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rosiewitchescottage · 10 months ago

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The Chosen S4 episodes 5 and 6

Spoilers ahead, so more under the cut.

Jesus has joined The Gang on the road. They've been discussing the need for finding somewhere to spend the night, that's both affordable and won't draw dangerous levels of attention to Jesus' presence.

He suggests that they head to Bethany, to the home of his friend Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary.

Eema Mary is also staying there after having to leave Nazareth.

En route to Bethany, The Gang encounter a troop of Roman soldiers. They are permitted to compel any Jews to carry their kit for them, but for no more than a mile.

The Gang, Judas especially, are perplexed that Jesus puts up no resistance. In fact, after a mile, He volunteers to keep on going.

We see the point he's making, when the Romans just don't know what to make of Jews volunteering their services. The power balance has shifted.

Now the Romans are wrong footed and end up just taking their kit back.

Arriving at Bethany they're warmly welcomed, though Eema Mary is currently out, exercising her considerable skills of gathering edible berries and roots. She'll join them later.

Sister Martha jumps to it as hostess, getting food ready for the guests.

Sister Mary joins The Gang, in listening to Jesus talk.

Martha finally snaps and tells Jesus that she feels out upon, when Sister Mary isn't helping here and no one mentions it.

The Chosen has handled this moment well.

Jesus is all gentleness. He makes it clear what a wonderful job Martha is doing (and yes he says, Mary could be helping her more).

Hospitality is after all a cornerstone of their society.

But he explains that right now, listening to what he has to say will nourish everyone even more than Martha's excellent food is doing. So Mary's doing something equally valuable.

Members of The Gang go to fetch the remaining food from the kitchen. (Does Mary help this time? I'll have to look again and see. 🤔)

Jesus invites Martha to sit and listen with the rest.

Eema Mary arrives back and Jesus is delighted to see her. Mother and Son withdraw for some alone time. Mary washes Jesus hair as they chat.

He tells her of His frustration at not always getting His messages across, even with The Gang.

Mary reminds Him that they're only human.

'I'm human too'. Jesus points out.

Mary says that having changed His soiled swaddling clothes, she knows that he is. 😁

I love their relationship dynamic!

They're interrupted by Judas. He asked earlier for permission to go and see a friend living nearby. Is this a good time for him to go? Jesus says 'yes'.

It turns out to be Judas' old employer/business partner(?)

He's rather salty at seeing Judas again, and even more so at hearing that Judas isn't making a profit out of the mission. He to all intents and purposes suggests that Judas put his hand in the till.

This guy is bad news. 😡

As episode 5 draws to a close and everyone is having a sociable evening after supper.

We see Judas helping himself from funds.

*********************

Episode 6 covers the 8 nights of Hannukah

We hear Jesus telling the story of The Maccabees and The Dedication of The Temple.

We see the lamps being lit. prayers said and songs sung.

The Gang exchange gifts with each other, money has been set aside from funds for this.

One sweet moment sees John and Matthew giving each other writing related gifts. John gives Matthew a new stylus, Matthew gives John a new supply of parchment.

After Simon Peter called Pax with Matthew, The Thunder Brothers are doing likewise.

Big James discusses with Matthew about the money needed to buy new sandals for Thomas, who, quite understandably isn't feeling exactly festive right now.

But they don't want him feeling excluded.

Matthew checks the money chest and suspects that something is missing.

He speaks to Judas, who gets spikely defensive. (Yes, the rot is setting in. 😥)

He's got an idea about raising funds, which involves having somewhere in each community where people can donate money, if they wish.

Not surprisingly everyone points out the weak spots.

It's suggested that his best move would be to ask what Jesus thinks.

Judas finds their Rabbi.outside. He's watching a shepherd with his sheep, knowing them all by name.

The Gang already know that on the last night of the festival, which will be the next day to this, he'll be taking them into Jerusalem, where he will be teaching.

They all have a bad feeling about this.

When Judas tells him.his idea. All Jesus does is tell him to pay close attention to the words He'll be speaking tomorrow.

Is it me, or is Jesus looking at Judas as one who already knows what this man is going to do?

It turns out that all The Gang's misgivings were well founded.

Jesus pulls no punches.

Outside The Temple he gives his Good Shepherd speech, about laying down his life for his sheep.

He's making it obvious who he's saying that he is.

Senior members of The Sanhedrin are furious. They call it blasphemy

and begin to throw stones. 😮😮😮

James steps in front of Jesus. This is how his head is injured.

The Gang hurry their Rabbi and their wounded brother away from the scene of danger.

Meanwhile, Yusuf has sent a message to Jairus in Capernaum. He's warning about how some members of The Sanhedrin are plotting against Jesus.

Jairus tells Zeb, so he can get word to his sons. Zeb decides that he can't trust anyone else with such sensitive information. So he heads off in pursuit of The Gang himself.

He finds them back at their lodgings, treating James head wound.

As well as finding out just how serious the danger now is. There's some even worse news.

Earlier in the festival, they got news that Lazarus was ill. But Jesus insisted that there was no need for them to go to Bethany.

Now they're told that Lazarus has died. Of course everyone is shocked.

But Jesus'words tell them that what they'll be heading to Bethany for now will be something spectacular.

#the chosen

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riverdamien · 1 year ago

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Practicing the Cross: Forgiveness

Lent: Newsletter

P.O. Box 642656

San Francisco, CA 94164

www. temenos.org

[email protected]

415-305-2124

---------------------------------------------------

Journal of An Alien Street Priest:

Sloughing Towards Galilee!

Practicing the Cross: Forgiveness!

Luke 15:

Calling one of the servants he asked what it was all about.

27. The servant told him, "Your brother has come, and your father has killed the calf we had been fattening because he has got him back safe and sound."

28. He was angry then and refused to go in, and his father came out and began to urge him to come in;

29. but he retorted to his father, "All these years I have slaved for you and never once disobeyed any orders of yours, yet you never offered me so much as a kid for me to celebrate with my friends.

30. But, for this son of yours, when he comes back after swallowing up your property -- he and his loose women -- you kill the calf we had been fattening."

31. 'The father said, "My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours.

32. But it was only right we should celebrate and rejoice because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found." '

=====================================

Thirty-five years ago, after being kicked out of my denomination for being gay and becoming the prodigal son, I found myself on the streets being a whore, and ultimately I came back to a life of service which illustrated for me a lesson of God's love that:

Wherever we stray God leads us back to the Rock of Love."

Twenty years ago I was having some major problems with my teeth and put out a request through the newsletter for help in assisting me in paying for the expenses.

I received three responses: two from millionaires, the other from a well-heeled Catholic Worker:

"The two millionaires said almost exactly word for word: "We will pay for you to have your teeth pulled, you have chosen your way of life; the third: "Catholic Workers can not remain stable unless they are married so you are on your own; (I am now on my 30th year)," So I borrowed the money and it was only paid off five years ago by my friend Vicki--a most generous person I ever knew!

I felt like I was nothing, simply nothing for even asking! And for them they lost my total trust, not my friendship, but my trust!

I learned a lesson of not trusting the "have's" of the world like my kids. Money can always be used as a means of control, and no one does that with me. People who give, give for my work, not for me!

We make people "prodigals" when we do not share with others what we have!

But God in Jesus of Nazareth seeks us out, loves us, and welcomes us back.

But there is enough for everyone in this world, and why do I say that, well let's see, 2/3 of the world's population exists on less than $10.00 a day while the wealthy live in luxury.

Our governments, like our City, State, and Federal governments are now doing the same, always pleading scarcity, as their leaders make $150,000.00 plus, but the benefits for the poorest of the poor are cut.

The cross calls us to practice generosity, not scarcity in our lives. Each of us can give from what we have, and help one another.

From our crying scarcity can be found the smile of generosity to feed, and provide health, care, and housing for all.

Let us always remember that even in our straying God leads us back to the "Rock of Love!"A Rock of generosity, love, courage, always smiling at us! Deo Gratias! Thanks be to God!

----------------------------------------

Stations of the Cross--Good Friday!

March 29, 2024

City Hall, Polk Side

12 Noon-2:00 p.m.

Volunteers Needed for Readers

Contact Fr. River!

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WE ARE BEGGARS!

Any gifts will be used for socks, food, pastoral care, hotel rooms when needed, prescriptions!

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minniefights · 1 year ago

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Generally doing okay but now with another Pneumonia infection

January 11, 2024

First of all, to be able to welcome this new year with my Mom is a miracle in itself. There were countless moments in 2023 where we thought it would be the end of her but she proved that she really is a fighter! God is gracious and sends miracle after miracle.

Mom is fully aware of this daily miracle she’s given. And she’s very grateful for it. During one of our daily prayer times during this Christmas season, she was in tears in her thanksgiving and praises to the Lord. We would like to thank you for endless support, prayers and concern. Thank you so much for fighting this battle with us!

For roughly 2 weeks after my Mom’s operation and a Pneumonia medication on the first week of December, Mom was very stable and was Pneumonia-free. Perhaps the most stable she’s been in a while. We were very happy. We were able to observe Christmas quietly here at home.

However, not for long because before the year ended Mom caught another Pneumonia infection. This is her 8th cycle of Pneumonia since June 2023. You could say she’s quite frustrated and sad about it. So here we go again back to the IV antibiotic cycle— sourcing out the meds, the frequent injections and dislodges, the round-the-clock medications and whatnot.

We had to go to the hospital for a quick xray and for that we needed to ride an ambulance because Mom is still not able to stand and ride the car. We’re lucky there’s an ambulance we can arrange and we made sure we would come early in the morning so there are less people in the hospital.

We’re on her 2nd week of medication and she has improved a lot. I’m also happy to report that besides the stubborn Pneumonia, mama is doing well overall. Her mobility has improved. She has regular PT sessions and she exercises (in her bed). She’s still bed-bound as of the moment. But able to sit down 2 times a day in a bed-side commode.

A personal reflection

There’s always some bad news at some point. There was a time I still get rattled but I cope better with it now. During the Christmas season, I reflected on the Holy Family and the many surprises that happened when Jesus was born. How they could have started to prepare for His coming, perhaps curating their humble home in Nazareth, not knowing Mary and Joseph would have to travel 70-90 miles to Bethlehem, where she would give birth in a stable! And just when they probably would’ve thought about the comforts of home, the angel then tells Joseph to bring his family to Egypt and stay there indefinitely. Blow after blow, surprise after surprise, and it’s not necessarily pleasant.

In the many surprises that happens in our life surrounding my Mom’s diagnosis, I think of Mary and Joseph’s radical acceptance, submission and humility. They said YES to every moment.

Often times now, I just pause for a while, breathe and find my way to accept each moment for what it is. I thought of this when we were at the ambulance, while I had to make so many (!!) arrangements to make a simple x-ray appointment happen. If Mary and Joseph could say YES, I can learn from their example and proactively respond with my own YES as well. Oh may God always give me the grace!

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jdgo51 · 1 year ago

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR NOVEMBER 15, 2023

The Power of Acceptance

By Steven Thompson (Iowa, USA)

READ MARK 10:46-52

Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to [Bartimaeus], “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”

MARK 10:49 (NIV)

"'I often recall our eldest daughter’s deep emotional pain and disappointment when a group of adolescent girls rejected her. I suspect if one girl in the group had supported her, she might have been accepted by the whole group. Few of us understand the powerful influences that we can have, either for good or for evil, in group settings.

In Mark 10, we read the story of blind Bartimaeus, who was expendable in the crowd’s eyes. But when Jesus showed compassion and respect for him, others began to see Bartimaeus’s worth as well. Their rebuking tone changed to one of acceptance because of Jesus’ respect for Bartimaeus. They called to Bartimaeus, “Cheer up! On your feet! [Jesus] is calling you.”

It takes courage to accept and love those who have been rejected by society. But we are called to follow Jesus’ example of showing compassion for all. As we love those whom our peers deem unworthy, it will empower our peers to follow our example."' Be there for those who may have been rejected by their peers, especially young people, but actually everyone can experience this type of thing. When others shun them, it is our place to welcome them with total acceptance.

TODAY'S PRAYER

"Father God, sometimes it’s not easy to accept and love those who are disrespected by others. Through your grace provide us with courage to love all people. In Jesus’ name we pray." Amen.

Mark 10:46-52

"'46 Jesus and his followers came into Jericho. As Jesus was leaving Jericho, together with his disciples and a sizable crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, Timaeus’ son, was sitting beside the road. 47 When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was there, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, show me mercy!” 48 Many scolded him, telling him to be quiet, but he shouted even louder, “Son of David, show me mercy!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him forward.” They called the blind man, “Be encouraged! Get up! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his coat to the side, he jumped up and came to Jesus. 51 Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said, “Teacher, I want to see.” 52 Jesus said, “Go, your faith has healed you.” At once he was able to see, and he began to follow Jesus on the way."' if one shows complete faith in God, He will work in situations that baffle or bring us down. The blind man just wanted to see, simple as that. But he had to demonstrate complete faith in God/Jesus to been given back sight. God blesses us all in this way. Joe

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milanesa-enthusiast · 1 year ago

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[Image description: An image of Utena Tenjou lying on the ground, with the shadow of the Swords of Hatred above her. Text on top of the image reads "Died december 24". Beside it, a painting of Jesus of Nazareth, with text reading "Born december 25". Text below reads: "Welcome back, Revolutionary Girl Utena". End image description]

#rgu #op please add the id to the og post to make it more accessible!

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lesfeldickbiblestudy · 2 years ago

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Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 3 * PART 1 * BOOK 73 HOLY SPIRIT (PNEUMA HAGION) - 1 Psalms 51:11 and Luke 24:49 My, it’s good to see everybody again today. For those of you joining us on television, remember this is program one of the next series of four, and then we’ll complete book number 73. You multiply that times 12 and that’s the number of programs we’ve produced. One of these days we should be able to wrap it up and call it quits, but so far we’re going to keep going. We would like to welcome you to an informal Bible study, and you know, I’ve got to compliment you folks here in the studio. When we review these and look at these tapings, I come back to what someone said years ago. He said, “Les, do you realize that everybody that sits under your teaching has their own Bible?” And I’d never really thought of that before. So when we watched the film, sure enough, everybody’s got their own Bible. And I do, I appreciate that so much for those of you here in the studio, because we know our TV audience is doing the same thing. They grab their Bible, and they sit down and watch it with us. Okay, now I only have one announcement. We’re still going to let folks know that our one and only book of questions and answers is still available. We send it out with no other charge except for the eleven bucks for the book itself. This little book answers all of the questions that most people have. So, if you’re interested, you just call and the girls will get it out to you. We send everything out with an invoice, and you pay for it when you get it. All right, we’re going to continue on with our series that we started in our last four programs on the incarnate Christ, which is a coin term merely to define that Jesus of Nazareth was totally God and totally man. You know, that’s a concept that a lot of believers have a hard time recognizing—that when He prayed to the Father, He prayed from his humanity. He was totally human. He got tired. He got weary. There were times when He just simply showed His humanity. He wept when Lazarus died. The sorrow in that household touched him like it would any human being. But on the other hand, He was totally God, and He could raise the dead. He could forgive sin. I was thinking again last night, we hear these things and we believe them, but do you really sit back and picture it. If you’d have been there with those twelve on the Sea of Galilee—the waves are beating over that little boat, and the wind is roaring, and all He does is stand up and says, “Peace be still,” and everything’s quiet. Now we know the story, but do you really stop and think what that must have been like? No wonder the twelve say, “What kind of a man is this?” Well, He’s God, the same one who created everything! I think if anything has thrilled me in this series of lessons on the incarnation, it is that it brings home to me once again that had God not become flesh, we never would have had salvation. Do you know that? We’d have been doomed automatically. And at the same time, they came up with another thought. Now we know that the Old Testament, especially—let’s go back and look at it. I really didn’t intend to do this. I may even have to look and see if I can find it—Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4. This is the premise of most of the Jews’ thinking even today. That’s why an Orthodox Jew cannot swallow the New Testament, because they call our concept of a triune God polytheism. Oh, you’re worshiping more than one God, and we don’t. All right, here’s their reasoning. Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God (Is what?) is one LORD:” They can't get away from that. But now have you ever stopped to analyze this whole idea of a triune God? Have you ever stopped to think—could God have precipitated our great plan of salvation if there’d been only one person of the Godhead? Have you ever thought about that? What if there’d only been one person of the Godhead? Let’s just say God the Father.

Could He have consummated this glorious plan of salvation? Well, He could have gone part way, but what would He have done when He was ready to die? He would have to be resurrected. Who would do it? See, it falls over. But with the concept of a triune God, one of them could come down and become flesh and blood. He could die. He could safely go through death in the tomb, because you still had two persons of the Godhead to call Him forth, and they did. So you see, the more you analyze all this, the more miraculous it becomes, and yet the most logical of anything on earth. So keep all these things in mind and mull them over in your mind in your spare time. Just think these things over and over. What if there’d only been one person of the Godhead? What if one of them hadn’t come down and become flesh and blood? It is thought-provoking. Okay, so here we go for another series of teachings on the incarnate Christ, the God-man. Let’s turn to Philippians chapter 2, and we’ll drop in at verse 5 where Paul writes: Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” Now, my next series, whether I’ll start this afternoon, I think I will, is going to be on the Holy Spirit. And I maintain that the Holy Spirit is a person—the same as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. Some people say He isn’t. In fact, sometimes I wonder if our translators felt that He was not a person, because how many times do you see the Spirit referred to as it and which? Don’t you often wonder, well, why not a personal pronoun? Well, some people don’t agree that He’s a person. Well, what made me think of it? What are the three parts that make up a person? Now you’ve been with me long enough, what is it? Mind, will, and emotion—that makes a personality. All right, what made me think of it? What word have we got right here? Mind—Paul says, “Let this mind (this part of your make-up) be in you, which was also in (Whom?) Christ Jesus.” He’s a person. He’s mind, will, and emotion. He’s a personality. God the Father is mind, will, and emotion. God the Spirit—and I’m going to show that—has a mind, will, and emotion. So let this part of the very personality of Christ be also in you, and the only way that can happen is by virtue of being born from above, and we become part of all that. All right now, verse 6: Philippians 2:6a “Who, (speaking of God the Son) being in the form of God,…” He was God from eternity past. Now some of the cults teach, of course, that Christ didn’t appear until many, many, many, many ages after the fact. That He was not eternal in His existence. But this says He was. He’s always been God from eternity past. Philippians 2:6b-7a “…thought it not robbery (or something that He could just grasp because He wanted it) to be equal with God: (Because He was, it wasn’t something He had to grab for. He had it.) 7. But He made himself of no reputation, and took upon himself the form of (Not an emperor, not a prince, not a governor, not a dictator, not a senator, not a physicist, not anything else, but a what?) a servant,…” What’s the other word for servant in the New Testament? Bond slave! Well, on the totem pole of society, where was a bond slave? At the bottom, wasn’t he? So Christ became flesh, not like these televangelists try to tell us—that He was rich, that He had all the world’s goods. I said, hey, that’s not what my Bible says. My Bible said that He was comparing himself to foxes that had dens, and He didn’t, and birds that have what? Nests, He didn’t even have that. So, what was He? He was beneath everything. He put Himself down at the bottom rung, so that He could experience everything pertaining to the human existence. Philippians 2:7b “…and took upon himself the form of a bond slave, and was made in the likeness of (What?) men:” Now remember last time we taped, I kept emphasizing all the time, as I’ve already eluded to, that without Him becoming a man, could there have

been salvation for the human race? No, because the righteousness of God, starting way back in Genesis chapter 3, demanded a sacrificial death with the shedding of blood. And could a spirit do that? Do spirits have blood? We’re going to see that again when I get into the Holy Spirit lessons. No, a spirit doesn’t have blood. So, He had to become a human being in order for blood to be….no, I guess that just triggered another thought. I haven’t done it for a long time. We can just interrupt. That’s why I’m glad I run my own show. Nobody has to tell me what I can do and what I can't do. Okay, we’re going to go back and we’re going to look at some absolutes. So, put all this on hold for a minute. Come back with me to Romans chapter 3 and the very absolutes that every human being has to face if they want eternal life or salvation. They have to face them. They have to deal with it, and I want you to be aware of that today like never before. This fits right in with what we were talking about, that Christ had to become human. He had to have blood, and it had to be shed. All right, Romans 3 verse 23, what I call the first of three absolutes. I used to have two, but now I’ve put this one in as a third one. Romans 3:23 “For all (no one excluded) have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” An absolute. You can't argue with that. You cannot detour around it. You can't tunnel under it. You can't fly over it. What do you have to do? You have to meet it head on. I have fallen short of the glory of God. It’s an absolute. Nobody can be saved without understanding this—nobody. For the next one, let us go all the way back to Hebrews chapter 9. This is what made me think of this. See, I can prepare and prepare. Jerry and I can prepare, and I didn’t have any of these in my preparation. But here it is in verse 22. Hebrews 9:22 “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; (But here’s the part that I’m looking for.) and without shedding of blood is (What?) no remission.” None. The other word for remission is forgiveness. So, without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness. And yet every human being is a sinner, because we’ve fallen short. All right, when these preachers are forgetting about the atoning blood and they’re feeding their congregations everything and anything but, do they stand a snowball’s chance in being forgiven of anything? No, because you have to have the blood. It’s an absolute. And you’re not going to compromise with God and say, now wait a minute, that’s kind of a gory situation. Do I have to face something like that? Yeah, you bet you do. The cross wasn’t pretty. Oh, we make necklaces now, you know. Iris hasn’t got one on, but anyway we make necklaces. We have prettied the cross, haven’t we? But was it? No, it wasn’t pretty. It was awful. It was awful! Why? Because sin is awful. I’ll never forget. Do remember, Iris, when we were in the mosques, the Golden Dome, way, way back? It was one of the first or second times when we took a tour to Israel. At that time, you know, the Intifada hadn’t started, and if we took off our shoes, we could actually go into the Golden Dome. Inside the dome on the bottom floor is this huge rock that comes up about 8 feet above the floor, where supposedly Abraham offered Isaac. Our Jewish guide was explaining how that the altar of Israel’s temple was quite likely in this very same spot. He was explaining the geography of the area, and how all the blood of these animals could be drained down, and it would go out through underground caverns and out to the Kidron Valley. Anyhow, we were talking about the slaughter of all these animals and somebody in our group—we weren’t that large a group, probably around 30 of us—made a comment that that was such a gruesome religion. Well, our little Jewish guide, of course, tried to explain the fact that when these priests killed these animals, it was such an instantaneous death that the animal never suffered one iota.

Anyway, the guide was trying to explain away the situation and take away the gruesomeness of it. I’ll never forget. I spoke up and said, but, Levi,… (That was his name.) don’t try to take away the horrors of the shed blood of the cross. When they offered that lamb, many times it was probably like a household pet, and to see that lamb shed its blood for their sin just tore them up. Why? Because that’s what sin does. The whole idea of this sacrificial system of worship and the shedding of all this blood was to show Israel the awfulness of their sin. But see, we’ve lost that. My goodness, today they don’t even call sin a sin anymore, do they? They’ve got all kinds of politically correct terms for it. But I’m old-fashioned enough, yet. I still say sin is sin, and it stinks, beloved. Sin stinks in the nostrils of a Holy God. But we’ve put all that aside. But we had better not, because we have to face the absolute “that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” And you can't argue it. You can polish it up all you want, but you’re not going to get around it. All right, now the third absolute is just the next page over, still in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 6. Hebrews 11:6a “But without faith it is impossible to please him:…” There is no way, shape, or form that you can please God without faith. But faith in what? In Paul’s gospel for our salvation—faith in the shed blood: the death, the burial, and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. How many church congregations are hearing that anymore? Well, I just had a guy call last night from one of our cities. He said, “Les, my wife and I have been visiting churches, one right after the other, Sunday after Sunday after Sunday, since you’ve been out here.” And I was out there in April. “We can't find a church that’s preaching this,” He says. “We don’t hear it, not at a one.” Now, I don’t know how many Sundays that would be, but whatever. I know this is true, because they don’t like it. Then Sunday school, I have people who have been under my teaching and when they bring out some of these things, yeah, I got heads nodding all over the place. What do they think? They think you’ve lost it. Well, where do you get that? Right here and they can't see it. But anyway, those are your three absolutes. Now, if you’ll come back to Philippians. I don’t know what in the world got me off on that, but anyway, here we have the fact that we have to believe. We have to know what God’s Word says. A lot of faith today is in everything and anything but the gospel. Faith in God, faith in the miracles, faith in this, and faith in that, but that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about faith in the gospel, the finished work of the cross. Otherwise, Christ wouldn’t have had to come and become flesh, because it is paramount that that is the very center of our salvation experience. All right, back to Philippians chapter 2, reading the last part of verse 7 where we left off. Philippians 2:7 “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon himself the form of a bond slave, and was made in the likeness of men: (He was totally human) and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself,…” Of His own volition He stood there and took all the abuse of the Romans, and all the verbal abuse of the Pharisees and the priests and so forth, without a word of opposition. Why? Because He was voluntarily becoming the Lamb of God! And a lamb, you know, never fights back. I guess that’s why God chose that as the typical sacrificial animal. A lamb does not know how to fight back. So, as a Lamb of God, He went without a word of argument and became obedient, just like Isaac of old. He became obedient unto death, not just death by a sword, not just death by a beheading, but the worst death that the human race has ever invented, the death of the cross. You and I do not even have an inkling of the suffering and the horrors of death by crucifixion. It just literally crushed the diaphragm so that they couldn’t breathe.

That’s why they had the block of wood under their feet. Then they could push their feet up once in a while and get a little bit of relief for the diaphragm and get a breath of air. It was an excruciating death. All right, this is what is pointed out then in this last portion of the verse. It wasn’t just death that He went through. It was the death of the cross. Again, nothing else could have consummated our salvation. He had to be lifted up. He had to shed His blood. He had to suffer, because that was all part of the payment of sin. Not because God is so awful; it’s because sin is so awful. And, my, we’re seeing it explode all around us. I take the Daily Oklahoman, and every day it is murder, rape, drugs, alcohol, and it’s coming like a flood. So, don’t blame God. Sin is awful, and in order to pay that sin debt, Christ had to meet all of the demands of a Holy God. On that basis I’m going to take you back for a minute to Romans chapter 5. I had a phone call yesterday where I had to use this verse, and I think since I’m talking about how much the cross accomplished, Romans chapter 5. I think we’ve got time. Let’s jump all the way up to verse 17. Romans 5 verse 17, now remember what we just saw in Philippians: how that Jesus Christ took upon Himself the form of a man that He might suffer death, not just death as may usually happen, but even the death of the cross. Romans 5:17 “For if by one man's (Adam) offense death (Death and sin, remember, are synonymous.) reigned by one; much more they who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, (The second Adam and who is that?) Jesus Christ.” See that? Now to verse 18: Romans 5:18 “Therefore as by the offense of one, (Adam) judgment came (the curse) upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one (Jesus Christ) the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” Everyone has had an opportunity. If they don’t take it, it’s not God’s fault. They’ve all had the opportunity. Now, this is all repetition to make the point. Romans 5:19-20 “For as by one man's (Adam) disobedience many were made sinners, (In other words, the whole human race fell under the curse.) so by the obedience of one (Jesus Christ) shall many be made righteous. 20. Moreover the law entered, that the offense (In other words, that sin could be seen for what it really was. It was written in stone so there was no arguing out of it.) might abound. But where sin abounded,(The worst, the most awful that you can think of—now what’s the rest of the verse?) grace did much more abound:” What a God! That no matter how vile a man may become, or what an awful sinner he is, God’s grace is greater than his sin.

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dailyaudiobible · 2 years ago

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03/21/2023 DAB Transcript

Numbers 32:1-33:39, Luke 4:31-5:11, Psalms 64:1-10, Proverbs 11:22

Today is the 21st day of March welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is fantastic to be here with you today as we gather around the Global Campfire and take the next step forward together. And our next step is leading us to the final chapters of the book of Numbers. I believe the day after tomorrow is when we will transition out of Numbers and into the next book in the Torah, Deuteronomy. But for now, we are squarely in the book of Numbers. And today Numbers chapter 32 verse 1 through 33 verse 39.

Commentary:

Okay. So, there are some things in the gospel of Luke today that are just so beautiful, so beautiful and so important for us to look at and examine and apply to our own lives and in our own contexts. So, yesterday Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted then He came to Nazareth where He announced His ministry and the fulfillment of prophecy, which ultimately, after a conversation took place, had Jesus on the edge of a precipice where the…the other Nazarenes who lived in Nazareth were going to throw Him off the mountain and He passed right through them and went on His way. Today we open up the gospel of Luke and we find Jesus, about 20 miles northeast of Nazareth on the north, northwest edge of the Sea of Galilee, in a village called Capernaum. And Capernaum would become Jesus’ adult home and sort of like home base for his ministry. And let’s not get lost in the story because we read Matthew and Mark and so we kind of know how this flows. This is the very beginning. Jesus is just announcing. He's been baptized. He’s announcing what He’s here to do. Everywhere he goes He's doing that and the word is beginning to spread quickly. But Jesus isn't walking around the countryside as a rabbi with 12 disciples following him around yet. He doesn't have disciples yet. That's what’s so beautiful about all we got to see in today's reading. So, Jesus is in Capernaum. He is teaching. The people, they are amazed. They are bringing their sick to Him. The sick are being healed and recovering and being restored to health and wholeness. And, so, by the next morning the village is full of people and Jesus is like, I got a go to other places too. Like, I was sent here to do what I'm doing here all over the place and the crowds are pressing in on Jesus until they basically press Him all the way down to the shore of the Sea of Galilee, which is called Lake Gennesaret. You see that in some of your translations. They’re the same. The Sea of Galilee, Lake of Gennesaret. The crowds are pushing Jesus down to the shore. There are fishermen who are on the shore with their boats cleaning their nets. They've come in from fishing. They fish at night. They have to fish at night. The sea of Galilee’s a deep lake. So, during the day as the sun is warming the water, the fish will go lower down deeper further down than nets could reach. And, so, they go out at night when the fish come up to the warmer water that remains in the evening where the nets can catch them. And, so, this is the next morning and they’ve been working all night and they don't have a big catch and they're putting their stuff away and getting ready to go to bed so that he can get up at nighttime and go back fishing. Meanwhile, Jesus is being pressed by a crowd down to the shore and there's a couple of boats there and He climbs into a boat like just randomly. Like, that’s so funny to me because…I don't know…in this day and age you just don't climb into the back of somebody's pickup truck. You don't just get into the passenger side of their car just because the car happens to be sitting there. So, here's some fishermen cleaning their nets. They're not in the boat. Here comes this guy. And they would've understood what the commotion was about, who this person is. Like, this is somebody doing something important. Jesus ends up in the boat and He’s just like, hey, will you take me out away from the shore a little bit. Like, basically what Jesus is wanting is to put some distance between the crowd and Him so that he could teach them, He could say what He is going to say to them without getting mobbed. And, so, they do they do. They row them out a little ways and He sits down in the boat and He teaches the crowd. It’s also just a beautiful acoustical thing since I’m an audio engineer and I love this stuff. I love that Jesus rowed out a little ways, just a little bit in the water and used the water as like natural amplification, so that he could sit down in the boat and just talk to the people and that they could all hear Him. It’s a beautiful thing. And that's what Jesus does is He teaches from the boat and then when he's done teaching, He asks Simon, who will become Simon Peter, who will become a disciple of Jesus because it happens to be His boat that He climbed into if they would go out and cast their nets again. And these are professional fishermen Jesus is talking to, fishermen who had worked all night and it is now day and they’re being asked to go out counterintuitively and…and fish again. And, so, they're not disrespectful. They're just like, you know, we've been fishing all night but if this is what you want this...this is what we’ll do. We’ll go out and we’ll show you how fishing looks up close and personal. And they cast their nets and it is unbelievable, the hall of fish. It takes to boats to fill them all up. And they bring them to shore, and this is astonishing to them. The amount of fish and the time that the fish were caught, this is astonishing and the implications are astonishing because this is a big catch. This is the moment when they finally broke through to a financial victory with some level of hope. They were just rewarded amazingly for the use of their boats for a little while. Peter though, Simon, he's thinking deeper. Like, there's other things going on inside of him. Like he’s not just a simple person. He may speak before he thinks but he's…he’s not shallow and he's…he's the one seeing what's going on here. He's the one that's actually understanding the deeper implications, like this is more than fish, this is more than money, this is a miracle. Whoever this person is, whoever this Jesus is there’s something else going on here. There…God is showing up in our midst. And Peter can see that and Peter comes before Jesus, gets down upon his knees and just asks Jesus to…to leave him, that he's a sinner, that he does not deserve to be in this man's presence. That is the moment though. That is the moment Jesus looks for in each of us and that is the moment that Jesus immediately tells Peter, don't be afraid you’ll be catching people now. This is Jesus’ invitation to come and follow Him. At the moment when Peter realizes that he has just been blessed of God he is also presented with a choice because there is the invitation of God to come and follow. And as the gospel of Luke tells us, and I quote, “when they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed Him.” They left it all on the shore. They left the windfall. They left this blessing. They left this alternative life. They were in the presence of something that was more important than any life they could create for themselves and they…they knew it in the moment and they made a decision because they had an invitation and they left what they had. They left the life they had and the life that they were preparing for for an adventure with God. This is such a beautiful depiction, a beautiful picture for each of us because this is the moment. This is the moment of faith that we all come to where we look at the life that we have and the life that we are trying to arrange for and we realize we are in the presence of something holy, something bigger, something cosmic, something greater and more pervasive and more present than anything we've ever felt. And the words fail but the reach, the leap, the jump, the freefall into the adventure with God through faith. The leap of faith helps us to realize we’re actually safe for the first time. We’re where we belong for the first time. Things were difficult for Jesus and His ministry. We know how the story ends. Things were difficult for Jesus disciples, especially after He had ascended to the Father, and they were to go into all the world. Things got very difficult for every one of these people, but they had experienced God, and it was irreversible and may that be our story brothers and sisters. May that be our story.

Prayer:

Jesus we long for that to be our story and that is our story. You came near. Whether we were expecting it or not, You came near. And in that moment, we had eyes to see, and we could see well beyond what we were seeing. We could see for a moment what it might be like to be reunited with You and become whole again. Often when we face challenging hardship and difficulty it's confusing to us. The wilderness and the lessons in the wilderness, they become confusing to us because we lose our eyes to see and ears to hear, we become distracted. Holy Spirit, come. Remind us that we are invited to encounter You every day always, that You will never leave or forsake us, that there is nowhere that we can flee from Your presence, that You are always with us and that we get to enjoy this dance of life together following You, leaving behind the life that we were making for ourselves in exchange for a life with God. Come Holy Spirit. Remind us of what's going on here. What's real here. We get so distracted so often. Return us to the moment when we knew, return us to the moment and the joy of our salvation we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com, that is home base and that is certainly where to find out what's happening. So, do that. Find out what's happening around here. You can do this with the Daily Audio Bible app as well. Just go to the app store that works with your device and search for Daily Audio Bible and you can download the app for free. So, check that out.

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If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you deeply. We wouldn't be here if we weren't here together. And, so, thank you deeply. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app. That's the little red button up at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Good morning, everyone this is Abby from Maryland it's been a while since I called but I'm calling. Val in Vegas actually made me call this morning just listening to the podcast from March 17th. And she really just spoke live to me, you know just this morning on the 18th I'm here just thinking about how I didn't do this, I didn't do that, I need to do this, you know, I'm just slacking off and things like that. But she made me really think about the goodness of God, the fact that I'm alive, I'm awake, I have air in my lungs. I mean, like she said God's just sprinkled lots of joy into us. I just really, really love and appreciate you Val in Vegas. Every time I listen to you there's just this excitement in your voice and I pray that the joy of the Lord will continue to be yours, friend. And I pray for everyone in my community DAB. I may not call in but I'm listening. I'm praying along and I pray that the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guide all of your hearts and mind in Jesus’ name. And I pay for Brian and his family that the joy of the Lord will continue to be his strength, that the anointing of God will continue to rest upon him and his family. I'm praying for you all. Blind Tony, Biola from Maryland. I mean there's too many…Diane Oliver I think that's her name. You all are amazing. You all inspire me. Continue to just continue to encourage each other and pray for each other. God bless you all. You all have a blessed day, week, year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hello, my Daily Audio Bible family this is Blessed Assurance calling Saturday March 18th in the evening. I'm calling because Sparky gave some advice a few weeks ago about how we should call in our prayer requests. I've been a listener for 10 years and this is only about the third time I've called in. This may sound like a trivial matter to many people, but I know a lot of you are in the same boat as I am. I'm really struggling with all this inflation. And I know…I’m very grateful for all the blessings God has given me. I really am, but as so many of you also know it's really hard for us going from paycheck to paycheck to meet our bills. And tonight, I just found out that my…my home insurance has gone up $124 a month and I just don't know how I'm going to make that payment. I'm using tonight to pray and commune with my savior. And that's awesome and I do his feel His comfort, His arms around me but I'm just asking for a hug from Victoria Soldier and Val in Vegas and Sparky and the rest of you because you guys know what we're going through here. I love you all so much. Until we meet again. Love you. Bye-bye.

I'm basking in the spirit while I'm lying in bed the sun hasn't risen yet and I'm glad that I'm not dead it's quiet and it's dark and it seems like the world's asleep but I can feel you all around me God inside too real deep it feels like I'm glowing but I know that can't be true pre-dawn is my favorite time to come in prayer to you there are no real distractions no voices cars or lights no human interference no arguments or fights only me reflecting thoughts that spring from deep within thoughts now filled with gratitude that used to be about sin I come to you for power I come to you for grace I come to you my father because there really is no other place I lift you up for what you've done you've done so much for me I praise you God for who you are and how you've set me free it seems like I just can't get enough I'm praising you every day the closer that I get to you the more I love to pray thank you God for lifting me for loving me for setting free thank you God my eyes can see a concept like eternity the sun's up now and I'm still in prayer and I can still feel you everywhere inside outside all around even deep below the ground you truly are awesome

[email protected]. Like to give a shout out to Deborah Canney and your sister Judy. And my condolences Judy on the loss of your husband. And I'd like to give a shout out to your brother Beau and his wife. Know that you all are daily in my prayers and often in my thoughts. And once again Brian and the Hardin family thank you for this wonderful…

Hi Daily Audio Bible this is Chantelle calling from London. First of all, I just want to say this is my first time doing this and it's exciting and encouraging to know that I have a family all around the world who is praying just as I am praying for you all as well. I've been a part of the DAB family for the last two years now and it's been such a blessing to my life. And, so, I really felt lead the other day as I was listening to…to share my prayer request, which is for my brother who has been struggling with suicidal thoughts and just mental health issues for the last, I would say, about a year. And he has been raised in the ways of the Lord. He knows the word of the Lord. I think the enemy really attacks him when it comes to his thoughts about himself, self-belief, and you know, his place and in God's heart and knowing that there's nothing that he could do that we'll ever separate him from the love of Christ. So, I just wanted to ask you all to help me to pray that the word of God would rise up in his heart, that he would just become that mighty man that God has ordained and destined him to be and be able to speak the truth over the lies that the enemy is just spouting in his mind. And I just pray. I know that God gave me a vision and I know that he's going to be such a pillar for his generation. He's only 15 years old but he's such an intelligent lovely creative young man and I know that the enemy is at work in trying to attack what God has put in his life. But I reject that in Jesus’ name and I would just be so grateful for your prayers. Thank you so much. I love you guys.

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walkswithmyfather · 3 years ago

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“And we had our hopes up that he was the One, the One about to deliver Israel. And it is now the third day since it happened.” —Luke 24:21 (MSG)

“When It Looks Like It’s Over (Praying Through Defeat)” By Elevation Church:

“Remember, we get the privilege of reading the Easter story with the insight of hindsight. We know how the story ends — Jesus’ friends didn’t. We jump straight to the miracle, but they lived through the mess.

Even after Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, it was easier for the disciples to accept His body had been stolen than to believe He had actually conquered death.

The miracle was in motion, and yet we read in Luke 24 about two followers of Jesus who were walking away in defeat. They had waited in Jerusalem for three days, but now they were making the seven-mile journey back to Emmaus. Why stick around? The show was over.

Jesus decided to journey with them as they walked away from their miracle. And although they were prevented from recognizing Him, Jesus taught them as He walked with them. He interpreted scriptures for them and gave them a deeper understanding of who He was — in the middle of their doubts and defeat.

It wasn’t until He sat down to eat with them that their eyes were opened and they recognized it was Jesus who had been walking with them all along.

This is still true for us today. In the middle of our disappointment, we’re tempted to quit. We lose heart. We lose patience. We lose faith. But even if it seems like God is late, it’s too soon to stop seeking Him. Just like the two travelers on the road to Emmaus, we often only see God’s fingerprints looking back.

There’s a difference between praying about something and praying through something. Don’t assume because your prayer didn’t get answered the way you hoped that a miracle isn’t in motion. Keep pressing on. Keep knocking. Keep praying. Prayer keeps you connected to God, and while He may not change your situation He will shift your perspective.

Consider this: Before Jesus went to the cross, He went to the grave of Lazarus — only He showed up four days after Lazarus had been buried. The situation was beyond repair. If Jesus had come sooner, Lazarus wouldn’t have died.

But when Jesus showed up, Martha, Lazarus’ sister, said through grief, “Yet even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give you.”

Yet even now.

Even IF God is late and the door seems closed, will you have the faith to pray even now?

Bring your “even if” situation to the Father today and pray this prayer.

Father, even though You didn’t ______________ and even if ____________ doesn’t work out, even now, I look to You. You are still Provider, Healer, Comforter, and Sustainer. You can still do all things. You know the places where I have lost heart and lost faith — the places where I’m tempted to quit and walk away, but I don’t want to miss a miracle You’ve set in motion. So I commit today to keep asking. To keep seeking. To keep knocking. And to allow You to change me in the process. Even now, I trust You. Even now, I welcome resurrection. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

[Welcome Resurrection Devotional Day 5 of 7]

“That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?” They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.” “What things?” Jesus asked. “The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago. “Then some women from our group of his followers were at his tomb early this morning, and they came back with an amazing report. They said his body was missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive! Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, his body was gone, just as the women had said.” Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going on, but they begged him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So he went home with them. As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared! They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven disciples and the others who had gathered with them, who said, “The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter.” Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread.” —Luke 24:13-35 (NLT)

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mybeautifulchristianjourney · 3 years ago

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It’s All Coming True at Last!

14 Then Peter got up, with the eleven. He spoke to them in a loud voice.

‘People of Judaea!’ he began. ‘All of you staying here in Jerusalem! There’s something you have to know! Listen to what I’m saying! 15 These people aren’t drunk, as you imagine. It’s only nine o’clock in the morning! 16 No, this is what the prophet Joel was talking about, when he said,

17 In the last days, declares God, I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy; your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams; 18 yes, even on slaves, men and women alike, will I pour out my spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will give signs in the heavens above, and portents on earth beneath, blood and fire and clouds of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and glorious day. 21 And then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

David Speaks of Jesus’ Resurrection

22 ‘You people of Israel,’ Peter continued, ‘listen to this. Jesus of Nazareth was a man marked out for you by God through the mighty works, signs and portents which God performed through him right here among you, as you all know. 23 He was handed over in accordance with God’s determined purpose and foreknowledge – and you used people outside the law to nail him up and kill him.

24 ‘But God raised him from the dead! Death had its painful grip on him; but God released him from it, because it wasn’t possible for him to be mastered by it. 25 This, you see, is how David speaks of him:

I set the Lord before me always; because he is at my right hand, I won’t be shaken. 26 So my heart was happy, and my tongue rejoiced, and my flesh, too, will rest in hope. 27 For you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. 28 You showed me the path of life, you filled me with gladness in your presence.

29 ‘My dear family, I can surely speak freely to you about the patriarch David. He died and was buried, and his tomb is here with us to this day. 30 He was of course a prophet, and he knew that God had sworn an oath to him to set one of his own physical offspring on his throne. 31 He foresaw the Messiah’s resurrection, and spoke about him ‘not being left in Hades’, and about his flesh ‘not seeing corruption’. 32 This is the Jesus we’re talking about! God raised him from the dead, and all of us here are witnesses to the fact! 33 Now he’s been exalted to God’s right hand; and what you see and hear is the result of the fact that he is pouring out the holy spirit, which had been promised, and which he has received from the father.

34 ‘David, after all, did not ascend into the heavens. This is what he says:

The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, 35 until I place your enemies underneath your feet.

36 ‘So the whole house of Israel must know this for a fact: God has made him Lord and Messiah – this Jesus, the one you crucified.’

God’s Rescue Plan

37 When they heard this, the people in the crowd were cut to the heart.

‘Brothers,’ they said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘what shall we do?’

38 ‘Turn back!’ replied Peter. ‘Be baptized – every single one of you – in the name of Jesus the Messiah, so that your sins can be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the holy spirit. 39 The promise is for you and for your children, and for everyone who is far away, as many as the Lord our God will call.’

40 He carried on explaining things to them with many other words.

‘Let God rescue you’, he was urging them, ‘from this wicked generation!’

41 Those who welcomed his word were baptized. About three thousand people were added to the community that day. — Acts 2:14-41 | New Testament for Everyone (NTE) The New Testament for Everyone copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011. Cross References: Deuteronomy 29:15; Deuteronomy 32:5; 2 Samuel 7:12; 1 Kings 2:10; Psalm 16:8; Psalm 16:10; Psalm 110:1; Isaiah 10:7; Ecclesiastes 12:11; Isaiah 13:10; Ezekiel 36:32; Joel 1:1; Joel 2:28; Joel 2:30-31; Matthew 2:1; Mark 16:19; Luke 12:45; John 2:10; John 3:2; Acts 1:8; Acts 3:15; Acts 3:19; Romans 10:13; 1 Corinthians 15:4; 1 Peter 3:20

#Peter #sermon #Pentecost #3000 converted #Book of Acts #Acts 2:14-41 #New Testament for Everyone #NTE #Holy Bible #Acts of the Apostles

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pamphletstoinspire · 4 years ago

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St. Joseph, Master of the “Art of Dying Well”

With the Counter-Reformation came artistic portrayals of Joseph as the model for a "holy death."

“Nothing is certain but death and taxes,” claimed Benjamin Franklin, while Robert Bolt asserted that “death comes for us all.” For his part, St. Paul asked, “O Death, where is thy sting?” and Martin Luther wrote that every man “must do his own believing and his own dying.”

From apostles to sages and poets to pundits, all agree that life ends, but how to confront death? Christianity promised life after death, and the Catholic Church offered teachings and pious practices to prepare for it, but come the Reformation, people were faced with choices of what or who to believe, and the stakes — eternity — were high. What if one chose unwisely?

“The Art of Dying Well”

The Counter-Reformation revived the Ars Moriendi, the Art of Dying Well, promoted in particular by St. Robert Bellarmine, who penned a handbook of sorts on how to die a holy death. This immensely popular treatise found its perfect artistic personification in St Joseph, model of the Good Death.

The History of Joseph the Carpenter is a 5th-century apocryphal book purporting to be a first-person account the life of St. Joseph by none other than Jesus Christ. The story claims that St. Joseph lived to be 111 years old and at the end of his life, he was deeply troubled, feeling himself weighed down by sin.

Jesus as narrator, knowing the unrest in his heart, comforted his foster father alongside Mary, ultimately driving back demons, and commanding angels Gabriel and Michael to welcome Joseph into Heaven. What more could one want beyond a personal guarantee from the messiah of a place awaiting in Paradise?

Artists portray the death of St. Joseph

The subject of the death of St. Joseph got off to a slow start in the Baroque period but by the end of the 17th century, altarpiece commissions started pouring in, offering artists an opportunity to flex new compositional muscles.

French painter Jacques Stella was among the first to tackle the subject in 1655, after a lengthy Italian sojourn. The confined composition – flat wooden ceiling and thick stone wall — seem like a metaphor for death, dark and enclosed. To the left are mementos of an industrious life to maintain his family: Joseph’s work bench is visible through the door, and the wooden furniture is his handiwork.

The ashen Joseph is near death and the blue-gray of the bedding accentuates his pallor. He sits up, confessing his fears as he looks hopefully towards Jesus. Mary, on the other side of the bed, clasps her hands, looking with sad compassion towards the suffering soul. One can imagine Joseph saying the words from the apocryphal account: “Indeed, the agony and fear of death have already environed me; but as soon as I heard Your voice, my soul was at rest. O Jesus of Nazareth!” Jesus, in turn, points to himself, affirming that he is the Savior. The bright clothes of Jesus and Mary contrast with the ghostly grays of Joseph. The red of Christ’s tunic (symbolic of his mortal nature) is closest to Joseph’s pale body, evoking their shared humanity as well as Jesus’ own eventual experience of death. The luminous blue of his mantle symbolizes grace and is mirrored by Mary’s veil: Joseph’s death is “cushioned” by grace.

Stella also employed echoes of Mannerist painting in the two angels, Gabriel and Michael. They pose sweetly, their elongated limbs drawing the eye upwards where the heavens have already opened to welcome Joseph. The fluorescent green of one angel’s robes adds a festive touch. From the cold shades of Joseph to the warm luminescence of Heaven – Joseph’s death is visualized as a transition into a better place.

A model death, a model mourning

The Death of St Joseph came into its iconographic own in the 18th century, when Bolognese artist Giuseppe Maria Crespi pioneered a new iconography. In his work, the figures are engulfed in Caravaggesque shadows. Joseph is portrayed in the last agony of death, stretched out on a death bed that protrudes unsettlingly towards the viewer. We no longer witness this death at a distance, but stand vigil at Joseph’s feet. A tearful Mary prays at what looks appears to be a makeshift altar, clasping a handkerchief. The glass jar on the table alludes to extreme unction. Crespi leaves the space undefined, dark shadows filing the background. Only towards the viewer, where the corner of a worn mattress peeks out from under the sheet, is there a careful rendering of the carpenter’s tools abandoned by the bed. The flowering staff, however, symbol of his chaste marriage, still blooms.

Angels in subdued tones emerge from the shadows, praying or conferring quietly as one gently cradles Joseph’s head. The old man, close to death, lies silent, comforted by Jesus, who, in the History, “held his hand for a whole hour.” Joseph receives the final blessing from Christ, and thus prepared, his soul will be escorted to Heaven. Crespi’s work instructs the faithful not only how to accept death, but how to minister to the moribund – prayerfully, quietly, and peacefully, despite the sadness of separation.

William Blake, illustrator extraordinaire of Milton’s Paradise Lost and Dante’s Divine Comedy, produced a powerfully personal version of the Death of Joseph in 1803. As unique as it is lovely, it deserves a moment of attention.

Blake, a serious Christian, was fascinated by the spiritual. In this watercolor, Joseph lies on a long bier, his head softly nestled in the luminous lap of the Virgin. Jesus hovers over him, almost as if drawing out his soul to send it to heaven. The trio are enclosed in a colorful arc of angels, a rainbow bearing the promise of peace. The work seems to presage Blake’s own death, 25 years later, where witnesses said that, “Just before he died His Countenance became fair. His eyes Brighten’d and he burst out Singing of the things he saw in Heaven.”

After this year of pandemic, where many died alone and without sacraments, no time could be better to rekindle the devotion to Joseph as Master of the Ars Moriendi.

#st joseph

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dailyaudiobiblechronological · 3 years ago

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11/19/2021 DAB Chronological Transcription

Acts 9-10

It's the 19th day of November. I'm Jill. You're listening to Daily Audio Bible Chronological. Welcome, friends. It's so great to be here with you on this journey. As we walk through the Word, we do it every day until we get through the entire Bible in a year. So we're going to center ourselves around the Scriptures for the next few minutes. Continue in this story and the New Testament and we're going to look in the Bible and see if we can see a mirror of the pages of our own lives. Today we are reading Acts chapters nine and ten, and we are just a couple of days left in the Christian Standard Bible. Hope you're having a great day. Acts chapter nine.

Commentary:

Today we learn and experience Saul's Damascus Road conversion. And then from there we learn of Peter's experience through a visitation, a trance, a dream where he is now permissed to eat unclean animals. But he has only ever followed Mosaic prohibition so we can sort of understand his wrestling. Like, are you sure? I have never done this before. And then at the end of the story of the exchange of Peter and Cornelius, we have just this beautiful resolve revelation from Peter as he began to speak. Now I truly understand that God doesn't show favoritism. But in every nation, the person who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. He sent the message to the Israelites proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all. You know, the events that took place throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power and how he went about doing good and healing all who were under the tyranny of the devil because God was with him. And then we know that as Peter continues to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who heard the message. We've talked in recent days and weeks about those little key words in the Bible. Do not let your heart be troubled. Do not allow. Do not permiss your heart to be troubled. I talked about the cup at the table with Jesus. Take this cup, all of you and drink. And now we're seeing the continuation of the power of the Holy Spirit through these men. And the thing is, we know the back story of these men. We know Saul is persecuting people for following Jesus. We know Peter and his backstory. We just read it in the Gospels. Now we see how their lives are being used to transform the world. For all that hear the good news of Jesus. When Peter spoke the words, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who heard the message. We cannot be responsible for every person's yes, for every person's active choice to choose or reject God. But we can let our lives be a testament of the goodness, the good news of Jesus.

Prayer:

So, Father, we're paying attention to these words here because it's easy to glaze over them and not pay attention to those tiny little words that change the meaning. Those little words like let and all that really wake us up to our own responsibility that we play in this part of bringing forth the Kingdom of God. Father, would we see all people through your eyes? Would we see everyone we come in contact with as an opportunity to show the love of Jesus? The world needs the love of Jesus. The body of Christ needs to see the body of Christ loving one another. Despite our differences, this is how Jesus said the world will know us by the love that we show one another. May we show all we come in contact with the love of Christ. We pray this in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Announcements:

Daily Audio Bible, guys, that's home base. Check it out. That's the website. Take a look around, if you have not. I'm going to keep talking about it because it's beautiful. I see some of you are receiving your copy of Promised Land. It is available on the website. It makes a great Christmas gift. It doesn't make a great stocking stuffer because it's a big book, but it is beautiful. And I'm so very proud of my husband for how hard he worked and for his ability to always deliver quality content to this community. If you would like to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you so much for your partnership. If you're giving by mail DAB PO box 1996, Springhill, Tennessee 37174 or you can hit the Give icon. It's up at the top right hand corner of your mobile device, or look for the Give icon on the website as well. We thank you so much for continuing to partner with us in this capacity and allow the spoken fresh word of God to go forth every single day into all of the world. If you have a prayer request, if you'd like to call in and pray for someone that's previously called in, you can do so. 800-583-2164 or hit the red circle button it's up at the top right hand corner of your mobile device. Make sure you hit submit and turn the wheel to chronological and it will get to the right place. Okay. This is it. Last day. Day five. I've been talking about it all week. You have been calling in. This is the last day. If you've been on the fence and you're like, I don't know. I'm just so shy. I just don't like to hear my voice. Listen, somebody in the community needs to hear what you have to say, and we all feel that way. No one likes to hear themselves talk. So if there's anything I can say to encourage you to call in. How has the Bible transformed your life? This is the last day to do. So let's go over the guidelines for calling in. Okay, first and foremost, this is for the DABC community only. This is what's on my heart to do for the DABC community. And I'm just telling you, it's going to be amazing. I can't wait for you all to hear this. Okay, two minutes. You have two minutes to talk about. How has the Bible transformed your life? You can call the number 800-583-2164, keep it within two minutes or use the app. Use the red Circle button. Two minutes to record. Make sure you hit submit and turn the wheel to chronological. How has the Bible transformed your life? And lastly, make sure you do not connect your story to a prayer request. Keep them separate. Hang up. You can call right back and keep your prayer request separate. One call per person. So keep it within the two minute guideline. And the great thing is, if you don't like how it sounds the first time you did it, you can call back and do it again. It's all good. Okay. Last day, last day to do this today. So once again, if you're on the fence, come on over. Get off the fence and come on over. Pick up your phone and tell us, how has the Bible transformed your life? Okay, that's going to do it for me today. I'm Jill. We will turn the page together tomorrow, and I look forward to it every single day. I love you guys. I'm Jill, until tomorrow, love one another.

Community Prayer Line:

Hi, this is Victoria Soldier calling to pray for some of the Dabbers. I want to pray for Candace, her dad is going through surgery. I want to pray for Lisa in Oklahoma on her business, on blessing in her business. I want to pray for Dusty Rose calling about marriages. I want to pray for Cathy from Benaville and dealing with the family. And I want to pray for the kids in the school there in Detroit, the kids that were having the challenges. I want to pray for that precious teacher and what she's going through in the class and that the children make it through. And I want to pray for all of the Dabbers and give them life and favor and whatever they're endeavoring to do or whatever challenges they're going through. And the ones with the covid, that God will reach his hand in that room and he begin to heal. We ask him for miracle and blessing of the covid, doing a turn for the best instead of the worst. And we ask you to have your way Lord in the name of Jesus. We just ask you to continue to bless Brian and continue to bless Jill and thank you God for hearing from China. It's such a blessing to hear her voice and seeing that she's always there to help her mom. Just as her mom is always there to bless us. Lord, have your way. In Jesus name. Have a great day Dabbers, love you all. Bye bye.

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