Philippians 4:10-20

Our faithfulness in giving pleases the Father. Not because He needs the money but because we entrust it to Him!

God loves a cheerful giver!

Philippians 4:10–20

10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

14 Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress. 15 Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. 16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. 18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. 19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Paul thanks the Philippian church for their generous support. Paul’s gratitude toward this church gives way to praise of God. The Philippians showed their concern for Paul by sending Epaphroditus to care for him while he is in prison. Paul testifies to the sufficiency of Christ’s strength. He is prepared to endure any circumstance in life because Christ empowers him to do so. 

 

By commending the Philippians’ gift, he is not indirectly seeking another. Rather, he is celebrating their generosity as a sign of their growing faith. Paul’s needs were met through the Philippians’ generous financial gift. In the tradition of mutual exchange common to ancient friendship, Paul trusts God to meet the needs of the church at Philippi. The Philippians don’t need to practice caution in giving. They are free to give, and in doing so they testify to God’s provision. If they keep what they have in order to provide for themselves, they won’t experience the generosity of God through the generosity of others. Faithlife Bible.

Paul politely lets the Philippians know that he is aware of their continual concern for him. In Stoic philosophy this Greek word described a person who dispassionately accepted whatever circumstances brought. For the Greeks, this contentment came from personal sufficiency. But for Paul true sufficiency is found in the strength of Christ. Paul considers the relationship between himself and the Philippians to be a two-way street, with both parties actively involved in the sharing of both material and spiritual gifts.

The Philippians’ gift was producing spiritual profit just as money deposited in a bank account accrues interest. But Paul was not as concerned with their gift as with the development in the Philippians of the spiritual ability to give. By giving to Paul, the Philippians had offered themselves as a gift to God. Paul says that he is full because they gave. In this verse he writes that God will supply all their needs. The Philippians, in turn, will be full because of the gifts God will give them. Out of His abundant wealth, God will more than amply take care of the Philippians. NKJ Bible.

It is a good work to succour and help a good minister in trouble. The nature of true Christian sympathy, is not only to feel concern for our friends in their troubles, but to do what we can to help them. The apostle was often in bonds, imprisonments, and necessities; but in all, he learned to be content, to bring his mind to his condition, and make the best of it. Pride, unbelief, vain hankering after something we have not got, and fickle disrelish of present things, make men discontented even under favourable circumstances. Let us pray for patient submission and hope when we are abased; for humility and a heavenly mind when exalted. It is a special grace to have an equal temper of mind always. And in a low state not to lose our comfort in God, nor distrust his providence, nor take any wrong course for our own supply. In a prosperous condition not to be proud, or secure, or worldly. This is a harder lesson than the other; for the temptations of fulness and prosperity are more than those of affliction and want. The apostle had no design to urge them to give more, but to encourage such kindness as will meet a glorious reward hereafter. Through Christ we have grace to do what is good, and through him we must expect the reward; and as we have all things by him, let us do all things for him, and to his glory. Matthew Henry Commentary.

2 Corinthians 9:8  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

2 Corinthians 11:9  And when I was present with you, and in need, I was a burden to no one, for what I lacked the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself.

Daniel 12:8-12

 Spread the  Word! 

God wants no one to perish.

What does God require of us? 

He requires us to:

Be fair

Be forgiving

Be humble

Micah 6:8

Filter everything through His love for the world that He created!

Daniel 12:8-12

8 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?”

9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. 11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.

Chapter 12 details the much anticipated “time of the end”. There will be an increase in lawlessness and persecution for the Jews during the reign of Antiochus, but those whose names are found in the book will be delivered. It also contains a message of resurrection for those who will die during the persecution.

The angel instructs Daniel to seal up the vision until the time of the end, until it is relevant for those who will have to undergo the tyranny and maltreatment described in the book. This chapter—and the book—conclude with a note of hope for Daniel, the man who has faithfully represented his God through exile and life in a foreign land. Faithlife Bible.

Suffering will refine the righteous, but the wicked will continue in their evil. Various interpretations have been suggested for this number of days. One significant interpretation is that these days refer to the middle of a seven-year period of tribulation prior to the coming of Christ. At that time, the Antichrist will abolish the abominable and idolatrous sacrifices that he had established. Daniel would die and be resurrected. NKJ Bible.

Isaiah 32:6  For the foolish person will speak foolishness, and his heart will work iniquity: to practice ungodliness, to utter error against the LORD, to keep the hungry unsatisfied, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

Isaiah 32:7  Also the schemes of the schemer are evil; he devises wicked plans to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaks justice.

Daniel 12:3  Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.

Hosea 14:9  Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

Zechariah 13:9  I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; and each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’ ”

 

Matthew 2:7-12

Dear Holy Spirit help me to hear You clearly. What appears to be good oft times can be used to deceive us! We need to be careful who we listen to and what we believe. God will always provide a way out!

Judge everything, every little thing, by the Word of God.

Matthew 2:7-12

7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

All of Jerusalem had already heard of the magi’s arrival. Herod keeps their specific mission to Bethlehem secret and probably also orders the priests and scribes to do the same. Time had already passed since Jesus’ birth. The magi  likely came to Herod expecting to find the child in his palace. The magi were in no position to disobey Herod and likely would have gone to Bethlehem even if they suspected evil intentions on his part. Surprisingly, Herod sent the magi away without even a small escort to ensure their compliance. Matthew provides a means for them to escape from Herod’s plot by having them receive instructions via a dream to leave on an alternative route.

This unusual activity demonstrates that the star  is a supernatural phenomenon. Their reaction implies that the star had disappeared previously and had only now reappeared (perhaps due to the inability to view stars during the daytime). They also were joyful because the star’s stopping place indicated the Messiah’s location. This was a common custom in the ancient Near East for honoring kings, who were viewed as divine figures. The gifts were costly luxury items suitable as gifts for the birth of an important or royal figure. Frankincense and myrrh were both valuable goods from the east, often brought by caravan. Both were commonly used by magi. Gold was the standard for currency. Faithlife Bible.

The wise men undoubtedly would have been discouraged by their failure to find the King in Jerusalem, by the lack of knowledge concerning the birth of the Messiah among the leaders, by the disinterest among Israel, and by the weariness from the long journey. The reappearance of the star must have brought great joy and encouragement to them.

Gold symbolized royalty; frankincense was a fragrance; myrrh was the ointment of death. These gifts provided the financial resources for Mary and Joseph’s flight to Egypt.

Five dreams of divine guidance emphasize God’s orchestration of these perilous events. NKJ Bible.

Though Herod was very old, and never had shown affection for his family, and was not himself likely to live till a new-born infant had grown up to manhood, he began to be troubled with the dread of a rival. He understood not the spiritual nature of the Messiah’s kingdom. Let us beware of a dead faith. A man may be persuaded of many truths, and yet may hate them, because they interfere with his ambition, or sinful indulgences. Such a belief will make him uneasy, and the more resolved to oppose the truth and the cause of God; and he may be foolish enough to hope for success therein. Matthew Henry Commentary.

Isaiah 60:6  The multitude of camels shall cover your land,The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and incense, and they shall proclaim the praises of the LORD.

Luke 11:27-28

Love is an action word…for God so loved the world that He gave us Jesus!! God wants our obedience, as Holy Spirit reveals it to us, over sacrifice.

Believers will be judged by the law of liberty, which is the law of love. Believers who do not practice partiality, but who practice love and mercy, will triumph at the judgment seat. Those who have not shown mercy will not receive mercy. NKJ Bible.

Luke 11:27-28

27 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”

28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

An echo of what Mary, the mother of Jesus, has already articulated about her own role. 

True blessedness, according to Jesus, is found in obedience to God’s revelation. Faithllife Bible.

The woman offered praise for Jesus’ mother. Though Jesus always honored Mary, He commented carefully on the woman’s blessing to keep the focus on the word of God. It is easy to allow traditional practices to take the place of the authority of the Scriptures. Jesus offers His blessing to those who respond concretely to God’s will as expressed in the Bible. 

NKJ Bible.

While the scribes and Pharisees despised and blasphemed the discourses of our Lord Jesus, this good woman admired them, and the wisdom and power with which he spake. Christ led the woman to a higher consideration. Though it is a great privilege to hear the word of God, yet those only are truly blessed, that is, blessed of the Lord, that hear it, keep it in memory, and keep to it as their way and rule. Matthew Henry Commentary.

Leviticus 22:31  “Therefore you shall keep My commandments, and perform them: I am the LORD.

Luke 1:48  For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

Luke 8:21  But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”

John 13:17  If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

James 1:25  But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Romans 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

2 Corinthians 3:17  Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

James 2:12  So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.

Jeremiah 50:44

We are safe and protected in Christ. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that anyone who believed in Him would have everlasting life…no greater love exists!

All power belongs to God!!

Jeremiah 50:44

44 “Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the floodplain of the Jordan

Against the dwelling place of the strong;

But I will make them suddenly run away from her.

And who is a chosen man that I may appoint over her?

For who is like Me?

Who will arraign Me?

And who is that shepherd

Who will withstand Me?”

The sword of God would overturn all elements of Babylon’s greatness—its leaders, its weapons, and its wealth. NKJ Bible.

It is Israel’s comfort in distress, that, though they are weak, their Redeemer is strong. This may be applied to believers, who complain of the dominion of sin and corruption, and of their own weakness and manifold infirmities. Their Redeemer is able to keep what they commit to him; and sin shall not have dominion over them. He will give them that rest which remains for the people of God. Also here is Babylon’s sin, and their punishment. The sins are, idolatry and persecution. He that will not save his people in their sins, never will countenance the wickedness of his open enemies. The judgments of God for these sins will lay them waste. In the judgments denounced against prosperous Babylon, and the mercies promised to afflicted Israel, we learn to choose to suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Matthew Henry Commentary.

Job 41:10  No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up. Who then is able to stand against Me?

Jeremiah 49:19  “Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the floodplain of the Jordan against the dwelling place of the strong; but I will suddenly make him run away from her. And who is a chosen man that I may appoint over her? For who is like Me? Who will arraign Me? And who is that shepherd who will withstand Me?”

Mark 6:1-6

Just B.E.L.I.E.V.E.

In the measure that you believe in the power of Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus to do what you could never have done on your own…you can receive from the hand of the Father!!

Some will question your sincerity…let it go!

Mark 6:1-6

6 Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. 2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! 3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.

4 But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” 5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

Jesus’ hometown fails to receive Him, citing the knowledge of His family and origins as the reason. Jesus rebukes them and does not perform miracles, since they are unable to receive Him in faith.

Jesus’ siblings mentioned in this verse may be Mary and Joseph’s children or Joseph’s children by another, deceased, wife (making him a widower prior to marrying Mary).

This abrupt shift from amazement to offense is unexplained. It seems to imply that no one respected Jesus in Nazareth after this point, suggesting that those who were amazed became convinced by certain naysayers. It may also be that some people believed but the majority of people agreed with the opinion of those who cited Jesus’ background as evidence of why not to believe Him. Jesus declares that it is normal for a prophet’s own people to reject the prophet. This statement reintroduces the issue of what true family is. Faithlife Bible.

Jesus now went to minister in His own country, the area where He grew up, around Nazareth. The people readily acknowledged both Jesus’ wisdom and His mighty works, but with insensitive hearts and spiritual callousness they rejected Jesus’ message.

The fact that Joseph is not mentioned here may indicate that he had died. Mark mentions Jesus’ four brothers by name as well as His sisters. One brother, James, did not trust Christ prior to His crucifixion, but seems to have come to faith after Jesus’ resurrection. He later became the leader of the church in Jerusalem and wrote the Epistle of James. Judas later authored the Book of Jude (Jude 1).

A prophet is not without honor except in his own country is a maxim still repeated and still true today. Perhaps others were jealous of Jesus’ popularity and huge following. Their envy even took the form of violence against Christ. NKJ Bible.

Matthew 13:54  When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?

Matthew 13:55  Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?

Matthew 13:57  So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.”

Matthew 13:58  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Matthew 28:20  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Warnings

Holy Spirit guides and protects  believers in His Son. He will never leave us nor forsake us. 

We need to listen to Him closely!!

Matthew 2:13–15

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

The prophecy quoted here, from Hosea 11:1, refers to the nation of Israel as God’s son coming out of Egypt in the Exodus. Jesus is the genuine Son of God, and, as Israel’s Messiah, is the true Israel therefore, He gives fuller meaning to the prophecy of Hosea. NKJ BIble

Recalls the Israelites’ time in Egypt. This situation also reflects Jeroboam’s flight into Egypt when Solomon wished to kill him. God promised Jeroboam kingship; when Solomon died, Jeroboam returned from Egypt and became king.

The ordinary expectations of the Messiah would not have included fleeing into Egypt, but Matthew presents even this as fulfilling prophecy. He sees an analogy between Israel—the children of God and Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus emerged from Egypt just as Israel had during the exodus. In addition, the rulers in both narratives order the slaughter of infants.

Matthew uses typology  in applying this this text—which originally referred to God’s corporate people, Israel—to Jesus, God’s Messiah. Faithlife Bible.

Matthew 2:19–23

19 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” 21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

The Greek text here does not identify a specific messenger. There is no warning given against Antipas, Herod the Great’s son, who ruled in Galilee; this region is portrayed as a safe place for Jesus throughout Matthew’s Gospel. 

The source of this quotation is unknown and it seems that Jewish people at the time did not expect the Messiah to come from Nazareth. Matthew might have had the Hebrew word netser (“branch”) in mind where it is used to describe a messianic figure descended from Jesse, the father of David. Faithlife Bible

When Herod died, his kingdom was parceled out to his three sons: Archelaus, who ruled over Judea where Bethlehem was; Antipas, who became tetrarch of Galilee, Perea, Samaria, and Idumea; and Philip, who was tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis. Like his father, Archelaus was violent and cruel. The Romans tolerated his savagery for ten years and finally deposed him in a.d. 6. after a Jewish delegation took their protest to Rome. Joseph, aware of Herod Archelaus’s reputation and guided by God in a dream, turned north to Galilee.

Nazareth was the location of the Roman garrison in northern Galilee. Those who lived there were suspected of compromise with the enemy. NKJ Bible.

Exodus 4:22  Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.

Hosea 11:  “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.

Matthew 1:20  But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 13:49  So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just,

Luke 1:26  Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

Luke 2:39  So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.

John 1:45  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Ezekiel 37:26-28

We, as followers of Jesus Christ, were brought into the Covenant that the Father made with Israel through His blood sacrifice. The indwelling of Holy Spirit sanctifies us.We are one.

Ezekiel 37:26-28

26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27 My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 28 The nations also will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” ’ ”

Ezekiel 34:25-26

25 “I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing.

The everlasting covenant is the culmination of Yahweh’s plan for salvation. Faithlife Bible.

The Lord had made an everlasting covenant with Abraham, the nation of Israel, and David. The sanctuary or holy place of the living God is His dwelling place among His people. My tabernacle  “dwelling place” is a synonym for sanctuary. Both can be used of God’s dwelling in the midst of His people in the wilderness. Here they point to the future dwelling of the living God in the midst of His people forevermore. NKJ Bible.

This emblem was to show the people, that the Lord would unite Judah and Israel. Christ is the true David, Israel’s King of old; and those whom he makes willing in the day of his power, he makes to walk in his judgments, and to keep his statutes. Events yet to come will further explain this prophecy. Nothing has more hindered the success of the gospel than divisions. Let us study to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace; let us seek for Divine grace to keep us from detestable things; and let us pray that all nations may be obedient and happy subjects of the Son of David, that the Lord may be our God, and we may be his people for evermore. Matthew Henry Commentary.

Leviticus 26:11  I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you.

Isaiah 55:3  Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you—The sure mercies of David.

Jeremiah 32:40  And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.

Ezekiel 20:12  Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

John 1:14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Lord's Supper

The Lord’s Supper…this was the New Covenant, salvation through Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. 

God gave everything so we could be saved!

Matthew 26:26-29

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

Mark 14:22-25

22 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

23 Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. 25 Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Luke 22:17–20

17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

Jesus’ body was the final sacrifice that would atone for sins, just as the Passover lamb signified the atonement for the people’s sins every year. The Passover meal includes four (sometimes five) cups of wine; this is likely the third, the cup of blessing. In the ancient Near East, covenants often were ratified using blood (through sacrifice). At Sinai, Moses sprinkled the people with the blood of the covenant. The elements of the Lord’s Supper  serve as signs of the new covenant.

In the Passover, God had constituted Israel as a liberated nation through a meal. Here, Jesus reconstitutes the people of God with those who receive Him and His ministry. By receiving the Lord’s Supper, Jesus’ followers accept Jesus as the Messiah who suffers and dies on their behalf. This is the only occasion in Mark’s Gospel when Jesus speaks of being in the kingdom. This could be a reference to heaven following Jesus’ ascension or to the arrival of the kingdom of God in a more powerful manner following Jesus’ resurrection.

Jesus reinterprets the symbolism of the bread consumed to commemorate the Passover meal, applying it to His impending death. It indicates the vicarious nature of Jesus’ sacrificial death. Jesus instructs His followers to commemorate His crucifixion and all the saving actions He accomplishes in His death. The early church continued this tradition. It perhaps meant to recall ot imagery of the cup of wrath and affliction. Jesus states that His imminent death enacts the new covenant centered on forgiveness. 

Faithlife Bible.

This is My body and this is My blood of the new covenant and refers to the covenant that had been promised in the OT. The Lord Jesus specifically said that His blood … is shed for many for the remission of sins. This anticipates the command to preach the Good News to all the world in preparation for God’s kingdom when Christ will reign on the throne of David. Today He is seated with the Father on His throne and intercedes for us.

The Lord’s Supper is for believers only and should be observed solely by those who are in right relationship with Christ. Some view the broken bread as representing Jesus’ body, which would soon be broken for their sins. Others interpret this statement more literally. Some interpret this is My blood metaphorically, meaning that the contents of this cup represented Jesus’ blood that would be shed for our sins. Others give the statement a more literal interpretation. The sprinkling of blood was required to institute the Mosaic covenant. In the same way, Jesus’ blood shed on the cross initiated the new covenant: His blood was shed for many. He died on the cross in the place of many sinners from every nation. He paid the price for all of their sins. All those who believe in Him will receive eternal life. Jesus came announcing the kingdom of God.

Jesus instituted a new meal which is not only a memorial of His death, but also a fellowship meal of unity. It is a proclamation and a symbol of the believers’ anticipation of Jesus’ return, when all God’s promises will be fulfilled. The bread of the Lord’s Supper represents the body of Jesus, offered on behalf of His disciples. The wine of the Lord’s Supper depicts the giving of life, a sacrifice of blood, which inaugurates the new covenant for those who respond to Jesus’ offer of salvation. This is the strongest substitutionary image in the Gospel of Luke: Jesus died on the Cross in our place and for our sins.

NKJ Bible.

The Lord’s supper is a sign or memorial of Christ already come, who by dying delivered us; his death is in special manner set before us in that ordinance, by which we are reminded of it. The breaking of Christ’s body as a sacrifice for us, is therein brought to our remembrance by the breaking of bread. Nothing can be more nourishing and satisfying to the soul, than the doctrine of Christ’s making atonement for sin, and the assurance of an interest in that atonement. Therefore we do this in rememberance of what He did for us, when he died for us; and for a memorial of what we do, in joining ourselves to him in an everlasting covenant. The shedding of Christ’s blood, by which the atonement was made, is represented by the wine in the cup. Matthew Henry Commentary.

Matthew 26:26  And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

Mark 14:22  And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

1 Corinthians 11:25  In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

Luke 11:52

The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge. Proverbs 1:7

For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6

Seeking God through His Word made flesh, Jesus, allowing Holy Spirit to guide you, is the key to understanding. 

All who seek Him will find Him!

Luke 11:52

52 “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”

Reflecting the light and darkness imagery of the previous passage, Jesus’ remarks here highlight the importance of sincere obedience over religious pretense. Faithlife Bible.

Jesus charged the lawyers with doing the opposite of what they claimed their calling to be. Rather than bringing people nearer to God, they had removed the possibility of their entering into that knowledge, and had prevented others from understanding as well. NKJ Bible.

Isaiah 33:6  Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, And the strength of salvation; The fear of the Lord is His treasure.

Matthew 23:13  “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

1 Corinthians 14:6  But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching.

The Bible is clear that the knowledge of God is the most valuable knowledge a human being can possess. But it is also clear that simply being aware of God’s existence is not sufficient; the knowledge of God must encompass the deep appreciation for and relationship with Him.

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Joy in You is my strength!!

Habakkuk 3:17–19

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,

Nor fruit be on the vines;

Though the labor of the olive may fail,

And the fields yield no food;

Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,

And there be no herd in the stalls—

18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

19 The Lord God is my strength;

He will make my feet like deer’s feet,

And He will make me walk on my high hills.

Here the divine name Yahweh is tied to the term Adonai, which means “Lord.” my strength. God will strengthen those who trust in Him. He will give those who live by faith the same confidence that a surefooted deer has in climbing mountains. Like a victorious army, the righteous with God’s strength will occupy the high hills. NKJ Bible.

In this verse, figs, grapes, and olives represent the entire agricultural system of Israel. Olive trees  are slow-growing evergreens that produce an oil-bearing fruit. Olive trees are ubiquitous in Israel, and the fruit or its oil is consumed at virtually every meal. Faithlife Bible.

The prophet looked back upon the experiences of the church in former ages, and observed what great things God had done for them, and so was not only recovered, but filled with holy joy. He resolved to delight and triumph in the Lord; for when all is gone, his God is not gone. Destroy the vines and the fig-trees, and you make all the mirth of a carnal heart to cease. But those who, when full, enjoyed God in all, when emptied and poor, can enjoy all in God. They can sit down upon the heap of the ruins of their creature-comforts, and even then praise the Lord, as the God of their salvation, the salvation of the soul, and rejoice in him as such, in their greatest distresses. Joy in the Lord is especially seasonable when we meet with losses and crosses in the world. Even when provisions are cut off, to make it appear that man lives not by bread alone, we may be supplied by the graces and comforts of God’s Spirit. Then we shall bestrong for spiritual warfare and work, and with enlargement of heart may run the way of his commandments, and outrun our troubles. And we shall be successful in spiritual undertakings. Thus the prophet, who began his prayer with fear and trembling, ends it with joy and triumph. And thus faith in Christ prepares for every event. The name of Jesus, when we can speak of Him as ours, is balm for every wound, a cordial for every care. It is as ointment poured forth, shedding fragrance through the whole soul. In the hope of a heavenly crown, let us sit loose to earthly possessions and comforts, and cheerfully bear up under crosses. Yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry; and where he is, we shall be also. Matthew Henry Commentary.

2 Samuel 22:34  He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places.

Isaiah 61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

John 20:26-29

Just B.E.L.I.E.V.E.

John 20:26-29

26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Thomas affirms what Jesus has been alluding to throughout the Gospel: Jesus is more than a teacher and a master—He is God!

Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”—like John’s audience, and believers today—who have not seen the resurrected Jesus with their own eyes. Faithlife Bible.

Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared to the disciples in the closed room. When Jesus appeared to the other disciples, He showed them His hands and His side. No doubt they told Thomas about it; hence his request. In awestruck wonder, Thomas not only believed that Christ was risen from the dead, but he also saw that the Resurrection proved His deity.

Those who have not seen includes all who have believed in Christ since His ascension to the Father. NKJ Bible.

That one day in seven should be religiously observed, was an appointment from the beginning. And that, in the kingdom of the Messiah, the first day of the week should be that solemn day, was pointed out, in that Christ on that day once and again met his disciples in a religious assembly. The religious observance of that day has come down to us through every age of the church. There is not an unbelieving word in our tongues, nor thought in our minds, but it is known to the Lord Jesus; and he was pleased to accommodate himself even to Thomas, rather than leave him in his unbelief. We ought thus to bear with the weak. This warning is given to all. If we are faithless, we are Christless and graceless, hopeless and joyless. Thomas was ashamed of his unbelief, and cried out, My Lord and my God. He spoke with affection, as one that took hold of Christ with all his might; “My Lord and my God.” Sound and sincere believers, though slow and weak, shall be graciously accepted of the Lord Jesus. It is the duty of those who read and hear the gospel, to believe, to embrace the doctrine of Christ, and that record concerning him. Matthew Henry Commentary.

Mark 16:14  Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.

Luke 1:45  Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

2 Corinthians 5:7  For we walk by faith, not by sight.

1 Peter 1:8  whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,