01 LK
2:10.11
And the angel said
to them, “Don’t be afraid! I bring you the good news that will bring great joy
to all the people. For this very night, in the City of David, the Savior,
Christ, the Lord, was born.”
02 MT 2:01.11
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the reign of King
Herod. At that same time, wise men from the East arrived at Jerusalem, asking,
“Where can we find the newborn King of the Jews? We have seen his star in the
East and have come to honor him.”
When Herod heard about this, he became understandably concerned because he
considered the child a threat to his throne. He called together all the chief
priests and religious authorities and demanded to know from them where the
Messiah should be born. And they told him, “In Bethlehem in Judea, for it is
written by the prophet, Micah, ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are
not the least among the cities of Judah, because from you shall rise a leader
who shall rule my people, Israel.’”
Herod then summoned the wise men for a meeting and inquired from them just when
they first saw the star. Then, he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and
search for the young child there; and when you have found him, bring me back
word so that I may also come and honor him.”
After they had met with the King, the wise men travelled on and lo, the star
that they saw in the East preceded them, until it came to rest above the place
where the young child was. And on reaching the place, their joy was boundless.
And when they went inside the cave, they saw the young child with Mary, his
mother, and fell down on their knees. And opening their treasure chests, they
offered him presents — gold, frankincense and myrrh.
03 LK 2:21.38
When eight days had passed, at his circumcision, he was named
Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was even conceived. When the
days of purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought
him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord and to offer a pair of turtledoves
or two young pigeons as sacrifice.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. He was an upright and
devout man, and he was avidly awaiting the coming of the Messiah because the
Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die before he had seen the
Christ, in the flesh. Moved by the Spirit, he went to the temple and when the
child Jesus was brought in for the prescribed rituals, he took him up in his arms
and praised God. “Now let Your servant depart in peace, Lord, according to Your
promise, for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared for all
the nations, a light to reveal Your will to the Gentiles and to the glory of
Your people, Israel.”
As Joseph and his mother wondered about the things spoken regarding him, Simeon
blessed them and said to Mary, “Sorrow shall pierce your soul, for this child
shall be rejected by many in Israel, and this, to their undoing. But he will be
the greatest joy of many others. And the deepest thoughts of many hearts shall
be revealed.”
There was also a very old prophetess, a widow named Anna, daughter of Phanuel,
of the tribe of Asher. She had been married for only seven years and was now
eighty-four years old. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day,
fasting and praying. She, too, came up that same instant and gave similar
thanks to the Lord and talked about Jesus to all those looking for the
redemption in Jerusalem.
04 JN 8:23
“You are from below; I am from above. You
are of this world; I am not of this world.”
05 JN
1:19.36
And this is the
testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to
question him. “Who are you?” they asked.
He frankly confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
They asked him, “Then who are you, Elijah?”
He said, “No, I am not.”
“Are you the prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may tell those who sent us?
What have you to say regarding yourself?”
He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare for the
coming of the Lord,’ according to the words of Isaiah, the prophet.”
The Pharisees asked him, “Then why do you baptize if you are neither the
Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”
John answered them, “I baptize with water, but there is one among you whom you
do not recognize, the one who will come after me and whose sandal-strings I am
not fit to untie.” All these occurred at Bethany beyond the Jordan where John
was baptizing.
The next day, he saw Jesus approaching him and said, “Behold the Lamb of God
who takes away the sins of the world! He is the one I referred to when I said;
After me will come a man who is far greater than me, for he existed long before
me. I didn’t know he was the one, but I am here baptizing with water in order
to point him out to the nation of Israel.” John continued, “I saw the Spirit
come down from heaven like a dove and alight on him. Although I did not know
him, the one who sent me to baptize with water also told me, ‘On whom you see
the Spirit descend and remain, he is the one who baptizes with the Holy
Spirit.’ And I did see it and I testify that he is the Son of God.”
Again the following day, John was standing with two of his disciples when he
looked at Jesus as he was walking along, and he said, “Behold the Lamb of
God.”
06 LK 4:16.21
He came to Nazareth where he grew up and as usual, he went to the
synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read. The book of the prophet Isaiah
was handed to him and on opening the scroll, he found the place where it was
written and which he read, “The Spirit of the Lord is
upon me for He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me
to heal the broken-hearted, to deliver the captives and restore sight to the
blind, to set free the downtrodden and to proclaim the acceptable year of the
Lord.” Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat
down.
The eyes of everyone were fixed on him. And then he said to them, “Today, this Scripture is fulfilled!”
07 MT 12:17.21
So was it fulfilled according to the words of Isaiah: “Behold My
servant whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul delights; I will invest
him with My spirit and he will judge the nations. He will not quarrel or shout,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. He will not break a bruised
reed; he will not extinguish a smoldering wick until he carries justice to
victory. And in his name shall the nations trust.”
08 JN 12:37.41
But despite all the miracles he had done, most of the people would
not believe in him. This is exactly what Isaiah had predicted: “Lord, who will
believe us? Who will accept God’s mighty miracles as proof?” But they couldn’t
believe, for as Isaiah also said: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their
hearts so that they may neither see nor understand and repent, nor turn to me
to heal them.” Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he made this prediction for
he had seen a vision of his glory.
09 LK 11:30.32
“As Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so
will the Man from Heaven be to this generation. And at the Judgment Day, the
Queen of Sheba shall arise and point her finger at this generation condemning
it; for she went on a long, hard journey just to listen to the wisdom of
Solomon, and behold, someone who is greater than Solomon is here. The men of
Nineveh, too, shall arise and condemn this nation, for they repented at the
preaching of Jonah and someone who is far greater than Jonah is here.”
10 MT 16:13.17
When Jesus entered the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his
disciples, “Who do people say I am?”
They said, “Some say, John the Baptist; others, Elijah; others, Jeremiah
or one of the other prophets.”
He asked them, “How about you, who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!”
Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of
John, because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you, but my
Father in heaven.”
11 JN 10:01.16
“Whoever does not enter the sheepfold
through the gate but sneaks up over a wall must surely be a thief. For a
shepherd comes through the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, the
sheep hear his voice and come to him and he calls his own sheep by name and
leads them out. He walks ahead of them and the sheep follow because they
recognize his voice. However, they will not follow a stranger and, instead,
will run away from him.” Jesus told them this parable but they could not
understand him.
So he continued, “I assure you, I am the gate for the
sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers but the sheep did not
listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever comes in through me will be saved; he
will move about freely and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, to
slaughter and destroy. But I have come so they may have life and have it
abundantly.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.
The hired man who is not the shepherd or the owner of the sheep deserts the
sheep and runs away when he sees the wolf coming. The hired hand flees because
he is a hired hand and does not really care about the sheep. I am the good
shepherd and I know my own, and they, in turn, know me; just as the Father
knows me and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for my sheep. I
have other sheep also that are not in this fold; I must lead them as well and
they will listen to my call so that there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”
12 JN 8:12
“I am the light of the world; he who
follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.”
13 JN 1:06.09
There was a man named John who was sent from God. He came to
attest to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Light. John himself was not the
Light but was sent to testify regarding the Light. Christ is that true Light
that illumines every person who comes into this world.
14 LK 2:41.49
Every year, his parents would go to Jerusalem at the feast of the
Passover. And when he was twelve, they went up to Jerusalem, as had been their
custom. When the festival was over, the people started to go home but the boy
Jesus remained behind without his parents being aware of it. Thinking that he
was with friends among the other travelers, they were able to travel one whole
day without really missing him. But when he failed to turn up that evening,
they started to look for him. And when they couldn’t find him, they went back
to Jerusalem to search for him there.
On the third day, they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were
astonished at his understanding and answers. When his parents saw him, they
were amazed at his unconcern and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you
done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you
everywhere.”
He said to them, “But why did you need to search for
me? Didn’t you realize I would be attending to my Father’s work?”
15 JN 9:39
“I have come into the world to give sight
to those who are spiritually blind and to show those who think they see that
they are really blind.”
16 MK 2:15.17
That night, Levi invited his fellow tax collectors and many other
notorious sinners to be his guests so that they could meet Jesus and his
disciples. But when some of the Jewish religious leaders saw Jesus eating with
this unholy lot, they said to his disciples, “How can he stand to eat with such
filth?”
When Jesus heard what they were saying, he told them, “Those
who are well have no need of a physician, but the sick do; I came not for the
righteous, but to call on sinners to repent.”
17 LK 9:51.56
As the time for his return to heaven drew near, he proceeded
towards Jerusalem with determination. He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan
village to prepare for his coming. But the village people refused to receive
them. The disciples, James and John, upon learning of this said, “Lord, would
you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and destroy them?”
But he turned and rebuked them and said, “You
don’t realize your true divine nature and purpose! For the Man from heaven did not come to destroy human lives
but to save them.”
18 MT 16:21.23
From then on, Jesus began to speak plainly to his disciples about
his going to Jerusalem and the fate that awaited him there at the hands of the
Jewish leaders — that he would be killed and that on the third day, he would be
raised to life again. But Peter took him aside to remonstrate with him. “God
forbid it, Lord!” he said. “That must never happen to you.”
Jesus turned on Peter and said, “Get away from me,
Satan. You are an abomination in my sight because you look at things
only from the worldly point of view and not from God’s.”
19 JN 15:14.15
“You are my friends if you do what I
command you. I no longer call you servants, for a servant does not know what
his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have acquainted
you with everything I heard from my Father.”
20 JN 17:01.02
After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the time has come. Reveal the glory of Your son so
that he may give You the greater glory. For You have given him authority over
every man and woman in all the Earth. He grants eternal life to all those You
have given him”
21 JN 17:22.26
“I have given them the glory which You have
given me so that they may be one, even as We are One. I in them and You in me,
all being perfected into One, so that the world may know that You have sent me
and have loved them as You have loved me.
“Father, I would want all of them to be with me where I am so that they may
behold the glory which You have given me because You loved me even before the
foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world doesn’t know You, but I
do; and these disciples know that You have sent me. And I have made Your name
known to them and I will continue to reveal more and more so that the mighty
love You have for me may be in them and I in them as well.”
22 JN 6:66.69
Many of his
disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the twelve and
asked them, “Will you also go away?”
Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of
eternal life and we believe and are certain that you are the Holy One of God.”
23 JN 14:04.06
“You know the way to where I am
going.”
Thomas remarked, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we
know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the Way, the Truth and the
Life; no one comes to the Father except through me.”
24 JN 4:48
“Unless you see signs and wonders, you
will not believe.”
25 JN 2:01.11
On the third day, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee at which
Jesus’ mother was a guest and Jesus, with his disciples, was also invited. When
they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus asked him if he could help solve the
problem.
“I can’t help you now,” he said, “the time has not come for me to do miracles.”
Nevertheless, his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
There were six stone water jars which were used for Jewish ceremonial purposes
that could hold from twenty to thirty gallons each. Jesus told the servants to
fill them to the brim with water. After this was done, he said, “Draw some out and take it to the man in charge of the
feast.”
After the man had tasted the water-turned-wine, not knowing where it
came from, he called the bridegroom and told him, “Everyone serves the better
quality wine first and the cheap wine for later when the men are already too
drunk to notice or care. But you have kept the best for last.”
This miracle was Jesus’ first public demonstration of his divine powers. And
his disciples believed in him even more.
26 MK 8:01.09
In those days, another large crowd had gathered. And after some
time, there was nothing left to eat. So, summoning his disciples, he told them,
“I feel very sorry for these people. They have been
with me for three days now and have nothing left to eat. If I should send them
home hungry, they would faint on the way and some of them come from far
away.”
His disciples answered, “But where in this wilderness can we get enough
bread to feed so many?”
He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”
They said, “Seven.”
So he instructed the people to sit down on the ground and took the seven loaves
of bread. He gave thanks, broke them and gave them to his disciples who then
set them before the crowd. They also had a few small fish. And after he had
thanked God for them, he told his disciples to distribute them also to the
people. So they ate and were filled, and they picked up the leftovers, seven
baskets full. About four thousand had eaten and then he sent them away.
27 JN 6:05.14
Looking up and noticing that so many people were coming to him, Jesus said to
Philip, “Where can we buy enough food to feed all these
people?” But he said this only to test him, because he already knew what
he was going to do.
Philip replied, “Two hundred pennies worth of bread will not be enough to even
half-satisfy all of them.”
One of the other disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter told him, “There
is a lad here with four loaves of barley and two small fish, but how can they
suffice?”
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” And all
the men, about five thousand of them, sat down on the grass. Then Jesus took
the loaves, gave thanks and had them served to those who were seated and he did
the same with the fish. And everyone ate as much as he required. When they had
finished eating, he told his disciples, “Gather up all
the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.” What remained of the five
loaves of barley was enough to fill twelve baskets.
When the people realized that he performed a miracle, they said, “This surely
is the prophet who is to come into the world!”
28 LK 8:22.25
One day, he and his disciples got into a boat and he said to them,
“Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.”
So, they set sail.
But on route, he fell asleep. And a squall of wind came down on the lake and,
presently, the boat was filling with water and they were in danger of sinking.
So they came and awakened him, exclaiming, “Master, Master, we are going to
die!”
And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the surging of the water and they ceased
and all became calm. Then he said to them, “Where is
your faith?”
But awed and amazed, they said to one another, “What kind of man is he
who commands even the wind and water and they obey him?”
29 MT 14:22.33
He immediately urged the disciples to embark and to sail ahead of him to the
other side while he dismissed the crowds. Afterwards, he climbed the hill to
pray. Evening had fallen and he was there alone. But the boat was, by that time,
already a good distance from the shore and was being tossed by the waves
because of the strong wind.
At
about four in the morning, he approached them walking on the water. Thinking
him a ghost, they cried out in terror. But he at once addressed them and
reassured them, “It is all right! Don’t be
afraid!”
Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come over to you
by walking also on the water!”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out from the boat and he walked on the water towards Jesus.
But when he looked around at the huge waves, he became terrified and began to
sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
Instantly, Jesus reached out his hand and rescued him. “You
have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you
have to doubt?”
And when they had climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the others
knelt before him and said, “You really are the Son of God!”
30 MK 8:22.25
Upon reaching Bethsaida, the people there brought a blind man to
him and implored him to touch him. So, taking hold of the blind man’s hand, he
led him out of the village. Then after putting saliva on his eyes, he put his
hands on him and asked him, “Do you see anything?”
He looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees
walking.”
Then again, Jesus placed his hands on his eyes; and then he looked more
steadily, his sight having been fully restored, and he saw everything
distinctly.
31 MK 10:46.52
As they were leaving the town of Jericho, a great throng was
following after them. Now, it happened that a blind beggar named Bartimaeus was
sitting beside the road as Jesus was passing by. When Bartimaeus heard that
Jesus from Nazareth was near, he began to shout out, “Jesus, son of David, have
mercy on me!”
“Shut up!” some of the people yelled at him.
But he shouted the louder again and again, “Son of David, have mercy on
me!”
When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called the blind man, “Come on. Get up. He is calling you.” Bartimaeus
tore off his old coat, flung it aside, jumped up and went to Jesus.
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus
asked.
The blind man replied, “Teacher, I would like to see.”
And Jesus said to him, “All right, it is done. Your
faith has healed you.” And instantly, the blind man could see and followed
Jesus down the road.
32 MK 7:32.35
A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him and everyone begged
Jesus to lay his hands on the man and heal him. Jesus led him away from the
crowd and put his fingers into the man’s ears, then he spat and touched the
man’s tongue with the saliva. Then, looking up to heaven, he commanded, “Be open!” Instantly, the man could hear perfectly and
speak clearly.
33 JN 5:01.09
Later on, there was a feast of the Jews and Jesus went up to
Jerusalem. Now in Jerusalem, by the sheep market, there is a bathing pool.
Here, crowds of invalids lay waiting for the stirring of the water. For at
intervals, an angel descended into the pool and stirred the water. Whoever got
in first after the agitation of the pool became healed whatever his ailment.
One man there had been suffering from an infirmity for thirty-eight years. When
Jesus noticed him lying there, he asked him, “Do you
want to get well?”
The invalid replied, “Yes, but I have no one to put me into the pool
right after it has been disturbed; each time I make my move, another always
gets in ahead of me.”
Jesus told him, “Get up, pick up your mat and walk.”
Instantly, the man was well. And he was able to pick up his mat and start
walking.
34 MT 8:14.15
When Jesus entered Peter’s house, he observed that his
mother-in-law was bedridden with fever. So he touched her hand and the fever
left her. She got up and waited on him.
35 LK 5:18.25
Then some men came carrying a paralytic on a couch and tried to
bring him in and lay him before Jesus. But as they found no way to carry him in
because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the
tiles, couch and all, right in front of Jesus.
Seeing their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are
forgiven you!”
The religious authorities and the Pharisees began to reason, “Who is this,
speaking blasphemies? Who is able to forgive sins except God alone?”
Jesus, aware of their thoughts, said to them, “Why is
it blasphemy? Is it harder to forgive his sins than to heal him? However, so
that you may know that I have authority on Earth to forgive sins,” he
said to the paralytic, “I tell you, rise, pick up your
couch and go home!”
At once, he got up in their presence, picked up what he had been lying
on and went home praising God.
36 LK 6:06.10
On another Sabbath, as he went into the synagogue and taught, a
man whose right hand was withered was also there; and the religious authorities
and the Pharisees were watching him to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath,
so that they might find something to accuse him of. But he knew their thoughts
and said to the man with the withered hand, “Rise up
and stand here in the center.” And he got up and stood there.
Then
Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it allowed to do
good or to do evil on the Sabbath; to save a life or to destroy it?”
Then, looking around at all of them, he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” And as he did so, his hand was
fully restored.
37 MK 7:25.30
A woman whose little daughter was possessed by a demon came as
soon as she heard of Jesus and threw herself at his feet. She was a Gentile and
she begged him to expel the demon from her daughter.
He said to her, “First, let the children of my own
family, the Jews, be satisfied; for it is not fair to take the children’s bread
and throw it to the dogs.”
But she answered him, “Yes, Lord, yet the dogs under the table are given
some scraps from the children’s plates.”
“Good!” he said, “You
have answered well, so well that I have healed your little girl. Go home. The
demon has left her.” And when she arrived home, her little girl was
lying quietly in bed and the demon was gone.
38 LK 4:33.36
Once, as he was teaching in the synagogue, a man possessed by a
demon began shouting at Jesus. “Go away. We don’t want you here. Have you come
here to destroy us? I know you. You are the Holy One of God!”
Jesus cut him short. “Be silent,” he told the
demon! “Come out!”
The demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched and then left him
without hurting him further. Amazed at what had happened, the people asked,
“What kind of doctrine is this that he teaches? And how is it that even demons
obey him?”
39 MT 8:28.32
When they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the country of
the Gadarenes, two men possessed with demons met him. They lived in a cemetery
and were so ferocious that no one could go through that area. They began
screaming at him, “Jesus, Son of God, you have no right to come and bother us
before our time.”
A herd of swine was feeding in the distance; so the demons begged, “If you
would cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.”
“All right,” Jesus told them, “go.”
And they came out of the men and entered the swine and the whole herd
rushed down the precipice into the sea and perished in the water below.
40 LK 7:01.10
When he had finished teaching, he went back into the City of
Capernaum. At that time, an army officer had a servant who was dear to him and
who was sick and near death. When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish
elders to ask him to come and heal his servant. They came to Jesus and begged
him earnestly to come with them and help the man. “If anyone deserves your
help, it is him,” they said, “for he loves our people so much; he even had a
synagogue built for us.”
Jesus went with them. But just before he arrived at the house, the officer sent
some friends to say, “Sir, don’t inconvenience yourself by coming to my home. I
do not deserve such an honor; neither do I consider myself worthy to come to you
in person. Only give the order and my servant will get well. I know, because I,
too, am under the authority of my superiors and I have authority over my men. I
only need to say, ‘Go!’ and they go; or ‘Come!’ and they come; and to my
servant, ‘Do this or that,’ and he does it.”
Jesus was amazed. Turning to the crowd, he said, “Never
among all the Jews in Israel have I met a man with faith like this.” And
when the friends of the officer returned to his house, they found the servant
completely healed.
41 JN 4:46.53
There was a government official whose son was sick in Capernaum.
When he learned that Jesus had come from Judea and was travelling to Galilee,
he went to him and asked him to go to Capernaum and heal his son who was near
death.
Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders,
you will not believe.”
“Sir,” begged the official, “Please come with me before my child dies.”
Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live!”
The man believed Jesus and started to go home. On the way, his servants met him
with the news that his son had recovered. He asked them when the boy began to
feel better and they answered, “It was one o’clock yesterday afternoon when his
fever suddenly disappeared.”
Then, the father remembered that it was at that same hour when Jesus had told
him, “Your son will live.” And the man and his entire household believed.
42 MK 5:22.42
Jairus, an official of the local synagogue, arrived and when he
saw Jesus, he threw himself at his feet and begged him earnestly, “My little daughter
is very sick. Please come and lay your hands on her so that she may get well
and live.” So Jesus started off with him. So many people were going along with
Jesus such that they were crowding him from every side.
There was a woman who had suffered terribly from severe bleeding for twelve
years even though many doctors had treated her. She had spent all her money;
but instead of getting better, she was getting worse and worse. Having heard
about Jesus, she came up behind him saying to herself, “If I can just touch his
clothes, I will get well.” She touched his cloak and her bleeding stopped at
once and she knew that she was healed.
Jesus realized instantly that healing energy had issued from him; so he turned
to the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
His disciples answered, “There are so many crowding us; why do you ask?”
But Jesus kept on looking around to see who it was.
The woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, knelt at
his feet and told him the whole truth.
Jesus said to her, “My daughter, your faith has made
you well. Go in peace and be healed of your disease.”
While he was still talking to her, messengers arrived from the home of
Jairus and told him, “Your daughter has died. There is no further need for
Jesus to come now.”
But Jesus ignored them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be
afraid. Just trust me.” Then Jesus stopped the crowd and would not allow
anyone to go on with him to Jairus’ home except Peter, James and John.
When they arrived, everything was in turmoil with unrestrained weeping and
wailing. He went in and said to them. “Why all this
commotion? Why are you crying? The child is not dead; she is only asleep!” They
laughed at him bitterly; but he told them all to leave and, taking the girl’s
parents and his three disciples, he went into the room where she was lying.
Taking her by the hand, he said to her, “Get up, little
girl!” And she got up and started walking around. Her parents were
overwhelmed. But Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what happened
and he said, “Give her something to eat.”
43 LK 7:11.16
Soon afterward, Jesus went to the village of Nain, accompanied by
his disciples and a lot of others. As he approached the village gate, a funeral
procession was passing by. The dead man was the only son of a woman who was a
widow, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw her,
his heart filled with pity for her and he said to her, “Don’t
cry.”
Then he walked closer and touched the coffin and the men carrying it stopped.
Jesus said, “Son, get up!” The dead man got up
and began to talk to those around him.
A great fear swept the crowd and they exclaimed with praises to God, “A mighty
prophet has risen among us” and “We have seen the hand of God at work,
today.”
44 JN 11:01.45
Do you remember Mary who poured the costly perfume on Jesus’ feet
and wiped them with her hair? Well, her brother Lazarus, who lived in Bethany
with Mary and her sister Martha, was ill. So the two sisters sent a message to
Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very ill.”
But when Jesus received the message, he said, “No,
Lazarus won’t die but this has happened in order that God’s purpose may be
served.” Although Jesus was very fond of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, he
stayed where he was for two more days despite the urgency of their call before
he finally decided to go to them.
“Teacher,” the disciples answered, “just a short time ago, the people there
wanted to kill you. How can you even think of going back?”
Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight
everyday and during those hours, a man can walk safely and not stumble. But if
a man walks at night, he stumbles because of the darkness.” Jesus said
this and then added, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen
asleep, but I will go and wake him up.”
The disciples answered, “If he is just asleep,
Lord, he can wake up without needing our help.”
But Jesus really meant that Lazarus had died. And he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And for your sake, I am glad I wasn’t there,
for this will give you another opportunity to believe in me. Come, let’s go to
him.”
Thomas said to his fellow-disciples, “Let’s all go with him so that we
may die with him.”
When Jesus arrived, he found out that Lazarus had been buried for four days
already. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem and many Judeans had
come to see Mary and Martha to comfort them. When Martha heard that Jesus was
coming, she went out to meet him; but Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to
Jesus, “Had you been here, Lord, my brother would not have died. But I know
that even now, if you will only ask God, He will grant you whatever you
ask.”
Jesus told her, “Your brother will live again.”
“I know,” she replied, “that he will rise to life at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and
the life: he who believes in me, even if he dies, shall go on living; and
whoever lives, believing in me, shall never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she answered, “I do believe that you are the Christ, the
Son of God who is to come into the world.”
After Martha had said this, she went back to tell Mary that Jesus is asking for
her. When Mary heard this, she got up and hurried out to meet him. Jesus, all
this time, was staying outside the village. When they saw Mary get up and
leave, the people in the house followed her, thinking that she was going to
visit her brother’s grave. Mary arrived where Jesus was and as soon as she saw
him, she fell at his feet. “Lord,” she said, “if you had been here, my brother
would not have died.”
Jesus saw her weeping and he saw, also, how the other people were weeping; his
heart was touched and he was deeply moved. “Where have
you buried him?” he asked them.
“Come and see, Lord,” they answered. Jesus wept. “See how much he loved him,”
the people said. But some of them said, “He gave sight to the blind. Why
couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”
They came to the tomb that was a cave with a stone placed at the entrance. “Roll the stone aside!” Jesus ordered.
Martha answered, “There will be a bad smell, Lord. He has been dead for four
days now.”
Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that you would
witness the glory of God if you would only believe?” They rolled the
stone away. Jesus looked up and said, “Father, thank
You for listening to me. I know that You always listen to me but I say this now
so that the people here may believe that You sent me.” After he had said
this, he called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come
out!”
And Lazarus came out, his hands and feet still wrapped in burial cloths and
with his face covered up. “Untie him,” Jesus
told them, “and let him go.” Many of the people
who witnessed this event believed in Jesus.
45 LK 7:19.23
John sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask him, “Are you the
one who is to come or should we expect someone else?”
At the same time that the two found Jesus, he was conducting his healings and
many were being cured of their ailments. When they asked him John’s question,
he replied, “Go back and tell John what you have seen
and heard; the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are healed, the deaf are
able to hear, the dead are returned to life and God’s message is given to all.
And tell him, Blessed is he who does not lose his faith in me.”
46 JN 5:36
“But I have greater proof than John’s
testimony – the things that I have done, the work that the Father has
commissioned me to do – they speak on my behalf and prove that the Father has
sent me.”
47 JN 12:12.16
The next day, the large crowd that had come to the Passover
festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of
palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “God bless the King of Israel
who comes in the name of the Lord!” Jesus came riding on a young donkey,
fulfilling the prophecy that said: “Don’t be afraid of your King, people of
Israel, for he will come to you meekly, sitting on a donkey’s colt.”
His disciples did not realize it at the time that this event was a fulfillment
of prophecy; but after Jesus had returned to his glory in heaven, they realized
that many prophecies of Scripture had come true before their eyes.
48 JN 19:23.24
After the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and
divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier. They also took his
robe, which was made of one piece of woven cloth without any seams in it. The
soldiers said to one another, “Let’s not tear it; let’s throw dice to see who
gets it.”
This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my clothes among them and
cast lots for my robe.” So, that is what they did.
49 JN 19:31.37
Then, the Jewish authorities asked Pilate to allow them to break
the legs of the men who had been crucified and to take the bodies down from the
crosses. They requested this because it was Friday, and they did not want the
bodies to stay on the crosses on the Sabbath since the coming Sabbath was
especially holy.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and then of the other
man crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was
already dead; so they did not break his legs. One of the soldiers, however,
plunged his spear into Jesus’ side and at once, blood and water poured
out.
This was done to make the Scripture come true: “Not one of his bones will be
broken.” And there is another Scripture that says, “People will look at him
whom they pierced.”
50 JN 2:18.22
“What right have you to order them out?” the Jewish leaders
demanded. “If you have this authority from God, show us a sign to prove
it.”
“All right,” Jesus replied, “destroy this sanctuary; and in three days, I will raise it
up.”
“What!” they exclaimed. “It took forty-six years to build this temple and you
can do it in three days?” But by “this sanctuary,” he meant his body.
After he came back to life, the disciples remembered that he had said this and
realized that what he had quoted from Scripture really did refer to him and had
all come true.
51 MT 26:52
“Put away your sword,” Jesus told
him. “All who take up the sword shall perish by the
sword.”
52 LK 22:41.44
He walked away, perhaps a stone’s throw, and knelt down and
prayed, “Father, if You are willing, please take this
cup of suffering away from me. However, not my will, but Your will be done.”
Then an angel from heaven appeared to comfort and strengthen him, for he was in
such agony of spirit that he broke into a sweat of blood, with great drops
falling to the ground as he prayed more and more earnestly.
53 JN 20:29
Jesus said to Thomas, “Because you have
seen me, you have believed. But blessed are those who haven’t seen me and
believe, just the same.”
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