February
26th Jesus
predicts his resurrection
32:
And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before
them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid.
And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things
should happen unto him, 33: Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem;
and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and
unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall
deliver him to the Gentiles: 34: And they shall mock him, and shall
scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the
third day he shall rise again.
James
and John seek position
35:
And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying,
Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall
desire. 36: And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for
you? 37: They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on
thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. 38: But
Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the
cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am
baptized with? 39: And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said
unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with
the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: 40: But
to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but
it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. 41: And when the
ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John.
42: But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that
they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship
over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. 43: But
so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you,
shall be your minister: 44: And whosoever of you will be the
chiefest, shall be servant of all. 45: For even the Son of man came
not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a
ransom for many.
The
healing of Bartimaeus
46:
And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his
disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of
Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. 47: And when he heard that
it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou
Son of David, have mercy on me. 48: And many charged him that he
should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son
of David, have mercy on me. 49: And Jesus stood still, and commanded
him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of
good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. 50: And he, casting away his
garment, rose, and came to Jesus. 51: And Jesus answered and said
unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man
said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. 52: And Jesus
said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And
immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
Christ
is on his last long journey to Jerusalem and so he takes the time to
explain exactly what will happen to him there. It is nearly always
forgotten that this was an outstanding prophecy. None of these things
were able to be orchestrated by Christ and yet in a few days they
will all come true. The most difficult prophecy for anyone to fulfil
would be their own resurrection. At this time the disciples are still
so self focused that they are planning to out manoeuvre each other
into positions of power in the kingdom. How little did they
understand of what the future held for them. Then when the rest of
the disciples heard what these disciples had asked they were very
cross indeed. Why would they be cross? Because they wanted to be in
charge too. This was all about power over each other. Christ tells
then in no uncertain terms that it is the Gentiles who exercise
lordship over the common people but that they are not to act in this
way among brethren. The one that is greatest is the one that is
servant of all. He then describes his whole course in life - For even
the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and
to give his life a ransom for many. Christ came not to be served but
to serve and to give his life. Christian ministers are not to see
themselves in position of power over brethren but they are to see
themselves as servants. It’s not their will that’s important it’s
the will of those they serve that is important. On the road they pass
Bartimaeus who calls out for Christ to heal his blindness. Christ’s
simple question is a question that comes to us all. What wilt thou
that I should do unto thee? His needs were many but his problem was
one single disability. Christ removed the disability and Bartimeasus
became a follower of Christ.
- What does Christ predict about his personal future?
- What were James and John wanting?
- What do you notice about the healing of Bar-Timaeus?
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