Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Luke 4:38-44 - MANY HEALED! DEMONS BANISHED! KINGDOM OF GOD DECLARED!

MANY HEALED!
DEMONS BANISHED!
KINGDOM OF GOD DECLARED!
Luke 4:38-44

Luke 4:38-39 And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.

Susie: After preaching mightily in the synagogue at Capernaum, Jesus went to Simon Peter’s house for a meal and may have been staying there while in town.

Susan: Simon’s “mother-in-covenant-love” was extremely sick with a high fever, according to doctor Luke. The family entreated Jesus to heal her. He stood over her, placing her in His shadow as it were (Psalm 36:7), and rebuked the fever.

Susie: Not only did the fever leave her, but she felt well enough to immediately get up and begin waiting on her guests!

Luke 4:40 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.

Susie: For the Jewish people, sunset was the beginning of a new day. The people arrived after sunset as that signaled the end of the Sabbath; and they were no longer limited by the restrictions on traveling certain distances on the Sabbath.

Susan: Many people came to Jesus bringing all their sick relatives and friends; and they had a good old-fashioned healing party hosted by Jesus Himself in Simon Peter’s house.

Susie: That sounds a great deal more fun than a housewares, jewelry, or makeup party!

Susan: Jesus healed them by the laying on of hands.

Luke 4:41 And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.

Susie: Among the sick, there were some who harbored evil spirits, demons, which Jesus cast out. They were screaming that He was the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God.
Susan: Jesus silenced the demons because He had the authority to do so, and it was not the appointed time for His divine identity to be completely revealed.

Luke 4:42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.

Susan: The next Jesus was just trying to have some time with His Father in a place of solitude.

Susie: However, the throng of people discovered His location and followed Him there, begging Him to extend His stay in Capernaum.

Luke 4:43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.

Susan: Jesus explained that His mission was to preach the Kingdom of God in other cities beyond Capernaum. The Kingdom of God is the Lord’s Kingship over those who have entrusted their lives to Him by surrendering themselves to Jesus.

Susie: At present, the Kingdom of God is manifest spiritually in believers as we submit to the Lord’s will, and His Holy Spirit lives in us. When Jesus Christ returns, He will set up a physical, earthly Kingdom.

Luke 4:44 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.

Susan: Earlier manuscripts say Galilee, but those discovered more recently say Judea. It is really irrelevant (unless you are a historical geek like Susie) because Jesus preached in synagogues in both regions.

Susie: When you look at the area Jesus covered during His approximately three years of ministry, it is small compared to the reach of even one megachurch like First Baptist Dallas. However, the work that Jesus began and entrusted to His apostles to continue has influenced the entire earth!

Susan: Never negate small beginnings!

Susie: I believe Susan is thinking of our own ministry. We’ve only just begun!


APPLY THIS TO YOUR LIFE: How large is your sphere of influence? You may think it is quite small, limited to your family, a few friends, and work associates. However, each person with whom you share your testimony may in turn share with several more. Each person you disciple—your children, your Sunday school class, or a friend—has the potential to become the next great evangelist. With whom will you share God’s love today?

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Luke 4:32-37 - AMAZING AUTHORITY DISPLAYED

AMAZING AUTHORITY DISPLAYED
Luke 4:32-37

Luke 4:32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.

Susie: Jesus was teaching back in Capernaum, the hometown of Peter, Andrew, James, and John. The people were surprised by His teaching because of its power. Most rabbis quoted other, more prominent rabbis to validate their teaching. Jesus had no need to do that because His authority came directly from God.

Luke 4:33 And in the synagogue, there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.

Susie: A demon-possessed man entered the synagogue where Jesus was teaching.

Susan: The demons inside the man not only recognized Jesus as the acclaimed teacher from Nazareth, but as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, the One who has all authority and power.

Susie: Since the demons knew who Jesus was, it was logical for them to think Jesus might have come to destroy them completely.

Luke 4:35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.

Susan: Jesus silenced the demon because the appointed time for Jesus’s complete identity to be revealed had not yet come.

Susie: Jesus commanded the demons to come out of the man. The demon threw the man into the crowd but did not physically harm him.

Luke 4:36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.

Luke 4:36 (CJB) They were all astounded and said to one another, “What kind of teaching is this? Why, he gives orders with power and authority to the unclean spirits, and they come out!”

Susan: The people were not only awestricken by Jesus’s teaching, but they were amazed the demons had to be obedient to what He commanded.

Susie: They had never seen anyone like Him because there had never been anyone like Him before! Jesus is the one and only begotten Son of God.

Luke 4:37 And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.

Susan: Jesus’s reputation of eloquence and miraculous power was spread excitedly throughout the region of Galilee.

Ponder this: The name Jesus became a household word without benefit of radio, TV, or social media! We have access to all of those things. How effectively are we spreading the gospel with the resources God has given us? We can still use the old-fashioned word-of-mouth method as well. Have you shared the Good News with a friend or acquaintance lately?


Thursday, January 25, 2018

LUKE 4:22-31 - CONGREGATION’S REACTION TO JESUS’S DECLARATION

LUKE 4:22-31
CONGREGATION’S REACTION
TO JESUS’S DECLARATION

Luke 4:22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?

Susie: How did the congregation react after Jesus read a messianic passage from Isaiah 61:1-2 and declared that it had been fulfilled while they were listening?

Susan: At first, they marveled at the eloquence of Jesus’ speech. However, then they asked themselves, “Isn’t this the village carpenter’s son? Isn’t Joseph His father?”

Luke 4:23 And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.

Susie: Jesus realized their hesitation to accept that what He had just claimed could be true of a humble carpenter’s son. He prophesied that they would eventually say, as the mockers did at the cross:

Matthew 27:42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

Susan: Jesus knew they would soon  demand that He authenticate Himself by performing miracles in Nazareth like the ones He did in Capernaum.

Luke 4:24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.

Susie: Many of the Old Testament prophets were persecuted by their own people. Jeremiah, for example, was beaten, imprisoned, and thrown into a well.

Luke 4:25-27 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias (Elijah), when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.

Susie: The point Jesus was making here was that Elijah was not accepted by the Jewish people who were in a time of rebellion against God, and were worshipping Baal. Therefore, God sent him to minister to a Gentile widow (1 Kings 17:8-16).

Luke 4:27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus (Elisha) the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

Susan: Naaman’s Jewish servant girl told him there was a prophet in Israel who could heal him. Again, God had Elisha heal a Gentile of leprosy rather than a Jewish leper (2 Kings 5).

Luke 4:28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

The MacArthur Study Bible note:

4:28 filled with wrath. This is Luke’s first mention of hostile opposition to Christ’s ministry. What seems to have sparked the Nazarenes’ fury was Christ’s suggestion that divine grace might be withheld from them yet extended to Gentiles.



Susie: Because of their lack of belief in Jesus as Messiah, He would not do many miracles in His home town. The implication that He would be more apt to perform healing for Gentiles than them really got under their skin.

Susan: In the minds of these Jewish people of Nazareth, all Gentiles were infidels, pagans, worshipping other gods instead of the one true God. How dare the carpenter’s son think they were less worthy than the people of Capernaum, and certainly than Gentiles.

Luke 4:29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

Susan: The people who previously had “wondered at His gracious words,” now tried to hurl Jesus off a cliff to kill Him. But check it out, He became the invisible man!

Luke 4:30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way,

Susie: This was not the only time Jesus was able to simply walk away from a murderous group seemingly unnoticed. As Susan and I saw when studying the Gospel of John, the Lord protected Jesus until the moment the Father had predetermined for Him to be the final Passover Lamb sacrificed on the cross.

John 7:28-30 Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me. Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.

John 8:59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

John 10:39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand

Luke 4:31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.

Susan: After Jesus walked right through the crowd undetected, He left the town He grew up in and resumed His teaching ministry on sabbath days in Capernaum by the Sea of Galilee. I think the people of Nazareth were left scratching their heads when He disappeared!

QUESTIONS

1.       What two examples did Jesus give of prophets who were not accepted in their own country? Can you name any others?
2.       Why do you think the people of Nazareth were upset enough to try to kill Jesus?

3.       Try to imagine yourself as one of Jesus’s childhood friends. Do you think it would be difficult to see Him as the Son of the Almighty God? Why or why not?

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

LUKE 4:14-21 - FULFILLED THIS DAY

LUKE 4:14-21
FULFILLED THIS DAY

Luke 4:14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

Susie: Jesus had been baptized in the Jordan River in the region of Judea, and had been tempted in the Judean wilderness.

Susan: Jesus left Judea and returned to Galilee at the urging and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Susie: The Gospel of Mark chapter one describes Jesus teaching in Capernaum near the Sea of Galilee.

Susan: Exponential admiration of Jesus spread throughout the region.

Luke 4:15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

Susan: Everyone was eagerly anticipating the Sabbath that Jesus would teach in their synagogue.

Susie: Jesus’s fame spread word of mouth, and respect for His teaching grew.

Susan: The people who heard Him teach exalted Him, considered Him far above other teachers due to the authority with which He spoke.

Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

Susie: Jesus entered His home-town synagogue on the sabbath day and stood up to read from the scroll of the scriptures. Don’t miss the fact that it was His “custom” to be in a place of worship on the sabbath.

Susan: This should be a reminder to us of the need to gather together with other believers to worship and learn about God. We must not let Pastor Pillow and Sister Sheets win on Sunday mornings. LOL

Hebrews 10:25 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Luke 4:17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias (Isaiah). And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

Susie: I was wondering whether Jesus had specifically asked for this scroll or if was just the reading for that week. Therefore, we looked at the notes in one of our favorite resources when dealing with the Jewish background of the Bible:

The Complete Jewish Study Bible:

Note on Luke 4:16-17 – The custom in the synagogue now is to read through the Torah in a year. Another regular reading on Shabbat is called the haftarah (conclusion) consisting of portions from the Prophets or Writings related to the Torah portion of the week. It seems clear that if Yeshua (Jesus) was given the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, then He was being offered the haftarah reading, which is an honor given to a special guest.

Susie: The portion Jesus was given to read was Isaiah 61:1-2. He only read the first half of verse 2 because the second half relates to His future second coming to earth and was not applicable at the time.

Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Susie: Some viewed this portion of Isaiah as applying to the prophet himself, but others see it as something that could only be accomplished by God, i.e. the Messiah.

Susan: The Spirit—the anointing, power, the impassioned purpose—of the Lord was upon Him. The passage lists six pillars of this prophesied purpose:

1.       To preach the gospel to the poor—perhaps related to the “poor in spirit” of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3)
2.       Heal the broken hearted—“them that mourn” (Matthew 5:4)
3.       Deliverance to the captives—those “oppressed” by Satan (Acts 10:38)
4.       Restore sight to the blind (John 9), and, also, those in dimly lit dungeons would now see the light of day
5.       To free the bruised or crushed—those suffering oppression, physically, mentally, and spiritually
6.       To preach the acceptable year of the Lord—the day of salvation (Isaiah 49:8) which was the primary reason the Son of God was incarnated as the God-Man.

Luke 4:20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

Susan: As Jesus sat down to teach, the people were hanging on His every word because of the authority with which He preached everywhere He went.

Susie: However, Jesus’s home town peeps were not prepared for what was about to come out of His mouth!

Luke 4:21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

Susan: This was clearly a declaration that He was the long-awaited Messiah of the Jews.

Susie: I’m pretty sure this was not the sermon they thought they were going to hear that morning!

QUESTIONS

1.       What is the significance of Jesus teaching in the synagogue in Nazareth?
2.       Jesus was in the habit or custom of going to synagogue on the Sabbath. Do you believe we should see this as an example for us to follow regarding church attendance?

3.       Rather than teach on the passage He had read, Jesus made a seemingly simple statement. What was it, and why would it create a stir?

Sunday, January 21, 2018

LUKE 4:1-13 - IT IS WRITTEN: FIGHT TEMPTATION WITH THE WORD

IT IS WRITTEN:
FIGHT TEMPTATION WITH THE WORD
LUKE 4:1-13

Susie: This is Luke’s account of the temptation of Jesus Christ. You may want to read another account as well in Matthew chapter four.

Luke 4:1-2 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

Susan: Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit; for even though He was completely man, He was still completely God.

Susie: After He was baptized by John, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for a time of prayer, fasting, and ultimately temptation.

Susan: God does not tempt people Himself but uses Satan as the instrument of temptation, for Satan is under God’s control and must do God’s bidding.

James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

Susie: We will see that Jesus was tempted in all the ways we are but remained sinless.

Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Susie: There are three broad categories of temptation, and Satan tried to trip Jesus up in each of them.

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Susan: Jesus fasted 40 days and nights as Moses had at Mount Sinai (Deuteronomy 9:9) and Elijah had after the Lord consumed his offering on Mount Carmel, and he had slain the prophets of Baal, making a spectacle of him (1 Kings 19:8). Then we have the great understatement that Jesus was hungry! Famished would be the word I would use.

Susie: Enter Satan (who had probably been tempting Jesus the entire forty days) to capitalize on the fact that Jesus was starving and tempt Him in the area of “lust of the flesh”—putting your physical wants and even needs above the Lord’s will.

Luke 4:3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.

Susan: The “if” in this verse is not best rendered as a question. Its better translation is “Since thou be the Son of God.” Satan was well aware that Jesus was truly the Son of God.

Susie: The Jews ate small round loaves of brown bread, so the stones probably looked very much like bread to Jesus in His famished state. Satan was tempting Him to use the power He had set aside to become human (Philippians 2:7) for His own immediate gratification.

Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

Susan: Jesus’s rebuttals to Satan as concerns all three temptations recorded here are found in the book of Deuteronomy.

Susie: His first response explains why He used Scripture to refute the Devil’s reasoning. He quoted from a passage about the time when God preserved the Israelites with manna which I’m sure got pretty boring after an extended time. But God was making the point that being sustained spiritually by His word was far more important than delicious food for the body.

Deuteronomy 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.

Job 23:12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

Susan: Jesus had the scripture internalized because He wrote it, but He was portraying for us the example of the importance of internalizing God’s word in order to use it in our arsenal of Holy armor:

Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Luke 4:5-6 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

Susan: You may be saying, “Wait a minute! Only God has the authority to put a person in that place of power!”

Susie: However, Scripture backs up what Satan claimed here—that God had given him authority over this world, even calling the devil the “prince of this world.”

John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Susie: For now, the whole world is under the curse and lies in the power of Satan (only as far as the Lord allows).

1 John 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

Romans 8:19-22 (NIV) For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.  For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

Luke 4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

Susan: Satan’s condition for giving Jesus all He could see was that He worship him, give him the place reserved for the Father.

Susie: Satan was appealing to the “lust of the eyes,” something ingrained in our fallen nature. A baby’s first words are often “no” followed by “mine!” If they see it, they want it. I remember reading children’s book titled More, More, More Said the Baby by Vera B. Williams. Our quest for more begins early in life and can only truly be satisfied by a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Susan: The devil was tempting Jesus to forfeit His purpose on behalf of the divine Kingdom and accept the poor substitute of ruling on earth.

Susie: Many of Jesus’s followers thought He should be an earthly king and conquer the Romans, but Jesus knew this was not the Father’s plan, and resisted the temptation to give in to their desires.  

Luke 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Susie: Jesus again rebuffed Satan by paraphrasing Scripture.

Deuteronomy 6:13-14 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you. . .

Susan: In His replies, Jesus is paralleling His temptation with the wilderness experience of the Israelites, with the difference being that He succeeded in not giving in to the devil where the Israelites had failed.

Susie: We are not to place anything or anyone above the Lord our God. He alone is worthy of worship. We trust Him alone to give us what we need.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Luke 4:9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Susie: Satan then tempted Jesus in the area of the “pride of life” by telling Him to jump from a height that would surely be suicidal. He is again trying to trick Jesus into displaying His power as deity rather than remaining in humble subjection to the Father’s will.

Susan: God’s enemy is trying to get Jesus to test God, to see if His Father truly would send angels to save Him. Satan even employed scripture to try to trick Jesus:

Psalm 91:11-12 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Susie: The Scripture was pointing out that we can trust God, not that we should put this trust to the test.

Susan: God is trustworthy and does watch over us, but we should not set up situations in which we need to be rescued. There are times we cannot make sense of what God is doing, but He is still trustworthy, and we should not allow those times to create doubt in our minds.

Luke 4:12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

The MacArthur Study Bible has a good note on the related verse from Matthew 4:7:

Christ replied with another verse from Israel’s wilderness experience (Deut. 6:16)—recalling the experience at Massah, where the grumbling Israelites put the Lord to the test, angrily demanding that Moses produce water where there was none (Ex. 17:2–7).

Deuteronomy 6:16 Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.

Exodus 17:7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?

Luke 4:13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

Susie: There were temptations for Jesus throughout His ministry as crowds continued trying to make Him an earthly King and detractors were always demanding a “sign,” a miracle to prove He was the Messiah.

Susan: However, Satan waited until the most opportune time, when Jesus was in His weakest moment, to attack Him will full force again. In the Garden of Gethsemane, in His humanity, Jesus prayed with all His strength even to the point of sweating drops of blood that He be allowed to avoid the cross, the weight of our sin, and the separation from God the Father. He and the Father had always been one; and in His humanity, He was paralyzed by the thought of the impending separation when the Father could not look upon the Son because He bore our sin.

Susie: Agonizing in prayer was not sinful nor a lack of trust in His father. It was proof that He was fully man as well as fully God. Satan did not defeat Jesus in the wilderness, nor did He defeat Him by causing Him to abandon the Father’s plan of redemption. Jesus prayed three times that this “cup” might be avoided, but all three times He submitted to the will of God (Luke 22:39-46).

Susan: Jesus passed every test that Israel had failed.

Susie: He passed every test that we fail in our human frailty. Therefore, He served as the perfect sacrificial Lamb to redeem us from sin.

Susan: Because of Jesus’s death in our place on the cross, and His subsequent resurrection from death, God sees those of us who believe as 100% clean!



QUESTIONS

1.  Who authorized Satan to tempt Jesus?
2.       With what weapon did Jesus combat Satan’s temptations?

3.       How can we prepare in advance for the temptations we will surely face in this world?

Thursday, January 18, 2018

LUKE 3:34-38 GENEALOGY OF JESUS: WHAT’S IN A NAME – PART 3

LUKE 3:34-38
GENEALOGY OF JESUS:
WHAT’S IN A NAME – PART 3

Luke 3:34 Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor,

Susan: Jacob means “He grasps the heel. Supplanter.” He was given this name because when they were born, he was grasping the heal of his twin brother, Esau.

Susie: You may remember that Esau sold Jacob his birthright as firstborn for some stew (Genesis 25:29-33) and that Jacob and his mother, Rebecca, deceived his father into giving him the blessing reserved for the firstborn (Genesis 27), thus living up to his name once more.

Susan: God eventually gave Jacob a new identity and a new name—Israel which means “May God prevail. He struggles with God. God perseveres; contends,” after he wrestled with the angel of the Lord (possibly a theophany) and suffered permanent hip dislocation (Genesis 32).

Susie: He would be the heir to the Abrahamic covenant and his descendants would be the nation of Israel.

Susan: Isaac (He laughs) was the son promised to Abraham and Sarah in their old age at which both of them laughed (Genesis 17:17; Genesis 18:12). He was a “type” of Christ in that Isaac was the only begotten son of Sarah, and Abraham was asked to sacrifice him as a burnt offering (Genesis 22:2).

Susie: The angel stopped Abraham just as he raised the knife to slit Isaac’s throat and provided a substitutionary sacrifice of a ram caught in a thicket (Genesis 22:13-14). Isaac’s descendant, Jesus, would become the perfect sacrificial Lamb and serve as the substitutionary sacrifice for the sin of all who trust in Him (John 1:29).

Susan: Jesus’s death on the cross and subsequent resurrection put an end to the daily slaughter of animals in the Jewish sacrificial system that God had previously required (Hebrews 10).

Susan: Abraham means “Father of a multitude” which was the new name God gave Abram (High father, Exalted father) after revealing to Him that he would father not only a son in his old age, but an entire nation (Genesis 17:5). Thara, Tarah, or Terah means “wild goat or turning, wandering.”

Susie: Terah had begun the journey to Canaan with his sons and their wives, but he died in Haran (Genesis 11:29-32), so perhaps he was a wanderer.

Susan: Nachor means “noble or burning.” It seems Abraham’s brother, Nahor, was named after his grandfather.

Luke 3:35 Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala,

Susan: Saruch means “branch.”

Susie: I was thinking, “Why on earth would a person name their son branch?” when I remembered I had friends in elementary school whose actual given names were Space and Rocket.

Susan: I did not recall that in Mary’s genealogy there was someone whose name would remind me of spaghetti sauce! Ragau means “friend.” Phalec means “division” and is sometimes listed as Peleg meaning “brook or sect.” Heber or Eber means “fellowship, production or one that passes.” Sala or Salah means “uncertain, perhaps firm.”

Luke 3:36 Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Shem, which was the son of Noah, which was the son of Lamech,

Susan: Cainan or Kenan means “acquisition.” Arphaxad or Arpachshad means “one that releases.”  Does Cainan acquire what Arphaxad releases? Sem or Shem means “renown or name.” We found an interesting tidbit on him in All the Men of the Bible as quoted at www.biblegateway.com

From his name, it is to be inferred that Shem was a distinguished person. The men of Babel sought to make themselves a name (Gen. 11:4) and become, thereby, rivals of Shem. The greatness of Shem arose from the fact that he was a forerunner of Christ. Shem’s name meaning “renown” foreshadowed the greater name “above every name” before which every knee shall bow (Luke 3:36). In offering praise to God, Noah said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Shem” (Gen. 9:26).
Susie: When Ham saw their father, Noah, drunken and naked, it was Shem and Japheth who walked in backwards to cover him up. Noah means “rest,” and his father explained why he gave him that name:

Genesis 5:29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed.

Susan: We remember Noah as the man who built and ark before it had ever rained in order to save his family and the animals from the flood.

Susie: One of my favorite songs as a child was Tennessee Ernie Ford singing, “Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord.” Click the link below to hear it.


Susan: Lamech means “overthrower, a strong young man or who is stuck.” I have no idea why his father named him this.

Luke 3:37 Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan,

Susan: Mathusala or Methuselah means “man of the javelin or it shall be sent (deluge).” Another interpretation of his name was “when he is dead it shall be sent (flood).”

Susie: He has the distinction of being the person with the oldest recorded age in the Bible, 969 years (Genesis 5:27). The flood did not occur until after his death.

Susan: Enoch means “teacher, initiated, dedicated.” He was one of two men in the Bible who did not see death but were taken directly to Heaven by the Lord. The other was Elijah. Enoch is one of my favorite Biblical figures because he walked with God. I walk with God as Enoch did through my relationship with Jesus.

Genesis 5:21-24 21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

Susan: Jared means “descending or he that descends.” Maleleel means “praise of God.” We have another Cainan meaning “acquisition.”

Susie: It was and still is common to name a child after his father or a favorite or famous ancestor.

Luke 3:38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

Susan: Enos or Enosh means “man is his frailty.” The Bible connects the birth of Enos with the beginning of prayer:

Genesis 4:26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.

Susie: Seth or Sheth means “compensation, appointed or substituted.” Eve named him Seth because he was born after Cain slew her second born son, Abel.

Genesis 4:25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

Susan: Adam means “of the ground or taken out of the red earth,” and God indeed formed him from dirt.

Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Susan: Adam and his wife, Eve, were the first to receive the promise of a Savior who would defeat Satan.

Genesis 3:15 (AMP)     “And I will put enmity (open hostility) Between you and the woman, And between your seed (offspring) and her Seed; He shall [fatally] bruise your head, And you shall [only] bruise His heel.”

Susan: Sin entered the world through the first man, Adam. But Jesus, the Son of Man, the Messiah, reconciled us to God through His death and resurrection (Romans 5).

Ponder this: God formed the first man out of dirt and breathed the breath of life into Him. One of Adam’s sons murdered the other, but God sent him a replacement in his son, Seth. Seth had a child he named Enos because in some way he reminded him of the frailty of man and the need to call out to the Lord. Throughout the Bible, the names of people remind us to rely on God who provides for us. What’s in a name? Look back over a few and meditate on God’s hand in your own life.