New Testament Reading Plan: Week 2



Week 2 summary:

In this week's readings we see Jesus performing miracles as He heals and teaches.  And as He goes about His mission, we see Jesus “rocking the boat,” especially with the religious leaders.  He teaches about what the Law really means which is frequently different than the way the religious leaders interpreted it and attempted to enforce it.  And as He “rocks the boat,” the religious leaders are already out to trap and “destroy” Him.

Jesus' ministry gets started as He continues healing.  He also has started to make some people mad as:  1) He openly says that He “forgives sins,” something only God can do;  2) as He is seen eating with sinners; 3) as He teaches differently regarding fasting and the Sabbath laws.  In other words, Jesus is bringing something new that contradicts what the religious leaders of the day were communicating.  Note:  the Sabbath was the 7th day of the week set aside for rest and worship.  For Jews, the Sabbath was sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday.  For the Jews, no work could be done on the Sabbath.  For Christians, we typically celebrate this day of rest and worship on Sundays.  We celebrate this day of rest and worship on the 7th day to remember that God created in 6 days and He rested on the 7th day.

Day 2:   John 5
The healing that occurred on the Sabbath in this passage caused the leaders to want to kill Jesus.  (The question is whether healing someone on the Sabbath, the day of rest and worship, violated God's law.)  In addition, Jesus in this passage calls God His “father.”
Jesus is clearly claiming to be God in this passage.  However, in Jewish law, testimony about oneself was not valid.  So Jesus indicates (starting in verse 31) that there are others who testify about His identity for Him:  1)  John the Baptist;  2) God the Father;  3) the Scriptures;  4) Moses.

In the passage from Matthew, Jesus raises the issues that the Jewish leaders might be able to quote the law but they really don't understand the spirit of the law.  Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6, a verse from the Old Testament Scripture that the Jewish people of that time would have known.
Several times in the gospels (Mark 3 being an example), Jesus warns people (and demons) not to reveal His true identity, at least not yet.  Jesus wanted to make sure that people did not think He was a Messiah that had come to conquer.  As Messiah, Jesus came to be a suffering servant.
C.S. Lewis said that Jesus could not be just a good moral teacher.  Because of what Jesus said, you would either have to believe Him to be a lunatic (crazy), a liar, or Lord.  In Mark 3:21, Mark tells us that even Jesus' own family thought Him to be a lunatic (crazy).  We all have to decide for ourselves:  is Jesus a lunatic or a liar; and if He is neither, then He deserves to be Lord of our life.

Day 4:   Matthew 5-7
Matthew 5-7 is what we call the Sermon on the Mount.  (We read yesterday Luke's version of this event which is called the Sermon on the Plain and is basically the same teaching.)  There are various interpretations of what this teaching means.  However we can safely assume that Jesus wants us to follow this teaching.  He tells us to “...be perfect...” and also says ...to put His words into practice – if we do, we will build our house on solid rock.  We don't start out our Christian life doing what Jesus teaches here.  But He calls us to continually move in that direction – toward Christlikeness.  (Jesus teaches what He did, does and always will do!  Jesus says in Matthew 5:17 that He has come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.)  The good news is that when we fail to be “perfect,” we can run back to Jesus for His grace.  In other words, this continues to underscore the point that we NEED saving.  And Jesus is our Savior!
Jesus continues teaching that there is a difference between the letter of the Law and the spirit of the Law when He says “...you have heard that it was said...but I say to you...”  And all of this boils down to loving God and loving neighbor.

In Luke 7, John the Baptist asks if Jesus is the one who is prophesied to come (i.e., the Savior referenced in the Old Testament).  Jesus tells John's disciples to go report to John what has been seen (the blind can see, the lame can walk, the skin diseases have been healed, …).  Jesus is referring to Isaiah 35 and referring to what will happen as God's Kingdom comes.  Isaiah 35 is talking about transformation and concludes by saying that there will be something like a Holy Highway that only those ransomed by the Lord will travel.

Day 6:   Matthew 11
Why did Jesus perform the miracles He did?  We get a clue in Matthew 11 starting in verse 20.  Jesus' main reason for His miracles is so that people would change their hearts and lives.  We refer to that as transformation and transformation is part of our mission as Christ's church.  The transformation Jesus was talking about was not of unbelievers so-to-speak, but He was speaking about His own people.  We don't get to see the miracles of Jesus first-hand, but we have the opportunity to read about them.  This can happen to us as we study God's Word.  Our hearts and lives can change – we can be transformed.

Day 7:  rest