Followers of Jewish rabbis were considered to be slaves to their teacher. But with Jesus, we see a friendship forged by sacrifice. The night before Jesus was crucified, He celebrated a Passover meal with His disciples. There, Jesus had washed their feet, warned one of them would betray Him, and that Peter would deny Him. …
The cost of following Jesus becomes apparent as Jesus travels towards Jerusalem. Jesus knew the hearts of those surrounding Him. Some wanted a new political kingdom to overthrow the Romans, while others sought casual discipleship, and a few truly sought Jesus as their Messiah. Luke 14: 25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around …
The cross changed everything when Jesus died for our sins and rose again. Think how faith in Jesus has changed your life now and in eternity. When Adam and Eve fell into sin, it did not catch the Lord by surprise. Paul says that God had a plan to redeem humanity, an extension of His …
Jesus taught Nicodemus what was necessary. John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.[1] Nicodemus would have been familiar with this story from Israel in the desert. You …
Through His sacrifice upon the cross, Jesus opens the throne of grace for us in heaven, changing how we can approach His throne. In the Old Testament, the temple had three main parts. The first was the outer court, then the Holy place where only the priest could enter, and God reserved the Most Holy …
As the story of the Emmaus disciples comes to a close, they have good news to share. They had unknowingly walked with Jesus from Jerusalem to Emmaus, about seven miles. As they walked along, Jesus showed them how the prophets had foretold that Messiah would have to suffer before coming into His glory. Sharing Hospitality …
The story of the two disciples returning to Emmaus from Jerusalem in Luke 24:13-34 is a story of hope lost and regained. Their spiritual journey can help us in our spiritual journey today. Jesus Helps the Disciples Regain Lost Hope As our story begins, Cleopas and his companion, which may even have been his wife, …
There’s a saying, cold hands, warm heart. The disciples walking with Jesus to Emmaus said, “were not our hearts burning within us?” A warm heart generally means someone kind, loving, and sympathetic. Here the disciples’ hearts were not only warm but burning. God’s Presence is Often Associated with Fire God shows Himself in fire often …
Many people don’t bother to read the Old Testament because we have the New Testament. But what if we read the OT through the lens of Jesus? Why would we do such a thing? Jesus tells us to. Jesus Says the Old Testament Points to Him Jesus had just joined two disciples returning home after …
If you have watched space science fiction shows, you have seen spaceships cloaking to hide from their enemies. In this week’s story, we see God’s version of cloaking. Jesus is walking with two disciples, and they don’t realize it is Jesus. Why was Jesus’ Identity Hidden? Two disciples were returning to their home in Emmaus …