Luke 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Luke 4:42-44 – From Lonely Places Back to Preaching

Luke 4:42-44 – From Lonely Places Back to Preaching

LK4:42 Now when day dawned Jesus left for a private spot. So the crowds continued to look for him and when they found him they tried to prevent him from leaving them. LK4:43 Because of this Jesus told them: “It is necessary that I must also preach to other towns about the kingdom of The God,[1] for this is the reason I was sent.” LK4:44 And so Jesus continued to preach in the synagogues of Judea.

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[1] The kingdom of The God: The central theme of Christ’s message. The key word “kingdom” occurs 55 times in Matthew, 23 times in Mark, 45 times in Luke, and 5 times in John. The term may refer to a] the Realm of the King, that is, the Church; and, b] the seat of government under the sovereignty of God.

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Preceding

Luke 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Luke 4:1-13 – Tempted by the Devil

Luke 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Luke 4:14-15 – Good Reports as Jesus Taught

Luke 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Luke 4:16-21 – In His Hometown Synagogue

Luke 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Luke 4:22-30 – From Approval to Rage

Luke 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Luke 4:31-37 – In Capernaum a Demon Exorcised

Luke 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Luke 4:38-41 – More Miracles by Jesus

Mark 10 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Review Questions on Chapter Ten

Review Questions on Chapter Ten

• What question do some ask?
• To whom does the Kingdom belong?
• Who will have difficulty getting into the Kingdom?
• What request do John and James make, with what reaction?
• Who is the greatest among all Christians?
• What was the name of the blind beggar healed?

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Preceding

Mark 10 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 10:1-12 – Pharisees Debate About Divorce

Mark 10 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 10:13-16 – Kingdom Belongs to Child-like

Mark 10 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 10:17-22 – Sell and Give to Poor

Mark 10 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 10:23-31 – The Difficulty of Money

Mark 10 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 10:32-34 – Predicts His Suffering

Mark 10 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 10:35-40 – Nespotism and Baptism

Mark 10 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 10:41-45 – The True Minister

Mark 10 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 10:46-52 – Blind Bartimaeus Healed

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Additional reading

1. Today’s exhortation on Mark 10 With God all things are possible

Mark 10 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 10:13-16 – Kingdom Belongs to Child-like

Mark 10:13-16 – Kingdom Belongs to Child-like

|| Matthew 19:13-15;[1] Luke 18:15-17

MK10:13 Then they brought little children to Jesus so that he might touch them. But his disciples rebuked the parents[2] who brought them. MK10:14 Now when he was aware of this he was very upset,[3] and so he told the disciples: “Allow the little children to approach me and do not try to stop them! Because those [who are ‘little children’] belong to the Kingdom of the God. MK10:15 I tell you this truth: Whoever does not accept God’s Realm like a ‘little child’[4] will never gain entrance.”[5] MK10:16 Then Jesus took the children in his arms[6] and laid his hands upon them, blessing them.

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[1] Matthew 19:13-15: For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on Matthew.

[2] Disciples rebuked the parents: Our patient grows thin for these men. If these represent the best of the Jews at the time, we begin to understand why Jesus calls the whole generation adulterous and wicked.

[3] He was very upset: Or, displeased, angry, indignant.

[4] Little child: These self-righteous, arrogant and jealousy ambitious men needed to make a great change. This they finally do after Pentecost.

[5] Gain entrance: Not only is it hard for the arrogant and ambitious to even become members of the Church – the Realm of Profession – it is virtually impossible for such to ever gain the celestial Kingdom of the Father. [Matthew 13:40-43]

[6] Jesus took the children in his arms: This is surely an endearing sight, as we watch the faces of the apostles who had opposed the children. They must surely feel ashamed.

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Preceding

Mark 10 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 10:1-12 – Pharisees Debate About Divorce

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Related

1. 7th-week-of-ordinary-time-cycle-1-saturday- gospel-reading – Mark 10:13-16
2. 7th week of ordinary-time-cycle-2 – Saturday-gospel-reading – Mark 10:13-16
3. Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
4. Creation & Stewardship 2
5. How Approachable Are We?
6. Let the Children Come to Me
7. Inclusive Welcome (Mk 10:13-15)
8. Re-Learning to Be Like Children
9. Child-Like Living
10. Do Not Hinder Them
11. Daily Devotion: Mark 10:15

Mark 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 4:30-32 – Kingdom Like a Mustard Seed

Mark 4:30-32 – Kingdom Like a Mustard Seed

|| Matthew 13:31, 32;[1] Luke 13:18, 19

MK4:30 Jesus said: “With what will we compare God’s Realm? Or, what parable might we use to explain it? MK4:31 It is like a mustard-seed[2] when first planted in the ground is among the tiniest of all seeds. MK4:32 But once grown it becomes one of the largest of all bushes, so even the birds of the sky nest in its shade.”

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[1] Matthew 13:31, 32: For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on Matthew.

[2] Mustard-seed: The Church begins with essentially twelve men and a few score disciples. It grows over three centuries into a massive bush, almost like a tree. Had anyone predicted to the Jews or Romans that within three centuries the Nazarene movement would become the state religion and that Emperor himself would be a Christian – there would have been universal laughter. Had those persons in the 3^rd Century been told that Christianity would become the world’s largest religion with two billion adherents among the most powerful nations on earth – none would have believed it.

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Preceding

Matthew 13:31-32 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Parable of the Mustard Seed

Matthew 17:14-21 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Faith the Size of a Mustard Seed

Mark 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 4:1-9 – Teaching in Parables

Mark 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 4:10-13 – How Will You Understand?

Mark 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 4:14-20 – Sower Parable Explained

Mark 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 4:21-23 – Light Exposes

Mark 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 4:24, 25 – Hearing and Responsibility

Mark 4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 4:26-29 – The Sleeping Farmer

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Additional reading

1. Seeds, weeds and kingdoms
2. Unbelief, faith and mustard seed
3. A Living Faith #1 Substance of things hoped for

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Related

1. Mark 4:26-34
2. Seed Power
3. Seeds of Mustard and Kudzu
4. Morning Musing: Mark 4:30-32
5. The Mustard Seed
6. A Little Mustard Seed
7. Mustard Seed
8. Handing Over the Keys
9. Gardening from Seed
10. Mustard Seeds
11. From One Seed – Many Seeds
12. Weed or towering cedar? The Kingdom of God.
13. Text Study for Mark 4:26-34 (Pt. 2); 3 Pentecost B 2021
14. Seeds Harvest Growth- Worship Resources based on Mark 4.26-34
15. God of the Little – Prayer
16. The Kingdom is not in us. We are in the Kingdom.
17. Growing the Kingdom: It’s Not About Us
18. Gardening with God
19. Stay in the Soil
20. Never Underestimate the Power of a Seed
21. “God Changes Things!”
22. An Everlasting Kingdom
23. Setting Our Stories Straight: The Myth of Progress

Mark 1 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 1:14-15 – Kingdom Has Drawn Near

Mark 1:14-15 – Kingdom Has Drawn Near

|| Matthew 4:12-17[1]

MK1:14 Later, after John had been thrown into prison, Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the Good News of the God. MK1:15 He said: “The appointed time has drawn near, and the Kingdom of the God[2] has drawn close. Repent and continue to believe in the Good News.”

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[1] Matthew 4:12-17: For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on Matthew.

[2] God: As in most other occurrences the article precedes God. Here the Greek is TOU THEOU [of the God], elsewhere it is HO THEOS or TON THEON. [See notes on John 1:1]

Divine: Or, KJV: God; GDS: divine; MOF: divine. The Greek is KAI THEOS EN HO LOGOS. This THEOS (god) is not the same as TON THEON (The God) of the former phrase. The Greek, unlike English and other languages, only has the definite article (HO = the). When the article occurs it indicates a specific thing; when it is lacking (anarthrous) it means one of many or a type. Many view THEOS here as an adjective describing a quality of the Logos. More than a dozen translators have rendered this “a god” ÿÿ whereas another half dozen have used “divine.” ÿÿ Some Trinitarian scholars give a severe paraphrase here: BAR: and the nature of the Word was the same as the nature of God; NEB: what God was the Word was. These do not solve the problem but create even greater mystery and confusion. The argument between Trinitarians and Unitarians will continue as it has in the past.

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Preceding

Mark 1 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 1:1-8 – The Beginning of the Good News

Mark 1 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 1:9-11 – An Approved Son Baptized

Nazarene Commentary Luke 3:3-6 – John Preaches Baptism of Repentance

Mark 1 – Additional Bible Students notes on Mark 1:9-11 – An Approved Son Baptized

Mark 1 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Mark 1:12-13 – Tempted by the Devil

 

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Related

1. May 2, 2020. Day 123: Repent and believe in the gospel.
2. A Year of Listening to Jesus 1/21
3. Some Good News for Christmas