Bible Summary:
Jesus returns to his home town across the lake by boat where some people bring him a paralyzed man. They have such faith, so he forgives the man’s sins. Teachers of the Law whisper about this blasphemy. Jesus asks them why they are thinking such evil, and then proves his authority as the “Son of Man” by telling the man to “get up and walk” and he does.
My Thoughts:
Faith: it is amazing how faith can change anyone’s life. If you believe things will get better, they will.
Bible Summary:
Jesus goes to Gadara and meets two men with demons. They scream, “What do you want from us, Son of God?” Jesus cast the demons out and into a herd of pigs, which rush into the lake and drown. The pig farmers tell everyone in town what happened. They meet Jesus and beg him to leave.
My Thoughts:
Anger: Jesus clears the men’s anger issues in one conversation. The town people are not grateful, likely because Jesus was going against the Laws of Moses, plus they feared his ability to control demons. It would be great if psychiatrist could heal patients pain in one conversation, but it could take years.
Bible Summary:
Jesus and the disciples enter a boat. A storm hits and the disciples wake him to save them. Jesus says they have little faith and then calms the storm to their amazement.
My Thoughts:
Miracles: We cannot scientifically verify Jesus’ miracles and none have been repeated in 2000 years since his death. He has not returned. Is this all just a hoax by the church?
Faith: You may have these questions, but the real message of this passage is faith, even when the storms of your life are swirling around you. Believe in God and he will help calm your storms. Hang in there!
Bible Summary:
As the crowd surrounds Jesus, he tells his disciples to go to the other side of the lake. A teacher of the Law tells Jesus he is ready to go wherever he goes. Jesus says, “Foxes have holes, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lie down and rest.” Another disciple tells Jesus he needs to bury his father first, but Jesus tells him to come and let the dead bury their dead.
My Thoughts:
Price of Fame: Jesus shares a little about the pressures of fame. The demands of the crowds weigh on him enough that he complains about not get rest and barks at his disciples who want to leave to care for their families. Many people dream of being famous like movie stars or top athletes, but they have no idea the price of fame: loss of freedom from overwhelming crowds and persistent paparazzi, demands of their agents, strained relationships, etc. Be careful what you wish for because you might be better off where you are. No matter how much fame or money you gain, you cannot buy love and happiness. Luckily Jesus knew the price he had to pay and was willing to accept the consequences for us.
Bible Summary:
Jesus touches the hand of Peter’s feverish mother-in-law and heals her instantly. People bring him many others to heal of their demons as foretold by prophet Isaiah.
My Thoughts:
Convenience: Many of Jesus’ miracles fit too nicely into the prophecies of old like someone fit him into the mold to prove to the Jews he was the Messiah. The story is almost too perfect. And, why has he not returned in 2000 years?
Many critics bring up these points to discredit Jesus. We have no way to prove or disprove the miracles but we all know in our hearts what he taught about loving each other is right.
Bible Summary:
A Roman officer meets Jesus on the way into Capernaum and begs him to help his terribly sick servant in bad at home. Jesus agrees to go see him, but the officer asks him to give the order from there and his servant will get well. Jesus tells his followers he has never found anyone in Israel with such faith and that many will come to the feast in heaven but others will be thrown into darkness crying and gnashing their teeth. He tells the officer what he believes will be done and the servant is healed that very moment.
My Thoughts:
Faith: Very few today have the same faith as the Roman officer. Many are just going through the motions at church and in life. We talk about God, pray to God, but do we truly believe in Him? Maybe we should and perhaps the outcome will be the same.
Bible Summary:
Jesus comes down the hill and a man with dreaded skin disease kneels before him and asks him to heal him. Jesus touches and heals him. He tells the man not to tell anyone, but to visit the priest to prove the cure and offer the sacrifice Moses ordered.
My Thoughts:
Follow the rules: Jesus had just told the crowd during the Sermon on the Mount not to draw attention to themselves, so he repeats this to the man by asking him not to tell anyone he had healed him. Instead, he tells the man to follow the rules of Moses and visit the priest to prove he is clean so he can become a member of the community again.
Even though Jesus could do great miracles, he still followed the laws. You can make dramatic change by “showing” others instead of “telling” them what to do.
Bible Summary:
Jesus tells the crowd at the Sermon on the Mount that anyone who hears and obeys his words is like a wise man who builds his house on a rock instead of sand. The rain pours, rivers flood, and wind blows hard against the house on the rock, but it does not fall. Jesus finishes the sermon and everyone is amazed at how he taught with authority, not like the teachers of Law.
My Thoughts:
Solid Foundation: Like a house, every life needs a solid foundation. Jesus provides that foundation in the Sermon on the Mount:
Bible Summary:
Jesus tells the crowd during the Sermon on the Mount to be on guard for false prophets who look like sheep, but are wolves on the inside. You will know them by what they do. Healthy trees grow good fruit, but poor trees make bad fruit, so they are cut down and thrown into the fire. Only those who do what God wants will enter the Kingdom of heaven. When Judgment Day comes, many will say they spoke God’s message and performed miracles, but Jesus will say “I never knew you wicked people.”
My Thoughts:
False Prophets: Jesus warns us about false prophets, charlatans interested in swindling money and other valuables from you. They are very slick individuals that could sell you land on the moon. No, you cannot buy land on the moon – at least not yet. Today, some evangelists live in multi-million dollar homes paid for from heavily “encouraged” tithing by their church members. Jesus said we would know false prophets by what they do and he repeatedly spoke against accumulating wealth, so you decide.
Bible Summary:
God tells Moses to have people be holy, respect their mothers, fathers, and older people, and the Sabbath. He then gives them a list of nots:
My Thoughts:
Is genetic experimentation bad?: I think Moses covered about everything in this list. The command to not cross-breed animals or plants was surprising. We have been cross breeding since Gregor Mendel created hybrid pea starting in 1856 (learn more about Gregor Mendel at Wikipedia). But, it puts into question how far genetic experimentation should go? In the future you might choose your child’s looks – gender, eye color, hair, and build. Sure sounds like Hitler’s master race. I think God was cautioning against messing with nature and interestingly, coming from the Bible, natural selection.
Positive repackaging by Jesus: The “love your neighbor as you love yourself” in Leviticus was surprising. It sure sounds like Jesus, just without all the “nots”. Maybe he just repackaged the best ideas of the Old Testament with a positive spin? If so, good for us.