KNOWING YOUR BIBLE
February 20, 2022: Dear Friends, Today, we will begin our series on Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. The focus of this series is to provide an in-depth study of Jesus, who he is, how he lived while here on earth, and how he wants us to live and follow his ways in our lives.
Jesus was human, a person, just like us, with the compacity of having thoughts and feelings like we have. He was sent to us by God to help us reconcile our belief and faith in God. As we study Jesus’ life, we begin to learn more about God and draw nearer and closer relationship with God. In 1st Timothy, chapter 2, verses 5-6, the apostle Paul wrote, “For there is one God, there is also one mediator between God and mankind, Christ Jesus himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all.” Jesus himself said as written in John, chapter 14, verse 7 that: “If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Today, we will discuss some of the actions that Jesus did as we spend time studying his life. By reading about him in the four gospel books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, located in the New Testament of the Bible, we will begin to understand who this Jesus is, how he thinks and acts, and what he is trying to impart to us through being an example or through his teachings.
Remember, when reading Bible verses, whether read today or a year from today, the interpretation of the verse or verses is left to the reader. The reader’s interpretation is influenced by where he or she is in life, and in spiritual growth, belief and faith, in Jesus. This writer is not trying to impose an interpretation of what is being read upon any reader, but will present ideas that come to the writer’s mind when reading or writing about the verse or verses. This will give the reader examples and ideas that can be used by the reader to help in realizing his or her own ideas when interpreting Bible verses. The verses being studied are generally composed of simple words that are easy to understand. When reading verses, think about the meaning of what the verse is trying to impart to it’s readers.
Verses will be listed below that will describe Jesus’ actions as he goes through life that remind us of his being human, a person that has the capacity of having thoughts and feelings similar to ours. All verses are from the New Revised Standard (NRS) Version of the Bible. MAY GOD BLESS YOUR BIBLE STUDY THIS WEEK!
In Mark, chapter 1, verse 35, it is written that: “In the morning while it was still dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” I interpret the verse as follows: Jesus got up early in the morning while it was still dark, he went outside of his habitation to a deserted place (probably a silent or a quiet place) to pray. I would think that this was a habit Jesus had. If compared to today’s terminology, I might think Jesus had self-discipline, probably consistently arising early while it was still dark and going to a quiet place to pray.
Several verses in the gospel books relate that Jesus traveled frequently.There is no way to know how many miles he walked a day, but it has been said that in Jesus’ time, it was common for people to walk up to 10 miles a day. In Matthew, chapter 19, verse 1, it is written “When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan (approx 70 miles). “When Jesus was going up to Jerusalem” as written in Matthew, chapter 20 verse 17; and in verse 29: “as they were leaving Jericho” to go up to Jerusalem (see verse 17). Jerusalem is approximately 15 miles from Jericho. And Jesus had to walk “up” to Jerusalem. Remember, Jericho was approx 800 feet below sea level, and Jerusalem was approx 2400 feet above sea level. The road between the 2 cities was through the Samaritan mountains.
Because of space issues, our discussion about Jesus’ humanity will continue next week. For Bible study this week, read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Matthew, chapters 5, 6 and 7.