Tag Archives: Jesus Christ

Matthew, chapters 18 & 19

“[…] Whatever things you may bind on earth will be things already bound in heaven, and whatever things you may loosen on earth will be things already loosened in heaven.”
~Matthew 18:18

When we are waiting for a decision to be made by our congregation’s body of elders, we can easily lose patience if it affects us personally.
When Jesus was talking about things being bound or loosened, he did it in the context of someone on trial.
When a body of elders holds someone to account for their sins, they need to be careful not to rush into rash judgments based on hurt feelings.
Jesus implied elders’ decisions should be based on principles laid down in heaven, and the same principles should guide them when reinstating someone into the congregation. (2 Cor. 2:6-8)

Matthew, chapters 16 & 17

“Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured from that hour.”
~Matthew 17:18

Does the Bible teach that illnesses are induced by demons?
While the boy in this story did exhibit symptoms of epilepsy, his sudden convulsions were actually being controlled by a demon. (Matt. 17:15)
Jesus’ disciples had Holy Spirit to cure the ill (Matt. 10:8)
The Bible differentiates between those who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. (Matt. 4:24)
Still, Jesus’ disciples could have expelled the demon from the boy’s body had they had sufficient faith. (Matt. 17:19,20)
In Bible history, there was someone who developed a disease as a result of a direct demonic attack.
But in the case of Job, he was being specifically targeted by Satan to try to prove points against Jehovah and against humankind. (Job 2:4-7)
It is not the standard in the Bible that illnesses or diseases are direct results of demon activity. (Rom. 5:12)
But regardless of the origin, God promises to do away with all suffering under Christ’s kingdom. (Isa. 33:24; Rev. 21:3,4)

Matthew, chapters 12 & 13

“[…] If you had understood what this means, ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless ones.”
~Matthew 12:7

Often we think of mercy as an accessory to justice. But really, justice is a means for God to express his mercy toward us.
Because of his mercy, Jehovah God sent his only-begotten son to earth to die for our sins. (Ro. 5:8-11)
Jesus thereby satisfied God’s law of ‘a life for a life,’ replacing Adam as our first father, and opened the way for us to reconcile with God. (De. 19:21; 1 Cor. 15:45)
God’s law was founded on mercy, so Jesus highlighted mercy as the underlying principle in the application of his law.
If we are motivated by a sincere desire to aid those who are at a spiritual or material disadvantage, our heavenly Father takes notice. (Prov. 19:17; 2 Cor. 4:1,2)

Matthew, chapters 10 & 11

“[…] My yoke is kindly, and my load is light.”
~Matthew 11:30

Is there such a thing as a refreshing burden?
God’s Word promises “his commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3)
Jesus invites his followers to submit to his direction under his “yoke.” (Matt. 11:28,29)
The idea of carrying a yoke or letting someone else decide our way of life may not attract us.
But if we follow Christ’s footsteps, we will find spiritual and emotional healing. (1 Pet. 2:21, 24)
In that sense, committing to a Christian lifestyle is refreshing instead of burdensome.
The more we learn about God’s love, the more we enjoy a life of service to him.

Matthew, chapters 8 & 9

“[…] The sons of the Kingdom will be thrown into the darkness outside.”
~Matthew 8:12

Jesus knew his Jewish contemporaries would reject him as the Messiah.
As God’s people, they were the first to have the opportunity of joining Jesus in his heavenly kingdom. (Gal. 3:29; Heb. 6:17,18)
But most rejected the signs that its king, Jesus, was walking amongst them. (Matt. 12:38-40)
Perhaps they expected the Messiah to rebel against Roman rule and establish God’s kingdom there and then. (Dan. 7:14; Luke 23:2; John 18:33-35)
Still, Jesus continued to carry out his ministry until the end, confident that God would bless all who eventually followed him. (Matt. 8:11, 20:28)
We do not know who will listen to us when we share God’s kingdom message in our communities, and most reject it.
But we can imitate Christ by enduring with a positive attitude.

Matthew, chapters 6 & 7

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
~Matthew 6:21

What do you value most in life? What consumes the greater part of your time and effort?
Although Jesus did not have wealth or a prominent career, he was obviously successful in carrying out his life’s work.
Doing his father’s will was in his heart, and he found happiness in teaching others God’s kingdom message. (Acts 20:35)
If we were to focus our resources on selfish pursuits, we would probably eventually find them to be vain and unsatisfying. (Eccl. 2:11)
But if we guard our hearts from selfish desires and follow Christ’s example of selflessness, we will discover the happiness that only God can give, while successfully securing our future. (1 Ti. 6:18,19)

Zechariah, chapters 1-8

“Here is the man whose name is Sprout. […] He is the one who will build the temple of Jehovah, and he is the one who will assume the majesty. He will sit down on his throne and rule, and he will also be a priest on his throne […].”
~Zechariah 6:12,13

In most forms of government, it makes more sense to have a separation of church and state.
Otherwise it becomes too easy for those who hold power to commit crass abuse.
But Bible prophecies point toward a Messiah who would rule both as king and high priest.
In the history of Israel, no leader ever carried out both functions.
The only person apt for such weighty duties is Christ. (Ge. 14:18; Ps. 110:1,4; Heb. 7:11-25)
Jesus is the only being who has the necessary experience, wisdom and power to reconcile us with God and rule in justice.

Habakkuk, chapters 1-3

“Are you not from everlasting, O Jehovah?
O my God, my Holy One, you do not die.”
~Habakkuk 1:12

To have an accurate knowledge of God, we need to understand who he is. (1 Tim. 2:3,4)
In the world, there is much confusion as to the role of Jesus.
But the Bible states clear differences between Jesus and his Father, Jehovah. (1 Tim. 2:5)
One of those differences is that Jehovah, God Almighty, cannot die. (Ps. 90:2; 1 Tim. 1:17)
As we all know, Jesus did die, and was resurrected on the third day by his father. (Acts 2:23,24)
So there is a clear difference in the person that is Jesus and the person who is Jehovah.
When we understand who Jehovah is, we can further appreciate other spiritual treasures, such as the value of prayer and the privilege of serving him. (Ja. 4:8)

Isaiah, Chapters 17-23

“Jehovah will strike Egypt, striking and healing it; and they will return to Jehovah, and he will respond to their entreaties and heal them.”
~Isaiah 19:22

In this prophetic context, Egypt represents the nations of the earth in general. (Re. 11:8)
God will strike them on his judgment day. (Re. 16:14,16)
Throughout the earth, individuals set apart for salvation will then be “healed” in every sense of the word: spiritually, morally, physically, mentally and emotionally. (Re. 22:1,2)
Who will be their deliverer? None other than God’s own son.
(Is. 19:20; He. 2:9,10,14)
In the mean time, there is ‘an altar in the midst of Egypt’ and a ‘pillar on its boundary’ in the sense that God’s servants can be found throughout the nations and yet conduct themselves differently than most of the world around them. (Is. 19:19; Joh. 17:15,16)
God’s servants worship him united and peacefully, regardless of their national origin. (Is. 19:23)

If you would like more details on the minor and major fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecies, you can find it in the online book “Isaiah’s Prophecies” Volume 1 & Volume 2.

Leviticus, chapters 14-16

[…] The goat designated by lot for A·za′zel should be brought alive to stand before Jehovah in order to perform the atonement upon it, so that it may be sent away for A·za′zel into the wilderness.
~Leviticus 16:10

The word “Azazel” seems to come from two Hebrew words.

Na·saʼ′ can mean pardon, take away, carry and in this instance, disappear;ʽez means goat (Insight, vol. ii, “Pardon”).

In effect, Azazel means disappearing goat, scapegoat, or as the Greek Septuagint translates it, “the one averting evil,” (Insight, vol. i, “Azazel”).

The High Priest of Israel was to enter the Most Holy, that is, the compartment of the Tabernacle where the Ark of the Covenant was placed, only once a year.

There, he was to make atonement first for himself and his family, then for all of Israel (Lev. 16:12-16).

This occurred on the holiday known as Atonement Day.

This was the only day in which all of Israel was obligated to fast and ‘afflict their souls.’ They were prohibited from working on this day (Lev. 16:31).

There were two goats: one goat was sacrificed to Jehovah as a sin offering on behalf of the nation, and the other stood before Jehovah while the life of the sacrificed goat was symbolically transferred to the live goat through the blood it shed (Lev. 17:11).

Then the live goat was led away and set free in the wilderness, carrying off the nation’s sins, so to speak (Lev. 16:20-22).

The prophet Isaiah correctly applied this ceremony to what Christ was to do for mankind:

“Truly he himself carried our sicknesses,
And he bore our pains.
But we considered him as plagued, stricken by God and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgression;
He was crushed for our errors.
He bore the punishment for our peace,
And because of his wounds we were healed,”
(Isa. 53:4,5).

Therefor both goats represent one symbol: that of Christ shedding his blood for us, presenting it in Heaven before his Father, and through his atonement, carrying away the sins of repentant humanity (Heb. 9:11, 12).