The Journey: Chronological Bible Study

Jesus tries to help people see the difference between coming to Jesus because we're hungry for a miracle and recognizing that our true hunger is for the miracle worker Himself.

Poor Jesus wants to get away to grieve but so many people need His help.

Jesus sends out His apostles to do the works He's been doing.

The pace of Jesus ministry amps up with some highly public very dramatic miracles which show not only his authority over all things but also his tendency towards acts of compassion in His miracles. 

Jesus often uses parables to shake the confidence of those who are convinced they know exactly what the Kingdom of Heaven looks like.  Possibly you don't know everything, says Jesus.  So here's some weird ways to think about it!  And it turns out so much of it applies to our own misconceptions perhaps. 

Why does Jesus speak in Parables?  Why does he reserve the explanations only for the closest disciples?  What should we be learning from the Parables? In what ways is the sower of the seed parable a key to the other parables?

We've seen Jesus preaching about the inclusive nature of the Kingdom of Heaven and  and that even the poorest have access to the Kingdom of Heaven.  Now, a visit to a pharisees house prompts a series of events where Jesus demonstrates forcefully that everyone is welcome to the Kingdom of Heaven.  The only people who can't come in are those who refuse the only way in there is, Jesus...

Remember John the Baptist?  Remember he got arrested?  Whatever happened to him anyway...oh, here he is!

We wrap up the typical sermon of Jesus and see just how atypical His message is.  Few people will accept it but for those who do there is blessing and stability and relationship with God.

Jesus continues the sermon on the mount, asking, "What are you devoted to?"  and pointing out that what you are devoted to is what ultimately becomes your master. 

What are we going to do with the exhortations to turn the other cheek, or to walk two miles with the oppressive force which forces us to walk one?

Jesus messages are both encouraging and challenging, populist and traditional.  It's easy to hear what matches your worldview and dispense with the parts that don't.  But the Beatitudes teach us that the Gospel is for everyone.  Access is limited only by one's own recognition of whether they need it or not. There is only one door to the Kingdom of God but it is the same door with eq...

Jesus continues to provoke the Jewish leaders through his attitude toward the Sabbath and his own authority over it.

Luke 5:1-39; Mark 1:40-2:22; Matthew 9:1-17 Jesus continues his early ministry, demonstrating and preaching his authority as the Messiah; choosing disciples from among the uneducated, and common.

What are those three years, before Jesus's mission to die on our behalf, all about?  The Gospel writers define what Jesus minister for those three years is about.

Two different dialogues with two theological heavy weights of very different status. 

John gives us a glimpse into the earliest years of Jesus ministry and the organic way his following grows, including Jesus propensity for socratic dialogue with a goal to shaking up the materialistic perspective with a more spiritual one. 

John the Baptist begins his ministry and it's like he was born for this!

We've all heard the story and seen the pageants.   Mary and Joseph, strangers in Bethlehem, are rushing to find a hotel while Mary's in labor but there is no vacancy in any of the inns.  Eventually they end up in a stable outside in the dead of winter somewhere, and this is where the shepherds, three kings and the drummer boy find them that night.  But is that really how it hap...

In tonights Journey, the Angel Gabriel is our guide, introducing us to the parents of John the Baptist and Jesus.  Amazing Stories with clear messianic prophecies for the parents to cling to.  New parents are always proud, I wonder if these guys were insufferable.

Some say you can tell a great piece of writing from its first line.  It's in that first line that an author sets the tone, sometimes even revealing the purpose of his writing.  So as we begin our chronological walk through the Gospels what do the first lines of each of these authors tell us about their agenda and audience?  Quite a lot actually.  Come join us as Matthew, Mark,...

Why are there four Gospels and who are these Gospel writers?

What is the deal with the Dead Sea scrolls anyway?

What happened between the old and new testament? Where did the Pharisees and Sadducees come from? Who are the Maccabees? What are the Essenes? What are the dead sea scrolls? What is the Septuagint? Why is the Bible comprised of some books and not others? Who decided? Who is Herod? All these and more will be part of our journey for the next few weeks.

The last two books of the Old Testament in our Chronological Bible although truly difficult to tell chronologically where they go.  Nonetheless, they share similar themes of calling for reformation among the priests in particular.  and they do signal the beginning of a new era for the jews where they recognize their ability to flourish with or without the temple; a shifting of the priest...