He Marveled Because of Their Unbelief1
Our loving Lord has left us many priceless parables in which he made great truths clear. He deserves our love for lowering himself to our level of understanding.
Matthew 13:31-33; 44-58
31[Jesus] put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
Mustard of this kind is common in Palestine. Nothing at its beginning could be smaller, or less noticed, than the church of Christ. But nothing in the end will be so great and honorable. Already many happy souls, like birds, are resting in its branches.
33He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
It works silently, mysteriously, and powerfully. And so do good or evil influences work in society.
44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (The first man represents the sinner who is converted suddenly. He finds Jesus even though he was not looking for him. The second man is the diligent seeker who has been seeking Jesus and finally discovers him. They both agree that their treasure is of the highest value. Do we value Jesus like this? Is he very precious to our hearts?)
47“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49So it will be at the close of the age. Then angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (No church will be perfect here. The pure church is above.)
51“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
53And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” (Foolish people live in all ages. They like things that are hard to understand and that come from great distances. They would despise gold itself if they could dig it up in their own garden. Such folly led the people of Nazareth to do the Lord a great injustice and to rob themselves of many priceless blessings. We may fall into the same kinds of error is we allow prejudice or fancy teachings to rule our judgment.)
58And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. (Unbelief ties the hands of the incarnate2 God. It is to be feared that the reason for the slow progress of true religion at this time is found in the unbelief of the people of God.)
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1 Mark 6:6
2 incarnate - In human form, in the flesh, in physical form, in bodily form. “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.” (2 Corinthians 5:19 NASB.)
Year Two, May 2
Even Winds and Sea Obey Him1
Matthew 8:18-22
18Now when Jesus saw a great crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. (He avoided popularity. To be followed by an admiring crowd was no joy to him. He gave the order to sail at once, however they did not leave the area until some time later.) 19And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
It was a rare thing to meet with a scribe who had any respect for the Lord. We fear that even this friendly member of that profession was not a spiritually enlightened person. He thought he was capable of making any sacrifice. Those who do not have the Spirit of God often think they are able to do anything they put their mind to. Those who have been taught by God discover they can do nothing of themselves.
20And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Was this scribe willing to share such deep poverty? We are very doubtful. Could we ourselves follow Jesus wherever he goes?
“Have you counted the cost?
Have you counted the cost,
You warriors of the cross?
Are you fixed in heart, for your Master’s sake,
To suffer all earthly loss?
Can you bear the scoff of the worldly-wise,
As you pass by pleasure’s arbor,
To watch with your Lord on the mountaintop
Through the dreary midnight hour?”2
21Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
Jesus understood that this person was just making excuses for delaying his commitment. There are always enough people to deal with earthly business. When the Lord calls us to do his work, we must leave all lesser concerns to those who are responsible for them.
Mark 4:35-41
35On that day, when evening had come, [Jesus] said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. (They hurried him away, because he was quite worn out from his work and the crowd was growing bigger.) And other boats were with him. 37And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Jesus always cares for us. Even though he seems to be sleeping and allows our troubles to multiply, all is well.) 39And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace, Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Who but God could speak like this? What are people thinking who can read these words and not see that the Son of Man is truly God the Son?
40He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Awe came over them and well it should. They understood that no mere human could do what he had done. Jesus, Master, in all our troubles we will call on you and you will answer us! Our heart rejoices in you, and sings:
“Away, despair; my gracious Lord does hear!
Though winds and waves assault my keel,
He does preserve it; he does steer,
Even when the boat seems most to reel.
Storms are the triumph of his art;
Well may he close his eyes, but not his heart.”3
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1 Matthew 8:27
2 We are uncertain who the author of the poem is. We have found it attributed to Jane Eliza Leeson (with the title, “Counting the Cost”) and also Elizabeth Wilson (with the title, “Have Ye Counted The Cost?”), both circa 1850.
3 George Herbert (1593-1633).
Year Two, May 3
The God of Peace Will Soon Crush Satan Under Your Feet1
Mark 5:1-21
1They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 2And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. (The evil spirit had made him wildly insane and given him supernatural strength. Therefore he was a terror to the district over which he roamed, making night and day a terror with his horrifying screams.)
5Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. (The evil spirit was required to bow down at the Redeemer’s feet. This is a reminder that, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under [our] feet.”) 7And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” 8For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” (Many demons had crowded into this one poor creature. It would appear that all the fallen angels were let loose on mankind at that time. But our Lord was more than a match for them. A legion of soldiers was 6,000 men. We do not know how many demons there were inside this poor man, but if there had been 6,000,000 Jesus could have conquered them all.) 10And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.
Evil spirits cling to this world and are terrified with the thought of being returned to “eternal chains under gloomy darkness.”2
11Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” (They would rather torment poor pigs than have no evil work to do.) 13So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.
A most righteous judgment on the owners of these pigs. They were Jews and had no right to keep unclean animals.
14The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. (What folly! Yet many do this. They would prefer to not be convicted by the gospel and therefore politely ask it to leave and go somewhere else. It will be an evil day for them if Jesus grants their request and leaves them to themselves forever.) 18As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
Jesus gave this man happy, holy, and useful work. It is the same assignment he gives to each of us.
20And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
21And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea.
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1 Romans 16:20
2 Jude 1:6, “And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day.”
Year Two, May 4
If I Touch Even His Garments, I Will Be Made Well1
Mark 5:22-43
22Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing [Jesus], he fell at his feet 23and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” (She was his only daughter2 and therefore very dear to him. Her father’s faith was very bold, because he hoped to see her raised up even though she was at the point of death. But it was not as great as the centurion’s who thought that Jesus could cure by his word without even seeing his servant in person.) 24And he went with him.
And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” (Contact with Jesus is life. The touch of faith delivers healing goodness to the soul. Her disease made her timid, so she came up from behind and stole the cure. Yet she demonstrated unusually strong faith. Many believed that Jesus could heal with a word, but she was the only one who believed that even his garments had healing power in them.)
29And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32And he looked around to see who had done it. 33But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth.
This was for her benefit. Otherwise, she might have gone away thinking there was power in Christ’s clothing regardless of whether he willed to heal her or not. By showing that he knew what had happened, the Lord gave this woman a clearer understanding of who he really was.
34And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
35While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” 36But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.
These were hired mourners who were paid to mimic sorrow and make loud cries of grief.
39And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40And they laughed at him. (Because they were quite sure that she was dead. And by laughing at our Lord, they became the best witnesses to the fact that she really was dead and that no trick was being played on them. The child really was restored to life.) But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. 41Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. (Oh that Jesus would go to the houses of his people in the power of his Spirit and raise all the spiritually dead. There are dear little girls whom we love very much who do not have the new life within them. We will pray for them and hope that the word of the gospel will save them.) 43And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
When we see young people converted, we should try to feed them with those truths that are intended to grow them and comfort their hearts.
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1 Mark 5:28
2 Luke 8:42
2 Luke 8:42
Year Two, May 5
Proclaim the Gospel to the Whole Creation1
Matthew 9:27-38
27And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”
Dr. Adam Clarke has well said, “A man who already knows he has no merit already has a measure of heavenly light. He understands that he should cry for mercy, that he must be sincere in praying, and that he must follow Jesus Christ as the true Messiah, the son of David expected from heaven.”2
28When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” 30And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.” 31But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.
They had been firmly asked not to do so and therefore they were wrong. Our case is exactly the reverse, for if we do not bear witness to the power of divine grace in our souls we will be extremely guilty.
32As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 33And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” 34But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”
35And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. (Diligent effort to do good was our Lord’s response to enemies who criticized him. Follow his example.) 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (This is a prayer that is very seldom made and that is why there are so few real laborers for God. It should be our prayer every day. Our Lord’s life was an answer to his own prayer.)
Matthew 10:1-15
1And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
5These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. 9Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.
They were not to provide for themselves, but have others supply their needs. God’s servants should be supported by those among whom they labor.
11And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. 12As you enter the house, greet it. 13And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 15Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.
The Lord warns of the most serious penalties against those who despise the preaching of the gospel. Have we received the good news or will we die in our sins? These questions require our urgent attention and prayerful answers.
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1 Mark 16:15
2 Adam Clarke (1760-1762). This quote is from his comment on Matthew 9:27 taken from his Commentary On the Whole Bible.
Year Two, May 6
Do Not Fear Those Who Kill the Body1
We will continue reading our Lord’s message to the twelve apostles whom he sent to preach the gospel.
Matthew 10:16-39
16“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. (Special qualities are needed for a life that involves undeserved suffering. We need the common sense that prevents others from wronging us, as well as the gentleness that keeps us from wronging others.) 17Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”
Though they lacked the wisdom of the world, they were not to worry about how they should respond to accusers whom the world considers well educated. The gospel is its own best defense and the Holy Spirit is the best defender.
21“Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.
26“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. (Our assignment is to proclaim the gospel whether we suffer because of it or not. To hold back our testimony would be deadly sin.) 28And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Our heavenly Father’s care for us is so careful and precise that we should order all of our fears to leave us. If he takes care of us even to every hair on our head, then we are certainly safe.)
32“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
34“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. (The ultimate result of the gospel will be peace, but before it reaches that there must be a struggle. People who are controlled by their human nature will oppose the truth and therefore battles will occur.) 37Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Some have denied their faith to keep from being burned at the stake and ended up burning in their own beds. Many others have feared the pains of persecution and jumped into the flames of hell by refusing to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord.
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1 Matthew 10:28
Year Two, May 7
They Went and Told Jesus1
The sensation caused by the mission of the twelve apostles spread through all classes of society.
Mark 6:14-29
14King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” (Where there is an inactive faith there is usually a busy imagination. Herod would not obey John’s religion, but he became the slave of superstition. His conscience did not bother him enough to stop him from murdering the good man; but it bothered him enough that he was not at peace after his cruel deed.) 15But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 17For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. 18For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
This was faithful preaching. What good is a pastor if he does not tell us our faults?
19And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. (Herod is a warning to us. He not only listened to John, he listened attentively and with delight, and up to a certain point he was also a doer of the word. Surely this was a sign of good things to come. And yet, Herod became the murderer of the very man who he had listened to with so much respect. If hearing the gospel does not change our nature, it has done little or nothing for us.)
21But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” 23And he vowed to her, “whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” (Herod had probably become drunk during the banquet and that caused him to make such a careless promise and confirm it with an oath. When immorality dances in the presence of drunkenness no good can come of it. This young girl danced the prophet’s head off. We have never read that any good ever came of dancing that could begin to offset this kind of evil. For a child of God to join with the thoughtless in their pointless dances, would be as unbecoming as for an angel to wallow in the mud.) 24And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.”
25And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. (Or as Matthew tells us, “They went and told Jesus,” which was the very best thing they could do. Happy are they who have learned to take all their sorrows and troubles to Jesus. Let us speak with him now in our prayer.)
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1 Matthew 14:12
Year Two, May 8
The LORD…Satisfies You With Good1
Mark 6:30-44
30The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. (Ministers are accountable to their Lord for both what they do and what they teach. They should not do or teach anything that they would be ashamed to tell their Master about.) 31And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.
The most active servants of God cannot always be stretching their bodies and minds. They must have times to relax. Their tender Master was careful to provide it for the apostles and those who are of the same spirit should allow overtired ministers to have scheduled times to enjoy a little needful time away from their work.
Jesus took his apostles to a place where they could be alone, because spending time in a crowd is not the rest ministers need.
33Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. (No public announcement was needed to gather a crowd. People were eager to hear Jesus and they flocked “like doves to their windows.”2 They were all the more eager to listen to the preacher because they realized he was leaving the area. If we knew how soon good ministers will be called home to heaven, we would be far more eager to profit by them while they are spared to us.) 34When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. (He was not angry at losing his rest, but ready to bless the people, because he saw their need.)
35And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” (This is the disciples’ way out of the difficulty. They can take care of themselves, therefore “send them away.” We hope something will be done to help the needy and there we leave it.) 37But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” (“You give them something to eat.” The command sounds very harsh when the funds are low!) 38And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass.
In this way the Lord provided an excellent dining hall, magnificently carpeted with green grass and immense in size. And there his guests sat down in groups for they were about to enjoy a royal feast.
40So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. (This was not a mad rush to the table, but a royal banquet.) 41And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42And they all ate and were satisfied. 43And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
When Jesus blesses our inadequate gifts, he makes them enough for the feeding of thousands. It is our duty to do our best and trust in the Lord to make it useful. Lord, help us to do so.
Your providence is kind and large,
Both man and beast your bounty share;
The whole creation is your charge,
But saints are your peculiar care.
My God! how excellent is your grace,
From where all our hope and comfort springs;
The sons of Adam in distress,
Fly to the shadow of your wings.3
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1 Psalm 103:5
2 Isaiah 60:8, “Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows?”
3 From a hymn by Isaac Watts (1674-1748) based on Psalm 36.
Year Two, May 9
Lord, Save Me1
John 6:14-17
14When the people saw the sign that [Jesus] had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” 15Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. (Jesus again refused the crown of an earthly kingdom, just as he did when the devil tempted him in the wilderness.)
16When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
Matthew 14:24-33
24But the boat by this time was a long way from land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. (With the wind against them, their sails offered little help. By midnight they had only reached the middle of the lake.) 25And in the fourth watch of the night (when the morning was drawing near) he came to them, walking on the sea. (Trench has beautifully said: “In the first storm (Matthew 8:23-27) Jesus was in the ship with them; and so they must have felt all along that if things got worse, they could wake him up. The mere fact that he was physically there must have given them a sense of relative security. But Jesus does not want them to depend only on his bodily presence. They must not be like ivy that always needs an outward support. They must be like strong trees in the forest that withstand the strong blasts of the wind. So this time he puts them forth into the danger alone, just as a loving mother-bird thrusts her fledglings from the nest, that they may find their own wings and learn to use them. By doing this the Lord will awaken in them a confidence in his ever-ready help. They could never have imagined that Jesus could walk on the sea and may easily have lost hope that help would ever reach them. Yet the Lord does not fail them. When he has tested them to the uttermost, ‘In the fourth watch of the night,’ he appears beside them. In this way he teaches them a lesson for the rest of their lives: In all the coming storms of temptation, he is near them. Even though he may not always be seen by their bodily eyes, and however cut off from his help they may seem to be, yet he is indeed a very present help in trouble.”2)
26But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
28And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29He said, “Come.” (He gave him permission.) So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. (What a remarkable feeling this must have been for Peter. How joyful and yet how trembling he must have been! What wonders his faith performed!) 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” (Where he had half hoped to be distinguished for superior courage he reveals his lack of confidence and is humbled as a result. Only unbelief made Peter sink. He took his eye off the Lord and looked at the raging waves. Have we not acted in much the same way more than once?)
31Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (First, Jesus rescued Peter and then gently scolded him. If he spoke like this to Peter, what would he say to some of us who are far more unbelieving?) 32And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (They clearly understood that he was God and they adored him.)
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1 Matthew 14:30
2 From Notes on the Parables of Our Lord by R. C. Trench (1807-1886). Verse quoted is from Psalm 46:1
Year Two, May 10
Sir, Give Us This Bread Always1
Those who followed Jesus for the wrong reason soon found that he did not care for their company, and left them, without them realizing it. If we attend places of worship with worldly motives, we will one day find out as these people did, that, “Jesus was not there.”
John 6:22-34
22On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
John is particular in noticing that our Lord gave thanks. Spiritual minds notice and remember most the spiritual parts of any action. The Jews notice the bread and the fish, but the beloved disciple was most pleased with the giving of thanks. Oh to have such a spiritual eye!
24So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
25When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” (They had a lot of zeal and showed outward respect, but it was blind and selfish. Therefore, the Lord paid little attention to it.) 26Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”
With one infallible glance he read their hearts. They imagined that they were fond of him and his kingdom, but he knew their hearts were ruled by far more earthly things. He told them this plainly to their faces and instructed them to reach beyond the mere concerns of this life.
27“Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (The most godlike work, the greatest, and most acceptable, is that we believe in Jesus. Faith is, after all, the highest of works and no one has it except those in whom God himself has placed it.) 30So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” (They wanted feeding again, and thought that by such talk they would persuade the Lord to make them another banquet. They spoke of bread from heaven, but they did not really care where it came from, as long as they could fill their stomachs with it. It is a wonder that Jesus had patience to listen to their greedy and devious insinuations.)
32Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” (Some asked in honest ignorance, expecting Jesus to supply them with food everyday for nothing. But others only said this to insult him and make fun of him. If the Lord would give them bread the rest of their lives, then they would believe he was the Messiah, but not unless he did. But without meaning to, these unbelievers have provided us with a prayer we can use every hour. It is full of meaning and exactly expresses our need and our desire. Let us carry it with us all this day as our heart’s wish and prayer: “Lord, give us this bread always.”)
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1 John 6:34
Year Two, May 11
I Am the Bread of Life1
John 6:35-50
35Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. (In this case he spoke without using parables and made his meaning clear to all who wished to understand it. Faith feeds on Jesus and satisfies the soul.) 36But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. (Their unbelief was proof that they were not his. But even though they rejected him, others would come to him. The Lord Jesus will not be left without followers. Jesus receives all who come to him in true belief, whoever they might be. This verse is as full of encouragement as a honeycomb is full of sweetness.) 38For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Some people are fascinated with the decrees2 of God and spend a great deal of time studying them. Here is one they will do well to always keep in mind: Every believer has eternal life. No secret decree can contradict this public proclamation of heaven.
41So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— (His preaching did not concern them. They had no reason to get all worked up and grow angry. Jesus was not an all-important part of their lives. If they had been his elect, they would have believed. Their wicked unbelief was enough evidence to show that the bread he came to give was not the kind they cared for and that they were not the people for whom it was provided.) 46not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.”
This plain and unlimited statement from the mouth of Jesus himself should greatly encourage and comfort all who believe. Do you trust in him alone? Then you have life, life that can never die, life that will be fully developed in eternal happiness. Do you feel that you do not have everlasting life? Nevertheless, if you are trusting in Jesus, the fact is undeniable and you certainly possess eternal life. Whatever your feelings may be, Jesus knows what he says, and his words are true. Believe it because he says so. What better reason can you ask for?
48“I am the bread of life. (The real bread, bread for the soul, the bread of immortality. Jesus is the bread of life to all who trust him.) 49Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.” (They only ate bread for the body and the body died. Jesus gives bread for the soul and he who eats of it lives in joy forever. Has everyone in this family trusted Jesus? Are we all feeding on him? If not, may the Lord work faith in us at this very moment.)
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1 John 6:35
2 decree - An official order, command, proclamation, law, ruling, decision. Usually from a king, judge or head of state.
Year Two, May 12
Do You Want to Go Away as Well?1
John 6:51-71
Our Lord continued his message about the bread of life and declared:
51“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
52The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (They took his words literally, just as the Roman Catholic Church does today. They were too earthly minded to understand that the soul feeds on the great truth that God became a human being, “being born in the likeness of men.”2) 53So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. (He was not referring to the Lord’s Supper. It had not been established yet and it is not absolutely necessary for salvation. The dying thief did not receive a sacrament and yet he was with his Lord in paradise as soon as he died. The eating and drinking Jesus talked about here is spiritual and only those who have been born again can have a part in them. These words of Jesus search the heart. Multitudes of people who profess to be Christians have no personal experience of this spiritual feeding that our Lord meant.)
54“Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
Involvement in the person and work of Jesus leads to a lasting joining with him, and a close and dear fellowship with him.
57“As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.”
This truth cannot be repeated too often. Eternal life can only be ours as we accept the incarnate3 God by faith and make him the life of our soul.
58“This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers are, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.
60When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” (The natural person begins by misunderstanding the Lord’s words and then then kicks against them. Only those who have been enlightened by the Spirit of God will see the beauty of the mystery of faith. Others will object and eventually leave.) 61But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) (He knew that with many the Spirit did not accompany the word. For those it would be only the unpleasant odor of death, but this was in no way a disappointment to him, because he already knew this would happen.4) 65And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
66After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 70Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him. (The eternal purpose of God to save his chosen works its way by sending forth the enlightening Spirit on those ordained5 to life. These who have been made alive believe the gospel and are revealed to be the chosen of God. The rest do not receive the truth and never will. May each of us think deeply about this and determine whether we have a part in electing love.)
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1 John 6:67
2 Philippians 2:7
3 incarnate - In human form, in the flesh, in physical form, in bodily form. “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.” (2 Corinthians 5:19 NASB.)
4 2 Corinthians 2:15-16a, “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.”
5 ordained - Ordered, commanded, willed, predetermined.
Year Two, May 13
Set Your Mind and Heart to Seek the LORD Your God1
Mark 7:1-23
1Now when the Pharisees gathered to [Jesus], with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, (It was a sign of stormy weather when these harmful birds came together.) 2they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, 4and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) 5And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” 6And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,
“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
7 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” (These were the ancestors of our modern liturgical churches. Their services must have a formal appearance and include useless rituals, and a great fuss is made about the style and color of the priests’ robes.)
9And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! (The keeping of human commands always leads to the neglect of God’s commands. Superstition strangles true religion.) 10For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban’ (that is, given to God)— 12then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” (If an ungrateful son did not want to provide help for his parents when they asked, all he had to do was say he gave the money to the synagogue, and he was free from all obligation to support his parents. This was a strong example of the way that tradition replaced the law of God. But there were many others our Lord could have quoted, because the rabbis openly elevated their traditions above the law of Moses. In their Talmud2 we read, “The words of the scribes are more noble than the words of the law; for the words of the law are both hard and easy, but the words of the scribes are all easy to be understood.”)
14And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” (Godliness is not made up of food or drink, in feasting or fasting. No food or drink, unless it leads to overeating or drunkenness, defiles the body. Tradition makes a big deal about outward behavior, but the gospel gives only a little importance to it.) 16[If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.]3 17And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (In this way, the Lord explained what true spiritual religion is. Holy hearts are everything and food for the body has little significance. Obedient lives are appropriate and avoiding particular foods or drinks is only of a little value. We do not need to worry about food nearly as much as we should be concerned about our behavior. How our bread is made is not important, but having hearts that are free from evil desires and hypocrisy is.)
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1 1 Chronicles 22:19
2 Talmud - The books of Jewish civil and ceremonial law, made up of the Mishnah and the Gemara.
3 Verse 16 is included by the ESV translators in a footnote beginning, “Some manuscripts add verse 16,” etc.
Year Two, May 14
Lord, Help Me1
Matthew 15:21-28
21And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.
Though he did not go out of Palestine, which was the field of his ministry, he made sure he covered it all.
22And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”
The Lord’s silence tested her faith, but it did not crush her. She continued to beg him to help her daughter.
24He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
He seems to deny her, and even gives a reason for not helping her, but she would not stop.
25But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”
Her request was short, intense, and to the point. As we grow more earnest our words usually become fewer.
26And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” (The miracles were for the Jews, the favored children, and not for Gentile dogs.) 27She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” (She would not be denied. She responds by pointing out that, even though this was a huge request from her, to Jesus it was only a crumb that could be tossed to a dog. If the Lord would call her a dog, then she would only ask for what would be given to one. She broke the hard bone of our Lord’s apparently harsh words and quickly found the marrow of comfort in it. Oh, blessed faith that will not be rejected!) 28Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
Mark 7:31-37
31Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. 34And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. (Here was a sermon acted out for the benefit of a man who could neither hear nor speak. He took him aside, because grace makes people understand they are individuals and that God deals personally and individually. He put his fingers into his ears and touched his tongue, because we must know something about the disease, that is the evil within us, or we will not appreciate the answer to our problem. He spit, because the gift of grace is simple, and to some even disgusting. He looked to heaven, because that is from where our help comes. He sighed, because he heals us by carrying our sorrows in his own person. The entire gospel is illustrated in this man’s affliction and cure.)
36And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (When a beggar goes door-to-door asking for a handout and finds someone who helps him, he tells others about it and many more come to that house. In the same way, the crowds around our Lord grew daily and he was able to meet all of their needs. Blessed be his name. He is still just as willing and able to supply all of our needs. Let us tell him right now about all of our needs and sorrows and we will also be astonished by the wonders of his grace.
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1 Matthew 15:25
Year Two, May 15
My God Will Supply Every Need of Yours1
Mark 8:1-9
1In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2“I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.”
Some spiritual teachers think it is beneath them to provide anything for the physical needs of their hearers, but our Lord was intensely human and humane. He could not look on hunger and faintness without pity.
4And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.”
That is the question! How much ability do you have? For most, figuring out how much organization would be required to evangelize thousands might be just idle guesswork. But for each one of us to firmly decide to do our own share of the work is common sense.
6And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. (The hands that multiplied the food were surely those of the world’s Creator. Who can doubt the Godhead of Jesus? Lord, prove your Deity by making the labors of your poor church be a rich blessing to millions.) 9aAnd there were about four thousand people.
Matthew 15:39 through Matthew 16:1-12
39And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan. 1And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
How trying it must have been to our Lord’s holy and passionate soul to be haunted by these spies! Yet he was never caught in their traps. His holy wisdom is an example for us. We too are watched.
2He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.”
The signs of coming judgment were clear enough. None are so blind as those who will not see.
4“An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.
5When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Meaning their sour, hypocritical, complaining spirit, and faulty teaching.) 7And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread. 8But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 11How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (The disciples were like mere children and yet Jesus continued to treat them very kindly. He will do the same with us.)
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1 Philippians 4:19
Year Two, May 16
The LORD Opens the Eyes of the Blind1
Mark 8:22-38
22And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him.
Our Lord never had long to wait before another case of sickness or disability was brought to him. If we are wise, we will make it a habit to take our own problems and sins to him. One touch of that dear hand will make us whole.
23And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” (He did not see clearly, like some of us when it comes to spiritual things. But when our Lord begins a cure he makes a perfect work of it. In the meantime, it is a great mercy to understand as much as we do.) 25Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”
27And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. (At that time, Jesus wanted to avoid publicity and he had wise reasons for commanding silence. However, at this time, we may spread his fame as much as we please. The more we praise him publicly the more he will be pleased.)
31And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
In his great love Peter could not stand to hear his Lord talk of suffering even to the point of death. But his affection still did not excuse his glaring disrespect.
33But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan (or you adversary or opponent)! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
It was extreme disrespect on Peter’s part to scold his Lord, and the Master could not allow his servant to put a stumbling block in his way by urging him to avoid suffering and death. He counted even his best friend to be an adversary when he stood in the way of his work of love. Lord, you were angry with Peter because you loved us so much that you refused to spare yourself.
34And calling the crowd to him with his disciples he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.”
Not only must Jesus make a sacrifice of himself, but the spirit of selfishness must be driven out of all whose desire is to be saved by him, and they also must be willing to die for the gospel’s sake. And there is no shame in doing so, because those who give up all earthly things to gain the heavenly treasure will be proven to have acted wisely.
36“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
These are serious and truthful words. Let us not leave this room until we have asked for grace; grace to never be ashamed of the name of Jesus, or his people, or his teachings, or his ordinances,2 or his commands.
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1 Psalm 146:8
2 ordinance - Religious rite or ceremony specified by God. Spurgeon would mean Baptism and Communion.
Year Two, May 17
His Face Was Like the Sun Shining in Full Strength1
Most of the time our blessed Lord led a life of humiliation. However, to keep people from completely forgetting his divine nature, he would occasionally pull back the curtain and reveal a portion of his majesty. In today’s reading we see how he did this in a special way on the holy mountain.
Matthew 17:1-9
1And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. (A quaint writer says our Lord took Peter because he loved Christ most, John because Christ loves him most, and James because, next to these, he loved and was loved the most. The Lord knew the men whom he had chosen and concluded that these three would be the best eyewitnesses of his glory.) 2And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. (As a sample of the glory in which he will shine forever, he put on the robes of his almighty godhead for a moment and dazzled the eyes of his disciples. He humbled himself greatly during his time here on earth when he concealed his divine nature. He is brighter than the sun, and yet he lowered himself to be “despised and rejected by men.”2)
3And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.
The law and the prophets are in harmony with Christ. When we see the glory of Jesus we see their light sweetly blending with his own.
4And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
Peter did not know what he was saying. He felt, as we often have too, that he would be glad to continue in sweet meditation and holy fellowship with the Lord, and not need to return to the rough, unfriendly world.
5He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.
Astonished and overcome, they fell down as if they had been knocked senseless.
“When in ecstasy sublime,
Tabor’s glorious steep I climb,
At the too transporting light
Darkness rushes o’er my sight.”3
We are not yet able to handle too clear a view of the glory of our Lord. But before we enter heaven, we will be strengthened to see the wonder of God in all his glory.
7But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
And that sight was enough. To see Jesus only is all that saint or sinner requires or needs to wish for.
9And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”
The mind of Jesus rushed forward to his death and resurrection. Mount Tabor could not make him forget Mount Calvary. Christ crucified should always be most dear to us, because it was for our sakes that he despised the shame of death, and looked on dishonor as glory, that he might redeem us to himself.4
Peter, in his epistle, writes about this transfiguration of our Lord and the confirming voice of the Father.
2 Peter 1:16-18
16For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17For when he received honor and glory from the God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.
The apostles, by seeing the transfiguration, were confirmed in faith and enabled to witness for their Lord to all generations.
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2 Isaiah 53:3
3 From a hymn by James Montgomery on, “The Three Mountains, Sinai, Tabor, and Calvary.”
4 Hebrews 12:2, “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” And, Titus 2:13b-14, “Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”
Year Two, May 18
I Believe; Help My Unbelief1
Mark 9:14-29
14And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. (From glory on the mountain to conflict in the valley is a very common experience.) 15And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. (Our Lord’s face, like Moses,2 no doubt still shone from the glory he displayed when he was on the holy mountain and Moses and Elijah appeared with him. It is remarkable that, even though they were greatly amazed, the people ran to him rather than from him in terror. The glories of Jesus are always attractive.) 16And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.”
Without their Master they could do nothing. They were like soldiers attacked by the enemy when their commander is away. His coming soon changed the course of the battle.
19And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. (Problems often come to their worst before they get better. The evil spirit had great anger, and raged with all his power, because he recognized that his time was running out.) 21And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23And Jesus said to him, “If you can! All things are possible for one who believes.”
The Savior puts the responsibility for the unbelieving “if you can” where it belonged. The lack of power never lies in Jesus, but in our faith.
24Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief! (Here is a prayer that is most appropriate for many struggling believers, in whom faith and unbelief are battling for control.) 25And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” (Our Lord ordered the demon as someone who had authority over him. Let us place our confidence in Jesus who has “all authority in heaven and on earth”3 given to him.)
26And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “His is dead.” 27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28And when he entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer [and fasting]4.” (God reserves certain blessings, and decides to give them only to those who offer persistent prayer and practice self denial. Even if disciples fail, their Master succeeds. We may take the most desperate case to him; we may take our own.)
How sad our state by nature is!
Our sin, how deep its stains!
And Satan binds our captive minds
Fast in his slavish chains.
But lo, we hear the Savior call,
He comes to our relief:
“We would believe your promise, Lord,
Oh, help our unbelief.”
Stretch out your arm, victorious King!
Our reigning sins subdue;
Drive the old dragon from his seat,
With all his hellish crew.5
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1 Mark 9:24
2 Exodus 34:29, “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai…Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.”
3 Matthew 28:18
4 The ESV translators include “and fasting” as a footnote beginning, “Some manuscripts add,” etc.
5 Isaac Watts (1674-1748).
Year Two, May 19
Have Salt in Yourselves1
Mark 9:33-43; 48-50
33And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house [Jesus] asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. (This was the old evil, and it broke out in many ways and at surprising times. The Master spoke of his death and the disciples spoke of greatness. He was infinitely superior to the best of his followers. This is no more evident than when his unselfish nature is compared to their selfishness. Oh, that we may have the grace to stay clear from this defect of the apostles!) 35And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”
38John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” (John thought that anyone who was not in complete agreement with them must be stopped and his fellow apostles shared the feeling. They had all the zeal of denominations that think only they have the truth and that all others are not truly Christian. This unknown worker honored the name of Jesus and demonstrated the Lord’s power. One would have thought that the apostles would have recognized him as a brother. But no, “He was not following us” was enough to sour all their brotherly kindness. They tried to stop the good man from casting out any more demons, or do anything more in the name of Jesus. This was an example of churchianity, but, as we will see in the next verse, it was not Christianity). 39But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40For the one who is not against us is for us.
Even if the man himself were not sincere, yet, for the sake of his reputation, he would not openly oppose the Lord. His goodwill was assured, because he would not criticize the name he used when working his wonders. If the proud professors of Christianity, who reject any and all who disagree with them, would at least remember that those whom they despise are not enemies of Christ, they might treat them with a little more careful thought than they do now.
41“For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
42“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin (or cause to stumble), it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. (Be on your guard! Do not allow any word or action of yours to cause any child of God to sin.) 43And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire, 48where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. (There is a worm that does not die and a fire that will never be put out. Let people say what they will, the wrath of God remains forever on those who die unsaved. It is worth making any sacrifice rather than to fall into hell forever.2) 49For everyone will be salted with fire [and every sacrifice will be salted with salt].”3
We must be tried with fire either here or hereafter. Self-denial is the salt and obeying our Lord’s will is the fire of our sacrifice in this life. Otherwise, the never ending misery of the wrath of God will be the continuous salt and the overwhelming fire for us in another world. If is far better to accept the light afflictions of today, rather than to endure the fierce flames of damnation.
50“Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
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1 Mark 9:50
2 John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
3 The last part of verse 49 is included as a translators’ footnote that begins, “Some manuscripts add,” etc.
Year Two, May 20
Whenever You Stand Praying, Forgive1
Matthew 17:22-27
22As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.
He often spoke to them about his death and resurrection. They gradually understood his meaning and the more they understood the more their sorrow increased. He always kept his death in view and often reminded his followers about it before it took place. Now that his suffering work is finished, the hearts of his people should look back on it and never forget it.
24When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 25He said, “Yes.” (As usual, Peter spoke too quickly. He should not have committed his Master to paying this questionable fee.) And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” 26And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.”
This payment was not one God had commanded. The Mosaic law provided for the expenses of the temple and the support of the priests in other ways. God never gave instructions for this annual tax. In the Lord’s day, eastern kings imposed tribute only on the citizens of the countries they conquered and not on their own people. There is no reason to think that the King of Grace would tax his own family.
27“However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel (a silver coin worth four drachmas). Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.” (He paid what was demanded, but he did it in such a way as to prove he was truly the Lord. He paid as only God could do.)
Matthew 18:21-35
21Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. (If he was talking about silver, these talents were worth about $250,000,000.00, if about gold, then over eighteen billion dollars.2) 25And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii (or about four months very low wages), and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ (The debt was a very tiny fraction of the one his master forgave him.)
29“So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ (This was the same attitude and the same words that had moved the master to compassion, but the forgiven servant turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to them.) 30He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
God will deal with each of us using the same rules that guide our own life. If we adopt an unfriendly and severe way of acting toward others, then we must expect the same standards to be carried out in our case.
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1 Mark 11:25
2 Spurgeon gave values for his day. We have estimated the value with silver at $20.00 per ounce, gold at $1,500.00 per ounce, and the ESV Weights and Measures appendix “A talent was about 75 pounds.”
Year Two, May 21
Do Not Judge by Appearances1
John 7:2-24
2Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. 3So his brothers said to [Jesus], “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5For not even his brothers believed in him. 6Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” (Our Lord’s relatives did not yet understand him. What little faith in his Messiahship they may have had was one that selfishly wished for him to become a man of influence, so they could share in his honor. Meanwhile, he was bringing hostility and abuse on himself, because he was honorably rebuking the sins of the times. We see here a wide difference between the Lord Jesus and his closest relatives. He lived for others while they, until they became renewed in their hearts, lived only for themselves.)
9After saying this, he remained in Galilee.
10But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” 13Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him. (By saying, “for fear of the Jews” John meant mainly the rulers of the people. The people were so much afraid of these great ones, that they spoke only in whispers when talking about the hostility their leaders had for Jesus.)
14About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.”
His teaching was not from himself. The Father, who had sent him, authorized it.
17“If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?”
How sad these words are! The loving heart of Jesus was wounded by their ingratitude and cruel hostility against him.
20The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21Jesus answered them, “I did one deed, and you all marvel at it. 22Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? 24Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
Excellent advice! We would all do well to follow it. We should not allow ourselves to be swayed by the prejudice of others or influenced by first impressions. Good people and good things are often despised. Truth and holiness have often been criticized and abused by mankind. All is not gold that glitters and there is much real gold that never glitters at all. May we be taught by the Holy Spirit to hate that which is evil and admire that which is good and true. May we always be found on the Savior’s side.
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1 John 7:24
Year Two, May 22
If Anyone Thirsts, Let Him Come to Me and Drink1
John 7:25-39
25Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?”
There were various opinions and theories about who Jesus was. Everyone who had come up to the feast was interested in him. Jesus always causes people to respond. They cannot remain indifferent. They are compelled to take one side or the other when it comes to who he is. The fearless way that our Lord faced the crowd led many to ask whether the rulers were actually afraid of him after all.
27“But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” (There was an unsettled opinion among the Jews that the birthplace of the Messiah would be hidden in mystery. There was a large amount of truth in this belief. The very fact that they knew his family was from Nazareth was a stumbling block that got in the way of their accepting the claims Jesus made.) 28So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” 30So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”
There was good reason for them to ask this question. If people will not accept Christ as a Savior, then what kind of Savior do they want?
32The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” (They did not need to be in a hurry to do away with him, because he would soon be gone.) 35The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?”
His teaching was so big hearted that it could be acceptable to Gentiles as well as Jews. The Jews understood this, and it may be part of the reason his teaching irritated them.
36“What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”
37On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Jesus kept in the background until just the right moment. Then he came boldly forward to deliver one of the clearest and fullest gospel messages on record. This was a Sabbath day and no ordinary work could be done, including drawing water. Using thirst as his starting point, Jesus freely proclaimed his salvation. His grace is free and it succeeds in its work. The results of grace are lasting, uplifting, purifying, and saving. Faith receives the grace of God and the soul lives. Without money and without price the blessing of eternal life is presented to the believer in Christ. Let us bless that dear Redeemer who at this moment still cries aloud, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”
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1 John 7:37
Year Two, May 23
No One Ever Spoke Like This Man1
John 7:40-53; 8:1
40When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” 41Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was? 43So there was a division among the people over him. (Sermons do not produce the same effect on all minds. Even when the Lord himself was the preacher some believed and some did not believe. Among those who did believe there were various degrees of faith. May God grant that when we hear the word we may be led to accept it and feel its power in our innermost souls. In our Lord’s day, one reason for unbelief appears to have been ignorance. His hearers knew that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. But they thought Jesus was born in Galilee and therefore they could not believe in him. If they had taken the trouble to investigate, this stumbling-block would soon have been taken out of their way, because they would have learned “he was of the house and lineage of David,”2 and was born in Bethlehem, just as their scriptures had prophesied. If we remain in unbelief through intentional ignorance, we will have no one to blame but ourselves.) 44Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.
Yes, even in the Redeemer’s congregation there were malicious hearts that remained unsoftened by his message of love. They wanted to repay his affectionate zeal by making him their prisoner, but fear kept them from doing so.
The Lord’s enemies among the rulers were now determined to seize him and put an end to his teaching. They sent officers to arrest him; but these returned empty handed.
45The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” (They had been spellbound by both what he said and the way he said it. The Pharisees were forced to hear their own servants sing the praises of Jesus. If we have ever heard the Lord Jesus speak in our hearts, we will fully agree with the opinion of the officers. Speak to us now, oh Lord, and we will “rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.”3) 47The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?”
This is an old and foolish objection. Leaders and famous people are wrong as often as they are right. Human authority is a very doubtful yardstick for measuring truth.
49“But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” (Again, this is an old and worn out method for opposing the truth. These enemies paint those who believed in Jesus as an ignorant mob, a hateful and annoying gang. Do not be surprised, the world has always scorned believers in Jesus and will continue to despise them.) 50Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51“Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?”
This was well spoken. Nicodemus may have been timid, but when he saw that his help was needed, he spoke out and he spoke wisely. His blow was aimed at the heart of their prejudice! People who hate Christianity and her Lord would do well to answer Nicodemus’ question.
52They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.” [53They went each to his own house, 1but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.]4
He had no other choice. Sleep was for everyone except the Savior. He went to meditate and to pray. Blessed Lord, what an example you have set for us by turning to sacred solitude!
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1 John 7:46
2 Luke 2:4
3 1 Peter 1:8
4 The ESV includes a footnote indicating, “Some manuscripts do not include” verses 7:53 and 8:1.
Year Two, May 24
From Now on Sin No More1
John 8:2-112
2Early in the morning [Jesus] came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them.
Jesus prepared himself for a day of labor and opposition by a night of prayer. Whenever we expect double work or conflict, it is wise to prepare for action by spending special time in prayer. He who has been victorious in heaven by praying has no reason to be afraid when facing his enemies. Our Lord calmly began to teach, even though he knew that his enemies were planning to destroy him.
3The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”
Notice the cunning of these foxes. If the Lord condemned the woman to die, they would accuse him of going beyond his authority, and making himself a ruler. If he let her go, they would charge him with being the friend of immorality.
6This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. (He wrote on the ground to show his unwillingness to get involved with the matter, and to give time for their consciences to work. Rather than unmasking their scheme immediately, he gave them time to retreat if they were wise, or invite a crushing defeat if they persisted with their foolishness.) 7And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. (He knelt down this second time to allow the accusers time to slink away unobserved by him and they quietly took advantage of their opportunity.)
9But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.
The Pharisees’ trap failed to catch their victim, but instead, it caught them. Stunned by the blow with which Jesus struck them, the wicked hypocrites took to their heels, feeling extremely foolish for being forced to reveal their hypocrisy.
10Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11She said, “No one, Lord.” (Dr. Brown well observes: “What matchless tenderness and grace! Conscious of her own guilt, and until now in the hands of men who had talked of stoning her, she is awed at the skill with which her accusers had been dispersed. This and the grace of the few words addressed to her would incline her to listen to our Lord’s admonition, with a reverence and teachableness before unknown.”) And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” (“He does not declare that she is pardoned like the, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace’ he said to the woman who anointed his feet. Much less does he say that she had done nothing which condemned her. He simply leaves the matter where it was. He does not interfere with the civil authorities or act like a courtroom judge in any way. But in saying, ‘from now on sin no more,’ which had already been said to one who undoubtedly believed, more is probably implied than expressed. If this brought her suddenly to conviction of sin, to admiration of her Deliverer, and to a willingness to be admonished and guided by him, then this call to begin a new life may have carried with it what would guarantee and naturally bring about a permanent change.”3)
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1 John 8:11
2 The ESV translators include a footnote mentioning that some manuscripts do not include the Scripture portion used in today’s entry.
3 Quote is from Dr. David Brown from his comments on this passage in the Bible commentary commonly known as Jamieson, Fausset and Brown or JFB. Scripture quoted is Luke 7:50. Scripture referred to is John 5:14. David Brown (1803-1897) outlived Spurgeon by five years. He was the principal of the Free Church College of Aberdeen from 1876 until his death.
Year Two, May 25
Before Abraham Was, I Am1
Our Lord pleaded with the Jewish people and set the truth clearly before them, but their response was disapproval and rejection. We have an example of this in:
John 8:31-59
31So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
At this point, the quarrelsome party among the Jews interrupted him and proudly boasted that they were already freemen.
33They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
34Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
39They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” 42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”
48The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” (When they cannot win a debate, people usually take to making empty accusations. When a point with little or no truth to it is exposed, its supporters are likely to defend it by abusing the person shining light on their position.) 49Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ 53Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”
54Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” (The sorrows of our Lord made him appear to be nearly fifty years old, even though he was only a little over thirty.) 58Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
By saying this, Jesus declared that he was God the Son and that he has always existed. But they would not believe in him.
59So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
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1 John 8:58
Year Two, May 26
The Eyes of the Blind Shall Be Opened1
John 9:1-23
1As [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, (That is to say, neither the sin of his parents or his sin was the cause of his blindness.) but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. (Jesus used mud, but the effectiveness was not in it. In fact, it would seem that mud would hinder rather than assist. The Lord often uses the most unlikely ways to help his people.)
8The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” (He was an outspoken, unshakeable man with uncommonly good sense. He ended the disagreement in one short sentence: “I am the man.”) 10So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” (His statement was as clear as it could be and as brief as possible.) 12They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
13They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. (And so the old quarrel began again, as they came up with a new reason for opposing the Lord Jesus.) 15So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” (He used very few words and yet the statement is accurate and leaves nothing out.) 16Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” (He was convinced the man who gave him his sight was at least a prophet and he was not ashamed to proclaim it. When he knew more, he was just as definite and outspoken. If the Lord has given us spiritual sight, we should be just as ready to be as positive and outspoken as this remarkable man. The cause of God needs many champions right now who will speak out for Jesus whether it offends or pleases those who hear. May the Lord make us like this man.)
18The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22(His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) 23Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
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1 Isaiah 35:5
Year Two, May 27
One Thing I Do Know1
John 9:24-41
24So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”
Smooth words, but full of spite. However, they did not trick the determined man to whom they were spoken.
25He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
That was enough for him and he could not be tricked out of it. Surely the man who had opened eyes that had never before seen light before could not be a guilty person.
26They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?”
He turned from his defense to offense and warmly attacked his questioners. They were so determined to find fault that he refused to go over his story again.
28And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” (This was impressive reasoning; the man’s eyes were open in more ways than one.) 34They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out. (Fault finding and persecution are the old weapons of those who have all of their arguments answered, but refuse to be convinced. We must expect such things in the same proportion as our enemies feel the power of our words.)
35Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
Happy it is for us that Jesus is sure to come to us when people cast us out for his sake.
36He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. (Not being a Socinian,2 the divinity of Jesus was clear to him, and he acted accordingly. If the eyes of Unitarians3 were opened, they would worship Jesus.) 39Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” (This process continues. The wise are made fools and the fools are made wise. The foolishness of people who brag about how much they know about Jesus is seen more easily. Meanwhile, honest people who recognize their ignorance and are cautious about trusting their own judgment are taught by God. Lord, make us to be counted among those whose eyes rejoice in your light.)
40Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.”
If they really could not see, they might be excused. But there were quite guilty because they were sinning against the light that is Jesus and bragging about it.
Light of the world, our eyes unseal,
Your miracles in us recount;
Now on our eyelids place the clay,
And send us to Siloam’s fount.
Light of the world, our praises hear;
You have our darkness turned to day.
Though foes may mock, we will not fear,
But all your glorious work display.4
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1 John 9:25
2 Socinian - An adherent of a religious movement in the 16th and 17th centuries that professed to believe in God and the Bible, but denied that Christ was God the Son.
3 Unitarian - Pretty much a Socinian in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
4 Author unknown. Found in at least two 19th century hymnbooks.
Year Two, May 28
I Know My Own and My Own Know Me1
John 10:1-18
1“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. (Those false shepherds who did not come as the Scriptures authorized were robbers attempting to benefit only themselves.) 2But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. (Jesus came according to prophecy, in the correct and prescribed manner.) 3To him the gatekeeper opens. (John the Baptist knew him and opened the door for him.) The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
In eastern villages there was a stone enclosure outside the town. The flocks of the townspeople were kept within it at night. When the owner of any one of the flocks wanted to lead his sheep out to pasture, the gatekeeper would let him in and call his sheep. His sheep knew his voice and he would soon have his sheep separated from the rest.
4“When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
The only thing the shepherd needs to do is call his own sheep and they will follow him. No one can deceive them. If a stranger were to dress in their shepherd’s clothes, the sheep would notice the difference in his voice.
6This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.”
The elect of God were not deceived, but waited until the true Christ came.
9“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
This is the best expression of his goodness! It is the greatest sign of his love! The false shepherds were all about what they could get, but Jesus loved us, and gave himself for us.
12“He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, (A common understanding exists between Jesus and his people. He recognizes every one of them and they do not follow a false shepherd who pretends he is their Lord. Grace gives the saints spiritual direction and they know their leader from all others.) 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16“And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. (The Gentiles were not in the sheepfold and were like stray sheep. By grace the chosen Jews and Gentiles are now united in one flock.) 17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
As God, our Lord Jesus held his life absolutely in his own power. Nothing could force him to die, but for our sake he became the servant of the Father and “bore our sins in his body on the tree.”2 He obeyed the Father by laying down his life for us. Blessed be his glorious name forever more.
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1 John 10:14
2 1 Peter 2:24
Year Two, May 29
My Sheep Hear My Voice1
John 10:19-40
19There was again a division among the Jews because of these words.
Christ laid down his life for his sheep2 and now calls out his own sheep from the flocks of others. The gospel is a great divider and every Lord’s day it reveals its power in dividing the sheep from the goats. Those who hear and obey are saved; those who are disobedient are condemned by their own consciences.
20Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” 21Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
22At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. (In this way, Jesus could reach the people who assembled there in the shelter from the stormy, wintry weather.) 24So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. (These were clear, bold words. They were not his sheep and therefore they had not recognized him. Had they been his chosen, they would have received him gladly. This doctrine is very irritating to human pride.)
27“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (The chosen are doubly secure. They are held by the hand of the Son and the Father. In that double security they are beyond all danger.) 30I and the Father are one.”
31The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. (They would not tolerate his claiming to be one with the Father. Sadly, there are people living today who will honor Jesus as man, but when we speak of his Godhead they are filled with anger.) 32Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” (He absolutely was God. Being the good man he was, he would never have claimed to be what he was not. If Christ Jesus is not God, then he is an impostor and we are idolaters.)
34Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 36do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? (Here was an answer designed to cool their rage. If in some sense the Jews had been called gods,3 then they should not have been so certain that it was blasphemy for Jesus to claim to be the Son of God.) 37If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.
40He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained.
Having delivered his testimony, our Lord again went to a quieter place. What affect do his words have on us? Do we follow in his steps? Let each answer as if we were standing before the all-knowing Lord.
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1 John 10:27
2 John 10:15
3 Psalm 82:6, “I said, “‘You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you.’”
Year Two, May 30
He Whom You Love Is Ill1
John 11:1-19
1Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3So the sisters sent to [Jesus], saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”
Sickness is no stranger in the homes of the saints. However much we may be the Lord’s favorites we cannot claim an exemption from illness or bodily injury. However, in our case it is not sent as a punishment, but as a way to bless, because “the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.”2
4But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Blessed is that illness that brings glory to God. It is a sickness that is better than health.
5Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
His love made him slow in coming to Lazarus! This seems strange. We would have hurried to our friend’s home, but Jesus who loved better than we do, was in no hurry. Our almighty God is the source of divine patience.
7Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” (His disciples were right in wishing to keep Jesus from danger and he was righter by not avoiding danger when duty called.) 9Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
He was safe until his hour came and therefore he continued his work in spite of the evil intentions of the Jews. He had been granted only so much time on this earth and he intended to work to the end of it regardless of the opposition he met.
11After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” (Anything that helps our faith is a blessing for which we should thank God.) 16So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (Thomas showed bravery by saying, “Since our Master is willing to expose himself to such danger, let us go with him, even if it means sharing his fate.” It is far better to die with Christ than to desert him in the hour of trial.)
17Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. (Visiting those who had lost a loved one was a general practice in those times. People were simply doing what was expected of them, but it provided very little comfort to the two grieving sisters. More than anything, they wanted to see the Lord. Without Jesus our friends are miserable comforters. A little while ago we read about Jesus at a wedding and in this passage we find him on the road to a funeral. He is involved in everything that concerns us and most of all in our griefs. Do we have a family problem? Let us send for the Master. His presence will make all things work for good.
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1 John 11:3
2 Psalm 103:13
Year Two, May 31
Do You Believe This?1
John 11:20-37
20So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. (Martha had eagerly expected the Lord to come and her energetic spirit led her to go out to meet him. In this she is an example to us: Our faith and hope and prayer, should “seek the Lord while he may be found [and] call upon him while he is near.”2 We must not judge Mary, but we may do well to remember that it is a temptation to Christians who meditate a lot to sit too still in times of sorrow. There have been Marthas who have been “distracted with much serving”3 and there have been Marys who have been distracted with much worrying.) 21Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”
Her complaint of his not being there when Lazarus was dying was very gentle and her faith in his power to restore her brother was far too pleasing to Jesus for him to be displeased by what she said. How inclined we all are to think that if the Lord were with us we would not be in trouble. But the truth is, it is when we are afflicted that his gracious presence is sensed the most.
23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (It would be well after hearing any scriptural truth, to ask ourselves this question: “Do you believe this?” We should be firmly grounded in the truth that Jesus is the source, cause, and first fruits4 of the resurrection.) 27She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
28When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”
Jesus probably said more than is recorded here and asked for Mary in particular. In the gospel Jesus asks about each one of us.
29And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (Falling down at his feet showed the deep reverence Mary had for the Lord, yet she complained using the same words her sister used. We all find it hard to understand why the Lord permits heavy trials into our lives.)
33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35Jesus wept. (This little verse is full of great teaching. It shows both the humanity and the sympathy of Jesus. It is always the mourner's most precious comfort.) 36So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” (The Jews were amazed, but we should not be. His love for us is wonderful. “See how he loved him” can truly be said about his love for each of his servants.) 37But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” (Of course he could, but they did not have the wisdom to understand that he who could preserve life could also restore it. People often stand on the doorstep of faith and yet die in unbelief.)
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1 John 11:26
2 Isaiah 55:6
3 Luke 10:40
4 1 Corinthians 15:23, “But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.”
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