Category: Bible Study

“If You say so, I will lower the nets.” –Luke 5:5 One of the most crucial decisions in life is to do what we don’t understand, just because God said so. This is walking by faith, not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). In this way, we let the Lord raise us above our human limitations. Children who refuse to do something just because their parents tell them to do it will seriously deprive themselves. It’s the same with us who are God’s children. We don’t know everything we need to know. We don’t know the future. We can’t read people’s...

“He began to teach them at great length.” –Mark 6:34 Jesus is the Teacher. The people’s reaction to Jesus’ ministry was: “A completely new teaching in a spirit of authority!” (Mk 1:27) Jesus was and is always teaching. He taught even while hanging on the cross. When Mary Magdalene recognized Jesus risen from the dead, she exclaimed ” ‘Rabbouni!’ (meaning ‘Teacher’)” (Jn 20:16). On the afternoon of the day of His Resurrection, Jesus walked about seven miles with two of His disciples and “interpreted for them every passage of Scripture which referred to Him” (Lk 24:27). That evening, the risen...

“The Lord forgave him his sins and exalted his strength forever.” –Sirach 47:11 Herodias hated St. John the Baptizer for pointing out that she was an adulteress (Mk 6:18-19). When she said she wanted John’s head, her daughter took her very literally, added on to her request, and asked Herod: “I want you to give me, at once, the head of John the Baptizer on a platter” (Mk 6:25). Herod granted her request. So a waiter walking around with John’s head on a platter may have been part of the “entertainment” at Herod’s birthday party. To put it mildly, Herod...

“He instructed them to take nothing on their journey.” –Mark 6:8 Jesus sends out His disciples to unknown locations. He does not allow us to bring food, luggage, money, or a change of clothes (Mk 6:8-9). Moreover, we are not to have pre-arranged accommodations. Most people react to these words of Jesus with disbelief and fear. We think: “Jesus can’t possibly mean this.” Yet what if He really does mean it? However, Jesus does not say: “Have no food or money.” Instead, He says: “Take no food or money.” It may sound like Jesus is saying that we won’t be...

“I have sinned grievously in what I have done. But now, Lord, forgive the guilt of Your servant, for I have been very foolish.” –2 Samuel 24:10 One of the biggest understatements in the Bible is: “The wages of sin is death” (Rm 6:23). That’s putting it mildly. The wages of sin is mega-death. After David committed one of his lesser sins, the prophet Gad proposed three possible wages for David’s sin: three years of famine, three months of fleeing the enemy in a war, or three days of pestilence (2 Sm 24:13). David chose the three days, not because...