Morsels 10

 

Morsels 10 All at Sea

Scripture

Luke 5 : 3-11New International Version

3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Thoughts

Fishermen are an important part of the community where I live. I would not dare tell them where to fish. But the Lord did. There are times when the Lord leads us to ways we would not think of.

I find Peter’s reaction to Jesus instructive. He does not confess sins but admits to being a sinful man. It’s not only the sinful things we have done that need forgiving but what we are by nature that needs redeeming and transforming.

Jesus’ response is to promise to change peter from sinner to a fisher of men. The old translations say “ I will make you fishers of men,” It tells us that Jesus is in the people changing business and that we should be okay about it. The emphasis in evangelical witness has changed in my life time In the twentieth century the call of the Gospel was to repent and believe. The concern was the inquires eternal destiny. Now there is a mention of transforming the community. “Thy kingdom come.” The two emphases are opposites of the same coin.

When Peter met the son of God Peter discovered things about himself, things that horrified him and made him want to get away from Jesus immediately tried to calm him. Once again Jesus issues us His often repeated instruction,”Don’t be afraid”. Let’s not panic but yield to the Saviour’s transforming work.

Morsels9

 

Morsels9 Getting to know You

Scripture

John 1:37-41

Morsels8

 

Morsels 8 A Saviour for All

Scripture Mark 1 35-39Jesus

35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Thoughts

In this passage we catch a glimpse of the ministry to come; Capernaum the base of operations; the moments alone in the face of relentless pressure from the people, and the urge to always tell more folk about the Gospel

When Jesus told folk to follow Him there only certain places they may go. He is the Son of God and has a specific ministry that He alone can do. But there are other incidents where he is the exemplary model man. We should follow Him in His catching alone time with Father He emerges from His communion with His heavenly Father with a freshly stated aim to preach the Gospel to Heavenly father we will experience an impression on of us of His aims for us. Praying changes us.The challenge remains to spend with Father alone, Who knows wgat new directions and inspirations we will receive !

Following the ministry of our Lord Jesus we discover something about the Gospel and its proclamation. It is a thing of ever widening circles. Jesus starts in the Synagogues to the Jews and moves to the open air to the Samaritans and eventually to a Canaanite woman. The Gospel is for all, regardless of gender or race.

What manner of man was Christ? Crowds followed Him all day. Here, every one is looking for Him. There must have been some thing deeply attractive about Jesus and His teaching. Christian teachers and preachers should aspire to be like this; bur how?

We also note that Jesus ministry was accompanied with the casting out of demons. Our preaching should result in the emancipating of those who receive it, a liberation of a deeply spiritual nature. This is the type of preaching we need in the twenty first century for folk still suffer bondage.

Questions

1. What guidance do we receive from this passage about the conduct of our prayer lives?

2. How can we become more like Jesus?

3. How may we make an impact for the Gospel?

Morsels7

 

Morsels 7 Facing the Foe

Scripture

Luke 4:31-36 New International Version31 Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. 32 They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority.33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34 “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”35 “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.36 All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!”

Comments Here again we see Jesus confronting the evil that abounds in a world messed up by satanic malice and human folly.

Verse35 says in one translation “Hold your peace!”. What peace has a demon to hold.! From two divergent sources I find it means “ be muzzled” So the NIV gets pretty close. But why did Jesus want the demons to keep quiet about His identity? The realisation of who Jesus is is a spiritual step forward “ Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you Peter” ( Matthew 16:17 )A short statement shouted by a demon will not bring us to that point.

The bystanders realised part of the significance of Jesus’ command to the demon. They were witnessing a confrontation between powers It was all about authority . The Lord of all good must be obeyed by the purveyors of sin. That the order was obeyed tells us much. How it was obeyed tells us even more. The response was immediate but no harm was done to the victim. Behold the power of the presence of the Lord !

This incident is a wonderful reminder of that great and essential truth. The light shone in the darkness and the darkness overcame it not.(John 1) . It is true whatever revolutionary developments we live through.

I am surprised to realise that most of the sayings of our Lord we have studied so far have been addressed to Satan or his minions. We have yet to study our Lord as a Rabbi. As I meditate on the gospels I begin to realise how vitally central in our faith is the spoken word. The Scriptures are often a .record of what was said, Even in the crucifixion more attention is given to the abuse hurled at our Lord and Saviour than the physical pains He bore, We need to pay attention to what we say

Morsels6

 

,

Morsels 6 Who do you worship?

Scripture Matthew 4:8-10 NIV8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only

See also Luke 4 ;5-8 Deut 6: 13 Romans 12:21

Comments

The most important question we can ask anyone is” What or who do you. worship?” A celebrity. A sport? Many are the strange obsessions of modern humanity.. Jesus goes to Scripture and tells us there only one option, our Lord God.

Temptation comes through many different channels . Here it is sight. He is shown the kingdoms of the world We must take care what we look at. Jesus does not dispute the devil’s ability to give away the kingdoms of the world. In John’s gospel he is referred to the prince of this world..(12:31) I digress.

People must love. People must worship. But whom? In meditating on our Lord’s quote I discover something about the Law. It is not simply a list of prohibitions but many injunctions are positive, for example in Jesus’ later summary “Love the Lord your God and your neighbour as yourself.” As Paul implies that the antidote for a particular evil is to concentrate and act on goodness Romans 12:21. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray.

What does it mean to worship.? The verse in Deuteronomy 6:13 helps. It involves respect. Work and bowing down, The idea of worship is much broader than is expected. . Liturgy is part of it but so are prayers of request and acts of service. It involves the right use of the name of God. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Jokes and oaths of a lavatorial nature should be avoided. but using the name of God is far ,far worse. In 2 Corinthians 5:11 we find that Paul's motivation is ” the terror of the Lord”. Some example!

Morsels 5

 

Morsels 5 Testing God

Scripture Matthew 4:5-7 New International Version 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’  7.Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test

See also Luke 4 ;9-12 Psalm 9;11-12 Deut 6: 16.Numbers 17: 3-7

Comments

Our Lord instinctively goes to Scripture when confronted by the devil for Scripture is the place where God reveals Himself to His people. It is God’s message to us. The devil is tempting Jesus to demonstrate His divinity by a spectacular act. People will believe because of this parlour trick. This would do away with the need for the cross. But such an act does not reveal the heart of God and it leaves the problems of a fallen humanity unresolved. Jesus rejected the short cut and thank God He did.

At Massah the people of God questioned His reasons for saving them. Instead of a simple prayer for water they resorted to abusive complaining. Did not they realise how small they were before their creator.

Where does this leave us in 2025? The Israelites had queried God’s deliverance abusively. They failed to trust Him for the essentials of life. We need three things;

1. A deeper reverence for divinity. In prayer we have dealings with the maker and ruler of all things. The old phrase “ God fearing “ comes tp mind.

2. A more intimate knowledge of Scripture. By meditating and living by Scripture we feed our relationship with Chist and feed our spirits particularly for times of leantimes.

3. A daily reliance on Him. With a deeper knowledge of Scripture and a God fearing frame of mind we learn how small we are and how utterly dependant we are on Him.

Testing God? The Bible says “ Don’t”

Morsels 5 Testing God

Scripture Matthew 4:5-7 New International Version 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’  7.Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test

See also Luke 4 ;9-12 Psalm 9;11-12 Deut 6: 16.Numbers 17: 3-7

Comments

Our Lord instinctively goes to Scripture when confronted by the devil for Scripture is the place where God reveals Himself to His people. It is God’s message to us. The devil is tempting Jesus to demonstrate His divinity by a spectacular act. People will believe because of this parlour trick. This would do away with the need for the cross. But such an act does not reveal the heart of God and it leaves the problems of a fallen humanity unresolved. Jesus rejected the short cut and thank God He did.

At Massah the people of God questioned His reasons for saving them. Instead of a simple prayer for water they resorted to abusive complaining. Did not they realise how small they were before their creator.

Where does this leave us in 2025? The Israelites had queried God’s deliverance abusively. They failed to trust Him for the essentials of life. We need three things;

1. A deeper reverence for divinity. In prayer we have dealings with the maker and ruler of all things. The old phrase “ God fearing “ comes tp mind.

2. A more intimate knowledge of Scripture. By meditating and living by Scripture we feed our relationship with Chist and feed our spirits particularly for times of leantimes.

3. A daily reliance on Him. With a deeper knowledge of Scripture and a God fearing frame of mind we learn how small we are and how utterly dependant we are on Him.

Testing God? The Bible says “ Don’t”

Morsels 2 Priorities

 

I have decided to continue to publish the studies in the sayings of our Lord under the general title “ Morsels “ If you would like to receive them please let me know. ( I aim at least a fortnightly issue.) Many blessings

Peter. .Morsels 2 Priorities

Preface

Here is our first meditation on the sayings of Christ. Let us remind ourselves of who it is who is saying these surprising things. He is described both as the Son of God (John 1:34) and the Son of Man ( John 9:35-37). We must not lose sight of Christ’s humanity. Here is a first century Rabbi giving us guidance .His words are down to earth. Yet they carry the authority of His divinity. I have heard one teacher say that Christ was speaking as man in certain incidents. This seems wrong to me. Christ is not two separate beings but a single person. We must approach His words with caution as well as respect

ScriptureLuke 2:41-52 New International Version41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” 49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”  50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them. 51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Comments

I struggled with this saying. Our Lord took me by surprise...Here was a twelve year old boy asserting his position in the family.as a twelve year old wouldI I expected Him to meticulously defer to His parents .My idea of goodness was a detailed following of the law. I think my idea of goodness needs widening and deepening. .Nonetheless the reaction of our Saviour took me by surprise. Had Jesus warned his parents that he was hanging back at the temple? He expects them to know that he had to be at the temple working for His father. Our oldest great grand child is a boy who is nearly twelve. It helps me imagine this conversation.

The family was going up to the temple for Passover. They were behaving as a good Jewish family. In verse 51 we learn that Jesus went to behave as a dutiful law abiding Jewiwish son should . This wandering off takes us by suprise. The verse goes to the core of the law and its basic spirit. What could have taken Jesus apparently off target. God who wrote the law had business for Jesus to do

We must not miss the main thrust of our Lord’s words. He is a twelve year old and He is prioritising the use of His time and confessing to His relauinship with a higher being, with God. We discover that His Father is God and that He is God’s agent This statement has an impact on how we live our lives,1 Peter 2:21NIV21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. We also need to focus and prioritise.

As I meditate on this passage, questions flood my mind. What is my Fathers business? What must I do to be about my Father’ business? Perhaps these are questions we should all ask.

Morsels 3

 

Morsels 3 Humility and Flexibility

ScriptureMatthew 3:13-17 New International Version 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented..16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Mark 1:9-13 NIV9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”2 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him

Comments

Baptism . Immersion or sprinkling ? That’s not the main point but the water tanks found in Jewish 1^st centuary homes would suggest immersion. It was for purification; an act yielding the adherent into ritually clean state. For the Christian it is a once and for all sacrament representing a spiritual grace and experience.

Why was Jesus baptised ? There is no repentance here. Baptism was used to to render the candidate ritually clean.after legitimate natural events, (menstruation ,semen emission, child birth). The phrase used is “ proper for us” There are situations when we do things that are not essential but by doing them we avoid needless offence or difficulties for others. Did Jesus need to pay taxes? He paid nonetheless He provided wine for a wedding.

We may infer from the conversation between Jesus and John that the act of baptising implied some type of seniourity. The interaction of the two is a model as to we should help each other.

The context of the baptism is interesting, It precedes Divine recognition and Satanic testing. The approval of a parent is an important point in a child’s development. It was Jesus’ experience.

Morsels 4 Temptation

 

Morsels4 In Temptation

Scripture

Matthew 4:1-4New International Version4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word .that comes from the mouth of God

Comments

Temptation has two meanings. It is a seduction to sin and it is a test to show the quality of the person undergoing it.In this passage In effect the devil said. “ you are hungry, Show them who you realtty are.” Despite hunger, in this test Jesus shows who He is. He would not use His power at the behest of the devil. He showed who He is by not doing what the Devil tempted Him to do. That He did not turn the stones into bread showed He is the Son of God. There is a danger for some of us to show off in a wrong way. In John 15:5 Jesus says “apart from me you can do nothing.” That should put us in our place!

For living life, Jesus prescribes the correct diet. “ every word that comes from the mouth of God.”. For this let’s look tothe Bible. You do not have to be a top professor to get food from Scripture.

But how? Feeding on Scripture involves prayer and thought when we read it.. .We can go further by learning portions of it by heart, copying textx from scripture. Each activiy has the potential to renew our spiritual live. Ignore. Scripture and our spiritual lives will wilt. We must avoid reducing the activity to a sterile academic exercise. ; but ever seek what God is saying to us. The Word of God.

Our Lord’s intimate knowledge of Scripture came to the fore when He dealt with Temptation. In tempation Scripture is available to us too, especially if we have fed on it..

Crumbs 152

 

This is the last Crumbs. I now move on to my next poject “ What the Man Said “

Crumbs 152 Comissioned

Scripture Mark 16 : 9-20 World English Bible Now when he had risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they disbelieved.

12 After these things he was revealed in another form to two of them as they walked, on their way into the country. 13 They went away and told it to the rest. They didn’t believe them, either.

14 Afterward he was revealed to the eleven themselves as they sat at the table; and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they didn’t believe those who had seen him after he had risen. 15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to the whole creation. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned. 17 These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new languages; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

19 So then the Lord, after he had spoken to them, was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 They went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that followed. Amen.

Crumbs

The most ancient manuscripts do not have this passage, Since doctrine should not be founded on single verses this should not disturb us, We should always ask how a passage of Scripture fits in with the whole written revelation. And we should ask “ What is God telling me through this passage?”

Verses 9-14 deal with three resurrection appearances and how they were not believed. There are occasions when we pray for something ardently but when it is granted we do not recognise it or fail to take full advantage of it. We also fail to hear God speaking because the one whom God has spoken through one who does not met our approval. Such is the rigidity of our hearts.

Verse 15 to 18 deal with the great commission and The biblical appoach to the unbelieving world is preaching, By the Word the world was created. By the Word divinity was revealed. And by the Word on our lips salvation comes and through the sovereign work of the Spirit signs follow.

Verse 19 deals how unbelief is to be confronted. The passage ends with Christ at the right hand of God. We depend on His work of intercession there. It also finishes with the Church fulfilling the great commission to preach the Gospel.

Questions

1. What do we learn about Jesus from this passage?

2. What do we learn about humanity from this passage? ?.

3. Who should fulfil the great commission and how?