Gospel Summary: Events Prior to Jesus' Public Ministry

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

During January we covered the events from the Gospel Accounts that occurred prior to Jesus' conception. This involved John 1:1-5, Matthew 1:1-15, and Luke 1:1-79.

During February we covered the events from Jesus' conception through childhood. This involved Matthew 1:16-25, Matthew 2:1-23, and Luke 1:80; 2:1-52.

This month we covered the events immediately preceding Jesus' Public Ministry. This involved Matthew 3:1-17; 4:1-11, Mark 1:1-13, John 1:6-51; 2:1-25, and Luke 3:1-17, 21-38; 4:1-13.

Here is the summary:

JOHN THE BAPTIST
John the Baptist was sent to bear witness to Jesus...to facilitate Jesus' purpose and progress. Jesus could not have facilitated His own purpose and progress.

John the Baptist preached repentance with baptism in the wilderness. He was the spiritual Elijah that began the kingdom of heaven once he got the specific call from God to begin this ministry prophesied by Isaiah. He blatantly stated the one that came after him would be greater and baptize in the Holy Spirit.

He confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees about their lack of belief and stated God's measure for the individual was whether the person chose to bring forth good fruit. He stated Jesus would baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire.

John the Baptist sorted through the issues of life so well, people wondered if he was the Christ. The Pharisees sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him if he was Elijah or a prophet. He denied being Elijah or a prophet, but instead quoted Isaiah 40:3...which alluded to him being "Elijah" and a prophet.

John the Baptist could NOT state he was "Elijah" and a prophet even when he was asked direct close-ended questions because it would have been a Wrong HOW/WHY. He would have been speaking for his own benefit and facilitating his own purpose and progress. He testified the Jesus was the Messiah. The Law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.


JESUS
Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptized. John protested because he didn't understand. Jesus told him to allow it for the moment so that they could fulfill all righteousness...so that Jesus didn't facilitate His own purpose and progress. John the Baptist allowed it for the moment and baptized Jesus.

God the Father and John the Baptist facilitated Jesus' purpose and progress by declaring Jesus a Semikah Rabbi...which officially began Jesus' earthly Ministry...

Jesus' first act during His Ministry was to be led by the Holy Spirit into the desert in order to be tempted of the devil. Jesus fasted forty days in order to purify Himself and be weak enough to find out the areas in which He could fall.

Jesus successfully responded to all three of the devil's temptations by quoting God's Word.


DISCIPLES
John the Baptist blatantly stated that Jesus is the Son of God. Two of John the Baptist's disciples (Andrew and John) followed Jesus. Andrew recruited Peter and Jesus recruited Philip...who then recruited Nathanael. John may have recruited James at this same time.

Jesus' administrated His first miracle because He had yet to begin His PUBLIC Ministry.


PUBLIC MINISTRY
Jesus began His Public Ministry in Jerusalem during passover when He cleared the temple of those who were making money at the expense of others. He did signs in Jerusalem during the first passover of His Public Ministry and many believed on His name. Jesus was about thirty years old when He began His Public Ministry.


CONCLUSION
Matthew 3:1-17; 4:1-11, Mark 1:1-13, John 1:6-51; 2:1-25, and Luke 3:1-17, 21-38; 4:1-13 covered the events immediately preceding Jesus' Public Ministry.

Next month, we will cover the beginning of Jesus' Public Ministry...

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Luke 3:23-38

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered John 2:18-25. Here was the conclusion:

Jesus did signs in Jerusalem during the first passover of His Public Ministry and many believed on His name.

It is now time to return back to a passage we skipped over in Luke's Gospel Account...


Luke 3
"23 And Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,"

(Luke stated that Jesus was about thirty years old when He began to preach. Jesus became a Rabbi at thirty and began His Public Ministry during the passover in Jerusalem.)

(In Matthew's genealogy, Jacob was listed as Joseph's father because that genealogy was through Joseph and represented the "royal line". In this genealogy, Joseph was the son of Heli because Joseph married Heli's daughter, Mary. The rest of this passage showed the lineage of Jesus through Mary...)

"24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,
27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,"

(Zerubbabel was the one who caused the command to rebuild the temple: Zerubbabel.)

"28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
29 the son of Jesus, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
30 the son of Symeon, the son of Judas, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,"

(This genealogy went through David's son Nathan and NOT Solomon (like Matthew's royal genealogy). Nathan was the oldest. Solomon was the king...the "royal line".)

"32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,"

(Next was Jesus' lineage through Genesis...)

"33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,
38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God."


CONCLUSION
Jesus was about thirty years old when He began His Public Ministry.

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John 2:18-25

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered John 2:13-17. Here was the conclusion:

Jesus began His Public Ministry in Jerusalem during passover when He cleared the temple of those who were making money at the expense of others.


John 2
"18 The Jews therefore answered and said unto him, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?"

(The religious leaders asked for a sign from Jesus since He had declared authority over the temple to purify it. They specifically asked for a sign...which implied that if Jesus was the Christ or Elijah or a prophet, he would do a sign to justify His authority.)

"19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

(Jesus stated that they ought to destroy this temple and He would raise it up in three days. Notice, Jesus DID offer to do a sign, however, the first step in the getting of this sign would have required faith on behalf of the religious leaders. On one level, Jesus was telling the religious leaders to destroy their mix of God's Law and man-made tradition so that He could establish PURELY God's Law. Did the religious leaders do it?)

"20 The Jews therefore said, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days?"

(The religious leaders didn't destroy the temple. They stated this temple took forty-six years to build. The rebuilding of that temple was begun in 20 BC by Herod the Great. This meant it was completed in 26 AD...and this story took place sometime after that date.)

"21 But he spake of the temple of his body.
22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he spake this; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said."

(Here the meaning of Jesus' words were explained. Jesus was referring to His body...specifically His resurrection. John jumped ahead in the chronology to state that when Jesus had been resurrected, the disciples remembered this conflict...and then they believed it.)

"23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, during the feast, many believed on his name, beholding his signs which he did.
24 But Jesus did not trust himself unto them, for that he knew all men,
25 and because he needed not that any one should bear witness concerning man; for he himself knew what was in man."

(Jesus did do signs during the passover and many believed Him. However, Jesus did not trust Himself to any of them...Jesus didn't look to these people to proclaim Him as the Christ. Jesus realized how fickle these people were...which was proof Jesus had discernment.)


CONCLUSION
Jesus did signs in Jerusalem during the first passover of His Public Ministry and many believed on His name.

We will complete this month's topic before looking at the specific events that occurred during Jesus' first passover of His Public Ministry.

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John 2:13-17

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered John 2:1-12. Here was the conclusion:

Jesus' administrated His first miracle because He had yet to begin His PUBLIC Ministry.


John 2
"13 And the passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem."

(Jesus went to Jerusalem for the passover which was the First Feast of God. Leviticus covered The Seven Feasts of God. These feasts not only represented spiritual principles and physical prophetic events...these feasts marked time during the year. This was the First Feast of the year...)

"14 And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
15 and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers' money, and overthrew their tables;
16 and to them that sold the doves he said, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise."

(Jesus purified the temple...which was the First Act of His Public Ministry. During passover, the First Feast of the year, Jesus PUBLICLY cleared out the temple of those who were making money...those who were personally benefiting at the expense of others.)

"17 His disciples remembered that it was written, Zeal for thy house shall eat me up."

(The disciples that were with Jesus remembered that it was written in Psalms 69:9:
"9 For the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up; And the reproaches of them that reproach thee are fallen upon me.")


CONCLUSION
Jesus began His Public Ministry in Jerusalem during passover when He cleared the temple of those who were making money at the expense of others.

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John 2:1-12

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered John 1:41-51. Here was the conclusion:

Andrew recruited Peter and Jesus recruited Philip...who then recruited Nathanael. John may have recruited James at this same time.


John 2
"1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:"

(This verse was a continuation of John's Gospel Account which began in John 1:19 when the religious leaders questioned John the Baptist as to his identity. John 1:29 stated "On the morrow" that John the Baptist saw Jesus and testified that Jesus was the Son of God. John 1:35 stated "Again on the morrow" that two of John the Baptist's disciples (Andrew and John) followed Jesus. Those two sections occurred on the same day...which we will call the "first day". John 1:43 stated "On the morrow" Jesus went to Galilee. This was what we will call the "second day". The rest of John 1 covered Jesus' interactions with Nathanael. Now we see that John 2 began with the event "on the morrow" from the events that ended John 1...which would be the "third day". While Jesus was in Galilee, there was a wedding in Cana and Jesus' mother was at the wedding.)

"2 and Jesus also was bidden, and his disciples, to the marriage."

(Jesus was invited to the wedding along with His disciples however, none were named.)

"3 And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine."

(We have covered Jesus' ability to do the miracle in this passage that followed as an Administrator in the post titled, "Administrator: Christ's Miracles". The emphasis of this post concerns the chronology of Gospel events. If you want to understand more about the miracle itself, please read that post.)

(Mary told Jesus there was no wine. Many experts believe this proved the wedding involved relatives of Mary and she had compassion because it would be an embarrassment to the couple that they ran out of wine at their wedding.)

"4 And Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come."

(Jesus responded with a Question and a Reason. Jesus' "hour" not yet coming meant Jesus' PUBLIC Ministry hadn't begun yet. Jesus couldn't do a public miracle because He hadn't formally began His Public Ministry. However, Jesus was going to solve this problem, it had to be in a way that couldn't be DIRECTLY attributed to Him.)

"5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it."

(Mary didn't argue with Jesus. Mary turned to the servants and told them to do whatever Jesus said. This showed that Jesus was still serving in His mother's house. Once a man became married or became a Rabbi, he no longer cleaved to his mother. Jesus didn't get married and He hadn't become a PUBLIC Rabbi yet.)

"6 Now there were six waterpots of stone set there after the Jews' manner of purifying, containing two or three firkins apiece.
7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim."

(Jesus administrated this miracle. Jesus didn't touch anything. He didn't DIRECTLY do anything. Jesus told the servants to fill the waterpots...and they did...to the brim.)

"8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the ruler of the feast. And they bare it."

(Jesus told a servant to take some of the liquid out and give it to the ruler of the feast...and they did it. Again, Jesus didn't DO anything Himself. There would be NO WAY people could say Jesus did this miracle...and only some servants and disciples knew about what Jesus administrated.)

"9 And when the ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and knew not whence it was (but the servants that had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast calleth the bridegroom,
10 and saith unto him, Every man setteth on first the good wine; and when men have drunk freely, then that which is worse: thou hast kept the good wine until now."

(The ruler of the feast testified that not only was the liquid wine...it was excellent wine.)

"11 This beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him."

(John stated this was the "beginning of his signs"...this was the FIRST miracle Jesus did. For those who attempt to claim that Jesus did undocumented miracles during His childhood, this verse proved this was the FIRST miracle Jesus did.)

(CRITICAL POINT: Jesus did NOT initiate this miracle. A need was presented to Him and He responded. The miracle was an effect of Jesus' responding to a need. We will see throughout this Series that Jesus ONLY responded to needs.)

"12 After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples; and there they abode not many days."

(After the wedding they went to Capernaum. Notice, no mention of Joseph. It is believe Joseph had died by this time.)


CONCLUSION
Jesus' administrated His first miracle because He had yet to begin His PUBLIC Ministry.

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John 1:41-51

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered John 1:35-40. Here was the conclusion:

Two of John the Baptist's disciples followed Jesus.


John 1
"41 He findeth first his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah (which is, being interpreted, Christ)."

(In the previous post, we saw the two disciples were Andrew and John the author of this Gospel Account. The phrasing in verse 41 implied both disciples had brothers...and Andrew found his brother (Peter) first...before John found his brother James. Andrew understood John the Baptist testified that Jesus was the Messiah to the point Andrew testified to Peter that he and John had found the Christ.)

"42 He brought him unto Jesus. Jesus looked upon him, and said, Thou art Simon the son of John: thou shalt be called Cephas (which is by interpretation, Peter)."

(Andrew brought Peter to Jesus. Jesus called Simon "Cephas" which was the Aramaic version of Peter.)

"43 On the morrow he was minded to go forth into Galilee, and he findeth Philip: and Jesus saith unto him, Follow me."

(This verse began with "On the morrow...", so this was the day after the events of the previous passage...and the second day from John the Baptist being questioned by the religious leaders.)

"44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter."

(Jesus went into Galilee and found Philip...and Philip found Nathanael...)

"45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

(Philip testified to Nathanael that Jesus was the Messiah.)

"46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see."

(Nathanael was skeptical...)

"47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!"

(Jesus had a word of knowledge about Nathanael and spoke it before physically meeting Nathanael.)

"48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
49 Nathanael answered him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art King of Israel."

(Jesus stated that He saw Nathanael under the fig tree before Philip went to him. Nathanael proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God and King of Israel!)

"50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee underneath the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

(Jesus stated that they would see greater things than this. In fact, we will see in tomorrow's post, this didn't even qualify as a miracle!)


CONCLUSION
Andrew recruited Peter and Jesus recruited Philip...who then recruited Nathanael. John may have recruited James at this same time.

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John 1:35-40

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered John 1:25-34. Here was the conclusion:

John the Baptist blatantly stated that Jesus is the Son of God.


John 1
"35 Again on the morrow John was standing, and two of his disciples;
36 and he looked upon Jesus as he walked, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God!"

(This passage began with "Again on the morrow...", which meant these events occurred on the same day as the events from the previous post. John's Gospel Account stated that the same day John the Baptist declared Jesus is the Son of God, John the Baptist (while standing with two of his own disciples) stated that Jesus was the Lamb of God. Remember, John the Baptist was a Semikah Rabbi...he had disciples: students studying to be Rabbi's.)

"37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus."

(Two of John the Baptist's disciples left him and followed Jesus!)

"38 And Jesus turned, and beheld them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? And they said unto him, Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher), where abideth thou?
39 He saith unto them, Come, and ye shall see. They came therefore and saw where he abode; and they abode with him that day: it was about the tenth hour."

(Jesus asked them what they wanted. They called Him Rabbi. Jesus' response confirmed that He was willing to teach them...willing to be their Rabbi. However, Jesus did not officially call them to be disciples. All of this happened around the tenth hour, which would have been afternoon...around 4 PM.)

"40 One of the two that heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother."

(One of the two was Andrew. The other was not named. However, this was what John the Disciple did throughout his Gospel Account: he didn't mention himself by name. Why? As we saw in the Friday long post titled, "John 1:25-28", John's Gospel Account was the only one that documented John the Baptist NOT facilitating his own purpose and progress to the point of denying being "Elijah" and a prophet. John the Disciple recognized the importance of this Doctrine in his Gospel Account AND lived by it himself! John the Disciple did not facilitate his own purpose and progress in his Gospel Account.)


CONCLUSION
Two of John the Baptist's disciples followed Jesus.

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John 1:25-34

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered Matthew 4:8-11, Luke 4:5-8,13 & Mark 1:12-13. Here was the conclusion:

Jesus successfully responded to the devil's second temptation (which involved having faith in God) by quoting God's Word. Afterward, angels ministered to Jesus.


Last Friday, we covered John 1:25-28 in order to explain why John the Baptist didn't lie about not being "Elijah" and not being a prophet: John the Baptist couldn't facilitate his own purpose and progress.

We made that point at that time so that we could better understand why Jesus needed to be baptized by John the Baptist. We saw the first act of Jesus' Ministry was to be led of the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of Satan. Once Jesus completed this temptation, He returned to where John the Baptist was baptizing. However, John's Gospel Account did not document Jesus' Baptism...

Now we see that John 1:25-28 actually occurred after Jesus' temptation. Jesus was Baptized and immediately was led of the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. THEN, Jesus came back to where John the Baptist was baptizing. Now, read John 1:25-28 again recognizing that it occurred after Jesus' temptation in the wilderness:

"25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, neither Elijah, neither the prophet?
26 John answered them, saying, I baptize in water: in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not,
27 even he that cometh after me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose.
28 These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing."

Verse 26 could also have been John the Baptist's allusion that the Christ's Ministry had begun and the religious leaders didn't know Him. Sometime after Jesus completed His temptation in the wilderness, He returned to the Jordan where John the Baptist was baptizing.

Now we can continue the narrative from John's Gospel Account...


John 1
"29 On the morrow he seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!"

(The day after John the Baptist answered the religious leaders, John the Baptist testified that Jesus was the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Jesus was the Messiah!)

"30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man who is become before me: for he was before me."

(John the Baptist specifically referenced what he said in John 1:27. John the Baptist confirmed that he had been speaking of Jesus.)

"31 And I knew him not; but that he should be made manifest to Israel, for this cause came I baptizing in water."

(John the Baptist stated Jesus' Baptism was the cause for his ministry. It looked like John the Baptist had fulfilled his mission.)

"32 And John bare witness, saying, I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven; and it abode upon him.
33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize in water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon him, the same is he that baptizeth in the Holy Spirit."

(In the post titled, "Mark 1:9-11, Matthew 3:16-17 & Luke 3:21-22", we read how Jesus saw the Holy Spirit descend on Himself as a dove. Here, John the Baptist testified that he had seen the same thing. John the Baptist also shared that the One who sent him to baptize stated the One whom you see the Spirit descend upon is the one that will baptize in the Holy Spirit. Remember, John didn't state this before it happened. John had gotten prophecy from God...and waited for the circumstances to confirm it rather than try to make it happen by telling everyone about it. This may have been what John the Baptist meant in verse 31 when he said, "And I knew him not..." He could have been stating he didn't do anything to make this happen to the point he did not previously know of Jesus until he was approached by Jesus.)

"34 And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."

(John the Baptist blatantly stated Jesus is the Son of God. In the post titled, "Mark 1:9-11, Matthew 3:16-17 & Luke 3:21-22", we saw that God the Father testified that Jesus is the Son of God.)


CONCLUSION
John the Baptist blatantly stated that Jesus is the Son of God.

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Matthew 4:8-11, Luke 4:5-8,13 & Mark 1:12-13

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered Matthew 4:5-7 & Luke 4:9-12. Here was the conclusion:

Jesus successfully responded to the devil's second temptation (which involved having faith in God) by quoting God's Word.


Matthew 4
"8 Again, the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;"

(The devil took Jesus to an "exceeding high mountain". Again, like we saw in the previous post, Jesus physically "translated" to another location. Jesus began in the wilderness...He went to the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem...and then to an exceeding high mountain.)

"9 and he said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me."

(The devil tempted Jesus with "Leadership". The devil said he would give all the kingdoms of the world to Jesus if Jesus would worship the devil. Of all the temptations, this one seems to be the most logical to reject...WHY would someone think the devil would keep his word?)

"10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

(For the third time in three temptations, Jesus' response was to quote the Word of God. This time it was Deuteronomy 6:13 "13 Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God; and him shalt thou serve, and shalt swear by his name." Jesus responded to the devil's three temptations with three verses from Deuteronomy. How well do YOU know the Book of Deuteronomy?)

"11 Then the devil leaveth him; and behold, angels came and ministered unto him."

(The devil left Jesus and angels came and ministered to Jesus. Let's look at Luke's Gospel Account...)


Luke 4
"5 And he led him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time."

(Luke only stated that the devil "led him up". From Matthew's Gospel Account we know it was an exceeding high mountain.)

"6 And the devil said unto him, To thee will I give all this authority, and the glory of them: for it hath been delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7 If thou therefore wilt worship before me, it shall all be thine."

(In Luke's Gospel Account, the devil explained that the authority for all the kingdoms of the world had been given to him. Realize, it was a FACT the devil stated this. However, to say that it is a FACT the devil actually had/has this authority would be the same as stating the devil spoke TRUTH...and that we ought to look to the devil for Doctrine. Be careful!)

"8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

(Luke's Gospel Account stated the same as Matthew's Gospel Account. This third temptation dealt with Leadership. Adam failed this area when he wasn't a good Leader to Eve. The Second Adam, Jesus, successfully handled this temptation by rejecting the opportunity to attain through His own strength His rightful place of Leadership.)

"13 And when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him for a season."

(In the previous post, we saw that Luke's Gospel Account had this temptation as the second temptation. Consequently, verse 13 came after Luke's third temptation. Notice, Luke stated the devil departed from Jesus for a season. The devil had failed and he left Jesus alone "for a season"...which meant the devil would be back. Likewise, when we successfully handle the enemy, remember it is only for a season. We need to continue to be on our guard because the enemy will be back.)

(We have spent three posts covering Jesus' temptation in the wilderness immediately following His Baptism...the beginning of His Ministry. This was because Luke and Matthew dedicated many verses to their description. Remember, Mark's Gospel Account was from Peter and consequently focused on the Big Picture. Here was the entirety of Mark's Gospel Account concerning Jesus' temptation in the wilderness...)


Mark 1
"12 And straightway the Spirit driveth him forth into the wilderness.
13 And he was in the wilderness forty days tempted of Satan; And he was with the wild beasts; And the angels ministered unto him."

(There was one additional point in Mark's Gospel Account: Jesus was with the wild beasts. Two thoughts...)

(First, the wild beasts would be near water. Jesus would have been physically weakened with His forty day fast and may have needed help making sure He was near water. Looking for where the wild beasts congregated would help Him stay close to water.)

(Second, we have been comparing Jesus' temptation in the wilderness to Adam and Eve getting expelled from paradise into the wilderness. There would have been wild beasts in the wilderness that Adam and Eve would have been expelled to...wild beasts that Adam would have named.)


CONCLUSION
Jesus successfully responded to the devil's second temptation (which involved having faith in God) by quoting God's Word. Afterward, angels ministered to Jesus.

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Matthew 4:5-7 & Luke 4:9-12

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered Luke 4:3-4 & Matthew 4:3-4. Here was the conclusion:

Jesus successfully responded to the devil's first temptation (which involved food) by quoting God's Word.


Matthew 4
"5 Then the devil taketh him into the holy city; and he set him on the pinnacle of the temple,"

(The devil took Jesus to Jerusalem and set Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple. This clearly referenced a "bodily translation": Jesus went from the wilderness to the top of the temple.)

"6 and saith unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and, On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone."

(We have looked at this passage in detail in the post titled, Matthew 4:1-11. Here is the excerpt...)

(Again, the devil tempted Jesus with an IF. However, this time the devil used the Tanakh! Specifically Psalm 91:11-12
"11 For he will give his angels charge over thee, To keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.)

(Remember, girls memorized the Book of Psalms. Boys older than twelve years old attempted to memorize the Tanakh.)

(Notice, Matthew quoted the devil as quoting TWO scriptures. This was denoted by the "and" in verse 6. If you look closely at the first scripture the devil quoted, it lacked the phrase at the end of Psalm 91:11 "in all thy ways". Was this a misquoting of scripture? Was it merely leaving out words that didn't change the meaning of the quoted scripture? What was the difference between God giving charge concerning the angels AND God giving charge concerning the angels in all thy ways? Whatever conclusion YOU draw from this, YOU need to be consistent with it in YOUR life. If you don't quote scripture EXACTLY correct (according to the original language), you would be doing EXACTLY what the devil did. If you left off part of a scripture for ANY REASON, even if you didn't think it added anything, you would be doing EXACTLY what the devil did. The second scripture looked like the word "haply" was added. Was this an example of the Word of God being quoted with a Wrong HOW? Again, the same questions apply. When you quote the Word of God at someone, what do you believe you are doing?)

(In the links provided above, this point is stressed: The devil quoted The Word of God! People who think that quoting The Word of God AUTOMATICALLY make themselves right, are ACTUALLY deceived like the devil! The Word of God is a Right WHAT (FACT). If the Word of God is used with a Right HOW/WHY, it is TRUTH and the result is creation/Profitability. If The Word of God is used with a Wrong (OR NO) HOW/WHY, it is DECEPTION and the result is destruction/Unprofitability. When people quote The Word of God and can't give the Right HOW/WHY, they are ACTUALLY following the devil's example.)

"7 Jesus said unto him, Again it is written, Thou shalt not make trial of the Lord thy God."

(As we saw with the first temptation, Jesus responded by quoting the Word of God. Here it was Deuteronomy 6:16 "16 Ye shall not tempt Jehovah your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.")

(In Luke's Gospel Account, this temptation was presented third...)


Luke 4
"9 And he led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:"

(Luke's explanation was the same as Matthew's...)

"10 for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, to guard thee:"

(Luke's Gospel Account added "to guard thee".)

"11 and, On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone."

(For the second scripture, Luke's Gospel Account was the same as Matthew's Gospel Account.)

"12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not make trial of the Lord thy God."

(The devil tempted Jesus to make trial of the Lord thy God by questioning how much Jesus was willing to have faith in God the Father. Adam didn't trust God...he trusted Eve. Jesus (the Second Adam) succeeded in this temptation by not tempting God and spending the rest of His Ministry having faith in God the Father.)


CONCLUSION
Jesus successfully responded to the devil's second temptation (which involved having faith in God) by quoting God's Word.

Next Post

Luke 4:3-4 & Matthew 4:3-4

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered Matthew 4:1-2 & Luke 4:1-2. Here was the conclusion:

Jesus' first act during His Ministry was to be led by the Holy Spirit into the desert in order to be tempted of the devil. Jesus fasted forty days in order to purify Himself and be weak enough to find out the areas in which He could fall.


Luke 4
"3 And the devil said unto him, if thou art the Son of God, command this stone that it become bread.
4 And Jesus answered unto him, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone."

(The first temptation was stated as an IF. The devil can't speak TRUTH. The best he can speak is Fact. Facts are a Right WHAT. TRUTH is a Right WHAT with a Right HOW/WHY. The HOW/WHY creates...so TRUTH is Facts that Create. Deception is a Right WHAT with a Wrong (or no) HOW/WHY. Deception is Facts that don't create. Notice, you wouldn't be deceived by a Wrong WHAT. Deception occurs because people focus on the WHAT to the exclusion of the HOW/WHY. Jesus stated that in the devil there is NO TRUTH AT ALL...however, there are Facts. The devil is incapable of creating...which means he cannot STATE a Right HOW/WHY. Notice, the key word is STATE...the devil can present a Right HOW/WHY in a Question or with an IF...)

(The first temptation covered food...like what occurred with the First Adam. The First Adam began in paradise with a wife and a tree. One of the proofs he failed his temptation was that he ate of the fruit of the tree of good and evil. Adam ended up in the wilderness. Paul stated Jesus was the Second Adam. Jesus began His Ministry in the wilderness. He succeeded with His first temptation. Jesus will eventually end up in paradise for eternity with a wife and a tree.)

(Notice, Jesus responded with scripture instead of helping the devil. In every case other than this one, God's Word showed the godly example we ought to follow ALWAYS first helped people, then pointed people to God. We ought to first help people, then point them to God. When we don't help people and immediately point them to God, we are treating people like they are the devil. Let's see a more specific quote of the scripture Jesus referenced from Matthew's Gospel Account...)


Matthew 4
"3 And the tempter came and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

(Jesus responded with Deuteronomy 8:3.
"3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by everything that proceedeth out of the mouth of Jehovah doth man live.")

(This was a verse EVERY boy of twelve years old knew because it was in the Torah: the first five books of Moses that EVERY Jewish boy had memorized. Jesus was showing that even a boy of twelve years old OUGHT to be able to deal with the devil.)

(Notice, in Deuteronomy, the verse stated "everything that proceedeth out of the mouth of Jehovah". This is not limited to WORDS, however it is the most frequent thing that proceeds out of the Mouth of God. More importantly, Grace would qualify as a word that proceeds out of the Mouth of God.)

("It is written..." is translated in the Complete Jewish Bible as "The Tanakh says..." Jesus wouldn't say "The Bible says..." or "The Old Testament says..." If He mentioned a book by name it would be the Torah or the Tanakh. What is the Tanakh? The Tanakh is the name for the Bible used in Judaism. The name "Tanakh" is a Hebrew acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Bible used in Judaism's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah (Teaching), Nevi'im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings) - hence TaNaKh.)

(Finally, Jesus being fully man meant He could have chosen to do evil. Jesus' response to finding his "points" was to do the opposite of these areas. Jesus did not do nothing. Jesus did not try to NOT do these areas. Jesus DID something intentionally. He did the opposite. We ought to follow Jesus' example! This first temptation showed the Jesus liked to eat. Jesus' response to this "point" was to fast...which was the opposite and something that can be done intentionally.)


CONCLUSION
Jesus successfully responded to the devil's first temptation (which involved food) by quoting God's Word.

Next Post

Matthew 4:1-2 & Luke 4:1-2

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered Mark 1:9-11, Matthew 3:16-17 & Luke 3:21-22. Here was the conclusion:

God the Father and John the Baptist facilitated Jesus' purpose and progress by declaring Jesus a Semikah Rabbi...which officially began Jesus' earthly ministry.


Matthew 4
"1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil."

(Matthew's Gospel Account stated Jesus was led of the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. The reason was so that Jesus could intentionally find out His weaknesses: the things that He could fall in. The devil doesn't tempt people in things that won't cause them to fall.)

(Hebrews 4 stated the following:
"14 Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
15 For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.")

(There was no definition for "points" in the passage from Hebrews 4. The word "points" did not mean "things". Jesus was not tempted in all things, for example, Jesus wasn't tempted to spend too much time playing video games. The word "points" meant "weaknesses": the areas in which each person can uniquely fall. If you don't think Jesus could have fallen, then look at Isaiah 7 which presented the most famous prophecy concerning Jesus.
"14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
15 Butter and honey shall he eat, when he knoweth to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land whose two kings thou abhorrest shall be forsaken.")

"2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he afterward hungered."

(Jesus fasted for forty days, not only to purify Himself, but to weaken Himself enough so that the devil would attempt to tempt Him. The devil wouldn't tempt a completely strong Jesus because he wouldn't be successful in causing Him to fall. Here was the same passages according to Luke's Gospel Account...)


Luke 4
"1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led in the Spirit in the wilderness
2 during forty days, being tempted of the devil. And he did eat nothing in those days: and when they were completed, he hungered."

(Luke's Gospel Account stated Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit and returning from the Jordan where He was baptized, was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. Luke showed being tempted by the devil was Jesus' FIRST act of His Ministry. Luke also confirmed this fast involved eating nothing...which was very much like Moses' forty day fast in Exodus 34 when Moses got the Ten Commandments:
"27 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.
28 And he was there with Jehovah forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of the testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses knew not that the skin of his face shone by reason of his speaking with him.")


CONCLUSION
Jesus' first act during His Ministry was to be led by the Holy Spirit into the desert in order to be tempted of the devil. Jesus fasted forty days in order to purify Himself and be weak enough to find out the areas in which He could fall.

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Mark 1:9-11, Matthew 3:16-17 & Luke 3:21-22

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered Matthew 3:13-15. Here was the conclusion:

Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptized. John protested because he didn't understand. Jesus told John to allow it for the moment so that they could fulfill all righteousness...so that Jesus didn't facilitate His own purpose and progress. John the Baptist allowed it for the moment and baptized Jesus.

In this post, we will use three Gospel Accounts to cover what happened immediately after Jesus was baptized...


Mark 1
"9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in the Jordan.
10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens rent asunder, and the Spirit as a dove descending upon him:
11 And a voice came out of the heavens, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased."

(Immediately after Jesus was baptized...straightaway coming up out of the water...Jesus saw the heavens split and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him as a dove. This did not mean the Holy Spirit was a dove. It meant the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove descends. Also, God the Father spoke testifying that Jesus was His Son. Matthew's Account stated the same thing...)


Matthew 3
"16 And Jesus when he was baptized, went up straightway from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him;
17 and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

(A couple of thoughts...First, notice all three Persons of the Trinity were separately mentioned in one sentence. Jesus the Son was physically being baptized WHILE the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus from outside of Jesus WHILE God the Father testified that Jesus was His Son. Second, John the Baptist facilitated Jesus' purpose and progress by baptizing Him...and God facilitated Jesus' purpose and progress by testifying as to His Identity. Jesus didn't have to say, "I am the Son of God"...God said it!)


Luke 3
"21 Now it came to pass, when all the people were baptized, that, Jesus also having been baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
22 and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form, as a dove, upon him, and a voice came out of heaven, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased."

(This account stated the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form as a dove. The Holy Spirit was touching Jesus in the form of another body. This was important because Jesus was already a Rabbi when He got baptized. However, there were different types of Rabbi's...)

(We have covered the following in the post titled, "Matthew 3:13-17". Here is an excerpt...)

(During this time in history, every Jewish boy spent their time from 5-12 years old memorizing the first five books of the Bible, also known as the Torah. Every girl spent their time from 5-12 years old memorizing the Book of Psalms and the Book of Proverbs. They memorized the Book of Psalms because they were expected to lead worship in their home when they got married. They read the Book of Proverbs because...well, because women are smarter than males and would actually be able to understand the Book of Proverbs as a child. Remember, "wisdom" was female...wisdom was known by HER children.)

(From 12-15 years old, every boy began memorizing the rest of the Bible. At 15 years old, they applied to a Rabbi in order to become a Rabbi themselves. If they weren't selected by a Rabbi, then they began to pick up their father's trade. If they were selected by a Rabbi, they spent the next 15 years learning how to become a Rabbi. They spent ALL their time with the Rabbi...even going to the bathroom with the Rabbi. At 30 years old, they became a Rabbi.)

(Most Rabbi's taught the first five books of the Bible. These Rabbi's were known as "Torah Teachers". In our versions of the New Testament, they were also referred to as "scribes". They could ONLY speak about WHAT was already known. They couldn't teach a different HOW/WHY behind WHAT they were teaching.)

(A few Rabbi's were "semikah" Rabbi's. These Rabbi's had AUTHORITY (which was what "semikah" meant) to teach and change the HOW/WHY. A Rabbi could ONLY become Semikah by two other Semikah's putting their hand on this Rabbi.)

(Jesus was 30 years old at this point. Jesus was a Rabbi. From other Gospel Accounts, Jesus was already an amazing teacher at 12 years old! People knew who Jesus was...however, they knew Him as the brilliant Rabbi from the "Harvard" of Israel.)

(John the Baptist was a Semikah...and God was the Second Semikah! Notice, God IMMEDIATELY gave His ordination/endorsement. Whenever God is part of a process, He is NEVER the weak link. He does His part IMMEDIATELY. God and John the Baptist were the two Semikah's that declared Jesus as a Semikah. Jesus' Semikah (Authority) Ministry had officially begun.)


CONCLUSION
God the Father and John the Baptist facilitated Jesus' purpose and progress by declaring Jesus a Semikah Rabbi...which officially began Jesus' earthly Ministry.

Next Post

Matthew 3:13-15

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered John 1:14-18. Here was the conclusion:

John the Baptist testified the Jesus was the Messiah. The Law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

We are now ready to look at when Jesus and John the Baptist met...


Matthew 3
"13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him."
14 But John would have hindered him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?"

(Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptized. John the Baptist realized Jesus was the Messiah, so he didn't understand why Jesus would be baptized by him.)

"15 But Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffereth him."

(Jesus' answer was that He needed to be baptized by John the Baptist so that they could fulfil all righteousness: so they could do what was Right and Just. Notice, fulfilling ALL righteousness meant that both John the Baptist and Jesus didn't break The Law. This verse was another proof that John the Baptist couldn't facilitate his own purpose and progress like we saw in last Friday's long post. In fact, the reason why John the Baptist had to baptize Jesus was so that John the Baptist could facilitate Jesus' purpose and progress. Without John's baptism, Jesus would be facilitating His own purpose and progress...which would have been a Wrong HOW/WHY. However, John the Baptist did not fully understand that...)

(Notice, Jesus told John the Baptist to "suffer it now"...to allow it for the moment. Basically, Jesus was saying, "Trust me...the reason will be readily apparent." John the Baptist allowed it for the moment and baptized Jesus...)


CONCLUSION
Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptized. John the Baptist protested because he didn't understand. Jesus told him to allow it for the moment so that they could fulfill all righteousness: so that Jesus didn't facilitate His own purpose and progress. John the Baptist allowed it for the moment and baptized Jesus.

Next Post

John 1:14-18

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered John 1:25-28. Here was the conclusion:

John the Baptist could NOT state he was "Elijah" and a prophet even when he was asked direct close-ended questions because it would have been a Wrong HOW/WHY. John would have been speaking for his own benefit and facilitating his own purpose and progress.


John 1
"14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth."

(Jesus was full of GRACE and TRUTH. Grace is "the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life". Again, if Grace is "unmerited favor", why would Jesus be full of grace? Didn't He merit favor from God? Unmerited favor covers sin...do you think Jesus sinned? Grace being "unmerited favor" is clearly a man-made doctrine that is contradictory to God's Word. Grace is dependent on the uniqueness of the individual.)

(Truth is a Right WHAT with a Right HOW/WHY. The Right WHAT is a fact. The Right HOW/WHY create and is unique to the situation. So, Truth can also be seen as facts that create. Here are links to posts that explain these Doctrines: Grace and Truth.)

"15 John beareth witness of him, and crieth, saying, This was he of whom I said, He that cometh after me is become before me: for he was before me."

(The previous posts showed that John the Baptist did facilitate Jesus' purpose and progress. John the Baptist testified that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus did NOT testify of Himself as being the Messiah.)

"16 For of his fulness we all received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him."

(These verses came from John the Disciple of Jesus. He expounded on what John the Baptist stated: Jesus was the only begotten Son of God. The Law was given through Moses: the direction that came in the form of Laws. Laws and Principles are different...)

(A Law consists of a DON'T WHAT and the threat of a penalty. A Law treats everyone the same by establishing a specific Right HOW: Ritual. However, a Principle consists of a goal (WHAT) and a Right WHY with the promise of a benefit/blessing. A Principle treats everyone uniquely by not establishing a specific Right HOW.)

(Grace is the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life: a Principle. This is unique to the individual...which is different from the Law. The result of Grace is TRUTH...something is created via the uniqueness of the individual.)


CONCLUSION
John the Baptist testified the Jesus was the Messiah. The Law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Next Post

John 1:25-28

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered John 1:19-24. Here was the conclusion:

The Pharisees sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask John the Baptist if he was Elijah or a prophet. John denied being Elijah or a prophet, but instead quoted Isaiah 40:3...which alluded to him being "Elijah" and a prophet.

Today's post is a Friday post and contains important information. Consequently, this post is longer...


John 1
"25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, neither Elijah, neither the prophet?"

(The Jews made converts through a ceremonial cleansing that could be called "baptism". The issue here was that John did this without an order from the religious leaders: the Pharisees and Sadducees of the Sanhedrin. The religious leaders essentially stated the only people who could ceremonially cleanse new converts was the Messiah, Elijah, or a prophet. Was John the Baptist doing something against The Law?)

"26 John answered them, saying, I baptize in water: in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not,"

(John stated he ceremonial cleansed with water...and implied he was doing it by the Law...which meant he was the Messiah, "Elijah", and/or a prophet. John even stated that there was a person who stood in the midst of these religious leaders that the religious leader did not know. There are two ways to look at this verse. The first way was to see it as referencing a person who literally was standing in their midst during this discussion which would have implied the religious leaders did not know who John the Baptist was and it was John's hint that he was the Messiah, "Elijah", and/or a prophet. The second way to look at this verse was in relation to the rest of the sentence...)

"27 even he that cometh after me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose."

(The person the religious leaders did not know was Jesus who was the Messiah and was greater than John the Baptist which meant he removed "the Messiah" as one of the options with this statement. John the Baptist was implying he was "Elijah" and/or a prophet.)

(Remember from yesterday's post (John 1:19-24), John the Baptist was asked an open-ended question as to his identity. His direct answer that he initiated was to state he was not the Christ. Later, John the Baptist alluded to being "Elijah" and a prophet when he initiated an answer by quoting Isaiah 40:3. However, in between these two answers, John the Baptist was asked two close-ended (yes/no) questions: Are you Elijah? Are you a prophet? John answered "no" to both...but he did not initiate these answers...)

"28 These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing."

(John the Disciple of Christ gave the location for the events that were documented. At face value, these verses are confusing because John the Baptist stated he was NOT "Elijah" and he was NOT a prophet. Yet, only the Messiah, "Elijah", and/or a prophet could lawfully baptize new converts without the approval of the Sanhedrin. So, it looked as if John the Baptist did NOT keep The Law.)


MINI-CONCLUSION
It looked as if either:
1. John the Baptist broke The Law because he was NOT "Elijah" and/or NOT a prophet...OR...
2. John the Baptist "lied" about being "Elijah" and/or a prophet...which meant he broke The Law by lying.


First, let's resolve the issue of whether John the Baptist was "Elijah" and/or a prophet. Here were Jesus' Words from Matthew 11:

"7 And as these went their way, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to behold? a reed shaken with the wind?
8 But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft raiment are in king's houses.
9 But wherefore went ye out? to see a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet."

(Jesus stated John the Baptist was a prophet!)

"10 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, Who shall prepare thy way before thee.
11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is but little in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force.
13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14 And if ye are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, that is to come."

(Jesus stated John the Baptist was "Elijah"!)

"15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." (Matthew 11:7-15)


So, our issue becomes option #2 from our MINI-CONCLUSION:
2. John the Baptist "lied" about being "Elijah" and/or a prophet...which meant he broke The Law by lying...unless there was another reason John the Baptist "lied"...


We have covered the following huge conclusions in a long post titled, "Prophets":

1. Prophets speak for the benefit of a group of people.

2. Prophets do NOT speak for their own benefit.

3. Prophets are determined by the Right HOW/WHY...the WHAT is NOT the key to determining if someone is a prophet or not.


CONCLUSION
John the Baptist could NOT state he was "Elijah" and a prophet even when he was asked direct close-ended questions because it would have been a Wrong HOW/WHY. John would have been speaking for his own benefit and facilitating his own purpose and progress.


KEY DOCTRINE
The Messiah and prophets can NOT facilitate their own purpose and progress.

Jesus could NOT state, "I am the Son of God".

John the Baptist could NOT state, "I am Elijah. I am a prophet."


John the Baptist essentially told the religious leaders they didn't know this key Doctrine when they directly asked him if he was the Messiah, "Elijah", and/or a prophet. Remember, John the Baptist's answers were to close-ended questions that John did NOT initiate. When John the Baptist was asked open-ended questions he initiated two responses:
1. He denied being the Christ
2. He quoted scripture alluding to being "Elijah" and a prophet.

The ONLY answer that resulted in Jesus NOT being wrong and John the Baptist NOT being wrong was:

"John the Baptist was "Elijah" and a prophet, however, he couldn't state this even when he was asked direct close-ended questions because that would have been violating God's Will relative to prophets (and the Messiah): they could not facilitate their own purpose and progress.


Next Post


BONUS DISCUSSION
The rest of this post covers the incidents in the Bible where prophets testified about being a prophet. There was only one incident in God's Word where a prophet stated he was a prophet, but as you will see, it was NOT to facilitate his own purpose and progress because it was to a group of people who wanted to kill him if he was a prophet of God!

These first two examples were of people claiming to be prophets in order to facilitate their own purpose and progress. Notice that lying and fornication were associated with these people:

"18 And he said unto him, I also am a prophet as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of Jehovah, saying, Bring him back with thee into thy house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him." (I Kings 13:18)

"20 But I have this against thee, that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess; and she teacheth and seduceth my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols." (Revelation 2:20)


The closest example of a person calling himself a prophet who was actually a prophet was Elijah. However, it was stated in conjunction with establishing to the people the choice they had to make. It was done for the benefit of others:
"20 So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
21 And Elijah came near unto all the people, and said, How long go ye limping between the two sides? if Jehovah be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, am left a prophet of Jehovah; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under.
24 And call ye on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Jehovah; and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken." (I Kings 18:20-24)

Notice, Elijah's statement would result in being killed by Ahab and the people if God didn't come to Elijah's aid. Also, Elijah stated this so that the people could make a clear choice. Elijah did this for the benefit of everyone else because Elijah alone was already following God.


This is a key point: The prophet NEVER personally benefited from being a prophet. Balaam tried to do this and he was killed by the Israelites when they destroyed Bashan. Balaam was also mentioned as an example of sin.

"15 forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the hire of wrong-doing;" (2 Peter 2:15)

"11 Woe unto them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah." (Jude 1:11)

"14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there some that hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication." (Revelation 2:14)


In the Bible, prophets NEVER personally benefited from their gift. For example, Elisha healed Naaman and refused to take anything. However, Elisha's helper (Gehazi) wanted to benefit:
"21 So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw one running after him, he alighted from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?
22 And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there are come to me from the hill-country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets; give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of raiment.
23 And Naaman said, Be pleased to take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of raiment, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him.
24 And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house; and he let the men go, and they departed.
25 But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.
26 And he said unto him, Went not my heart with thee, when the man turned from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards and vineyards, and sheep and oxen, and men-servants and maid-servants?
27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow." (2 Kings 5:21-27)


Daniel also refused to benefit from Belshazzar:
"16 But I have heard of thee, that thou canst give interpretations, and dissolve doubts; now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.
17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; nevertheless I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation." (Daniel 5:16-17)


Elisha said he was a prophet indirectly:
"8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel." (2 Kings 5:8)


Here were examples where God was the one that testified that someone was a prophet:
"5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee; I have appointed thee a prophet unto the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5)

"5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them." (Ezekiel 2:5)

"33 And when this cometh to pass, (behold, it cometh,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them." (Ezekiel 33:33)


Sometimes, the prophet plainly stated he was not a prophet and credited God with everything:
"14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was a herdsman, and a dresser of sycomore-trees:
15 and Jehovah took me from following the flock, and Jehovah said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel." (Amos 7:14-15)


1 Sometimes it was stated in the third person:
"1 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see." (Habakkuk 1:1)

"3 Then came the word of Jehovah by Haggai the prophet, saying," (Haggai 1:3)


Zechariah prophesied about prophets saying they were not prophets:
"4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he prophesieth; neither shall they wear a hairy mantle to deceive:
5 but he shall say, I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground; for I have been made a bondman from my youth." (Zechariah 13:4-5)


The bottom-line is in the Bible: JUSTIFYING YOURSELF IS WRONG

Here are some examples:

ANTI-CHRIST

Daniel 8
"11 Yea, it magnified itself, even to the prince of the host; and it took away from him the continual burnt-offering, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
12 And the host was given over to it together with the continual burnt-offering through transgression; and it cast down truth to the ground, and it did its pleasure and prospered.
13 Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said unto that certain one who spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the continual burnt-offering, and the transgression that maketh desolate, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
15 And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, that I sought to understand it; and, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.
16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.
17 So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I was affrighted, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man; for the vision belongeth to the time of the end.
18 Now as he was speaking with me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face toward the ground; but he touched me, and set me upright.
19 And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the latter time of the indignation; for it belongeth to the appointed time of the end.
20 The ram which thou sawest, that had the two horns, they are the kings of Media and Persia.
21 And the rough he-goat is the king of Greece: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
22 And as for that which was broken, in the place whereof four stood up, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not with his power.
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper and do his pleasure; and he shall destroy the mighty ones and the holy people.
25 And through his policy he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and in their security shall he destroy many: he shall also stand up against the prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand." (Daniel 8:11-25)


SATAN

Isaiah 14
"13 And thou saidst in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit upon the mount of congregation, in the uttermost parts of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." (Isaiah 14:13-14)

Ezekiel 28
"1 The word of Jehovah came again unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyre, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because thy heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a god, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art man, and not God, though thou didst set thy heart as the heart of God;-
3 behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that is hidden from thee;
4 by thy wisdom and by thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures;
5 by thy great wisdom and by thy traffic hast thou increased thy riches, and thy heart is lifted up because of thy riches;-
6 therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because thou hast set thy heart as the heart of God,
7 therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.
8 They shall bring thee down to the pit; and thou shalt die the death of them that are slain, in the heart of the seas.
9 Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou art man, and not God, in the hand of him that woundeth thee.
10 Thou shalt die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord Jehovah.
11 Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
12 Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13 Thou wast in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, the topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was in thee; in the day that thou wast created they were prepared.
14 Thou wast the anointed cherub that covereth: and I set thee, so that thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till unrighteousness was found in thee.
16 By the abundance of thy traffic they filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore have I cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I have cast thee to the ground; I have laid thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
18 By the multitude of thine iniquities, in the unrighteousness of thy traffic, thou hast profaned thy sanctuaries; therefore have I brought forth a fire from the midst of thee; it hath devoured thee, and I have turned thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
19 All they that know thee among the peoples shall be astonished at thee: thou art become a terror, and thou shalt nevermore have any being." (Ezekiel 28:1-19)


JOSEPH SMITH (Mormon Founder)

Josiah Quincy spent two days in Nauvoo. He followed the Prophet Joseph around. He noted the power and influence of the Prophet as he walked among the people. It was then that Quincy said, "General Smith, it seems to me that you have too much power to be safely trusted in one man."

Joseph replied, "In your hands, or that of any other man, so much power would no doubt be dangerous. I am the only man in the world whom it would be safe to trust with it. Remember, I am a prophet."


MUHAMMED

On the newsgroup (discussion forum) soc.religion.islam somebody mentioned a saying by Muhammad:

"Kull ul-Nabîyîna Ana" (I am all the Prophets).


Say: "O men! I am sent unto you all, as the Apostle of God, to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth: there is no god but He: it is He That giveth both life and death. So believe in God and His Apostle, the Unlettered Prophet, who believeth in God and His words: follow him that (so) ye may be guided." S. 7:158


JESUS
Jesus didn't say He was the Son of God using those EXACT words because it would be exalting Himself. Most importantly, God said it:

"16 And Jesus when he was baptized, went up straightway from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him;
17 and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:16-17)


"9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in the Jordan.
10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens rent asunder, and the Spirit as a dove descending upon him:
11 And a voice came out of the heavens, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased." (Mark 1:9-11)


"21 Now it came to pass, when all the people were baptized, that, Jesus also having been baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
22 and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form, as a dove, upon him, and a voice came out of heaven, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased." (Luke 3:21-22)


Were these people calling God the Father a liar? Even Muslims have to agree with God the Father...


As we go through this year's Series, we will see the lengths Jesus went to in order to avoid stating directly (plainly) He was the Son of God...while also alluding to the fact He was the Son of God. Here were some examples of the indirect statements from Jesus:

"22 All things have been delivered unto me of my Father: and no one knoweth who the Son is, save the Father; and who the Father is, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal him." (Luke 10:22)


"61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and saith unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.
63 And the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What further need have we of witnesses?
64 Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be worthy of death." (Mark 14:61-64)


"28 Verily I say unto you, there are some of them that stand here, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." (Matthew 16:28)

This was the last verse of chapter 16. Here was how chapter 17 began:

"1 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart:
2 and he was transfigured before them; and his face did shine as the sun, and his garments became white as the light.
3 And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with him.
4 And Peter answered, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, I will make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.
5 While he was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
7 And Jesus came and touched them and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
8 And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, save Jesus only.
9 And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen from the dead." (Matthew 17:1-9)


There was a very important passage in Philippians about how Jesus didn't exalt Himself as God AS A CAUSE. Instead, His cause was to humble Himself...and He was exalted by God as an EFFECT. Paul stated Jesus COULD HAVE attained this exaltation as a CAUSE, but did not...how much more ought we to humble ourselves and let God the Father flow through us (like Jesus stated He did in John 8:28). Here's the passage:

"5 Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men;
8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name;
10 that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11)


This passage proved GRACE is the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life. We aren't good as a cause...as an effort. We are good as an effect of humbling ourselves and letting God work through us.


CONCLUSION: True prophets and the Son of God DO NOT exalt themselves. False prophets and false messiahs exalt themselves.

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John 1:19-24

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered Luke 3:7-17. Here was the conclusion:

John the Baptist sorted through the issues of life so well, people wondered if he was the Christ.


John 1
"19 And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent unto him from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask him, Who art thou?"

(In the previous post, we saw the multitude, publicans, and soldiers wondered if John the Baptist was the Christ. In this Gospel Account, it was stated that priests and Levites were sent from Jerusalem to find out if John the Baptist was the Christ.)

"20 And he confessed, and denied not; and he confessed, I am not the Christ."

(John the Baptist told them he was not the Christ. Notice, John the Baptist initiated this confession. The priests and Levites asked an open-ended question: a question that gave up control and didn't have a limiting "yes/no" answer. John the Baptist could have answered that question any way he wanted. He chose to initiated a confession that he was not the Christ...which we know to be factual.)

"21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No."

(John the Baptist was asked a close-ended question: one the required a "yes/no" answer. John was asked if he was Elijah and if he was a prophet. John the Baptist said "no" to each. In tomorrow's post, we will look at the apparent contradiction this created. Notice, John the Baptist did NOT initiate these admissions. For now, the Jews knew that Elijah would appear before the Messiah begins His Kingdom.)

(From Revelation 11, we know that Two Witnesses physically appear before Jesus physically returns to earth to usher in His Kingdom. According to the Bible, Elijah and Enoch were the only two people that have lived and never died. Hebrews 9:27 stated it is given once for man to die, so I believe Elijah and Enoch come back as the Two Witnesses. We've seen in Luke 1:16-17, John the Baptist's mission was to be the spiritual Elijah ushering in the spiritual kingdom of heaven. John the Baptist was not the physical return of Elijah.)

"22 They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?"

(These priests and Levites asked John the Baptist, "Who art thou?". They wanted to know if he was someone spoken of in God's Word. John the Baptist replied...)

"23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet."

(As we've seen in Luke 3:4, Matthew 3:4, and Mark 1:3, the verse from Isaiah 40:3 was quoted by and about John the Baptist:
"3 The voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah; make level in the desert a highway for our God".)

(Now we see this was John's way of initiating a response that factually alluded to his identity: he was a prophet and "Elijah"! However, John the Baptist didn't directly state this...)

"24 And they had been sent from the Pharisees."

(These priests and Levites were sent by the Pharisees. Remember, we saw in Matthew 3:7 that John the Baptist had already confronted the Pharisees when they met John. John the Baptist had asked them who warned them to flee the wrath from God that was about to come. Perhaps the Pharisees didn't think John would answer their questions...or the Pharisees may have been afraid to find out who John the Baptist was. Either way, the Pharisees sent others to question John the Baptist.)


CONCLUSION
The Pharisees sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask John the Baptist if he was Elijah or a prophet. John denied being Elijah or a prophet, but instead quoted Isaiah 40:3...which alluded to him being "Elijah" and a prophet.

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Luke 3:7-17

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered Matthew 3:7-12. Here was the conclusion:

John the Baptist confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees about their lack of belief. John the Baptist stated God's measure for the individual was whether the person chose to bring forth good fruit. John stated Jesus would baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire.


Luke 3
"7 He said therefore to the multitudes that went out to be baptized of him, Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
9 And even now the axe also lieth at the root of the trees: every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire."

(We covered the meaning of these verses in the previous post: Matthew 3:7-12.)

"10 And the multitudes asked him, saying, What then must we do?
11 And he answered and said unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath food, let him do likewise."

(The people asked John what they ought to do to bring forth good fruit. John the Baptist stated examples: give clothes and food to those who don't have any. This teaching was consistent with what Jesus would teach. Giving to others is a good work and results in Reward.)

"12 And there came also publicans to be baptized, and they said unto him, Teacher, what must we do?
13 And he said unto them, Extort no more than that which is appointed you."

(Among other things, the publicans were tax collectors. They asked John the Baptist what they were supposed to do since he had just told people to give...and their job was to take. John said they shouldn't take more than what they were supposed to take.)

"14 And soldiers also asked him, saying, And we, what must we do? And he said unto them, Extort from no man by violence, neither accuse any one wrongfully; and be content with your wages."

(The soldiers asked John the Baptist what they were supposed to do because they couldn't give nor take physical things. John told them not to use violence or false accusations in order to take. Also, John told them to be content with what they were given: their wages.)

"15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether haply he were the Christ;"

(John sorted through the issues of life (giving and taking) so well, people wondered if John the Baptist was the Christ.)

"16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but there cometh he that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire:
17 whose fan is in his hand, thoroughly to cleanse his threshing-floor, and to gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire."

(Luke documented the same answer as what we saw in the previous post: Matthew 3:7-12...however, this comment from John the Baptist was presented as having been in response to people wondering if John the Baptist was the Christ.)


CONCLUSION
John the Baptist sorted through the issues of life so well, people wondered if he was the Christ.

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Matthew 3:7-12

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered Mark 1:1-8. Here was the conclusion:

John the Baptist blatantly stated the one that came after him would be greater and baptize in the Holy Spirit.


Matthew 3
"7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them, Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"

(John the Baptist confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees. Notice, he phrased the confronting sentence in the form of a Question...like a Rabbi. We will see that John the Baptist was a Semikah Rabbi. For now, John's Question showed he didn't think the Pharisees and Sadducees were led by God...they must have had a person warn them to repent. Let's take a moment and review what the Pharisees and Sadducees believed.)

SADDUCEES AND PHARISEES
The Sadducees were aristocrats who held the majority of the 70 seats of the Sanhedrin (ruling council). They worked hard to keep the peace by agreeing with the decisions of Rome (Israel at this time was under Roman control), and they seemed to be more concerned with politics than religion. The common man disliked the Sadducees.

The Pharisees were mostly middle-class businessmen who were more concerned with religion than politics. Because the Pharisees were popular with the masses, the Sadducees tended to give in to the Pharisees' decisions.

The Pharisees gave oral tradition equal authority to the written Word of God, while the Sadducees considered only the written Word to be from God. The Pharisees did NOT teach the Word of God by READING it; they spoke to each other and justified it by saying Moses taught God's Law in the same fashion. We will see Jesus pointed out the fact the Pharisees didn't read God's Word.

Key Sadducees' beliefs:
1. They were extremely self-sufficient to the point of denying God's involvement in everyday life.

2. They denied: any resurrection of the dead, any afterlife where Justice was equaled out, and the existence of a spiritual world, i.e., angels and demons.


Key Pharisees' beliefs:
1. They believed that God controlled all things, yet decisions made by individuals also contributed to the course of a person's life.

2. They believed in: the resurrection of the dead, an afterlife where Justice equaled out, and in the existence of angels and demons (Acts 23:8).

The Sadducees believed God wasn't involved AT ALL. The Pharisees' believed God controlled ALL THINGS...yet they couldn't deny individuals had SOME responsibility. Basically, the Sadducees were humanists and the Pharisees were Calvinists...less than five-point Calvinists! Any time a person tells you they are something less than a five-point Calvinist, they are stating, "I AM A PHARISEE!"

BOTH the Sadducees and Pharisees were WRONG. We have seen that the only non-contradictory explanation that completely agrees with God's Word is that God does NOT initiate His Will on anyone. God ONLY initiates His Will on things that don't have a will (inanimate objects, weather, and animals). God RESPONDS to people THROUGH Justice. EVERY OTHER explanation contradicts the Bible!

(For more information on the Pharisees, use this link: "Topic #7: Pharisees".)

"8 Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance:"

(John the Baptist stated that repentance ought to result in bringing forth worthy fruit. Repentance ought to lead to actions that have enough value to Repair the damage that was done. Notice, John the Baptist believed it was in the ability of the individual to choose to bring forth worthy fruit...)

"9 and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
10 And even now the axe lieth at the root of the trees: every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire."

(John the Baptist stated clearly that being Jewish would not automatically make a person one of God's children. In verse 10, John stated that it was up to the individual to choose to bring forth good fruit. If the individual didn't bring forth good fruit, then they would end up in the fire.)

"11 I indeed baptize you in water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire:"

(This was the same claim we saw John the Baptist make in the previous post that covered Mark 1:1-8...however, this verse added that Jesus would baptize people in fire...)

"12 whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing-floor; and he will gather his wheat into the garner, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire."

(The fire would purify the individual ("wheat")...burning up all the chaff.)


CONCLUSION
John the Baptist confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees about their lack of belief. John the Baptist stated God's measure for the individual was whether the person chose to bring forth good fruit. John stated Jesus would baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire.

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