WATCHWORD:
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:13-17
17 On one of the days while Jesus was teaching, some proud religious law-keepers and teachers of the Law were sitting by Him. They had come from every town in the countries of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was there to heal them. 18 Some men took a man who was not able to move his body to Jesus. He was carried on a bed. They looked for a way to take the man into the house where Jesus was. 19 But they could not find a way to take him in because of so many people. They made a hole in the roof over where Jesus stood. Then they let the bed with the sick man on it down before Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
21 The teachers of the Law and the proud religious law-keepers thought to themselves, “Who is this Man Who speaks as if He is God? Who can forgive sins but God only?” 22 Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said to them, “Why do you think this way in your hearts? 23 Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 “So that you may know the Son of Man has the right and the power on earth to forgive sins,” He said to the man who could not move his body, “I say to you, get up. Take your bed and go to your home.” 25 At once the sick man got up in front of them. He took his bed and went to his home thanking God. 26 All those who were there were surprised and gave thanks to God, saying, “We have seen very special things today.” Luke 5:17-26
Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, 2 along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; 3 Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples. Luke 8:1-3
Meditation:
Capernaum
I don’t think we consider Jesus having a hometown. Our thoughts immediately go to the fact that Jesus was God incarnate, and the whole world, as well as the vast universe, was His “hometown”. But, Capernaum was Jesus’ home town, or home base, for His first year or so in His ministry.
He came to Capernaum fresh from His six weeks in the desert and His baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. He may have returned to Nazareth briefly, but the next that we know, historically, is that he arrived in Capernaum, purchased the plot of land and built His house. The best historical records suggest that there were frequent gatherings in His house, including the one where tiles were removed from His roof so that a crippled man could be lowered to Jesus.
It was to this house in Capernaum, that John the Baptist sent Andrew when the question was asked who should we follow. It was Andrew that influenced Peter to join him at Jesus’ house, and it was those two that further influenced John and James.
It was to these four, and others, that Jesus extended the invitation to “come follow Me”, starting His Biblically-documented ministry leading up to Jerusalem, Calvary and on into our very lives. The connection is clear, we, too, are disciples.
We know that Jesus’ reputation gradually spread by word-of-mouth into those small villages that surrounded Capernaum and then north and around the upper reaches of the Sea of Galilee. The iconic scenes of feeding the 5,000+ occurred early in His travels in the northern region near the town of Bethsaida, one of the cities of the Decapolis. The feeding of the 4,000+ occurred on a hillside outside the small town of Gadara, a three-day hike from Jericho.
What we know of his ministry, from all the witness testimonies, the Gospel lessons, the parables and stories, His life, His death, His Resurrection, all occurred in a relatively small space from Galilee, through Syria, and to Judea. A geographic area in our news today, for all the wrong reasons.
It helps our study of the Holy Scriptures to understand a bit about the culture, the times, the geography, and the facts of Jesus’ ministry. It is sometimes difficult for us to fully appreciate even the time-distance factors because people traveled mostly on foot or on donkeys or camels. I think it also helps us understand the ruggedness of that territory.
All of these factors enhance our amazement in the way and manner in which God’s plan has enfolded. We praise the Lord for His works and His wonders. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
How do groups of angels greet each other? Halo, halo, halo!
What do we have that Adam never had? Ancestors.
The good Lord didn’t create anything without a purpose. Mosquitoes come close, though.
Which servant of God was the most flagrant lawbreaker in the Bible? Moses. He broke all 10 commandments at once.
If you think these are bad and you have better, SHARE THEM.
Morning Prayers:
Lord, may nothing separate me from You today. Teach me how to choose only Your way today so each step will lead me closer to You. Help me walk by the Word and not my feelings.
Help me to keep my heart pure and undivided. Protect me from my own careless thoughts, words, and actions. And keep me from being distracted by MY wants, MY desires, MY thoughts on how things should be. Help me to embrace what comes my way as an opportunity . . . rather than a personal inconvenience. And finally, help me to rest in the truth of Psalm 86:13, “Great is your love toward me.” You already see the ways I will fall short and mess up. But right now, I consciously tuck Your whisper of absolute love for me into the deepest part of my heart. I recognize Your love for me is not based on my performance. You love me warts and all. That’s amazing. But what’s most amazing is that the Savior of the world would desire a few minutes with me this morning. Lord, help me to forever remember what a gift it is to sit with You like this. Amen,
