KNOWING YOUR BIBLE
February, 27, 2022: Dear Friends, Today, we will continue our study of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. As has been previously stated, the focus of this blog in the next few weeks through Easter, on April 17, will be an in-depth study of Jesus, who he is, how he thinks and acts, and on his examples and teachings he left for us to follow.
This week on Ash Wednesday, March 2nd, is the beginning of Lent. Lent is the time of 40 days fasting and penitence before Jesus” resurrection on Easter Sunday, April, 17. This is a Holy Time for us, a sacred time for meditation and worship. Go to the New Testament Gospel Books of the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, to read and study about Jesus’ birth, life, death by crucifixion and resurrection. Choose the gospel book preferred and read and study a few chapters daily, if possible, or, if time is limited, at least once a week. This study on Jesus will help bring understanding and the knowing of Jesus nearer and closer to our hearts and souls. This is the purpose of this study, to bring us nearer and closer to Jesus Christ.
In our last blog, the discussion focused on the humanity of Jesus. Some may not understand or know that Jesus is human, a person with thoughts and feelings such as what we may experience as humans.Some might think him as being a spirit, like an angel, that lived in an angel-like existence, hoovering over our lives. And we quoted some Bible verses that revealed his humanity more clearly in last week’s blog such as him rising early while it was still dark to go out and pray. We discussed Jesus’ travel history, walking several miles a day as written in Matthew, chapter 4, verses 23-25 where it is written that Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues…….” “and curing every disease and every sickness”….”And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond Jordan.”
In John, chapter 4, verses 3-7 is written about Jesus leaving Judea to go back to Galilee, going through Samara which would take Jesus through the Samaritan Mountains. Verse 5 states, “So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting at the well. It was about noon.” Jesus being human, was “tired out by his journey” so he probably sit down to rest, as we might if we were in similar circumstances. The mentioning of the time of day, “It was about noon”…… didn’t directly state the temperature of the day but one might surmise that Jesus was near the mountains at noon, possibly the hottest part of the day near the mountains. So not only being tired, he might had been hot and sweaty. In verse 7 is written, “ A Samaritan woman came to draw water and Jesus said to her, ‘give me a drink.’” Again the humanness of Jesus was expressed in his request. He was probably thirsty from his walking and needed a drink of water. In these few verses, Jesus’ humanity is displayed by his physical feelings and actions. He traveled, he grew tired from traveling, he sit to rest, he was thirsty and he asked for a drink of water.
We will continue our study of Jesus’ humanity following him and the life he lived through the gospel books of the Bible. A few verses will be listed below that will further include places Jesus traveled to during his life. Acquiring a map of Israel to follow and study Jesus’ travel history will provide knowledge and perception in helping to understand and draw nearer and closer to Jesus. All verses are from the New Revised Standard (NRS) Version of the Bible. “MAY GOD BLESS YOUR BIBLE STUDY THIS WEEK” Bible Verses: Matthew, chapter 15, verse 21; chapter 16, verse 13; chapter 19, verses 1-2; Luke, chapter 4, verse 1, verse 9, verse 14, verse 16 and verse 31 thru 39. Luke chapter 8, verse 26, Luke, chapter 10, verse 29 (note Jesus going down to Jericho from Jerusalem and in Luke chapter 18, verse 31, Jesus going up to Jerusalem from Jericho: see discussion of sea level in last week’s blog by going to the website above left and clicking on last week’s blog.) Luke chapter 19, verse 1 and verse 28-29. John, chapter 6, verse 1;John, chapter 12, verse 1.