2 Corinthians 3:4-6

More of You and less of me!

Micah 6:8 Be forgiving, be kind and know that life is nothing to do with us but everything to do with the Holy Trinity.

As for me and my  family…we trust God alone.

2 Corinthians 3:4–6

4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Paul points to God as the source of his qualifications; his confidence does not come from his own abilities, but from the power of God. The law does not justify people; it only identifies sin and condemns. Instead, people are justified by faith. Faithlife Bible.

Paul was convinced that Christ would make his ministry effective. Paul placed his confidence not in himself or his own abilities but in the Lord. This is the answer to the question…Who is sufficient? 

The letter is a reference to the old covenant—that is, the Ten Commandments written on stone. The letter kills because all break the law, and the penalty is death.

Paul lists the first of three contrasts between the OT ministry and the NT ministry. First, the OT ministry engraved on stones (a reference to the Ten Commandments) was glorious, but the ministry of the Spirit is more glorious, because the glory of the ministry of the Law given through Moses was passing away. Besides, though the Law itself is holy, the ministry of the Law is the ministry of death, whereas the ministry of the Spirit is the ministry of life. 

The Holy Spirit produces eternal life. NKJ Bible.

Jeremiah 31:31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—

Matthew 26:28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Luke 22:20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

John 10:9-11

The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy everything that is of eternal value in your life. The good Shepherd comes to give your life value and meaning. 

Jesus died in your place.

He gives you life, abundant, full of truth and wisdom…God’s love given in Jesus Christ covers a multitude of sin.!

John 10: 9–11

9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

In His final public address, Jesus continues teaching and uses another “I am” saying with a metaphor to explain His identity as Messiah. Jesus uses the imagery of the good shepherd, which should be understood in the light of ot passages that criticize Israel’s shepherds (a metaphor for their kings) who have failed in their duty. The remedy for the failure of the shepherds in many ot passages is that God Himself takes on the role of the shepherd of Israel. At the same time, God promises to raise up another shepherd for Israel who will lead His people properly. Jesus depicts Himself in that messianic role of the ideal shepherd. He is both the shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep and the gateway to eternal life.

Jesus fulfills the messianic role of the shepherd. This role in Ezekiel is depicted as fulfilled by God; Jesus makes the claim that He (as God in flesh) is the one fulfilling it. Evoking imagery of the young shepherd, David, risking his life to keep his sheep safe. In addition to fulfilling God’s role with His people as shepherd, Jesus fulfills David’s role as their king. Faithlife Bible

Jesus, the shepherd, gives spiritual life and access to spiritual food. 

The thieves take life; the shepherd gives it. 

Abundant life includes salvation, nourishment, healing, and much more. Life here refers to eternal life, God’s life. It speaks not only of endlessness, but of quality of life. With Christ, life on earth can reach much higher quality, and then in heaven it will be complete and perfect.

Jesus is the good shepherd who gives His life for the sheep, as opposed to the wicked thief who takes their lives. Jesus laid down His physical life in order to give us eternal life. NKJ Bible.

Genesis 49:24 But his bow remained in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

Isaiah 40:11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom  and gently lead those who are with young.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Ephesians 2:18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Mark 15:37-41

God values all human life. 

It was too small a matter for  Jesus to die only for the Jews. He died for ALL of mankind.

In God there is no partiality. Jew, Greek or Gentile, male or female His gift of salvation is offered to all people! All nationalities and ethnicities are welcomed into His Kingdom through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Unique individually but we are united in Christ into one Body, His.

Mark 15:37–41

37 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.

38 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”

40 There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome, 41 who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

This could refer to the outer curtain, which shielded the entrance to the sanctuary. Heavenly imagery was embroidered on the outer curtain, forming an appropriate parallel to the heavens tearing open at Jesus’ baptism. Alternatively, it could indicate the inner veil, which hid the divine presence in the most holy place (holy of holies); this might parallel the Holy Spirit descending at Jesus’ baptism.

Jesus’ identity is fully revealed upon His death. At three key events in Mark’s Gospel—Jesus’ baptism, transfiguration, and crucifixion—a voice confirms that Jesus is God’s Son. Here, it is no longer God the Father proclaiming Jesus’ identity, but instead a non-Jewish person—confirming Jesus’ ministry and mission to Gentiles. Faithlife Bible.

The significance of the supernatural tearing of the veil of the temple is that access to God is now open to all. No longer through priests and the blood of bulls and goats do we approach God, but through the torn veil, which also symbolizes Jesus’ broken and torn body. Top to bottom reminds us that God Himself removed the barrier.

Only Mark uses the Latin term centurion, a Roman captain in charge of one hundred men. The centurion’s statement that Jesus was the Son of God can be construed as a confession of belief in Jesus’ deity. But the Son could also be translated a son.

These women were true disciples of Christ. They had ministered to Jesus’ needs and would be the first witnesses of His resurrection. Mark does not name Jesus’ mother here but includes other prominent women. Three Marys were present along with many other women, and Salome, whom only Mark mentions by name. Salome was the wife of Zebedee and the mother of the disciples James and John). She may have been the unnamed sister of Jesus’ mother. If so, James and John were Jesus’ first cousins. NKJ Bible.

Exodus 26:31 “You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim.

Exodus 26:32  You shall hang it upon the four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, upon four sockets of silver.

Exodus 26:33  And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy.

Luke 16:14-15

 The love of money, no matter what the cost to human life, is evil.

Luke 16:14-15

14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. 15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

A person who cannot handle money certainly cannot handle spiritual matters that are of much more value. NKJ Bible.

mammon (Gk. mammōnas) (16:9, 11; Matt. 6:24) Strong’s #3126: The Greek word is a transliteration of a common Aramaic word mamona, which means “wealth,” “money,” or “property.” It is impossible to serve this god called “mammon” and the true God at the same time. In chapter 16, this word is used for “riches,” considered an idol, master, or god of the human heart that is in conflict with the true God.

Psalm 7:9 Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just; for the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.

Proverbs 16:5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; though they join forces, none will go unpunished.

Acts 21:17-25

 Following the advise of others… can sometimes cause unexpected problems.

But He works all things out for our good and uses them for the good of His Body.

In the end analysis, Catholic, Protestant, or Jewish christians…we are all members of the same Body, Christ’s.

Acts 21:17-25

17 And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law; 21 but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. 22 What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come. 23 Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow. 24 Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law. 25 But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.”

Some Jewish people in Jerusalem believed incorrectly that Paul was discouraging Jews from keeping the law. This was not true, since Paul himself continued to observe Jewish customs. Faithlife Bible

James and the elders were the leaders of house churches meeting in Jerusalem. It is interesting that none of the apostles are mentioned here. Seven years had passed since the Jerusalem council meeting. At that time, the apostles and the leaders of the church had gathered to settle the question of whether Gentiles had to become Jews before becoming Christians. That question was settled in the negative; the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit both taught that the gospel was for all people. Apparently the apostles left Jerusalem after that conference to carry out Jesus’ commission to be witnesses to the “end of the earth”. 

The evidence of how God changed the lives of Gentiles was presented to the Christians in Jerusalem. The strongest evidence was the Gentile believers themselves who had accompanied Paul to Jerusalem. At this time, Paul may have also given the money he had been collecting from the Gentile Christians. The love the Gentiles expressed to their suffering Jewish brethren was a mark of their genuine conversion.

Reports were circulating that Paul had been urging Jews to abandon Mosaic traditions. However, Paul never derided his Jewish heritage nor demanded that Jewish Christians renounce the Law of Moses. He only made it clear to everyone that the law could not function as a means of salvation. There is evidence that Paul was continuing to keep the Law when he stood before Felix. The fact that he was coming to Jerusalem to worship was evidence of this. What Paul did resist was any attempt to force Gentiles to become Jews. Salvation was through faith alone. Relying on adherence to the Jewish law was repudiation of the gospel message that salvation proceeds from faith in Christ and that alone.

Paul paid the expenses of the four men who had taken a vow, because the men were impoverished by the famine in Judea and did not have enough money to complete their vow by offering a sacrifice in the temple. But there might have been another reason as well. The Jewish historian Josephus tells us that when Herod Agrippa I began his reign over Judea in a.d. 41, he paid for a considerable number of Nazirite vows to show his respect for the Mosaic Law. For the sake of showing his Jewish brethren that he had not forsaken the laws of Moses, Paul did what they asked. Reputation was an issue for the apostle, as it is for all believers. The Christian leaders were not asking Gentiles to live like Jews; neither did they want to compel Jews to live like Gentiles. The spiritual unity of the body of believers is realized in its diversity, not in its conformity. From our diverse backgrounds and cultures we honor the same Lord. NKJ Bible.

Numbers 6:13 ‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite: When the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

Numbers 6:18 Then the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.

Acts 1:17 for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”

Acts 15:4 And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them.

Ezekiel 7:19

Has money always beenAmerica’s god?

Ezekiel 7:19

19 ‘They will throw their silver into the streets,

And their gold will be like refuse;

Their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them

In the day of the wrath of the Lord;

They will not satisfy their souls,

Nor fill their stomachs,

Because it became their stumbling block of iniquity.

When disaster comes, the desire to survive overcomes that of keeping valuable possessions, especially heavy precious metals. In Isaiah’s description of the Day of Yahweh, the people throw away their idols of silver and gold. The wealthy and the poor are now equal; riches cannot deliver anyone from God’s wrath. Faithlife Bible.

Those left alive would hide in the hills and be characterized by four things: (1) mourning—moaning like doves in shame, displaying their humiliation over sin by wearing sackcloth and shaving their heads (2) weakness; (3) horror; and (4) disgust and disillusionment over wealth. NKJ Bible.

Proverbs 11:4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

Jeremiah 15:13 Your wealth and your treasures I will give as plunder without price, because of all your sins, throughout your territories.

Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy, for He will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land.

 

Acts 12:20-24

Long after our lives here on earth are over…the Word of God made flesh will remain and His Kingdom will be multiplied!

God will not be mocked!!

Acts 12:20–24

20 Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king’s personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king’s country.

21 So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. 22 And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” 23 Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.

24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.

It may be that Herod (Agrippa I) was in some sort of economic struggle with the cities and had applied sanctions against them, affecting their food supply. According to the ancient Jewish historian Josephus, who offers a parallel account of this story (Josephus, Antiquities 19.344), Herod’s robes on this occasion were made of silver and sparkled in the sunlight. The reference suggests Herod may have been in the hippodrome of Caesarea.

 

Perhaps to regain Herod’s favor, the people flatter him. God, who will not share His glory with any other, acts without delay to judge Herod for accepting divine honor and praise for himself. The nature of this disease is uncertain, but its effect is to judge Herod (Agrippa I) for his pride and to prove that he was certainly no god. In contrast to the speech of Herod that brought on his destruction, the word of the true God—that is, the proclamation of Jesus’ death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins and new life in the Spirit—continues to grow and spread. Faithlife Bible.

It is unclear why Herod was so angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. Both cities were seaports, like Caesarea, the provincial capital of Judea. The dispute may have been an issue of seaport business, since competition was great. The important point was that the cities did not want the angry king to set an economic embargo against them. Through the royal official Blastus, the people of Tyre and Sidon received an appointment to present their case to the king.

The Jewish historian Josephus also provides an account of this display, informing us that in an attempted appeasement of the king the people confessed that he was “more than a mortal.” Herod, instead of rebuking the address of deity, enjoyed the adulation—until he discovered the consequence of such blasphemy. NKJ Bible,

1 Samuel 25:38 Then it happened, after about ten days, that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.

Luke 4:23-30

Have faith in the power of God to save you who believe in Jesus Christ. Faith in His birth, death and resurrection. That same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is able to raise you and save you from eternal damnation and into the light of His presence! God honors faith (spirit) over religion (law).

Praise the Holy Trinity…Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Luke 4:23–30

23 He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’ ” 24 Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

The people of Nazareth want to experience Jesus’ healing power. To illustrate this remark, Jesus proceeds to cite two stories in which old testament prophets aided Gentiles (non-Jews) rather than Israelites. Jesus contrasts the faith of two Gentiles (the widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian) with the unbelief of the Nazarenes. In response to the Gentiles’ faith, God sent His prophets to meet their needs. The people of Nazareth, however, will not receive such provision because of their unbelief. The story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath appears in 1 Kings 17:8–24. Located northwest of Israel. Its residents were Gentiles (non-Jews) who worshiped Baal, the Canaanite storm-god. Commander of the army of Syria (Aram), an enemy of Israel. The account of Naaman’s healing appears in 2 Kings 5:1–14.

The people are angry because Jesus spoke of Gentiles (non-Jews) receiving God’s aid while Israel had to suffer. Faithlife Bible.

The request for more signs was for Jesus to prove His claim by repeating the type of miraculous work He had done in Capernaum. Such requests for signs often contained a mocking tone. Jesus made it clear that He is God’s messenger who declares God’s ways. However, Jesus also knew that a prophet is often rejected. This is a lesson of the Old Testament to which Jesus and other New Testament authors allude.

Jesus speaks of a period of widespread unfaithfulness to God. During this period, judgment came on the nation in the form of famine. The only people to receive healing were Gentiles. With such an allusion, Jesus warned His listeners not to be unfaithful like their ancestors by rejecting His message. NKJ Bible.

1 Kings 17:9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”

2 Kings 5:1 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper.

2 Kings 5:14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

John 1:29-34

Behold the Lamb of God…Hosanna in the highest blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

Heaven and earth are filled with Your glory. 

John 1:29-34

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.”

32 And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

Jesus is the Lamb of God—the lamb provided by God to atone for the sins of the world in a way no animal ever could. This reference foreshadows Jesus’ death as the ultimate fulfillment of the annual Passover sacrifice. The Lamb’s role in taking away sin alludes to the Servant imagery in Isaiah 53:12. In Exodus 12, each family is commanded to sacrifice a lamb without blemish on the 14th day of the first month. The blood of the lamb was spread with a hyssop branch on the doorposts and lintel of the entry to each house. The lamb’s blood protected Israel’s households from the judgment of the 10th plague, the death of the firstborn. The lamb was to be killed and cooked whole: none of the bones were to be broken. John’s symbolism clearly places Jesus in the role of Passover lamb, including the day of His death and the treatment of His body.

The purpose of John’s ministry was preparing the way for the coming of the Messiah. The Gospel of John tends to use “Israel” as a positive label for God’s chosen people, identified ultimately by their beliefs, not ancestry. John did not know Jesus was the Messiah until God revealed it to him. John the Baptist is functioning as a formal legal witness to Jesus’ identity. Faithlife Bible.

Undoing the sandal strap was the job of a slave. The Jewish Talmud says, “Everything that a servant will do for his master a scholar shall perform for his teacher, except the menial task of loosing his sandal thong.” Thus John was saying that “Jesus Christ is the living Lord and I am the voice, His servant and slave. Actually, I’m not even worthy to be His slave.”

In the OT, the Israelites sacrificed lambs at the Passover feast and as offerings. Jesus Christ is the Lamb that God would give as a sacrifice for the sins not only of Israel, but of the whole world.

John and Jesus were cousins, so they probably knew each other. But John apparently did not know that Jesus was the Messiah. All John knew was that he was to baptize with water and that the Messiah would be made known to Israel through him. God had given John a sign by which he would know the Messiah, namely, the descending of the Holy Spirit as a dove. NKJ Bible.

Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Mark 1:8 I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Luke 3:16 John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Acts 1:5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

2 Corinthians 3:4-6

Christians are to be centered, leaning neither to the far right or the far left, balanced in the Spirit of the law!!! Being empathetic to all the different social and cultural groups of people so that a few may accept the gift of salvation in Jesus that the Father offers to all His creation.

God is always in control!! Holy Spirit will direct and guide us!

2 Corinthians 3:4–6

4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Continuing the defense of his apostolic ministry, Paul states that he doesn’t need letters of recommendation to validate his ministry rather, God validates his ministry. Paul then transitions into a discussion of the new covenant aspect of his ministry, comparing Moses’ ministry of the law (or old covenant) with his ministry of the new covenant.

Paul  points to God as the source of his qualifications; his confidence does not come from his own abilities, but from the power of God. The law does not justify people; it only identifies sin and condemns. Instead, people are justified by faith. Faithlife Bible.Paul was convinced that Christ would make his ministry effective. Paul placed his confidence not in himself or his own abilities but in the Lord. This is the answer to the question asked in 2:16, Who is sufficient? The letter is a reference to the old covenant—that is, the Ten Commandments written on stone. The letter kills because all break the law, and the penalty is death. NKJ Bible.

Jeremiah 31:31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—

Matthew 26:28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Luke 22:20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Luke 6:20-25

We are our brothers keeper…Jesus said so!

Luke 6:20-25

20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:

“Blessed are you poor,

For yours is the kingdom of God.

21 Blessed are you who hunger now,

For you shall be filled. 

Blessed are you who weep now,

For you shall laugh.

22 Blessed are you when men hate you,

And when they exclude you,

And revile you, and cast out your name as evil,

For the Son of Man’s sake.

23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!

For indeed your reward is great in heaven,

For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

24 “But woe to you who are rich,

For you have received your consolation.

25 Woe to you who are full,

For you shall hunger.

Woe to you who laugh now,

For you shall mourn and weep.

In Luke, these beatitudes focus on the socioeconomic conditions of first-century Palestine. This refers to those who mourn over the brokenness of the present world and the suffering it causes. They will experience great joy when God’s kingdom arrives in full, upon Jesus’ second coming. Jesus praises both those who suffer for the sake of doing what is right and also those who experience persecution because of their allegiance to Jesus Himself. Jesus notes that earthly riches are temporary, while heavenly riches are permanent. He tells a rich young man to sell all of his earthly possessions and receive treasure in heaven.

Luke includes woes to accompany the beatitudes—these are commonly called antitheses to the beatitudes. Using a common apocalyptic motif, Jesus declares that the present circumstances of the rich and poor will be reversed in the future. Faithlife Bible.

Though Jesus was speaking to the entire crowd, the beatitudes were directed to the disciples. Blessed means “happy,” referring to the special joy and favor that comes upon those who experience God’s grace.  In general, the disciples of Jesus were not wealthy. They were poor men who had come humbly to trust in God. All of the promises of God’s rule both now and in the future belong to such disciples.

The reason for the hunger and poverty is  persecution. Jesus promised that God would provide the disciples with all the sustenance they needed. Any present suffering will be turned into joy.

God is aware of all suffering. 

Luke records many of Jesus’ critical remarks about the wealthy. Their wealth typically blinds them to their spiritual poverty and their need for salvation. NKJ Bible.

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,For they shall be filled.

Luke 12:21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Ezekiel 34:9–11

He sent Jesus, His only begotten Son, that whomever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life in Him. It is all about our personal, individual, relationship with the Holy Trinity.

Christ within, and through the power of Holy Spirit, we will be delivered safely home!

Ezekiel 34:16 “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”

Ezekiel 34:9–11

9 therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord! 10 Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”

11 ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.

Ezekiel uses the metaphor of a shepherd  leading his sheep to condemn Israel’s leaders for misleading God’s people. The shepherd metaphor draws on the ideal of Davidic kingship, alluding to David’s boyhood role as shepherd. The kings should have shepherded Yahweh’s sheep faithfully, but instead they neglected the sheep and provided for themselves. Faithlife Bible.

Compare the Lord’s persistent shepherding and guiding of His people with the faithlessness of Israel’s leaders. The cloudy and dark day was the day Jerusalem fell. It may also speak of the future day of deliverance when God will seek out His sheep. Israel, though guilty and misguided, would eventually be rescued by the divine Good Shepherd and restored to the Promised Land. NKJ Bible.

Psalm 72:12 For He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him who has no helper.

Psalm 72:13 He will spare the poor and needy, and will save the souls of the needy.

Psalm 72:14 He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; and precious shall be their blood in His sight.

Hypocrisy is alive and well in our world but we are called to reflect a better way to live…in Jesus and with the power of Holy Spirit within us. 

We are called to love others in spirit and in truth.

We must be very careful not to call evil, good nor good, evil!

1 Corinthians 5:6–8

6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Leaven  (yeast) represents the man’s sexual immorality as well as the community’s prideful tolerance of his sin. Paul urges believers to stop tolerating immoral behavior. 

God commanded the Israelites to celebrate Passover with unleavened bread. In preparation for the feast, Jews cleaned their homes of all leaven (yeast). Likewise, the Corinthian believers must expel the sexually immoral man from among them. The apostles agreed at the Jerusalem Council that the Gentile Christians must abstain from sexual immorality. 

Just as lambs were slaughtered during the Passover feast to atone for sin, Christ died for the same purpose; His was the final payment for sin. Paul encourages the Corinthians to live a life dedicated to God in celebration of His grace and forgiveness. Faithlife Bible.

Like a tiny pinch of leaven spreading through a loaf of bread, unchallenged sin can soon contaminate the whole church. The sexual offender was guilty of sin, but the whole congregation was also guilty of ignoring the man’s disobedience and failing to hold him accountable. Left unchecked, this sin could have caused many new believers to commit sexual immorality.

Jewish people were required to sweep all leaven out of their houses in preparation for the Passover. The leaven here symbolizes the powerful influence of sin. The feast is a figure of speech for Christ. As Israel was to remove all leaven from the celebration of the Passover, so the Corinthians were not to contaminate their relationship with Christ with any malice or wickedness. NKJ Bible.

Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.

Matthew 16:6 Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Love is eternal and reflects God’s fundamental character. Love is also greater than the gifts because it remains while they cease. Faith enables us to come to God, but love enables us to imitate Him.

Above all love!

1 Corinthians 13:1–13

13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

The reference to tongues “of angels” probably indicates the belief that one type of “gift of tongues” involved speaking in the language of angels. Paul points out that even the language of angels is meaningless without love. Love is a genuine and selfless concern for the well-being of others. Paul identifies it as the greatest of the three Christian virtues. 

Paul chastised the wealthy believers because they did not demonstrate love  to the less wealthy believers. Paul mentions the crashing cymbal to suggest that spiritual gifts without love make the Corinthians’ worship no different from the pagans’. The early Christians sold their property to meet the needs of those around them. Helping the poor was a focus of Paul’s ministry.

Paul spoke of the desire to obtain adoration or acknowledgment from others by explaining to others your own self-worth (usually without them asking to know about it). And the self-admiration that leads a person to consider himself or herself better than others failing to show respect and honor to others. The wealthy Corinthian believers dishonored the poor believers.” 

The gospel demonstrates God’s love. It involves enduring difficulties, and even taking on (spiritually) the difficulty of others by being compassionate.

The Corinthian believers emphasized the gift of tongues as a sign (perhaps even a required sign) of Christ dwelling with someone. Paul reveals that the gifts will one day be no longer necessary, but love will always be. Therefore, love is the true sign of someone who follows Christ. 

Paul refers to three spiritual gifts that will no longer be necessary in the age to come—prophecy, tongues, and knowledge. All three gifts are related to God’s revelation to His people during the present age; thus, the three “will pass away” at the end of the age when the kingdom of God is fully inaugurated. The gifts do not have eternal value compared to love. The fullness of God’s salvation that will come at the second coming of Jesus Christ. When Christ appears, believers will no longer need the gifts—Christ Himself will be showing who He is and what He is doing in person (not just through others, but directly to all people). Likewise, the spiritual gifts are appropriate for this age, but they will cease when Christ returns. Faithlife Bible

This uncompromising and bold affirmation introduces the contrast with the spiritual gifts which will not last. Paul wants the Corinthians to know that all the gifts, especially tongues, which attracted their attention so much, would one day no longer be needed. But love would continue forever. NKJ Bible

Psalm 10:3  For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; he blesses the greedy and renounces the LORD.

Proverbs 10:12  Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.