Bible Characters for Your Weekly Bible Study

Bible Characters for your weekly Bible study — April 11 - 17, 2011

Weekly Bible Study Resources

Bible Characters for Your Weekly Bible Study

Compiled by Lt Gen C. Norman Wood, USAF (Ret), Burke, VA 22015

For week of April 11 - 17, 2011

SUBJECT: DOCTRINE OF ATONEMENT

Reed, Mary Bretz, “Let your atonement become your at-one-ment,” Journal, Vol. 108 (June 1990), p. 8.

--Is there a more joyous feeling than that of reconciliation with a loved friend or relative from whom we have felt separated?

• Yet this only hints at the joy we feel as a sense of separation from our Father-Mother God is removed.

---A conviction of our oneness, out at-one-ment with God, the All-in-all, brings with it the assurance of our harmony in relation to His entire creation—within ourselves, to our fellowman, and to that which we call “the environment.”

--We each have as much right to claim out at-one-ment with God as Christ Jesus did and to let this spiritual truth embrace our humanity.

• Deep-seated harmony will flow into our lives as we think and act out from the “I and my Father are one” inseparability of God and man.

RESPONSIVE READING: Jesus prays for his disciples and for all who will ever believe in him (the Intercessory Prayer) (John 17: 1, 6, 19-23, 26)

RELATED SCRIPTURE: Matt 6: 9-13; Luke 11: 2-4; Rom 5: 5; I Cor 12: 12, 13; Eph 2: 14-22

TIME LINE: Thursday of Passion Week, 30 AD.

“In this prayer John presents Jesus’ wishes for his followers as he prepares to return to God by means of the cross.” (Theological Bible Commentary)

“The idea here [that they may be made perfect, v. 23] is that they may be brought together in the same spiritual life around the truth that saves.” (MacArthur Bible Commentary)

Jesus

[Gē’zus] (“the Lord is salvation”)

(Abbreviated)

….

During the last phase of his life, he went to Jerusalem with the twelve disciples to continue to preach the message of the kingdom of God. “The important events are the Last Supper, the prophetic discourses of Jesus as recorded in the Synoptics and John respectively, the Agony in the Garden, the Betrayal, Trial, Crucifixion, and Resurrection.” (Funk and Wagnalls Dictionary) During the week before Passover Jesus taught each day in the temple area, debating with other teachers of differing beliefs. He was invited to state his opinion on a number of issues, including the question of paying taxes to the Roman emperor. This was a test question with the Zealots. His answer angered those who followed the Zealot line, and they feared repercussion from Rome. Because Jesus continued to have the enthusiasm of the people, they decided to arrest him to foreclose on the possibility of an uprising among the people. He was betrayed by the disciple Judas; was arrested, tried, and convicted by the Roman governor, Pilate. Death by crucifixion was the penalty for sedition by one who was not a Roman citizen….

Gilmore, Albert F. (CSB, Editor, President, CSPS Trustee, and Lecturer), "'Thy word is truth,'" EDITORIAL, Sentinel (21 September 1921), p. 50.

--Few passages, if any, in all the Gospels make stronger appeal as expressive of the transcendent love which Jesus bore for the disciples who had shared with him the hardship and dangers, the joys and triumphs, of his marvelous ministry, than are found in the seventeenth chapter of John’s Gospel.

--The mandate or Word of Truth, which is infinite and possessed of all the deific attributes, must be true.

• Since God is conscious only of reality, of spiritual, perfect ideas, true and eternal, all that exists likewise partakes of the nature of Truth, is the expression of the divine.

---The Master, under varied circumstances, proved how potent is this fact.

• That Truth has lost none of its potency as the agency which regenerates human consciousness and heals mankind, Christian Science is proving hour by hour. Christian Scientists do not forget that the possibilities of gaining command of this divine agency are unlimited.

Eddy, Rev. Mary B.G., QUESTIONS ANSWERED, Journal, Vol. 6 (October 1888), p. 341.

Why did Jesus call himself the Son of Man? L. K. M.

--IN the life of our Lord, meekness was as conspicuous as might.

• He declared his Sonship with God in John xvii: "These words spake Jesus, as he lifted up his eyes to Heaven and said, Father, the hour is come! Glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee."

---The hour had come for the avowal of this great truth, and for the proof of his eternal Life and sonship.

• Jesus' wisdom was known ofttimes by forbearing to speak, as well as by speaking, the whole truth.

---Haply he waited for a preparation of the human mind to receive startling announcements.

--The disciples and prophets thrust disputed points on minds unprepared for them.

• This cost them their lives, and the world's temporary esteem.

---The prophecies were fulfilled, and their fidelity was rewarded by growth and spiritual understanding.

SECTION II: The reassurance by Jesus to John the Baptist (Matt 11: 1-6)

PARALLEL GOSPEL: Luke 7: 18-28

TIME LINE: The Year of Popularity and Fundamental Principles (Jesus’ 2nd year of ministry), 28 AD.

"John the Baptizer's inquiry concerning Jesus' identity (11:2-3) raises the question of the Messiah and uses the word 'Messiah/Christ' as an explicit title for the first time since the story of the Magi (2:4)." (Eerdmans Commentary)

“John, knowing that his end was near, and that many of his disciples were jealous of the success of the new teacher, and disbelieved [his] claims, sent certain of them to Jesus, that by seeing [his] works and hearing [his] words they might be convinced of [his] Messiahship.” (Dummelow Commentary)

“Jesus simply names the fruit of his mission: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor (11:5).” (Theological Bible Commentary)

John the Baptist

(Abbreviated)

We have only fragmentary and imperfect accounts of John the Baptist in the Gospels." (Baker Encyclopedia) John the Baptist was the cousin and "forerunner of Jesus; a moral reformer, and preacher of Messianic hope." (Who Was Who in the Bible) He is “an important figure in each of the four New Testament Gospels….

“Although the Gospels make John’s ministry clearly preparatory and subsidiary to that of Jesus, historically there can be little doubt that at first they were parallel and separate ministries with much in common in their social and moral teachings. The main difference was that John made it clear that he was not the prophesied messiah but was to prepare the way for him (John 1:20).” (All the People in the Bible) “John promised that he would be followed in time by one ‘mightier’ than he, whose sandals he was ‘not worthy to stoop down and untie’.” (Anchor Bible Dictionary) It has been assumed that these words were early Christian polemic designed to show the superiority of Jesus over John.” (Interpreter’s Dictionary) “Despite the claims of a few scholars, however, there is no indication that they were rivals, although there seems to have been some rivalry between their disciples after John’s death. Each sought to teach repentance and the coming of the kingdom of God.” (All the People in the Bible) John was a forerunner of Jesus, not only in his ministry and message, but also in his death. In early Christianity, the return of Elijah was applied to John the Baptist: “Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things” (Mark 9:12). "John saw his mission as a fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy, 'Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me' (Mal 3:1)." (Ibid)….

Leishman, Thomas L., “John the Forerunner,” Journal, Vol.58 (October 1940), p. 388.

--John the Baptist played a most significant part in bringing about the transition from the Old Testament to the New, and may well be described as one of the chief links uniting the two volumes of our Bible.

--Born in a priestly household, he was still essentially a prophet, and so in himself he helped to heal the ancient breach between priesthood and prophecy so often apparent in the Old Testament, thus preparing for the broader and more tolerant Gospel of the New.

--Jesus' description of John as "a prophet…and much more than a prophet" (Luke 7:26), and his further statement that "all the prophets and the law prophesied until John" (Matthew 11:13), provide additional evidence of John's importance.

--Important as was John’s work, it was, in the nature of the case, preparatory.

Gilmore, Albert F. (CSB, Editor, President, CSPS Trustee, and Lecturer), “’He that should come’,” EDITORIAL, Journal (February 1928), p. 609.

--The two disciples whom John the Baptist sent to the Master faced him with eager inquiry, “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” The implication plainly is that the Messiah had long been expected; and because of the marvelous works Jesus was performing, his fame had reached John, who, desirous of learning the Master’s true status, sent to inquire.

--The hope of Israel for a Messiah who should come in the fullness of anticipated glory had long persisted. Many who observed the works of Jesus were convinced that at last the ancient Messianic hope had been fulfilled, even though the manner of that fulfillment was very unlike the traditional concept. The ancient concept of the Messiah more commonly held was of a kingly man who should restore Israel's ancient glory and temporal power.

--The Christ-idea, the Messiah, is eternally present, but the ancients, unaware of this, awaited the coming of a personal Messiah, a demonstrator, as it were, of spiritual truth.

Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy (Mark 9: 14, 16, 17, 21-27)

PARALLEL GOSPELS: Matt 17: 14-23; Luke 9: 37-45

TIME LINE: The Year of Opposition (Jesus’ 3rd year of ministry), 29 AD.

“son, which hath a dumb spirit”

This story is abbreviated drastically in Mark and Luke, and loses some genuine and valuable material. It is referred to as the “healing of the lunatic,” “the epileptic healed,” or “an epileptic healed.” Matthew uses the word “lunatic” because epileptics were supposed to be affected by the changes of the moon (luna). “The first half of the…story focuses on the failure of the disciples, the second on the faith of the boy’s father.” (Oxford Commentary)

The scribes had taken advantage of Jesus’ absence to undermine his influence with the multitude. The return of Jesus discomfited the scribes.

After the serene image of the transfiguration, "Jesus comes down from the mountain on the next day" (Interpreter's One-volume Commentary) to resume his works of benevolence. He who has communed with God and His prophets in the very atmosphere of heaven, now mingles in the common life of men, and concerns himself with their troubles. He was full of grace as well as truth.

His disciples, v. 14 refers to “the nine who had remained behind.” (MacArthur Bible Commentary)

"He is met by a man whose son is possessed by a demonic spirit." (Ibid) “Of immediate concern to Jesus is the father’s faith, which is a necessary prelude to the child’s release. The man’s desperate cry of distress is enough.” (On Your Mark) “The boy had a demonically-induced inability to speak, a detail found only in Mark’s account [a dumb (mute) spirit, v.17].” (MacArthur Bible Commentary)

“The in-dwelling demon persistently gave him convulsions.” (King James Commentary) “The exorcism of the demonized boy provides Jesus the opportunity to demonstrate a power far beyond that of his disciples, who had earlier received authority over demons (Mark 6:7).” (Eerdmans Commentary)

"Jesus rebukes the unclean spirit, heals the boy, and gives him back to the father, so that 'all were astounded at the greatness of God' [Luke 9:43]." (Ibid)

Booth, Ms. Chestnut (Dean of Students, Principia), "Casting Out [Modern Day] Demons," BIBLE FORUM, Journal, Vol.125 (September 2007), p. 10

--One morning I was reading the Bible story where Jesus healed a deaf and dumb child who had a “foul spirit” (see Mark 9:14-29).

•…when Jesus commissioned his 12 disciples….He had charged them with casting out devils, or demons.

---Being able to free people from the afflictions of evil spirits—what we might think of today as disease, insanity, mental "pollution"—was to be a key sign of the Messiah and his true followers. At his ascension, Jesus said that everyone who believed in his disciples would also cast out demons. I wondered if I [were] taking the command seriously enough.

--Did Jesus believe in demons? Jesus consistently taught that each individual is the child of the loving, spiritual, omnipotent Father who delivers each of us from all evil.

--…perfect love…"casts out fear" and gives us authority for casting out any fear that evil is real or able to oppose God's goodwill toward all.

Hayford, Frank S., “How Can We Heal Our Unbelief?,” Journal, Vol. 94 (September 1976), p. 497.

--There sometimes seem to be innumerable enemies hindering us from obeying Truth, from being aware of God’s goodness and love instead of discord and evil. The hindering influences of mortal belief seem to go on interminably.

--Perhaps the specific human shortcoming with which we are dealing is depicted in the Bible when a man, asked by Jesus to believe in the power of God, cried in tears, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” At that moment, he wanted more than anything else to leave his human fears and doubts for the peace and calm of spiritual conviction, but he didn’t know what to do to get there. That which was holding him back and continues in some to hinder each of us is “unbelief,” doubts about the ever-presence of God’s perfect law and creation, which we have in times of stress.