BR-44 Chronological Bible Read (October 29 - November 4)

Eight weeks to go, Chronos! 

We’ve been getting a picture of Judas and Satan that is worth exploring a bit. John refers to Judas as “the one headed for destruction” (John 17:12). The sense of the language is that Judas had long been on a path leading him away from God. This helps explain how Satan “entered into Judas” as he made his way to the point of betrayal. We know that he had been a thief all throughout his association with Jesus. It’s no stretch to believe that his thievery preceded his first encounter with Jesus. The picture that emerges is of a man who sought to take advantage of some very trusting souls, someone willing to pretend to be good for the sole purpose of stealing what was never his. Is it any wonder he finally wore himself down to such a thin being that Satan could slip in and steer? He never belonged to God in the first place. That’s why Judas was so easily led astray by “the ruler of this world.”

Blessings,

Steve

_________________________

We’re reading The One Year Chronological Bible, New Living Translation (Tyndale). It’s best with your own copy. Or, paste in this link to the daily reading schedule:

http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/readingplan/oneyearchronologicalbiblereadingplan.pdf

 _________________________

This week's highlights: 

The plot to kill Jesus. Judas takes a bribe. The last supper. The Holy Spirit is promised. Garden of Gethsemane. Betrayal, arrest, and “trial.” Encounter with Pilate. Encounter with Herod. Back to Pilate. The crucifixion and death of Jesus.  

Comments: 

October 29 —Mark 14:24, Matthew 26:28, Luke 22:20— At this special time, Jesus references two important OT scriptures those present would have known; Isaiah chapter 53 (I think you will recognize this one) and Jeremiah 31:31-34.

October 30 —John 13:34-35, John 15:12, 17— Sometimes called the Eleventh Commandment, it is (1) issued by Jesus, (2) a command given directly to His followers, and (3) it is limited in its objects: “each other.” In other words, outside of all the other commands and directives to love people (e.g., your neighbor”), Jesus wants His followers to love each other, specifically.

October 31 —John 15:19— “The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it.”

November 1 —Matthew 26:51-52, John 18:10, Luke 22:49-51— I find myself wondering about Malchus, the slave of the High Priest whose ear was slashed off by Peter. In my mind’s eye, I see him remaining behind when all the others drag Jesus off to His “trial.” I see him standing there, staring at the ground, one hand lifted to feel his new ear, and yet also feeling the blood that had no doubt run down the side of his face after that sword slash. Though he was likely no longer feeling it, he could well recall the horrible pain that followed his ear being slashed away by Peter’s sword ... and he could clearly see before him on the ground that severed ear. Did he then look over his shoulder after the departing crowd, having second thoughts about the “man” they had been sent to arrest? I wonder what his life was like from that night forward. Did the miracle of his healed ear lead him to become a follower of Jesus?

November 2 —John 18:26— Awkward! Peter is caught out by someone who was actually in the Garden of Gethsemane earlier that night when he slashed off that man’s ear! And she’s a relative of the Malchus! All of this drama just before the rooster crowed. 

November 2 —Matthew 27:6— These “leading” priests think its the money that is tainted! They are the ones who used Judas (and, later, Pilate) as a proxy to murder Jesus ... talk about the blind leading the blind! 

November 3 —Today is all about Pilate— He finds Jesus not guilty ... but quickly sends Him to Herod once he understands that Jesus is a Galilean. Interestingly, Herod and Pilate hated each other, but then became friends over their mutual handling of Jesus. Apparently, Herod saw the sending of Jesus to him as a gesture of goodwill(!) To mollify the Jewish leaders (leading priests, teachers of the law, Pharisees, and other leaders of the people), and even though he knew they were just envious of Jesus, Pilate releases a known murderer rather than Jesus. Then, just before he takes any final actions, Pilate ignores a note from his wife warning him she dreamt that he should release Jesus ... God gave even Pilate a chance to have nothing to do with Jesus’ death. Finally, he has the-man-he-declared-innocent flogged with a lead-tipped whip! Then, after all that, he sentences Jesus to death by crucifixion. 

November 4 —Matthew 27:50-53— DAY OF THE [walking] DEAD! 

I wrote a blog about these folks who got up out of their graves and walked into Jerusalem following Jesus’ death. If interested: https://steveorr.blogspot.com/search/label/1Spiritual%20Reflection%20-%20DAY%20OF%20THE%20%5Bwalking%5D%20DEAD?m=0

 

Next week: 

The Burial of Jesus. The resurrection (You had one jobs tomb guards!). Road to Emmaus. Jesus reveals his resurrected person to His disciples. The Great Commission. The Ascension. Replacing Judas. The Holy Spirit and preaching on Pentecost. Peter and John start their ministries. Early opposition to the apostles. Choosing the first Deacons. The arrest and stoning of Stephen. Philip starts his ministry. Saul’s conversion. Peter baptizes Gentiles! Barnabas sorts everything out. King Herod kills James (the brother of John) and imprisons Peter. 

BR-43 Chronological Bible Read (October 22-28)

It’s nice, bite-size chunks, Chronos, for the rest of the year. Looks like we will be averaging three to four pages a day from now on! How great to be entering these final two months with such easy daily reads.

LOOKING FURTHER AHEAD:

I would appreciate any feedback and recommendations you are willing to share with me over the next couple of months. In 2021, I will look to you for any recommended changes to these study notes. 

Blessings,

Steve

_________________________

We’re reading The One Year Chronological Bible, New Living Translation (Tyndale). It’s best with your own copy. Or, paste in this link to the daily reading schedule:

http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/readingplan/oneyearchronologicalbiblereadingplan.pdf

 _________________________

This week's highlights: 

Zacchaeus, that wee little man. Anointing at Bethany. Triumphal entry to Jerusalem. Pay taxes to Caesar? Moneychangers in the Temple. The greatest commandment. The widow’s mite. Jesus prophecies about the future. The final judgment. 

Comments: 

October 22, 2017 —Matthew 20:1-16—  “The kingdom of heaven is like...” Don’t miss that this entire parable is about revealing the Kingdom to us. God asks, rhetorically, “Can’t I do whatever I want with my own resources?” Sovereignty can be scary to us; we’re not used to that. But that’s the situation. 

October 23, 2017 —Mark 14:3-9, Matthew 26:5-13, John 12:1-11—  Jesus is anointed prior to His crucifixion. John 11:2 confirms this woman was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Interesting revelation about Judas. Yes, he was likely frustrated that Jesus didn’t plan to be an Earthly king. But that’s just part of the picture. Judas was a thief ... and worse. However we wish to parse his personality and his motivations, his choices (betraying for money) still led to a person’s false arrest, harsh treatment, imprisonment, and painful death. 

October 24, 2017 —Luke 19:47— Never doubt which people were proximately responsible for the death of Jesus: the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people.

October 25, 2-17 —Mark 12:1-12, Matthew 21:33-46, Luke 20:9-19— The religious leaders (leading priests, teachers of the law, Pharisees) recognized themselves in the parable! They were the wicked farmers!

October 25, 2017  —Mark 12:13-17, Matthew :15-22, Luke 20-22-26— We bear the imprint and inscription of God ... We are what God wants rendered unto Him. NOTE: the word we translate as “give” is better understood as “restore, return to.” The coin they produced was already the property of Caesar. The tax only caused them to return it to Caesar. 

October 26, 2017 —Mark 12:28-34, Matthew 34-40— These two commandments are the greatest and they equal all the law and the prophets. Think on that a bit.

October 27, 2017 — The whole day is worth a re-read because of this one verse: “So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”” (Luke‬ ‭21:28‬ ‭NLT‬‬ — http://bible.com/116/luk.21.28.nlt)

October 28, 2017 —Matthew 25_14-30— “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by ...” We often over look the actual purpose of this parable in trying to find a modern applications for the distribution of “talents” and trying to decide which of these servants is us. Don’t miss those opening words: that’s the real purpose of the parable. 

Next week: 

The plot to kill Jesus. Judas takes a bribe. The last supper. The Holy Spirit promised. The garden of Gethsemane. Betrayal and arrest. The “trial.” Encounter with Pilate. The crucifixion and death of Jesus.  

BR-42 Chronological Bible Read (October 15-21)

This week’s Key verse, Chronos, is: “You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.” (October 16th - Luke‬ ‭11:42‬b)

This week’s readings are chock full of those “more important things.” Can you list some of them?

Blessings, Steve

_________________________

We’re reading The One Year Chronological Bible, New Living Translation (Tyndale). It’s best with your own copy. Or, paste in this link to the daily reading schedule:

http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/readingplan/oneyearchronologicalbiblereadingplan.pdf

 _________________________

This week's highlights: 

Jesus has more conflicts with the religious leaders. Sending out the 72 disciples. Satan’s fall from Heaven. The greatest commandment. The Good Samaritan. Mary, Martha, & Lazarus.  Money, possessions, inheritance. Another mustard seed reference. The Good Shepherd. The Prodigal Son. The rich man and Lazarus. Divorce and Marriage. The Rich Young Ruler. Eye of the Needle. 

Comments: 

October 15th — John 8:44 — we have a little primer on Satan this week, and from an unimpeachable source! Satan loves “to do evil things,” is “a murderer,” is a liar who “always hated the truth,” and is “the father of lies.” Later on the same reading day in Luke 10:18, Jesus states “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” His disciples would know He was referencing Isaiah 14:12-17 and Ezekiel 28:11-19. 

October 16th — Luke 11:29-30 — People are sometimes confused by this passage. The “sign of Jonah” just means that the people of Nineveh knew all about what God did to Jonah before he finally came and preached to them. Jonah’s travails were a sign to them that he was sent by God. The people of Nineveh repented when they (finally) heard Jonah’s message from God. Jesus is telling the crowd that what will happen to Him will be a sign to the Israelites that God sent Jesus to them ... also, Jesus compares his upcoming death/resurrection to Jonah spending three days inside the great fish.

October 17th — Luke 13:18-21 — The Kingdom of Heaven explained in two illustrations. Both are about starting small and then expanding. Mostly, though, we miss the point: we think there is something we are going to do that establishes the Kingdom. A careful reading reveals that it is in the nature of the mustard seed and in the yeast to expand ... all on their own. The Kingdom will start small and keep on expanding because that is how the Kingdom works. By the way: the mustard seed illustration is meant to be shocking (and possibly humorous). No one would plant a mustard seed in their garden! It would push out every other plant until only the mustard plant remained.

October 18th — John 10:16 — Other sheep: most scholars believe this refers to all the non-Jews who have elected to follow Jesus over the millennia. Xr Luke 13:29-30 for more.

October 19th — Luke 15:20 — “While he was a long way off....” One of the best parts of the Prodigal Son Parable is that the father was watching for the son’s return, that he loved his lost son so much he had positioned himself in such a way (perhaps in a tower or on a hillside) that he could see “a long way off” in hope that his son might someday come to his senses and return. If that happened, he didn’t want to miss it! Call this “leaning in” to forgiveness. It’s how God acts when we are wayward. 

October 20th — John 11:47-48 — Their faith in God had fallen so low, to the point that they no longer believed God could protect them as a nation. They concluded that, if “everyone will believe” in Jesus, such an event would lead to the destruction of Israel. If only they could have seen just who it was they were planning to kill “for the good of the nation.”

October 21st — Mark 10:23, Luke 18:24-28 — His disciples, like most people those days, equated wealth with God’s pleasure. In other words, if you were wealthy, it was because God looked upon you with favor (i.e., you couldn’t possibly be a sinner). It was a nifty bit of circular reasoning that had been around since the days of Job (at least!). But, as we know from the book of Job, and from these teachings of Jesus, wealth is no insulation from hard times and it can be even harder for a wealthy person to get into heaven. They can fall prey to their “things” or their social position slipping into first place in front of God, turning their wealth into an idol. This is not a foregone conclusion, as some would have us believe. But, like anything in our lives, the potential is there for idolatry ... just a bit more so with wealth. Eye of the needle, you know. 

Next week: 

Zacchaeus (that wee little man). An anointing at Bethany, Triumphal entry to Jerusalem, Pay taxes to Caesar (the government)? Moneychangers in the Temple. The greatest commandment. The widow’s mite. Jesus prophecies about the future. The final judgment. 

BR-41 Chronological Bible Read (October 8-14)

Lots in the notes, this week, Chronos, 

Did you find many interesting links between these Gospel readings and our Old Testament readings? 

Be sure to let me know if you have questions about anything I’ve not covered (or anything I have covered, for that matter).

Blessings, Steve

_________________________

We’re reading The One Year Chronological Bible, New Living Translation (Tyndale). It’s best with your own copy. Or, paste in this link to the daily reading schedule:

http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/readingplan/oneyearchronologicalbiblereadingplan.pdf

 _________________________

This week's highlights: 

More healing. Jesus rejected in His hometown. Jesus had sisters! The sending out of the twelve. Death of John the Baptist. Feeding the 5000 & the 4000. Jesus walks on water. Many disciples desert Jesus. Scraps from the Master's table. "Who do you say that I am?" The Transfiguration. "Who is the greatest in the kingdom? Parable of the lost sheep. Parable of the unforgiving debtor. Openly teaching in the Temple. A woman caught in adultery (somehow just by herself). 

_________________________

Comments: 

October 8th — Mark 6:11 — origin of “Shake the dust from your feet.” We often say something like this to mean we will no longer continue in a relationship. 

October 9th — Mark 6:30-31 — Something to keep in mind when considering the workload and work hours of our pastoral, missionary, and ministry staffs: Jesus had his crew go off for a while to rest and recharge. Let’s imitate that in our churches and missionary organizations. 

October 10th — John 6:70 — “I chose the twelve of you, but one of you is a devil.” Best translation of this would be “the Devil.” But don’t get hung up on that “the”. Remember, Jesus often spoke figuratively (e.g., “destroy this temple,” meaning His body ... “get behind me Satan” spoken to Peter; but Peter, of course, was not actually Satan). Using the phrase “the Devil” is just a way to help them understand that one of them (Judas Iscariot, as they would eventually come to learn) is really, really bad.

October 10th — Mark 7:22 — while explaining that what goes into a persons mouth is not what defiles them, but rather what comes from the heart, Jesus lists several negative matters (e.g., sexual immorality, greed, deceit, etc.). He caps off His list with the word “foolishness.” It was well understood by Jesus’ audience, but is often a translational problem for us. “Ivvelet” is the word for “fool” and it appears mostly in the book of Proverbs. And, as we learned when reading Proverbs, “fool” does not mean a person who clowns around or acts silly; it means a person devoid of virtue and from who wisdom is absent. Perhaps, like me, you were taught this differently while growing up. I can’t count the times well-meaning christians lectured us young people on the “sin” of foolishness, meaning “clowning around or acting silly,” and incorrectly cited this passage from Mark.

October 11th — Matthew 15:21-28 — I like the Matthew version of this better than the one in Mark. It’s harsh enough without Mark’s matter-of-fact reporting style. Think how much she must have loved her daughter to just stand there and take, first, being ignored by Jesus; and then, once He addressed her query, to find herself compared to a dog! How strong must have been the desire to give this Jew a tongue-lashing for his elitist response! And yet, she found it within her to bring back a humble response, filled with a hope that He would still help her daughter. Amazing faith, indeed. (If you wish to explore this further, I wrote a reflection about it. Running With the Little Dogs is at: http://steveorr.blogspot.com/2017/08/running-with-little-dogs-steve-orr.html?m=0

October 12th — Luke 9:31 — I never noticed this, before. How did I miss the topic of that amazing conversation?! Did those two have roles to fulfill? Some tasks they were charged with accomplishing?

October 13th — Matthew 17:20 — I think the better translation, here, is “like” a mustard seed or “as” a mustard seed. We have just assumed Jesus was using the size of the mustard seed because everyone would have known how tiny they are ... But that’s not necessarily so. He may well have been referencing (1) the inherent nature of the mustard seed: that, though tiny when it starts, it grows into a bush so massive, many call it a tree ... and it just keeps on growing. Another aspect of the mustard seed to which Jesus may have been referencing (and to which the listeners would have been fully aware) is that, as it grows, (2) it pushes out every other plant. It creates its own ecosystem for birds, animals, and insects; but no other plants. A growing faith (vs their stagnating faith) and a personal environment of faith (vs their still worldly one) are much more likely what Jesus meant than the size of their faith.

October 13th — Matthew 18:21-35 — Here is something to recommend to someone who is having trouble forgiving a person. Start a “Forgiveness Journal.” Each time the person does or says that thing (or fails to say or do the desired thing) for which you are having trouble forgiving, make an entry into the journal about it. Be specific. Then, pray about it with God. Repeat this process each and every time the person does or says that thing (or fails to say or do the desired thing). Do not stop making journal entries and praying to God about it until you reach 490 entries ... or until you are ready to forgive and let it go. 

October 14th — Luke 9:61-62 — you can’t plow a strait row while looking back. In other words, to be effective in service to the kingdom, a person cannot be overly concerned about other matters. If you are going into kingdom service, then kingdom service must be the priority. If interested, here’s a blog I wrote about this: https://steveorr.blogspot.com/2019/06/stuck-in-reverse-steve-orr-scripture.html?m=0

October 14th — John 8:1-11 — somehow, this women got caught in the act of adultery ... by herself! No matter how I try to make that work, I just come up with nothing. How do you go about getting caught ... in the act ... of a two-person activity by yourself ?! For my part, I think Jesus showed a massive amount of patience with these fools (see definition of fool, above). I think I would have been tempted to repeat the cleansing of the Temple with these jerks. 

If I am being too subtle, here, let me ask it plainly: where’s the guy?! Talk about your setups. What this says it that these supposed religious leaders were so calloused as human beings that they were perfectly willing to have this woman stoned to death if they could somehow trip up Jesus and catch Him in violation of the Law ... anything they could use against Him.

Jesus was brilliant, here. There are so many ways in which we should imitate Him, but I would encourage all of us to meditate on this one, in particular, as a life pattern worth imitating every day.

Next week: 

More conflicts with the religious leaders. Sending out the 72 disciples. Satan’s fall from Heaven. The greatest commandment. The Good Samaritan. Mary, Martha, & Lazarus.  Money, possessions, inheritance. Another mustard seed reference. The Good Shepherd. The Prodigal Son. The rich man and Lazarus. Divorce and Marriage. The Rich Young Ruler. Eye of the Needle.