Hebrews 11:28-29 By faith [Moses] kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. 29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.
           
Moses’ faith was also characterized by his obedience in keeping the Passover—a feast he could not have fully understood when it was instituted just prior to the exodus from Egypt. God told Moses to inform Israel that they must assemble on a specific night to sprinkle the blood of a selected lamb on the doorposts of their homes in order to avoid God’s final plague—the death of the firstborn in Egypt (Ex. 11-12). God gave Moses very specific instructions for Israel in order to avoid the plague, and as long as Israel obeyed it literally, they would indeed avoid the plague.

Now if we put ourselves in the shoes of those Israelites, we would see the seeming absurdity of God’s instructions regarding the lamb and its blood that was to be painted on their doorposts. For Moses to take these instructions from God and pass them on took faith on his part, for he had to believe that what God said was true, in spite of how strange it certainly seemed. Of course there was no power in a lamb’s blood; the power was in the act of faith it took to instruct Israel to do this and for Israel to obey and spread the lamb’s blood on their doorposts. Those who did showed their faith and avoided the plague of death. “Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did” (Ex. 12:1-3, 28).

Neither Moses nor Israel could not have fully understood that their act was symbolic of Christ’s future sacrifice on the cross, as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), which would save all who trust in Him for salvation. But even in the midst of his ignorance, Moses showed faith by obeying God down to the letter. As a result, when the death angel flew over the people of Israel that night, it “passed over” those who had demonstrated faith by painting blood on their doorposts. As a result of their obedience, each firstborn child lived.

Note in v. 28 the phrase “by faith he kept the Passover.” This perfect tense verb means that he carried out his task; he celebrated it—instituting it as a lasting ordinance in Israel (Ex. 12:14), an ordinance that prefigured the death of Jesus Christ. By carrying out the task of the Passover, it is clear that Moses never once doubted that Israel would be delivered from Egypt. How did he know this? He believed God and His word. And through Moses’ obedience, God saved Israel.
           
In v. 29 Moses’ faith was also demonstrated in his patient boldness. Having led Israel out of Egypt following the ten plagues which demonstrated the power of God to His people, Israel’s weak faith became evident as they approached the Red Sea. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert” (Ex. 14:11, 12). But Moses replied, “Do not fear! Stand and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today… the Lord will fight for you while you keep silent” (14:13-14).

God then worked through Moses’ boldness and parted the waters so that Israel could pass through safely. But in spite of their lack of faith, it took great faith for them to walk through the parted waters, seeing the danger all around them. They had no guarantee that God would let them pass through to the end, but they proceeded by faith as if God would. And of course God’s word proved faithful, for those who believed Him passed through without harm. The Egyptians, however, not acting on faith, did not fare so well after God allowed the water walls to collapse. Their hardened hearts, which only trusted in themselves, led them to their ultimate demise.

We note here how one man’s faith was so genuine and effective that it transformed a faithless people and delivered them from death. Clearly, those powerful in faith can elevate others to greatness and ultimate deliverance. Through faith in Jesus Christ, anything is possible!

Food For Thought
            Sometimes life’s problems bring us to a dead end in our walk with Christ, just like Israel when they came to the Red Sea. We see no deliverance, only despair. It is at that point that we must be bold like Moses and believe in the face of fear that God will deliver us. And when life’s problems seem like walls of water around us, we just have to move forward and take another step. On the other side is relief if we will only trust. God loves to show His faithfulness by taking us to the brink of despair to test our faith. And we love to tell others about it after we’ve experienced it. How humiliating it is to fail God’s tests. Yet His grace gives us another day!
            

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Hebrews 11:27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.
           
In v. 27 the author speaks of Moses as having the same bold faith as his parents who, according to v. 23 (cf. Ex. 2:1-3), had no fear of the king of Egypt when they defied his order to throw their newborn son into the Nile. Instead, they put their beautiful child into a wicker basket and floated him up the Nile under the watchful eye of his sister Miriam. By God’s ordination, Moses was found by the daughter of Pharaoh, rescued, and raised in Pharaoh’s household. It was thus by their bold faith in defying Pharaoh that Moses had the abundant life he enjoyed.
           
Since v. 27 speaks of Moses “not fearing the wrath of the king,” it is clear that the story of Moses around the age of 40 in Exodus 2:11-12 cannot be in view. In that account, Moses stumbled upon an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of Moses’ brethren. Moses then struck the Egyptian and killed him, burying him in the sand (Ex. 2:11-12). Although he thought his actions were hidden, they became known to Pharaoh, and Moses had to flee Egypt for the crime he committed (2:15), for Pharaoh was intent on killing Moses for his actions. This hardly fits what Hebrews 11:27 is talking about because it is said of Moses in Exodus 2:14 that he “was afraid.”
           
What Hebrews 11:27 is referring to is how Moses returned to Egypt 40 years later as a changed man—a man who feared no one except the God he served, Yahweh (cf. Ex. 3:14). Beginning in Exodus 5:1, Moses confronted Pharaoh “not fearing the wrath of the king,” demanding that Pharaoh release the Israelites from bondage. But Pharaoh had a heart of stone, continually balking at letting Israel go, even enduring ten devastating plagues from God to soften his heart. From the first day that Moses confronted Pharaoh, Moses appeared before him repeatedly, demanding Israel’s release—never once fearing the most powerful king on earth.
           
So how could Moses repeatedly stand so courageously before such an arrogant king, a man who was prone to kill anyone who defied him? Hebrews 11:27 answers this, revealing that Moses “endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.” The verb “endured” (Gr. kartereō) signifies perseverance, or steadfast persistence. This is exactly what the author of Hebrews repeatedly exhorts his readers to do (3:12, 14; 6:12; 10:35, 38; 12:1). Moses was their model for such.

But to simply endure without a basis is not how the author encourages such. For Moses endured for one reason: he was “seeing Him who is unseen.” Now Moses did not actually see God who is invisible in spite of the fact that elsewhere it is said that God spoke face to face with Moses (Num. 12:8; Deut. 34:10). That was an expression of God’s close union with Moses, not a literal face to face relationship (cf. Ex. 33:20). What the author therefore means is that Moses endured in his boldness as if he was seeing God who is invisible. Thus, Moses’ focus in the midst of grave danger was the invisible God (cf. Col. 1:15; 1 Tim. 1:17). This was the key to his successful leadership and servanthood, enduring difficulties and disappointments. P.T. O’Brien says, “The text is thus not concerned with extraordinary experiences that were attributed to Moses, but with his enduring faith, the contrast between what is seen and unseen (11:1, 3), and his perseverance towards the final goal with his eyes fixed on the invisible One.”

How was this pertinent to the Hebrews audience? With the faith of Moses in view, they had a powerful example for not fearing the authorities who threatened the early Church (10:34; 13:3). As Moses endured by perceiving the invisible God, they also could endure by looking to the glorious Christ, who was also unseen yet always present (Matt. 28:20).

Food For Thought
Any Christian worth his salt sees the invisible God on a daily basis. It’s not a miracle; it’s just common Christianity. To have fellowship with Him comes through faith, and as our faith grows, our vision of God through Jesus Christ gets clearer every day that we serve Him.
            

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Hebrews 11:24-26 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

Between v. 23 and v. 24 there is a time lapse of about 40 years in the life of Moses who grew up in all the riches of Egypt and with all the education a prince should have. Stephen said of him: “Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds” (Acts 7:22). Moses would thus have spoken a handful of languages, including Hebrew since it was his actual mother who weaned him. He may have even had the ability to decipher hieroglyphics. As “the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,” Moses was similar to a Duke in the UK. Growing up in Egypt’s Eighteenth Dynasty (1550-1292 BC), one of the most celebrated periods of Egypt’s history, any and all pleasures were at Moses’ beck and call.

Moses, however, did not live under the delusion that riches and privilege were the end-all of life, likely because of the influence of his godly parents. He therefore openly refused his title, something that would have been taken as an insult by the Pharaoh. His faith, seen in his negative choice in refusing to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter (v. 24), took great courage, as true faith always does. Moses may have loved the Egyptian culture, but he was no prisoner to it. With all of the benefits of being raised as an Egyptian, Moses willingly sought to live as a slave among his people Israel. By faith he gave up temporary pleasures for eternal gain.
           
Perhaps Moses was similar to Abraham who was so sick of the riches and paganism of Ur (Gen. 12:1) that when God called him he obeyed immediately. Moses may have also grown sicker and sicker at the gross indulgences of Egypt—the “passing pleasures of sin,” and was perfectly willing to be lumped in with his people Israel—the people of God’s promises.
           
What was Moses thinking? Verse 26 says that Moses “considered the reproach of Christ greater than the treasures of Egypt.” So, by identifying with his people Israel, Moses aligned himself with the people with whom His future Messiah was identified—Jesus of Nazareth. Isaiah said of the future Messiah, “In all their distress He too was distressed” (Isa. 63:9). Moses thus identified with the disgrace of the Messianic people, becoming a slave, “for the sake of Christ.”

This means that Moses, living 1500 years before Jesus Christ, actually suffered for Christ. Any suffering done for one’s faith in God’s promises prior to Christ’s incarnation is still suffering for Christ because it’s an identification with Christ’s people. David suffered as much for Christ as did Paul the Apostle. One thousand years before Christ, David wrote: “The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me” (Ps. 69:9). Paul also said, “I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus” (Gal. 6:19). Jesus the Messiah has always been identified with His people (cp. Matt. 2:15; Hosea 11:1), and His people identify with Him through faith.

The great truth for the Church of Jesus Christ is that Moses could do what he did “because he was looking to the reward.” Here the author of Hebrews again draws the reader’s attention to the foundational truth of v. 1: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for.” That perfectly describes Moses, for he was certain of the reward God had promised Israel. Like the Apostle Paul who said, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18; cf. vv. 28-30; 2 Cor. 4:16-18), Moses felt the same way.

Food For Thought
            What pet sin or indulgence are you a slave to? Money, pleasure, power? True faith is willing to renounce anything and everything in the here and now to enjoy eternal bliss with Christ.
            

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Hebrews 11:23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

After Joseph died, the Israelites continued to live in Egypt. They increased in numbers over the years until a king arose that did not know Joseph and who apparently had no regard for all that Joseph had done for Egypt. In Exodus 1:9, we are informed that the new Pharaoh feared the growing numbers of Israelites, and thus subjected them to slave labor.

This is where the next hall of faith-ers enter in Hebrews 11:23: the parents of Moses. Exodus 2:1 says that both of Moses’ parents were Levites—Amram and Jochebed (Ex. 6:20). They would have married during a particularly dismal time for Israel, for by the time Moses was to be born, the Egyptian Pharaoh had called for all male babies of the Israelites to be killed by their midwives. When the midwives refused, Pharaoh demanded that all newborn boys be cast into the Nile, presumably to be eaten by the Nile crocodiles (Ex. 1:15-22).

Valuing human life, especially that of their own son, Amram and Jochebed refused the order of the Pharaoh, choosing to obey God rather than man (cf. Acts 4:19; 5:29). By faith “they saw he was a beautiful child” (cf. Acts 7:20). This is odd given that every parent believes their child is “beautiful” (Gr. asteios), with or without faith. It is therefore evident that Moses was not just a beautiful child; there was something obviously special about him, perhaps something similar to the Christ-Child when He was born. John Calvin comments on this, saying, “It seems contrary to the nature of faith that he says that they were induced to do this by the beauty of his form. We know that Jesse was rebuked when he brought his sons to Samuel in the order of their physical excellence, and certainly God does not hold us to external appearances. I reply that the parents of Moses were not induced by his beauty to be touched with pity and save him as men are commonly affected, but there was some sort of mark of excellence to come, engraved on the boy which gave promise of something out of the ordinary for him.” Well said!

Now the fact that Moses was, and is, the greatest of all Israel’s prophets (aside from Jesus), it is clear that Amram and Jochebed were not simply observing the beauty of their child when they disobeyed the king’s order. They rightly knew that something was extraordinarily special about him. They thus hid him for three months after his birth. Then once it was no longer possible to hide Moses, they bundled him up in a basket and sent it up the Nile right into the Pharaoh’s home where his daughter would discover him and fall instantly in love with him. All the while the older sister of Moses, Miriam, was watching the basket come into the arms of Pharaoh’s daughter. Miriam was therefore present to suggest a convenient mother to nurse the baby Moses—his own mother Jochebed! She even got paid to do so (Ex. 2:7-9).

The faith of Amram and Jochebed proved to be mighty, for it not only saved their son, their son later saved their nation. Were it not for the faith of his parents, Moses would not have been around to lead his nation out of Egypt. Moses’ faith therefore began with his parents.

Food For Thought
If you’re a parent, you have great power and enormous responsibility to your children. As any sane parent would do, they no doubt prayed fervently for their unborn child and prayed all the more after they saw him born—for his protection and his future. No, there are no guarantees that God will preserve our children or make them special, certainly not to the extent that Moses was. But the very practice of praying for our children, for God’s will to be done in their lives—this is what faith looks like for a parent in relation to a young child. We believe God knows us, our children, and has a perfect plan for all of us. Let us therefore be faithful to pray for them.
            

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Hebrews 11:22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.
       
Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. His story in the Bible is one of the most beloved stories, and there is nothing in the account of Joseph’s life that puts him in a bad light. As the son of Jacob’s favorite wife Rachel, he was indeed Jacob’s favorite son, and his brothers knew it. When Jacob showed his favoritism toward Joseph by giving him a multi-colored robe his brothers deeply resented him. Worse, Joseph had two dreams whereby he saw his brothers bowing down to him. When he made this known to his brothers they were furious. So when Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers while out in the fields, they took advantage of the opportunity to seize him by force. Though they spoke of killing him, they wound up selling him into slavery to a group of Ishmaelites who later sold him to the Egyptians. Then they lied about their crime by telling Jacob that wild animals killed him.
       
Joseph’s story of faith basically begins with him in Egypt. Clearly God led him through the darkest days of tribulation in order to bring him to the point where his faith would be fully mature. Joseph, because God’s presence was so strong in his life, found himself second in command over all of Egypt. Only the Pharaoh was higher in authority than he. He managed the food supply in Egypt because he had foreseen the drought that the land was enduring. People came from all over to buy food from Joseph – including his brothers who were living in Canaan with Jacob. When they arrived to purchase food they didn’t even recognize their brother Joseph, but over the course of time he finally revealed himself to them. Joseph forgave his brothers telling them that what they meant for evil God meant for good (Gen. 50:20). Eventually Joseph moved all of his brothers and his aging father Jacob into Egypt to escape the famine in the land.
       
As Joseph was dying he told his brothers: “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob… God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.” Clearly Joseph knew the Abrahamic covenant and believed God’s promises. He believed them so firmly that he commanded that his bones be taken up from Egypt after he died when the Israelites would one day return to the land. This of course is exactly what Moses did (Ex. 13:19) when he took the bones of Joseph with him as he led Israel out of Egyptian captivity hundreds of years later. Joshua later buried Joseph’s bones in the Promised Land (Josh. 24:32) after they finally settled in the land, that is, once the promise of inheriting the land was complete.
       
Joseph simply did not consider his eminent position in Egypt as his final goal or the land of Egypt as his final resting place. Canaan was his home because God promised it to him and his people. He had everything in Egypt, but like his great grandfather Abraham, he was looking beyond the temporary into eternity. He believed in the resurrection of the body all the way till his death when his faith was as strong as ever. He could have resented God and called Him a liar for not fulfilling His promises, but he refrained because he believed in his future bodily resurrection.

Food For Thought
       While living in Egypt and enjoying all that his position offered him Joseph was far more focused on his eternal dwelling place. His faith was as strong in death as it was in life. His belief in God gave him understanding about the future. Some seek to understand before they believe, but we Christians first believe so that we may understand. Having faith in God and in His unseen promises opens the door to a life-long journey of understanding who God is. It all begins with faith in God, a faith that comes from first hearing His words and trusting them to be true.
            

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Hebrews 11:21 By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.
       
The next man of faith in Hebrews 11 is Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. God established His eternal covenant with Abraham and later with Isaac. Then He established the same covenant with Jacob (Gen. 28:13-17) whom He later named Israel (Gen. 32:24-32).
       
The account of Jacob’s life has far more detail than that of Isaac. From the day he is born his life reveals a colorful character. Among other character traits, Jacob was calculating and deceptive. He cunningly took his brother’s birthright, then he later deceived his aging father in a successful attempt to receive the blessing of the firstborn. His mother Rebekah may have taught him everything he knew, for she too was quite cunning (Gen. 27:5ff.). Jacob traveled away from home in order to avoid his brother’s wrath, and he found himself employed by a man, his uncle Laban, who seems to have had all of Jacob’s negative qualities and more. It was Laban who employed Jacob for 20 years, and also Laban who became his father-in-law. Jacob married Laban’s two daughters, Leah and Rachel, and worked as one of Laban’s hired hands.
       
At times Jacob acted wisely, and at times he was downright spineless, as in the case of his daughter who was raped by the man Shechem (cf. Gen. 34). He had two wives and two concubines by which he had twelve sons—the tribes of Israel. He also had one daughter, Dinah. While reading the account of his life, “faith” is not the first trait that comes to mind regarding Jacob. Then again, no one’s life, if put under a microscope, would ever reveal a man of faith 100% of the time. People are sinful, yet God works through those sins in order to bring about His eternal promises. Jacob was indeed a faithful man—evident from what he believed about God’s promised future and how he blessed his sons concerning the future.
       
Jacob told his son Joseph just before he died while they were in Egypt: “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers” (Gen. 48:21). At the time, they were in Egypt, outside of the Promised Land. But Jacob still believed God’s promise of possessing the land. So, the land that Jacob never possessed, he passed on to his 12 sons in faith, knowing that God would be true to his word. He had the “assurance of things hoped for; the conviction of things unseen” in giving these blessings (Gen. 47:29-31; 48:8-20). Jacob, though weak physically as an old man, was strong in faith—faith expressed in the content of his blessing: “Let them grow into a multitude… a multitude of nations” (Gen. 48:16, 19).
       
An apparent problem exists in v. 21 where the Hebrews author says that Jacob died “leaning on the top of his staff.” Genesis 47:31 says that Jacob “bowed himself on the head of the bed.” The apparent contradiction is reconciled by the Hebrew words for “bed” and “staff” which are exactly alike in their Hebrew consonants (mth). Since Hebrew had no vowels in its original text, vowels being later added as marks between the consonants circa AD 700, the discrepancy lies in these vowels. Though the Hebrew text later rendered the vowels as “bed,” the LXX, or Greek text dating back to 250 BC, renders the vowel points to mean “staff.” Since the LXX reading was used by the author of Hebrews, “top of his staff” is used rather than “head of bed.” Clearly, no doctrine or theology is affected by either rendering. It is thus a moot point.

Food For Thought
       Jacob believed in the future of his people because God revealed it. Not much has changed since Jacob’s time except that so much more about the future has been revealed. In fact, the future has been revealed to strengthen the faith of God’s people (1 Thes. 4:18). Since Christ has promised to return, our faith is expressed in our eager expectation of His return (Heb. 9:28).
            

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Hebrews 11:20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.

On the day that Abraham took his son Isaac upon the mountain to slay him, per God’s command (Gen. 22:1-2), he learned about God’s promise to bless him and his offspring (cf. Gen. 12:1-3). Isaac represented mankind on that altar of sacrifice—man deserving to die for his sins. So when the great man of faith, his father Abraham, demonstrated his faith, God provided a substitute for Isaac and spared his life—a ram instead of the boy. That is the picture of Jesus Christ dying on mankind’s behalf! Isaac lived it firsthand. He knew his life was over, and he likely had the same fears as anyone else would have had. Then God spared him, and that day Isaac learned about the God of heaven first-hand. Up to that point Abraham had likely told Isaac all about the promise of the land, the seed, and the blessing (Gen. 12:1-3, 7). But on that day Isaac lived it, saw it, and believed it. Perhaps on that day Isaac’s own faith was solidified.

Now one might expect Isaac to have lived a life full of faith, but strangely this was not so – at least not from the very brief account given of his life in Genesis 25:19-27:46. Although Isaac lived longer than any of the patriarchs, the story of his life in the Bible is shorter than Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, or Moses. God certainly passed the promises onto Isaac (Gen. 26:3-4), and although these promises should have given him a sense of security and hope, Isaac seems to have lived in fear most of his life. When the Philistines of Gerar (near Gaza) questioned him about his wife Rebekah, like his father, he lied about her saying she was his sister—afraid they would kill him if she were his wife in order to have her as their own (Gen. 26). Oddly, when Abimelech was informed of who Rebekah really was, he showed more fear of God than Isaac ever did!

Even after Isaac became wealthy while living in Gerar, he seems to have spent his life questioning God up to that point and grumbling about his lot. When things finally went his way he said, “At last the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land” (Gen. 26:22). Indeed, he began to multiply. When he finally moved back into the land he came to Beersheba in the south, and then God repeated the covenant promises to him (Gen. 26:24-25).

Isaac’s life seems unfaithful at times, but at other times he was truly faithful. His wife was initially barren, but she later gave birth to twins—Jacob and Esau. Esau was Isaac’s favorite son although God had made it clear that it was Jacob who would be blessed by God. Rebekah felt the need to intervene through deception to get Jacob to receive Isaac’s blessing. In spite of this, God worked through it, bringing His will to fruition. But the whole story puts Isaac in a bad light.

The point of Isaac’s life, however, is his faith. The author of Hebrews, without condoning Isaac’s shortcomings, points to the faith he had in blessing his sons while looking to the future. One thing is certain: Isaac believed in God’s covenant blessings. This is revealed in Isaac’s blessing of Jacob, even though he thought he was blessing Esau (Gen. 27:27-29). Isaac believed God and looked to the future for God’s fulfillment of what He promised. The Greek text of Hebrews 11:20 literally says, “By faith, even concerning things to come, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau.” In blessing them, Isaac literally “spoke well of them; he praised them.”

Food For Thought
The blessing given by a man, in this case Isaac, with God’s consent, was an act of faith because it concerned a time beyond their lives. When a person looks beyond their own life in the here and now and into the future, they act on faith. For us, teaching our children about Christ and leaving them an inheritance, both spiritual and financial, is an act of faith, for it plans for their immediate and eternal future. Therefore, we have strong faith when we know we’re saved—when we have the “assurance of things hoped for”—a certainty of God’s eternal plan.
            

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Genesis 22:15-19 Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.
       
Genesis 22:15-19 comprise God’s approval for Abraham’s great faith in his willingness to offer his own son as a sacrifice. God put him to the test in 22:1, and beginning in v. 15 God gave Abraham the reward for his faithfulness. Imagine that! God requiring something only He could give, yet He rewards those He gives it to. Abraham is now the father of all who believe (Rom. 4:11; Gal. 3:7, 9, 29)—not just the father of the Israelite nation. The father of the Christian faith should be one that all believers can look to, admire, and use as the model for their own faith.
       
In v. 15 the angel of the Lord called out again to Abraham for the second time. By calling out to him from heaven it is evident that the angel did not manifest himself to Abraham but only spoke to him. His words are the words of God Himself; hence, the angel of the Lord in this context is at least a representative of God. The angel says, on behalf of Yahweh, “I solemnly swear by my own name…” Since God (Yahweh) is the Sovereign over the universe, then His solemn oath can only be sworn in His own name. Since there is no one higher or more powerful, when God swears His reputation is at stake. His oath then is indeed solemn, but it must not be overlooked why He would make such an oath at that time: “Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son…” Thus, God’s oath comes after Abraham’s obedience, and it comes to bless Abraham as a result of his faithfulness.
       
God’s oath promised three things beginning in v. 17. First, it ratified what was previously promised to Abraham (12:1-3, 7; 13:14-15; 15:1-5, 18-21; 17:2). Of course God had blessed Abraham everywhere he had gone even when he had not acted in faith. Second, God swore to greatly multiply Abraham’s descendants to be as countless as the stars of the sky and of the sand on the seashore. This simply reiterated what God had previously said in previous chapters. This was fulfilled in the birth of the twelve tribes of Israel and in Gentile believers who are the sons and daughters of the ultimate fulfillment of the “seed” promise through Abraham and Isaac (Gal. 3:16, 29). Third, Abraham’s descendants were promised to “possess the gate of their enemies.” The “gate” signifies a walled city. To break through a gate in a walled city would signify victory, and this was eventually fulfilled under Joshua during the conquest of Canaan. Finally, God promised that all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on each other because of Abraham’s offspring. This reflects what God said in 12:2-3, namely that all nations would be blessed because of Abraham. God thus mediates His blessings to the world through Abraham.
 
Food For Thought
God doesn’t cry out through an angel from heaven when we faithfully obey, but the example of Abraham proves that He tests us and is glorified when we are faithful. As we grow in our faith we should expect heart-wrenching trials—from sickness to bereavement to persecution to death. But let us be reminded that God’s tests are meant to mold our character after the likeness of Christ. When the test is complete there is worship, and there is praise from God. Sometimes God commends us through the voices of others who, in a very real sense, are angels, for they are God’s messengers to us. Remember that next time someone takes note of your faithfulness.
            

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Hebrews 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten. 18 it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” 19 He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.
       
Abraham waited for 25 years to have a son after God promised him that his offspring would be as numerous as the sand by the seashore. But he never wavered in spite of both he and Sarah being advanced in age. His faith remained strong, however, for he believed God (Gen. 15:5-6). Then, after Isaac was miraculously born, God tested Abraham’s faith again, commanding him to take the young Isaac to a location of God’s choosing in order that Abraham offer him as a sacrifice to God. Astonishingly, God called Abraham to sacrifice his own son!
       
This account in Genesis 22 gives no hint of Abraham hesitating for a single moment after God instructed him regarding Isaac. Though he did not understand, he knew how to obey; he had been obeying God for 40 years. The scene plays out as “when he was being tested,” or in the midst of this divine trial, Abraham “offered up” (Gr. prospherō) his son (11:17), a perfect tense verb indicating a complete sacrifice. It appears from the verbiage that Abraham had actually made the sacrifice. But only in his mind had he done so. The verb is then used again in v. 17 in the imperfect tense (“was offering up”) showing past tense, ongoing action. The point is that in his mind Abraham fully committed to God that he would offer up Isaac, once and for all. After all, that is what God instructed him to do. Yet God never intended for Abraham to actually kill his son, only the commitment to obey. So, while Abraham “was offering up his only begotten” (imperfect tense verb), without having completed the physical task, Abraham completed God’s spiritual test. God did not actually require him to sacrifice his son; He only wanted to test Abraham’s faith. When he offered his beloved and only son, holding nothing back from what God required of him, God’s test was complete. Abraham was indeed faithful.
       
Notably, v. 17 speaks of Isaac as Abraham’s “only begotten” (Gr. monogenēs)—two words in Greek: “mono” (one) and “ginomai” (to come into being). Together, these words mean “one of a kind; unique.” This is notable because Abraham also had a son named Ishmael who was still living (cf. Gen. 16). Therefore, the only way Isaac could be Abraham’s “only begotten” son is if he was Abraham’s unique son. And he was, just as Jesus is God’s unique Son in John 3:16.
       
Verse 19 gives insight that Genesis 22 does not, for we are told that Abraham set out to kill Isaac as God had commanded all the while believing that Isaac would be resurrected from the dead. After all, Abraham knew that a dead Isaac would put an end to any hope of Abraham’s descendants being numerous since Isaac himself had no children at the time. Abraham had to balance God’s promise of numerous descendants with God’s command to kill the boy who would carry out God’s plan. The solution in his mind while on their journey to Mt. Moriah was that God was going to honor his faithfulness by resurrecting Isaac from the dead.
       
Now of course God did not require Abraham to carry out his task. Since God only wanted to test Abraham, when he was about to sacrifice Isaac God provided a substitute—a ram. This of course is indicative of Jesus Christ dying in man’s place. The author of Hebrews says that Abraham “received” (Gr. komizō) his son back as a “type” (Gr. parabolē), or comparison. Abraham was thus rewarded (received) Isaac’s life as a comparison which can only refer to Christ being raised from the dead, for v. 19 says that Abraham believed Isaac would be resurrected. There was no passivity in Abraham concerning God’s promises, for he was certain of the things he hoped for and convicted of the things he could not see (Heb. 11:1). In short, he was a man of faith simply because he trusted God.

Food For Thought
Abraham’s faith made him “the friend of God” (2 Chron. 20:7; Isa. 41:8; James 2:23). What an incredible honor to be called God’s friend! But Jesus said as much in John 15:13-15 when He told His disciples: “You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” So the friends of God are those who know God’s will and who obey Him as Abraham and the disciples did. What a wrap on faith! Knowing God’s word, believing it, and obeying it. That’s faith unto salvation!
            

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John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (part 2)
           
The word for “so” in Greek is houtōs. It means “this is how much” or “in this way.” It can refer to the degree to which God loved the world—so much so that He gave His unique Son. Or, it can refer to the manner in which God loved the world—by sending his own son. Option one is most common in the NT. However, when the Greek word for “that” (hōste) is used with the indicative mood verb (“He gave”), it tends to emphasize the greatness of the verb, in this case what God gave. John thus appears to combine both options—the degree to which God loved the world and the manner in which He chose to convey His love. John uses many double meanings in his Gospel. Therefore, the passage concerns the nature of God’s love and the mode He used along with its strength and its all-encompassing range.
           
The word translated “whoever” in English is simply “all” in Greek—literally, “that all who are believing in Him shall not perish…” This word would have taken Nicodemus aback since he believed, like all Jews, that God’s love was limited to the Jews. Whereas Jews are confused as to how God can love anyone outside of the Jewish race, Gentiles get confused on whether God has granted a freewill to all—saying “whosoever will” may come to Christ for salvation. Calvinists, or those with a reformed view of salvation, tend to emphasize God’s role in loving the world and in giving His Son. Arminians, on the other hand, tend to stress the “whosoever” as indicating human freedom in salvation. But it all boils down to being born anew (3:3) of water and spirit (3:5). Jesus did not tell Nicodemus to know Him as God’s Son and choose to follow Him; rather, He told him that he must be “born anew.” And this is solely the work of God by the Spirit.
           
All who do believe in Christ will be those whom God the Father has not only caused to be born again (1 Peter 1:3), but because of such He will “draw” them to Christ (John 6:44), and they will thus believe. It is strictly these elect children of God (Eph 1:3-12) who will hear the voice of Christ and follow Him (cf. John 10) as sheep follow only their shepherd. Only these “shall not perish.” With this phrase, the implication is that some will indeed perish—be “destroyed.” Thus, John 3:16 does not teach universal salvation based solely on Christ’s sacrificial death. All must hear the message of Christ then respond to it by faith in order to be saved and not perish.

The Greek text uses the subjunctive mood for “perish”—literally, that they “might not perish but might have eternal life.” This Greek mood is often called the mood of probability or possibility. So is it just possible that those who believe will have eternal life and those who refuse to believe will perish? The grammar mitigates against the possibility and in fact emphasizes the certainty of it. Grammatically speaking, since God is the subject of the passage, and it is His purpose to save through the giving of His Son (indicated by the Greek hina), the result that follows God’s purpose becomes a twofold reality, not a mere possibility. Either believe in Christ and live eternally or reject Him and be destroyed eternally. After all, both John 10:28 and 11:26 speak of the impossibility of perishing after believing in Christ.

For those who do not believe in Christ, God cannot be accused of causing their unbelief. Man is simply born sinful and rebellious, and everyone who evaluates his life knows this. God wills no one to hell, but man’s freewill chooses it every time. It is therefore God’s love that overcomes man’s depraved will—like a drowned man washed up on a beach—and brings him to life spiritually by causing him to be born anew (1 Peter 1:3). Instead of God just overlooking the regenerated man’s sin, in His love He has paid the penalty for that sin by dying in his place on the cross. Thus, the love of God is manifested in His actions through His Son. The gospel is not about God’s love per se but about His gift—the death of His Son, available to all who believe.
            

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John 3:6-10 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?
           
Jesus used the flesh and the Spirit to illustrate true salvation to Nicodemus in v. 6. For as only a human being can create flesh, so too only the Spirit of God can create a new spirit within the human. Man may be able to calm his own spirit and produce joy or sadness in his own spirit, but only the Spirit of God can produce an entirely new spirit within man—a spirit that longs for God and strives to worship Him. Even if rebirth was possible for man whereby a human could enter again into his mother’s womb, the rebirth would only produce flesh! But spiritual renewal, known as “regeneration,” is wholly the work of God and cannot be accomplished through human means. It does not follow a prayer, good works, or monies given. It is God’s work, and it breathes spiritual life into a spiritually dead person (Eph. 2:1-2) giving them the ability to respond to the Spirit’s call to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation (cf. John 6:44).
           
The astonishment on Nicodemus’ face must have prompted Jesus to say what He did in v. 7. Don’t miss the wording, for Christ says that you “must” be born again. This strong Greek term is also used for the necessity of Jesus’ crucifixion (3:14; 12:34), of the necessity for John the Baptist to decrease while Jesus increased (3:30), of the correct means for worshipping God (4:24), of Jesus carrying out His purpose (4:4; 9:4; 10:16), and of the necessity of Christ’s resurrection (20:9). In other words, it was absolutely necessary for Nicodemus to get over his astonishment at how his works could not gain him entry into God’s kingdom. And given the necessity of all these examples, being “born again” is clearly a “must” apart from works.
           
Those “born of the Spirit” are like the wind which, although it can be observed to blow in certain directions, it cannot be manipulated by man. It blows wherever it wishes (v. 8), as if it had a mind of its own. Likewise, the Spirit of God which can neither be controlled nor harnessed by man. One might think that all serial murderers are forever doomed to hell, yet some of them repent and are saved. Equally, one might think that world renowned saints are bound for heaven only to realize later that they are charlatans, adulterers, and habitual liars when no one is around. Truly, the Spirit of God works in whom He wills to work, and He is as unpredictable as the wind.

Like many who hear the gospel message in clear terms yet cannot understand it, Nicodemus could not fathom what he was being told by Jesus. He had worked so hard to attain his status, and he thought his works were so good. Jesus, however, was telling him—and all others like him—that his works meant nothing. Salvation had nothing to do with being Jewish, looking pious, or doing good. It had only to do with the work of God in the heart of a sinner. But because Nicodemus was trained as he was, his confusion is confusing. He knew the prophecies of Ezekiel and Jeremiah that God Himself would soften the hardened hearts of His people and give them a new heart with the washing of the water by the word (36:25-27; cf. Jer. 31:31-34). So perhaps his legalistic religion had numbed and clouded his understanding of Scripture? After all, Nicodemus represents religionists who attempt to establish their own righteousness while failing to recognize God’s. These have zeal for God but not in keeping with truth (Rom. 10:2-3).
           
Nicodemus was known as “the teacher of Israel” (v. 10), so if he failed to understand Jesus, yet believed in Him as John 2:23-25 states, how much less the others who were believing in Him! No wonder Jesus didn’t entrust Himself to them. They weren’t yet born again.
            

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John 3:3 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God… unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

The work of the Holy Spirit with regard to regeneration is a key issue in John 3, and it answers many of the questions posed about the Holy Spirit’s work. Regeneration, or being “born again,” might be defined as the sole work of God by which He imparts spiritual life into His elect children in order that they might respond by faith to the gospel call and be saved. God actually promised this to His people through the OT prophet Ezekiel: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (36:25-27; cf. Jer. 31:31-34). Note that this promise from God is His intention to impart spiritual life to His people.

Jesus, in John 3:3-10, chastised Nicodemus for being the teacher of the Law in Israel and yet not understanding the truth of Ezekiel’s prophecy and what it meant to be born again – to be regenerated. Jesus asked him, “You are the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?” Jesus spoke of the same “water” that Ezekiel did – the spiritual cleansing from sin – and the new heart that was needed to be reborn spiritually. Both of which are given by the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Peter, however, said that “according to God’s great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3; cf. Eph. 2:5; Col. 2:13; James 1:17-18). So from Peter’s words (along with Paul and James) it appears that it is God the Father who regenerates. The conclusion to the matter is that both the Holy Spirit and the Father are the two members of the Trinity involved in regeneration.

Now it is important to note that regeneration occurs prior to saving faith, for no one can respond with faith to Christ’s call without having already been regenerated. Jesus speaks of this phenomenon in John 6:44 saying, “No one can come to me unless the Father, who sent me, draws him.” There is a sequence, therefore, in salvation whereby God the Father draws one to Christ, and then after they hear the good news preached to them about Christ (1 Pet. 1:23, 25; James 1:18), they always respond in faith. But they must hear the preached word of God. Although many hear the gospel, only those chosen by God will respond in faith (Matt. 22:14). But they must be regenerated – born again – through the work of God before they are able to respond in faith. The Spirit washes and regenerates, then faith follows immediately thereafter, as in the case of Cornelius in Acts 10:44. As Peter preached the gospel to him and his household, “the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.” There is also the example of Lydia in Acts 16:14: “And the Lord opened her heart to the respond to the things spoken by Paul.” It is God’s work, therefore, that reaches into the hearts of His elect children to summon their response, and it is an instantaneous event that occurs only once for all believers in Christ. So, regeneration occurs before saving faith, although in the mind of the believer they are practically simultaneous.

Food For Thought
There are those who hear the gospel yet fail to respond in faith. They remain “dead in their trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1-5) and are unable to comprehend the gospel because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14; cf. Mark 4:14-15). It is the work of the Holy Spirit that gives new life through regeneration and enables people to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. Jesus said, “The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes or where it goes; so it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).
            

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John 3:3-5 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus told Jesus, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” But note that Jesus did not respond as one might expect him to. Instead of saying, “Yes, I have indeed come from God; in fact, I’m the Word of God who is God in the flesh. And if you truly believe in me, then you will enter into the kingdom of God.” Instead, Jesus, in essence, said, “You may know that I came from God, but you will never see His kingdom (i.e., heaven) unless you are born again.” In other words, what Nicodemus knew was not enough to have saving faith and get to heaven. Hence, he was representative of all those who had believed in Jesus (2:23) with nothing more than rational faith. Jesus, after all, knew their hearts, and he was not entrusting Himself to them (2:24).

What Nicodemus and all the others were missing was saving faith, not intellectual understanding that Jesus was simply an authoritative preacher from God who could perform signs. Thus, Jesus told him that he needed to be “born again” in order to see the kingdom of God. The Greek word behind “again” actually means “from above” in every other instance in John’s Gospel (3:31; 19:11, 23), but since Nicodemus responded as he did in v. 4 by asking how a man would enter his mother’s womb a second time, the text has traditionally been translated “again.” The gist of the argument then is that one must be born “anew,” for the answer to Nicodemus’ question, rebirth is not the repetition of the old physical way but a new birth in spiritual way.

Now in answer to what it means to be “born again” (i.e., born anew; born from above), Jesus explains in vv. 5-6. Saying, “Truly, truly” (Gr. amen, amen) to show the certainty of the words that follow, Jesus said, in essence, that in order for a person to enter the kingdom of God they would have to be “born of water and the Spirit.” Some have taken the water as water baptism and the Spirit as Spirit baptism. But since Christian baptism had not yet been introduced Nicodemus would not have understood that concept. Furthermore, if water baptism was in view, then Jesus would not have refrained from baptizing people as he did in John 4:2. Others have taken “born again” to mean that one must have a physical birth of water from the amniotic fluid of a mother then a spiritual birth from the Holy Spirit. But since “born of water and the Spirit” is synonymous with “born again” in v. 3, only one birth is in view. Neither of these views are good.

Being “born again” was a promise God made through Ezekiel, and Jesus expected Nicodemus to understand such (v. 10). God promised, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (36:25-27; cf. Jer. 31:31-34).

Now since Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a scholar of the OT, he should have known Ezekiel 36; it should have been his focal text as a Rabbi. Jesus was simply affirming God’s promise saying that without a spiritual cleansing of one’s sinful soul (i.e., regeneration, Titus 3:5) through the Word of God, no one can enter into God’s Kingdom. The Apostle Paul likewise affirmed the spiritual cleansing “by the washing of the water with the word…” (Eph. 5:26). So, being “born again” concerns being transformed by the word of God—the words of Jesus Christ. This is the sole work of God, and no one can enter His kingdom without His cleansing.
            

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John 3:1-2 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
 
John 2:23-25 reveals that many were coming to believe in Jesus because of the signs He was performing. Yet although these “believed” in Him, Jesus did not necessarily believe in them. He knew their hearts, and their belief was apparently nothing more than intellectual, for it was obviously void of any true commitment given that when Jesus was being crucified three years later none of these “many believers” were there except those who helped condemn Him to death. Truly, Jesus had good reasons not to entrust Himself to these phony believers. The only thing that seems to have attracted them to Him was His ability to perform signs.
           
In John 3:1-15 one of these “believers” approaches Jesus to speak with Him about His signs. This story follows directly after 2:23-25 so as to illustrate why Jesus was not entrusting Himself to these “believers” in Him. The man that approaches Jesus is named Nicodemus. The first thing learned about Nicodemus is that he is a Pharisee—an influential conservative religious party within Judaism opposite the Sadducees who were quite liberal. The Pharisees adhered to the entire corpus of what Christians today call the Old Testament, although the Sadducees restricted their beliefs to the Torah (first five books of the OT). Many of them were scribes (lawyers) who were the teachers and expounders of the Law of God. They led people to believe that they were in possession of the hidden meanings of Scripture, and they added many legalisms to the Law. They were, in a word, religionists enmeshed in man-made laws.
           
A second characteristic about Nicodemus is that he was “a ruler of the Jews.” This means that he was on the Jewish supreme court known as the Sanhedrin—a 70-member group of men who judged the people of Israel along with the reigning high priest—the 71st member. They arrested criminals (Matt. 26:47; Acts 5:17-18) and conducted trials (Matt. 26:57ff.; Acts 5:27ff.). Now if Nicodemus was a ruler of the people in Israel who believed the signs of Jesus yet did not truly understand Jesus with saving faith, then the belief of the others was likely less than his.
           
A third characteristic of Nicodemus was that he “came to Jesus by night.” Coming to Jesus during the daylight hours would have put his reputation as an authority in jeopardy. Being the ambitious man that he was, having ascended to the level authority that he had, conceding that the teacher from Nazareth was from God might have made him timid. After all, Jesus was an untrained carpenter while Nicodemus was a scholar of the highest rank. Just being seen asking Jesus a question would have tainted the people’s view of him and caused others to look beyond him to Jesus. Yet in spite of his timidity in coming to Jesus at night, there seems to have been a glimmer of hope in Nicodemus. After all, he did not despise the words and signs of Jesus but instead had a humble curiosity about them. Clearly then he was sensitive to God’s leading.
           
Fourthly, Nicodemus addressed Jesus as “Rabbi” revealing his respect for the man from Nazareth. He also confessed that he and others (“we know”) believed Jesus came from God given His ability to perform signs and speak as He did, although as a “teacher” and not God Himself. Thus, he had a pious belief at this point, albeit merely intellectual and not salvific.

Food For Thought
            Nicodemus represents those wealthy, learned, and respected people who know about Jesus, even believing Him to be the Son of God. But they are unwilling to humbly submit to His lordship because it would hinder their reputation as self-made authoritative people. There is hope, however, for Nicodemus later gave it all up to follow Christ in broad daylight (19:39).
            

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John 20:19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week...
       
The Sabbath day, which is every Saturday, was given by God to Israel as a unique sign that they belonged to Him (Exod. 20:8–11; 31:13–17; Neh. 9:14). No other nation had this, and Israel stood out among the nations by ceasing from their labors, both they and their animals, for the purpose of refreshment. It was not necessarily a day of worship, although in obedience to God’s command to observe the Sabbath, it was by default a day of worship.
       
By Jesus’ day, Israel had come under the leadership of corrupt men like the Pharisees and Sadducees. These men were legalists, and their interpretation of God’s law caused the Sabbath to be a day of bondage to Israel instead of being a day of rest and blessing to them. This is why Jesus deliberately violated their Sabbath traditions. Yet He still honored the Sabbath.
       
Jesus rose from His tomb on a Sunday, the first day of the week. He appeared to a group of women (Matt. 28:9–10) and then to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11–18). Luke’s Gospel relates how two disciples, distinct from the Eleven, encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35). This incident occurred during the afternoon of that Resurrection Sunday. John 20:19 continues Luke’s story on the same evening after the two disciples returned to Jerusalem from Emmaus to tell the Eleven about their encounter with Jesus. By that time, Jesus had already appeared to Simon Peter, aka Cephas, though this incident is not narrated, only stated (Luke 24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5). All this occurred on the first day of the week, Sunday, the day Jesus rose from the dead. That night, Jesus appeared to the Eleven, minus Thomas (John 20:19–25). Then the next Sunday, He appeared to them with Thomas present (John 20:26–31).
       
It was because of the resurrection of Jesus and His appearances on the first day of the week that the early Church gathered on Sunday to worship Christ and commemorate His death and resurrection (cf. Acts 20:7). This was also the day they came together to pool their money as they prospered (1 Cor. 16:1–2). Since these early Christians were Jewish, it is remarkable that they actually abandoned their observance of the Sabbath on Saturday and replaced their day of rest and for Sunday. This proves that they knew there was no longer a command to observe the Sabbath, and they were now under the New Covenant (cf. Jer. 31:31–34; 2 Cor. 3; Heb. 8), released from the old. Not only did the Jerusalem Council make no demands to Christians to observe the Sabbath (cf. Acts 15), the Apostle Paul never commanded it either. In fact, nowhere in the NT is the Sabbath commanded. Christians live the Sabbath every day of their lives, having ceased from their labors and having begun to enjoy their eternal rest in Christ (cf. Heb. 4).

Food For Thought
       Jesus was crucified on Friday, rested in the tomb on the Sabbath day, and He came back to life on Sunday. From the time Jesus Christ rose from the dead, Sunday has been known as “the Lord’s Day” (Rev. 1:10). Whereas the Jewish Sabbath honored God’s finished work of creation (Gen. 2:1–3), Sunday honors Christ’s finished work of redemption—the new creation of a holy people. The Triune God worked for six days to create the universe; then He rested. God the Son suffered on the cross for six hours; then He rested. It should be evident why we worship formally on Sunday. Sunday even foreshadows the future “Day of the Lord.” It is a day foreknown by the prophets (cf. Isa. 2:11–19; 11:11; 12:1, 6; Jer. 31:6, 27–34; Ezek. 34:11–12; Joel 2:1–2, 11, 31; Amos 5:18–20), and it is a day reaffirmed in the NT (cf. John 6:39–40; 12:48; Matt. 24:22, 36; 26:29; Rom. 2:5, 16; Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:2–4; Heb. 10:25; 2 Pet. 2:9; 3:10–11; Rev. 6:16–17; 16:14; etc.). On that Resurrection Sunday, God revealed His power in the most extraordinary way! Have you experienced it by trusting in Christ alone for salvation?
            

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Matthew 28:11-15 Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble.” 15 And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.
       
After the women departed the scene, Matthew flashes back to the tomb and the guards whom he had previously said were shaking from fear and who had become like dead men as a result (v. 4), perhaps having fallen unconscious. Without describing how long it took them to get their wits about them or what actually happened to them, Matthew simply says that “some of the guard” (indicating that the “guard” was plural) went into Jerusalem (indicating that the tomb was outside the city walls). The soldiers then “reported to the chief priests all that had happened.”
       
Assuming these guards were Roman soldiers (cf. v. 12), for Jewish temple police would hardly have feared Pilate, it is striking that they came to the Jewish priests and not their Roman superiors. They knew they would be in deep trouble with Pilate, so, knowing that the chief priests had some influence over him, they smartly went to them instead of their superiors. After all, the chief priests had already induced Judas to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, convinced Pilate to have Him crucified, and persuaded him to place a Roman guard at the tomb. So the soldiers put their trust in the hands of the Jews hoping that they would concoct another lie about Jesus to save their necks. And concoct a lie they did! Though the soldiers would be in trouble for having fallen asleep while on watch, the chief priests paid them to tell this story to Pilate. That is what people do who cannot allow Jesus to be Lord over their lives. Though they know the truth, they concoct a lie so that they do not have to submit to the truth.
       
Matthew’s previous depiction of the guard as being “like dead men” might mean they were unconscious. If so, what exactly could they have told the chief priests? If they had fallen unconscious out of fear, were they rendered unconscious before or after Jesus’ resurrection, the earthquake, and the angel’s appearance? Matthew does not elaborate, so it is not known exactly what they told the chief priests. What is known is that Jesus was no longer in the tomb, and His whereabouts were unknown. Now without a body to guard, they could only confess their failure.
       
Instead of just admitting that Jesus was the Christ, the chief priests had already made up their minds not to admit to the truth, in spite of the evidence before them. After the Council of chief priests had conferred together, they decided that another lie was the best course of action, for one lie always begets another. But in order to foist that lie upon the Romans, they bribed the soldiers with money to tell a tall tale about how the 11 disciples came in the night and stole Jesus’ body from the tomb as they slept. This lie was the very one the Jews were trying to prevent in the first place, and it is why they summoned Pilate to place a guard at His tomb (27:64). For the “large sum of money” the soldiers received from the Jews, they would have to admit that they fell asleep while on duty, a crime punishable by death. But the chief priests promised to “win [Pilate] over” and keep them “out of trouble,” probably with another bribe.
       
The soldiers accepted the offer, and the lie permeated throughout Israel from AD 33 to the time Matthew penned his Gospel, somewhere around AD 60—“and to this day.” The Jewish people were all too willing to believe this lie—anything that pointed to Jesus not being the Messiah, Matthew’s motif throughout his Gospel. And it is “to this day” that the Jews continue to believe this, rejecting Jesus of Nazareth as their long-awaited Messiah, the Christ.

Food For Thought
       Can you imagine the disciples, whose leader (Peter) denied even knowing Christ when a little girl asked Him, being so bold as to stand up to Roman soldiers and attempt to steal Jesus’ body? The disciples were not the kind of men to do such at that time. They were in no frame of mind to steal Jesus’ body. But even if they did, how can one explain the fact that of the Eleven, knowing that they stole the body of Jesus, later went out and died for their faith? It is true that people die for a lie every day, but people don’t willingly die for a lie if they know it’s a lie. There are way too many difficulties with the stolen body theory to use it as an explanation for the empty tomb. The disciples were not transformed into courageous men until they had actually seen the risen Lord Jesus and had been filled with the Holy Spirit. So it wasn’t the empty tomb that did it for them (cf. John 20:8-9); it was the appearance of Jesus Himself.
            

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John 20:16-18 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.
       
As Mary wept outside the tomb of Jesus, the man she thought was a gardener was Jesus, alive from the dead! All Jesus needed to do to reveal Himself to her was to say one word: her name. Now although a common gardener may have known Mary by name, it was the way that Jesus spoke her name that identified Him as her “Rabboni” (Aramaic for “my Teacher”). Like the raging sea which Jesus stilled with a word (Mark 4:39), Mary’s troubled soul was calmed by one word from Jesus. Likewise, the disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee in John 21:6-7, after Jesus instructed them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat, and in the story of the two disciples making their way to Emmaus (Luke 24:31), Jesus transforms people’s lives in an instant. All these examples reveal that recognition of Jesus does not follow a single pattern.
       
Mary’s joyful response to Jesus was to call out to Him in reverential awe as to who He was to her, namely her Teacher, her Lord. But given Jesus’ response to her, she must have also embraced Him physically as the other women had done when Jesus was revealed to them (Matt. 28:9). Therefore, He told her, “Stop clinging to Me…” Though the NASB sounds quite harsh, Jesus was not in any way pushing Mary back. His words were in no way meant to keep her from actually touching Him, for that would contradict the invitation He gave the disciples to touch Him in Luke 24:39 along with the challenge to Thomas to touch His hands and His side in John 20:27 (cf. Matt. 28:9). Perhaps what Jesus was telling Mary, given the present imperative verb tense, was to refrain from fixating on the idea that Jesus had returned to stay. The fact that He told her to “stop” means that she had already begun to think that Jesus being back from the dead meant that He would be with Mary and the others in a physical sense indefinitely. The truth of the matter was that Mary’s relationship to Jesus, as with all others, would no longer be through her physical senses. Once Jesus ascended to the Father (v. 17) a short time later, her relationship with Him would be through the presence of the Holy Spirit (cf. 14:16, 26), not Jesus physically.
     
It should be noted that Jesus did make many physical appearances after His death, prior to His ascension (cf. Acts 1:3, 9). This was so that writers like John could claim to have been eyewitnesses who had heard, seen, and touched Jesus—the “the Word of life” who grants eternal life (1 John 1:1-3). Even in his Gospel, John asserted that seeing and touching Jesus had ceased to be the means by which people come to faith. From that point onward, God’s blessing came upon those who believed without seeing (cf. John 20:29).

Food For Thought
       Though Jesus’ work of redemption is finished (19:30), He still had work to do before the Spirit descended, and He is still working. In telling Mary to go inform His “brethren” in v. 16 and telling her, “I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God” in v. 17, Jesus includes all those who have faithfully followed Him as His family, the One who “is not ashamed to call them brothers” (Heb. 2:11). After all, “Whoever does God’s will is [Jesus’] brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:34). They are co-heirs with Christ (cf. Rom. 8:16-17).
 

            

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John 20:11-15 But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”

When the four Gospels are read as a single narrative, each writer’s perspective paints the following story: Early on Sunday morning the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and a violent earthquake shook Jesus’ tomb. Though Jesus had already risen, the angel rolled the stone away from the tomb and sat on it while the Roman soldiers became so afraid that they fainted and became like dead men (Matt. 28:1-4). Meanwhile, while it was still dark, the women who had followed Jesus so faithfully throughout His ministry departed their homes for Jesus’ tomb to anoint His body, wondering how they would move the stone. Arriving on the scene as the sun appeared over the horizon, they discovered the empty tomb, and while the other women stayed to investigate, Mary Magdalene ran immediately to tell Peter and John, believing from the empty tomb that Jesus’ body had been stolen.

During the time Mary Magdalene was gone, the other women who remained at the tomb were told by an angel that Jesus had risen from the dead (Luke 24:4-5), showing them the empty tomb (Matt. 28:6). When they looked, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting to the right of where Jesus once laid, and he too told the women that Jesus had risen (Mark 16:5). As the women hastily ran to tell the disciples what they had seen, in great fear (Mark 16:8), Jesus appeared to them, and they fell at His feet and worshipped Him (Matt. 28:8-9).  

Now as the women departed to tell the disciples, knowing that Mary Magdalene had already departed to do so, Peter and John arrived to survey the scene without seeing the other women, oblivious to the prior events. Once they investigated and left the scene, Mary Magdalene returned to the site, and she stood outside Jesus’ tomb weeping (John 20:15). As she wept, she looked into Jesus’ empty tomb, and two angels were sitting on either side of where Jesus once laid. Confused as to why anyone would be crying on the single greatest day the world has ever known, the angels asked Mary why she wept. Her answer reveals a woman who was so distraught that even heavenly beings were of no comfort to her, and she probably did not initially recognize them as such. She thought they, along with the man outside the tomb she perceived to be a gardener, were the culprits who had stolen Jesus’ body. So, coming back out of the tomb and not recognizing the man she thought was a gardener as Jesus, she pleaded with him to tell her where Jesus was after He too asked her why she was weeping and whom she was seeking.

Food For Thought
The writer of Hebrews wrote that holy angels are “ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” (1:14), and “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it” (13:2). These beings announced the births of John the Baptist and of Jesus Christ (Luke 1:11-20, 26-38). They also comforted Jesus in Gethsemane (Luke 22:43) and even announced His resurrection (24:4, 23). Appearing at will and at lightning speed (Dan. 9:20-21), they preach truth. Likewise Christians, for we too have the task of announcing the truth of Christ’s birth, life, death, resurrection, and His second coming.
            

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Mathew 12:40 “Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
       
If the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:40 are taken at face value, then He would have been in the grave for 72 hours after His crucifixion. That means, as some have espoused, that Jesus could not have died on a Friday and been resurrected on Sunday morning as is traditionally celebrated. The time between a Friday afternoon death and an early Sunday morning resurrection is only about half that time. This is why some have advocated that a Wednesday or Thursday death. Yet the Gospels appear to say unequivocally that Jesus died on a Friday sometime around 3:00 p.m. and was resurrected early on Sunday morning (Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1). This equals three days but not three nights, appearing to contradict Matthew 12:40. Against the notion that Jesus was killed on Wednesday or Thursday are the numerous passages that say Jesus would be raised on the third day after His death. Consider the following:
      

1. Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things from the elders… and be raised up on the third day (Matt. 16:21).
2. …and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day (Matt. 17:23).

3. …and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up (Matt. 20:19).
4. Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day (Matt. 27:64).
5. The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day (Luke 9:22).
6. they will kill Him; and on the third day He will rise again (Luke 18:33).
7. saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again (Luke 24:7).
8. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened (Luke 24:21).
9. Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day (Luke 24:46).
10. Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up (John 2:19).
11. God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible (Acts 10:40).
12. …and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:4).

All passages, therefore, except Matthew 12:40, teach that it was going to be the third day after His death when Jesus would rise from the grave. That means that if Jesus died on a Wednesday and arose on Sunday, He would have risen on the fifth day. Even if He died on a Thursday, He would have risen on the fourth day. This might satisfy those who demand that Matthew 12:40 be fulfilled literally, but it contradicts the other Gospel accounts.
It is certain that Jesus died on a Friday, for the Gospels say that He died “on the day of preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath” (Mark 15:42; cf. Matt. 27:62; Luke 23:54), namely Saturday. John says, “for that Sabbath was a high day” (19:31) because it fell on the day of the “preparation for the Passover” (John 19:14), later confirming that this was Friday since they could not leave the bodies of the dead overnight into the Sabbath, that is, Saturday.
       
What shall we conclude? The analogy of Scripture—comparing Scripture with Scripture—is clear: Jesus died on Friday (the day of the preparation for the Sabbath which is Saturday) and rose on Sunday (the first day of the week). So, as to Matthew 12:40, it seems evident that Jesus was not speaking of three 24 hour days and nights in that passage where He predicts His own death. Even the Jewish Talmud states that the Jews regarded any part of a day as a full day. The conclusion is that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are the three days, and each day includes a night by Jewish computation. Jesus thus died on Friday and was raised on the third day—Sunday.

Food For Thought
We can celebrate the death of Jesus because He died for us to save us from the penalty of our sins. Let us celebrate His resurrection, therefore, since He is not dead but alive! His resurrection guarantees our own resurrection from the dead, for He is the first-fruits of those who rise from the dead (1 Cor. 15:20); He is a representation of the many who will also rise from the dead to live eternally with God. Those who do are the massive harvest of souls who placed their faith in the risen Lord Jesus Christ!
            

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Matthew 28:5-8 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.” 8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.
       
Though there had been a severe earthquake near Jesus’ tomb, and though there were Roman soldiers present, it was the angel sitting on the tombstone that was the focus of attention for both the women and the soldiers. His appearance caused everyone at the tomb to shake with fear. But the angel was not there to cause fear; he was there to announce Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and to remind the women that rising from the dead was exactly what Jesus had prophesied He would do, “just as He said.” The angel thus pointed to the empty tomb, saying, “Come, see the place where He was laying.” Mark 16:5 says that upon entering the tomb, the women saw “a young man sitting at the right wearing a white robe”—another angel (cf. Luke 24:4-5; John 20:12). They also would have seen “the linen wrappings lying there… and the face-cloth which had been on [Jesus’] head, not lying with the wrappings, but rolled up on a place by itself” (John 20:6-7). This points to a resurrection, for why would a grave robber unwrap the body entirely?
       
In v. 7, the angel told the women to go quickly and tell Jesus’ disciples that Jesus had risen and would meet them in Galilee. Mark 16:7 mentions Peter who was to be told, for he had denied Christ three times (Matt. 26:69-75). In God’s mercy and grace, He had not only forgiven Peter, He also wanted him to be a part of Christ’s great triumph over death. Jesus had prophesied that after His death He would rise from the grave and meet the disciples in Galilee (26:32). It would be in Galilee where Jesus would restore Peter (John 21:15-17). In Galilee Peter would be assured by Jesus that though he had denied Christ, he himself would not be denied by his Lord.
       
The women set out to obey the angel and tell the disciples what they had seen. They “left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy.” Their lives had changed in an instant; their sorrow had turned to joy. They had witnessed the greatest event in the history of the world and were spoken to by a holy angel. They therefore had a message for the most influential men the world has ever known—the eleven apostles. And once the women reported what they saw to them, those men later went out and changed the world. But it all started with those faithful women!
       
It is interesting to note that in all the Gospel accounts the women were the first witnesses to Christ’s resurrection. After all, in Jewish society the witness of women was unaccepted. Therefore, if the accounts of Jesus’ resurrection are myths concocted by charlatans (as skeptics have suggested), then the question is “Why would those concocting such a lie say that women were the first to witness it?” No one would have believed them! The early Church did suffer for this testimony since women were considered ineligible witnesses. But the fact that women were the first to witness it attests to its authenticity since anyone making up such a story would have certainly used men to witness the account. And yet it was women who attested to its truth.

Food For Thought
God revealed Jesus to the world in the resurrection in order to reveal Himself to His creation. The resurrection of Christ is the good news. Without it, Christians are just like all other religions who pay homage to some dead guy. God sent His angelic messenger to announce that Jesus had risen, and angels are “ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14). Now let us go and be a ministering spirit to the world about Christ’s resurrection.
            

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Matthew 27:62-66 On the next day, the day after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate: 63 “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’ 64 Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” 66 And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.
       
Even after Jesus’ death, the chief priests were still fearful of Him. On the Sabbath (April 4, AD 33) day after His burial—“the day after the preparation,” they went to Pilate and requested a guard for Jesus’ tomb. Knowing that Jesus had prophesied that He would rise from the dead after three days (cf. 16:21; 17:23; 20:18), they were fearful that His disciples would steal the body and tell everyone that Jesus had risen. So a guard was needed to secure the tomb “until the third day.”
       
Pilate capitulated and gave the Jews a Roman “guard” to protect Jesus’ tomb. A “guard” was plural, usually consisting of two groups of four men each. The guard at the tomb was plural since Matthew 28:4 says that the guards who comprised the “guard” were fearful after they saw the empty tomb. This can also be seen in Matt. 28:11-15 which speaks of this guard as a group of men as opposed to a single man. This is a vital fact since it refutes the idea that one man guarded the tomb and was later overpowered by Jesus’ disciples of Jesus who then stole His body.
       
Certainly Rome did its best to protect the tomb. Roman guards were strict in all matters. It is known that if a soldier fell asleep while on duty, he was executed. Yet while attempting to explain away Jesus’ resurrection, the chief priests conspired to say that the disciples stole Jesus’ body while all the Roman soldiers were sleeping (28:12-13)! It is improbable enough that one solider would fall asleep, but all of them? Clearly, this was another act of God’s providence that further proves Jesus did in fact rise from the dead.
       
The Jews knew that the Roman guard had to be strict in order to keep the tomb from being disturbed. They knew that if word got out that Jesus had risen, then the “last deception will be worse than the first” (v. 64). In other words, even if Jesus rose from the grave, they would not believe but only lament the fact that their plan to murder Him did not ultimately work, at least not for them. In addition to the guard at the tomb, the stone covering it was sealed with the seal of Rome. The seal was a cord that stretched across the stone on both ends with the seal of the king’s signet ring on top of it. Seals were engraved in the presence of Roman guards, who were given the task to watch and protect what was sealed. To break a Roman seal was a crime against the official whose identity was attached—another crime punishable by death.
 
Food For thought
       Many today still strive to squelch Jesus’ influence in our world. Most simply ignore Him, but others spread lies about Jesus, sarcastically insulting Christians and acting as if they know for sure that Jesus did not rise from the grave. Yet as the religious leaders of Jesus’ day failed, so too will all the modern efforts to do the same. After all, if the truth is found in Jesus Christ, and the truth always wins, how can the lies of satanically driven atheists and skeptics prevail? They can’t and they won’t. Let us as Christians therefore praise God that all of His chosen ones will indeed hear the truth and eventually come to saving faith in Jesus Christ—God in flesh, crucified under Pontius Pilate to pay the penalty for our sins, buried in Joseph’s tomb, raised to glory on the third day! Though we weren’t there to witness it, neither were all these modern skeptics. We believe it like we believe other historical accounts: eyewitnesses attest to it. And no one can refute it!
            

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Matthew 27:48, 50 Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink… 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
       
In Psalms 22 and 69 (circa 1000 BC), David penned the prophetic words that Jesus would fulfill on the cross. He cried out to God, saying, “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws... You know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor; all my adversaries are before You. Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick. And I looked for sympathy, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink” (22:15; 69:19-21).
       
The scene David described was played out in Jesus’ passion right down to the letter, fulfilled during the closing moments of His life. Though Matthew does not record it, John says that the reason someone came to Jesus with a sponge filled with sour wine was because He said, “I am thirsty” (John 19:28). Of course Jesus’ thirst is logical. After His vicious scourging, He had endured at least six hours of unimaginable suffering on the cross. Add to that the loss of blood and the shock His body was enduring, Jesus would have been extremely dehydrated. He needed a drink because He had something important to say before willingly giving up His spirit.
       
Jesus was no feeble man robbed of His wits. In fact, He was controlling each moment of His suffering. While His followers mourned, thinking that their Messiah and Lord was leaving them, He was working for them! John 19:28 says that Jesus knew that “all things had already been accomplished” (cf. 17:4). This is an odd thing for John to write with a past tense verb given that Jesus had not yet died, risen from the dead, or ascended into heaven. But John knew, in hindsight, that God’s will is accomplished even before it has come to completion in man’s eyes.
       
The only thing left for Jesus to do at that time was die. Before doing so, He announced that He was thirsty in order to whet His whistle, have sour wine offered to Him (Ps. 69:21), and cry out one final proclamation. Though the Synoptics do not record what Jesus said, John’s Gospel says Jesus exclaimed, “It is finished!” (Gr. tetelestai)—literally paid in full. So, in calling for a drink, Jesus put in motion the fulfillment of Psalm 69:21. Having previously refused the dulling sedative of wine mixed with myrrh (Mark 15:23), now, in order to fulfill David’s prophecy and reveal Himself as the Christ, Jesus drank the sour wine to announce the payment for sin in full.
       
“It is finished” is a perfect tense Greek verb signifying a full completion of a given task with no further work needing to be done. This Greek word has been found in ancient papyri on tax receipts that had been paid in full. Therefore, it was a common word used in Koine Greek to signify one’s full payment of taxes. This is foundational in relation to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, for Jesus paid man’s sin debt in full! So Jesus Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient and lacks nothing. His shout was the triumphant cry of victory from the God-man, Jesus Christ, who had fully accomplished the work of man’s redemption—having lived man’s life and died his death. So in His death Jesus willingly gave up His spirit in His perfect time.
 
Food For thought
       What an insult to God to assume that we can add to Christ’s finished work! It is finished means that we can add nothing to what Christ did for us. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins in full with His death. There is nothing to add to it, and the very idea that we can add something to it actually cheapens it. We simply receive Christ by faith for salvation. No works are needed, and none are accepted. Whatever we offer God beyond our faith is simply worship. So let us offer our lives as a living sacrifice unto God for what He has done for us through Jesus Christ!
            

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Matthew 26:26-29 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. 29 “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
       
On Thursday evening Nisan 14 (April 2, AD 33), the day before Jesus was crucified, He and His disciples celebrated the Passover with a feast that commemorated Israel’s exodus from Egypt 1,500 years prior. The bread they ate in v. 22 was Jesus’ body, and the cup was His blood—the blood of the new covenant which made the old covenant obsolete. In the OT blood ratified a covenant made between two people. God did this with Noah (Gen. 8:20), Abraham (Gen. 15:9-10), and with Moses (Ex. 24:8). When God brought reconciliation between Himself and man He always did so through the shedding of blood, for “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb. 9:22). God ordained that animals, instead of men, had to not only be killed, but their blood had to be shed. Leviticus 17:14 says, “The life of all flesh is in its blood.” So, in order for a life to be truly sacrificed, and for sin to be atoned for, its blood had to be spilled.
       
Now when Jesus took the bread and said, “This is my body” he clearly was not speaking literally, no more so than when He said, “I am the vine” (John 15:5) or “I am the door” (John 10:7, 9). John reports that Jesus was misunderstood earlier in His ministry and ridiculed greatly when He spoke of His flesh as real food and His blood as real drink (John 6:55-56). But even Jesus clarified that these words were spirit, not literal (John 6:63). So, in Mark 14:22 the reader must not mistake Jesus’ words as literal. Jesus, in equating bread with His body and wine with His blood, was instructing the disciples to partake of His death through memorial (cf. 1 Cor. 11:24-25). In the same way that the unleavened bread signified leaving evil influences behind in Egypt during the first Passover, and in the same way that the red wine symbolized the shedding of the lamb’s blood painted on the doorposts so that the death angel would “pass over” them (Ex. 12:13), so too are the bread and wine in the ordinance of the Lord’s supper only symbolic of Christ’s body and blood which were given as a once-for-all sacrifice for the sins of mankind.

Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant with the bread and wine—a covenant ratified in His blood. The old covenant required the blood of animals, but that was an inferior covenant. Now the perfect Lamb, Jesus Christ, was to shed His blood one time for all people. Because of His atoning and perfect sacrifice Jesus is now the Great High Priest who offered one sacrifice on behalf of all—Himself. His blood was “poured out for many for forgiveness of sins” (v. 28).

In v. 29 Jesus knew that He would be resurrected and drink this cup again with His disciples. From that day forward the Passover celebration ceased, and the Lord’s Supper replaced it. Today it serves as a reminder, not only of Christ’s perfect sacrifice for sins but as a reminder that He will return and eat it again at the marriage supper of the Lamb (cf. Rev. 19:7-9).

Food For thought
       What we learn from the Lord’s Supper (aka, Eucharist, Communion) is that Jesus celebrated Israel’s Passover as any good Jew does. After all, Christ is our Passover (1 Cor. 5:7); He has the power to “pass over” our sins since He has forgiven those who trust in Him. Christians today celebrate the Lord’s Supper like Jesus celebrated the Passover—looking backwards to a time of deliverance from bondage. We thus eat the Supper and look back at Christ’s death which delivered us from the bondage of sin. But we also eat it looking forward to His return!
            

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Matthew 21:18, 23 Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city… 23 When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”
       
It was on Wednesday morning April 1, AD 33 of Jesus’ passion week that the events of Matthew 21:23-27 unfolded, continuing through 26:5 (cf. Mark 14:2; Luke 21:48). The previous day Jesus had come to the temple and rebuked the merchants for turning God’s house of prayer into a den of robbers (21:13). After retiring to Bethany for the night, Jesus returned the next day, where the temple courtyard was apparently now calm. In this new setting, Jesus “was teaching” a crowd that had gathered around Him. Matthew does not say what Jesus was teaching, but Luke’s Gospel says, “All the people were hanging upon His words” (19:48).
       
As Jesus taught, the “chief priests and elders of the people” (v. 23) approached Him. This group included Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, and was likely accompanied by the former high priest Annas and his son-in-law, the acting high priest, Caiaphas (cf. Luke 3:2). The temple police were probably with them as well. These groups were often at odds with each other, but one thing they shared in common was their hatred for Jesus. Having met together after Jesus cleared the temple of its merchants, Mark 11:18 says, they “began seeking how to destroy Him.”
       
Coming to Jesus, the chief priests and elders of the people asked Him, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” They wanted to know who Jesus thought He was coming into the temple, receiving praise from children and disrupting their business. Of course Jesus, the Son of God, had been given “authority to execute judgment” (5:27) by His Father as well as “authority over all mankind” to grant eternal life to those His Father gave to Him (17:2). Jesus even had authority over His own life, “to lay it down,” and over His own resurrection, “to take [His life] up again” (10:18). He even had authority to forgive sins (9:2-8), a trait reserved for God alone.
       
Whereas the religious leaders had, in their own minds, the authority to oversee Israel, its temple, and its doctrine, who was this lowly carpenter from Nazareth? They thus interrupted Him as He taught and asked Him a question so as to trap Him, hoping that He would claim His authority was from God. If He did, they planned to arrest Him. But Jesus was wise to their plan.  
       
It is clear that the religious leaders were not questioning that Jesus had power and authority, for that was obvious to all, even them. He had healed the sick, made the lame walk and the blind see. He had even raised the dead, specifically Lazarus just a few days prior (John 11). What they wanted to know was where Jesus got such authority. Previously they had accused Him of acting with satanic authority and power after He cast out demons in their presence (12:24). If He would just admit to acting on God’s authority they could arrest Him, try Him, and put Him to death.

Food For Thought
       Those given great authority are never arrogant with their power. They stand their ground, but they don’t talk down to anyone; they defend the truth mightily, but they never treat anyone cruelly. Though there will always be detractors who seek to trap us like they did Jesus, we still show respect to them as Jesus showed His detractors respect. In our day of tolerance for all things except Christianity, make certain you never compromise your faith, no matter who might be offended. The Christian faith is founded on truth, so it will offend. It’s designed to! We must therefore minister to others within the jurisdiction of God’s authority with true humility. If you know the truth, stand for it, even if it ends friendships—even if it costs you your very life.
            

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Matthew 21:12-13 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den.”
 
Jerusalem was teeming with people for the annual Passover when Jesus “entered the temple” the next day. Pilgrims traveled from all over to offer their lambs (Exod. 12:3-6). Yet those who traveled from far away did not bring lambs due to the travails of traveling with animals; they simply purchased lambs at the temple. The problem was the merchants, under the watchful eye of Annas the high priest, were taking advantage of them. Trade was controlled by the priestly nobility who profited greatly at the expense of the Jews. First, those who needed their foreign currency converted for use in the temple were charged upwards of 25%. Second, those who needed to purchase animals were charged up to ten times the amount of the normal costs. Many who did bring them were denied and forced to purchase animals for sale in the temple. Even those who were poor and could only offer a dove (Lev. 5:7; 14:22) were being bilked. All of this occurred at the Passover, a feast of worship and remembrance of God’s deliverance of His people from Egyptian bondage. Thus, these crooked merchants were interfering with the worship of God. Truly the temple courtyard was filled with corruption and exploitation. Jesus, however, took exception to this wicked practice, and He put an end to it, at least on that day.
       
Mark 11:16 also reveals that some Jews, loaded with merchandise, were taking shortcuts through the temple area and using it as an access road from one part of the city to another. This brought further confusion and chaos to an area that was supposed to be devoted to prayer and worship. So, when Jesus entered the temple on Tuesday March 31, AD 33, having come there the previous day and observed the corruption (Mark 11:11), He was livid. In vv. 12-13 Jesus is seen driving out everyone there who was corrupting the temple. He overturned the tables of the merchants and the seats of those who sold doves. And He refused to allow anyone to use the temple courtyard as a shortcut to the other side of the city. The entire wicked and widespread operation came to a sudden halt. On that day at least, Jesus shut down Annas’ corrupt bilking of the Jewish people for his own wicked profit. This is why he sought Jesus’ death (Mark 11:18).
       
Jesus cited two texts as the basis for His attack on the temple merchants. First, he quoted Isaiah 56:7, reminding them that God’s temple was to be a place of worship for all nations. Second, Jesus cited Jeremiah 7:11, where Jeremiah condemned the notion that the temple provides protection for the Jews in their sin. On the contrary, God would destroy His own temple (Jer. 7:3-15), fulfilling this text some 37 years later when the Romans demolished the temple. Jesus simply called attention to the fact that God was angry with how His people treated Him.

Food For thought
       There is no temple in Jerusalem today. The temple of God (1 Cor. 6:18-20; Rom. 12:1-2) is the body of each believer. Our church buildings are still “houses of prayer,” but they are just buildings. We as Christians comprise God’s temple. Now just like the temple that Jesus angrily cleansed of its corruptions, our bodies too become corrupted when we fill our minds with filth, selfishly pursue wanton pleasure, and fail to glorify God with our bodies. It was Martin Luther who came to hate the indulgences of his day—the supposed buying and selling of God’s grace. His disdain for this practice ushered in the Protestant Reformation and moved people back to the study of the Scriptures. We too should cry out today for Christ to expose our sins and cleanse us just like He did in the temple so long ago. Only then can we truly reap God’s eternal blessings.
            

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Copyright © 2024 Harvest Bible Church, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Harvest Bible Church
14954 Mueschke Road
Cypress, TX 77433