Devotional

Introduction Okay, so far we have Jesus fishing at the synagogue and at the disciple Peter’s house. Where will He go next? One outreach was well planned, the other spontaneous. What kind of event will follow? When we left Jesus yesterday, under the direction of His...

Introduction We are in the process of looking at the first six fishing-for-men expeditions of Jesus. We are doing this for two reasons. Do you remember what they are? His aim was both to train the ministry team and to reach the masses. Although the previous expedition...

Introduction Jesus is now ready to begin what will be another year and a half of fishing-for-men expeditions with His disciples. We will be looking at the first six expeditions. These are the first six outreach events that Jesus does in order to train His young...

Introduction Jesus leaves Jerusalem and makes His way back up north to His new home in Capernaum. He most likely heads over to the shores of the Sea of Galilee to meet up with some of His early followers, who had returned home as well to their parents, wives and...

Introduction It is a big day for Jesus! Today we read that he will appear before the religious leaders in Jerusalem. He is being brought up on two very serious charges. Charge #1: Jesus broke Sabbath by healing a man and then telling him to carry his mat (do...

Introduction After moving to Capernaum, Jesus makes the long trip down to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Jews. (Some believe this was the second Passover that Jesus attended. Some believe it was the Feast of Tabernacles, thus placing the following two events about 6-7...

These next two phases in Jesus’ life we have titled Ministry Training and Expanded Outreach. We do this because we see Jesus doing two things here at the same time. As the ministry grows, Jesus issues His next call: “‘Come, follow me’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you...

IntroductionJesus now moves back to the His hometown of Nazareth, the place where he had grown up. Remember what it had been like for Jesus from your study in Psalms 69:12? Jesus may have suffered here in His youth at the hands of the elders who had constantly...

IntroductionAs Jesus and His followers leave Samaria and head back into Galilee, the news about Him has already reached the people and the talk in all Israel is about the new prophet on the scene — Jesus of Nazareth. As His hometown tries to sort through their...

IntroductionJesus had been baptising in the Judean countryside (Jn 3:22), while John had been baptising in Aenon (further North). Some time after John realised that Jesus’ ministry was outgrowing his own and made the beautiful decision to put Jesus first, Jesus...

IntroductionTake a moment and find Aenon on the map. Note that Aenon is near the border of Samaria. This is a very important place, and we need to ask the question — why was John the Baptist near Samaria? What was he doing there? Up until this time, he had spent his...

IntroductionJesus’ display of passion in the temple during the Passover must have raised many eyebrows, but Jesus was then launched onto the stage of popularity in His day. The Bible says, “When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all...

IntroductionJesus leaves the wedding ceremony at Cana and heads up to Jerusalem with His disciples and family for the feast of the Passover. This seven-day Jewish feast has its roots in God’s deliverance of His people from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. Jesus...

IntroductionAfter you have challenged your family and friends to come and check out Jesus, you must begin to explain to them what the Bible says about Him. You must tell them who He is. There is a lot that the Bible says about who Jesus is, so where do you begin? We...

IntroductionAfter more than forty days in the wilderness, Jesus comes through the time of temptation and embarks on a mission to start making disciples. He begins by calling people to “Come and see,” to come and investigate the facts of who He is. He then opens their...

IntroductionGod the Father opens the heavens and speaks to Jesus, telling Him that He loves Him, identifying Him as His Son and telling Him that He is well pleased with Him. What a moment in Jesus’ life! Immediately following this event, the Bible says that the Spirit...

IntroductionJesus begins His earthly ministry when He is about thirty years old (Luke 3:23). This first phase of Jesus’ earthly ministry will last about a year and a half. Let’s look at the circumstances surrounding this momentous occasion. Jesus’ ministry starts when...

IntroductionIf you had any doubt that Jesus suffered for you after yesterday’s study, today’s might hit you hard. In Psalms, we get a glimpse into Jesus’ relationship with His brothers and His community. The picture is a sad one. It shows what life was like for Jesus...