WHO TOLD JESUS ABOUT THE GALILEANS. Jesus teaches in these verses that calamities which happen to God's people are not to be thought of as _"special acts of judgment for hidden sin._ " Compare James 1:2-4 and also _Revelation 6._ Only Luke tells of this happening to the Galileans. Fights at the temp... [ Continue Reading ]
NO! Jesus does not deny that these people were sinners, but he does say with emphasis, that _they were no worse than other people._ YOU WILL ALL DIE AS THEY DID. He says this to _teach them with strong words_ that only turning from sin [repentance] will save them! (Compare Acts 2:38 and notes.)... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT ABOUT THOSE EIGHTEEN IN SILOAM? Only Luke tells of this. The lesson is the same as before. They were not killed because they were worse sinners. All must turn from sin, or perish! [Siloam was a suburb of Jerusalem, south of the city.]... [ Continue Reading ]
A MAN HAD A FIG TREE. A common fruit. It symbolizes the entire Jewish nation here. BUT FOUND NONE. They did not honor God with their lives! LOOK, FOR THREE YEARS. This is how long Jesus had been teaching and preaching. The people should have listened and honored God. CUT IT DOWN! There is no hope of... [ Continue Reading ]
A WOMAN WAS THERE. Only Luke tells this healing of the Crippled Woman. A similar healing on the Sabbath is given in Matthew 12:10-13; Mark 3:1-5. THAT HAD KEPT HER SICK FOR EIGHTEEN YEARS. A demon was the cause of her trouble (see Luke 13:16). WHEN JESUS SAW HER. She had no thought of being healed.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT SHALL I COMPARE IT WITH? For notes on the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast, see Matthew 13:31-33.... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS WENT THROUGH THE TOWNS AND VILLAGES. Probably in the area called Perea, east of the Jordan river. People often went this way from Galilee to Jerusalem, to detour around Samaria.... [ Continue Reading ]
SIR, WILL JUST A FEW PEOPLE BE SAVED? This question is often asked. Jesus never answers it, but tells each one to make sure of his own salvation. [See the Redeemed in Eternity pictured in Revelation 7:9.]... [ Continue Reading ]
DO YOUR BEST. This implies a maximum amount of effort. [And yet the CAUSE of our salvation is God's ACT in Christ.] THROUGH THE NARROW DOOR. See note on Matthew 7:13-14. The door of the Kingdom is so narrow that we must leave our many sins and idols behind, to be able to enter.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND CLOSE THE DOOR. The time of opportunity will expire. If we continue to say "no" to God, we may find the door shut when we decide to enter.... [ Continue Reading ]
WE ATE AND DRANK WITH YOU; YOU TAUGHT IN OUR TOWN! "They heard! Doesn't this _merit_ God's approval???" _But faith_ is _obediential (see_ notes on Matthew 7:22-23).... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN YOU SEE ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB. The "fathers" believed and obeyed. See notes on Matthew 8:11-12.... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THOSE WHO ARE NOW LAST WILL BE FIRST. The Gentiles had not shared in the Law. The Jew thought the Gentile had no hope, while he himself was sure of salvation. See note on Matthew 20:16.... [ Continue Reading ]
SOME PHARISEES CAME TO JESUS. They intended to scare Jesus into hiding, where he could not teach people. Herod Antipas (see note on Matthew 2:1) had already killed John the Baptist.... [ Continue Reading ]
GO TELL THAT FOX. A fox is symbolic of sly cunning. This described the character of Herod, It may be that Herod himself sent the Pharisees to try to scare Jesus. He could not kill Jesus because of his popularity. ON THE THIRD DAY. Some think Jesus meant he would be moving on in three days' time. But... [ Continue Reading ]
TO BE KILLED ANYWHERE EXCEPT IN JERUSALEM. [John the Baptist was the exception to this, dying in the Machaerus prison in Perea.] Jerusalem (the earthly city) _was symbolic of the farces of evil which fight_ against God (see Revelation 11:8). Jesus would die there, and his church would begin there!... [ Continue Reading ]
JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM! Jesus may have said this more than once. See notes on Matthew 23:37-39. NOW YOUR HOME WILL BE COMPLETELY FORSAKEN. God would depart the temple, even though the ritual would continue to go on. The temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., and the ritual ceased.... [ Continue Reading ]