Jesus then completely flips the script. He tells the crowd that is listening intently that a Samaritan came, demonstrated compassion, and gave personally to bring this man relief that was much more than temporary, securing longer term care for this unfortunate soul. Only the Samaritan had compassion, not the religious leaders.
Matthew’s story includes Jesus’ stories. Many people are familiar with Jesus’ parables, but their importance goes deeper than just story-telling. They function in order both to explain and to conceal his kingdom. In this portion of his gospel, Matthew brings several parables together that shed light on how the kingdom operates.
Those that belong to Jesus' kingdom are called to be holy. They should be slow to judge others and pay attention to their own holiness. They must remain dependent on God as they ask, seek, and knock. The golden rule must be paired with the narrow way.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is preserving, continuing and fulfilling what God had previously revealed in the Old Testament. His function was not to ‘abolish’ either the Law or the Prophets; rather, Jesus saw himself as standing in the same succession of revelation.
A voice speaks from heaven. It is the voice of the Father who is in heaven while the Son is on earth. Jesus is already the Son of this Father not by adoption but begotten and the same in nature. The Father expresses his delight in all that the Son does. The Spirit of God descends like a dove to rest on Jesus. And now, Jesus, who will impart the Spirit to others, receives the Holy Spirit himself in a fresh anointing that marks both the commencement of his public ministry and the Father’s equipping of Jesus for that ministry.
Herod tries to locate Jesus but fails to do so, and God intervenes to ensure that he and the wise men will not meet again. The wise men find Jesus and worship him in the house and not the stable. They present gifts of gold (symbolic of a king), frankincense (symbolic of a priest) and myrrh (a symbol of suffering and death).
Isn’t it interesting that when God chose to announce the birth of the Messiah to the world, he didn’t inform the wealthy political leaders of the day? Instead, God chose to tell shepherds that were tending their flocks nearby. It is likely that the sheep being tending were the ones that were used in temple sacrifices.
Mary, now pregnant, goes to visit Elizabeth and upon Mary's greeting her baby begins to leap within her as she is filled with the Holy Spirit and begins to prophesy over her. Elizabeth proclaims that the mother of her Lord has come to visit her. Mary's response is to praise the Lord.
The Gospel of John begins with words that repeat the opening words of the book of Genesis. The phrase, in the beginning, is not simply pointing out history, chronology or a timeline. No, John introduces us to the "Word" of God who is God and therefore he is eternal and was an active agent in creation of the cosmos.
Zechariah confirms the name in writing. Zechariah had already been reprimanded for his lack of faith, and now God puts him to the test again. Suddenly, Zechariah could speak again because he showed his submission to God's word. These events produced a sense of wonder, and the people wondered what the child would be for God was with him.
The arrogant and the evildoer are headed for a blaze that will not be escaped and utterly consumes. As far as this world is concerned, the wicked will be totally removed. For the righteous, a day of healing and rejoicing was on its way.
The God of judgment was nearer than any of the skeptics imagined. Malachi stressed that the coming of God would be both sure and sudden. The words suggest something shocking and unexpected, but certain.
God was wearied of his people persisting in sin. God had demonstrated his faithfulness over and over, and yet his people were faithless. They walked in ongoing patterns of disobedience. Even the reminder of the covenant with the priests pointed to God's faithfulness. They even had the audacity to question God's justice.
Rather than continue to insult God with their tainted sacrifices, it would be better, Malachi argued, to shut down the temple because the sacrifices were no longer accomplishing their purpose. It was all formalism, and it was doing more harm than good. The devastating prospect was that God found no pleasure in his people.
Jealousy causes God to act by pouring out his wrath which results in judicial reparation. Make no mistake, God is patient and slow to anger. He is not capricious, arbitrary, nor impetuous in the exercise of his wrath. His wrath is thoroughly planned and carefully placed.
Jonah was terribly displeased that God would relent concerning the destruction of Nineveh. Jonah felt that the Ninevites deserved judgment, and evidently he had felt this anger for some time. He who praised the gracious mercy of God earlier now denounces it.
The king was not sure that even these drastic measures would avert the calamity, but he hoped that God would withdraw his burning anger and spare Nineveh. The king, though he was a pagan, recognized the sovereignty of God. Only God can change the disposition of the heart. God saw how the Ninevites responded, and he relented of the disaster that was headed straight for them.
Praying is sometimes our last resort. Jonah prayed out of his distress and cried for help from the depth of Sheol. He was as good as dead when he lifted up his desperate plea, but God heard the voice of his rebellious prophet Jonah and granted the petition for help.
Jonah would have been the first Israelite prophet to announce divine judgment to a foreign city, but here comes one of the surprising plot twists in the book. Jonah rebelled against the command of the Lord. Instead of going to Nineveh, Jonah fled to Tarshish. Initially, we are not given the reason for Jonah’s reluctance to proceed immediately to Nineveh. Jonah is simply a truant prophet of the Lord.
Darius reluctantly gave the order to have Daniel cast into the lions’ den. The king declared to Daniel that he hoped that his God would deliver him. A stone was brought and laid over the opening of the den, and it was sealed in such a way that tampering would be impossible.