The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

Posted on February 13, 2015 by betsybeadhead | Leave a comment

Then they went on to Jerusalem. Near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent ahead two of his disciples, saying “Go into the next village. As soon as you enter the village you will find a young donkey that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it to me. If anyone asks you why you are doing this, say ‘The Lord needs it, and will send it right back.'”

The two disciples left and did as Jesus had asked them. They found everything as he had told them they would.

This fulfilled the prophecy that was spoken by Isaiah, which said “Tell daughter Zion, ‘See, your King is coming to you, riding humbly on a donkey’s colt!'”

His disciples did not recognize the significance of what was going on at the time. However, after Jesus was raised from the dead, they remembered this prophecy and that it had been fulfilled in their presence.

They returned to Jesus, laid their cloaks on the donkey, and helped Jesus up so he could sit on it. The crowds began to place their cloaks and leafy branches from the nearby trees on the road.

When he approached the path that went down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd began to loudly praise God because of all the miracles they had seen, such as the miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead. They were chanting “Hosanna! Blessed is the King who comes on the name of the Lord! Praise God in heaven!”

Some of the Pharisees said “Teacher, make your followers be quiet!” Jesus answered, “Even if they were to be quiet, the stones would speak for them!”

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was abuzz, saying “Who is this?” The crowds with Jesus answered “This is the Messiah, the Son of David, our King!” The Pharisees were very angry, realizing that all they had done to discredit Jesus hadn’t worked. They said “Look! The whole world is following him!”

Because it was late, Jesus and his followers briefly looked around at everything in the Temple area and then went out to Bethany.

MT 21:1-11, JN 12:12-19, MK 11:1-11, LK 19:28-40

A blind man healed.

Posted on February 9, 2015 by betsybeadhead | Leave a comment

A large crowd was following Jesus and his disciples when they were near Jericho. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus) was sitting by the road. When he asked what was going on, a person told him “Jesus the Nazarene is walking by.”

He began to cry out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” People in the front of the crowd told him to keep quiet, but he began to cry out even more, saying “Have mercy on me, Son of David!”

Jesus stopped and asked that the blind man be brought to him. They called to the blind man and said “Cheer up! Come on, he’s calling for you!” Immediately he flung off his cloak, jumped up and went to Jesus.

Jesus asked him “What do you want me to do for you?”

Bartimaeus said, “Teacher I want to see!”

Moved with compassion, Jesus said “Open your eyes. Your faith has healed you.”

He was immediately able to see and he began to follow him on the road, giving glory to God. Everyone who saw this happen began to praise God.

MT 20:29-34, MK 10:46-52, LK 18:35-43

On divorce

Posted on February 5, 2015 by betsybeadhead | Leave a comment

Jesus left Galilee and went across the Jordan to the region of Judea. Large crowds followed him and he healed and taught them as he normally did. Some Pharisees came up to him to test him. They asked “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”

MT 19:1-3, MK 10:1-2

He replied, “Surely you have read that in the beginning, God made people male and female, and God said ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’. So they are no longer two separate people, but one being. What God has put together, we should not separate.”

MT 19:4-6, MK 10:6-9

“Why then,” they asked him, “did Moses tell us that whoever divorces his wife must give her divorce papers and send her away?”

MT 5:31, MT 19:7, MK 10:3-4

Jesus answered “Moses wrote that rule because people have hard hearts. But this is not what God intended.”

MT 19:8, MK 10:5

“I tell you that any man who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And if a person divorces their spouse and marries another person, they commit adultery. Everyone who marries a divorced woman is also guilty of adultery.

LK 16:18, MT 19:9, MT 5:32, MK 10:11

His disciples said “If being married is like this then it’s better not to marry!”

But Jesus said “This teaching is not for everyone but only to those who it is meant for. There are eunuchs who were that way at birth, there are eunuchs who were created by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept this teaching who able to.”

MT 19:10-12

Zachariah’s prophesy

Posted on February 4, 2015 by betsybeadhead | Leave a comment

Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to prophesy.

“Give praise to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to visit his people to redeem them. He has brought forth a mighty king from within the house of his servant David to save us, just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago – someone to save us from the clutches of our enemies and those who hate us. He has shown mercy to our ancestors and remembered his holy covenant that he swore to Abraham – to rescue us from the hands of our enemies and make it possible for us to serve in the presence of God freely and without fear, with holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives.

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Mighty One, for you will prepare the way before the Lord, by teaching people how to find salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.

Because of God’s great mercy and compassion, a dawn from heaven is about to shine upon us, to give light to those who live in darkness and suffer in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet in the ways of peace.”

The child grew and became strong in the Spirit, and he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to the people of Israel.

LK 1:67-80

The birth and naming of John

Posted on February 4, 2015 by betsybeadhead | Leave a comment

The time arrived for Elizabeth to give birth to her son. The word spread quickly to all of her neighbors and relatives about how merciful God had been to her, and they celebrated with her about her son’s birth.

Eight days after the baby was born, at the circumcision ceremony, everyone thought that the child was going to be named Zachariah after his father, but Elizabeth protested, saying “No! He will be called John.”

The guests said to her “None of your relatives has that name, so why would you name him that?” They motioned to his father to find out what the child’s name should be. To everyone’s surprise, he wrote “His name is John” on a piece of paper.

Immediately he was able to speak and he began to praise God. All of the neighbors became greatly concerned, and the news of this unusual occurrence spread throughout the hillside of Judea. Everyone who heard the news thought about it very deeply, saying “I wonder what this child will become?” They could tell that the hand of the Lord was with him.

LK 1:57-66

Mary praises God (The Magnificat)

Posted on February 4, 2015 by betsybeadhead | Leave a comment

Mary then said, “I proclaim the greatness of God from the depths of my being, and my spirit rejoices in God who is my Savior, because God has looked with favor on me, a lowly servant girl. From now on every generation will call me blessed because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and his name is Holy. God’s mercy is eternal for those who respect and honor him. He has done mighty things with his arm – he scatters those who are proud, he has overthrown the rulers and lifted up the meek, he has provided a feast for the hungry, while sending away the rich empty-handed. God has remembered his promise to be merciful and has helped his servant Israel, just as he promised to Abraham and all of his descendants.”

Mary stayed with Elizabeth until just before John was born.

LK 1:46-56

Mary visits Elizabeth

Posted on February 3, 2015 by betsybeadhead | Leave a comment

Shortly afterwards, Mary went to visit Elizabeth at her home in the hill country of Judea. The child leapt within Elizabeth’s womb when Mary called out her greeting, and Elizabeth was suddenly filled with the Holy Spirit.

Elizabeth exclaimed with a loud voice, “God has blessed you above all other women, and the fruit of your womb is blessed! How did I deserve the honor of the mother of my Lord coming to me? As soon as I heard your greeting, my child leapt for joy in my womb! She who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her is blessed.”

LK 1:39-45

The angel Gabriel predicts Jesus’ birth

Posted on February 3, 2015 by betsybeadhead | Leave a comment

Six months after John was conceived, God sent the angel Gabriel to a village in Galilee called Nazareth, to visit a woman named Mary. She was engaged to Joseph, a descendant of King David.

The angel said “Rejoice! The Lord is with you! You are blessed and favored among women!”

Mary was perplexed by his words and wondered what he meant by this greeting. The angel continued saying “Have no fear Mary, for God has chosen you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and called the Son of God, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor King David. He will reign over the house of Israel forever and his kingdom will have no end!”

Mary asked the angel, “How is this possible since I have never been with a man?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and you will be overshadowed by the power of the Most High. Therefore this child will be completely holy and God will be his father. Consider this, your relative Elizabeth who was barren and elderly has conceived and is six months pregnant. Nothing is impossible with God!”
“I am a servant of the Lord,” said Mary. “May everything happen to me that you have said.” Then the angel left.

LK 1:26-38

Suffering and service

Posted on February 2, 2015 by betsybeadhead | Leave a comment

Jesus’ disciples James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached Jesus with their mother to ask a favor. They asked Jesus to be allowed to sit on either side of him when he achieved his glory in the kingdom of heaven.

But Jesus said “You have no idea what you are asking for! Are you able to undergo all the trials and sufferings that I must endure?”

“We are able,” they answered.

Jesus said “You will indeed go through the trials that I will go through, but it is not up to me to say who sits with me in heaven. That is something that is decided by my heavenly Father.”

When the other disciples realized what James and John were asking, they were angry because of their audacity. Jesus called all the disciples together and said “The Gentiles have people who exercise power over them such as kings and men of high positions. Things must be different among all who follow me. For you, whoever wants to be great must be like a servant. And whoever wants to be the best must serve everyone. For even I did not come to be served, but rather to be a servant, and even to give my life as a ransom for many people.”

MT 20:20-28, MK 10:35-44

Gabriel predicts John’s birth

Posted on February 2, 2015 by betsybeadhead | Leave a comment

There once was a man named Zachariah who was a priest in the Abijah division when Herod was the king of Judea. He was married to a woman named Elizabeth, who, like him, was descended from the priestly line of Aaron. Both were honorable people and followed all the commandments of the Lord. They were childless because Elizabeth was barren and both of them were elderly.

Zachariah was chosen by lot to enter the inner sanctuary to burn incense when his division was on duty in the Temple. The entire assembly stood outside praying while he performed this task. An angel suddenly appeared, standing to the right of the altar of incense. Seeing the angel, Zachariah was startled and a feeling of terror fell upon him.

Then the angel said to him, “Have no fear Zachariah, your prayer has been heard! Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a son, and you will name him John. Both of you will be filled with joy and gladness, and many people will rejoice with you at his birth. He will be a champion of the Lord. He must never drink alcohol, because he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will convince many Israelites to turn to the Lord their God. He will serve God with the same kind of spirit and power of Elijah, and will transform the hearts of parents to be like their children, and the hearts of the disobedient back to the wisdom of the faithful, to prepare all the people for the coming of the Lord.

Zachariah challenged the angel saying “How can I know that this is going to happen? Both I and my wife are very old.”

Then the angel replied “I am Gabriel, who stands in the very presence of God. I was sent to tell you this good news. But because you didn’t believe my words, which will come true in due course, you will lose your ability to speak until the child is born.”

Meanwhile, the congregation outside was wondering why Zachariah was taking so long in the sanctuary. When he finally appeared before them they deduced from his gestures (since he wasn’t able to speak) that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He continued to work at the Temple until his assignment was over, and then he returned home.

Shortly after that, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and she went into seclusion for five months. She said “Blessed is the Lord for taking away my public disgrace!”

LK 1:5-25