The Gospel According to Luke. Teaching Series Conducted At West Side Church of God in Christ Rockford, Illinois

Transcription

1 The Gospel According to Luke Teaching Series Conducted At West Side Church of God in Christ Rockford, Illinois Maurice A. West February 2007 December 2007

2 INTRODUCTION

3 Blessings upon you, people of the most high God! As you prepare to read this study in the Gospel of St. Luke, it is my prayer that it will be a blessing to you. This study was conducted from February 2007 December 2007 at West Side Church of God in Christ in our Friday evening teaching services. I hope this study is a blessing to you and gives you the encouragement you need to dig deeper into the Word of God. I speak blessings into your lives in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Pastor Maurice A. West December 2007

4

5 THE LEGAL DISCLAIMERS There will be various translations of the Scriptures used in our study. If we depart from the King James Version, which will be our standard, what follows are the typical translations used: Amplified Bible The Amplified Bible. Copyright 1965, Zondervan Publishing House. Net Bible The Net Bible. Copyright , Biblical Studies Press NIV The New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. NKJV The New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. NLT The New Living Translation. Copyright At various times in this study, you may also find the following designations referring to reference material used to assist in putting together this study. Direct quotations will be shown in italicized text. {Adam Clarke} Adam Clarke s Commentary on the Whole Bible {JF&B} The Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary {Matthew Henry} Matthew Henry s Commentary on the Whole Bible in One Volume {Dake} Dake s Annotated Reference Bible {MacArthur} The MacArthur Study Bible {Thompson} The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible. {McGee} Thru the Bible Commentary Series by Dr. J. Vernon McGee If other references, commentators, or Bible translations are used they will be identified in the text. INTRODUCTION WRITER: The writer of the book is important because the Gospels are intended to give us eyewitness accounts of the actions of Jesus Christ and, more importantly, personal insights into His character so that we can walk like He walked. It is a well-established fact that Luke, the beloved physician, was the author of this book. He was probably Greek by birth and may have been a proselyte to Judaism. {Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown} The writer of this Gospel is universally allowed to have been Lucas (an abbreviated form of Lucanus, as Silas of Silvanus), though he is not expressly named either in the Gospel or in the Acts. From Col 4:14 we learn that he was a physician ; and by comparing that verse with Col 4:10, 11, we gather that Luke was not a born Jew. Some have thought he was a freed-man, as the Romans [delegated] the healing art on persons of this class and on their slaves, as an occupation beneath themselves. His intimate acquaintance with Jewish customs, and his facility in Hebraic Greek, seem to show that he was an early convert to the Jewish faith. On the other hand, his fluency in classical Greek confirms his Gentile origin. Eusebius makes him a native of Antioch. If so, he would have every advantage for cultivating the literature of Greece and such medical knowledge as was then possessed. {McGee} Luke was the beloved physician of Colossians 4:14, Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you. The choice of Luke by the Holy Spirit to write the third gospel reveals that there are no Maurice A. West 2007 Page 1 of 146

6 accidental writers of Scripture. There was a supernatural selection of Luke. There were not many wise called, but Luke belongs to that category. He and Paul were evidently on a very high intellectual level as well as a high spiritual level. This explains partially why they traveled together and obviously became fast friends in the Lord. Dr. Luke wrote the best Greek of any of the New Testament writers, including Paul. He was an accurate historian, as we shall see. Luke was a poet he alone records the lovely songs of Christmas. Luke was an artist; he sketches for us Christ s marvelous, matchless parables. A great deal of tradition surrounds the life of Dr. Luke. He writes his gospel from Mary s viewpoint, which confirms the tradition that he received his information for his gospel from her. Surely he conferred with her. DATE: Dake places the writing of this book around AD. JF&B puts it between AD. By comparison, the commentators and theologians say that Matthew was written around 40 AD, about 8-10 years after the Lord s ascension. The Gospel of Mark was written about the same time as Luke or a little later. By this period of time, the church was fairly well established and there was room for a clear and concise historical narrative like Luke s Gospel. Let s combine Dake and JF&B and put the writing around 60 AD, very close to the imprisonment of Paul. STATISTICS: {Dake} The Gospel of Luke is the 42nd book of the Bible. It contains 24 chapters and 1,151 verses. There are also 9 Old Testament prophecies mentioned in this book as compared to 11 in Mark, 15 in John, and 25 in Matthew. WHY THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN: What is the key theme of the book? Each Gospel has a theme. They are not intended to be biographical sketches but rather character sketches written to different audiences. Before getting too far into that, though, some facts important to studying the Gospels need to be brought out: 1. There are three Synoptic Gospels or Gospels with similar points of view. These three are Matthew, Mark, and Luke. (In spite of being a synoptic Gospel, Luke brings out things in his Gospel that none of the other writers do: he is the only writer to give details of the events leading up to the birth of Christ including the conception and birth of John the Baptist, he includes more parables than any other Gospel, he includes six miracles that are recorded no where else, and he gives us details about the events after the resurrection that are recorded no where else.) 2. When studying the Gospels, the harmony of the Gospels, or how they all fit together in timelines and events, is important. (Most decent study Bibles will include this in their reference material.) All of the Gospels had a unique audience. Matthew portrays Jesus Christ as the Messiah to the Jewish people. In his book we will find many references to Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah. Because his was the first Gospel written, he wrote it to strengthen the new believers, who at the time were, for the most part, Jewish, and to use it as a tool to win other Jews to Christ. Mark targeted a Gentile audience that was particularly Roman. The theme of Mark was that Jesus Christ came as a servant. John wrote his Gospel to the church to reveal Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Luke targeted a Gentile audience also (specifically a man named, Theophilus) as well as a more generic audience of Greeks. His theme was that Jesus Christ was a man. As a learned man, who was not only a physician but also a historian, his writings are said to be the best literary documents of the New Testament. Luke brought out historical details and references in his Gospel that are found nowhere else. Maurice A. West 2007 Page 2 of 146

7 As we prepare to begin, we will have a three-fold purpose in this study, which we ve used in our studies in the Gospels. While going through this Gospel, it is our intention to: EXPOSE MYTHS There are some fables and nice ideas that are not Scriptural which wellmeaning people have taken from the Gospels. We will highlight those using the Scriptures. UNCOVER TRUTHS There is key information in the Gospels that are sometimes missed in other studies. We won t get them all but we want to make sure we get as many as possible. Find out who the Lord Jesus Christ really is according to the Scripture. Finally, throughout the text, I have added what I call Saints Principles. The intention of these principles is to point out truths, strictly as I see them, based on something that has occurred in the Scriptures. Maurice A. West 2007 Page 3 of 146

8 Chapter 1 Everything in this chapter is unique to the Gospel of St. Luke. Nowhere else do we learn of the parents of John the Baptist, the actions of the angel Gabriel prior to the birth of John or Christ, or of the announcement to Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus. 1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. By the time of the writing of this Gospel, the Gospel of St. Matthew was already written and well circulated. However, Luke wanted to make sure one of his converts had all of the information necessary to know the certainty of those things, wherein he had been instructed. Judging from his title (most excellent Theophilus), he was probably a Roman official of a high rank. According to {JF&B}: [Most excellent was] a title of rank applied by this same writer twice to Felix and once to Festus (Ac 22:26; 24:3; 26:25). It is likely, therefore, that Theophilus was chief magistrate of some city in Greece or Asia Minor. 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. We start the Gospel of St. Luke with an introduction to the parents of John the Baptist. This passage is unique to this Gospel. They were both of the tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe. Zacharias was of the course of Abia (or Abijah). David divided the priests into 24 divisions or courses so that they could serve in the Temple without running over each other. Each course was to serve a week each year. {McGee} Zacharias means God remembers, and Elisabeth means His oath. Together their names mean, God remembers His oath. When did God take an oath? God swore an oath to David that one of his descendants would have an eternal reign. Christ is that descendant. God remembers His oath! God is ready to break through into human history after 400 years of silence. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. The term commandments and ordinances implies that Zacharias and Elisabeth took care to exercise personal holiness (blameless in the Lord s commandments) and were among those that were faithful in their service to the Lord (blameless in the Lord s ordinances). SAINTS PRINCIPLE: The starting point for the Lord s blessings is to live right before God and man. 7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. We ve seen their spiritual and religious integrity but, in spite of that, they have a natural problem no children and the biological clock had stopped ticking. 8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest s office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. 11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. Zacharias had the same response that you or I would have if you were in church by yourself and suddenly somebody was there he was startled and then afraid. Maurice A. West 2007 Page 4 of 146

9 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother s womb. 16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. At this point, the angel should be shouting at Zacharias because he should be shouting and praising God. There are four words that should make his day, his year, and his life thy prayer is heard. Not only did God hear his prayer, He s going to bless this child in such awesome manner. Look at the promise of God regarding this child: He shall be great in the sight of the Lord. Who cares what people think about you if God views you as great? He shall be a Nazarite. He shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. The highest level of consecration to God in the Old Testament was the vow of the Nazarite. Let s uncover some truths about this out of Nelson s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary: [A Nazarite was a] person who took a vow to separate from certain worldly things and to consecrate himself to God (Num. 6:1 8) [for a 30, 60, or 90 day period]. Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist were the only Nazarites for life recorded in the Bible. Before they were born, their parents took their vows for them. Once a person decided to make himself holy to the Lord (Num. 6:8) for some special service, he then agreed to abstain from wine. This prohibition was so strict that it included grapes, grape juice, and raisins. Perhaps this was to guard the Nazarite from being controlled by any spirit other than God s (Prov. 20:1; Eph. 5:17 18). While under the Nazarite vow, a person also refused to cut his hair, including shaving (Num. 6:5). The purpose of this long hair was to serve as a visible sign of the Nazarite s consecration to the Lord (Num. 6:7). A Nazarite also refused to touch or go near a dead body because this would make him ceremonially unclean. The Nazarite could not even help to bury his own relatives. The Nazarite vow was a part of the old law and is not imposed on modern Christians. But because it was personal and voluntary, we do have much to learn from this Old Testament practice. God wants us to live a separated, holy life and to abstain from things of the world. Christians must be dedicated to God s service not just for 30 days or one year but for a lifetime. Only Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist were Nazarites all of their lives. {JF&B} It was fitting that the utmost severity of legal consecration should be seen in Christ s forerunner. Shouldn t this same level of consecration be in Christ s ambassadors? He will be filled with the Holy Ghost before he is born. John the Baptist is also a testimony to the evil of abortion. We ll see later in this chapter that God declared him as a babe in the womb not a fetus and that babe was filled with God s Spirit. He shall turn the people back to God in the spirit and power of Elijah. He will not be Elijah but he will come with the same spirit and the same power. This is in fulfillment of the words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 11:14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. The Jewish people were Maurice A. West 2007 Page 5 of 146

10 fooled by Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. They didn t realize that this verse had a double meaning for Elijah will yet come. 18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: When you allow circumstances to dictate how you respond to the Word of God, this is unbelief. Zacharias chose to focus on his circumstances and make them bigger than God. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: It doesn t matter what medical science says, in spite of how awesome it is God has the final say! 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. Zacharias has managed to upset Gabriel! He missed the whole point in Gabriel s beginning words GOD HAS HEARD YOUR PRAYER! That should have been the time for excitement. Instead, he focuses on his circumstances. Don t you think that God knew how old Zacharias was before He dispatched Gabriel? Don t you think God knew what was going on in your life before He sent His Word? 21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. 23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. 24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. Didn t the angel tell Zacharias that his prayer was heard? Now WE also see the results. 26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. {McGee} There is a tendency among Protestants to play down the role of Mary, but this verse tells us that she was highly favored. In the same breath, however, let me say that she was blessed among women, not above women. She is not lifted above women; she lifted up womanhood. 29And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. This is another saying that should get us excited. Just as Zacharias should have been excited over, Your prayer is heard, Mary should have been excited by the words, You have found favor with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. The typical Jew of that day knew exactly what the angel was saying Mary was to be the mother of the long awaited Messiah. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? Mary s question differs from Zacharias question. She asked a process question in other words, what steps will be involved in Maurice A. West 2007 Page 6 of 146

11 this since I m unmarried and have not done the natural steps required for conception? In her spirit, she has yielded to the will of God but wants to know what s next. On the other hand, Zacharias asked a possibility question and accused God of not knowing what He had to deal with in their bodies in other words, it seemed impossible to him because of he and his wife s condition. 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Here is the process. This process is the revelation of the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. {McGee} This was to Mary an unsought sign, in reward of her faith. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. {McGee} When a man says, Nothing is impossible with God and fails at some task he claims the Lord gave him to do, it causes unbelievers to ridicule God. Anything God determines to do He can accomplish, because there is nothing impossible with God. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. Mary submitted her self to the will of God. At this point, she has started the wheels in motion to change the direction of her entire life. She will never be the same again because she has surrendered to the will of God she has opened the door for sorrows, joy, and ultimate blessing. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: Don t think that, just because you said Yes to God, everything will now be wonderful in fact, it probably will get worse because you have just become a HUGE problem to the enemy. 39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: The babe (not the fetus) leaped in the womb at the sound of the voice of Mary and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost at her presence. Luke is the only one to use the term filled with the Holy Ghost in his Gospel and in the Book of Acts. Nowhere else in the New Testament is this phrase found. 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. Through the Holy Ghost, Elisabeth knows what Mary has just found out she is to be the mother of the Messiah. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: Never forget that the purpose of the infilling of the Holy Ghost is to do the works of God. Side Note: Verses are known as the Magnificat ( magnificat is a Latin term for the opening of verse 46) among theologians and the religious. It is a wonderful song of worship to the Lord. 56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house. 57 Now Elisabeth s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. What marvelous attitudes are seen in these three verses! Mary was reputed to be very young at this time while Elisabeth was Maurice A. West 2007 Page 7 of 146

12 an old woman. Mary stayed with her old relative until she reached full term in her pregnancy probably waiting on her every need. Every woman can testify of the difficulty of pregnancy but how much more difficult must it have been with Elisabeth s advanced age. Then when she had the baby, her neighbors were not envious or mean-spirited, they rejoiced with her! 59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. 60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. 61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. 62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marveled all. 64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. Most of the commentators believe that Zacharias was both deaf and dumb. If so, this really makes this verse awesome. Not knowing what his wife had said, he believed and obeyed the words of Gabriel and named his son, John. When he obeyed God, God responded! {Matthew Henry} When God opens our lips, our mouths must show forth his praise. (I thought this statement by Matthew Henry was interesting considering that most of the main stream churches today engage in orchestrated and subdued praise, if at all.) 65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. 66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him. Why were they afraid? Remember, this marks the end of 400 years of silence (from the end of Malachi to this point). God has taken a vacation from His people but now it s obvious that He has shown up again. I imagine they re questioning what else He was going to do. 67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, This is a portion of a verse but I thought it was marvelous because it points to what Luke wrote in the Book of Acts Acts 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. Zacharias obeyed God and God, in His infinite mercy and grace, filled him with the Holy Ghost! 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, 69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; 70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: 71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; 73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. 76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; 77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, 79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. No doubt Zacharias is excited but he is prophesying by the Holy Ghost. Therefore, the prophecy is not directed toward John the Baptist, even though he s mentioned, the son he has received so late in life, but to Messiah whom his son will go before to prepare his ways. 80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel. {JF&B} [John was] probably [in] the wilderness of Judea (Mt. 3:1), whither he had retired early Maurice A. West 2007 Page 8 of 146

13 in life, in the Nazarite spirit, and where, free from rabbinical influences and alone with God, his spirit would be educated, like Moses in the desert, for his future high vocation. So you want something from the Lord? Then you re going to have to do like John did and get away from influences and pull away so God can talk to you Himself. Maurice A. West 2007 Page 9 of 146

14 Chapter 2 This chapter captures everything about the boyhood of Jesus information that is found nowhere else in Scripture. It deals with the birth, circumcision, and christening of Jesus and one event in his boyhood at twelve years old. 1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. {McGee} Who was Caesar Augustus? He was the adopted son of Julius Caesar. Actually his name was Octavianus and he took the name Caesar I think he had a right to it. Now the name Augustus was not a name at all but a title. When the senate submitted to him certain titles like king, emperor, and dictator, he was not satisfied. Instead he chose the title Augustus. It had a religious significance, and it was an attempt to deify himself. It was no accident that Dr. Luke mentioned the name of Caesar Augustus. This man signed a tax bill that the whole world (of that day) be taxed. He needed money to raise an army to control his vast empire and to live in luxury himself. God used the pride and arrogance of Caesar Augustus to bring His Son to the right place that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: Don t get full of yourself when God uses you. God will use whoever and whatever He needs to bring His will to pass. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. Luke provides some historical facts in the opening of this chapter so that the reader can understand when these things took place. {Holman Bible Dictionary} Cyrenius is mentioned as the governor of Syria when the birth of Jesus took place. His full name was Publius Sulpicius Quirinius. Luke s reference to Quirinius as governor during the nativity has caused some scholars to question his historical accuracy. It is established that Quirinius was governor in Syria from A.D. 6-9, but this date is far too late for Jesus birth, which occurred prior to the death of Herod the Great who died in 4 B.C. Luke s historical reference seems in direct conflict with non-biblical sources establishing that either Saturninus (9-7 B.C.) or Varus (6-4 B.C.) was [governor] of Syria during Christ s birth. The discovery of an ancient inscription has shown that a [governor] fitting the description of Quirinius served two different times in Syria. Apparently the nativity occurred during Quirinius first tenure in Syria as [governor] with primary responsibilities for military affairs, while Varus was the [governor] handling civil matters. Quirinius served a second term in A.D And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) {Matthew Henry} He was born at Bethlehem; so it was foretold (Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.), the scribes so understood it (Mt. 2:5, 6), so did the common people, Jn. 7:42. The name of the place was significant. Bethlehem signifies the house of bread; a proper place for Him to be born in who is the Bread of life, the Bread that came down from heaven. 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. In the previous chapter, we briefly looked at the marital relationship of Joseph and Mary. Let s get more details from Easton s Bible Dictionary: Maurice A. West 2007 Page 10 of 146

15 ESPOUSE - to betroth. The espousal was a ceremony of betrothing, a formal agreement between the parties then coming under obligation for the purpose of marriage. Espousals in the East are frequently contracted years before the marriage is celebrated. BETROTH - to promise by one s truth. Men and women were betrothed when they were engaged to be married. This usually took place a year or more before marriage. From the time of betrothal the woman was regarded as the lawful wife of the man to whom she was betrothed (Deut. 28:30; Judges 14:2, 8; Matt. 1:18-21). At the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph were still unmarried. She was still his espoused wife. There is no record in the Scripture of when the espousal period was completed and Mary became Joseph s wife. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. This is the only Gospel that tells of the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, was born in a manger (a box or trough in a stable or barn from which horses or cattle eat) in a barn or stable. The term swaddling means to bind (a newborn infant) with long, narrow strips of cloth to prevent free movement; wrap tightly with clothes. These two verses paint quite a picture of the young family and the birthday of the King. {McGee} Dr. Luke gets right down to the little human details in this passage. He is saying that Mary put swaddling clothes on this little child baby clothes and diapers on the Son of God! How perfectly human He was God manifest in the flesh! 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. The angel gave the shepherds just enough information but the rest was up to them. They knew that Messiah was born in the city of David (they knew this to be Bethlehem, not Jerusalem) in one of the stables of the city (this is where they had to work but how many newborns would be in a stable?). 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Jesus did not sneak on the scene but came with great fanfare, as we ll see throughout this chapter. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: God gave His people ample signs to know that Messiah had come just as He does today to let us know that He s coming again. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. Most of these that are wondering, glorifying, and praising will not have the opportunity to experience Maurice A. West 2007 Page 11 of 146

16 the ministry of Jesus some 30 years later but God is giving the people another sign about what He s about to do. THE CIRCUMCISION AND CHRISTENING OF THE LORD JESUS 21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; 23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) 24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. {JF&B} The days of this purification for a male child were forty in all (Lev. 12:2, 4), on the expiry of which the mother was required to offer a lamb for a burnt offering, and a turtle dove or a young pigeon for a sin offering. If she could not afford a lamb, the mother had to bring another turtle dove or young pigeon; and, if even this was beyond her means, then a portion of fine flour. From the intermediate offering of a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons, we gather that Joseph and the Virgin were in poor circumstances (2Co 8:9), though not in abject poverty. Being a first-born male, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord. THE PROPHECY OF SIMEON 25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord s Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. 33 And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him. 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; 35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. God did many things to prepare the Old Testament church for the coming of the Savior. In this passage, he tells an old holy man that he can t even die until he sees the Savior. He believes God and allows the Holy Ghost to lead him. He is perfectly confident in what he sees that this is the Savior and he sees a little baby. His prophetic words speak of the scope of Messiah s ministry He will be a light to Gentiles (heathens!) and the glory of Israel. His scope is wide ( set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel ) yet narrow ( a sword shall pierce through thy soul also ) but this has always been what Jesus does. {McGee} Mary paid a tremendous price to bring the Savior into the world. She paid an awful price to stand beneath the cross of the Lord Jesus and watch Him die. This is the sword that would pierce her soul. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: No matter our religious affiliation, never forget the honor (and pain) God bestowed upon Mary in allowing her to carry and raise the Son of God Emmanuel as well as experience the death of her son. THE PROPHECY OF ANNA 36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; 37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to Maurice A. West 2007 Page 12 of 146

17 all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. {JF&B} [Anna] had lived seven years with her husband, and been a widow eighty-four years; so that if she married at the earliest marriageable age, twelve years, she could not at this time be less than a hundred three years old. Anna was a member of one of the (so-called) lost tribes, Asher, but God obviously found her. She was a woman of great devotion to God who also KNEW that this baby was the Messiah. 39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. In this period, we have the twelve silent years in the growth of the boy Jesus that are mentioned nowhere else in the Scriptures. JESUS AT TWELVE YEARS OLD 41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father s business? 50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. To me, this is one of the more confusing verses in this Gospel. At face value, it appears that we have an inconsiderate and mouthy child who happens to be the Son of God! However, JF&B brings out some interesting points about this passage to which I ve added my own thoughts: Being 12 years old, this was the first time a child was allowed to attend the Temple feast. This must have been a time of great excitement for our Savior as He had the first opportunity to interact, as a man, with those in charge of the Temple. He was not noticed because trips like these were often done in caravans with other relatives caring for the children while the men were in one party and the women in another. Jesus, as a human, was so charged by the experience of being in Jerusalem and at the Temple that He got caught up with the interaction with the doctors of God s Law. {JF&B} The method of question and answer was the customary form of rabbinical teaching; teacher and learner becoming by turns questioner and answerer. Our Lord s questions showed deepness that the rabbis had not seen in a child. They were probably equally charged by the experience. Jesus offers a mild rebuke to Mary and Joseph for having to explain His actions. JF&B believes that there was some prior dialogue among them in Nazareth regarding this incident. Though twelve, He s still the Son of God. He s not growing into the Son of God, He IS the Son of God. Mary tells Jesus of the anguish she and Joseph ( thy father ) went through in looking for Him. However, Jesus speaks of no Father but His Heavenly Father. Maurice A. West 2007 Page 13 of 146

18 In reading JF&B, I believe there must have been some prior arrangement that Joseph and Mary forgot about or didn t recall that Jesus reminded them of (or didn t understand because they couldn t reconcile in their minds that the Son of God is twelve years old). This makes the connection to the next passage more clear. 51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. After the prior incident, the Lord returned to Nazareth and was subject to them as a son would be to his parents. Here s a principle for children today SAINTS PRINCIPLE: Favor with God and man can be obtained by being subject to your parents. {McGee} Dr. Luke gives us a report about those silent years when Jesus was growing to adulthood. He grew in wisdom (mentally), in stature (physically), in favor with God (spiritually) and man (socially). In every area the Lord Jesus Christ was growing into perfect manhood. Maurice A. West 2007 Page 14 of 146

19 Chapter 3 In this chapter, we are re-introduced to the grown John the Baptist and his ministry. We also see the beginning of the ministry of the Lord and His genealogy through His mother, Mary. 1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. {JF&B} No such elaborate chronological precision is to be found elsewhere in the New Testament, and it comes fitly from him who claims it as the peculiar recommendation of his Gospel, that he had accurately traced down all things from the first (Luke 1:3). MINI-QUIZ: If the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, according to John s Gospel, how did the Word of God come to John in the wilderness when He was on earth at the same time in the flesh? Time, space, or even a physical body does not limit God. A side note, though, is that the experience that John had (receiving the Word) never took place with the Lord Jesus. He doesn t need to receive the Word; He is the Word. 3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; This is John s baptismal doctrine, which is different than the Christian baptismal doctrine. John s baptism was a result of the confession and repentance of sins. The Christian s baptism is symbolic of going to the grave with Christ (going down into the water) and rising with Him in newness of life (coming out of the water). John s baptism was the source of their salvation. The Christians baptism is a result of salvation. This points to the significance of Acts 19:1-5 when Paul confronted the disciples who had only been baptized in John s baptism. They not only received Christian baptism, because their experience with the Lord was incomplete, they also received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; 6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 40:3-5 and the prophecy of the angel Gabriel in chapter 1. 7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. Remember, John was the last Old Testament prophet and he didn t mince words. His message had to do with justification through works. The Old Testament Law was a Law of works. He is preparing the people to give up their Gentile ways (idolatry, greed, selfishness, and perversion) in preparation for the coming of the Lord. 9 And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. {McGee} In John s day, trees that did not produce were useless. They were cut down and used for firewood. John s message is strong. [John s] message [was one] of impending judgment. We need to recognize that this is one of the facets of the message from God for our day also. The nation of Israel had not been productive, as God had expected, and judgment was going to be their Maurice A. West 2007 Page 15 of 146

20 portion. John was telling Israel that if they did not bring forth fruit, the axe would come down on the root of the tree. The Lord Jesus Christ is saying the same thing to the church today. 10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? This is the effect that every true preacher wants from their preaching. They want the people to come to the point where they are ready to make a decision with the preacher guiding them. (This is why it is so important that the preacher be holy and righteous because they have the opportunity to mold souls and some have misused this opportunity for personal gain.) 11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. John s word to the general population was to be concerned about the welfare of others. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: Can you really love me if you re not concerned about my welfare? 12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. The publicans were notorious for overtaxing the people and putting the difference in their pockets. Because of this, they were rich but hated. Their word is also very simple and directed toward the welfare of others stop stealing from the people. 14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. John made such an impact with his preaching that the Roman soldiers heard him also. Dr. MacArthur says they were probably there to protect the publicans and to ensure the safety of the Emperor s money. His message to them is also simple and directed toward the welfare of others. 15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; 16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: HE SHALL BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY GHOST AND WITH FIRE: 17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. 18 And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. MINI-QUIZ: How did John know what was in the heart of the people? Don t forget that John was filled with Holy Ghost from his mother s womb. We often misquote and misunderstand a powerful Scripture promise that the Lord has given us which John demonstrates here 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 BUT GOD HATH REVEALED THEM UNTO US BY HIS SPIRIT: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 19 But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20 Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. This verse is out of place chronologically pointing to the future of John the Baptist. 21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. {McGee} At the Maurice A. West 2007 Page 16 of 146

21 baptism of Jesus, the Trinity is revealed. The Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus, who is also a member of the Trinity, and the heavenly Father speaks from heaven. 23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, 38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God. We have in these 16 verses a genealogy that is totally different (and longer) than the one in Matthew 1. The scholars agree that this passage is the genealogy of Mary, the mother of Jesus. {Dake} Joseph was begotten by Jacob and was his natural son. He was the legal son or son-inlaw of Heli having married Mary the daughter of Heli. As women are never reckoned in genealogies, Joseph, the legal son of Heli naturally took the place of Mary in this genealogy of the natural line of Jesus Christ back to Adam. The natural line always begins with the man himself and goes backward as far as can be but in a royal [genealogy] as in Matthew 1 it begins at the source of the dynasty and ends with himself. Maurice A. West 2007 Page 17 of 146

22 Chapter 4 In this chapter, we have the temptation of Christ, His attempt to win His hometown, and His inauguration in Capernaum. 1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, SAINT S QUESTION: If Jesus was FULL of the Holy Ghost why is it that we think that we DON T need the Holy Ghost? 2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. This Scripture indicates that He was hungry and at the end of the fast the temptations began but other Gospels indicate that the temptations were throughout the fast. {JF&B} Had we only this Gospel, we should suppose the temptation did not begin till after this. But it is clear, from Mark s statement, that He was in the wilderness forty days tempted of Satan (Mark 1:13), and Luke s, being forty days tempted of the devil (Luke 4:2), that there was a forty days temptation before the three specific temptations afterwards recorded. 3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. THE FIRST TEMPTATION. Now that Jesus was at the conclusion of the fast, the devil tempts him to break His fast prematurely and lose the blessing at the end (and he still does this!). The supernatural has given way to the natural and hunger has come upon Him greatly. SAINT S PRINCIPLE: The devil is going to tempt you with something that appeals to YOU (James 1:14). Jesus was hungry and that was where the devil went after Him. But what s the key to this temptation IF you are the Son of God. The devil was not confused about who He was but He wanted Him confused. 4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. Jesus responded to the devil with the Word quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3. Jesus did not let the flesh dictate to Him but He dictated to the flesh. 1 Corinthians 9:27 NLT I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. 5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. THE SECOND TEMPTATION. It s interesting that Luke has the temptations in a different order than Matthew. MYTH: Many teach that the devil was offering Jesus something that was not his. However, verse 6 says, for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. How did the devil get this? He received it from Adam. 8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. This was quoted from Deuteronomy 6:13. 9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: 11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. THE THIRD TEMPTATION. The devil is not finished. No one knows today what the pinnacle of the Temple was but it was obviously some high place within the building. Dake and Josephus speculate as to what it could be. Dake says that it was 700 feet to the bottom of the valley from there. {JF&B} But what Maurice A. West 2007 Page 18 of 146

23 is this I see? exclaims stately Bishop Hall. Satan himself with a Bible under his arm and a text in his mouth! SAINT S PRINCIPLE: If the devil can put a Bible under his arm and get a text in his mouth, why can t we that are saved do at least the same? Why is it so difficult for us to have anything to say for the Lord? In this temptation, the devil tempts Jesus to prove Himself. Jesus whole ministry revolved around people believing Him for the Word s sake. Performing this stunt at the bidding of the devil would nullify the direction of His ministry. Note: it may seem like something harmless but David s numbering the people in First Chronicles seemed harmless also but God called it sin and many died because of that sin. SAINT S PRINCIPLE: Anything done in response to the devil, no matter how seemingly harmless, if it is not sin then, is definitely leading you on a collision course with sin. The devil quotes a verse from Psalms 91:11-12 but omits some key words at the end. Since Jesus used the word, the devil came back with the Word. This is why it is so important to not only know the Word but the intent of the Word. 12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Jesus was not shaken. He quotes from Deuteronomy 6:16. Indeed God has promised to keep us from danger. Shall we then create danger to certify God s Word? God forbid! 13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. Well did James say that if we resist the devil he would flee from us. But just as with Jesus, it will only be for a season. That s why we must also be like Jesus FULL of the Holy Ghost. 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. All of this (the fame because of what He was doing) was NOT done in His hometown of Nazareth. This is an important point to remember as we go into the next passage. 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. SAINT S PRINCIPLE: Jesus was faithful to His church home shouldn t we also be? The events of verses are only recorded in Luke s Gospel. {Nelson s Bible Dictionary} SYNAGOGUE a congregation of Jews for worship or religious study. The word synagogue comes from the Greek synagoge (literally, a leading or bringing together ), which refers to any assembly or gathering of people for secular or religious purposes. Eventually the term came to refer exclusively to an assembly of Jewish people. The synagogue was a place where local groups of Jews in cities and villages anywhere could gather for the reading and explanation of the Jewish sacred Scriptures and for prayer. The original emphasis was not on preaching but instruction in the Law of Moses. A synagogue could not be formed unless there were at least ten Jewish men in the community. Some synagogues paid ten unemployed men a small sum to be present at every service to be sure this rule was met. Synagogue worship has influenced both Christian and Moslem worship. The earliest Christians were Jews. Therefore, church worship followed the synagogue pattern with Scripture reading, prayer, and a sermon. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the Maurice A. West 2007 Page 19 of 146

24 acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. It was customary, just like we do, to have someone else besides the leader of the synagogue to read a Scripture. Once the Lord did this, the people fastened their eyes upon Him (probably in confusion and disbelief) because of the emphasis He placed on the Scripture where it referred to Him. 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. Jesus quoted from Isaiah 61:1-2 but stopped in the middle of the second verse because the rest of the verse had not yet been fulfilled. This first part, however, was fulfilled THAT DAY. 22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph s son? {JF&B} The words of grace, referring both to the richness of His matter and the sweetness of His manner. They listened and marveled at how wonderful the Lord sounded and then came to themselves Hey! Isn t this Joseph s son? In other words, they knew Him (or so they thought) so everything they had heard could not be true. In their minds, He s just a carpenter so how could He be the Messiah? 23 And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. Christ s fame had already begun to get back to His hometown and they didn t believe it. So now they re at a point of saying, Show us something! {Matthew Henry} They were pleased with Christ s gracious words, only because they hoped they were but the introduction to some wondrous works of his. They wanted to have their lame, and blind, and sick, and lepers, healed and helped, that the charge of their town might be eased; and that was the chief thing they looked at. They thought their own town as worthy to be the stage of miracles as any other; and why should not he rather draw company to that than to any other? And why should not his neighbors and acquaintances have the benefit of his preaching and miracles, rather than any other? 24 And he said, Verily, I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. This is an important principle for every Christian worker to understand and realize SAINTS PRINCIPLE: When you get among your own people and in the region where you were raised, you re not looked upon the same way as those to whom you regularly minister. Does this mean you ignore them? No, but you prepare yourself for their potential reaction. However, this principle really upset the people of Nazareth because they wanted to see if what they heard was true. Also, if it was true, why had He made His base in Capernaum instead of Nazareth? Now the Lord moves to the next level and He s about to really upset them. 25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; 26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. Jesus, how dare you! This was probably the response of those from His hometown. How dare He use for an example a Gentile (heathen) woman and the fact the Elijah was sent to her instead of any of the children of Israel! Can you hear their anger rising? Is He comparing us to the sinful Israelites of that day and saying that God is going to pass over us also? 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. Jesus is not moved by the crowd but goes further to press His point. Elisha performed twice as many miracles as Elijah but only one leper was cleansed and he was of the hated enemy of Maurice A. West 2007 Page 20 of 146

25 Israel. There were lepers that brought the news of the end of the horrible siege that Syria had brought upon Israel but they remained lepers. Now they are really upset because Jesus is implying that God is going to pass over His people again. 28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, They were agitated at His nerve in applying Isaiah 61 (an obvious verse pointing to the Messiah) to Himself, they were upset that He had moved His base to Capernaum, and then He had the absolute nerve to say that they were going to be passed over like the sinful Israelites of old. This infuriated them and not just some of them but ALL of them. 29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. 30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way, The angry mob carried Jesus physically to a location where, according to JF&B, they often performed capital punishment on offenders but He escaped by the power of God. It wasn t His time or the Scriptural location so He could not die. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: If you ll stay in the will of God continuing to do His will, what the Lord has promised you will come to pass and you cannot die until it happens unless YOU break the conditions of that Word! 31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath days. After the incident in His hometown, Jesus moved his based of operations to Capernaum, the hometown of Peter, Andrew, James, and John. {Nelson s Bible Dictionary} CAPERNAUM [kuh PURR nay uhm] (village of Nahum) the most important city on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee in New Testament times and the center of much of Jesus ministry. Capernaum is not mentioned in the Old Testament, and the Nahum after whom it was named is probably not the prophet Nahum. In all likelihood, Capernaum was founded sometime after the Jews returned from captivity. By the New Testament era, Capernaum was large enough that it always was called a city (Matt. 9:1; Mark 1:33). It had its own synagogue, in which Jesus frequently taught (Mark 1:21; Luke 4:31 38; John 6:59). Apparently the synagogue was built by the Roman soldiers garrisoned in Capernaum (Matt. 8:8; Luke 7:1 10). The synagogue was a center for the Roman system of taxation; for it had a permanent office of taxation (Matt. 9:9; Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27), and itinerant tax collectors operated in the city (Matt. 17:24). After being rejected in His hometown, Nazareth, Jesus made Capernaum the center of His ministry in Galilee. He performed many miracles here, including the healing of the centurion s paralyzed servant (Matt. 8:5 13), a paralytic carried by four friends (Mark 2:1 12), Peter s mother-in-law (Matt. 8:14 15; Mark 1:29 31), and the nobleman s son (John 4:46 54). As Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee near Capernaum, He called the fishermen Simon, Andrew, James, and John to be his disciples (Mark 1:16 21, 29). It was also in His own city (Capernaum) that Jesus called the tax collector Matthew (Matt. 9:1, 9; Mark 2:13 14). Immediately following the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus delivered His discourse on the Bread of Life near this city (John 6:32). 32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power. {Matthew Henry} They were astonished at His doctrine, there was weight in every word He said, and admirable discoveries were made to them by it. The doctrine itself was astonishing, and not only as it came from one that had not had a liberal Maurice A. West 2007 Page 21 of 146

26 education. His word was with power; there was a commanding force in it, and a working power went along with it to the conscience of men. The doctrine Paul preached hereby proved itself to be of God, that it came in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. 33 And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, Notice where the devil was he was IN the synagogue, the church of that day. The very presence of Jesus made him uncomfortable and he cried out with a loud voice. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: If the devil came to church in that day knowing that Jesus would be there, he ll come to our churches today. Remember this verse to instruct those that have been hurt by the church and feel like everyone in church is a hypocrite. 34 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God. NEVER FORGET The devil knows Jesus and is afraid of Him! He doesn t know Him as Savior. He knows Him as Judge and Ruler, which is why he fears Him even more. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: Since the devil is afraid of our Savior, we don t have to be afraid of the devil. 35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. The NLT says that the devil convulsed the man before he came out but his scheme didn t work. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: The devil is not leaving without fighting so don t put yourself in a position where he can come in. 36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. 37 And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about. Jesus didn t go through all of the foolishness that the so-called exorcists of His day went through. He just commanded the devil and he obeyed. 38 And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon s house. And Simon s wife s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. 39 And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them. Jesus dealt with the fever as a living thing He rebuked the fever and it left her. Whether the fever was due to demonic influence or not is unknown but the Scripture seems to imply that there was some life in that fever. This was all done on the Sabbath because they had just left the synagogue. 40 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. Look at how the people were in bondage because of the false teaching of the religious leaders! The waited until sunset because that was the end of the Sabbath. The Jewish leaders had the people in so much bondage that they refused their healing until they had satisfied their leaders. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: Don t allow people to put you in bondage especially when what they are teaching does not line up with the Word of God. (To understand this principle, you must be able to rightly divide the Word of Truth.) But be careful with this principle because some have found themselves in disobedience because they didn t understand this principle. There s a difference between submission and bondage. Bondage is painful and cruel and must be forced. It has no basis in the Word of God. Submission is a voluntary act of love completely based on and in obedience to the Word of God. 41 And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ. SAINT S QUESTION: Why didn t Jesus allow the devils to reveal who He was? (The answer is in John 2:24-25.) Maurice A. West 2007 Page 22 of 146

27 42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. 43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. 44 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee. The first year of the Lord s ministry, the Year of Inauguration, has fully begun. Maurice A. West 2007 Page 23 of 146

28 Chapter 5 This chapter deals with a number of two s there are two different calls of disciples, two healings and two principles at the end of the chapter. THE CALL OF PETER, ANDREW, JAMES, AND JOHN 1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. We are still in the inaugural year of the Lord s ministry and His popularity is increasing day by day. He is still in Capernaum teaching by the Sea of Galilee (called Gennesaret here) but the crowd is so vast that He is being pressed upon or pushed around. He uses this opportunity to multi-task, as only God can do, and teach the people while blessing His host but He needs seed to bring this to pass. In this case, the seed will be the use of Simon Peter s ship. 4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. Let me give you the West Translation of this verse Simon, thank you for the use of your ship and I want to bless you for that but I need you to exercise faith to obtain your blessing. SAINT S PRINCIPLE: If you plan to obtain your blessing, get ready to launch out in faith. 5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. This is a great act of faith on the part of Peter. He has people working for him that have already worked all night long at a business and a lake that they know very well but without success. In addition, those same people have already cleaned up the nets and they re ready to go home for the day. They ve got nothing to show for their labors, they re tired, and now this fellow is saying to go out again IN THE DAYTIME. An obvious, ugly answer could have been, Preacher, you know preaching and I know fishing. Stick to what you know! However, Peter chose to move in faith. His seed in this faith was the fact that those that worked for him would have to work longer and clean the nets again but Peter chose to trust the Words of Jesus. 6 And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. Net Bible When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets started to tear. SAINT S PRINCIPLE: The Word of the Lord can be trusted! 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. {Matthew Henry} The greatest evidence of the vastness of the draught was that they filled both the ships with fish, to such a degree that they overloaded them, and they began to sink, so that the fish had like to have been lost again with their own weight. When you really begin to look at this passage, you see that this was not just a great catch but an astonishing, miraculous catch. They caught so many fish that TWO ships could not contain them they were BOTH sinking from the weight of the fish! This blessing reminds me of the second half of Malachi 3:10 ( and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.). Maurice A. West 2007 Page 24 of 146

29 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. Peter didn t really want the Lord to leave him but he felt so unworthy before his presence. This miracle convinced Peter that Jesus of Nazareth was Messiah. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. {JF&B} Not their first call, however, recorded in John 1:35-42; nor their second, recorded in Mt 4:18-22; but their third and last before their appointment to the apostleship. When you look at those verses and examine the time period and settings, you ll see that this was the third call. Whether it would have been their last is unknown but it obviously took this miracle to finally convince these men. (When you look at those verses, don t be sidetracked by the fact that they left all in the other calls. They still have their issues because after the resurrection they went back to fishing again.) THE HEALING OF THE LEPROUS MAN 12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. We now go forward in time to an unnamed city to an unnamed man. Notice this man s condition he was FULL of leprosy. ( Diseases that probably included the malady now known as Hansen s disease are described as leprosy in the Bible; segregation and disinfection were advocated as methods of control (Lev ). Leprosy is believed to have existed in Egypt as long ago as 4000 B.C. and in India and Japan earlier than 1000 B.C. Infectious diseases from the East all called leprosy later spread over most of Europe and the British Isles, and the Crusades were a factor in disseminating them still farther, so that by the 13th cent. they had reached epidemic proportions. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia) He may have been at a point where the disease was about to kill him. But also notice this man s faith! He said, My healing will happen based on what YOU want to do. He has no plan B he put his total faith in the will of the Lord to heal him. 13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. This is one of the most powerful examples of the love of the Lord Jesus in the New Testament because it points to His great compassion. Jesus didn t have to touch him to heal him. By touching this man, Jesus made Himself unclean according to the law and risked infection with the same disease. However, His touch was not only a touch of healing but a touch of compassion. 14 And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. The Old Testament Law made provision for the cleansing of lepers and Jesus wanted to make sure he followed the Law. 15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. 16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed. Alright, God has used you. Now what will you do? Will you accept the accolades from God s people or do you want to be like Jesus? He withdrew Himself into the wilderness, and prayed. I have no idea what He prayed about but, if it were me, I would pray that the Lord would continue to use me and keep me humble before Him. Maurice A. West 2007 Page 25 of 146

30 THE HEALING OF THE MAN WITH PALSY 17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. The setting of this passage is during the week in someone s home. We are back in Capernaum according to Matthew 9:1. In this home are many people including dignitaries from all over the country to see about this new phenomenon called Jesus of Nazareth. They came looking to see something and the power of God was there. (It wasn t there for them but for those that came in faith with needs to be healed.) Isn t it interesting how those that really had no real heart for the work of God came early enough to be able to be sitting by while those that so desperately needed God either had to stand or could not find their way in? {Matthew Henry} Christ went on with his work of preaching and healing, though he saw these Pharisees, and doctors of the Jewish church, sitting by, who, He knew, despised Him, and watched to ensnare Him. 18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. According to the New American Heritage dictionary, palsy is complete or partial muscle paralysis, often accompanied by loss of sensation and uncontrollable body movements or tremors. This man s palsy was widespread enough that he was bed ridden. However, look at the faith of his friends! They believed that Jesus was the answer for this man. 19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. The actions of these men were not just actions of determination but of faith (in Christ) and love (for their friend). Another Gospel clearly states that they tore off the roof of the house to get their friend to Jesus. SAINT S QUESTION: What level of sacrifice are you willing to make for the welfare of your friends? 20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. SAINT S PRINCIPLE: Your faith can enable someone else to get what they need from God. Jesus was excited about the faith of the friends and gave the sick man more than what he needed total forgiveness. 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? The scribes often say in the Scriptures that only God can forgive sin. Therefore, we see who Jesus is. 22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? 23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? 24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. 25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. Jesus accepted the challenge of the religious leaders. If one is easy, is not the other? Therefore, to demonstrate the one (forgiveness of sins) He does what seems harder (heals the man)! 26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day. The common people did not allow themselves to be all worked up over whether Jesus blasphemed or not. They were excited about the fact that God had empowered Jesus to do this. Also notice that they didn t focus on the Man with the power but on the Giver of the power. Jesus is living what He preached in the Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may Maurice A. West 2007 Page 26 of 146

31 see your good works, and glorify your FATHER which is in heaven. SAINT S PRINCIPLE: God can keep using us as long as we don t touch God s glory. THE CALL OF MATTHEW (LEVI) 27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. NLT Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector s booth. Follow me and be my disciple, Jesus said to him. 28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him. {Matthew Henry} It was wonderful condescension that he should admit poor fishermen to that honor, men of the lowest rank; but much more wonderful that he should admit publicans, men of the worst reputation, men of ill fame. By this he exposed himself, and got the [bad] character of a friend of publicans and sinners. How do we know that this man, Levi, is the same man that wrote the first Gospel? We compare Scripture with Scripture. Only in the Gospel of Matthew does the author use his name. In Mark and Luke, he is referred to as Levi. However, there is no doubt that this is the same man. Mark 2:14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. Matthew 9:9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. Notice how they all agree. 29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. Matthew was obviously a man of some means. It was a great feast with a great crowd and it was all in his own house. Matthew s friends were those that were in the same business he was in. They were hated among the Jewish people so they stuck together. However, Matthew probably told them that Jesus would be there and this caused them all to want to show up. I wonder if the sinners of our time would be as comfortable coming to a dinner with us or would they make an excuse because of our harsh and judgmental attitudes? 30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? Matthew, in his Gospel, brings out what s really going on. The religious leaders asked the disciples about Jesus eating with publicans and sinners. We see here the spirit of the Pharisee stirring up trouble among God s people by murmuring. We also see here a horrible spirit among those that led God s people. Look at how the New Living Translation puts this verse But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus disciples, Why do you eat and drink with such scum? Friend, is this how you view those that are lost? If so, you ve forgotten where you came from and you have NONE of the heart of God. John 3:16 For God so loved THE WORLD, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. You re not going to win the world by throwing a lasso out of the church windows in an attempt to capture them! We have to be where they are and get in a setting where we can talk with them and they can talk with us. They re not always going to come to Christ the first time you witness, either. They re going to listen and watch listen to your message and watch your life. Will your life line up with your message like Christ s life did? Maurice A. West 2007 Page 27 of 146

32 JESUS QUESTIONED ABOUT FASTING 33 And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink? NLT One day some people said to Jesus, John the Baptist s disciples fast and pray regularly, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Why are your disciples always eating and drinking? People have not changed. They will always question something you do or don t do. Matthew says that these people were the disciples of John the Baptist. They knew the words of John regarding Him and, unlike the Pharisees, came right to Jesus with their question. 34 And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bride chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. As long as Jesus, the bridegroom, was on earth, His disciples enjoyed His presence but once He went back into heaven, THEN shall the disciples of Jesus Christ fast. That THEN yet applies. 36 And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. 37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. 38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. 39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better. Jesus uses this opportunity to tell the disciples of John, who were living in Old Testament truth, that you can t mix the new principles of the New Testament with the principles of the Old Testament. It s like trying to patch an old garment with a new piece of cloth. It will make it look worse because it will make the garment an eyesore. New wine is unfermented wine (non-alcoholic wine). New wine skins would stretch as the wine fermented in them because they still had their elasticity. Old skins no longer had this elasticity and would rupture. The principle He is getting across to the disciples of John is that the Old Testament has gone as far as it can. The rituals and ceremonies of the Old Testament don t fit with the newness of life of the New Testament. Unfortunately, even today, there are those that want old traditions (many that had no scriptural basis) rather than the real truth of the Gospel. They are inflexible and have a greater allegiance to their church or to their idea than they do to Christ. Which one are you? Maurice A. West 2007 Page 28 of 146

33 Chapter 6 The Lord Jesus is challenged on the issue of the keeping of the Sabbath Day, He chooses the Twelve Apostles, and teaches the basic principles of Christianity on the Sermon on the Plain. THE FIRST CHALLENGE OF JESUS REGARDING THE SABBATH One thing that the believer must understand when reading the Gospels is that a major issue with which the Lord Jesus challenged the religious leaders was their interpretation of what could and could not be done on the Sabbath Day. This chapter represents the first, but not last, time He will be challenged on this issue. One recurring theme that you ll see is that it seemed that He intentionally did things on the Sabbath Day (that were right and helpful) to antagonize the religious leaders. This eventually brought the Lord to Calvary. 1 And it came to pass on the second Sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. {McGee} As the disciples plucked the grain and rubbed it in their hands, the Pharisees accused them of threshing the grain on the Sabbath day. Of course they were not breaking the Mosaic Law, as it permitted people to pull the grain (see Deut. 23:24 25). If they had been cutting it with a sickle, they would have been harvesting. But the Pharisees had their own interpretation, and therefore they interpret the action as breaking the Law. 2 And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the Sabbath days? SAINTS PRINCIPLE: The spirit of the Pharisee does not mind accusing people based on THEIR interpretation of what the Scripture says. 3 And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungered, and they which were with him; 4 How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the showbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone? 5 And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath. This example that the Lord used seems to point to the fact that there are some parts of the Law that had some flexibility. ANOTHER CHALLENGE OF THE LORD REGARDING THE SABBATH DAY 6 And it came to pass also on another Sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered. Here we have a second Sabbath event. Dr. McGee believes that the man with the withered hand was planted by the religious leaders. Even if he was a plant, he needed healing. 7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the Sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him. This verse seems to imply that maybe the man was a plant. The scribes and Pharisees obviously expected something to happen and that it would revolve around this man. 8 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. There is no indication in this verse or any of the companion verses in other Gospels that this man ever asked for healing. His faith is tied to his obedience to the command of the Lord Jesus. 9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? 10 And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other. The man s continued obedience paid off with the restoration of his hand. I m sure he didn t care about whether it was the Sabbath Maurice A. West 2007 Page 29 of 146

34 or not. His healing meant that he could take care of himself and do things that he could not do before. Notice that the religious leaders never answered the Lord s very critical question regarding how to keep the Sabbath. 11 And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus. According to Matthew, their madness extended to this point Matthew 12:14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. THE CHOOSING OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES 12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. Every significant decision the Lord Jesus made was established by prayer. In this case, the choice of these twelve apostles has eternal consequences. Revelation 21:14 And the wall of the [holy] city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; In prior classes, the question has come up repeatedly regarding this term apostle and its relevance for today. When we studied the Gospel of Matthew four years ago, we collectively looked at this in some detail. We ll re-look at the notes from that class because the answers are still true: UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF THE APOSTLE IN TODAY S CHURCH 1 Corinthians 28 And God hath set some in the church, FIRST APOSTLES, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. After the establishment of the gifts and the placement of members in a particular location in the body, the development of ministries (offices) begins or goes hand in hand. APOSTLE (Greek) apostolos - A DELEGATE; ONE SENT WITH FULL POWER OF ATTORNEY TO ACT IN THE PLACE OF ANOTHER, THE SENDER REMAINING BEHIND TO BACKUP THE ONE SENT; ONE SENT FORTH BY ANOTHER. Some have said that the apostles were only those that saw Jesus in bodily form and that there were only twelve of them. Therefore, they conclude that the ministry of the apostle ended at the end of the Book of Acts. Others look at this title as popular and use it in place of Reverend or Elder without performing the work of an apostle. Neither position is accurate. Our definition (a delegate, one sent with full power of attorney to act in the place of another, the sender remaining behind to backup the one sent), as applied to apostles in Christianity, means that Jesus sends them to do what He himself would do if He went. Because of this, the apostle must be totally in tune with the perfect will of God the apostle is the complete representation of Christ on the earth. According to Unger s Bible Dictionary, The office was preeminently that of founding the churches and upholding them by supernatural power especially bestowed for that purpose. Here are some of the key reasons for this ministry from the Word of God. THE APOSTLE ESTABLISHES THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH. The role of the apostle must be first for without it the local ministry cannot have proper guidance. Without the apostolic ministry, doctrinal differences cannot be adjudicated. Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the APOSTLES DOCTRINE and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Peter also hit this same theme in 2 Peter 3:2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, AND OF THE COMMANDMENT OF US Maurice A. West 2007 Page 30 of 146

35 THE APOSTLES of the Lord and Savior: (See also Acts 15:22-31.) The commandments and the doctrine of the apostles were vitally important at the beginning of the church age and, because other gifts and ministries don t disappear, they continue to be important. THE APOSTLE IS AN OFFICE THAT ONE IS CALLED TO, NOT APPOINTED TO. Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, CALLED TO BE AN APOSTLE, separated unto the gospel of God. An apostle of the Lord is not one that takes this title upon themselves because it is popular at the time. It is a position to which the Lord calls people. THE SIGNS OF AN APOSTLE ARE SHOWN IN THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT AND THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. 2 Corinthians 12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. Too often just the Gifts of the Spirit are emphasized but the apostle shows forth their ministry in both the Gifts of the Spirit and the Fruit of the Spirit. The apostle should be a deeply spiritual person and, as was the case with the Lord Jesus, one that people truly want to be around. THE OFFICE OF THE APOSTLE IS PART OF THE CHURCH S FOUNDATION ALONG WITH THE PROPHET AND THEREFORE, VITALLY IMPORTANT. Ephesians 2:19-20 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone. The church was compared by Paul to a building. We are all stones in that building but the foundation is based on the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles. The connecting point of both the Old Testament and the New Testament is Jesus Christ, the Chief Corner Stone. What does that mean to us? The ministry of the apostle is a key ministry in the church that must continue to establish foundation principles and doctrines for the church and continue to bridge the Old Testament and New Testament gap. THE APOSTLE AND THE PROPHET ARE THE SOURCE OF REVELATIONS OF CHURCH MYSTERIES. Ephesians 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. The apostle provides revelation knowledge into what God is doing. What does that mean? It means that, for example, no one understood the Rapture of the Church until Apostle Paul, through revelation knowledge, revealed that in 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4. This was not revealed by the Lord Jesus or by the Gospel writers but by the apostles. We need this type of revelation knowledge today to understand what is difficult to understand out of the Scripture regarding the Second Coming of Jesus and the signs that we see in the earth today. Is this ministry still needed or did it end at the death of the last of the Twelve as some affirm? I say, Absolutely YES it is needed and ABSOLUTELY NO it has not ended. The purpose of this ministry reaffirms its importance in this present day with so much error in the church. We especially need the doctrine of the church to be established today more than ever! However, understand that there is a difference between the apostles chosen by the Lord Jesus in this passage and other apostles which He chose (such as Paul). The original 12 have special significance because they were with the Lord through His suffering. Maurice A. West 2007 Page 31 of 146

36 14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, 15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, 16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor. There are some interesting points about some of these twelve men that JF&B bring out in their commentary: Philip and Bartholomew--That Bartholomew is the same with Nathanael of Cana in Galilee is justly concluded for the three following reasons: First, because Bartholomew is not so properly an individual s name as a family surname; next, because not only in this list, but in Mark s and Luke s (Mk 3:18; Lu 6:14), he follows the name of Philip, who was the instrument of bringing Nathanael first to Jesus (John 1:45); and again, when our Lord, after His resurrection, appeared at the Sea of Tiberias, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee is mentioned along with six others, all of them apostles, as being present (John 21:2). James the son of Alphaeus Alphaeus is the same person apparently who is called Cleopas or Clopas (Lu 24:18; John 19:25). He was the husband of Mary, sister to the Virgin. James the Less (this apostle) must have been our Lord s cousin. Simon called Zelotes This should have been rendered Simon, called the Zealot. Probably before his acquaintance with Jesus, he belonged to the sect of the Zealots, who bound themselves, as a sort of voluntary ecclesiastical police, to see that the law was not broken with impunity. and Judas Iscariot--That is, Judas of Kerioth, a town of Judah (Jos 15:25); so called to distinguish him from Judas the brother of James. Of course, Dr. Luke brings out plainly of whom he is speaking when he adds which was also the traitor. THE SERMON ON THE PLAIN 17 And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; 18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed. 19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all. After the Lord Jesus had prayed all night, He had time to attend to those that came from far and near to be healed by Him and He healed them ALL. He also used this opportunity to teach them. The teaching in this section is easily confused with the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew but each writer makes it plain that the location was different. {McGee} The similarity in content indicates that the Lord gave His teachings again and again. In Matthew, there are nine Beatitudes. We see the difference in this passage in that there are only four and then they are a little different. This proves that this is not the same sermon as the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. FOUR BLESSINGS TO THE GODLY IN TRIBULATION 20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. {JF&B} Since God s people are in so many places styled the poor and the needy, with no evident reference to their temporal circumstances, it is plainly a frame of mind which these terms are meant to express. Accordingly, our translators sometimes render such words the humble (Psalms 10:12, 17), the meek (Psalms 22:26), the lowly (Pro 3:34), as having no reference to outward circumstances. But here the explanatory words, in spirit, fix the sense to those who in their deepest consciousness realize their entire Maurice A. West 2007 Page 32 of 146

37 need. This self-emptying conviction, that before God we are void of everything, lies at the foundation of all spiritual excellence, according to the teaching of Scripture. Without it we are inaccessible to the riches of Christ; with it we are in the fitting state for receiving all spiritual supplies. After studying this verse since a child, this explanation by the classic commentators, Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, really brings this verse into focus. The one who wants to enter the kingdom of heaven must realize that nothing they bring with them will guarantee them access they must rely totally upon God and come empty. 21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. You love Jesus and you re going through to the point of hunger? Sure I can quote what David said but I d rather make sure you get a good meal and fulfill the words of the Lord Jesus. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. This Beatitude is not found in Matthew. The promise is that there is a brighter day ahead. Is this for everyone? No, I believe it refers to the godly who are in trials. If you ll hunger and thirst for righteousness, whatever you go through is temporary. Does that always mean that things will be better in this life? NO! But things will be better. 22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man s sake. 23 Rejoice ye in that day, and LEAP FOR JOY: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. Leap for joy? When people hate me? When people separate me from their group and want no part of me? When my so-called friends blame me for everything bad in their life? When they talk about me as somebody evil because of my stand for Christ? Lord, you ve got to be kidding me! Of course He s not. We should take the opposite attitude that we currently take and be excited that, in God s eyes, we are in the same category as His holy prophets. FOUR WOES TO THE UNGODLY IN COMFORT 24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Is it wrong to be rich and love the Lord? No, and the story of Zacchaeus bears this out in chapter 19. However, there are warnings to the rich that Paul brings out. This verse seems to be directed to the godless rich who oppressed the poor and those that love the Lord. 25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. Those that are full at the expense of God s people and find great laughter in mocking the people of God have their day coming. What a time we live in where the Gospel is so readily and publicly ridiculed across the airways! 26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. Is there anything wrong with a good name? No, but even those with a good name have their detractors. Jesus was loved by many but there were enough that hated Him to get Him to Calvary. Let us follow our Perfect Example. FOUR LAWS OF LOVE {DAKE} 27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Christianity is not for the weak and those that cannot control themselves. The Christian must love his enemy. Yes, an enemy one that works actively against you. Your love must extend to your prayer life. Do I make myself a punching bag for them? No, that s not love. Love wants to see their good and prayer is the key. Once you pray, Maurice A. West 2007 Page 33 of 146

38 though, we have to go to the next level and do good to those that hate us. We have to put some feet to our prayers. 28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. Paul picked up this same theme and expanded it in Romans - Romans 12:14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Not only do we bless them, or speak blessings into their lives but we don t curse them at all. In addition, we are to do good to them that hate us and pray for them which persecute us. In that same chapter of Romans, Paul brings out why we should do this - Romans 12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. We re not trying to burn a hole through our enemy s head, as I once stated shortly after coming to the Lord, but we re trying to spur their conscience to repentance and salvation. After all, if we truly love them, nothing else will do. FOUR LAWS OF RETALIATION {DAKE} 29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. 30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. Chinese apostle, Watchman Nee, called these the laws of transcendence. That term means, to go beyond. The Christian must not focus on these distractions but go beyond them to change the situation. Does that mean I become a punching bag? If that s your focus, that s what you ll be. However, if you look beyond the situation and change it by offering more than is expected, the other person is confused and you can focus on living the life of Christ. LAWS OF MERCY AND TRANSCENDENCE TO BE LIKE JESUS 31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. 33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. 34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Nothing more needs to be said on this. FOUR KEYS TO BLESSING 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Pentecostal Holiness (what my denomination is) people can be the most judgmental and condemning people around. Once we find someone that doesn t look holy to us (judging), we put them into a certain category and tell everyone else about them (condemning). This is very important so let me add an example. I once told a friend how impressed I was at the growth a certain church was having in membership and in their radio ministry. I told him how proud I was that a holiness church would grow so rapidly. He immediately corrected me and told me that they were NOT a holiness church because they let the people do whatever they want. Now he had never been to the church (that s what he said!) but he had judged them and by spreading this to me, condemned them. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: If we judge and condemn, it will fall back on us. So what should our response be if we re on the receiving end of a condemning and judgmental Christian? We should forgive them. It s going to be tough because of the pain you ve gone through but you ve got to do it. Don t wait for them to ask but forgive Maurice A. West 2007 Page 34 of 146

39 them anyway. When the paralyzed man in the previous chapter was brought before the Lord Jesus, He forgave him but the man never asked for it. He needed forgiveness more than healing just as people do today. 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. This is the fourth key to blessing. If you give, are judgmental, condemning, and unforgiving, do you think that God is going to bless you? I know you want to say, No! and I do too but since God taught the law of transcendence, He no doubt practices that same law. Therefore, we don t have a clear answer to that question. However, if we are completely obedient to the Word of God and the four keys to blessing, we can count on this good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over blessing. But the final sentence is vitally important because it points to the Law of Sowing and Reaping so don t sow sparingly. CONCLUDING TEACHING IN THE SERMON ON THE PLAIN 39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? Who are the blind that the Lord refers to but the religious leaders of that time. They didn t know God or the way to God but they taught the people the way and led them without know where they were going. 40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. If you continue to follow blind masters, the best you can do is be as good as they are. You have to follow after someone that s going to move you closer to God and not lead you into the ditch with them. 41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother s eye. My dad often said that when you point your finger at someone, you have three more (look at your hand to see this) pointing back at you saying, You watch you! How dare you be judgmental and condemning when you have your own set of faults that you re still working on! If the song, Please Be Patient With Me applies to you, why can t it apply to me? 43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. So you re a Christian? Show this with your fruit. This is not a call for fruit inspectors but a call to the fruit to show forth their sweetness. Fruit can t be fruit inspectors. 46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great. There is a great spiritual principle in this passage. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: If we will hear and do what the Lord says, we can then claim the blessing of eternal security because we cannot be moved. I know this is a tough principle for those that know that I DO NOT believe in the doctrine of eternal security as presented Maurice A. West 2007 Page 35 of 146

40 today however, I do believe that the Christian established on the Rock of Christ is eternally secure. What s the difference? The key is in the part that I ve underlined the stream was unable to shake this house. Those that will hear and do what the Lord says cannot be shaken. But once we start doing things our own way that promise is no longer valid and that s the real challenge of Christianity. Maurice A. West 2007 Page 36 of 146

41 Chapter 7 The Lord heals a Roman soldier s servant, raises a young man from the dead, answers the questions and doubts of John the Baptist, and rebukes a Pharisee. JESUS HEALS THE CENTURION S SERVANT 1 Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. 2 And a certain centurion s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. Before we go on, we need to put this verse in perspective so everyone understands what s going on. NLT Now the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. The centurion is a Roman officer, a Gentile, and the one that is sick is a slave. There is no mention that the slave is a Jewish person so we have two people who have no right to the promises of God at this time but they will obtain them by faith. 3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. The soldier could have easily commanded Jesus to come but he humbled himself and even sent those that would act as ambassadors to persuade Him to come. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: 5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. Notice the testimony of the Jewish leaders that came to Jesus. They proclaimed the man as worthy because he loved Israel and had built them a synagogue. 6 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: 7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. Look at the contrast! The Jewish leaders considered him worthy ( he hath built us a synagogue ) but the soldier did not view himself as worthy to have the Lord come into his house. 8 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. NLT I know because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, Go, and they go, or Come, and they come. And if I say to my slaves, Do this or that, they do it. The awesome part about this verse is that the Roman soldier, the Gentile, has a revelation of the authority of God that many believers don t possess. AUTHORITY The power or right to do something, particularly to give orders and see that they are followed. The word authority as used in the Bible usually means a person s right to do certain things because of the position or office held by that person. This word emphasizes the legality and right, more than the physical strength, needed to do something. {Nelson s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary} In this passage, the authority the Roman soldier believed that the Lord had authority (power or legal right) over sickness and disease and probably over the entire physical body. His level of belief said that, since the Lord has this authority, this authority goes beyond His physical location and can be commanded from wherever He is, just as the soldier s authority can be. Authority is demonstrated in every day life. People behave themselves and drive reasonably well without the presence of a policeman because of the authority Maurice A. West 2007 Page 37 of 146

42 that has already been extended. Therefore, if the policeman shows up, they further humble themselves under that authority (stop speeding, drive better, stop causing a scene, etc.) as the Roman officer has done. 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. {McGee} It is recorded that only on two occasions Jesus marveled. He marveled at the faith of the centurion and at the unbelief of Israel. 10 And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick. Jesus healed a man that He never saw! JESUS RAISES THE WIDOW S SON AT NAIN 11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Nain was about five miles southeast of Nazareth still in Galilee and about a mile walk from Capernaum where the Lord was in the prior incident. This is the only time recorded in Scripture that Jesus visited this town and it s only mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. 12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. Look at this awful situation. We have a mother burying her child and she s already a widow. She has two tragedies in that she has lost her child and she has lost her last means of support. Perhaps the sheer horror of this situation and perhaps her own right standing with God brought many to the funeral. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. Jesus used the same method in raising the dead (Jairus daughter, Lazarus, and this young man) He spoke to them. This looks to that day when He will step out on eternity and speak to the Church with the voice of the archangel and rapture the Church out of this earth. 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. One of the most horrible things to imagine for a mother is to bury their child. Can you picture this woman s horrible situation? She s lost her child plus her financial situation has changed dramatically. There is no Medicare or Medicaid. There are no Link cards. There are no homeless shelters or battered women homes. She has nothing but herself and awful memories of her husband and her son. In the midst of this situation, here comes Jesus. He didn t come to this town by accident. He planned His arrival in time to meet the mother and the young man. The mother may have wished that He had showed up before her son died but, just the same, He showed up after traveling some distance from Capernaum. When Jesus raised this man He changed the plan of God for this man and his mother (a power and right also given to the Church). 16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. 17 And this rumor of him went forth throughout all Judea, and throughout all the region round about. Maurice A. West 2007 Page 38 of 146

43 JESUS TESTIMONY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST 18 And the disciples of John showed him of all these things. 19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? The disciples of John showed him everything that Jesus was doing. It was at this point that John asked an interesting question especially when you remember that it was this same John that announced Jesus to the world (see John 1:15). But by this time, he has been imprisoned by Herod and may now be at a point of discouragement. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: Don t fool yourself. Trials and hard times can change how you think. Therefore, we must stay focused on the Lord Jesus because the trials and hard times did not change Him. 20 When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 21 And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. 22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. 23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. Jesus answered the messengers from John like He answered the devil in His temptation He used the Word. He responded to John with a paraphrase out of Isaiah 61:1-2. This is the same passage that He used to announce who He was to His hometown in Luke 4. He knew that John would clearly understand this even though those of Nazareth did not. 24 And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 25 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously appareled, and live delicately, are in kings courts. 26 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. Knowing what was to lie ahead, Jesus gives His personal eulogy to John the Baptist, His forerunner and His cousin. He was NOT a reed shaken with the wind he was not a man of instability but a man of great strength. He remained focus on his mission and never allowed himself to steal any glory from God. He was NOT a man of dainties and luxuries he did all he could to keep himself unspotted from the world. He was a prophet but not only a prophet; he was MORE than a prophet. 27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. This is in fulfillment of Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. {MacArthur} John was greater than the Old Testament prophets because he actually saw with his eyes and personally participated in the fulfillment of what they only prophesied. But all believers after the cross are greater still, because they participate in the full understanding and experience of something John merely foresaw in shadowy form the actual atoning work of Christ. 29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. {JF&B} [The common people] acknowledged the divine wisdom of such a preparatory ministry as John s, in leading them to Him who now spoke to them (see Lu 1:16, 17); whereas the Pharisees and lawyers, Maurice A. West 2007 Page 39 of 146

44 true to themselves in refusing the baptism of John, set at naught also the merciful design of God in the Savior Himself, to their own destruction. The Pharisees and lawyers were as many today they refused to humble themselves. They viewed themselves as righteous so they had no need of John s baptism. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: When you view yourself as holy enough and in need of no more, you have crossed into the attitude of the Laodicean church (Revelation 3:17) and in danger of hell fire. 31 And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? 32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. 33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. 34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! 35 But wisdom is justified of all her children. Jesus rebuked the people for their unbelief. John came in a style that should have pleased them but they said, He has a devil. Jesus came in another style and received different ridicule. There is a great principle here. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: After you have attempted to satisfy everyone s standard of holiness without satisfying God s standard of holiness, expect to be frustrated because they still won t be happy. CHRIST S FEET WASHED WITH TEARS AT SIMON THE PHARISEE S HOME 36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee s house, and sat down to meat. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: Just because someone invites you into their home doesn t mean they love you. There may be another motive. Remember, stay focused on Jesus! We are all not like Jesus. He could go into a situation that He knew was with a wrong motive and take control over the situation, as He will do here. 37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, One of the most amazing things about the Lord Jesus was that sinners came to Him without fear of condemnation. They came to Him with a level of comfort because they believed in Him more than the religious leaders! Look at the keys to this verse (1) this woman is declared as a sinner, one in obvious and blatant sin; (2) she showed up in the most judgmental area (the home of a Pharisee) because of the presence of Jesus. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: When we allow Christ into our church services, sinners WILL show but they won t be there for us they will be there for Jesus. 38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. One writer stated that it was interesting that she would use the anointment that she formerly used in her life of sin as part of her penance for that life. {McGee} When you had guests in that day, your neighbors had a perfect right to come in and stand along the wall or sit on their haunches and watch. They did not come to comment, only to watch. This woman came in and took her place behind the Lord Jesus. In those days they didn t sit on chairs at the table; they reclined on couches. So Jesus was reclining on a couch, with His feet sticking out in back, leaning on His arm, as He talked across the table to His host. As she stood by the feet of the Lord Jesus, weeping, because her sins had been forgiven, she began to wet His feet with tears and wipe His feet with the hairs of her head. Then she kissed His feet and anointed them with the costly ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a Maurice A. West 2007 Page 40 of 146

45 sinner. Take note of the Pharisee spirit. It does not feel comfortable around sinners and doesn t even want to be touched by them! He is as 2 Peter 1:9 and has forgotten that he was also once a sinner. SIDE ROAD: We Pentecostal Holiness people have to take a hard look at ourselves. In general, we have had, over the years, an ugly, judgmental spirit toward sinners. Have we forgotten that we were also once sinners? Or do we look at the level of sin and say that we never sinned like that? Perhaps we re worried about what people will think. Sin is sin and this is clearly stated in the Word of God. Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. The fearful, unbelieving, and liars (the so-called no harm sins ) will spend eternity with those that this Pharisee classified as a sinner. Let s get free of this attitude! 40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? The two debtors are in debt but their amounts are significantly different. The Lord is drawing out Simon to answer this riddle himself and convict himself as Nathan did with David regarding Bathsheba. 43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. Simon gives the correct answer the one that loves and appreciates the most will be the one to whom the most has been forgiven. Now the Lord uses the same parable to contrast Simon and this woman. 44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. It was a custom to have a guest s feet washed in those days. They traveled mostly on foot and the roads were dusty. Simon didn t bother but the woman did. Who loved Him most? 45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. {Dake} It was a custom that men greet each other with a kiss, not only relatives, but also others. Kissing was an act of homage. Simon didn t bother to do this but the woman lowered herself and kissed His feet. Who loved Him most? 46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. {Dake} Anointing with olive oil mixed with fragrant and costly spices was an act of courtesy and hospitality toward guests. Simon didn t bother with this either but the woman brought her own ointment to show courtesy and hospitality toward the Lord. Who love Him most? 47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. {Matthew Henry} It should be rendered, therefore she loved much; for it is plain, by the [tone] of Christ s [discussion], that the loving much was not the cause, but the effect, of her pardon, and of her comfortable sense of it; for we love God because He first loved us; He did not forgive us because we first loved Him. Maurice A. West 2007 Page 41 of 146

46 48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. What s often forgotten here is that the woman is right there hearing everything. These words of Jesus can calm her fears. She has received what she was looking for because she humbled herself and focused only on Jesus. 49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? Jesus ignored this foolishness. His focus is on this woman who has come for forgiveness. 50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. {Matthew Henry} He would now show that He had pleasure in forgiving sin, and it was His delight; He loves to speak pardon and peace to penitents. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: {Matthew Henry} They who know that their faith has saved them may go in peace, may go on their way rejoicing. Maurice A. West 2007 Page 42 of 146

47 Chapter 8 This chapter presents a number of random events to further present the life of the Lord Jesus: His ministerial supporters, the Parable of the Sower and the interpretation, the Parable of the Lighted Candle, His family tries to stop the work, the man with the Legion of demons is delivered, the woman with the issue of blood is healed, and Jairus daughter is raised from the dead. THE LORD S KEY SUPPORTERS 1 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, 2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, 3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance. This passage is better brought out in the New Living Translation. NLT 1 Not long afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby cities and villages to announce the Good News concerning the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, 2 along with some women he had healed and from whom he had cast out evil spirits. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; 3 Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples. This verse almost seems out of place but Luke is giving us many unrelated incidents to help paint a picture of the life of the Lord Jesus while He walked among us. He was supported by those that benefited from the Gospel which remains the principle for ministerial support. {Matthew Henry} It is the duty of those who are taught in the word to communicate to them who teach them in all good things; and those who are herein liberal and cheerful honor the Lord with their substance, and bring a blessing upon it. THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER 4 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: 5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. When you look at this parable in comparing other Gospels, you ll see that the Lord told this parable to the people AND STOPPED. Later, when they were in the house, the disciples came to Him to receive the understanding. We re used to seeing it all together in one place but in that day many had NO CLUE what He was talking about and were not given the opportunity to ask. 9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? 10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: There is a benefit to being one of His. 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. By likening the Word of God to a seed, the Lord shows us that there are unlimited possibilities by the application of the Word. On the other hand, there can also be great frustration. The seed can remain as it is without growth or it can become immense as we nurture the Word we have received. Maurice A. West 2007 Page 43 of 146

48 There are four categories of hearers in this parable. All of them heard something and all of them allowed the Word to go down into their hearts. In spite of that, only one of these received the immense return available from the Word. Jesus does not address those that are in the location where the Word is sown that DON T hear. 12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. FIRST CATEGORY OF HEARERS: These have heard and allowed the Word to get into their hearts. But they also allow the devil to come into their hearts to destroy the benefits of the Word and they lose all of the benefits that could have come from it. Whose fault is it that the Word did not benefit them? It s THEIR fault. It s THEIR heart and, according to the Scripture, you have to guard it. Proverbs 4:23 NKJV Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. 13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. SECOND CATEGORY OF HEARERS: These receive the Word with joy. They are excited about the Word; however, they have not allowed it to take root in their lives. This hearer will act on the Word for a while but they don t have what they need to hold on to the Word and the devil knows this. The Word will be tested within this person and they will lose because they didn t allow it to take root and transform their lives. Many speak great words about the Word but the Word has not taken root in them. 14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. THIRD CATEGORY OF HEARERS: Don t you see by now that everything is conspiring to kill the Word in you? These hear the Word and act on it (they go forth) but soon they are distracted by life in general and the Word does not come to perfection. The thing that scares me as I write this is that it appears that one can be a great preacher/teacher with a great following and be in this category. We are excited about all-beef hot dogs so we no longer know what real steak is. There s a danger here. I believe in the ability of God to prosper His people but I shudder at the potential price. If prosperity keeps me in this category and does not allow me to move toward perfection, I want no part of it. 15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. FOURTH CATEGORY OF HEARERS: It does not appear that it s difficult to get to this level. Look at the characteristics: honest and good heart, hearing and keeping the Word, and bringing forth fruit with patience. This seems easy enough, doesn t it? But you get to this category, once you have conquered everything in the prior three categories: keeping your heart from hurt and bitterness, developing and nurturing the Word even when temptation comes associated with that very Word, and keeping yourself unspotted from the influence of the world and life in general. Here s the key though: SAINTS PRINCIPLE: We can do it because Jesus will help us. PARABLE OF THE LIGHTED CANDLE 16 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. 17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. 18 Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have. Now that we have been instructed on the value of the Word of God in our Maurice A. West 2007 Page 44 of 146

49 lives, we must move to the next level and act upon it. {McGee} The parable of the candle is one of action. Light creates responsibility. A man who receives the truth must act. We are held responsible to the degree that light has been given us. Once you act, the fact that the Word is working within you will become evident to everyone around. If you allow this to inflate your ego, though, you will lose what you have because you haven t kept your heart. Before leaving this parable, look at that last verse take heed HOW you hear. Compare this with Mark 4:24 and take heed WHAT you hear. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: You have control of what comes in and how you receive it. Use this power wisely to grow in Christ. JESUS MOTHER AND BROTHERS TRY TO STOP HIS MINISTRY 19 Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. 20 And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. 21 And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it. It seems that Jesus is being very disrespectful to His mother and setting a poor example. However, other Gospels let us know that (1) His brothers didn t believe in Him anyway (John 7:5) so their purpose for being there was suspect; (2) this is a companion verse to Mark 3:21 where His brothers sought to lay hold on Him because they felt like He was beside Himself. Also, look at the position of His mother and His brothers they were outside, away from the teaching of the Lord. He has just given some significant truths, which they were not there to receive, but now they want to take advantage of their family position to see Him. Jesus tells us of the new relationship that comes with Him those that hear the Word of God and do it are those that have access to Him. SAINTS PRINCIPLE: The work of the Lord takes precedence over ALL family relationships. However, even with this principle, allow the Holy Ghost to teach you balance. JESUS STILLS THE STORM 22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. 23 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. 24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him. This is an amazing account in the life of the Lord. It has been analyzed many, many times so let s look at it in a different way. First, there is nothing to indicate that it is a parable so we must go beyond the natural to really grasp it. Next, let s get some background and facts. Galilee, which means, circle is both the name of the freshwater lake and the region where it is located. The Sea of Galilee lies roughly 695 feet below the level of the Mediterranean Sea, the second lowest point on the earth s surface after the Dead Sea. It is 13 miles long and 8 miles wide at its greatest width, and up to 157 feet deep. (By comparison, the smallest of America s Great Lakes, Lake Ontario, is 193 miles long and 53 miles wide.) These facts mean that the Sea of Galilee, as I have often said, would be better named the LAKE of Galilee. As you can see from the picture below, looking across the lake is not difficult and the waves and shore are more like what you d see in a lake. Maurice A. West 2007 Page 45 of 146

50 Now that we know something about the Sea of Galilee, let s understand something about those in the storm. The mariners of the ship (the disciples) were fully aware of what to expect on this lake. They grew up around it and had probably endured many, many storms. It reminds me of the book, The Perfect Storm. (Those of you who only watched the movie can t really appreciate the details the author brought out in this true story.) The main characters in the book were seafaring men who were familiar with the waters where they fished. For that reason, they never called in to signal a distress because, in spite of the intensity of the storm, they felt they had it under control. When we put these two facts together, we have a lake that has a storm so violent that it threatens to capsize and sink a ship and we have experienced mariners who have become so afraid of these circumstances that they have run to a carpenter for help. This tells me that the storm is unnatural. {McGee} The intensity of the storm suggests the savagery of Satan. JESUS DELIVERS THE MAN WITH THE LEGION OF DEMONS 26 And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. 27 And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. 29 (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) The Gadarenes were of the tribe of Manasseh Jewish people. Although they were Jews, they paid no attention to the law because they were keepers of swine in direct violation of Leviticus 11:7. This is only one of two times that Jesus came into this region and both times were very brief. When Jesus arrived here, a person that could only be described as being right out of a Halloween movie a literal monster because of what the devil had done to him met Him: He wore no clothes; He had been demon possessed a long time he has lost much time in his life during this time of torment; He lived in the cemetery like one of the monsters you would see in a horror movie; Maurice A. West 2007 Page 46 of 146