• With Paul home in Tarsus, the narrative focuses once more on Peter.
• He last appeared in connection with the Samaritan mission (8:14–25).
• 1) Someone being healed is a pretty big deal!
• 2) Someone raising from the dead is even a bigger deal.
• 3) Someone coming to salvation in Christ is the biggest deal!

 
Acts 9
THE HEALING OF AENEAS
32 As Peter was traveling from place to place (itinerant ministry), he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda.

• Believers in Lydda possibly because Phillip passed through to Caesarea. (Acts 8:40)
• The Christians are referred to as “saints” in both accounts (vv. 34, 41), a point the NIV obscures by using “believers” in v. 41.
• “Saints” is a rather rare designation for believers in Acts.[1]

33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. 34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed,” and immediately he got up.

• Peter took the initiative.
• Peter’s first miracle was healing a crippled man in Acts 3.
• Who healed Aeneas? Jesus
• What healed Aeneas? Faith in Jesus
• “make your bed” – Couch or mat – Similar to what they would have prepared for dining at the table.
• Indicating Aeneas had retained enough sustenance to regain his strength.

35 So all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

• Lydda was located in the fertile coastal plain of Sharon, which extends north from Joppa to Mt. Carmel.[2]​

 
DORCAS RESTORED TO LIFE
36 In Joppa

• modern Joffa in Tel Aviv, 10 miles west of Lydda)
• Same place Jonah fled to when escaping God after he was told to go to Ninevah.
• But also the same place Peter receives his calling to go to the Gentiles.

there was a disciple named Tabitha = Gazelle (which is translated Dorcas). She was always doing good works and acts of charity.

• When the Church body loses a helpful saint, it greatly impacts the fellowship.
• Today, marks the month of one year without Todd Dolbeer.

37 About that time she became sick and died. After washing her, they placed her in a room upstairs.

• It was Jewish custom to wash the body and prepare for with spices for burial.

38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men to him who urged him, “Don’t delay in coming with us.”

• At this point, the apostles had never raised anyone from the dead… only Jesus.
• So why call Peter? Because of their faith in Jesus.

39 Peter got up and went with them.

• Who had the greater authority? The people? Or Peter?

When he arrived, they led him to the room upstairs. And all the widows approached him, weeping and showing him the robes and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.

• Tabitha/Dorcas cared for the widows.

40 Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down, prayed, and turning toward the body said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. 41 He gave her his hand and helped her stand up.

• The account of Peter’s raising of Dorcas should be compared with the account of our Lord’s raising of Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:34–43).
• In both cases, the mourning people were put out of the room; and the words spoken are almost identical: “talitha cumi: little girl, arise; Tabitha cumi: Tabitha, arise.”
• Jesus took the girl by the hand before He spoke to her, for He was not afraid of becoming ceremonially defiled.
• Peter took Dorcas by the hand after she had come to life.
• In both instances, it was the power of God that raised the person from the dead, for the dead person certainly could not exercise faith.[3]
• Peter copied exactly what Jesus had taught him.

He called the saints and widows and presented her alive.

• The distinction between saints and widows is only the fact that Tabitha/Dorcas ministered specifically to the widows and they were the most grateful of all the saints.

42 This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed for some time in Joppa with Simon, a leather tanner.[4]

• It is significant that Peter stayed in the home of a tanner, because tanners were considered “unclean” by the Jewish rabbis (see Lev. 11:35–40).
• God was moving Peter a step at a time from Jewish legalism into the freedom of His wonderful grace.

 
CORNELIUS’S VISION
Acts 10

• We see Peter using “the keys of the kingdom” for the third and last time.
• He had opened the door of faith for the Jews (Acts 2)
• and also for the Samaritans (Acts 8),
• and now he would be used of God to bring the Gentiles into the church (see Gal. 3:27–28; Eph. 2:11–22).
• This event took place about ten years after Pentecost. (Roughly 40 AD)[5]
• The Gentile mission was not an easy step for the Jewish Christians to take.
• It involved two major issues.
• 1) The question of whether Gentiles had to become Jews in order to become Christians, i.e., should they undergo Jewish proselyte procedure when they were converted to Christianity?
• This would have required the circumcision of male converts and the adoption for all converts of such Jewish legal distinctives as the kosher food laws.
• Because God granted the gift of the Spirit to the Gentiles in Cornelius’s home without their subscribing to proselyte procedure, Peter became convinced that such Jewish conversion procedures were not necessary for the Christian mission to the Gentiles (cf. 15:7–11).
• The second major issue involved the question of table fellowship between Jewish and Gentile Christians.
• Since Gentiles did not follow kosher practices, Jewish Christians like Peter were exposed to a real situation of compromise when they associated with them.
• Both questions were answered for Peter in the experience with Cornelius because he was convinced that God accepted Gentiles without circumcision and that he could himself in good faith enjoy table fellowship with his Gentile-Christian brothers and sisters.
• The issues were not, however, fully settled for the Jewish Christians as a whole.
• Both issues resurfaced at the Jerusalem Conference (chap. 15) after Paul and Barnabas’s successful mission to the Gentiles, and a compromise solution was agreed upon at that time.

 

• Acts 10:1–11:18 is the longest single narrative in all of Acts. This in itself witnesses to the great importance Luke placed on the incident.

1 There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment. 2 He was a devout man and feared God along with his whole household. He did many charitable deeds for the Jewish people and always prayed to God.

• Caesarea is sixty-five miles northwest of Jerusalem and thirty miles north of Joppa (Jaffa).
• At that time, Caesarea was the Roman capital of Judea and boasted of many beautiful public buildings.
• Caesarea was a Hellenistic-style city with a dominant population of Gentiles.
• Originally a small town named Strato’s Tower, it was rebuilt on a grand style by Herod the Great, complete with a man-made harbor, a theater, an amphitheater, a hippodrome, and a temple dedicated to Caesar.[6]
• Show 1st minute of Israel ’18 Video.
• Cornelius, the Roman centurion, whose heart had tired of pagan myths and empty religious rituals, and who had turned to Judaism in hopes he could find salvation.
• Cornelius was as close to Judaism as he could get without becoming a proselyte.[7]

3 About three in the afternoon he distinctly saw in a vision an angel of God who came in and said to him, “Cornelius.”

• Cornelius was keeping one of the three traditional Jewish times of prayer, the afternoon hour of 3 p.m., which coincided with the Tamid sacrifice in the temple.[8]

4 Staring at him in awe (fearful respect), he said, “What is it, Lord?”
The angel told him, “Your prayers and your acts of charity have ascended as a memorial offering before God.

• Cornelius’ sacrifice of prayer & charity were pleasing to the Lord.

5 Now send men to Joppa and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. 6 He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, he called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, who was one of those who attended him.

• Somewhat secretive but also needed men he could trust.

8 After explaining everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
 
PETER’S VISION
9 The next day, as they were traveling and nearing the city, Peter went up to pray on the roof about noon. 10 He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing something, he fell into a trance.

• Noon was not the normal eating time, mid-morning and mid-afternoon were.
• So Peter might have missed the mid-morning brunch.
• 3 meals a day was not normal until the industrial revolution (1700’s)

11 He saw heaven opened and an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the earth.

• Roofs were often covered with awnings. Perhaps that or the glimpse of a distant sail at sea provided the vehicle for the vision Peter had.

12 In it were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, and the birds of the sky. 13 A voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.”
14 “No, Lord!” Peter said. “For I have never eaten anything impure and ritually unclean.”

• What the voice requested was strictly against the law.
• Never had he eaten anything defiled and unclean.

15 Again, a second time, the voice said to him, “What God has made clean, do not call impure.” 16 This happened three times, and suddenly the object was taken up into heaven.

• The voice ignored his protest, reissuing the command and adding, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
• The command came three times; each time Peter objected and fell into further confusion.
• It is simply not possible to fully accept someone with whom you are unwilling to share in the intimacy of table fellowship.
• The early church had to solve the problem of kosher food laws in order to launch a mission to the Gentiles.[9]

[1] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 246). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[2] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 246). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 444). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 9:1–43). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 444). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 252). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 444–445). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, pp. 252–253). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[9] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 256). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Acts 5
LYING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property.

• Ananias means “God is gracious,” but he learned that God is also holy; and Sapphira means “beautiful,”[1]

2 However, he kept back part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge, and brought a portion of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

• Nosphizomai – Greek word to describe his action in holding back part of the money.
• The verb means to pilfer, to purloin, to embezzle.
• One does not embezzle one’s own funds but those of another, in this instance those that rightfully belonged to the common Christian fund.[2]
• Same Greek word used Joshua 7 when Achan took from the fund of Jericho that was devoted for sacred use.
• Achan received the judgment of death from God.

3 “Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds of the land?

• How did Peter know?
• The Church was of one heart and one mind (Acts 4:32)

4 Wasn’t it yours while you possessed it? And after it was sold, wasn’t it at your disposal? Why is it that you planned this thing in your heart? You have not lied to people but to God.”

• They were not required to sell the property; and, having sold it, they were not required to give any of the money to the church.
• Their lust for recognition conceived sin in their hearts, and that sin eventually produced death (James 1:15 - Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death. [3]).[4]

5 When he heard these words, Ananias dropped dead, and a great fear came on all who heard. 6 The young men got up, wrapped his body, carried him out, and buried him.

• Only prophets and kings were buried within Jerusalem and few of those.
• Burial was generally outside the walls, where the corpse was laid in a cave, which explains why the young men could complete the procedure so quickly.[5]

7 About three hours later, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

• Ananias was dead and buried, and Sapphira did not even know it!
• Satan always keeps his servants in the dark, while God guides His servants in the light (John 15:15).[6]
• In both his Gospel and in Acts, Luke paired women with men, particularly in contexts of witness and discipleship.
• Here perhaps he was showing that along with discipleship goes responsibility; and this applies to all disciples, female as well as male.[7]

8 “Tell me,” Peter asked her, “did you sell the land for this price?”
“Yes,” she said, “for that price.”
9 Then Peter said to her, “Why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

• Peter’s role was to confront… not judge.
• This is the first Sapphira heard of Ananias’ death.

10 Instantly she dropped dead at his feet.

• Now she lay at Peter’s feet, in the place of her money.
• The same place that Ananias had laid the money.

When the young men came in, they found her dead, carried her out, and buried her beside her husband.

• He was letting everybody know that He would not tolerate deception in His church.
• If the Church is God’s temple, where He dwells… why wouldn’t Satan want to enter into the Church?
• The church is safe so long as Satan is attacking from the outside, but when he gets on the inside, the church is in danger.
• The Church as a flock
• If Satan cannot defeat the church by attacks from the outside, he will get on the inside and go to work.[8]
• Acts 20:28–31 - 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Men will rise up even from your own number and distort the truth to lure the disciples into following them. 31 Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I never stopped warning each one of you with tears.[9]
• The Church is God’s army.
• 2 Timothy 2:1-4 - 1 You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
• Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the commanding officer.[10]

11 Then great fear came on the whole church and on all who heard these things.

• This is the 1st time the word “Church” (Ekklesia) is mentioned in the Bible.
• The people of God gathered in a religious community.
• By the power of this spiritual presence in its midst, the young community worked miracles, witnessed fearlessly, and was blessed with incredible growth.
• The Spirit was the power behind its unity, and its unity was the power behind its witness.
• The church can only thrive as the people of God if it lives within the total trust of all its members.
• Where there is that unity of trust, that oneness of heart and mind, the church flourishes in the power of the Spirit.
• Where there is duplicity and distrust, its witness fails.[11]

 

• Often it is said that the pair died of psychological fright.
• This can be neither proved nor disproved from the text, and it well may have been the case; but it does not alleviate the strong judgmental note of the text.
• Peter knew and told Sapphira beforehand that she was about to be carried feet first out the door.
• When all is said and done, there is no “comfortable” solution to the passage.
• It is a unique story. There is nothing like it elsewhere in Acts, or for that matter in the New Testament.
• It’s as if God treated the early Church as an infant.
• Their death did not necessarily involve their loss of salvation.
• Still, the judgment that befell Ananias and Sapphira was severe, and one is all too aware that today’s churches would be much emptier if such standards were consistently applied.
• The same Spirit that gave the community its growth also maintained its purity.
• This seems to have been Luke’s point, for the Ananias and Sapphira story is bracketed by an emphasis on the unity of the community (4:32–35) and the power of the Spirit in its midst (5:12–16)[12]

 
APOSTOLIC SIGNS AND WONDERS
12 Many signs and wonders were being done among the people through the hands of the apostles.

• This was God’s way of authenticating the apostle’s ministry.
• Not only for God’s glory but His stamp of approval.
• We find no miracles performed in Genesis, but at the beginning of the age of Law, Moses performed great signs and wonders.
• Elijah and Elisha were miracle workers at the beginning of the great era of the Prophets, and Jesus and the Apostles performed signs and wonders when the Gospel Age was inaugurated.
• Each time God opened a new door, He called man’s attention to it.
• It was His way of saying, “Follow these leaders, because I have sent them.”
• Remember in John 14:13-14 when Jesus said you will do even greater works than these you have seen?
• When Jesus performed miracles during His ministry on earth, He had three purposes in mind:
• (1) to show compassion and meet human need;
• (2) to present His credentials as the Son of God;
• (3) to convey spiritual truth.
• For example, when He fed the 5,000, the miracle met their physical need, revealed Him as the Son of God, and gave Him opportunity to preach a sermon about the Bread of Life (John 6).
• The apostolic miracles followed a similar pattern.
• Peter and John healed the crippled beggar and met his need, but Peter used that miracle to preach a salvation sermon and to prove to the people and the council that he and John were indeed the servants of the living Christ. One[13]

They were all together (unified) in Solomon’s Colonnade.

• This is probably in reference to the apostles only so as not to contradict the next verse.
• Pictures of Temple & Cory at Colonnade.
• Crisis in the Church – Come together and wait for God to work.

13 No one else dared to join them, but the people spoke well of them.

• There was intimidation after what just happened with Ananias & Sapphira.
• The people were not only talking about them… they were watching them closely.

14 Believers were added to the Lord in increasing numbers—multitudes of both men and women.

• For the 1st time Luke includes women in his reference to salvations added.
• Luke is consistent in including women as part of the growth of the Church.
• This was not normal in that day.

15 As a result, they would carry the sick out into the streets and lay them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them.

• Whether or not they were healed by Peter’s shadow Luke did not explicitly say, but the note underlines the strength of the apostle’s healing reputation.[14]
• Acts 19:11 - God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, 12 so that even facecloths or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.[15]

16 In addition, a multitude came together from the towns surrounding Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

• At this point the apostles were still confined to Jerusalem.
• The people came to them from the outlying villages.
• Only later would they go forth from Jerusalem and take their gospel and their healing ministry into the villages of Judea.[16]

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 422). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 156). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jas 1:15). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 422). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 422). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 156). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 422). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 20:28–31). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[10] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (2 Ti 2:1–4). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[11] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 160). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[12] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, pp. 161–162). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[13] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 423). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[14] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 164). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[15] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 19:11–12). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[16] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 164). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Acts 3
HEALING OF A LAME MAN
1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple for the time of prayer at three in the afternoon.

• Peter did all the speaking and acting, with John merely standing in the background.
• John’s presence is sometimes explained as based on the Jewish law that at least two witnesses are necessary to confirm any testimony (2 Cor 13:1).
• The practice may be traced to Jesus’ sending his disciples out on mission by pairs (Luke 10:1), a practice that still retains its wisdom and validity.
• John was his intern?
• Peter and John are often found together in Scripture.
• They were partners in the fishing business (Luke 5:10); they prepared the last Passover for Jesus (Luke 22:8); they ran to the tomb on the first Easter Sunday morning (John 20:3–4); and they ministered to the Samaritans who believed on Jesus Christ (Acts 8:14).
• Now that they were filled with the Holy Spirit, the Apostles were no longer competing for greatness, but were at last working faithfully together to build the church (Ps. 133).[1]​
• There were various accesses to the temple, some of which involved a descent.
• Whether one actually ascended or descended to the temple, the customary idiom was to “go up” for worship there.
• The time of the apostles’ visit was the “ninth” hour, three in the afternoon, i.e., the hour of prayer.
• It was also the time of the evening Tamid, one of the two sacrifices held daily in the temple.
• These had become prescribed times of prayer, and people would come to the temple at the sacrifice times to observe the ceremony and pray.
• The largest crowds would thus have been found at the times of sacrifice, as Peter and John must have been well aware; for they went to the temple for prayer and for witness.[2]

2 A man who was lame from birth was being carried there. He was placed each day at the temple gate called Beautiful, so that he could beg from those entering the temple.

• The rabbis taught that there were three pillars for the Jewish faith—the Torah, worship, and the showing of kindness, or charity.
• Alms giving was one of the main ways to show kindness and was thus considered a major expression of one’s devotion to God.
• With their minds set on worship, those who entered the temple for the evening sacrifice and prayer would be particularly disposed to practice their piety by generously giving alms to a lame beggar.[3]
• Almost placed there as “an opportunity”
• This man had been lame for over 40 years according to Acts 4:22.

3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked for money.

• This sounded like a broken record.
• Repeated his begging hundreds of times a day for years.

4 Peter, along with John, looked straight at him and said, “Look at us.”

• The beggar gave them his total attention.
• He expected something in return.

5 So he turned to them, expecting to get something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I don’t have silver or gold,

• They had already given their resources to the community in Acts 2:44-45

but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” 7 Then, taking him by the right hand he raised him up, and at once his feet and ankles became strong. 8 So he jumped up and started to walk, and he entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.

• To invoke the name of Jesus is to call upon his authority and power.
• In a real sense, then, Jesus through Peter continued his healing ministry.
• With a healing touch common to miracle narratives, Peter grasped the man’s right hand and lifted him up.
• It is almost as if at this point the man needed all the encouragement he could get.11
• The man felt the new strength surging through his feet and ankles.
• He jumped to his feet and began to walk.
• With his increasing awareness of the miracle that had happened to him, he entered the sanctuary with Peter and John.
• Before, as the lame beggar, he sat in the court of the Gentiles at the gate to the sanctuary.
• Day by day he sat there at the threshold to the place of worship, but he could not enter.
• He was lame, blemished, and denied access to the inner courts (cf. Lev 21:17–20; 2 Sam 5:8).
• At this time not only had he received physical healing, but he had found spiritual acceptance as well.
• For the first time he was deemed worthy to enter the house of worship.
• This theme will repeat itself in Acts.
• Those who were rejected as unworthy for worship in the old religion of Israel found full acceptance in the name of Jesus, whether a lame beggar, an Ethiopian eunuch, a woman, or a Gentile.[4]

9 All the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and they recognized that he was the one who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. So they were filled with awe and astonishment at what had happened to him.

• Luke (the narrator) has already established the familiarity of local people with the once lame, but now healed, man.
• The people in the temple clearly grasped that a miracle had taken place; there was no doubt about its authenticity.[5]

 
PREACHING IN SOLOMON’S COLONNADE
11 While he was holding on to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astonished, ran toward them in what is called Solomon’s Colonnade.

• Show Map of the Temple
• A shaded area along the eastern wall of the Court of the Gentiles. It was used for commerce, teaching, and conversation. Acts later records that Christians sometimes gathered there (5:12).[6]

12 When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Fellow Israelites, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us, as though we had made him walk by our own power or godliness? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied before Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14 You denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer released to you. 15 You killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witnesses of this.

• This was just about 8 weeks ago.

16 By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. So the faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in front of all of you.

• In his sermon at Pentecost, Peter had to refute the accusation that the believers were drunk.
• In this sermon, he had to refute the notion that he and John had healed the man by their own power.
• (Paul and Barnabas would face a similar situation after healing a lame man. See Acts 14:8–18.)
• Peter immediately identified the source of the miracle—Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
• Wisely, Peter said that this was the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.[7]
• As at Pentecost, Peter was addressing people who knew the Scriptures and were acquainted with the recent events in Jerusalem (see Luke 24:18).
• It was not a group of ignorant pagans with no religious background.[8]
• There must be conviction before a sinner can experience conversion.
• Unless a patient is convinced that he is sick, he will never accept the diagnosis or take the treatment.
• Peter turned the temple into a courtroom and laid all the evidence out for everybody to see.
• How could two ordinary fishermen perform such a great miracle unless God was with them?
• Nobody would dare deny the miracle because the beggar stood there before them all in “perfect soundness” (Acts 3:16; 4:14).
• To accept the miracle would have been to admit that Jesus Christ is indeed the living Son of God and that His name has power.[9]

17 “And now, brothers and sisters, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your leaders also did. 18 In this way God fulfilled what he had predicted through all the prophets—that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, 20 that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Jesus, who has been appointed for you as the Messiah.

• But Peter did not leave the people without hope.
• In fact, he almost seemed to defend them by pointing out that they had acted in ignorance (Acts 3:17) while at the same time they had fulfilled the Word of God (Acts 3:18).
• In the Old Testament Law, there is a difference between deliberate sins and sins of ignorance (see Lev. 4–5; Num. 15:22–31).
• The person who sinned presumptuously was a rebel against God and was guilty of great sin.
• He was to be “cut off” from his people (Num. 15:30–31), which could mean excommunication and even death.
• The defiant “high-handed” sinner was condemned, but the person who sinned unwittingly and without deliberate intent was given opportunity to repent and seek God’s forgiveness.
• Ignorance does not remove the sinner’s guilt, but it does mitigate the circumstances.[10]
• The call to repentance is always included in the gospel message.
• Acts emphasizes the essential place of repentance in embracing the salvation Christ offers. See 2:38.[11]

21 Heaven must receive him until the time of the restoration of all things, which God spoke about through his holy prophets from the beginning. 22 Moses said: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers and sisters. You must listen to everything he tells you. 23 And everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be completely cut off from the people.
24 “In addition, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, have also foretold these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, saying to Abraham, And all the families of the earth will be blessed through your offspring. 26 God raised up his servant and sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your evil ways.”[12]

• Having announced the crime, presented the evidence, and explained the nature of their sin, Peter then offered them pardon!
• What a strange thing for the prosecuting attorney to become the defense attorney and the pardoning judge!
• Peter’s burden was to encourage his people to trust Christ and experience His gracious salvation.[13]
• What Peter was concerned to do was to convince his Jewish hearers that God’s covenant with Abraham was fully realized in Jesus.[14]
• What was true for the Jews in Solomon’s Colonnade still holds true today.
• Only in receiving the Christ of God by repentance and turning to him is there forgiveness, refreshing, and restoration.[15]
• It may have taken the apostles some time to fully realize the implications of the missionary imperative, but there it is.
• Peter was primarily concerned with the Jews.
• The gospel was preached to them first.

Soon it would reach far beyond the boundaries of Judaism “to all the peoples on earth.”[16]

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 412). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 125). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 126). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[4] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 128). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[5] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 3:10). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[6] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 3:11). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 412). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 413). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 413). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[10] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 413). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[11] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 3:19). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[12] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 3:1–26). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 413). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[14] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 137). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[15] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 135). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[16] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 137). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Matthew 19
THE THIRD PREDICTION OF HIS DEATH
17 While going up to Jerusalem, Jesus took the twelve disciples aside privately and said to them on the way, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death. 19 They will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised.”
 
Mark 10
THE THIRD PREDICTION OF HIS DEATH
32 They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were astonished, but those who followed him were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them the things that would happen to him. 33 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34 and they will mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him, and he will rise after three days.”
 
Luke 18
THE THIRD PREDICTION OF HIS DEATH
31 Then he took the Twelve aside and told them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. Everything that is written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished.

• Psalm 22 & Isaiah 53

32 For he will be handed over to the Gentiles, and he will be mocked, insulted, spit on; 33 and after they flog him, they will kill him, and he will rise on the third day.”

• This is not the first time Jesus said this to his disciples.
• Matthew 16 – Peter’s great confession
• Matthew 17 – Mt. Hermon – Transfiguration
• He just told his disciples they would reign over the 12 tribes at the end times.

34 They understood none of these things. The meaning of the saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said. [1]
 
Matthew 20
SUFFERING AND SERVICE
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons approached him with her sons. She knelt down to ask him for something. 21 “What do you want?” he asked her.
“Promise,” she said to him, “that these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right and the other on your left, in your kingdom.”

• Insecurity
• “Make my sons more important than the other 10 disciples.”
• “Give my sons special treatment.”
• This is like saying, “Let my 150 lb boys be the right guard and left guard on the football team and let them start.”
• Does she really know what she is asking for?
• Allow them to earn their way
• Allow them room to fail

22 Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you’re asking.

• Mom just tried to position her boys into a situation she wasn’t even sure about.

Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?”
“We are able,” they said to him.

• They said, “Yes” because their mom put them in that situation.
• We’ll do whatever it is… even though they didn’t know.
• They have no idea what “the cup” is.
• James was the first martyred disciple (Acts)
• John was the last disciple.

23 He told them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right and left is not mine to give; instead, it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

• I can’t promise where they will sit on the throne with Me but I can guarantee they will be killed!

24 When the ten disciples heard this, they became indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. 26 It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”[2]

• Jesus came to serve.

 
Mark 10
SUFFERING AND SERVICE
35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him and said, “Teacher, we want you to do whatever we ask you.”
36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked them.
37 They answered him, “Allow us to sit at your right and at your left in your glory.”
38 Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup I drink or to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
39 “We are able,” they told him.
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with. 40 But to sit at my right or left is not mine to give; instead, it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
41 When the ten disciples heard this, they began to be indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them over and said to them, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. 43 But it is not so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”[3]
 
Matthew 20
TWO BLIND MEN HEALED
29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.

• The Jericho Joshua defeated in the Old Testament.

30 There were two blind men sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd demanded that they keep quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
32 Jesus stopped, called them, and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”
33 “Lord,” they said to him, “open our eyes.” 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see, and they followed him. [4]
Mark 10
A BLIND MAN HEALED
46 They came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

• The Old Testament prophesied that the Messiah would be a descendent of David

48 Many warned him to keep quiet, but he was crying out all the more, “Have mercy on me, Son of David!”

• Desperate people do not permit the crowd from keeping them from Jesus.

49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called the blind man and said to him, “Have courage! Get up; he’s calling for you.” 50 He threw off his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.
 - He did not want to trip over his own cloak or blanket.
51 Then Jesus answered him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Rabboni,” the blind man said to him, “I want to see.”

• Rabbai was his personal expression of his faith.

52 Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has saved you.” Immediately he could see and began to follow Jesus on the road. [5]
 
Luke 18:35-43
A BLIND MAN RECEIVES HIS SIGHT
35 As he approached Jericho,
 - The Jericho Herod the Great built 1.5 miles away.
a blind man was sitting by the road begging. 36 Hearing a crowd passing by, he inquired what was happening. 37 “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by,” they told him.
38 So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Then those in front told him to keep quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to him. When he came closer, he asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord,” he said, “I want to see.”
42 “Receive your sight.” Jesus told him. “Your faith has saved you.” 43 Instantly he could see, and he began to follow him, glorifying God. All the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God. [6]

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Lk 18:31–34). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mt 20:17–28). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mk 10:32–45). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mt 20:29–34). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mk 10:46–52). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Lk 18:35–43). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

John 11
THE PLOT TO KILL JESUS
45 Therefore, many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what he did believed in him.
 -
46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
47 So the chief priests (Sadducees – didn’t even believe in resurrection) and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and were saying, “What are we going to do since this man is doing many signs?
 - This is like the Republicans and Democrats plotting together!
 - They recognized Jesus’ miracles.
 - John 14:10 – Jesus says God did all the miracles.
 - 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who lives in me does his works.[1]
48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
 - They have fear that they will lose titles, position, income and control.
49 One of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all! 50 You’re not considering that it is to your advantage that one man should die for the people rather than the whole nation perish.”
  -Bob says, “God likes to scheme the schemer.”
 - Prophecy spoken here and he didn’t even know it.
 - Can you see both sides of that statement?
51 He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to unite the scattered children of God. 53 So from that day on they plotted to kill him.
 - The stage had been set for the greatest drama in history, during which man would do his worst and God would give His best.[2]
 - The leaders wanted to kill Jesus after the Passover but now it was determined that it was to happen ASAP.
 - It is going to happen at the exact hour that God and Jesus had already determined. RIGHT AT THE PASSOVER SACRIFICE HOUR… on the hour!
54 Jesus therefore no longer walked openly (publicly) among the Jews but departed from there to the countryside near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and he stayed there with the disciples.[3]
 
Luke 17
TEN MEN HEALED
11 While traveling to Jerusalem, he passed between Samaria and Galilee.

• Possibly meeting with his disciples for the last time and gathering some to travel with Jesus back to Jerusalem.
• Samaritans were half-breed Jews (with Gentiles) after Northern Kingdom was taken into captivity by the Syrians.

12 As he entered a village, ten men with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
14 When he saw them, he told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”

• Where were the priests? In Jerusalem
• The scheme was turned on the schemer.

And while they were going, they were cleansed.

• Jesus sent ten cleansed lepers to Jerusalem to remind the Sanhedrin one more time that Jesus was the Messiah.
• Leviticus 13 required that the priest do an 8 day investigation on how this healing occurred, was it complete and then a ceremonial cleansing.
• Caiaphas was the priest in charge.
• The same man who condemned Jesus to death had a big pill to swallow for 8 days!

15 But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and, with a loud voice, gave glory to God. 16 He fell facedown at his feet, thanking him. And he was a Samaritan.

• The Samaritan’s nine friends were declared clean by the priest, but he was declared saved by the Son of God!
• While it is wonderful to experience the miracle of physical healing, it is even more wonderful to experience the miracle of eternal salvation.[4]

17 Then Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.”

• How were these 10 healed?
• It was their faith. They simply believed.
  
  

THE COMING OF THE KINGDOM
20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable; 21 no one will say, ‘See here!’ or ‘There!’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

• The mystery form of the kingdom is established now because they have rejected the Messianic Kingdom for now.
• The Messianic Kingdom will be established in the end.

22 Then he told the disciples: “The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you won’t see it. 23 They will say to you, ‘See there!’ or ‘See here!’ Don’t follow or run after them. 24 For as the lightning flashes from horizon to horizon and lights up the sky, so the Son of Man will be in his day.

• The 2nd Coming of Jesus.

25 But first it is necessary that he suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

• The present generation of Jews have rejected the Messiah.
• Verses 26-33 are in reference to the 7-year tribulation before the 2nd Coming of Jesus.

26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man: 27 People went on eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day Noah boarded the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 It will be the same as it was in the days of Lot: People went on eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building. 29 But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 It will be like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

• 2nd Coming of Jesus
• Revelation 19
• Campaign of Armageddon

31 On that day, a man on the housetop, whose belongings are in the house, must not come down to get them. Likewise the man who is in the field must not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever tries to make his life secure will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.
 
34 I tell you, on that night two will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”

• Not talking about the rapture but the 2nd coming.
• This is in relation to the final judgment.

37 “Where, Lord?” they asked him.
He said to them, “Where the corpse (body) is, there also the vultures will be gathered.” [5]

• At the end of the Tribulation, the remnant of Jews that remain will be believers (Hosea 5:15; Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:26-27) and will take refuge from the Antichrist in the city of Petra (Bozrah) located in Edom (Isaiah 34:1-7; 63:1-6), which is modern-day southern Jordan.
• The Antichrist, who will be in pursuit of this remnant, will be destroyed at Christ’s 2nd Coming (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10).

The “corpse/body” is the remnant of Jews that will remain while “the vultures” will be the Antichrist and his armies. [6]

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jn 14:10). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 338). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jn 11:1–54). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 245). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Lk 17:11–37). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] The Gospels from a Jewish Perspective (2002). Warren, Bob, Hardin, KY: www.LifeontheHill.org.

Luke 12
READY FOR THE MASTER’S RETURN
35 “Be ready for service and have your lamps lit. 36 You are to be like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. 37 Blessed will be those servants the master finds alert when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will get ready, have them recline at the table, then come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the middle of the night, or even near dawn, and finds them alert, blessed are those servants. 39 But know this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

• On a daily basis… what’s the one time you don’t want Jesus to come back… it’s gonna happen to someone.
• If you are focused on the outward appearance you’ve had to think about the fact of what you want to be doing when the Lord returns.
• People don’t really live their lives thinking about what they will be doing because they don’t believe the Lord will return in their lifetime.
• Is he talking about “the Rapture” or the Second Coming?
• We can pinpoint the Second Coming because of the 7-year tribulation and the halfway point of when the anti-Christ sits on the throne in the temple on the temple mount.
• Jesus has to be referring to what we believe to be “the Rapture.”
• If you are living from your heart… no need to worry about when Jesus returns.

 
REWARDS AND PUNISHMENT
41 “Lord,” Peter asked, “are you telling this parable to us or to everyone?”
42 The Lord said: “Who then is the faithful and sensible manager his master will put in charge of his household servants to give them their allotted food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes.

• I wonder what I will be doing.

44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and starts to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unfaithful.

• Talking about the unredeemed.
• Those who rejected Jesus as the Messiah.

47 And that servant who knew his master’s will and didn’t prepare himself or do it will be severely beaten. 48 But the one who did not know and did what deserved punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be expected.

• Has much been entrusted to me?
• Has much been entrusted to us?
• How are we to be on alert?
• John 6:29 - 29 Jesus replied, “This is the work of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.”[1]
• John 17:3 - 3 This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent—Jesus Christ.[2]
• Our job is to intimately know the Creator.
• Where did I get the idea that I had to be “doing” something when Christ returns?
• Get off the treadmill and enjoy Jesus.
• Trust Christ’s life in you to love others.

 
NOT PEACE BUT DIVISION
49 “I came to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already set ablaze! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and how it consumes me until it is finished!

• Baptism in the Scripture does not always refer to water.
• It means to identify with your leader.
• Paul says those who followed Moses into the Red Sea were baptized as followers of Moses.
• Jesus here is referring to His crucifixion.

51 Do you think that I came here to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 From now on, five in one household will be divided: three against two, and two against three.
53 They will be divided, father against son,
son against father,
mother against daughter,
daughter against mother,
mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law,
and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

• Micah 7:6
• The images Jesus used—fire, baptism, division—speak of opposition and conflict.[3]

 
INTERPRETING THE TIME
54 He also said to the crowds: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, right away you say, ‘A storm is coming,’ and so it does. 55 And when the south wind is blowing, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is.

• Meteorologists. They can predict the weather.

56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why don’t you know how to interpret this present time?

• The present time – Jesus is the Messiah.
• The Prophets forecasted the coming of the Messiah.
• How tragic that men today can predict the movements of the heavenly bodies, split atoms, and even put men on the moon; but they are blind to what God is doing in the world.
• They know how to get to the stars, but they do not know how to get to heaven![4]

 
SETTLING ACCOUNTS
57 “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you are going with your adversary to the ruler, make an effort to settle with him on the way. Then he won’t drag you before the judge, the judge hand you over to the bailiff, and the bailiff throw you into prison. 59 I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last cent.”[5]

• Most people will do whatever they can to stay out of jail.
• They will bargain with lawyers up to the last minute.
• Forgiveness of sin will have to occur for the “last cent” to be paid.
• “The last cent” – They will lose their lives by the hands of the Romans in 70 AD.

 
Luke 13
1 At that time, some people came and reported to him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.

• No other report of this act in history.
• This was just another ploy (question) to trap Jesus into saying something that would take Him down.
• If he defended Pilate, then He would prove Himself to be Pro-Roman.
• If he spoke against Pilate, surely Pilate would find Him and have Him killed.

2 And he responded to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were more sinful than all the other Galileans because they suffered these things?

• Pharisees taught that you suffered based upon the amount and degree of sin you brought on yourself.

3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well.

• Jesus is saying that if you don’t repent… in the end, you will suffer the same consequences.

4 Or those eighteen that the tower in Siloam fell on and killed—do you think they were more sinful than all the other people who live in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well.”

• Jesus avoided the question concerning Pilate and focused the subject of eternity on the ones trying to trap Him.

 
THE PARABLE OF THE BARREN FIG TREE
6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 He told the vineyard worker, ‘Listen, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it even waste the soil?’
8 “But he replied to him, ‘Sir, leave it this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 Perhaps it will produce fruit next year, but if not, you can cut it down.’

• Leviticus 19:23-25 - 23 “When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, you are to consider the fruit forbidden. It will be forbidden to you for three years; it is not to be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit must be consecrated as a praise offering to the Lord. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way its yield will increase for you; I am Yahweh your God. [6]
• So this man had actually been waiting for 7 years for fruit from this tree.
• Fig tree was the symbol for the nation of Israel
• 3 years represented Jesus’ earthly ministry
• 1 more year represented the 40 years before the destruction of Israel by the hands of the Romans in 70 AD.

 
HEALING A DAUGHTER OF ABRAHAM
10 As he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath, 11 a woman was there who had been disabled by a spirit for over eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.

• Just because you are sick doesn’t mean that you are demonized.
• But what about the fact that this woman was still coming to the synagogue for 18 years even though she was oppressed by a demon?

12 When Jesus saw her, he called out to her, “Woman, you are free of your disability.” 13 Then he laid his hands on her, and instantly she was restored and began to glorify God.

• Jesus defeated Satan right in the house of God.
• Jesus is the only one who can set people free.

14 But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, responded by telling the crowd, “There are six days when work should be done; therefore, come on those days and be healed and not on the Sabbath day.”

• Who was under more bondage? The lady who was oppressed for 18 years or the Pharisee who was teaching legalism?
• This is what religious people still believe and teach today.
• What does the Bible say? Don’t work at all!
• Sabbath rest… watch God do the work in you.

15 But the Lord answered him and said, “Hypocrites! Doesn’t each one of you untie his ox or donkey from the feeding trough on the Sabbath and lead it to water? 16 Satan has bound this woman, a daughter of Abraham, for eighteen years—shouldn’t she be untied from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”

• Daughter of Abraham (Jewish) – One of your own!
• Not only was Jesus saying they did work on the Sabbath but you cared for your animals because they needed it.
• You treat your animals better than you do people!

17 When he had said these things, all his adversaries were humiliated, but the whole crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things he was doing.

• God will always humiliate religion.

 
THE PARABLES OF THE MUSTARD SEED AND OF THE LEAVEN
18 He said, therefore, “What is the kingdom of God (mystery form of the kingdom – the Church) like, and what can I compare it to? 19 It’s like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the sky nested in its branches.”

• Matthew 13 – Annoyance birds (grackles)
• The Gospel will be the foundation but it will still be infiltrated with error and lies.

20 Again he said, “What can I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It’s like leaven that a woman took and mixed into fifty pounds of flour until all of it was leavened.” [7]

• Leaven here is either negative or positive.
• If it is negative it is referring to Jewish nation which was destroyed in 70 AD.
• If it is positive, it is the Gospel that spreads until things in heaven and on earth have been restored.

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jn 6:29). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jn 17:3). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 223). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 223). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Lk 12:1–59). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Le 19:23–25). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Lk 13:1–21). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

John 7:1
1 After this, Jesus traveled in Galilee, since He did not want to travel in Judea because the Jews were trying to kill Him. [1]


Mark 7:24-30
24 He got up and departed from there to the region of Tyre and Sidon. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it, but He could not escape notice. 25 Instead, immediately after hearing about Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit came and fell at His feet. 26 Now the woman was Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to drive the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Allow the children to be satisfied first, because it isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
28 But she replied to Him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
29 Then He told her, “Because of this reply, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30 When she went back to her home, she found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone. [2]
 
Matthew 15:22-28
22 Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! (She declares that He is the Messiah) My daughter is cruelly tormented by a demon.”
23 Yet He did not say a word to her. So His disciples approached Him and urged Him, “Send her away because she cries out after us.”
24 He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
25 But she came, knelt before Him, and said, “Lord, help me!” (personal need/personal faith)
26 He answered, “It isn’t right to take the children’s (Israel/Jews) bread and throw it to their dogs (Gentiles).”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table!”
 - “I am not asking you to save the Gentiles… I’m asking you to save my daughter.” - personal faith/personal need.
28 Then Jesus replied to her, “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And from that moment her daughter was cured.[3]
____________________________________________
 
Mark 7:31 – 8:9
31 Again, leaving the region of Tyre, He went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis.

• The Decapolis is where Legion was from and after he the demons were cast from him he shared his story and started a ministry.

32 They brought to Him a deaf man who also had a speech difficulty, and begged Jesus to lay His hand on him. 33 So He took him away from the crowd privately. After putting His fingers in the man’s ears and spitting, He touched his tongue. 34 Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”). 35 Immediately his ears were opened, his speech difficulty was removed, and he began to speak clearly. 36 Then He ordered them to tell no one (he must have been Jewish), but the more He would order them, the more they would proclaim it.
37 They were extremely astonished and said, “He has done everything well! He even makes deaf people hear, and people unable to speak, talk!”
 - Matthew 15:29-31 says Jesus healed many!
 
8 In those days there was again a large crowd, and they had nothing to eat. He summoned the disciples and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with Me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a long distance.”
4 His disciples answered Him, “Where can anyone get enough bread here in this desolate place to fill these people?”
5 “How many loaves do you have?” He asked them.
“Seven,” they said. 6 Then He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks, broke the loaves, and kept on giving them to His disciples to set before the people. So they served the loaves to the crowd. 7 They also had a few small fish, and when He had blessed them, He said these were to be served as well. 8 They ate and were filled. Then they collected seven large baskets of leftover pieces. 9 About 4,000 men were there. He dismissed them[4]
 
Matthew 15:29-38
29 Moving on from there, Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee. He went up on a mountain and sat there, 30 and large crowds came to Him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, those unable to speak, and many others. They put them at His feet, and He healed them. 31 So the crowd was amazed when they saw those unable to speak talking, the deformed restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they gave glory to the God of Israel.
 
32 Now Jesus summoned His disciples and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry; otherwise they might collapse on the way.”
33 The disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in this desolate place to fill such a crowd?”
 - What did they learn from feeding the 5,000? Not much.
34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked them.
“Seven,” they said, “and a few small fish.”
35 After commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 He took the seven loaves and the fish, and He gave thanks, broke them, and kept on giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
 - The food was delivered through the disciples.
37 They all ate and were filled. Then they collected the leftover pieces—seven large baskets full.
 - Good stewardship
38 Now those who ate were 4,000 men, besides women and children.[5]
____________________________________________
 
Matthew 15:39 – 16:4
39 After dismissing the crowds, He got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.
 
16 The Pharisees and Sadducees approached, and as a test, asked Him to show them a sign from heaven.
 - They have accused Jesus of doing miracles under the power of Beelzebub. They want to see a sign from the power of God.
2 He answered them: “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be good weather because the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy because the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then He left them and went away. [6]
 
Mark 8:10-12
10 and immediately got into the boat with His disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.
 
11 The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, demanding of Him a sign from heaven to test Him. 12 But sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? I assure you: No sign will be given to this generation!”[7]
____________________________________________
 
Matthew 16:5-12
5 The disciples reached the other shore, and they had forgotten to take bread.
6 Then Jesus told them, “Watch out and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
7 And they discussed among themselves, “We didn’t bring any bread.”
8 Aware of this, Jesus said, “You of little faith! Why are you discussing among yourselves that you do not have bread? 9 Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the 5,000 and how many baskets you collected? 10 Or the seven loaves for the 4,000 and how many large baskets you collected? 11 Why is it you don’t understand that when I told you, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees,’ it wasn’t about bread?”  12 Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the yeast in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.[8]

Mark 8:13-26
13 Then He left them, got on board the boat again, and went to the other side.
14 They had forgotten to take bread and had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Then He commanded them: “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.”
 - King Herod was the one who reconstructed the temple. It was still being reconstructed during Jesus’ ministry on earth.
 - Had the Glory of the Lord ever entered into the Holy of Holies in this temple?
 - The Glory of God only entered the Temple when Jesus was there.

• Be careful of what you are being taught.
• It is not the same thing Jesus is teaching.

16 They were discussing among themselves that they did not have any bread. 17 Aware of this, He said to them, “Why are you discussing that you do not have any bread? Don’t you understand or comprehend? Is your heart hardened? 18 Do you have eyes, and not see, and do you have ears, and not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the 5,000, how many baskets full of pieces of bread did you collect?”
“Twelve,” they told Him.
20 “When I broke the seven loaves for the 4,000, how many large baskets full of pieces of bread did you collect?”
“Seven,” they said.
21 And He said to them, “Don’t you understand yet?”
 - Whose responsibility is it to feed the sheep? The shepherds.
 
22 Then they came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to Him and begged Him to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and brought him out of the village. (private) Spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?”
24 He looked up and said, “I see people—they look to me like trees walking.”
 - Partial healing
25 Again Jesus placed His hands on the man’s eyes, and he saw distinctly. He was cured and could see everything clearly.
 - Two stage miracle.
 - The disciples will fully understand who Jesus is in Acts 2. Currently they only know Jesus partially.
26 Then He sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”[9]
 - Must have been Jewish in Jewish territory.
____________________________________________
 
Matthew 16:13-20
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
 - Pictures of Caesarea Philippi
14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
 - All those men were super heroes in ministry.
15 “But you,” He asked them, “who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!”
17 And Jesus responded, “Simon son of Jonah, you are blessed because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father in heaven.
 - Where does revelation come from?
 - It’s not coming from me today!
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven.”
20 And He gave the disciples orders to tell no one that He was the Messiah.[10]
 
Mark 8:27-30
27 Jesus went out with His disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the road He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”
28 They answered Him, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, one of the prophets.”
29 “But you,” He asked them again, “who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered Him, “You are the Messiah!”
30 And He strictly warned them to tell no one about Him. [11]
 
Luke 9:18-21
18 While He was praying in private and His disciples were with Him, He asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
19 They answered, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, that one of the ancient prophets has come back.” t
20 “But you,” He asked them, “who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered, “God’s Messiah!”
21 But He strictly warned and instructed them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.”[12]

[1] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Jn 7:1). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mk 7:24–30). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mt 15:22–28). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mk 7:31–8:9). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mt 15:29–38). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mt 15:39–16:4). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mk 8:10–12). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mt 16:5–12). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mk 8:13–26). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[10] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mt 16:13–20). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[11] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mk 8:27–30). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[12] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Lk 9:18–22). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.

Matthew 8:28-34
28 When He had come to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met Him as they came out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29 Suddenly they shouted, “What do You have to do with us, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
30 Now a long way off from them, a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 “If You drive us out,” the demons begged Him, “send us into the herd of pigs.”
32 “Go!” He told them. So when they had come out, they entered the pigs. And suddenly the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water. 33 Then the men who tended them fled. They went into the city and reported everything—especially what had happened to those who were demon-possessed. 34 At that, the whole town went out to meet Jesus. When they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region.[1]
 
Mark 5:1-20
1 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 As soon as He got out of the boat, a man (two men – Matthew) with an unclean spirit (demon-possessed – Luke) came out of the tombs and met Him. 3 He lived in the tombs (he wore no clothes – Luke). No one was able to restrain him anymore—even with chains — 4 because he often had been bound with shackles and chains, but had snapped off the chains and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 And always, night and day, he was crying out among the tombs and in the mountains and cutting himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before Him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do You have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God, don’t torment me!” 8 For He had told him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”
9 “What is your name?” He asked him.
“My name is Legion (2,000-6,000),” he answered Him, “because we are many.” 10 And he kept begging Him not to send them out of the region (abyss – Luke).
 - Revelation 9:1 - The fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth. The key to the shaft of the abyss was given to him.[2]
 - Revelation 11:7 - 7 When they finish their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, conquer them, and kill them.[3]
 - Revelation 21:1-3 - Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for 1,000 years. 3 He threw him into the abyss, closed it, and put a seal on it so that he would no longer deceive the nations until the 1,000 years were completed. After that, he must be released for a short time. [4]
 
11 Now a large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. 12 The demons begged Him, “Send us to the pigs, so we may enter them.” 13 And He gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs, and the herd of about 2,000 rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned there.
 - Pigs even knew it was better to die than be possessed.
14 The men who tended them ran off and reported it in the town and the countryside, and people went to see what had happened. 15 They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed by the legion, sitting there (at Jesus’ feet – Luke), dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 The eyewitnesses described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and told about the pigs. 17 Then they began to beg Him to leave their region.
18 As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed kept begging Him to be with Him. 19 But He would not let him; instead, He told him, “Go back home to your own people, and report to them how much the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you.” 20 So he went out and began to proclaim in the Decapolis (ten Gentile towns of the region) how much Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed.[5]
 
Luke 8:26-39
26 Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 When He got out on land, a demon-possessed man from the town met Him. For a long time he had worn no clothes and did not stay in a house but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What do You have to do with me, Jesus, You Son of the Most High God? I beg You, don’t torment me!” 29 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was guarded, bound by chains and shackles, he would snap the restraints and be driven by the demon into deserted places.
30 “What is your name?” Jesus asked him.
“Legion,” he said—because many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged Him not to banish them to the abyss.
32 A large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. The demons begged Him to permit them to enter the pigs, and He gave them permission. 33 The demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. 34 When the men who tended them saw what had happened, they ran off and reported it in the town and in the countryside. 35 Then people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man the demons had departed from, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 36 Meanwhile, the eyewitnesses reported to them how the demon-possessed man was delivered. 37 Then all the people of the Gerasene region asked Him to leave them, because they were gripped by great fear. So getting into the boat, He returned.
38 The man from whom the demons had departed kept begging Him to be with Him. But He sent him away and said, 39 “Go back to your home, and tell all that God has done for you.” And off he went, proclaiming throughout the town all that Jesus had done for him.[6]
Matthew 9:18-26
18 As He was telling them these things, suddenly one of the leaders came and knelt down before Him, saying, “My daughter is near death, but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 So Jesus and His disciples got up and followed him.
20 Just then, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for 12 years approached from behind and touched the tassel on His robe, 21 for she said to herself, “If I can just touch His robe, I’ll be made well!” b
22 But Jesus turned and saw her. “Have courage, daughter,” He said. “Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that moment.
23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house, He saw the flute players and a crowd lamenting loudly. 24 “Leave,” He said, “because the girl isn’t dead, but sleeping.” And they started laughing at Him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 26 And this news spread throughout that whole area.[7]
 
Mark 5:21-43
21 When Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him while He was by the sea. (the crowd welcomed Him because they were expecting Him – Luke) 22 One of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at His feet 23 and kept begging Him, “My little daughter is at death’s door. Come and lay Your hands on her so she can get well and live.”
 - Being a Jewish leader… Jairus had to be torn… between what he taught, what he believed and the love for his little girl.

• Luke said this was his only daughter and she was 12 years old.

24 So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd was following and pressing against Him. 25 A woman suffering from bleeding for 12 years 26 had endured much under many doctors. She had spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she became worse. 27 Having heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His robe. 28 For she said, “If I can just touch His robes, I’ll be made well!”
 - Luke says she touched the tassel of His robe.
29 Instantly her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed in her body that she was cured of her affliction.
30 At once Jesus realized in Himself that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My robes?”
 - Asked this for the benefit of his disciples.
31 His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing against You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”

• Luke said they all denied it and Peter spoke this.
• Luke 8:46 - “Someone did touch Me,” said Jesus. “I know that power has gone out from Me.”

32 So He was looking around to see who had done this. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came with fear and trembling, fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth.
 - Luke 8:47 - In the presence of all the people, she declared the reason she had touched Him and how she was instantly cured.
 - At this point, Jesus corrects her about what healed her.
34 “Daughter,” He said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be free from your affliction.”
35 While He was still speaking, people came from the synagogue leader’s house and said, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher anymore?”
36 But when Jesus overheard what was said, He told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe. (She will be made well – Luke)” 37 He did not let anyone accompany Him except Peter, James, and John, James’s brother (Father & Mother – Luke ). 38 They came to the leader’s house, and He saw a commotion (the flute players {taps} – Matthew)—people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.”
40 They started laughing at Him, but He put them all outside. He took the child’s father, mother, and those who were with Him, and entered the place where the child was. 41 Then He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” ). 42 Immediately the girl got up (her Spirit returned – Luke) and began to walk. (She was 12 years old.) At this they were utterly astounded. 43 Then He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this and said that she should be given something to eat.[8]
(Matthew 9:26 - and the news spread throughout the whole area.)
 
Luke 8:40-56
40 When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed Him, for they were all expecting Him. 41 Just then, a man named Jairus came. He was a leader of the synagogue. He fell down at Jesus’ feet and pleaded with Him to come to his house, 42 because he had an only daughter about 12 years old, and she was at death’s door.
While He was going, the crowds were nearly crushing Him. 43 A woman suffering from bleeding for 12 years, who had spent all she had on doctors yet could not be healed by any, 44 approached from behind and touched the tassel of His robe. Instantly her bleeding stopped.
45 “Who touched Me?” Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds are hemming You in and pressing against You.”
46 “Someone did touch Me,” said Jesus. “I know that power has gone out from Me.” 47 When the woman saw that she was discovered, she came trembling and fell down before Him. In the presence of all the people, she declared the reason she had touched Him and how she was instantly cured. 48 “Daughter,” He said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
49 While He was still speaking, someone came from the synagogue leader’s house, saying, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t bother the Teacher anymore.”
50 When Jesus heard it, He answered him, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe, and she will be made well.” 51 After He came to the house, He let no one enter with Him except Peter, John, James, and the child’s father and mother. 52 Everyone was crying and mourning for her. But He said, “Stop crying, for she is not dead but asleep.”
53 They started laughing at Him, because they knew she was dead. 54 So He took her by the hand and called out, “Child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then He gave orders that she be given something to eat. 56 Her parents were astounded, but He instructed them to tell no one what had happened.[9]
 
Matthew 9:27-34
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, shouting, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
 - These men recognized Jesus’ Messiahship.
28 When He entered the house,
 - privately
 - Healing based upon personal faith & personal need.
the blind men approached Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they answered Him.
29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith!” 30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus warned them sternly, “Be sure that no one finds out!” 31 But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout that whole area.
 
32 Just as they were going out, a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak was brought to Him. 33 When the demon had been driven out, the man spoke. And the crowds were amazed, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”
 - Confirmation of Messianic miracle.
 - 2nd time this miracle was performed.
34 But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons!”[10]
Matthew 13:54-58
54 He went to His hometown and began to teach them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “How did this wisdom and these miracles come to Him? 55 Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother called Mary, and His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? 56 And His sisters, aren’t they all with us? So where does He get all these things?” 57 And they were offended by Him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his household.” 58 And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief. [11]
 
Mark 6:1-6
1 He went away from there and came to His hometown, and His disciples followed Him. 2 When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were astonished. “Where did this man get these things?” they said. “What is this wisdom given to Him, and how are these miracles performed by His hands? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joses (Joseph), Judas, and Simon? And aren’t His sisters here with us?” So they were offended by Him.
4 Then Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his household.” 5 So He was not able to do any miracles there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He was amazed at their unbelief.[12]

• It’s their unbelief that causes them to miss the awe of God.

[1] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mt 8:28–34). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Re 9:1). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Re 11:7–8). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Re 20:1–3). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mk 5:1–20). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Lk 8:26–39). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mt 9:18–26). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mk 5:21–43). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Lk 8:40–56). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[10] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mt 9:27–34). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[11] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mt 13:54–58). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[12] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mk 6:1–6). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.

• Why do we continue to make laws today?
   - History of the oral law
   - Babylonian Captivity – 586 BC (Ezra)
   - The Mosaic Law was not enough to keep people from sinning.
  - The Mishnah – “tradition of the elders” – written around 220 AD contains the “oral law”.
  
  Luke 5:33-39 – Three Parables that Explain Why Jesus’s Disciples Feast Instead of Fast

33 Then they said to Him, “John’s disciples fast often and say prayers, and those of the Pharisees do the same, but Yours eat and drink.”
34 Jesus said to them, “You can’t make the wedding guests fast while the groom is with them, can you? 35 But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them—then they will fast in those days.”
36 He also told them a parable:
 - A parable is, literally, something “cast alongside” something else.
 - Jesus’ parables were stories that were “cast alongside” a truth in order to illustrate that truth.
 - A common description of a parable is that it is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.
 - For a time in His ministry, Jesus relied heavily on parables. He told many of them; in fact, according to Mark 4:34a, “He did not say anything to them without using a parable.”
 - There are about 35 of Jesus’ parables recorded in the Synoptic Gospels.
“No one tears a patch from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. Otherwise, not only will he tear the new, but also the piece from the new garment will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, it will spill, and the skins will be ruined. 38 But new wine should be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one, after drinking old wine, wants new, because he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”[1]
​
John 5:1-47 – Healing the Sick on the Sabbath in front of the Pharisees
1 After this, a Jewish festival took place, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 By the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there is a pool, called Bethesda in Hebrew, which has five colonnades. 3 Within these lay a large number of the sick—blind, lame, and paralyzed [—waiting for the moving of the water, 4 because an angel would go down into the pool from time to time and stir up the water. Then the first one who got in after the water was stirred up recovered from whatever ailment he had].
5 One man was there who had been sick for 38 years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had already been there a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to get well?”
7 “Sir,” the sick man answered, “I don’t have a man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I’m coming, someone goes down ahead of me.”
8 “Get up,” Jesus told him, “pick up your mat and walk!” 9 Instantly the man got well, picked up his mat, and started to walk.
Now that day was the Sabbath, 10 so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath! It’s illegal for you to pick up your mat.”
 - The oral law added 1,500 laws to “keep the Sabbath holy.”
11 He replied, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”
12 “Who is this man who told you, ‘Pick up your mat and walk’?” they asked. 13 But the man who was cured did not know who it was, because Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14 After this, Jesus found him in the temple complex and said to him, “See, you are well. Do not sin anymore, so that something worse doesn’t happen to you.” 15 The man went and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
16 Therefore, the Jews began persecuting Jesus because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus responded to them, “My Father is still working, and I am working also.” 18 This is why the Jews began trying all the more to kill Him: Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.
19 Then Jesus replied, “I assure you: The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does these things in the same way. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing, and He will show Him greater works than these so that you will be amazed. 21 And just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to anyone He wants to. 22 The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
24 “I assure you: Anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.
25 “I assure you: An hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted to the Son to have life in Himself. 27 And He has granted Him the right to pass judgment, because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come out—those who have done good things, to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked things, to the resurrection of judgment.
30 “I can do nothing on My own. I judge only as I hear, and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
31 “If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not valid. 32 There is Another who testifies about Me, and I know that the testimony He gives about Me is valid. a33 You have sent messengers to John, and he has testified to the truth. 34 I don’t receive man’s testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 John was a burning and shining lamp, and for a time you were willing to enjoy his light.
36 “But I have a greater testimony than John’s because of the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish. These very works I am doing testify about Me that the Father has sent Me. 37 The Father who sent Me has Himself testified about Me. You have not heard His voice at any time, and you haven’t seen His form. 38 You don’t have His word living in you, because you don’t believe the One He sent. 39 You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me. 40 And you are not willing to come to Me so that you may have life.
41 “I do not accept glory from men, 42 but I know you—that you have no love for God within you. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, yet you don’t accept Me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe? While accepting glory from one another, you don’t seek the glory that comes from the only God. 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me. 47 But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
[1] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Lk 5:33–39). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.

Luke 5:1-11 – The Call of Peter, Andrew, James & John
1 As the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God’s word, He was standing by Lake Gennesaret. 2 He saw two boats at the edge of the lake; the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the land. Then He sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat.
4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”
5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we’ve worked hard all night long and caught nothing! But at Your word, I’ll let down the nets.”
6 When they did this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets began to tear. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; 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, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!” 9 For he and all those with him were amazed at the catch of fish they took, 10 and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s partners.
“Don’t be afraid,” Jesus told Simon. “From now on you will be catching people!” 11 Then they brought the boats to land, left everything, and followed Him.[1]
Matthew 4:21-22 – The Call of James & John
21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him. [2]
Luke 5:12-16 – Jesus heals a leper
12 While He was in one of the towns, a man was there who had a serious skin disease all over him (fully developed).
 - When your issue becomes public knowledge and it causes people to avoid you.
He saw Jesus, fell facedown, and begged Him: “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
- Last week - Luke 4:27 - 27 And in the prophet Elisha’s time, there were many in Israel who had serious skin diseases, yet not one of them was healed —only Naaman the Syrian (2 Kings 5). (Gentile – Syria army was an enemy of Israel)”
 - Pharisees taught that only the Messiah could heal a Jew of leprosy.
 - If the man was a Jew and this is what he had been taught then he must have believed that Jesus was the Messiah.
13 Reaching out His hand, He touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean,” and immediately the disease left him.
 - No Pharisee would have touched this leper.
14 Then He ordered him to tell no one: “But go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses prescribed for your cleansing as a testimony to them.”
 - Leviticus 13 & 14 were instructions for the priests to deal with the ceremonial cleansing of lepers.
 - Leviticus 14:1-32
1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “This is the law concerning the person afflicted with a skin disease on the day of his cleansing. He is to be brought to the priest, 3 who will go outside the camp and examine him. If the skin disease has disappeared from the afflicted person, 4 the priest will order that two live clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop be brought for the one who is to be cleansed. 5 Then the priest will order that one of the birds be slaughtered over fresh water in a clay pot. 6 He is to take the live bird together with the cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, and dip them all into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water. 7 He will then sprinkle the blood seven times on the one who is to be cleansed from the skin disease. He is to pronounce him clean and release the live bird over the open countryside. 8 The one who is to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe with water; he is clean. Afterward he may enter the camp, but he must remain outside his tent for seven days. -

9 He is to shave off all his hair again on the seventh day: his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest of his hair. He is to wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; he is clean…
14 The priest is to take some of the blood from the restitution offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.[3]

 - Once this priest was forced to perform these duties… it caused many of them to gather and talk.
 - Jesus was forcing them to acknowledge that He was the Messiah.
15 But the news about Him spread even more, and large crowds would come together to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 Yet He often withdrew to deserted places and prayed. [4]
 Luke 5:17-26 – Jesus heals a paralytic that is lowered through the roof at Peter’s house in Capernaum.
17 On one of those days while He was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and also from Jerusalem.
- It was a big deal for Pharisees to come to Galilee.
And the Lord’s power to heal was in Him. 18 Just then some men came, carrying on a mat a man who was paralyzed. They tried to bring him in and set him down before Him. 19 Since they could not find a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the mat through the roof tiles into the middle of the crowd before Jesus.
20 Seeing their faith He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”
 - Jesus doesn’t forgive sin based upon a statement but by dying on a cross.
 - According to all 66 books, Jesus words were not strong enough to forgive sin.
21 Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to think: “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
 - Observation stage - They never question out loud.
22 But perceiving their thoughts, Jesus replied to them, “Why are you thinking this in your hearts?
- They didn’t believe He was the Messiah
23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
- How do you prove that you are the Messiah?
- To say a statement that could be questioned or to watch a physical manifestation of healing before their very eyes?
24 But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He told the paralyzed man, “I tell you: Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”
 - Jesus was forcing the Sanhedrin to decide who He was.
25 Immediately he got up before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. 26 Then everyone was astounded, and they were giving glory to God. And they were filled with awe and said, “We have seen incredible things today!” [5]
Matthew 9:9-13 – Matthew’s Call
9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” So he got up and followed Him.
10 While He was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came as guests to eat with Jesus and His disciples.
 - Matthew threw a party because of his belief/salvation in Jesus.
 - He invited tax collectors and prostitutes.
11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
 - 2nd Stage – Sanhedrin begins to ask questions.
12 But when He heard this, He said, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do. 13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.” [6]
- righteous here = self-righteous

[1] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Lk 5:1–11). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mt 4:21–22). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Le 14:1–32). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Lk 5:12–16). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Lk 5:17–26). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mt 9:9–13). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.