Jesus rides into Jerusalem on the donkey...I personally liked yesterdays account and could relate to it best. This is why we have 4 Gospels written by 4 different personalities but all inspired by God.
Jesus clears the temple and we see a human bodily function....verse 11:12 shows that Jesus was hungry and he curses the fig tree...do you remember what this signifies from previous reading?
Jesus says the Disciples can pray for anything....and of course the religious leaders challenge Jesus' authority...remember that things are getting pretty tense and escalating....Jesus is getting ready to be sacrificed this week.
John 12 is a pretty intense chapter...a woman annoints Jesus with perfume...you have read about this woman and her sister and brother. Do you remember who they are? We get a glimpse of Judas...Judas was the treasurer of the group. Jesus knew that he dipped into the funds for his own use sometime....you know how we think we get away with things when there is no consequence right away? Judas makes a pious statment and Jesus tells everyone to leave this woman alone. This perfume was intended for the day of Jesus' burial.
Jesus enters Jerusalem on the donkey...I love verse 18...At first his disciples did not understand all this....Only after Jesu was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.....things were happening right before their eyes that they could not understand until they looked back on it.......don't put Jesus into a mold.......He will never fit what you think......
Jesus explains why He must die...note that He is speaking to more than just Jews......this emphasizes that Jesus came for everyone.....
Even after all this, some people did not believe in him....this fulfills Isaiah's scripture....reminder: Isaiah knew what he was talking about because he had seen Jesus' glory in the throne room (Isaiah 6: 1-4) God hardens their hearts..does this mean that God intentionally prevented these people from believing in hiim? No, he simply confirmed their choices.
The purpose of Jesus' first mission on earth was not to judge people but to show them the way to find salvation and eternal life. When he comes again, one of his main purposes will be to judge people for how they lived on earth. As Beth Moore pointed out in her Revelation study:
IT MATTERS HOW YOU LIVE
Look what comes up from the depths of the sea.
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Ok....you got me....I have racked my brains and can't remember the lesson of the fig tree.....does it have something to do with having faith in God and your fruits (or prayers) will be answered....but if you do not....your fruits (or prayers) will not.
ReplyDeleteI love that I am reading about mary, Martha, and Lazarus today....even though I am behind a few days......pastor Alan was talking about them in church on sunday.....I just love how I am starting to recognize some of these stories .......:) Mary and Martha are the ones who had Jesus in their house and one was busy trying to get things ready and the other sat at Jesus's feet listening.....Jesus also raised Lazarus from the dead.....these three people were like family to Jesus.....my bible says that Mary accepted Jesus' words of His death and resurrection and applied them to her life by humbling herself to God and that she is a mighty woman in spirit.
I like the story of the grain of wheat.....it is a nice way to explain his upcoming death and sacrifice for us.
OK...the fig tree was a popular fruit that was inexpensive. Note that Jesus was hungry so he was looking for fruit. This tree was promising, but as you got closer, there was no fruit. Jesus curses the fig tree....This could symbolize Israel...As my study Bible says: Fruitful in appearance only, Israel was spiritually barren.
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