Day 6 New Testament Reading Challenge Luke 7-9, 1 John, 2 John & 3 John

 I mixed up my readings today for a little variety.  Most of the time when I have read through the Bible in a year I did not go through it sequentially.  I would write a list of the book names on a sheet of paper and then plan on reading 4 chapters a day.  I would jump around from Old and New Testament back and forth often pairing books that I don't like as much with ones that I do.  Such as pairing Leviticus with Hebrews or one of the gospels.  If you read about 4 chapters a day of the Bible you should get through it in a year even with missing some days.

 My present challenge is to read through the New Testament in February.  So, today I did Luke 7-9 and then read 1 John, 2 John and 3 John.  I've always loved the personal way that John writes and the way he emphasizes walking in love and living out your example.  One of the passages that stood out to me today is in Luke 7:40-50. 

Jesus goes to the home of Simon who was a Pharisee because he has been invited to a dinner.  In those days, dinner would be eaten in a reclining position with Jesus' feet behind him.  A woman enters the room soon after Jesus and in tears wets his feet and anoints him with fragrances and wipes his feet with her hair while kissing his feet.  Simon responds to this by being indignant because he says that she is a sinner (probably a prostitute).  How Simon knows this is up for some speculation.  Maybe he's been a customer?

Jesus replies that while Simon offered no water for his feet she has wet his feet with her tears.  While Simon offered no kiss, she has been kissing his feet.  While he offered no anointing, she anointed his feet with costly perfume.  Then he says in verse 47 "he who is forgiven little loves little."  I think this is exactly what the gospel is really all about.  After all, the most important commandment of the gospels is to love God and then to go love others.  And one of the reasons that we love God is because we realize the sacrifice that he made for us and that he loved us first.  We realize that we have been forgiven a debt that there was no way in heaven and earth we could repay.  John says this also in John 4:9-10

"By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

Reading Challenge day 5: Mark 13 - Luke 6

      My reading through the New Testament included Mark 13 through Luke 6.  Many of these passages are very similar in all three gospels. Possibly one exception is the detail that Luke gives of John the Baptist and his parents.  From Luke we learn that Mary and Elizabeth knew each other and that Mary stayed with Elizabeth and her family right up until the time when John the Baptist was born.  We learn also that Jesus' parents lost track of Jesus for about three days during one of their annual trips to Jerusalem to take part in the Festivals.

     One of the passages that stood out to me was in Luke 6:31-38. Where Jesus clearly teaches us that to be a follower of His means that we will be a compassionate people who have mercy on others.  

31 [a]Treat people the same way you want them to [b]treat you. 32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil people. 36 [c]Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

37 “Do not [d]judge, and you will not be judged; and do not [e]condemn, and you will not be condemned; [f]pardon, and you will be pardoned. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. They will [g]pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

Reading challenge day 3: Matthew 20 through Mark 2

     Today is day 3 of the challenge I gave myself to read through the New Testament.  Today I read Matthew 20 through Mark 2.  Obviously, that is most of Jesus' ministry.  So, it is hard to sum up these important passages.  I think one of the things I noticed first is how brief this story is.  Jesus is thought to have lived on earth for about 33 years and his life story is summed up in 28 chapters of Matthew.  While it is full of miracles and teachings and obviously Jesus' death and resurrection there is nothing about his childhood or much of his family life or much of his relationship with his mother or father or if he ever worked at a regular job.  In fact, Mark sums up the temptations of Jesus in one verse.  So this is not a complete biography nor was it meant to be.  It is a pointed writing to tell us who Jesus is.

      The other thing that struck me is that even though it is Judas who betrays Jesus and leads the Pharisees and others to him is that Jesus is always in control of the situation when he is betrayed.  In fact, if you look you see several times starting around the time of the Transfiguration when Jesus tells the disciples that they are going to Jerusalem and he will be handed over, flogged and crucified and then rise again.  He says it in a matter of fact way without apology and it is the disciples who are grieved when they hear it and are afraid to ask him about it.  In fact, Jesus tells his disciples when they try to rescue him that he can ask the Father for 12 legion of angels and he would send them.  He doesn't try to talk his way out of it with Pilate.  In fact, he is strangely silent to the point that it amazes Pilate.

     I guess one minor point that I noticed is that while this first gospel is called the gospel of Matthew there is no identifier in the first chapter or in the last as to the author.  We are solely going by early church history and testimony of the early church fathers as to identify the author.  I'm not saying that it wasn't Matthew at all.  I'm just saying that it isn't mentioned in the entire book.  I personally wonder how much of the writing of this book was borrowed from Mark's account or what Matthew's sources were.  Did Mary or Joseph themselves tell Matthew about Jesus' birth?  How else would they know about some of these details?  Then again,  I am not sure that it matters to me if it was a disciple named Matthew or not.  The Holy Spirit is the one who primarily inspired this book and he could have used anyone.

Today's reading Matthew chapters 1-10

     I challenged myself to read the New Testament in February, so today's reading is Matthew chapters 1 through 10.  Mainly focusing on the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry and healings including the temptation of Jesus and his teachings.  Just a couple of thoughts about this.

     The first thing you notice is that Jesus' story begins in a very odd way.  I think those of us who have grown up in the church and heard this story often may become insensitive to how different it is.  Jesus is sent basically to two teenagers (Mary and Joseph) who are engaged to be married and entrusts them with his son.  Then almost immediately there is a threat to Jesus' life by Herod who then kills all the babies 2 years and younger who lived in the same area where the wise men said Jesus was.  Then when Jesus does return to Israel it is in a backwater land like Nazareth (Matthew 2:23).  Not a kind of place that most of us would pick for sure. 

      The people were clearly amazed at Jesus' teaching not just for the content of his teaching, but how he taught.  The Pharisees and Sadducees would quote other teachers or authorities when they taught.  But, Jesus relied upon his own authority.  He didn't just talk about the letter of the law, but also the Spirit of the law.  He didn't just talk about murder, but also talked about hate.  He didn't just talk about actions, but also about motives.  He warns against doing good works in order to be noticed by men Matthew 6:5-8.  

    In talking about motive, he talks about how we are to set our hearts on His kingdom and his righteousness.  Not relying on our own sense of righteousness like the Pharisees did.  He mentions that we should examine ourselves before judging another or better yet not judging at all, but rather showing mercy.  He calls us to do to others what we would have them do to us  Matthew 7:12.  And to be a person who doesn't just hear the word, but does it  Matthew 7:24-27.

   In chapters 8 and 9 several of Jesus' miracles are mentioned including healing a man of leprosy, two demon possessed men and also the miracle of calming a storm and raising a little girl who is dead.  The miracles were God's demonstration that Jesus is one who has authority.  The Pharisees rightly thought that Jesus would be blaspheming if he was not God in the flesh when he forgave the man his sins Matthew 9:2-3.  But, what they didn't realize is that he had the authority to do so.  

   Chapter 10 begins with Jesus sending out the disciples with his authority.  He lets them know that the path they are taking will include some adversity and calls them to stand firm to the end Matthew 10:22.  He tells us not to be afraid of those who can kill the body, but cannot harm the soul Matthew 10:28.  Finally Jesus calls us to count the cost of following Him and tells us that "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."