“Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day” (Luke 4:31 NLT)

March 21, 2014

After the people of Nazareth rejected Jesus, he made Capernaum his base of operations. The town of Capernaum was strategically located on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and the Via Maris (“Way of the Sea”), a roadway connecting Egypt to Syria and Persia, passed through the town. Situated on this important “superhighway,” great and various crowds of people passed through. It was also the town where Peter’s mother-in-law lived (Probably where Peter lived too). Jesus’ ministry thrived there. He called many of His disciples to follow Him from this area. It was in Capernaum that he had people lining up until after dark to see him. To this day in modern Israel, Capernaum is known as “The Town of Jesus.” How can we make our hometown known for being Jesus’ town?

“He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. ‘The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!’” (Luke 4:20-21 NLT)

March 20, 2014

After Jesus was baptized and tempted in the wilderness for 40 days, He began His public ministry by visiting His hometown, Nazareth. There He was invited to read in the synagogue and the Isaiah scroll was handed to Him. Unrolling the scroll He found the place where Isaiah spoke of the Year of the Lord’s favor and reading it aloud, He concluded by saying it was fulfilled in that “very day.” It was clear to His hometown hearers that Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah, the One that fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy. So, they began to say, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” And they didn’t believe Him. Jesus commented that a prophet hath no honor in His hometown and left that place. Does Jesus have a place of honor in your home?

“You must present these offerings to the Lord at your annual festivals…” (Numbers 28:39 NLT)

March 19, 2014

Reading through all the instructions concerning offerings and festivals in the Old Testament is pretty overwhelming. It seems impossible to keep up with them all. Yet, God was teaching His people to remember Him and what He had done for them. These holy-days/holidays were meant for remembrance, worship and to remind them of their identity as one people belonging to God. In Numbers 28, the following holiday/festivals are mentioned:
– Passover (Hebrew: פסח Pesach): Which commemorates the story of the Exodus, also called The Feast of Unleavened Bread. Begins on April 14th at sundown this year.
– Festival of Harvest (Hebrew: שבועות Shavuot): Also called The Festival of Weeks and The Festival of Pentecost. It commemorates the anniversary of the day God gave the Torah. This year it begins at sundown on June 3rd.
– Festival of Trumpets (Hebrew: ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah, literally “head of the year”): is the Jewish New Year. It is celebrated by the sounding of the shofar (trumpets). This year it begins at sundown on Sept 24th.
– Day of Atonement (Heb: יום כפור Yom Kippur): It is the holiest day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. This year it begins at sundown on Oct 3rd.
– Festival of Shelters (Heb. סוכות Sukkot): Also called The Feast of Booths and The Feast of Tabernacles. This year it begins at sundown on Oct. 8th.

“Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, ‘He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!” (Luke 3:4)

March 18, 2014

The coming of John, son of Zechariah, had not only been announced by the angel Gabriel, it had been predicted by the prophet Isaiah. John the Baptist was the Messianic Forerunner, coming in the spirit of Elijah, he was the Preparer of the Way. Every king must have a herald to go before him announcing his arrival. John was Christ’s herald. His job was to prepare the soil of the people’s hearts for the Seed of God’s Word. His message was to proclaim, “People get ready! The King is coming!”

“Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people” (Luke 2:52 NLT)

March 17, 2014

Luke described how Jesus grew from a child to a man. This four part description is helpful for those who want to grow to maturity as Jesus did. The four areas of growth are:
1) Mental “wisdom”
2) Physical “stature”
3) Spiritual “favor with God”
4) Social “favor with all people”
I use this verse to help set goals in my life each year, praying that Jesus will help me to grow more like Him. What are your “Luke 2:52” goals?

“In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the Lord’s anger to blaze against his people” (Numbers 25:3 NLT)

March 16, 2014

Balaam was unable to curse Israel because they were under God’s blessing. So according to Numbers 31:16 he advised another way to harm them from within by tempting them to worship other gods. The Midianites and the Moabites were distant kin of the Jews. Yet, they had fallen into idolatry. It was their wicked and sexual Baal worship that turned many Jews aside and caused them to stumble. The word “Baal” means “Master, Lord, or Owner.” Here, the name “Baal of Peor” probably meant “Lord of Mt. Peor,” as pagan worship was often identified with a mountain. The Israelites could not be cursed or defeated in battle, but they could be tempted to break the first of the commandments and to put another master before the Lord their God.

“And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord” (Luke 1:76 NLT)

March 15, 2014

After 9 months being mute, Zechariah prophesied over his newborn son, John. All that the angel Gabriel predicted had come to pass. I suppose he had plenty of time to contemplate the angel’s words during his wife’s pregnancy. Awe fell over the entire neighborhood as the tongue-tied priest became an articulate prophet, blessing his son. What if every child was so anticipated? What if every son had a father speaking such prophetic blessing over him?

“So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!” (Numbers 21:9 NLT)

March 14, 2014

This is one of the more bizarre stories in the Bible. The Israelites were once again grumbling against God and Moses because of the lack of water and variety of food in the wilderness, so God punished them with poisonous snakes. God hates grumbling. Grumbling is the opposite of thankfulness. Grumbling itself is like a venom that infects everyone that hears it with a spirit of ingratitude. When the people repented and cried out for forgiveness, God instructed Moses to make an image of a Bronze Serpent and to put it up on a pole for people to look upon and repent of their sin for healing. Strange that the symbol of their suffering would be God’s provision for their forgiveness and healing. Yet, this is exactly what God did when He sent Jesus to die in our place. For on the cross we see the image of what our own sin deserved. Jesus became the symbol of our suffering. As Jesus told Nicodemus, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).

“Then the angel said, ‘I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!'” (Luke 1:19 NLT)

March 13, 2014

The angel that appeared to Zechariah in the temple and foretold the birth of John the Baptist was no common messenger. He was Gabriel, one of the angelic host that continuously stood in the very presence of God. He did not appreciate the doubtful questioning of old Zechariah. He identified himself, delivered the divine message, and stilled Zechariah’s doubting tongue until it could speak faithfully again. Perhaps Gabriel was surprised by Zechariah’s unbelief since they both had similar jobs. For while Gabriel stood before God’s heavenly throne, Zechariah stood burning incense before God’s presence in His earthly Temple. Yet, there was a curtain in the Temple separating Zechariah from the Holy of Holies, while Gabriel stood in the burning presence of God’s very throne. When Jesus died on the cross, that curtain was torn, so that those who believe on Him may boldly approach God’s throne with all our requests.

“Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall” (Psalm 55:22 NLT)

March 12, 2014

David’s psalm sounds similar to Christ’s invitation to “Come unto Me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest…” (Matt. 11:28). But rather than giving our burdens to God, we struggle and worry over things too heavy to bear. We lose sleep. We become anxious and depressed. Our relational life with God and others suffer. Our troubles so weigh us down that we stoop under the load. Yet, David knew how to bear up his burdens to God in prayer. And we have an even greater Advocate, the Lord Jesus Christ, who invites us to come to Him for rest. Do you know this old hymn?
Verse 1:
Hear the blessed Savior calling the oppressed,
“Oh, ye heavy-laden, come to Me and rest;
Come, no longer tarry, I your load will bear,
Bring Me every burden, bring Me every care.”
Refrain:
Come unto Me, I will give you rest;
Take My yoke upon you, hear Me and be blest;
I am meek and lowly, come and trust My might;
Come, My yoke is easy, and My burden’s light. – Come Unto Me, by Charles P. Jones