Incarnation to Resurrection
Incarnation to Resurrection roughly three and one-half
years, in 12 weeks, Sunday through Friday (six days) per week
Day Fifty-eight of Eighty-four:
Today, we read a section of text that
covers, using KJV phraseology, Jesus’ plain teaching about children - “…Suffer little children, and forbid them not,
to come unto me… for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
- Matthew 19:14, KJV. In more modern,
plain and dare I say more readily understandable English, Jesus said:
“Leave the children alone, and don't try to keep them from coming to Me, because the kingdom of heaven is made up of people like this.” - HCSB
Additionally we read today of Jesus’ teaching on a subject that causes (or, if not causes, certainly and unquestionably contributes to) much divinises and strife in the body of Christ (His Church, across all denominations) - prosperity. The story of “The Rich Young Man” or “The Rich Young Ruler” as it is sometimes referred to. We’ll cover this text again later this week, on Day four, in Mark 10. Today we’ll focus on Matthew 19:16 - 30. In this section of Scripture we’ll read, perhaps the single most widely referred to text by those who oppose (or even challenge) Christian prosperity, Jesus said - “…go, sell what you possess and give to the poor…” Matthew 19:21 and Matthew continues, in the very next verse, to explain that - “When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” Matthew 19:22
“Leave the children alone, and don't try to keep them from coming to Me, because the kingdom of heaven is made up of people like this.” - HCSB
Additionally we read today of Jesus’ teaching on a subject that causes (or, if not causes, certainly and unquestionably contributes to) much divinises and strife in the body of Christ (His Church, across all denominations) - prosperity. The story of “The Rich Young Man” or “The Rich Young Ruler” as it is sometimes referred to. We’ll cover this text again later this week, on Day four, in Mark 10. Today we’ll focus on Matthew 19:16 - 30. In this section of Scripture we’ll read, perhaps the single most widely referred to text by those who oppose (or even challenge) Christian prosperity, Jesus said - “…go, sell what you possess and give to the poor…” Matthew 19:21 and Matthew continues, in the very next verse, to explain that - “When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” Matthew 19:22
Thus this
collection of Scripture found in Matthew 19 and (as we’ll see in a couple of
days) also in Mark 10, is a favourite of those who wish to “prove” somehow that
G-d ‘hates prosperity. There is an underlying
problem with that “theology”, though, you see.
While there is absolutely NO doubt that Jesus very plainly told this one
Rich Young Ruler to ‘sell all that you have and give to the poor’, this is but
one of three distinct examples of Jesus speaking very frankly with what we
might call, Rich Folk.
It is an
interesting study to read that in both of the other two cases, Nicodemus John
3, and Zacchaeus Luke 19:8 – 9, Jesus
said nothing about ‘selling all’. While
the fact of their wealth appears to be common knowledge, to Jesus and those
around Him, nowhere do we read anything of Jesus telling either Nicodemus, or
Zacchaeus (two people for whom those who seem ardently opposed to the
"prosperity" teachings, love to evade) to ‘sell all that you have and
give to the poor’! Nowhere. For more information on Nicodemus, or
Zacchaeus, please see the Blog from Saturday, December 3rd, 2016 entitled
- “The
Prosperity Gospel”.
Also in today’s text
we read of Lamenting over the soon pending future for Jerusalem. - Luke 13:31 -
35 The wedding feast, described in Luke 14:7 - 11, is also an
interesting piece of text. In this text we read how Jesus describes something
that Paul expands on greatly in I Corinthians 1:20 - 25, about (in short)
the difference between traditional men’s values (whether through Hebraic or
Hellenistic mindsets). Jesus describes
in verse 10 (of Luke 14) how we, when we are invited to a special function, should
- “...go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say
to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’.” It is
interesting to me, as a simple side-bar note, that Jesus Earthly Ministry was
kicked off with a Wedding Feast, at Cana, John 2:1 - 12
(we covered this text back on “Monday, January 15th, 2018 Day Nine”, and now… as we
draw nigh to the end of Jesus’ Earthly Ministry, we once more read of a Wedding
feast. Alas, I digress… the point - “…when your host comes he may say
to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’.”
That too right
there ^ ^ ^ that, my friends, is…
GOOD NEWS! Now let that sink & sync
in for a spell, Shalom my friends…
We’ll leave reading the rest of the text for you individually.
We’ll leave reading the rest of the text for you individually.
I’ve taken the liberty of assembling a weekly chart of daily readings to cover the chronology
Week 9
Matthew 19 - 20,
Mark 10, Luke 12:13 - 19:27
Day 1 Matthew 19:1 - 12 Mark 10:1 - 12 Luke
12:13 - 59
Day
2 Matthew 19:13 - 30 Mark Luke 13:1 - 14:11
Day 3 Matthew Mark 10:13 - 16 Luke 14:12 - 15:32
Day 4 Matthew 20:1 - 16 Mark 10:17 - 31 Luke 16:1 - 17:19
Day 5 Matthew 20:17 - 28 Mark 10:32 - 45 Luke 17:20 - 18:34
Day 6 Matthew 20:29 - 34 Mark 10:46 - 52 Luke 19:1 - 27
Shalom!
“No Jesus, NO peace” and yet, “Know Jesus, KNOW peace”
How does one get to “know” Jesus? Simple, invite Him into your heart, as Jesus
says: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and
opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” [Revelation 3:20 NIV]
How can be assured that this Jesus stuff means anything? Well because the Bible tells us so, as the
Apostle Paul wrote:
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is
Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it
is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” [Romans 10:9-10 NIV]
And for those of you who say to me, I
can’t be bothered reading the Bible, “it’s confusing” or “it’s a waste of my
time”, may I draw your attention to what the Bible says about wisdom: “The fear
of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is
understanding.” [Proverbs 9:10 NIV]
If nothing else, PLEASE read two chapters
from the Bible – (don’t own one, sorry NO excuse, if you’re reading this, you
can access this: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:16&version=NIV) John 3 and John
14!
John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the
world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life.”
And John 14:6 says: “Jesus answered, “I am
the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
me.”
Well that’s it, that’s Da Bauz’s Take on, “Incarnation
to Resurrection, Day Fifty-eight of Eighty-four” – this 5th day of March
2018 © 2018, All Rights Reserved. wr (Da Bauz, Christian Zionist “creationist”
too!)
Pray for the peace
of Jerusalem...
What is #RAD? #RAD
is:
R epent of
rejecting Christ
A ccept Christ as
your Lord
D evelop your
relationship with G-d
#RAD your
relationship with the Living Almighty God Himself as your personal Lord and
Saviour depends on it!
What is #ATEND G-d
(Christ)? Ask me!
What is #IIC714?
II 2nd
C hronicles
7:14
John 3:16,
Revelation 3:20, Romans 10:9 -10, Revelation 21:27, II Corinthians 5:21 and I
John 5:13 / John 20:31!
Shalom
Cited or consulted sources and resources
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