Wednesday 031225
Ephesians 2:8 ‘…For by GRACE you have been SAVED through FAITH; and this is not of yourselves, it is a GIFT of God…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Let’s together, open the Word of God this morning, and study what we have been given. Allow me to help you in your study and search the Bible what God has intended for us to hear.
The verses we are going to study this morning:
Matthew 16:21; Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22; Matthew 17:22-23; Mark 9:31; Luke 9:44; Mark 9:32; Luke 9:45; Matthew 20:18-19; Mark 10:33-34; Luke 18:32-33, :34; John 20:6-9, :19-25, :26-29; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:1-3, 8:1, 10:27-29, 11:1-3.
Today’s lesson has been haunting me for quite a while now.
It seems, after the crucifixion; the remaining eleven original apostles were abandoned by Jesus. What, if anything, happened.
Let’s look at some history taken from out of the Bible instead of what ‘MAN’ wants us to believe.
The apostles never understood when Jesus tried telling them before hand of His death, burial and resurrection.
Jesus told them on three (3) different occasions, and it is recorded all three times in three different books:
Matthew 16:21, 17:22-23, 20:18-19; Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:33-34; and Luke 9:22, 9:44, 18:32-33.
Also, it has been noted in three different verses, that the apostles didn’t understand what Jesus had been telling them.
Mark 9:32; Luke 9:45 and Luke 18:34.
This was the 1st time Jesus said something to the apostles about His death, burial and resurrection.
Matthew 16:21 ‘…From that time Jesus began to point out to His disciples that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem and to suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and to be killed, and to be raised up on the third day…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Mark 8:31 ‘…And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise from the dead…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Luke 9:22 ‘…saying, the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised on the third day…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
This was the 2nd time Jesus told His disciples about His death, burial and resurrection.
Matthew 17
vs22 ‘…And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, the Son of Man is going to be handed over to men…’
vs23 ‘…and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day. And they were deeply grieved…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Mark 9:31 ‘…For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, the Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Luke 9:44 ‘…As for you, let these words sink into your ears: for the Son of Man is going to be handed over to me…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
These verses above in Mark and Luke noting that the apostles did not understand what Jesus was telling them.
Mark 9:32 ‘…But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Luke 9:45 ‘…But they did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they would not comprehend it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
And finally, a third time Jesus told the Disciples about His death, burial and resurrection.
Matthew 20
vs18 ‘…Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death…’
vs19 ‘…and they will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and flog and crucify, and on the third day He will be raised up…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Mark 10
vs33 ‘…saying, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles…’
vs34 ‘…And they will mock Him and spit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him; and three days later He will rise from the dead…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Luke 18
vs32 ‘…For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be ridiculed, and abused, and spit upon…’
vs33 ‘…and after they have flogged Him, they will kill Him; and on the third day He will rise…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Again, in Luke, vs34 says how the apostles did not understand what Jesus was saying.
Luke 18:34 ‘…The disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
It wasn’t until that very 1st Easter morning of Jesus’ Resurrection that the apostles understood Jesus’ teachings.
Up to this point, the apostles and Mary, they all thought the body of Jesus had been stolen and taken somewhere and hid.
Until vs7 …
John 20
vs6 ‘…So Simon Peter also came, following him, and he entered the tomb; and he looked at the linen wrappings lying there…’
vs7 ‘…and the facecloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings but folded up in a place by itself…’
vs8 ‘…So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb also entered then, and he saw and believed…’
vs9 ‘…For they did not yet understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
It wasn’t until vs 7 when they had seen the folded-up facecloth, that they realized all that Jesus had tried teaching them.
If someone was going to steal a body, they would not take the time to ‘fold up’ the facecloth.
So, the original remaining eleven apostles now believed that Jesus was Resurrected by God and taken to heaven.
But the most important part, these eleven apostles didn’t know that Jesus planned on saving ALL mankind, the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
Jesus appeared to the disciples after the crucifixion that evening, but Thomas was missing.
John 20
vs19 ‘…Now when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were together due to fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, Peace be to you…’
vs20 ‘…And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord…’
vs21 ‘…So Jesus said to them again, Peace be to you; just as the Father has sent Me, I also send you…’
vs22 ‘…And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit…’
vs23 ‘…If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained…’
vs24 ‘…But Thomas, one of the twelve, who was called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came…’
vs25 ‘…So the other disciples were saying to him, we have seen the Lord! But he said to them, unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
It would have been hard for anyone to believe such a story.
John 20
vs26 ‘…Eight days later His disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, peace be to you…’
vs27 ‘…Then He said to Thomas, place your finger here, and see my hands; and take your hand and put it into my side; and do not continue in disbelief, but be a believer…’
vs28 ‘…Thomas answered and said to Him, my Lord and my God…’
vs29 ‘…Jesus said to him, because you have seen me, have you now believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed…’ NASB
After this, Jesus spent the next forty (40) days with the apostles before the Ascension to heaven.
Jesus commanded the ‘Great Commission’ to the apostles.
Matthew 28
vs19 ‘…Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…’
vs20 ‘…teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
In the apostles’ defense, Jesus did tell them to wait in Jerusalem until after the Spirit had come upon them.
Acts 1
vs3 ‘…To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of things regarding the kingdom of God…’
vs4 ‘…Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, which, He said, you heard of from Me…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
So, the apostles were told to remain in Jerusalem until Pentecost, but we are told in Acts 8:1 that the apostles still had not left to make disciples in ALL the nations.
Acts 8:1 ‘…Now Saul approved of putting Stephen to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
The apostles had not yet moved. They remained in Jerusalem.
The stoning death of Stephen by the Sanhedrin was the changing point in biblical history. This is that part of Scripture our religions today have forgot to teach us, in fact, they don’t even read the verses found in Acts 9. Trust me, read Acts 9 for yourselves.
Now, Peter did travel and speak at the house of a Gentile man.
Acts 10
vs27 ‘…As he talked with him, he (Peter) entered and found many people assembled…’
vs28 ‘…And he said to them, you yourselves know that it is forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a foreigner; and yet God has shown me that I am not to call any person unholy or unclean…’
vs29 ‘…That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So, I ask, for what reason did you send for me…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
But maybe more amazing, after Peter’s visit he had to return to Jerusalem to the other apostles because they had heard Peter was in the home of a ‘Gentile.’
Acts 11
vs1 ‘…Now the apostles and the brothers and sisters who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God…’
vs2 ‘…And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, the Jewish believers took issue with him…’
vs3 ‘…saying, you went to uncircumcised men and ate with them…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
After Jesus commissioned the remaining eleven to baptize ‘ALL’ nations, ten of them ‘at least,’ still had ‘religious’ problems with associating with the Gentile nation.
Is this why Jesus chose the apostle Paul to teach because He knew the remaining eleven (11) would not …?
Keep your Bibles open and continue your study to read of the plans God has for our future.
You will only know for sure if you read the Bible for yourself and learn what God has given to us.
I love ALL of y’all.
Our churches, since the 1st century have mislead those that thought they were headed towards Jesus’ love and promise of LIFE.
But Jesus made a pivotable change, and it is up to each one of us, to individually find out for ourselves if we want the promise of Everlasting Life after our life on this earth.
Are we going to choose LIFE in the presence of Jesus or will we opt on a life of eternal torment and destruction … the choice is yours.
Read your own Bible and ‘YOU’ make up your own mind. Begin reading in Acts 9 and allow Jesus to come into your heart and soul.
I love you.
Jesus, I pray that those ears and eyes, either listening or seeing this message today would be opened to the very fullest and allow Your love to come inside their lives and comfort them. Teach us Jesus. Protect us. We love You. Amen
InHIM. ><)))o>