Discover Jesus – A Light for Beaufort

Walk With Jesus

Linda Lathrop — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 16:29:23 +0000

Walk With Jesus

Exploring the Gospels

The disciples got to know Jesus as they spent time with him.

Just as we don’t usually share everything about ourselves as we begin to know someone, Jesus did not reveal everything about himself right away to his close followers. They could not have grasped the truth of his identity all at once. As they walk with Jesus and share in his daily ministry, they slowly begin to see that there is more to their teacher and friend than meets the eye.

Jesus was unlike anyone they had ever met.

In his friendship and his interactions with others, they glimpsed a soul unbroken by sin or selfishness. As he taught and worked miracles, they witnessed much about Jesus that could not be explained on a merely human level. Little by little, the disciples began to believe that Jesus is somehow God himself, present in their midst as a human being.

We can walk along with Jesus and encounter him, too.

We can learn a lot of facts about a person, but the only way to actually get to know someone on a personal level is to spend time with him or her. If we want to know Jesus as a person, the best way is to walk with him like the disciples, experiencing Jesus through their eyes.

Reading the Gospels, we experience Jesus firsthand.

The Gospels are the four biographies of Jesus, told through the eyes of those who walked with him. As we read the Gospels, we begin to discover Jesus in all of his beauty and mystery. We can see for ourselves how Jesus was like us in every way except sin. At every turn, he surprises us and acts in unexpected ways.

Why not discover Jesus in one of the Gospels?

Whether one is a lifelong Christian or new to Christianity, reading the Gospels helps us to encounter Jesus in a new way. A good starting place is the Gospel of Mark, the shortest of the four Gospels. It is action-packed and jumps right into the ministry of Jesus. One can read the entire Gospel in an afternoon, or a little bit each day.

Who is this mysterious man, Jesus of Nazareth?

As you walk along with the disciples, try to see Jesus from their eyes, uncovering the mystery of his identity. If you are already familiar with a particular story, imagine that you are reading it for the first time. Picture yourself in the scene. What would it be like to be in the crowd, hearing his words and witnessing his miracles? What moves your heart and your imagination as you walk with Jesus?

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One With the Father

Linda Lathrop — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 16:43:34 +0000

One With the Father

The Son of God

In the Gospels, Jesus often speaks of his heavenly Father.

The Jewish people did not typically refer to God as their father, but Jesus referred to God as “my father.” He taught his followers to refer to God in this intimate way, in what we now know as the Lord’s Prayer. Through parables like the Prodigal Son where a sinful son is treated with great mercy by his father, Jesus shared that God looks at us with compassion as a merciful and loving father.

In a unique way, Jesus also considers himself the Son of God.

The title is not used in a biological manner as if God gave birth to him. Nor is it used metaphorically, in the sense that we are all created by God and owe our existence to him. Rather, when he refers to himself as the Son, Jesus is communicating his equality with God. Just as an earthly father and son are both fully human, sharing in the same humanity, Jesus is fully divine, sharing in the divinity of his father.

As the Son, Jesus claims equality with God the Father.

When he is accused of not resting on the Sabbath day, Jesus responds, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” (John 5:17) When his listeners object, he teaches, “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.” (John 5:22) For his Jewish listeners, this is a claim to be God, for no human being is worthy of the same honor due to God.

The Jewish leaders understand Jesus correctly.

On multiple occasions, the crowd picks up stones to kill Jesus, such as when he declares, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30) When he asks why they are trying to kill him, after all the good works he has done, they respond, “We are not stoning you for any good work, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” (John 10:33)

This is the true reason Jesus was crucified.

When Jesus is arrested in Jerusalem, this was the rationale the Jewish authorities gave to the Roman authorities during his trial: “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” (John 19:7) Jesus was not put to death for being a wise teacher, or for telling people to love one another, as our popular culture often imagines him. Jesus was killed because he was correctly understood to be claiming a divine identity.

This identity is the key to the words and actions of Jesus.

He has power over the sea and other elements of nature. He teaches with authority, speaking about his Father and changing the law given to the Israelite people by God. He reaches out with compassion and love to sinners and outcasts. He heals the sick, cures diseases, casts out demons, and even forgives sins! In all these ways, Jesus speaks and acts as the Son revealing the love of the heavenly Father.

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“Rise and Walk!”

Linda Lathrop — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 16:58:53 +0000

“Rise and Walk!”

Jesus Forgives Sins

A paralyzed man is lowered through a roof!

Hoping for a cure, four men carry their friend on a stretcher to see Jesus. When they arrive at the house where Jesus is, they are unable to enter due to the crowd. Undeterred, the men climb onto the flat roof of the house, remove the ceiling tiles, and lower their friend before Jesus. “And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘My son, your sins are forgiven.’”

The crowd is astonished at these words of Jesus.

In the Jewish understanding, only God can forgive sins, since sins are offenses against God. By claiming authority to forgive sins, Jesus is acting as if he were the one true God. This is a serious act of blasphemy, a sin punishable by death in the Jewish law. Accordingly, members of the crowd begin to ask, “Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

The crowd understands that Jesus is acting as if he were God.

If this was not his intention, we would expect Jesus to clear up the misunderstanding. Instead, he goes further, asking, “Why do you question thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your pallet and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” he said to the paralyzed man, “I say to you, rise, take up your stretcher and go home.”

Will the paralytic rise and walk again?

Jesus intends to show that he, the Son of Man, does indeed have authority to forgive sins. Anyone can utter words of forgiveness, but not just anyone can cause a paralytic to be instantly healed. To show he can heal invisible wounds of the soul, he will bring about a visible healing of the body. And to everyone’s astonishment, the paralytic immediately rose, picked up the stretcher, and walked away in front of them all! They were all amazed and praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” (Mark 2:1-12)

Jesus is gently inviting his listeners to believe in him.

He cannot simply walk around and exclaim to everyone, “I am God!” This would have led to people immediately rejecting him and seeking his death for blasphemy. Instead, in a careful and indirect manner, Jesus helps them see that he is able to forgive sins, even though this is something only God can do. He is inviting them to come to the unimaginable conclusion: Jesus can forgive sins because he is actually God standing in their midst.

Jesus came to bring us forgiveness and union with God.

The paralytic’s friends want a physical healing, but Jesus offers a gift that is much more important. Paralysis keeps their friend from walking, but sin keeps their friend from eternal union with God. Jesus sought to bring about reconciliation between humanity and God. The people of his day desperately needed forgiveness for their sins and union with God, and we still need this spiritual healing today.

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Touched by God

Linda Lathrop — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 15:59:07 +0000

Touched by God

Jesus Heals the Sick

Those with leprosy were seen as untouchable outcasts.

The disease caused one’s body to be disfigured and covered in sores. Since leprosy was believed to be very contagious, lepers were expelled from the community and forced to live outside of town. Whenever they were within sight of healthy people, they had to cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!”

A leper comes to Jesus, asking to be made clean.

As Jesus began to travel through the surrounding region of Galilee, a leper approached him and asked to be healed: “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand, touched the man, and said, “I am willing. Be made clean!” Immediately, the leprosy left him and he was cleansed! (Mark 1:40-42)

With a simple command, Jesus brings healing.

This was a phenomenon his disciples had already begun to witness. After he preached with authority in Capernaum, astonishing those present, people began bringing their sick to the house where Jesus was staying. Whether it was a disease of the body or an illness like a severe fever, he could heal with a mere word. Instead of praying for God to cure the man, Jesus appears to cure him from his own power.

Jesus touches the one seen as untouchable.

By choosing to reach out and touch the leper, Jesus shows that the man’s humanity has not been taken away by his illness. He treats him with love and compassion. This is how Jesus acted throughout his three years of ministry. He had a special love for those who were rejected by society or seen as unimportant, preferring to seek them out rather than pursue the powerful or the rich. He demonstrates that God does not judge a person’s worth by worldly standards.

Wherever Jesus goes, he brings healing and mercy.

He cares for those with physical needs as well as those with spiritual wounds. He heals the sick, gives sight to the blind, and restores hearing to the deaf. He casts demons out of possessed people, and he treats sinners with compassion. As Jesus explained after spending time with a tax collector who was despised by his neighbors, he “has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)

Jesus reveals God’s unconditional love.

He does not work miracles just so that people will believe in him; Jesus heals and acts with compassion because of who he is. God created each person with infinite love, and he regards even the lowliest person as someone of immense importance. Jesus heals and shows mercy throughout his ministry, for he is not merely a wise teacher, but God bringing healing to his people.

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Astonished & Amazed

Linda Lathrop — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 16:04:57 +0000

Astonished & Amazed

Teaching With Authority

When Jesus taught, it was like nothing anyone had ever heard.

Great crowds gathered wherever he went, hanging on his every word. He taught about God in a way that everyone could understand, and yet his words had a mysterious depth. He wasn’t afraid to condemn sin and to call his listeners back to God. He preached these religious and moral truths with an unparalleled insight into the human heart. But one aspect of his teaching was truly shocking to his listeners.

The people were astonished that Jesus taught with authority.

In the beginning of Mark’s gospel, Jesus and his disciples traveled to Capernaum, a town beside the Sea of Galilee. On the Sabbath day, when people gathered to worship God, Jesus began to teach in the synagogue. His listeners were “astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Mark 1:22) His fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region.

Jewish teachers usually relied on the authority of others.

Moses was revered as the greatest lawgiver in Israel’s history, yet he was not sharing his own wisdom, but rather what he received from God. This is why he and the other Israelite prophets usually prefaced their words with phrases like “God says” or “Thus says the Lord.” Similarly, in the days of Jesus, religious leaders such as the scribes would not teach from their own authority, but would constantly refer back to Moses and others who had gone before them.

Jesus taught as if he did not need any authority besides himself.

He did not usually support his preaching with appeals to Moses or the prophets. He actually does the opposite: changing or adding to the law received from Moses. On multiple occasions during his famous Sermon on the Mount, for example, Jesus references Mosaic law and then declares, “But I say this.” (Matthew 5) In his teaching, Jesus calls his listeners to reconsider some of the most sacred aspects of their religious identity, such as the Temple and the Sabbath day.

Jesus acts as if he is the lawgiver, not merely its interpreter.

In our day, there would be an uproar if a NFL referee said, “The rulebook says that field goals are worth three points, but I declare they are now worth ten.” For his Jewish audience, the actions of Jesus are much more revolutionary. He is presenting himself as the new Moses, and even greater than Moses. Since the law was given to the Israelites by God himself, only God can change it. And yet this is precisely what Jesus does, as if he were God standing in their midst.

The teachings of Jesus still astonish and amaze us today.

When we take the time to read the gospels for ourselves, Jesus is revealed to be much more than the friendly teacher he is portrayed to be in popular imagination. He reveals the deepest truths about God and about how we are to live. The crowds press around him because their hearts yearn for truth and to be united with God. Two thousand years later, our hearts still ache with these same desires, and the teachings of Jesus resonate as powerfully as ever.

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The Time Is Fulfilled

Linda Lathrop — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 17:09:49 +0000

The Time Is Fulfilled

The Kingdom of God

Jesus was always announcing the Kingdom of God.

As he traveled from town to town, he would proclaim, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand!” (Mark 1:15) Many of his teachings and parables are about this kingdom. He seemed to take for granted that his listeners were expecting such a kingdom. In order to understand what Jesus means, we need to understand a prophecy from the Book of Daniel that was very famous among Jewish people in the first century.

In the Book of Daniel, the king had an alarming dream.

He saw a vision of a large statue composed of gold, silver, bronze, and iron. A rock is cut out of a mountain, but not with human hands, and the rock strikes the statue and destroys it. But “the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.” (Daniel 2:35) Out of all the royal advisors, only Daniel could tell the king the content of the dream and its meaning.

Daniel foretold the coming of a kingdom established by God.

He explained to the king that the golden head of the statue symbolizes his Babylonian Empire, while its other parts signify the three kingdoms that will follow it. The rock symbolizes “the God of heaven which will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.” (v. 44)

By the first century, the time foretold by Daniel had come.

The Jewish people recognized that the first three empires had come and gone: first the Babylonian, then the Persian, then the Greek. They were now living in the time of the fourth kingdom described by Daniel, the Roman Empire! Many expected God to send a Messiah during their lifetimes, a leader who would liberate them from Roman rule and restore Israel to political and military glory.

In this time of anticipation, Jesus proclaims the kingdom of God.

When Jesus announces that “the time is fulfilled,” his listeners understand that he is referring to the time prophesized by Daniel. When Jesus declares that “the kingdom of God is at hand,” his audience realizes that he is announcing the beginning of the kingdom foretold by Daniel, the kingdom that would fill the entire earth and endure forever.

The kingdom of God will be more than a worldly kingdom.

As Jesus describes this kingdom, one begins to grasp that it will be much greater than the worldly kingdom his listeners imagined. Instead of victories over human enemies, this kingdom would offer victory over sin and death. Instead of earthly wealth, this kingdom would offer heavenly treasure that can never be lost. Like the rock in the king’s dream, this everlasting kingdom would not be created by any human hand, but by God himself.

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“Who Is This?”

Linda Lathrop — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 02:54:22 +0000

“Who Is This?”

The Identity of Jesus

Their boat was about to sink under the rough waves.

The men were in a panic. As sometimes happens on the Sea of Galilee, a violent storm had suddenly developed as they were crossing to the other shore in a fishing boat. Their teacher, Jesus, was sound asleep on a cushion in the back of the small craft. They woke him up, frantically asking, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

Jesus then did something entirely unexpected.

He stood, and then commanded the wind and the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind abruptly died down and stopped. The sea became completely calm. He then said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this, who even the wind and the waves obey?” (Mark 4:35-41)

This event shows us the complexity of Jesus.

After a day of teaching, Jesus is tired and in need of rest. He is so worn out that he keeps sleeping through the commotion of the storm! This is one of the many ways that the Gospels depict the humanity of Jesus. Like all of us, Jesus was born, grew as a child, and worked to put food on the table. He eats, drinks, sleeps, and feels pain. And yet, Jesus is able to do something completely out of the ordinary, taming the natural world with a simple command.

Only God controls the waters.

At various times in the Old Testament, God shows his power through mighty works of wind and water. He parted the Red Sea for his people to escape Egypt (Exodus 14), and he parted the Jordan River so that they could enter the Promised Land (Joshua 3). This situation is completely different. Jesus does not pray to God for a miracle, as did Moses and Joshua. Rather, he commands nature with his own authority. The power comes from within.

The disciples are living out Psalm 107.

In this famous Jewish poem, God raises up a mighty storm and sailors are in danger of perishing. “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress; he made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.” (v. 28-29) Through his actions, Jesus helps his disciples to begin to dimly grasp something unthinkable: the God of Israel has come to them in person, and is sitting with them in the boat!

The question the disciples ask is still important today.

They recognize that Jesus is displaying a power that the Jewish people expect of God alone: “Who is this, who even the winds and waves obey?” If this teacher, their friend, can quiet the violent swells of the Sea of Galilee with a mere word, who really is this Jesus of Nazareth? This is the question that we must still wrestle with today, and which we are exploring in this series. If Jesus was merely a friendly teacher, how could he do such things?

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Man of Mystery

aaron29902 — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 14:27:56 +0000

Man of Mystery

Jesus of Nazareth

From a worldly perspective, Jesus was of no importance.

He grew up in a small village, a lowly person in an unimportant corner of the Roman Empire. He had no earthly wealth, no military power. He was arrested and condemned to an agonizing and shameful death. In his moment of need, he was abandoned by his friends. In almost every way, Jesus had nothing that the world would associate with success or greatness.

Yet, Jesus changed the course of human history.

Two thousand years after his birth, a third of the world’s population follow Jesus as Christians. His followers laid the foundation for western civilization. It is thanks to Jesus and his followers that we have universities, hospitals, and many other institutions we take for granted, as well as principles like the dignity of the human person. We even divide history by the years before and after his birth.

What makes Jesus of Nazareth so important?

In popular culture, we often imagine Jesus as simply a loving teacher who went around telling everyone to be nice and to love each other. But as one reads the Gospels, the four biographies of his life, one discovers a very mysterious and complex individual. At every turn, he speaks and acts in ways that are completely unexpected and fascinating.

Jesus responded to the needs of the human heart.

He taught the crowds as no one had ever taught before. He called his listeners to turn away from sin and seek God. He revealed that God loves us as a heavenly Father, and he demonstrated this merciful love in his attitude toward sinners and the marginalized. He forgave the sins of those who repented. With merely a word or gesture, he worked countless miracles, healing the sick, casting out demons, and even raising the dead!

By his words and actions, he claimed to be God.

Jesus did not walk around shouting, “I am God!” Such an approach would have led to immediate rejection from his Jewish listeners. Instead, Jesus gradually revealed his identity in his actions, and through riddles and parables, so that those who were able could slowly begin to have faith. He revealed his identity most clearly in his suffering on the cross and through his resurrection from the dead.

In this series, we will discover what makes Jesus unique.

We will explore the Gospels and try to look at Jesus through the eyes of his Jewish contemporaries. We will see why Jesus touched the hearts of so many people, why great crowds flocked to him. In so doing, we will begin to see why Jesus is still so important to us today.

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