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What is an article? Our subject matter expert shares his viewpoint on some of the more interesting areas in the scriptures. Please consult our media usage guide before reproducing or distributing. |
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Jesus’ Birth Jesus was not born in a manger or in a stable, as we know it, but very probably in the home of a member of Joseph's extended family that lived in Bethlehem. Common misconceptions of the circumstances of His birth have resulted from a mistranslation of kataluma that means "guest room," (Mark 14:14) not "inn," and from a Western rather than a Middle Eastern understanding of the cultural factors involved. |
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The Star of the Magi What was the star that guided the " wise men" from the east? Theories and conjectures abound to explain the "star" that drew them to Bethlehem. How do we account for the fact that influential and highly placed "king-makers" would notice an astral phenomenon that would motivate them to trek 700 miles to pay homage to a Jewish baby in a small town in Israel? Would an ordinary star or even an unusual conjunction of planets have sent these scholars, who knew the courses of stars and planets, on that long journey to Jerusalem to find a king? In any case, why would they want to see a Jewish king baby? |
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Was John the Baptist Elijah? The Pharisees and priests asked John the Baptist a logical question, "Are you Elijah?" He dressed like that prophet and he preached judgment near the very place where God had swept him up to heaven. Although John denied that he was the one Malachi had promised (4:5,6), many still wondered. For instance, on the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James and John had seen Elijah. As they returned from that scene, they wrestled with the fact that it was John who had introduced Jesus, and that Elijah had not yet appeared. "Why do the scribes say Elijah must come first" they wondered. |
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The Meaning of Kingdom in the Gospels Although Messianic expectations varied among the people of Jesus' day, their basic hope was for a leader who would deliver them from Roman rule and establish an independent state. This concept is often expressed in the conclusion, "The Jews wanted a political kingdom." Assuming that Jesus would not be willing to satisfy the unworthy desire of unrepentant Jews for a "political kingdom," many believe that He did not intend to establish a physical kingdom on earth but rather a non-literal "spiritual kingdom." The OT prophecies, however, described a kingdom on earth. |
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Water into Wine at Cana in Galilee Jesus' selection of Cana for this first revelation of His deity through a miracle was significant. Did He lead His new followers to Cana, only to attend a wedding? Or was He also planning to respond to Nathanael's spontaneous expression of his faith, "You are the Son of God; You are the king of Israel"? (John 1:49). As Jesus and His new followers trouped across the lush Bet Netofa Valley, we can only imagine Nathanael's excitement as they neared his hometown. |
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A Samaritan Woman At Jacob’s Well Why did Jesus enter Samaria traveling a "road less traveled" by Jews? To offer "the water of life" to a lonely woman at a well? Yes, but He was also teaching His disciples an introductory course in cross-cultural evangelism. They watched Him conversing with Samaritans as comfortably as He talked with Jews living and eating with them. He was demonstrating to them that His salvation would be for Samaritans and Gentiles as well as Jews. In His last words to His disciples on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent them back to Samaria on their way to the "the remotest part of the earth." The people of Sychar understood His point, " . . .this One is indeed the Savior of the world" (John 4:42). |
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The Sermon on the Mount Jesus had recently returned from Jerusalem where the Pharisees had launched the Sabbath controversy, seeking to discredit Him by condemning His actions on the basis of their Oral Law ("Tradition"). Following His healing of a lame man at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath, the confrontation escalated from Sabbath-breaking to the issue of Jesus' deity (John 5). Pharisee opposition was growing, focused on His claim to have been sent from God (Matt 12:1-14; Mark 2:23-28 and 3:1-6). News of His preaching about the kingdom and reports of His miracles had drawn seekers from almost every part of the land. |
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The Unpardonable Sin Jesus warned some Pharisees that " . . . any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven" (Matt 12:31). Was He referring to a sin that today cannot be removed? Or did His statement relate to the issue of the nation's response to Jesus as Messiah when He was on earth? |
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The Parables of the Kingdom For two years, Jesus had presented His credentials, validated by His teaching and His miracles, His words and His works. When He cast out a demon from a blind and dumb man one day, probably at Capernaum, the Pharisees there were stung by the crowd's inference that Jesus was Messiah (Matt 12:23). They countered by charging that His power to heal had come from Satan, not from God. This denied His deity as authenticated by the empowering of the Holy Spirit for this miracle (Matt 12:24). On the same day, Jesus probably moved with His followers to a nearby cove (the "Sower's Cove"). As the crowd, possibly numbering several thousand gathered in this natural amphitheater, Jesus began to teach in parables, describing the form of His kingdom until His return. |
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Deliverance of the Demoniac This was a day of direct spiritual confrontation with Satan. Jesus had begun the day by casting out a demon and being charged by the Pharisees with working in collusion with Satan. Now He was taking His disciples across the lake to Gentile country where two men who were being destroyed by Satan's demons would meet them. Between these two confrontations with Satan, Jesus predicted in His parables of the kingdom that the conflict between His kingdom and Satan's kingdom would continue until He returned to earth to rule (Matt 13:36-43). |
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Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand The Beelzebub confrontation at Capernaum led to a change in the focus of Jesus? ministry. Following this event, He began a transition from preaching to large crowds and performing miracles as evidence of His deity, to preparing His disciples for their future roles as leaders in the Church. Although He continued to teach and to perform some miracles, He usually related these directly, or indirectly, to His training of the Twelve. Their distributing the bread and fish to this vast crowd, for instance, previewed the disciples' future role; delivering the "Bread of Life." |
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Jesus’ Discourse on the Bread of Life After the crowd had eaten the loaves and fish near the northeastern shore of the lake, they noticed that there had been only one boat there and that the disciples had sailed away in it. When dawn broke over the Golan hills, Jesus was nowhere to be found. When word spread of His arrival at the Plain of Gennesaret across the lake, they sailed there in boats that had arrived at Bethsaida from Tiberias. Others hurried there on foot along the northern shore of the lake (John 6: 3-25). Their strong desire to find Him to receive another meal provided Jesus with a timely opening for His teaching about ?the Bread of Life? (John 6:24-27). |
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Progressive Healing of a Blind Man Jesus performed two apparently interrelated healing miracles on the East side of the Sea of Galilee. The first, that of a deaf man, occurred in the Decapolis region, located south of the Wadi Samak, near the mid-point along the shore of the lake. The second, that of a blind man, occurred a few miles to the north, near Bethsaida, in Gaulanitis, the Tetrarchy of Philip. In each case, the populace was predominantly Gentile. Is there a connection between these miracles? Why did Jesus not completely heal the blind man? |
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Jesus’ Announcements of His Church It was Jesus' practice to teach in metaphors that related to the physical context in which He was ministering. For example, He spoke of "fishers of men" and "a sower went out to sow" along the shore of the Sea of Galilee where these kinds of activities could easily be observed. It is likely, therefore, that Jesus used the metaphor petra, "solid, base rock" because He was standing in front of the cliff at Caesarea Philippi when He announced that He would build His church on a "rock." |
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The Transfiguration The Transfiguration formed a transition between Jesus' ministry during His last year in Galilee and coming events in Jerusalem. It followed immediately after His historic meeting with His disciples at Caesarea Philippi where He had revealed to them His purpose to build His Church. This prediction had been followed by His shocking announcement that He would then proceed to Jerusalem to be crucified. Led by Peter, His disciples had reacted with consternation and unbelief. To them, the prediction of Jesus' dying was totally incompatible with His preaching that "the kingdom is at hand." Had He not sent them out two-by-two to call people to repentance in preparation for the establishment of that kingdom? How were they to relate their kingdom preaching to this new ekklesia ("Church") and to His announced crucifixion? |
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The Feasts: Israel’s Annual Calendar of
Redemption Beginning with Passover in March/April and climaxing in the Feast of Booths in September/October, the seven "feasts" (Lev 23) were designed to reveal God's redemptive plan for Israel. The annual celebration of these "appointed times" not only reinforced memories of past events, they also portrayed future events related to God's plan of salvation. |
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The Seven Appointed Times: Israel’s Calendar
of Redemption This chart relates each of the seven "feasts" to its agricultural context and shows its historical and prophetic significance. |
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The Last Day, The Great Day of the Feast Jesus arrived in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Booths in the September before His crucifixion the following spring. Aware of the hostility of the Pharisees, His arrival was awaited with great anticipation and some doubt that He would appear. The crowds were not disappointed. Sharp divisions emerged and escalated among them and the Pharisees as Jesus continued to claim God as His Father, an issue that had lingered from His previous visit to the city (John 5). |
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The Parable of the Minas The place and time that Jesus gave this parable are important for our understanding of its meaning. On His way to Jerusalem for His last Passover, Jesus had turned westward up the Wadi Qelt from Jericho. His followers who were accompanying Him to Passover "supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately" (v 11). It was near here that John the Baptist had announced, "the kingdom is at hand." Jesus knew that when they arrived in Jerusalem, these people would expect Him to establish His kingdom. But would He? |
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Jerusalem: September- April A.D. 29-30 From the Feast of Booths that marked the end of the religious year to Passover that began the next, several eternally important events would occur. To understand the forces and issues behind these events, it is necessary to take note of the political powers of the day, the various peoples involved and the impact of Lazarus' resurrection. |
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The Olivet Discourse Two days earlier, Jesus and His disciples had traveled from Bethany to Jerusalem, passing over the Mount of Olives just below where Jesus gave this teaching to His disciples. As Jesus had finished His last confrontation with the Sanhedrin on that day (Matt 21:23-23:36), His disciples remarked on the extraordinary beauty of the temple Herod the Great had built. Jesus stunned them with His prediction that a time was coming when this magnificent structure and the city itself would be totally destroyed. Their curiosity piqued by this startling revelation, four of His disciples asked Him when this event would take place and how it would relate to "His coming" and to "the end of the age." |
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The Night Before Calvary Some time Thursday Jesus apparently separated ten of His disciples from Peter and John, probably leading them to Bethany. His purpose was to conceal from Judas the location of their Passover meal to avoid His early arrest. He had dispatched these two disciples to purchase the lamb at the temple and to proceed to the pre-arranged upper room. Only when Jesus later brought the others to the room did Judas become aware of where they would celebrate the Passover. |
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Judas’ Motives and Roles One of the best known tragic figures in human history, Judas Iscariot remains for many an enigma. He is called "the betrayer," but what does this mean? What was his role in the Passover events of A.D. 30? Was he responsible for Jesus' death, as is commonly believed? What motivated him to do this deed that soon after would drive him to commit suicide? |
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The Upper Room Discourse As Jesus' disciples entered an upper room in Jerusalem on that Passover evening, they could hardly have imagined the historical importance of what they would see and hear in the next three hours - or the next three days. They were about to participate in a "hinge of history," the transition between Jesus' ministry on earth in the context of the kingdom and their coming ministry throughout the world in the context of the church. It would be this "upper room experience" that would define the life of the Church for the next two millennia. |
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Jesus’ Arrest and Trials When Roman troops and the Levitical temple guards arrested Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, they began a judicial process unparalleled in history. The purpose for the several trials was not to determine the guilt or innocence of the prisoner, but to establish, in the sessions before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, a charge for which Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea and Samaria would order Jesus' execution. Jesus' subsequent appearances before Pilate and Herod Antipas resulted in a declaration of Jesus' innocence but this only fuelled the Sanhedrin's determination to force His death. In the end, the angry, fearful, frustrated prefect capitulated and authorized Jesus' crucifixion. |
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Why Did Peter Deny that He Knew Jesus? One of the most unexpected events that occurred during the night of Jesus? trials was Peter's denial that he knew Him. A few hours earlier, he had promised, ?I will lay down my life for you? (John 13:38). Then he protested, ?Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away? (Matt 26:33). How then do we account for his oath, ?I do not know the man,? when challenged by a servant girl (Matt 26:71,72)? Was this blurted denial just a spur of the moment reaction born of fear? Or were more significant dynamics driving this defection of Jesus? brightest and most loyal disciple? |
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The Road To Calvary The road to Calvary is the path from the Garden of Eden to the Garden of Gethsemane; the highway of history that a holy God laid down to prepare for the death of His Son. To understand the meaning and magnitude of Calvary, we need to trace that trail, from the book of Genesis to John's Gospel, from the garden of delight to the garden of death. We will observe many signposts (or "types"), each defining a dimension of the cross. Some are events, some are actions, some are people, some are animals and some are structures, but all provide instructional insights into Jesus' crucifixion. |
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Events from the Trial to the Burial of Jesus The "trials" before Pilate had ended in the Sanhedrin's frenzied cry, "Crucify Him" and Pilate's derisive question, "Shall I crucify your king?" From then until Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus rolled the stone to close Jesus' tomb, a sequence of events occurred that has changed forever the relationship between God and humankind. |
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The Crucifixion Jesus' followers assumed that His crucifixion would be the end of His ministry and their hope of a kingdom. Understanding little of the theological implications of this awful event, for them, the death of their beloved Messiah was primarily a personal tragedy. For the religious establishment, it was relief from their perceived rival; for the Roman soldiers, it was one more execution assignment; for God it made the full payment for human sin; the basis for restored fellowship with the sinners He loved. |
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Jesus’ Burial Primary attention is usually focused on Jesus' death with little consideration given to His burial. While this is understandable, it is important to remember that Jesus' burial is not only an essential element of the Gospel (1 Cor 15:3-8), but it supports the credibility of His resurrection. The actions of two Sanhedrin members in placing His body in the tomb and rolling a stone to seal it eliminate any rationale for introducing a "swoon theory" that would deny the fact of Jesus' resurrection. |
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John the Eyewitness: The Cross and the Tomb
From his first encounter with Jesus at the Jordan River to His ascension from the Mount of Olives, the apostle John witnessed more events in the Jesus' ministry than did any other of His followers. During the events of Passover week especially, John alone observed the defining moments of those historic days and nights. He reclined next to Jesus at the Passover meal and followed Him to Caiaphas' court. Alone among the apostles, John stood with the women witnessing Jesus' agony and death. He was the first to arrive at the empty tomb and on the shore of the Sea of Galilee; the one of whom Peter asked, "And what shall this man do?" The answer to Peter's question lies, in part, in the five New Testament books John was privileged to write. Guided by the Holy Spirit, John recorded in his Gospel "what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have beheld and our hands have handled . . ." |
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Jesus’ Post-Resurrection Appearances:
An Introduction The Scriptural definition of the gospel (1 Cor 15:3-8) emphasizes Jesus' post-resurrection appearances. For Jesus' followers, finding the tomb empty only reinforced their grief. Without seeing Him, they were not being convinced that He was alive. It was imperative that He appear to them in a resurrection body; one they could touch and one that carried the wounds of the nails and scar of the spear. |
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Jesus’ Post-Resurrection Appearances to
His Followers The Scriptures record ten appearances of Jesus after His resurrection, the first to Mary Magdelene at the tomb and the last to His followers at His ascension from the Mount of Olives forty days later. Although each appearance had a particular purpose, the underlying theme was His commission to communicate the gospel throughout the world. |
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The Commissioning of Peter The Shepherd had been stricken and the sheep scattered (Zech 13:7). The Great Shepherd would soon leave His sheep. The time had come for Him to appoint an under-shepherd to tend the flock; a flock that would almost instantly increase from 120 to 3,000 and then to 5,000! This was a very special flock; it belonged to the Shepherd who had given His life for them. To be trusted to lead them, an under-shepherd's motivation must be love for the Shepherd, and nothing else (1 Pet 5:1-5). Jesus would now ask Peter one question three times to verify his qualification for this responsibility. |