Thursday, March 15, 2018

III. THE GALILEAN MINISTRY

Jesus begins to preach

Jesus, with the power of the Spirit in him, returned to Galilee; and his reputation spread throughout the countryside. [ One of Luke's recurrent motifs: 4:37, 5:15, 7:17, cf., for similar examples, Acts 2:41+, 6:7; Luke 1:80+.] He taught in their synagogues and everyone praised him. [ Another favourite theme of Luke: the people admitting and praising Jesus: 4:22, 8:25, 9:43, 11:27, 13:17, 19:48: for similar themes, cf. 4:14+ (Christ's growing reputation) 2:20+ (the praise of God) 1:12+. (religious awe.)] - Luke 4:14-15 -

Jesus at Nazareth [ Apparently this passage combines three visits; the first, vv. 16-22 (Jesus is honoured) occurring at the time indicated by Matt. 4:13; the second, vv. 23-24 (Jesus astonishing his audience) the visit which Matthew and Mark speak; the third, vv. 25-30 (the life of Jesus threatened) not mentioned by Matthew and Mark and to be placed towards the end of the Galilean ministry. In this way Luke presents an introductory tableau which is a summary and symbol of Christ's great offer and of its contemptuous rejection by his own people.]

He came to Nazara,[ Rare form of the name 'Nazareth' ] where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read,[ The director of the synagogue could authorise any adult Jew to read the scripture lesson in public.] and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written:

The spirit of the Lord has been given to me,
for he has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, [ Add 'to heal the broken-hearted', cf. LXX.]
to proclaim liberty to captives
and to the blind new sight,
to set the downtrodden free,
to proclaim the Lord's year of favour.

He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, 'This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.' And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips.

They said, 'This is Joseph's son, surely?' But he replied, 'No doubt you will quote me the saying, "Physician, heal yourself?" and tell me, "We have heard all that happened in Capernaum, [ That is, the miracles of which Luke does not speak until after the visit to Nazareth, Luke 4:33, etc.] do the same here in your own countryside."' And he went on, 'I tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country.

'There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah's day, when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a Sidonian town. And in the prophet Elisha's time there were many lepers in Israel, but none of these was cured, except the Syrian, Naaman.'

When they heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They sprang to their feet and hustled him out of the town; and they took him up to the brow of the hill their town was built on, intending to throw him down the cliff, but he slipped through the crowd and walked away. - Luke 4:16-30 -

Jesus teaches in Capernaum and cures a demonic

He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because he spoke with authority.

In the synagogue there was a man who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean devil, and it shouted at the top of its voice, 'Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.' But Jesus said sharply, 'Be quiet! Come out of him!' And the devil, throwing the man down in front of everyone, went out of him without hurting him at all.

Astonishment seized them and they were all saying to one another, 'What teaching! He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out.' And reports of him went all through the surrounding countryside. Luke 4:31-37 -

Cure of Simon's mother-in-law

Leaving the synagogue he went to Simon's house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever and they asked him to do something for her. Leaning over her he rebuked the fever and it left her. And she immediately got up and began to wait on them.

A number of cures

At sunset all those who had friends suffering from diseases of one kind or another brought them to him, and laying his hands on each he cured them, devils too came out of many people, howling, 'You are the Son of God.' But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ.

Jesus quietly leaves Capernaum and travels through Judaea

When daylight came he left the house and made his way to a lonely place. The crowds went to look for him, and when they had caught up with him they wanted to prevent him leaving them, but he answered, 'I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do.' And he continued his preaching in the synagogues of Judaea. [ Mark reads 'Galilee' Luke uses 'Judaea' in the wide sense: the land of Israel. So also in 7:17, 23:5 (?), Acts 10:37, 28:21.] - Luke 4:38-44 -

The first four disciples are called

HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS (VICAR OF CHRIST) TO THEOLOGIANS: DON'T DO THEOLOGY AWAY FROM PEOPLE. "A THEOLOGY THAT HELPS EVERY CHRISTIAN PROCLAIM THE SAVING FACE OF GOD IS NECESSARY."

FOR POPE FRANCIS (VICAR OF CHRIST), THE THEOLOGIAN ISN'T JUST A SIMPLE SCHOLAR OF GOD, BUT RATHER MUCH MORE. HE OR SHE IS A SCHOLAR AT THE SERVICE OF A PEOPLE, THE CHURCH, TO WHICH HE OR SHE BELONGS AND IS NURTURED BY. THERE'S NO ROOM FOR INDIVIDUALIST THEOLOGIANS WHO COMPETE AMONGST THEMSELVES TO SEE WHO KNOWS MORE.

BEFORE MEMBERS OF THE ITALIAN THEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, THE POPE SAID THEOLOGY MUST BE USED TO HELP EVANGELIZE.

HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS (VICAR OF CHRIST),

"A THEOLOGY THAT HELPS EVERY CHRISTIAN PROCLAIM AND SHOW IS NECESSARY; ABOVE ALL, THE SAVING FACE OF GOD OF THE MERCIFUL GOD, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF SOME UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES THE HUMAN BEING FACES TODAY."

POPE FRANCIS MET WITH THE ORGANIZATION IN HONOR OF ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY. THE ASSOCIATION WAS CREATED WITH THE GOAL OF HELPING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL. - ROMEREPORTS.COM DECEMBER 29, 2017 -

HENCE, I EARNESTLY AND PROFOUNDLY BELIEVED THAT AS FAR AS SPIRITUALITY IS CONCERN. IT CAN ONLY COME FROM GOD, THE AUTHOR. THUS, THERE IS NO SUCH THING, AS COPYRIGHT, OR IT IS PRODUCED OR WRITTEN BY ME OR IT IS MINE; THE WORD OF GOD, THE SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE.

"I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE." - JOHN 16:12-15 -

ALL WRITERS, PERTAINING TO SPIRITUALITY WERE DEFINITELY QUOTED OR TAKE FROM HERE AND THERE, WHICH MAY BE ON AND FROM SOME OTHER WRITERS ARTICLES, BOOKS, BLOGS, OR SITES, ESPECIALLY THE "WORD OF GOD" THE SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE. BUT IN REALITY, IT IS FIRST USED ALREADY, PERHAPS, LONG, LONG TIME AGO.

"THIS DISCIPLE IS THE ONE WHO VOUCHES FOR THESE THINGS AND HAS WRITTEN THEM DOWN, AND WE KNOW THAT HIS TESTIMONY IS TRUE. THERE ARE MANY OTHER THINGS THAT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST DID; IF ALL WERE WRITTEN DOWN, THE WORLD ITSELF, I SUPPOSE, WOULD NOT HOLD ALL THE BOOKS THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE WRITTEN." - JOHN 21:24-25 -

JUST AS GOD ORIGINALLY INSPIRED THE SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE. GOD HAS USED THIS MEANS TO PRESERVE HIS 'WORD' FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. BUT BEHIND THE WRITING LAY PERIODS OF TIME WHEN THESE MESSAGES WERE CIRCULATED IN SPOKEN FORM. (ORAL TRADITION) THE STORIES OF THE PATRIARCHS WERE PASSED FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION BY WORD OF MOUTH BEFORE THEY WERE WRITTEN. (WRITTEN TRADITION)

THE MESSAGES OF THE PROPHETS WERE DELIVERED ORALLY BEFORE THEY WERE FIXED IN WRITING. NARRATIVES OF THE LIFE AND MINISTRY OF CHRIST JESUS WERE REPEATED ORALLY FOR TWO OR THREE DECADES BEFORE THEY WERE FIXED IN WRITING.

THEREFORE, SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE QUOTATION, THAT IS, HOW ANYONE AND I PUT WORD OF GOD INTO SENTENCES OR PUT WORDS INTO SENTENCES. REMEMBER ALWAYS! NO MATTER HOW THE "WORD OF GOD" AND WORDS PUT INTO SENTENCES, IN TRUTH, EVERYONE STARTED AND TOOK IT FROM THE MAIN SOURCE, THAT IS, FROM THE WITNESSES AND FROM THE SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE; "WORD OF GOD."

"IT IS TRUE, GOD SENT HIS WORD TO THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL, AND IT WAS TO THEM THAT THE GOOD NEWS OF PEACE WAS BROUGHT BY JESUS CHRIST - BUT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD OF ALL MEN. 

YOU MUST HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE RECENT HAPPENINGS IN JUDAEA; ABOUT JESUS OF NAZARETH AND HOW HE BEGAN IN GALILEE, AFTER JOHN THE BAPTIST HAD BEEN PREACHING BAPTISM. GOD HAD ANOINTED HIM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WITH POWER, AND BECAUSE GOD WAS WITH HIM, JESUS WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD AND CURING ALL WHO HAD FALLEN INTO THE POWER OF THE DEVIL.

NOW I, ( SIMON PETER / PETER ) AND THOSE WITH ME, CAN WITNESS TO EVERYTHING JESUS DID THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRYSIDE OF JUDAEA AND IN JERUSALEM ITSELF; AND ALSO TO THE FACT THAT THEY KILLED HIM BY HANGING HIM ON A TREE, YET THREE DAYS AFTERWARDS GOD RAISED HIM TO LIFE AND ALLOWED HIM TO BE SEEN, NOT BY THE WHOLE PEOPLE BUT ONLY BY CERTAIN WITNESSES GOD HAD CHOSEN BEFOREHAND.

NOW WE ARE THOSE WITNESSES - WE HAVE EATEN AND DRUNK WITH HIM AFTER HIS RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD - AND JESUS CHRIST HAS ORDERED US TO PROCLAIM THIS TO HIS PEOPLE AND TO TELL THEM THAT GOD HAS APPOINTED HIM TO JUDGE EVERYONE, ALIVE AND DEAD.

IT IS TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST THAT ALL THE PROPHETS BEAR THIS WITNESS: THAT ALL WHO BELIEVE IN JESUS WILL HAVE THEIR SINS FORGIVEN THROUGH HIS NAME." - ACTS 10:36-43 -

                                                                   Page 11
Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless. 

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.


Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -



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