabbas was a murderer Mark 15:7
Pilate could have released Jesus on his own, but he did not. He even ignored his wife’s dream. All of this was God’s mercy, which he refused. He gave in to the multitudes. All of them sinned. People today still reject Jesus.
Pilate washing his hands was meaningless. Jesus’s blood rested on him, too, since he could have stopped it.
The blood of Jesus would be on the children 40 years later when the temple was destroyed.
Scourging was the treatment prisoners got before crucifixion. They were beaten with a whip that had leatehr strands with sharp bone or metal bits on it. Every time it hit the body, it made a cut. In fact, many prisoners died from scourging before they were crucified. Only women and Roman senators or soldiers were exempt.
The point of scouring you could say was merciful. It was to shorten the length of time that a prisoner hung on the cross before they died. Scourging resulted in blood loss and shock to the point of death. Crucifixion was just the final straw.
The whole garrison gathered to mock Jesus; normally only 4 soldiers (called a quaternion) did the scourging. They meant to humiliate and mock him. A scarlet robe was what a king would wear. The crown of thones would indeed hurt Jesus. The scepter was a reed, not an ornamental beauty item.
How did Matthew know about this scene? He was probably told it by one of the Roman soldiers who was present.
The procession to the cross and the execution area was a time for Rome to show what would happen to those who broke the law. A centurion on horseback would lead the way, shouting the crime of the condemned as they went. Jesus would carry the crossbar of his cross, which was probably between 75 and 125 lbs in weight. He was stripped naked, and his hands were tied to the wood. The upright beams of the cross were already in place.
No one stood up for Jesus. In the end, he was abandoned, but he never abandoned us.
Jesus tells his disciples he will be handed over to be crucified in two days. The chief priests and the elders assembled at the palace of the high priest named Caiaphas to plot to arrest Jesus and kill him. But they didn’t want to do it during the Feast.
A woman anointed Jesus at Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper. She poured very expensive perfume on his head. The disciples upbraided the woman, saying they could have sold the perfume for a high price and given the money to the poor. Jesus chastized the disciples, saying he will not always be with them. She is preparing him for burial. She will be remembered for what she has done.
Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests to ask how much they would give him to betray Jesus. They said 30 silver coins. He agreed to do so when the opportunity rose.
3) In many ways. She gave Jesus her most precious possession freely. The woman sacrificed a lot to do so. She did so herself as a woman. She endured scorn by the disciples to do so. It is very inspiring to remember to give Jesus my best, too.
4a) They did not see the heart of the woman; all they saw was monetary value, not eternal value.
b) Jesus saw the woman’s heart, her love, and her intentions. He made sure she would be remembered forever for what she did.
c) Unsure. Sometimes I think nothing at all.
5) 30 silver coins. Exodus 21:32 says that 20 skekles of silver is to paid for the life of a slave who had been killed by another’s bull (or at the fault of another). The bull would be put to death. Zechariah 11:12-13 says the pay of a shepherd was 30 pieces of silver, as well as the pay for the potter. Jesus lowers himself to what a slave is worth. Zechariah the prophet foretold this moment, so 30 pieces of silver fulfills prophecy.
Great, great lesson. Love how we see the love for Jesus with the most precious possession, adjacent to the intense hatred of him and the wish for his death.
Great read!
Jesus is done instructing. He now will focus on finishing his work on Earth.
This is the fourth and last time Jesus announces his own death that is recorded in the book of Matthew.
The high priest was appointed for life. Caiapas ruled until his death in A.D. 36
While the high priests did not want to kill Jesus during Passover, God had other plans. God was in control, and He would save humanity on His own time.
John (John 12) tells us that this woman was Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha. (Luke 10:39),
If you read all of the Bible passages for this event, the majority of Bible scholars believe that Matthew, Mark, and John record this event, while Luke records a separate event.
This is the only time Simon the leper is mentioned in the Bible. Many Bible scholars believe Jesus healed him since a leper was considered unclean and could not host others in their home.
We are told by John that the disciple who criticized was Judas (no shock since he seems to have money on the mind). (John 12:4-6). Mark 14:5 tells us that the perfume was worth a year’s wages.
The woman did a good work for Jesus. She gave her most prized possession, as should we. Jesus was comforted in these heavy hours.
Nothing is wasted for Jesus. Nothing is too good for Jesus.
No doubt the woman probably did not know the significance of her unbridled gift to Jesus. The same holds true for us. The smallest act done in Jesus’s name can make all the difference in others’ lives.
Some Bible scholars believe that because Judas’s betrayal is recorded directly after this “waste” that Judas saw, he then made up his mind to betray Jesus.
Judas’ only clear motive in betraying Christ is greed. Bible scholars have debated for centuries what motivated this betrayal, from disillusionment of who Jesus was to he was a Judean. It’s clear that this simple motive was enough.
30 pieces of silver is only worth about $25 in today’s money — not a lot of money to betray someone who you’ve followed for the last two years. This shows Judas never cared for Jesus. He rejected repentance, and he would pay the ultimate price.
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