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Re: Gleanings from the "Gospels" [message #11604 is a reply to message #11502]

Fri, 19 June 2015 10:06

Gary
Messages: 1025
Registered: August 2008
Location: Indiana

Senior Member

I got off track when I set myself to sharing from the Gospels. First when I looked on the four different accounts of what took place it became harder to get some direction because I kept wanting to look at all the Gospels then compare it or blend it into one narrative. I'll at this point make a feeble attempt to resume where I left off hopefully avoiding the pitfall of straying away from the subject matter.

While reading the four gospels which I at this point in time persist on doing, I have found there are certain characters that leap out of the pages of history and leave a mark on the church from the beginning since they were first written down by the Apostles.

Right off the bat we are introduced to John who later is given the name of John the Baptist. At the beginning, before his birth his parents are given instructions concerning this child and the circumstances are given on how he was introduced to his future parents.

Quote:

5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.

8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”

19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”

Zacharias and Elizabeth are said to be righteous people walking in the commandments of the Lord. The Angel goes on to tell Zacharias that John will be great in the sight of the Lord, he will not drink wine or strong drink, he will be filled with the Spirit even from the time he was in the womb and that he would turn the people to be ready and prepared for the Lord.

At the birth of John we see Zacharias prophecy that:

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76
“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
77
To give knowledge of salvation to His people
By the remission of their sins,
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Through the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;
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To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

80 So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

Were then told that John will go before the Lord to prepare His ways and give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

John grew and became strong in the spirit and was in the desert till the day of his manifestation.

What is amazing is that John spent 30 years preparing for a ministry that only lasted a few months. It would seem like a long time to wait and then when your ministry gets started your immediately put to death and it ends swiftly. Everyone heard about what was taking place from the common man, the religious leaders, and even the local government.

Most today spend very little time preparing (if your consider a few years in a seminary) and then go out and make a lifetime career of ministry. Without all the modern day technology John has quite an impact on a large number of people in this nation of Israel. Like the old saying goes: Word travels fast.

When John came forth and started baptizing people and telling people to repent, his ministry at that point did not set well with the established religious practices of that day and time.

Here was something new that had never taken place before a man in the wilderness baptizing people?

God can impact a people anyway He chooses and as it was discussed in another thread, It is possible for God to do a new work that most are unaware of. Mankind is very limited in our understanding of being able to see what our Creator can do. As created beings we have to let God be "God".

Here John was preparing in the wilderness all these years but one day the Word of the Lord came to John.

Quote:

3 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.
5
Every valley shall be filled
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough ways smooth;
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And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
John Preaches to the People

7 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 9 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?”

11 He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”

12 Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”

13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.”

14 Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?”

So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”

15 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, 16 John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”

18 And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. 19 But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20 also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.

John then goes forth and preaches repentance. We see in Luke's gospel that John calls the people a "brood of vipers", and warns them to repent from their sins and sinful lifestyle. John would not set very well in today's society. I cannot see him making excuses for peoples sins.

After being baptized several groups of people ask him the question; What shall we do?

He tells one group, share with the poor, or give of your clothes and food, second group, be honest or don't charge more then what you should charge, and to the third group, not to whine about your wages or don't intimidate others or accuse others falsely.

John is sharing knowledge on how they should conduct themselves in the present world.

Were not given all the details but somehow John comes in contact with Herod. He's on the banks of a river baptizing people and then somehow ends up talking with one of the local government leaders. His conversation ends up costing him life eventually.

Herod's wife becomes greatly offended at Johns statement that it was unlawful for Herod to be married to her because it was his brothers wife. Jesus said that she that is married and goes and marries another is living in adultery while she is alive and he that marries her is also living in adultery. The Lord may be referring to this situation but scripture does not go into detail in this matter. Either way Herod's wife was offended and Herod was offended but because he feared the people he eventually put John in prison but was afraid to have him put to death.

The one thing about the Gospels is that we can see some behind the scenes situations and we can know what some are thinking and what their reaction is to the message being brought forth. Sin is offensive to those who choose to follow its path. They don't want to hear it and they don't even want anyone talking about it.

To be continued,
Gary

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