Today's Reading:

Matthew 4:1-22
Matthew 13:54-58
Mark 1:12-20
Mark 6:1-6
Luke 4:1-30
Luke 5:1-11
John 1:35-51
John 2:1-12

Within the first few days of Jesus’ public ministry, Jesus encountered Nathanael through Philip. This encounter is only in the book of John. Nathanael had doubted Jesus as the Messiah because He was from Nazareth. Jesus took no offense and called him “an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” This takes us back to Jacob, when he wrestled with God until daybreak, and was renamed Israel (Genesis 32:22–32). Jacob, the man whose name meant heel grabber and liar, was still the man that God chose and renamed. God knew the real Jacob, and Jesus knew the real Nathanael.

Jesus told Nathanael that miracles and greater things were to come and that the angels would ascend and descend on the Son of Man, like Jacob’s ladder, and that he would see heaven opened. Jacob had once dreamed of a ladder at Bethel and woke afraid. He said the Lord was in that place, and he did not know it (Genesis 28:10-17). Jesus was saying that the ladder is no longer a place, and that He Himself is the ladder in the flesh. Jesus is the meeting place between heaven and earth.

The man from Nazareth had already seen Nathanael under the fig tree before Philip had opened his mouth. That is the grace. You are not discovered when you finally speak of God. He already knew you, looked at you, and named what is true. You have sat under your own “fig tree,” at the kitchen table, in the parked car, in the seat at church when no one is looking, wanting Him to know you and see you. Grace tells us He already did. He sees you before the prayer is finished, and before you are sure you have the words.

Where have you sat under your own “fig tree,” wanting God to know you and see you? What would it mean to take Jesus’ word to Nathanael as your assurance: “I saw you before anyone called your name”?

In Matthew, Jesus was tested in the wilderness. He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for the purpose of the devil to tempt Him. The Father had just claimed Jesus as Son. Jesus was aware that the temptation was coming. The devil said, “If you are the Son… “ Jesus’ identity was announced, but it was proven through His self-control. He answered every temptation after the 40 days with Deuteronomy. When Israel was in the wilderness and failed, the true Son stood through time.

Scripture notes that the devil took Him, led Him, and set Him on the pinnacle. There was no description of how, but the devil is a spiritual being, and the physics are not what was important; it was about the test. The following were the ways the devil had tempted Jesus:

1. Stones to bread- Jesus trusted the Father’s word. Like the manna in the wilderness from Deuteronomy 8:3, Jesus responded that man shall not live on bread alone.
2. Throw yourself down- The devil quoted Psalm 91. Note how the devil knows Jesus is Lord and knows Scripture. The phrase, “Do not test the Lord,” comes from Deuteronomy 6:16. Jesus did not force a miracle to prove who He is.
3. All kingdoms of the world- the devil was willing to give Jesus all of the kingdoms. Again, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6:13: to serve only God, and that there is no crown without the cross.

The devil left, and the angels came to minister to Jesus. The Son had been obedient.

Jesus’ work began in Galilee. John the Baptist was arrested, and Jesus withdrew to Capernaum. Matthew quoted Isaiah 9:1-2: the land of darkness will see a great light. The area of Capernaum was the hardest hit during the Assyrian war. Jesus being in Capernaum fulfills Scripture. He began to preach for the people to repent. He called His first disciples, two pairs of brothers. Simon (Peter) and Andrew were casting a fishing net, and James and John were fixing their nets with their father, Zebedee. Each set of brothers went with Jesus immediately. They left their old life to follow Him.

Jesus went throughout Galilee teaching in synagogues, preaching the gospel, and healing, even healing mental health for those who were oppressed by demons. The news of His teachings and reputation spread to Syria. Syria was under the administrative umbrella of Roman rule over the area.

While those in Syria were amazed, His hometown had a different feeling. Scripture later listed Capernaum as Jesus’ base. In Nazareth, the people treated Him like daily gossip and asked if He was the carpenter, Joseph’s son, and the son of Mary. In the region of Nazareth, His hometown, Jesus was news, but more discouraging was the unbelief of the people. They were familiar with Him and thought they already knew Him and His “father,” Joseph. Due to their reluctance and unbelief, Jesus refused to do any miracles there. Scripture also mentioned Jesus’ siblings. Mary and Joseph had more children. Scripture listed His four brothers by name, and there were at least three sisters (otherwise, Scripture would have written His sister, or both of His sisters).

Mark focused on the kingdom of God coming. The same Spirit who came down on Jesus did not rest. Immediately the Spirit drove Him out to the wilderness, and Mark stressed the danger of wild animals and isolation. This was not a quiet vacation. Mark focused on the word “immediately” throughout the book, as when he wrote, “Immediately the disciples followed.” God and the kingdom are the heart. His people will live in His kingdom, under His rule, and be blessed. The reiteration that his own family was dismissive of Him is hard to read. The town remembered Jesus as the son of Mary, as a child, as the carpenter (a craftsman in wood and even stone). The people had a hard time getting past the boy they watched grow up to be the Messiah. They needed a miracle to believe. Jesus, in seeing the lack of faith, moved on to other towns.

When Jesus was in His hometown of Nazareth, the people claimed He was Joseph’s son in the book of Luke. Jesus reminded them that Elijah was sent to a widow in a Gentile area, not an Israelite widow. Jesus also reminded them that Elisha had cleansed Naaman the Syrian, not an Israelite leper. This was the cause of the rift. Jesus’ fame had reached Syria, and He reminded the people that in the Old Testament, God’s favor went to Sidon and Syria when Israel would not listen because they had rejected God. The people of Nazareth were furious and drove Him out of town. They had really wanted to throw Him off a cliff, but luckily it was not yet His time to die. Nazareth liked the words He spoke from the prophet Isaiah until they included the Gentiles.

In Luke 5:1-11, note that Luke called the Sea of Galilee “Lake Gennesaret (Greek)/ Kinneret) (Hebrew) which means harp-shaped lake. Elsewhere in Scripture, the body of water was also called the Sea of Tiberias, which was a Roman town on the edge of the lake.

The other Gospels share the disciples being called, but Luke records the miracle. Peter fell at Jesus’ knees, pleading, “I am a sinful man,” because Jesus Himself was holy ground. Luke lets you feel why the disciples would walk away from life, careers, and family. Peter used the word “Master,” meaning teacher, and after the miracle, addressed Him as “Lord.”

John wrote of John the Baptist and how he was pointing to the Lamb. He also explained how the phrase “Come and see” helps us to understand why they could leave John the Baptist and follow Jesus when John the Baptist pointed Him out. Then Jesus pointed to Simon as “the Rock.” Throughout Scripture, Simon Peter is also called Cephas. While the book of John included this on day one, the other Gospels include his name change later in the reading.

On the third day of Jesus’ ministry, He and his disciples were invited to a wedding in Cana. This became Jesus’ first sign: “water into wine.” When Jesus called His mother Mary “woman,” it was not in disrespect. It meant “ma’am” or “my lady.” Running out of wine at a wedding would have been a public embarrassment to the family, and wedding celebrations typically lasted a week. The six jars used for purification each held about 20-30 gallons. The master of the feast thought the family had kept the good wine for last. This was about abundance, and the servants had to draw the water, walking to the city well to get it. Nathanael was from Cana, his hometown. This was the scene just after Jesus had said He saw him under the fig tree. Now, Nathanael was seeing the “greater things to come.” As this was the first true public sign, it was still hidden, and only a few knew where the wine truly came from. The best is not at the beginning, but at the end. This points to Jesus going to the cross. These miracles are just the beginning, and the greater, His best, is at the end: the cross.

Today's Discussion question:

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