#gospelstudy

[bernardo1969]

In a certain sense, the teachings of Jesus, more than a continuation of the law of Moses, are a continuation of the… by bernardo69

In the gospels, Jesus spoke very insistently about the importance of living the word of God. Because this word, as he taught in John 14:6, is the way, the truth, and the life. Is way because is progressive, is truth because is precision and accuracy, and when the truth is not enough the word of God is life, as in the case of white lies. The word of God is the beginning of the Kingdom of God, the dominion or empire of God's perfections. For this reason Jesus, and in a way similar to the teaching of the sapiential books, spoke of the two paths; there are sensible men who listen and live the word, and thus build their lives on good foundations, but there are also those who reject the word and thus build on weak foundations. Wisdom and foolishness, righteousness and sin are before human reason and it is necessary to choose, no one is beyond good and evil. The Gospel of Luke tells how Lord Jesus Christ taught in a metaphorical way about the importance of following the word of God: "Why do you call me, ´Lord, Lord,´ and do not what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." Luke 6:46-49.

[bernardo1969]

The gospel of John tells a story of Jesus that shows the wisdom of the son of man, this story is known as the… by bernardo69

The Gospel of John tells a story where Jesus showed his wisdom, this story is known as the encounter of Jesus with the woman caught in adultery. And this story has a deep meaning for all Christians because the wisdom of God is presented as the most excellent and the best. Furthermore, the story shows the true nature of the divine science, wisdom participates in both intelligence and science, because we say that the words of wisdom come from the wise at heart, in this case, Jesus. And this practical case has something very particular, it shows us the true purpose of wisdom, wisdom seeks happiness and truth, but above all things to protect life; with his words, Jesus saved the life of a woman who was about to lose her life. Jesus did not condemn the woman but called her to a new life, that is, not to lead a life full of sins. Beyond riches, wisdom in the gospel of John is that hidden treasure and that pearl of great price that men must discover. This is how the Gospel of John tells this beautiful story of Jesus: "´Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?´ But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ´Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.´ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ´Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?´ ´No one, sir,´ she said. ´Then neither do I condemn you,´ Jesus declared. ´Go now and leave your life of sin´" John 8:4-11.

[bernardo1969]

The gospel of Matthew is the only gospel that recounts the arrival of the three magi to Bethlehem to worship the baby Jesus. by bernie2002xp

The magicians in the Old Testament were always mentioned as people related to spiritual mysteries, that is, people related to the divination of dreams, the interpretation of prophecies, and the revelation of what is hidden. Great kings like Nebuchadnezzar, tyrant of Babylon, had many of these men in their court. Strangely, these characters disappeared from history, and their memory only remains through the illusionists, called magicians in memory of these characters, persons who surprise the common and simple people with their tricks. The word Magi is an ancient word of Aramaic origin that means "doctor of wisdom"; and it is of great importance to understand this because wisdom as a spiritual gift opens the knowledge of those who possess her towards the perception of the immaterial realities, a special knowledge that despite the great technological advances achieved is still unknown. In the Bible, one of the last to mention these people was the evangelist Saint Matthew, who described them as kings who came from the East to worship the baby Jesus. According to the evangelist, these men had divine guidance since they knew the meaning of the star they followed, and they were also warned from on high of the true intentions of King Herod who set a trap for them to kill the baby Jesus. Clearly, the meeting of these wise men with Jesus in the city of Bethlehem was a meeting full of mysteries for all Christians. This is how the evangelist presented the magi in his gospel: "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ´Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him" Matthew 2:1-2.

[bernardo1969]

In the Bible there is an association that is frequently repeated, after an extraordinary event, there is a song or… by bernardo69

In the Bible, it is usual that after an important event, a hymn or song follows to celebrate it. An example of this is the song of Moses, which celebrates the passage of Israel through the Red Sea in Exodus 15. And the New Testament has a very important prayer or song, the Magnificat or song of Mary, which celebrates the conception of Jesus, after the announcement of the angel Gabriel to Mary. This Christian song has a very important meaning, because Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus, was his first and most faithful devotee. Mary's song is also a reminder of the importance of the Kingdom of God among men. The song begins praising Mary and her blessedness, because in her the mercy (compassion, kindness, gentleness) of God was personified, this is how the prayer with devotion begins: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation" Luke 1:46-50. Then the song takes on another form, the glory, the perfect fame, belongs only to God, because he does true justice; the Lord in his wisdom lifts up the humble and humiliates the proud, and above all things he does not forget his people, Israel, to whom he sends a savior, for this reason, in this way the prayer of Mary continues: "He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors" Luke 1:51-55.

[bernardo1969]

The message of the Kingdom was not intended primarily for the pagans but for the Jews. by bernie2002xp

The prophecies about the arrival of our Lord Jesus began after the pact between God and David, through the words spoken by the prophet Nathan; God promised David a descendant who would establish a Kingdom that would not be subject to death and destruction: "I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever" 1 Chronicles 17:14. That is why Jesus, when he began to preach the Kingdom of God, the dominion or empire of God's perfections, he went primarily to the lost sheep of Israel, as many prophets anticipated, Jesus was the messiah promised by the pact made with David. The gospel tells us that Jesus was reluctant to perform miracles in front of the pagans, as happened when he visited a house in the region of Phoenicia, and a non-Jewish woman begged him to heal her daughter. By the insistence of the woman and the infinite love (Agape) of Jesus, the miracle was performed, as recounted in the Gospel of Mark with these words: "Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. ´First let the children eat all they want,´ he told her, ´for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs.´ ´Lord,´ she replied, ´even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.´ Then he told her, ´For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.´ She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone." Mark 7:24-30. The word of God, that is to say, the doctrine of the Kingdom as such, did not arrive during the physical life of Jesus, but it reached the pagans after Pentecost, and with the missionary trips of Paul thus fulfilling the teaching of the parable of the Wedding Banquet.

[bernardo1969]

The Gospel of John tells us about the trial of Jesus by Pontius Pilate. by bernie2002xp

The Gospel of John tells us how Jesus was captured and subjected to a fraudulent trial by the governor of the Roman province of Judea, Pontius Pilate. This Roman official tells us the gospel, found no reason to condemn Jesus, but because of the hardness of his heart, Pilate committed a common sin in men with power, and that is to fear men more than God. And about this sin, the Bible teaches a spiritual truth: "Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God" Deuteronomy 1:17. Jesus was according to his enemies, the Pharisees and Sadducees, a false prophet and according to the law of Moses the penalty for this was death (Deuteronomy 13:1-5). Pontius Pilate, in order to resolve the situation, washed his hands, as a sign of innocence, and to please the enemies of Jesus, he finally handed him over to be crucified. With these words the Gospel of John tells us the dialogue between Pilate and Jesus, a dialogue that reveals to us the true spiritual nature of the Kingdom of God, the empire o dominion of the divine perfections: "Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus, and asked him, ´Are you the king of the Jews?´ ´Is that your own idea,´ Jesus asked, ´or did others talk to you about me?´ ´Am I a Jew?´ Pilate replied. ´You own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?´ Jesus said, ´My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.´ ´You are a king, then!´ said Pilate. Jesus answered, ´You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.´" John 18:33-37. With this dialogue, Jesus testified to the truth, to that truth that is born from the heart of man and that must be translated into acts of mercy and righteousness in all the acts of man's life, because the Kingdom of God announced by Jesus is a spiritual domain, a grace, which first transforms the interior of man and then society.

[bernardo1969]

At a time when the disciples of Jesus had been dispersed and hidden by persecution, Joseph de Arimathea was not afraid, and gave Jesus a dignified burial.

Jesus was condemned to death mainly because the priests considered him a false prophet, and according to what the book of Deuteronomy says, the sentence for false prophets is death: "That prophet or dreamer must be put to death for inciting rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery" Deuteronomy 13:5. And after the death of Jesus, the Gospel of Saint Matthew tells us that a God-fearing man and disciple of Jesus, a person named Joseph of Arimathea, worried about giving Jesus a decent burial. This is how the gospel tells us about the actions of Joseph of Arimathea: "As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away" Matthew 27:57-60. This action done by this disciple of Jesus was very remarkable because he gave Jesus what should have been his own tomb, and also because Joseph of Arimathea exposed himself to being persecuted by the High Priests, who considered Jesus a declared enemy for his alleged blasphemies. All the disciples, including Peter, out of fear, had abandoned their teacher Jesus, after his arrest on the Mount of Olives. Most people in a serious situation tend to turn away from the person in disgrace, but Joseph of Arimathea showed courage in a very difficult situation, Jesus was condemned surrounded by his enemies, and then left to his own destiny. This story shows us the importance of mercy (compassion, kindness, gentleness), a spiritual gift that makes us children of God and blessed: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” Luke 6:36. The compassion of Joseph of Arimathea is an example to follow for all Christians.

[bernardo1969]

What this dialogue ultimately shows us, was the spiritual immaturity of the Apostle Peter, because Agape implies the art of listening by bernie2002xp

John was the disciple most loved by Jesus, the New Testament tells us, that is why the gospel of this disciple focuses fundamentally on two themes, the nature of love and the spiritual gift of eternal life, the knowledge of God. And about love, there are very interesting texts in the Gospel of John, that give us a unique look and which differ markedly from the rest of the synoptic gospels, Mark, Matthew, and Luke. John taught us that love is a genre, there are many forms of love, and that not all love is a blessed love. The love of Jesus is the love that comes from wisdom, the progressive and expansive love, that is why Jesus loves us with mercy (compassion, kindness); but this perfect love, called in the greek language Agape, is a grace and can only be inherited from above with a second birth from the spiritual energy of God, as Jesus explained to Nicodemus: "No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.", John 3:5. The Gospel of John ends with the last meeting of Jesus with his disciples, the third, in which a miraculous catch occurred. And it was while they were sharing the food that Jesus asked Peter three times about love, Jesus asked him using the word Agape, which is the spiritual love and Peter answered with philia which is the love of the soul. With this, Jesus asked Peter if he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and Peter answered that he was not. This was the dialogue about love between Jesus and Peter according to the Gospel of John: "When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ´Simon son of John, do you Agape me more than these?´ ´Yes, Lord,´ he said, ´you know that I philia you.´ Jesus said, ´Feed my lambs.´ Again Jesus said, ´Simon son of John, do you Agape me?´ He answered, ´Yes, Lord, you know that I philia you.´ Jesus said, ´Take care of my sheep.´ The third time he said to him, ´Simon son of John, do you Agape me?´ Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ´Do you Agape me?´ He said, ´Lord, you know all things; you know that I philia you.´ John 21:15-17.