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What Did Jesus Do?

The Gospel accounts tell us how Jesus lived as an example for us to follow.

This Study is mainly about the example from Jesus on how to live this life in the flesh using the power of the Holy Ghost. These Bible references are from the Gospels and other Bible references are not included unless they support a Gospel reference.

The Gospels tell us about the time that the Son of God lived as a regular human being and provided an example to us on how to live in the flesh using the power of the Holy Ghost. This doctrine used to be a popular doctrine until the world started perverting it with lies. It is still a helpful doctrine if we stick to the Bible truth. Do not listen to anyone who claims to tell you what Jesus would do unless that provide a reference to the Gospel accounts and you personally verify that they are not taking the reference out of context.

One thing to always keep in mind, when dealing with the Gospel accounts, is that each gives us different perspectives. Therefore, when something is in more than one Gospel account, be sure to consider all reports and get the different perspectives before choosing to use one as an example of what to do.

Sections: In General, Blessings, Conflict, Correction, Ministry, Protection, Teaching, Witnessing, What would Christ Do?

In General:

Matthew Chapters 5-7 is the 'Sermon of the Mount'. It also is called 'The Beatitudes' because this sermon starts with the attitudes that we are to be and continues with how those attitudes are to be applied in our life to control our actions. That is, the ongoing existence of the saved is to present these attitudes to the world as the basic principals of their life. A shorter version of this message is found in Luke 6. In addition, Jesus I do always those things that please him (God the Father) (John 8:29). Therefore, the example of Jesus is to always obey the word of God in order to please him (God the Father). And, when it comes to the 'Sermon of the Mount', the simplest thing is to tell the reader to look at the Book Study on the Gospel of Matthew, or the Gospel of Luke, and read the detail notes for those sections which tell us this sermon. We can be sure that Jesus obeyed the things that He tells us to obey in this sermon. And, this sermon tells us how to act in many circumstances. Therefore, it has many answers related to the subject of this Study.

Please see the section called Promises in the Doctrinal Studies called: Significant Gospel Events for several links to where the Gospels give us specific promises from God. In addition, there are other sections in that document, with links to the Gospels, which might have what the reader is looking for if they do not find what they are looking for in this document.

Probably one of the most important doctrines, related to the subject of this Study, is the fact that Romans 11:29 says: For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. God gave each of us a free will, as a gift, and God will not take it away even to keep someone from spending their forever in the lake of fire. For the same reason, God would not force the Jewish religious leaders and the Jewish nation to accept Jesus as their King. However, while God lets us exercise our own free will, God's law of 'sowing and reaping' is absolute. Therefore, even though Jesus knew what would happen to Him and to the Jews, He did not prevent them from exercising their free will. That is why Matthew 23:37-39 and Luke 13:34-35 say: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Many people ask 'Why does God let bad things happen to good people?' There are many reasons including that As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10). However, even when we don't understand, such things are often the result of sin that we or our parents or our grand parents did. As a result, in general, we must keep in mind that God's law of 'sowing and reaping' is absolute. Therefore, following the example of Jesus will get us blessings but those blessings may be delayed until after we have reaped the consequences of prior sin.

While most of this document references the Gospel accounts, this point comes from the writing of Paul, which he based upon the example of Jesus. 1Thessalonians 4:1 says: Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. The phrase so ye would abound more and more means: 'here is how you get increased blessings'. The Book Study gives more details than are provided here, but, as part of that note says: Very few do the things that we are told to do daily [seek spiritual food (Matthew 6:11; Luke 11:3; Acts 17:11), pray and hear from God (Matthew 26:55; Mark 14:49; Luke 19:47; 22:53; Hebrews 7:27), take up our cross and follow Jesus Christ (Luke 9:23), encouraging, helping and caring for the brethren (Acts 2:46; 6:1; 2Corinthians 11:28; Hebrews 13:3; James 2:15), praising God publicly (Acts 2:47), witnessing (Acts 5:42; 16:5; 17; 17; 19:9), die to the flesh (1Corinthians 15:31; Hebrews 10:11)]. Plain and simple. If we want to walk and to please God, we need to do that as ye have received of us, which is what the Bible says to do.

Matthew 26:36-39; Mark 14:32-35 and Luke 22:39-40 tell us about Jesus praying in the garden by Himself with God the Father. We read that he prayed: O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. Here we see Jesus giving us the example of submitting to the will of God the Father, even when facing a torturous death.

Matthew 4:1; Mark 1:12 and Luke 4:1-2 all tell us that the Spirit driveth him (Jesus) into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan and to fast for forty days. His example is that we are to obey God's Holy Spirit, no matter what he demands of us.

Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13 and Luke 4:1-13 report the temptation of Jesus, by Satan. In each case, Jesus answered the temptation by quoting scripture. Thus, we should depend on the Bible to help us when we are tempted. However, there is another important point that some people miss. That point is that the exact scriptural reference was related to the type of temptation that Satan produced. Please see the related notes in the Book Study on Matthew's Gospel for more details about this important doctrinal truth.

We are told that John the Baptist was put into prison in Matthew 4:12; Mark 1:14-15 and Luke 3:20. Mark 1:14-15tells us: Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. Therefore, we are to not let any threat keep us from preaching the Gospel.

In Matthew 8:9 and Luke 7:9 we read that Jesus marvelled at the centurion because of his demonstrated character, faith and reasoning. This shows that he was an extremely unusual person. In addition, our references tell us that Jesus testified about his character to the people. In these references, we see the type of character that we need to have if we truly want Jesus to testify about us in Heaven and say: well done, thou good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21, 23).

In Matthew 9:36, we read that Jesus had a different reaction than most people have to rejection. As explained in the note for the prior sentence, Jesus gave the Jews lots of evidence for them to believe that He was God's Christ and King. Yet they rejected Him. And, instead of getting upset, He had compassion of them because they had been deceived so deeply that they refused to even consider that they were deceived. In Luke 10:2, we read that Jesus had a similar reaction when people wanted to have the blessings of the kingdom even though they refused to accept the responsibilities that were attached to those blessings. This shows us that when people reject us and try to take advantage of us, we need to separate those who knowingly do wrong from those who have been deceived and think that they are doing right. And, we need to have compassion on the deceived.

In Matthew 9:10-13; Mark 2:15-17 and Luke 5:30-32, we read that Jesus refused to accept, and follow, the commonly accepted prejudices.

In Matthew 11:20-24 and Luke 10:13-15, we read that Jesus said: Woe! to the people who had received the most evidence that He was God's Messiah / Christ and, yet, still refused to believe. Thus, we have a contrast in the attitudes, and resulting judgment by God, between those who believed and obeyed as opposed to those who refused to believe and obey. In addition, we see a precept which is the same in each case but which is also applied to different cities. Therefore, We can expect to see the same type of judgment in our current day. In this section, and in these sentences in particular, we see that, when God provides a greater witness, the punishment for rejecting the witness from God is also greater.

In Matthew 14:16; Matthew 19:13; Matthew 26:36-44; Mark 1:35; Mark 6:46; Mark 14:32-39; Luke 1:10; Luke 3:21; Luke 5:16; Luke 6:12; Luke 9:18; Luke 9:28; Luke 9:29; Luke 11:1 and Luke 22:40-46 we read that Jesus prayed. It should be obvious that we also need to pray

In Matthew 14:27; Mark 6:50 and John 6:30, we read that Jesus deal with the emotional upset of the disciples first thing. This was when He was walking on the water and they thought He was a spirit ('devil'). Often, when people are emotionally upset, we must deal with their upset before we can reason with them about their cause of the upset. Then, Jesus gave them a reason to replace their fear with comfort because He could take care of any devil and any danger. After that, He repeated the message to be not afraid. Thus we see an example of how to deal with people who are overcome by a wrong emotion.

Luke 2:48-52 tells us about the time when Jesus was a child and stayed in Jerusalem while the rest of His family returned home. When Joseph and Mary returned and questioned Him, He answered; wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? We see, further on in this chapter, that Jesus submitter to the will and timing of God the Father and waited until He was thirty (30) to start His ministry. Thus, we see that as much as we mat wane to do a ministry, we need to wait on the time that God tells us it is time to start.

In Luke 10:21-22 Jesus tells us that God the Father hid the truth from those who are wise according to this world, and this caused Jesus to rejoice in the spirit. We see here that we should also rejoice in the spirit when God gives spiritual things, such as knowledge, understanding and wisdom, to people who serve Him truly while refusing such things to people who refuse to truly serve God. This assures us that our efforts to serve God are not in vain but that our reward will be according to our level of service to God.

In Luke 10:7 Jesus gives very clear command of: Go not from house to house. This is after He already made that message fairly clear in the prior sentences. There are times that we need to be extra clear in order to avoid any possibility of miscommunication.

In Luke 17:11 we read: And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. In this sentence we see that Jesus went through the areas which the religious Jews avoided because of their religious prejudices. By this example, we see that the true minister of God should be willing to go where other religious people avoid. We also are told that this was the shortest, and therefore fastest, route to Jerusalem. Even though Jesus was going to be crucified, He did not delay once it became the right time. Thus, no matter what God wants us to do, we should not delay once we know God's will.

In Luke 17:24-30 are prophecies about the 'Rapture' and the judgment of God. In Luke 17:26-29 we are told the things that people were doing and which they put at a higher priority than serving God. Therefore, the message is that if God's people put any of these things at a higher priority than serving God, then they can expect God to bring judgment upon them. Jesus warned us against doing that and expects the saved to also warn others.

In Luke 24:39 we read that Jesus told His disciples: Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. Jesus gave them two very clear ways to verify His claims to be the resurrected Lord Jesus. Please notice that he did not tell them to just believe His claims but He told them to verify what He claimed. Anyone who gets upset by someone else verifying their claims is not acting Godly and, probably, at times lies to people. God put His word into writing so that we can verify everything that someone tells us comes from the word of God. False religions tell people to believe without verification.

In John 7:16 Jesus. says: My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. We must always tell the doctrine of the Bible and not our own religious beliefs nor those of our preacher, parents, religion nor any other man. In ministry, which is supposed to be the application of true Biblical doctrine, we follow Godly men. However, when stating doctrine and the basis of ministry we are to verify all of our doctrine against the Bible and stick to only what the Bible literally says.

In John 8:59 we read that Jesus. says: hid himself, and went out of the temple when the religious Jews wanted to stone Him for correcting their doctrinal error. When people refuse correction from the Bible we are to turn them over to God for Judgment, possibly turn a sinning brother over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, but we are to not continue to argue with someone who has a closed mind. Basically, we are to obey Titus 3:10.

In John 8:59 we read that Jesus. condemned the religious leaders to hell with no chance to repent even though they continued to live. We see this when we read that Jesus. said: If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth with the word remaineth meaning 'never going away'. Jesus. had given them a chance to verify their doctrine against true scripture and to repent of doctrinal error, but they refused to do so and 'took a stand' based upon doctrinal error. This was why Jesus condemned them. We must always verify our doctrine with God's Holy Spirit and God's word before we 'take a stand' or we face severe judgment from God which can include eternal judgment for the lost and death for the saved (Romans 6:16). (Yes, I have personally seen God bring this judgment upon the saved multiple times).

In John 10 we see Jesus separate His sheep from lost people. Throughout the rest of John's Gospel we see God making this division and treating each group of people differently. We are to recognize this division by God and treat each group according to God's instructions within the Bible, just like Jesus did.

In John 11:39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. This stone may have required more than one person to move, but even if one person could do it Jesus would not have done the job. God always requires us to do what we can and only after that does He do what we can't.

In John 11 Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and. However, He made sure of the faith of Martha and Mary first. God does not need our faith to do His work but He has chosen to limit Himself to works which support the faith of the true believer. This is why it is so important to walk by faith. God gets more glory when we have more true Biblical faith.

In John 11:41-43 Jesus prayed to God the Father before He raised Lazarus from the dead and. The point which we see in His prayer is that He prayed out loud for the benefit of the people who were there. He did not need to pray to get permission because who to raise was His decision and not that of God the Father, which He made in a point to Martha just before this prayer when He said I am the resurrection, and the life. He did not need to pray to get the power from God the Father because He prayed Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always. This means that Her had already prayed and there was complete agreement between Him and God the Father. He prayed for the benefit of others and the benefit for us is the example to always pray before doing anything even when you know that you are in the complete will of God.

In John 11: we are told that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. This displayed the power of God in His personal life and in His minister. In many places, within the gospels, Jesus is called the Son of God because He displayed the character of God. (In John 1:12-13 we are told that we have the power, and are to become the sons of God.) In John 12 we are told that the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death (along with Jesus) because the people stopped following them, and their doctrine, to follow Jesus, and His doctrine. He did not dispute with them after initially explaining their error but displayed the power and character of God. In this example, we see that the proper response to hearing opposing doctrines which both claim to teach God's word is to see which side truly has the approval from God which is displayed by the character of God and the power of God in their personal life and in their ministry. We are to follow doctrine which causes people to become holy and righteous like God and we are to reject doctrine which makes excuses for people continuing to live in sin. Please see the note for John 12:19, in the Book Study on the gospel of John, for more details.

John 12:23 through John 12:28 form a single answer from Jesus when He was sought out by Greek Jews and knew that the Pharisees and chief priests were now determined to crucify Him. These sentences have several precepts which all saved are to believe and follow if they truly want eternal rewards when they get to Heaven. In these we see how Jesus dealt with the war between our flesh and our spirit and this is how we are supposed to deal with that war.

In John 13 we see Jesus taking only the twelve to the 'Last Supper' and not inviting any other disciples nor even His own physical family. Here we se that Jesus gave special blessings to those disciples who were the most involved in the ministry of the kingdom of God. We are to reject any form of doctrinal error which claims that everyone gets the same blessings from God regardless of what they do for God and God's kingdom. We are to realize that Jesus showed us that God gives proportional rewards, based upon what they do for His kingdom, and we are to do the same.

In John 14:10 Jesus gives us a direct relationship between God working through our life and the doctrine which we teach and live. The words, which we live by must match what God says if we want God to work in and through our personal life. Also, we see that God will work in and through the personal life of people who truly live and deliver God's words as opposed to the words of self, religion or this world. Thus, as we have seen in the epistles and elsewhere, we are not to look for numbers or any other worldly measurement but we are to look for the power of God in the life and ministry of a person if we want to determine if they truly are delivering the words from God.

In John 18:10-11 we see Peter cut off the ear of a servant during the arrest of Jesus. Here, we see Jesus heal a man who came with the intention of greatly abusing Jesus and who may have done that in spite of his healing. We are told Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; in Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:28 . Here we see Jesus doing what He preached even when He knew that the man He healed would be involved in His torture and crucifixion.

In John 18:20-21 we see the high priest question Jesus in a way to get a reason to accuse Him, and/or His disciples. Jesus not only answer the high priest's questions about His doctrine but Jesus also told him how to verify what He said. This is how we are to answer someone looking for an argument. Not only are we to answer their questions the facts, but we are also supposed to give them the way to verify the facts.

In John 18:20-21 we notice that Jesus did not answer about His disciples. A coward tries to include others in order to try and deflect part of the punishment . Jesus did not act like a coward.

In his answer, found in John 18:20, we see three Steps. First, Jesus answered how he spake in the world. Next he spake about teaching to groups of the people in question. Finally He dealt with His private conversations. Thus we see a procedure going from the general to the specific. We also see this procedure used in Paul's epistles and other places within the Bible. This is a procedure which we should also follow.

In Matthew 26:47-50; Mark 14:43-46; Luke 22:47-54 and John 18:2-13 report the betrayal and arrest of Jesus. And, we are told: Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then when Jesus dealt with the mob, He said: Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me?. In the next sentences, Jesus makes it clear that His demonstrated character did not match that of a thief. The lesson is that we need to deal with people according to their demonstrated character and not according to how we imagine that we would act if we were in their circumstances.

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Blessings:

In several places we read that Jesus provided blessings because He had compassion on the people who received the blessings. (Please see the note for Romans C9S13 about the word compassion.) We also see that He refused to bless, and even cursed, cities which had a wrong attitude (Matthew 11:21; Luke 10:13). A basic requirement for receiving a blessing from God is to have the correct attitude of heart. The people who think that God owes them some type of blessing will never receive the blessing from God.

In Matthew 6:24-34 and Luke 12:22-40 Jesus gives a doctrinal discourse on trusting God for our daily needs. In these sections, Jesus tells the saved to do things which are vary hard to do because they go directly against all of our fleshly instincts and worldly training. However, these demands prove who truly trusts God for their daily needs and who does not. It is the people who pass the test who get the blessings and those who do not pass the test do not get the blessings. This is why we see few, if any, who truly have God providing all of their physical needs.

In Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10 we are told that Jesus healings the centurion's servant. As explained in the notes for the sentences within the Gospel of Luke, Jesus granted the request of the centurion because of his demonstrated character and testimony. The request was granted before the centurion demonstrated his faith. The centurion could not know the future results of his demonstrated character and of his testimony when he demonstrated both. Even though we do not know future needs, we should develop a character like this centurion based upon the promise of God blessing those people who obey His commands.

In Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30 we read about a Gentile woman getting Jesus to cast a devil out of her daughter. Before that happened, Jesus first ignored her request, then let His disciples try to drive her away, then told her no, then called her a female dog 'a bitch' and only granted her request after she proved that she would accept any requirement from Jesus so long as she received her blessing. Many people do not receive their requested blessing because they do not have her heart attitude and persistence.

In Matthew 19:28-30; Mark 10:28-31 and Luke 18:28-30 Jesus explains the heavenly rewards which saved people will receive if they suffer loss in this world in order to serve Him and the gospel. We also see similar doctrine in Luke 22:28-30 and Hebrews 11:24-26.

In Matthew 21:15-16, we read about the religious leaders objecting to people praising God because of Jesus. His answer to them was to quote scripture. When people claim to be 'Christian', while supporting doctrinal error, the only answer we can give to their error is to quote scripture. They bring up their objections hoping to get God's people into an argument based upon religious opinion and they are sure that they have the more accepted opinion. Therefore, arguing with them only accomplishes their goal. However, when we quote scripture, then any objection that they give goes against the word of God. And, even if they are willing to do that, it is not our placed to correct them but we are to trust that God will use their answer when He judges them. Therefore, we are to quote scripture and then walk away just like Jesus did.

In Matthew 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-14 and Mark 11:19-21, we read about Jesus cursing the fig tree that had no fruit. This is a symbolic lesson of what God will do the saved people who have religious appearances of serving God (having leaves) but who do not produce spiritual fruit for God's kingdom. Of course, cursing is the opposite of blessings.

Matthew 26:6-16; Mark 14:1-11; John 12:1-11 all tell us about the time that Jesus was at supper in the home of Simon the leper and Mary Magdalene washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and hair and broke the expensive ointment to anoint Him for His burial. Jesus had prophesied His death and resurrection several times to the disciples. However, the only person whom the Bible tells us believed this prophecy, was Mary Magdalene. Because of her demonstrated faith before the crucifixion, John 20:1-18 tells us that she received special treatment by the resurrected Lord Jesus. The true application is that saved people who demonstrate true Biblical faith will receive blessings that saved people do not receive if they do not demonstrate true Biblical faith.

The most important blessing to receive is salvation. John 19:8-10 we see that Pilate was finally concerned about the potential eternal consequences of his actions. However, when he questioned Jesus, Jesus gave him no answer. As explained in the Book Study on the Gospel of John, Pilate refused to humble himself and acknowledge his own inability and his need for s Saviour. Thus we see that Jesus refuses salvation to people who refuse to come to God with the attitude of heart which God demands. This truth applies to any blessing that we receive from God and it does not matter if we are a child of God or are not.

In John 19:8-10 we see Pilate offered / threatened Jesus with physical blessings and / or punishment. Jesus answered that the spiritual was more important and more powerful than the physical. Here we see that if we want God's protection, provision and other blessings then we must keep the spiritual at the highest priority regardless of what is happening in our physical circumstances.

In John 11 Jesus deliberately waited until He was sure that Lazarus was dead and that the sisters were in pain over that death before He went there. Jesus allows suffering in this world in order to increase our eternal spiritual blessings.

John 12:28 through John 12:32 we see God the Father speak from Heaven and say: have both glorified it (His name), and will glorify it again. As explained in the notes for those sentences, God will glorify (His name) again is followed by Jesus declaring His willingness to suffer in the flesh in order to do the service which God required. Since He is our example, this is the same attitude required by God in order for people to see God do miracles in their life.

In John 17:3-4 we have part of the last recorded prayer of Jesus. his was His prayer for all saved. In the sentences mentioned, Jesus said that He dedicated His life to doing the work which thou (God the Father) gavest me to do. Our sentences also tell us that He expected eternal spiritual rewards as a result. Many people claim that we should not serve God for the future rewards but only work to show out love of God. We definitely should show our love of God and should be thankful. However, that doctrine is a subtle claim that we should disobey the command of God and should, instead, seek the pride of boasting about our own love for God. The sentences mentioned here provide us the example from Jesus about what should be the main focus of our life and why it should be our main focus. Jesus got his motivations right and we should do the same. We should work and obey God in order to get blessings, here and in eternity, and in order to avoid a punishment from God.

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Conflict:

I had already put many references into this document before I added this section. And, many incidents can be reported different ways depending upon the perspective of the person doing the reporting. We see this all of the time in real life and we see it in the Gospels where some incidents are reported in more than one Gospel but are used to support different points in each Gospel. Therefore, The reader should prayerfully search this document, under the other points, for references which might help the reader know how to deal with a certain circumstance which comes up during a conflict.

In Matthew 21, Luke 20 and John 8, we see the reports of the final conflict between the religious leaders and Jesus. After these chapters, they stopped arguing and sought to murder Him. In spite of that, these chapters give us the example of how to handle conflict. And, in particular, the Sadducees came up with a foolish question. Proverbs 26:4-5 says: Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. In the Chapter Summary for Mark 12, we read how Jesus applied these two verses from proverbs.

Please see the Study called: Gospel Time Sequences for the Section called Sequence of the Betrayal of Jesus. In many ways, this can be considered to be the ultimate point of conflict, in this physical reality, between Satan and God.

In Matthew 22:41-46; Mark 12:35-37 and Luke 20:41-44 all cover the time when Jesus asked How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David?. After this, we read: And no man after that durst ask him any question (Matthew 22:46; Mark 12:34 and Luke 20:40). In this, we see that Jesus shut the mouths of the religious leaders so thoroughly that they dared not argue with Him again. However, before this He let each group try their best to trap Him in a doctrinal problem. He did not do this until after they made it very clear that they would never be reconciled with His doctrine. We need to be extremely careful about how we handle any conflict so long as there is any chance to be reconciled. Even when there is no longer any such chance, we still need to consider how our way of arguing will be perceived by others. If not careful, we can be pictured as totally unreasonable and lose the chance to convert others to God's truth.

Matthew 18:15 says: Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. However, Matthew 22; Mark 12 and Luke 20 all tell us how the religious leaders try to Match Wits with Jesus. They were sure that they would win the fight so they picked their fights in public and were embarrassed in public. If anyone picks a fight in public, and refuses to obey the command to go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone, then that person should not be surprised when God embarrasses them in public, even if they were right in the original issue.

In Matthew 15 and Mark 7 we read about the religious leaders starting a doctrinal fight with Jesus. Jesus told the multitude their error. Then Jesus left only long enough to avoid a further fight but returned, after the religious leaders left and continued His ministry. Thus, we see that Jesus fought when He had to but avoided further fighting when He could and concentrated on ministering to people instead of fighting with self important officials.

In Luke 15, we read that the Pharisees and scribes murmured. Following their murmuring, Jesus taught three parables which dealt directly with the reason of their murmuring. Thus, we see that Jesus did not ignore murmuring but dealt with it immediately and directly before it became worse.

In Luke 15, we also see that Jesus answered their complaints with parables, which gave them God's perspective on their complaint without directly accusing them. We also saw Nathan do the same with king David in 2Samuel 12. When someone has closed their mind and refuses to hear the truth, but God wants us to tell them the truth, Then we should do so by telling them a story. The story teller needs to present the attitudes and actions with another person, besides the guilty, having those attitudes and actions. The story teller also need to percent the story in a different circumstance so that it isn't too obvious that they are accusing the listener but so that the listener has to think about the story in order to let God work on their conscience and deal with their guilt.

Matthew 5:31-32; Matthew 19:1-12 and Mark 10:1-12 deal divorce. At the start of these accounts, the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus into going against popular doctrine. Instead of giving them the 'Yes / No answer' that they expected, Jesus referenced scripture as the basis for His answer. Then He explained God's plan based upon the scripture. Therefore, if they want to argue further, they will be arguing with scripture and God's plan. They will not be arguing with Jesus. In addition, what the Pharisees claimed that the Bible allowed was a lie and a perversion of what God's word actually said. However, Jesus did not bother correcting that lie because he knew that they would reject the correction.

Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43 and Luke 8:40-56 tell us about Jesus raising the daughter of Jairus from the dead. When He got to the house, the people who were there laughed him to scorn. As a result, he (Jesus) put them all out and took only the parents, Peter, James and John in to witness His raising the girl from the dead. Thus, we see that He did not allow the unbelievers see the work of God. Back in Matthew 5:8, as part of the 'Sermon of the Mount / Beatitudes', we read: Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Jesus let people see Him do some miracles but the things which were closest to God He limited the audience to the truly pure in heart. And, there are other Bible references where we are told to do the same. Simple doctrine is to be given to everyone. But, meat doctrine, and acts of God, are to be limited to true believers.

In Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28 and Luke 6:1-5, the Pharisees picked a fight with Jesus and His disciples by claiming that their religious additions to the Mosaic Law were part of the Mosaic Law. Jesus answered by quoting scripture which showed that their additions were not enforced by God. When the religious crowd claims that their religious ruled have the power of God's true word, we are to answer by showing them how their religious rules go against what the word of God has written in it.

In Matthew 12:9-13; Mark 3:1-6 and Luke 6:6-11, the scribes and Pharisees picked a fight with Jesus about healing the sabbath days. Healing is an application of the power of God. Therefore, this was not an argument about interpretation but was about the application of the word of God. In this case, Jesus answered with how they took care of their own animals on a sabbath day and it was judged to not be a violation of the law. He went on to ask: How much then is a man better than a sheep? and concluded with: Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Thus, we see that when religious people want to argue about interpretation, we answer with the true interpretation of the word of God. However, when they want to argue about an application, we are to answer with how they themselves apply the word of God in a way which is condemned by their own argument. That is: we prove them to be hypocrites in their arguments

In Matthew 12:9-13; Mark 3:1-6 and Luke 6:6-11, we read that the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him, as reported by Mark and Luke. However, Matthew reports: they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? What we see here is that Jesus perceived their trap, and their intention, and refused to respond until they asked the question. His making them ask before He acted removed any possibility of their denying that they had set a trap that they might find an accusation against him. This provided evidence against them when they are judged by God. When others set a trap for us, if we refuse to enter it until they try to motivate us to enter, then they lose their ability to deny guilt before God.

Matthew 15:12-15, we read that the disciples told Jesus that He had offended the Pharisees. The response from Jesus included: Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. That is: 'Ignore them. Their offence is not important'. Yet, as the note for that sentence explains, Jesus respected the offence of government officials who were abusing their true authority. The fact is that Jesus respective legitimate God-given authority, even when it was being abusive. However, He also refused to respect self-appointed authority such as the Pharisees claimed..

Matthew 15:14, we read that Jesus said: Let them alone. Romans 11:29 says: For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Our free will is a gift of God and God will literally let people spend eternity in the lake of fire (Romans 1:3-LJC) before God takes away someone's free will. Therefore, since they rejected truth and deliberately chose error with their own free will, Jesus said: Let them alone.

In Matthew 16:1-4 and Mark 8:11-13, we read that The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. (There are similar accounts in Matthew 12:39-40 and Luke 11:29-32.) Jesus told them: there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed. The additional references in Matthew and Luke were said to the people in general, and not limited to the religious leaders. Jesus also said this thing about the Jews in general and not limited to the religious leaders. Further, this saying was said at a different time and under different circumstances.
Therefore, the saying of this sentence is a truth that can be applied to many people and under different circumstances. Jesus said this because of the attitude of heart they had and not for any other personal or circumstantial reason. Thus, we see that God will stop answering questions from people who refuse to believe the evidence set before them. When people insist upon being fools who will cling to their prior belief in spite of being shown many evidences that their belief is wrong, God will let them remain fools, let them reap the consequence of being fools, and will stop trying to show them the truth.

In Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:22 and Luke 11:15-26, we read: And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. In response, Jesus called His disciples and spoke unto them in parables. Here we see that the scribes and Pharisees are no longer listening to reason and are no longer arguing doctrine but are attacking the character of Jesus. Therefore, He no longer talks to them but warns people about what they are doing and about their fundamental error. In addition, by using parables, He is letting people, who are willing to consider the truth, know what the truth is while using phrasing that prevents the scribes and Pharisees from arguing against what He says. Most of us can not speak in parables. However, like Jesus did, we can address the underlying spiritual error while refusing to defend our actions which are based upon the spiritual truth. For example, Jesus did not defend His miracles nor did He defend His casting out devils but He addressed the spiritual error of where the power to do these things came from. In addition to responding this way, Jesus warned the people of the consequence of following doctrinal error in Mark 3:28-30.

In Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:22-30 and Luke 11:15-66, we are told that the Pharisees or other people claimed that Jesus did His miracles by the power of Beelzebub. In response, Jesus gave them logic, which proved that their claims were foolish, and then He followed that with evidence that their own children would reject their claims and with prophecy about the judgment of God because of their lies. Jesus finished up His answer with how we can tell if someone is truly delivering a message from God or if they are spouting the doctrine of devils. And, Jesus also warned that the reason for our understanding how to do this is: For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. If we repeat religious lies, which we believed without verifying, we will be condemned by God at our own judgment.

Please note that, in the incidents reported above, the religious leaders made a personal attack against Jesus but He did not respond with a personal attack. Instead, He responded to their claims with impersonal logic which shows the fallacy of their claims. Although it is hard to respond to a personal attack this way, this type of response is far more effective and does not reduce the dispute to name calling which causes many people to stop listening.

In Matthew 12:33; Matthew 7:16-20 and Luke 6:43-45 we read the 'Parable of the Good Tree and Corrupt Fruit'. This parable was given when the religious leaders picked a fight with Jesus and told people lies about Him. In this lesson, Jesus told the people, and us, how to determine for themselves who told the truth and who lied. He did not tell then what to believe. God never takes away our free will and we are to act like God. If someone chooses to be a Biblical fool, and either refuse to do their own test or refuse to accept the true conclusion of the test, we are to let them do so and reap the consequence of their own foolishness.

In Matthew 12:35, Jesus tells us how to judge if a man is good or if he is evil.

In Matthew 12:38-40; Matthew 16:1-4; Mark 8:10-13 and Luke 11:29-32, the Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. They were trying to get a basis for claiming that Jesus was under their authority because He had to do miracles when they demanded. We need to be careful and avoid being tricked by the enemies of God who will try and claim that they have authority over us when they really do not.

In Matthew 12:38-40; Matthew 16:1-4; Mark 8:10-13 and Luke 11:29-32, the Pharisees also with the Sadducees lied about what they truly wanted. They were not willing to hear truth. Jesus refused their demanded and then He departed. When people are looking for an argument and they are not willing to listen, we need to follow the example of Jesus and refuse to argue with them and just leave. In that type of situation, our pride wants us to prove them wrong but wisdom teaches that there is no way to win such an argument. Therefore, discretion requires us to drop it and leave.

In Matthew 13:54-58; Mark 6:1-8; Luke 4:14-31 and John 4:43-45 all tell about Jesus being rejected by the people that He grew up around and His making the same statement (A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.) due to the rejection at home. These references may be different (but similar) incidents that happened at different times, but we see the same type of rejection in each of the incidents. We see Jesus react to this by going to other places to preach and by sending the twelve to other towns to preach, heal and cast our devils.

Matthew 18:6-20 teach about offenses. Matthew 18:6-20 teach about forgiveness after being offended. Matthew 18:21-35 has the well known account of Peter asking Jesus: Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? and Jesus giving God's answer in 'The Parable of the Lost Forgiveness'. In all of these reports, Jesus is telling us what to do and we can be certain that Jesus would do what He commanded us to do.

In Matthew 21:18-19; Mark 11:12-14 and Mark 11:20, we read about Jesus cursing the fig tree that had no fruit. This is a symbolic lesson of what God will do the saved people who have religious appearances of serving God (having leaves) but who do not produce spiritual fruit for God's kingdom. Of course, cursing is the opposite of blessings.

In Matthew 21:23-27; Mark 11:27-33 and Luke 20:1-7. In response, we are told that he chief priests and the elders challenged Jesus as He taught in the Temple. And, Jesus answered them: I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me. They conferred and answered We cannot tell because, no matter how they answered, they would be shown to be wrong. When someone challenged the authority of Jesus, He responded by demanding that they show that they had the authority to challenge His authority. As seen in this example, they did not truly have the authority which they claimed. When God's people are doing the work of God, then devils will get people to challenge the authority of God's spokesperson. The challengers will not really have the authority to make the challenge, but if God's spokesperson allows the challenge then the listeners will automatically assume that the challenger has such authority. Therefore, when you are speaking for God and someone challenges your authority to do so, immediately demand that they prove their own authority to challenge your authority.

In Matthew 23:17, Jesus asks a question instead of just stating the truth. Asking a question causes people to at least start to think while just stating a truth allows them to reject anything that goes against their prior belief and do the rejection without first thinking about what was said. Therefore, Jesus presented a question to His listeners instead of just stating the truth.

In Matthew 26:60-61 and Mark 14:57-58 we read how there were two false witnesses who lied about what Jesus said. Yet, we are told that Jesus held his peace and said nothing. When people are deliberately lying about you, and others want to believe the lies and deliberately chose to ignore the truth, the best thing to do is to say and do nothing. That way, god will deal with them. If we say anything or act in any way then God will do nothing. But if we trust God to act, and prove it by doing nothing, then God will hurt them far more than we can. Please also see Psalms 38:12-17 which not only applies to Jesus, in this sentence, but applies to us.

In Matthew 26:60-61 and Mark 14:60 we read that the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing?. They were deliberately trying to provoke Jesus into giving an emotionally charged answer because most people say foolish things when emotionally upset. Jesus shows us true wisdom by refusing to respond and by refusing another person control over Him.

There is a critical difference between asking someone to provide a witness and challenging their authority. This can be seen in the major difference in the reaction of Jesus when the Jewish leaders did each. In John 5:31-47; John 8:13-18; John 10:24-30; John 15:21-27 and other places, the Jewish leaders demanded that Jesus provide a witness for His doctrine and Jesus did it each time. These references are all in the gospel of John which presents Jesus as the Son of God. So, even as God Himself, Jesus submitted to the requirement to provide a witness. However, when the same people challenged His authority, He refused to answer their demands. This is a dramatic difference in the two reactions and the difference is directly related to what is demanded. We can ask God Himself for a witness to what we are to put our faith in but dare not challenge His authority in what He is trying to teach us.

In those same references, we see that the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders. They represented all religious and secular authority outside of the Roman Government and even the Roman government recognized their religious and secular authority. Basically, the person who lets God speak through them has more authority than all religious and secular authority. We just need to be sure that it is God's Holy Spirit speaking and not our own religious prejudices.

When the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders asked their question, Jesus refused to immediately answer it but said that He would answer it after they answered His question. Then He indirectly challenged their right to question Him by asking them The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? If they had said from heaven then they could not challenge His own authority which, obviously, also came from heaven. And, if they said: of men then they destroyed their own basis of authority to say anything about God because their own authority came from the same place as the authority behind John the Baptist. What we see here is that Jesus avoided a question which put peoples' opinion of Him against peoples' opinion of the authorities. Instead, He challenged their legal basis of authority which is not based upon opinion. Therefore, the man of God needs to avoid relying upon opinion and popularity and not base authority upon any attribute of self but always point back to God as the basis of all that they say and do.

In these same references, we read that they reasoned with themselves. It is possible that someone delays in giving the answer to a question about truth because they are trying to figure out the best way to convey a truth that people don't want to hear. However, in most instances when people must confer and reason with themselves, it is because they want the most politically correct answer and are not really concerned with truth, especially when the truth might not be considered to be politically correct.

Continuing the same references, the religious leaders claimed that claims that they could not tell, which was a lie but neither other option was politically acceptable because of the consequences attached to all other answers. In response, Jesus chose to ignore their lie because that would lead to an argument that He did not want to have. Instead, He gave them and answer that made it clear that he totally rejected their claim to have the authority to challenge His authority. And, He did it in a way that made it clear that it they pushed it further He would call them on their blatant lie and totally destroy any claim that they represented the true God because Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44).

In Matthew 21:23-27; Mark 11:27-33 and Luke 20:1-7, we read about he chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders challenging the authority of Jesus to do these things. Please notice that they did not ask Him about His authority to teach but His authority to do. Therefore, they probably included His teaching, but they definitely included His doing miracles, healing people and casting out devils. With that in mind, it should have been obvious that He doest thou these things by the authority of God the Father since the power to doest thou these things could only come from God the Father or a devil and they had already lost the argument of claiming that Jesus doest thou these things through the power of the Devil. Jesus responded by saying: I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me. Thus, He gave them a simple 'yes / no' question. When they replied with; We cannot tell, they proved that they were not willing to admit to truth but would only answer if they thought that they could give a 'politically correct answer'. To this, Jesus replied; Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things. Therefore, the example is to not get into arguments with people who refuse to admit truth and who insist upon only giving. 'politically correct answers'.

In Matthew 21:33-44; Mark 12:2-11 and Luke 20:9-19, we read that Jesus gives us the 'Parable of the Hirelings Killing the Heir'. What we see here is that when we must confront a powerful person who refuses to hear the truth, we can tell them the truth indirectly with a parable. We read that Nathan also did this with king David in 2Samuel 12.

We read in Matthew 21:33-46; Mark 12:2-11 and Luke 20:9-18 that Jesus gives us the 'Parable of the Hirelings Killing the Heir'. This is a prophecy by Jesus about how the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders would have Him killed. In these references, we see Jesus warning His enemies of the final result of their actions before they act. He did not threaten them, but gave a parable where the father symbolized God the Father and the warning was what God the Father would do, and not what Jesus would do. When we warn people about the consequences of their actions, we need to keep the warning centered on what God will do, based upon what the word of God teaches, and not on anything that we personally want to do.

We read in Matthew 21:46-48; Mark 12:10-12 and Luke 20:17-18 tell us that Jesus gave the application of the 'Parable of the Hirelings Killing the Heir'. In doing so, He started by quoting scripture, which prevented the religious leaders from objecting to His application.

In Matthew 22:15-40; Mark 12:12-34; Luke 20:19-40 and John 8, we read that different groups of religious leaders picked doctrinal fights with Jesus while He taught people in the Temple. That is: they asked Jesus questions that they were sure would make some people mad at Him, or that would go against the Bible, or that they could claim were words of rebellion, no matter how He answered. Jesus answered all questions wisely because each of the questions were based upon their religious views while Jesus answered based upon the word of God.

Another way of saying that is that the religious people asked questions based upon a physical perspective while Jesus answered from a spiritual perspective. However, regardless of that truth, their motivation was to trip Jesus up and all of them failed. Then, instead of letting it go, Jesus asked them a question which tripped them up because it could only be answered properly from a spiritual perspective and their religious views claimed a rule, based upon the physical perspective, that ended up going against the word of God.

With those truths recognized, there are a couple of things to be recognized from these accounts which can help us when we end up in a doctrinal dispute. First, the spiritual perspective, based upon the word of God, will always render a correct answer and it will always win an argument from a religious physical perspective. Secondly, these religious leaders had been attacking Jesus for quite some time and He had just let them walk away each time, after their defeat. However, this time He asked them a question which none of them could answer. Therefore, if they ever came back with another dispute, He could demand that they answer His question before He answered any more of their disputes. That is: there comes a time that we need to put an end to someone who is constantly snipping at us.

For example, I use a cane because of medical problems. There was a group of dogs barking, snarling and threatening pedestrians for awhile. One dog led the others and kept getting a bigger and bigger pack. They left me alone at first, but when they tried to intimidate me, I hollered at them. It went on for awhile, until the leader tried to snap at the back of my ankles. I caught him in the head with a full swing of my cane and he ran away yelping. After that, his pack of dogs broke up and pedestrians had peace. That is, effectively, what Jesus did. There may come a time when we have to put down opposition so hard that they leave us, and others, alone. We should not do this to everyone or we will have more people attacking us in order to get a reputation. In addition, Jesus only did this to protect others from their misleading. The religious leaders kept attacking Him while He was teaching people because they were trying to draw the people to follow their doctrinal error. Therefore, the only right reason for such a smack-down is to protect weaker people from being led into error which could seriously hurt them.

In Matthew 22:16-22; Mark 12:13-17and Luke 20:20-26. we read that some people tried flattery before they asked Jesus what they thought was a trick question. As explained in the note for the reference in Luke's Gospel, people who try to use flattery and who try to manipulate others are easily manipulated by flattery. Therefore, get the demonstrated character traits of Jesus if you want to be able to deal with conflict like He did.

In that same section of the Gospel accounts, we see the question asked by Jesus (Why tempt ye me?), which is exactly the same in all three Gospel accounts. Notice that Jesus did not ask: 'Why are you trying to trick me?'. Jesus correctly identified the manipulation by devils and devil motivated men as the true source of this group and their question. They were tempting Him to sin through anger or some other wrong emotional response. So, yes He answers their question, but more importantly he identified the temptation and avoided sinning. God's true children need to be diligent in the same way.

In this same section, we see that Jesus was not worried about His popularity but about getting the people to truly obey God. And, their question showed that they objected to truly obeying God in the area of God's commandment to obey the government officials that God put into power. In addition, Jesus turned their question from what the people wanted to hear into one about what God commanded. Therefore, they could only complain that a prophet of God told them to obey the commandment of God. People might not like the answer, but they knew the consequence of attacking a prophet of God who told them to obey the commandment of God.

In Matthew 22:16-33; Mark 12:13-17 and Luke 20:20-26 we read that the Herodians tried an argument about money and taxes. Like all liars, they mixed much truth with their error hoping that their lie would be accepted for the truth and that the lie would be overlooked. They started with a truth from the Bible. Then they tried to apply that truth the wrong way. They said that Jesus teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Then they asked for His personal opinion, as a 'literal physical man' and not what the word of God actually said. That way, they thought, they could dismiss what Jesus said as His personal opinion and not as what the word of God actually said. We are told that Jesus perceived their wickedness. In conflicts, we need to be aware that many try to use 'slight of tongue' and appear as if they are saying one thing while they are actually saying something. Like Jesus, we need to ignore their tricks and deal with the actual lie that they are trying to hide.

In Matthew 22:18-27; Mark 12:18-27 and Luke 20:27-38, the second group, called the Sadducees tried, unsuccessfully, to trip up Jesus using a doctrine which denies resurrection. This same doctrine is called 'humanism', today, and the main tenants of their religion are: 'the Big Bang Theory' and 'the Theory of Evolution'. Where the first group tried to justify greed, this second group is trying to justify pride. They take a while to build their ridiculous story before asking their question. Jesus lets them carry on till they get done then He tells them that the basis of their ridiculous story is invalid and, therefore, everything built upon that false basis is also invalid. The lesson here is that sometimes you have to let someone carry on before you point out how foolish they are or they will keep on trying to challenge you. However, if you let them prove how foolish they are being, they will lose credibility and their supportive audience and go away.

In Matthew 22:18-27; Mark 12:18-27 and Luke 20:27-38, the Sadducees tried what is obviously a made-up scenario. Yes, it is technically possible but so extremely unlikely that it should be obvious to everyone, except fools, that it is not real but made up to make a point. But, please notice that Jesus did not point out this obvious fact. It is a distraction from the real issue. Instead, Jesus dealt with their doctrinal error which is the basis of their beliefs. Jesus proved that physical death is not the end of existence and, therefore, that resurrection is real.

Matthew 22:46; Mark 12:34 and Luke 20:40all tell us And after that they durst not ask him any question at all. This was after Jesus had avoided all of their traps and answered all of their questions which they were sure could not be answered. Then in Matthew 22:41-46; Mark 12:35-37 and 20:41-44, Jesus asked them a question which they could not answer because the question proved that the doctrine which they preached was wrong. After all of their attacks and after He made them admit that He could answer any question that they had, because His answers came from the Bible, He made sure that they understood that He would expose their doctrinal error any time that they tried to attack Him again. That is, He made sure that that the doctrinal fight was over for good. The point is that we do not want to have ongoing fights. Avoid all fights that we can. But, if devil motivated people insist upon starting a fight, make sure that you finish it in a way that the fight is over for ever.

In Matthew 26; Mark 14 and Luke 22, we read about the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot. We also read about the abuse that He received from many people. Isaiah 53:7 says: He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.. And, Philippians 2:5-10 says: Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:. Jesus acted this way as our example of how we are to act in a conflict. He kept in mind that the true conflict was spiritual and was truly a war between God and all of the devils helping Satan. He kept in mind the fact that the men were truly proxies for devils and that the true enemies were not the men being used by the devils. He also kept in mind the promised everlasting reward that God promises to all who truly let God use their life to build His kingdom and to fight devils. When we find ourselves in a conflict we first need to get rid of any selfish motivation for conflict, such as pride, and then give our life to God for His use with His promises firmly kept in mind.

In Matthew 26:57; Mark 14:53; Luke 22:54 and John 18:24-28eport that Jesus was taken before Caiaphas the high priest and the Jewish council for a trial. In Luke 22:67-69 we read that Jesus said: If I tell you, ye will not believe: And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go. Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God. Here we see that Jesus did not answer their question in order to get anything in this world but He did so in order to p[provide God with legal evidence of their attitudes and actions which would be used when God tried them. 2Corinthians 2:15-16 says: For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? The phrase death unto death means that when people respond to a message from God in death (rejection), they make it harder for themselves to accept the truth of God's word the next time that they hear it. In addition, such as we see in Luke's Gospel account, God sometimes has us deliver a message, not so that people get saved, but so that God has legal evidence against them which justifies God condemning them. We see this same truth many places in the Bible. Sometimes, we are commanded to deliver a message which God knows will be rejected. It is not our place to only deliver messages which we believe will be accepted but we are to deliver any message that God tells us to deliver and leave to God the reasons for the message and the judgment of the reactions to God's message.

Matthew 27:12-14; Mark 15:2-5 and Luke 23:9-10 tell us that Jesus answered nothing to the accusations which the religious leaders brought against Him when He was tried by the civil authorities. There comes a time when people in power pervert justice and tell lies which there is no effective counter to. When this happens, we need to follow the example of Jesus and keep our mouth shut while trusting God to do what is best for His glory and our good. Even if we suffer, and even if we die, like Jesus did, we need to trust that God will more than make up for our suffering when we get to Heaven.

In Mark 2:2-12 we read that Jesus healed a man who was sick of the palsy because of the faith of His friends. However, there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? When Jesus knew this, He did not argue with them but gave indisputable proof that He represented the God of Heaven. When we are challenged about Bible doctrines or true Biblical ministry, we need to give the people evidence that we truly represent God and have them take their complaint to God.

In Mark 2:14-22, we read that Jesus went to a dinner at Matthew's house after Jesus called Matthew to be a disciple. Matthew called all of his lost friends to meet Jesus. However, the scribes and Pharisees criticized Jesus because he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners. Rather than arguing with the scribes and Pharisees about their wrong religious doctrine, Jesus gave a couple of parables which had to be understood spiritually. The scribes and Pharisees did not understand the parables and, therefore, could not dispute them. The lesson is to not dispute wrong doctrine but present the spiritual truth which is the reason behind what you do. In Mark 2:23-28, we read that the Pharisees started another argument about another of their wrong religious rules being not obeyed. Once more we see Jesus respond in the exact same way by quoting scripture and explaining how the true spiritual message justified the action of His disciples.

In Mark 3:1-8 we read that Jesus healed a man with a withered hand. However, instead of waiting for the scribes and Pharisees to complain about His actions after He healed, He asked them, before He healed, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? Notice that He did not allow them to make it a question of following their rules but made is a question of spiritual results (to do good...or to do evil). Also, by posing the question before He healed, He eliminated their opportunity to complain later because they held their peace. By posing the question first, Jesus controlled what the argument was about and made the fight over spiritual matters instead of over religious rules.

In Mark 5:35-43 we read that a servant came from the house of Jairus and told him that his daughter was dead. As soon as this message was delivered, Jesus told him: Be not afraid, only believe. Then, Jesus left everyone behind except for Jairus, Peter, and James, and John. when He arrived at the house, He put everyone out except those four and the mother. After removing everyone who refused to have true Biblical faith, Jesus raised her from the dead. The point is that there are times that anyone who does not have true Biblical faith must be removed from the people involved if we are to see a true miracle from God.

In Mark 8:11-12 we read that the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. Jesus responded with: Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. There comes a time in an ongoing conflict where the other side is no longer trying to find a resolution but is only seeking to aggravate. This is when we need to follow the example of Jesus and refuse to respond any longer.

All of Luke 16 is telling us how Jesus dealt with a conflict which the Pharisees and scribes started. This chapter should be read, not for the parables like normal, but for how Jesus dealt with a conflict which the Pharisees and scribes, if the reader wants to know how to deal with this situation in conflicts.

In Luke 16:1, we read that Jesus made comments to his disciples, but the first sentence in the chapter uses the word also because He knew that the Pharisees and scribes were still listening. They also obviously realized this truth because Luke 16:14 says: And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. What we see here is that, at times, we can tell something to someone who doesn't want to hear it by directing our comments to another person while the person that we are truly talking to listens in on our conversation. If they object, we can accuse them of butting into a conversation that they were not part of.

In Luke 16:9, we read that Jesus told the Pharisees and scribes to get what they could in this physical life. He was on His way to Jerusalem for the last time and He knew what they would do to Him there. He had already prophesied His own torture and death more than once at the time of this sentence in Luke. Yet, in spite of what He knew, he did not threaten them nor do anything that the flesh wants us to do. Instead, He told them to enjoy God's mercy while it lasted because God's judgment, not His own, was coming to each of them personally. Please see the note for this sentence, in the Book Study on the Gospel of Luke, for more details.

Starting in Luke 16:14, Jesus returned to speaking directly to the Pharisees and scribes because they derided him while others were listening. Jesus did not leave the other listeners wondering who told the truth. Jesus very clearly told them, and the others listening, the wrong motivations of their heart, the difference between their religious rules and God's true never-changing law and the judgment that they would receive from God as a result. He made it very clear that he was not speaking His own opinion but was saying how God would judge them for their motivations of heart and their resulting actions.

Luke 17:1-4 and Matthew 18:6-35 both teach on forgiveness but the circumstances and the specific lessons are different. In Luke's Gospel, this teaching was given to the disciples immediately after the Pharisees...derided him and Jesus told them their future judgment and used the true account of Lazarus and the rich man as a warning of their own future. Thus, this teaching directly follows Jesus being offended and dealing with lost people who offended Him. In Luke's Gospel, the first four (4) sentences are dealing with this matter and, as the notes for these sentences in the Book Study for the Gospel of Luke explain, the purpose is to restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Thus, we need to make sure that we have our own spirit and soul under control of the Holy Spirit and that we are seeking God's will as the result before we start such actions. Our own attitude will affect how we act and will also affect the final outcome.
With that in mind, we need to realize that there is a lot of doctrinal error taught about forgiveness. (Please see the notes in the Book Studies for the details and the doctrine associated with forgiveness.) It is important to realize that Jesus said: If thy brother trespass against thee (Luke 17:3). Jesus did not forgive the Pharisees because they were not saved and, therefore, were not a Biblical brother. In addition, that Bible reference continues with: if he repent, which the Pharisees certainly did not do. Further, This command is for a trespass. That is an entirely different level of sin than what the Pharisees did at the crucifixion.

In Luke 17:20, we read that the Pharisees demanded that Jesus tell them when the kingdom of God should come. Jesus answered them in Luke 17:20-21. In His answer, Jesus gives us the definition of the kingdom of God. However, that is not the important point here. The point is that the Pharisees started an argument with a question that they believed Jesus could not answer. What we see that Jesus changed the main subject with His answer and, thereby, avoided an argument. That is, when someone comes looking for an argument and, obviously, has already prepared an answer that they believe will win the argument, then change the subject of the discussion before you get into the argument.

In Luke 23:7-12 we read about the trial of Jesus by Herod. As explained in the notes for this reference, in the Book Study on the Gospel of Luke, Herod refused to believe that Jesus was 'God in human flesh'. Herod insisted upon treating Jesus like He was some circus performer and Herod and his men mocked Jesus. As a result, when Herod questioned with him (Jesus) in many words; but he (Jesus) answered him (Herod) nothing. When people are asking questions only so that they can make a mockery of us, we are to keep our mouths shut.
Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-53 and John 18:1-2 all tell us that Jesus went to Gethsemane and report His agony there. Here we see that the physical man named Jesus surrounded Himself with His spiritual friends while he went through the greatest temptation of His physical life. Jesus showed His followers how to deal with great temptation while living in this flesh.

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Correction:

In Matthew 11:7-15 and Luke 7:24-30 we read that Jesus told the crowd what God thought about John the Baptist. The application is we can rely upon God to give glory and rewards in Heaven to those people who truly serve His kingdom. What we see at the end of the statements from Jesus is that there were two different reactions based upon if the person had truly Biblically repented or not. Jesus then went on and told the people what the people refused to repent were like. John the Baptist gave a confrontational message which was rejected by many. Jesus told the people what God thought about John the Baptist so that they had a chance to truly Biblically repent and so that they knew the future consequences if they refused to do so. Part of the correction from Jesus was that relying upon popular religion will not get you the approval and blessings from God.

In Matthew 12:1-21; Mark 2:23-3:5 and Luke 6:1-11, the scribes and Pharisees picked more than one fight with Jesus about their rules for Sabbath, which they added to God's (Mosaic) Law. Jesus proved to them that what He did matched their own history and that their additions went against God's (Mosaic) Law. Here we see that Jesus answered them by pointing top God's Law and did not base His response upon His own authority. Like Jesus, we are here to represent God. Therefore, when people question what we do in the service for God we are to point them back to God as the authority that they must dispute. We are not to argue for ourselves, even though it might be possible, because God has greater authority than we have.

Matthew 15:1-2 and Mark 7:1-16 tells us that scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus and His disciples to pick a doctrinal fight. Their accusation was that the disciples failed to wash their hands before eating and that the failure made the disciples spiritually defiled. The doctrinal correction from Jesus is in Matthew 15:3-11 and Mark 7:1-16. There we read that Jesus said: Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. Most religions teach that what we do in this physical reality absolutely controls things in the spiritual reality. However, the only way that what we do in this physical reality can have any effect upon the spiritual reality is if we find a promise from God and do what God requires with the true Biblical faith that God will keep His promise. Now, consider that Jesus say, in our reference; There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him. Since the word defile is speaking about 'spiritual defilement', Jesus is telling us that nothing in this physical world can forcibly 'spiritually defile' a person. However, Jesus is also telling us that the things which come out of him (from our heart), those are they that defile the man. Therefore, true 'spiritual defilement' comes from our expressing the sinful attitudes of our heart. (We see this explanation from Jesus in Mark 7:18-23.)

Matthew 23 is full of symbolic language used by Jesus. He was speaking, mainly, to the scribes and Pharisees but also to the common Jew who was in attendance. The scribes and Pharisees refused to truly listen and were looking for ways to discredit Jesus. However, they had to stop and think in order to figure out what the symbolic sayings meant. Jesus knew that he could not get them to accept the truth. However, by speaking to them symbolically, He could, at least, make them think. And, sometimes, that is all that we can do.

Matthew 23:16-22 reports that Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees Woe! because they took God's name in vain. Please see the notes for Matthew 23:20-23 about the truth related to the doctrinal errors taught by the scribes and Pharisees which are mentioned in this section. In this section, Jesus mentions three doctrines from the scribes and Pharisees where they claim that the physical is more important than the spiritual. Then, in Matthew 23:20-22, Jesus explains that the spiritual is always more important than the physical.

In Matthew 23:23, we read that Jesus said: these ought ye to have done. He recognized what they had done before He went on to tell them their failure. It is important to recognize what people do right before telling them what they did wrong when we correct them. After telling them what they did that was right, Jesus did say: and not to leave the other undone. Too many people make the mistake of looking at what they do and forgetting to look at what they neglected that God told them to also do.

In Matthew 23:26, we read that Jesus said: Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Hopefully, the reader understands that Jesus is speaking symbolically. He us using the cup and platter, symbolically to represent the person. That is: 'Clean up your interior attitudes of heart and then your exterior actions will be right'. Please see that note for more details and links to other places where Jesus taught the same truth.

Matthew 24:1-25:30; Mark 13 and Luke 21 all start out with the disciples telling Jesus how impressed they were with the physical building of the Temple. This lead to Jesus prophesying future events. Quite often, the perspective of things around us, from the physical perspective, is totally different from the spiritual perspective. We are to keep our focus the spiritual perspective if we want to avoid being surprised by God taking an active hand in the affairs of this world.

In Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-49 and John 20:19-23, we read about Jesus appearing in the upper-room after He has given up on them acting in true Biblical faith and is revealing Himself. In the sentences following the next, He proves that he is truly risen and that they should not have the fear that they have. Please notice that in spite of all that Jesus has done to try and get them to have true faith, and in spite of how disappointed He must have been, the first thing that her says is: Peace be unto you. This shows us that he is longsuffering (Romans 2:4; Romans 9:22). Many places in Paul's epistles he uses this example to tell us that we also need to be longsuffering.

As the note for Luke 6:8 points out, the religious leaders sought to intimidate Jesus when they showed up to challenge His doctrine. He refused to be intimidated and accepted their challenge and then proved them wrong in front of the witnesses that the religious leaders made sure were there. We are never to be intimidated by the leaders of false religions nor by 'good godly Bible believing fundamental KJV only preachers' who are teaching doctrinal error. In addition, if they challenge you in public then answer them in public.

As the note for Luke 6:9 points out, when Jesus answered the religious rulers in a dispute that they started, He asked them Is it lawful. When He asked them this question, He was asking 'Which action matches the command that is in God's (Mosaic) Law?' These religious people understood His question for what it was and, as self-proclaims experts on God's (Mosaic) Law, they knew the correct answer. Thus, Jesus did not argue His doctrine against their doctrine but referred them to God's (Mosaic) Law, which they could not argue against. When arguing against religious people who claim to know the Bible, always refer them to the scriptures and do not argue your own beliefs nor the doctrine of your church.

Luke 9:49-56 tell us that Jesus corrected the religious actions of James and John when they dealt with other believers who were not part of their camp. It would appear that they were proud of their religious zeal and Jesus, basically, said that their zeal was aimed at the wrong thing. That is: it is good to have zeal but it must be applied properly. Look at Luke 9:55 where Jesus gives them a stronger rebuke. In this sentence, which is first, Jesus just corrects them. When they didn't understand, and continued to apply their zeal wrongly, then Jesus switched to a rebuke.

Luke 9:51-56 tells us about the time that Jesus stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. He wanted to stay in a village of the Samaritans, along the way, but they did not receive him because He did not have time to spend with them and the prejudice and hatred caused by the Jews resulted in all Jews receiving the same thing from Samaritans. James and John reacted in pride, and wanted to hurt them, but Jesus said: Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. He rebuked His disciples for being upset with the rejection by people who had been treated wrongly. We are to never get upset when we reap what our society has sowed and what we personally have sowed because our society taught us to do so. When we are part of a group that sows prejudice, we are to not get upset when we reap the same.

In Luke 10:18-24, we read the response from Jesus to the report from the seventy whom He had sent out to preach the Gospel. When they returned, they were rejoicing because even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. In the next sentence, Jesus corrected them because they were rejoicing for the wrong reason. The message is that God wants is to rejoice, but to do it for the right reason. Once again we see that God is more concerned about the motivations of our heart than He is about our actions. And this is because the motivations of our heart direct our actions.

In Luke 10:38-42 we have the account of Martha rebuking the Lord because He was letting Mary sit at His feet to learn while Martha was busy doing all of the work to prepare a meal. When Jesus corrected Martha in a very gentle manner and did not show any irritation at her wrong rebuke of Him. Sometimes we want to rebuke and correct a brother or sister when it is not our place to do so. In those situations, we need to remember that God is in control and we don't know everything that is going on while God does know everything. In addition, we will answer for ourselves and they will answer for them selves. Therefore, we need to concentrate on doing our job the best we can with what God gives us and leave correcting other saved people to God unless they are under our personal authority. If they are under our personal authority, we need to be as gentile as Jesus was in this instance no matter how much they aggravate us. We need to remember that God is teaching each of us how to be like Him. Please realize that, at times, God will put a very irritating person under a leader who needs to learn to be humble and patient.

In Luke 13:1-5, Jesus dealt with a couple of incidents which led to a certain 'popular belief' which was wrong and was interfering with His teaching doctrinal truth. First He said that the 'popular belief' was wrong then He identified the true spiritual requirement which was not met by the people who were in the incidents which caused the 'popular belief'. Since the 'popular belief' was the wrong cause, the popular solution, for dealing with the 'popular belief', was also wrong. Therefore, Jesus first corrected the basis of the error then He gave the correct solution to the original problem and to similar problems in the lives of people.

In Luke 13:10-17, Jesus Healed a woman and was criticized by the ruler of the synagogue who said that He was wrong to heal on the sabbath. As the notes for these sentences, in the Book Study on the Gospel of Luke, explain, the ruler had supporters who are not reported as speaking. Nevertheless, we are told that all his adversaries were ashamed when Jesus was finished speaking. Jesus did not just correct the speaker but he corrected all who were there to oppose Him. When we correct a doctrinal error, we need to be sure that all participants in the error are also corrected.

In Luke 13:32, Jesus said that He knew that He would be in Jerusalem in three days. He also knew that, once there, He would be tortured and crucified. With this time limit, Jesus became a lot more confrontational with the religious leaders. He stopped being diplomatic. He stopped letting them get away with trying to stab Him in the back and, instead, called them directly on their every attempt and made sure that the people knew what was happening. He forced them to come out into the light with their attitudes and actions so that they could not deny the evidence when they were judged by God. Notice that He did not attack them back but simply made them act in the open so that they could not deny their attitudes and actions. He then left their judgment and punishment for the time when they faced God. We see this in their further confrontations starting in Luke 14:1.
In John 5:14 Jesus dealt with a man about sin that he had done in private even though the evidence of his sin was seen in public. Jesus deliberately avoided dealing with him while others were there. Unless someone sins publicly, we are to avoid public correction.

In John 5:16, through the end of the chapter, the Jews picked a doctrinal fight with Jesus about their rules on the sabbath. Since they chose a public forum for their fight with Jesus, He dealt with their error in public. We need to be careful about when and where we pick a fight.

In John 5:14, we see Jesus give a warning to a saved man to sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. We are to warn everyone, especially the saved, about the consequence of sin before they do sin and receive those consequences.

Many people claim that we should never judge. This is claimed by people who have been shown that they are wrong and, instead of getting right with God and correction their life, they deceive themselves and try to justify their sin. The note for John 5:30 explains that we all judge and claiming otherwise makes us a self-deceived hypocrite. However, if we judge according to how God's Holy Spirit shows us in God's word what is right and what is wrong, then our judgment is just. We are to judge but are to do so with the right motivation and the right basis for that judgment.

In John 6:22 and continuing through the end of the chapter we have a lesson by Jesus where He said I am the bread of life. The physical cells of our body come from the things which we eat. What we eat has a controlling effect upon out body and our physical life. In this lesson Jesus was using symbolism to teach the spiritual lesson that His true disciples will have their physical life controlled by the spiritual influence of Jesus. These people had trouble accepting this lesson, and many stopped following Jesus because of it. Likewise, many religious people deceive themselves into thinking that they are Christians, but are not true Biblical Christians because they reject this lesson. In this account, which is a majority of this chapter, we see Jesus correcting the religious doctrine that people can claim to be truly Biblically saved and it not affect their physical life. In the 'Great Commission' (Matthew 28:18-20) we read baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. The word baptize means 'be spiritually identified with'. When people look at the life of a saved person they are to see the saved person 'be spiritually identified with' God the Father because His holiness and righteousness are evident for all to see in their physical life. They are to see the saved person 'be spiritually identified with' God the Son because His sacrifice and service are evident for all to see in their physical life. They are to see the saved person 'be spiritually identified with' God the Holy Spirit because His constant reproof and correction causes them to have an ever-changing life that is constantly becoming more like God. In John 6, Jesus reproved these people who insisted that they did not have to let salvation change their physical life.

In John 7:20 the Jews made a false accusation against Jesus as a distraction from the fact that they did not answer His true accusation against them. This is a common reaction from someone who is being corrected. Like Jesus did, we are to ignore the personal attack, not defend ourselves, and continue with the correction.

In John 7:24 we are told Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. What we actually have here is a commandment to Judge according to Biblical principals and this is the precept which we are to always use.

In John 8:3-11 we are told about the scribes and Pharisees accusing a woman of adultery so that they could attack Jesus unjustly and without cause and did so publicly. He responded by causing them to leave without revealing anything against them publicly. Thus we see that we are to avoid harm and embarrassment to others, if possible, even when we are attacked unjustly and without cause.

All of John Chapter 8 is religious argument between Jesus and the religious leaders of the Jews about authority and the basis of doctrine. In John 8:48 the Jews finally realized that they were not going to win this fight, which they started, and resorted to character assassination when they said thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil. This is an obvious lie and religious prejudice and it is explained in the note for this sentence within the Book Study on the Gospel of John. However, the point for this Study is that Jesus did not respond in kind but answered their accusation with a simple I have not a devil and then simply stated the difference between how He lived, and honoured God, and how they lived and dishonoured God. When people start name calling and character assassination they prove that they have closed their minds and will not consider anything said. At this point, all that we can do is answer their false accusations with a simple denial and move on. We need the simple denial so that they can not claim that we admitted guilt by refusing to answer their accusation. However, we are only inviting further false accusations if we elaborate. Therefore, answer such accusations with only a simple denial and walk away.
In John 8:43, Jesus asks the Jews, Why do ye not understand my speech?. Jesus answers this question in the next sentence. Therefore, He did not expect them to answer it correctly but asked the question to try and get them to think about what he would tell them. We see Jesus use this technique many times, especially when he is trying to correct the thinking of the person who He is talking to.

All of John Chapter 9 is about a single miracle where Jesus deals with doctrinal error. He deals with different groups of people differently and based upon their own reaction to the doctrinal error. Please see the Message called Dealing with Doctrinal Error for and overview message of this chapter.

In John 10:24-42 the Jews asked a couple of questions trying to hide the fact that they were making a false accusation and, in response, Jesus calls them on their false accusation and, effectively, calls them liars to their faces.

Jesus rejected judgment accusing to class or human grouping. True Biblical judgment is personal and based upon personal character and deeds done. Please see the note for John 10:34 for a detailed explanation of this truth.

In most of John 10 we have an account of a disagreement between Jesus and the lost religious Jews. Then in John 10:39-40 we read Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand, And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode. Sometimes, that is the best that you can do. Jesus avoided them until the time and circumstances which God the Father set for His crucifixion. This is why we need to have a close walk with God and be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we need to 'take a stand' and sometimes we need to walk away Only God's Holy Spirit can tell us when to do each.

In John 10:39-40 we read but he escaped out of their hand, And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode. Please notice that he did not go back to where His physical family lived because they were not saved, at that time, and did not believe Him. Elsewhere we read that He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief (Matthew 13:54-58; Mark 6:1-6). Rather than going and fighting with people who refused to believe, He went where He could have peace while He communed with God. Some people insist that we have to keep trying to convince the unbeliever but our sentence demonstrates that when someone clearly has closed their mind, we are to leave them alone until God gets them ready to listen.

In John 10:41 we read how some people believed Jesus even though the religious leaders, and most of the people, rejected His message. Thus we see that we are not to be discouraged by rejection, nor are we to be discouraged by how many reject us, but are to take encouragement from those who do truly accept the message from God.

In John 12:4-5 we see the response from Jesus to people wrongly criticizing Mary for her worship of Him. What we see in these accounts is that Jesus rebuked His disciples but did not correct them, nor instruct them, while in public. However, He gave a more subtle rebuke to the Pharisees, and instructed them in public, because they sinned in public by setting up this supper just so that they could trap Jesus. Thus we see two different responses from Jesus based upon the motivations of the people involved. On the surface, it would seem that the Pharisees made less of an offence. However, their plan was the greater long-term problem because it challenged the authority of Jesus. Please use the link to see the note in the Study on the gospel of John for more details on this difference.

In John 18:10-11 we see Peter cut off the ear of a servant during the arrest of Jesus. While his intentions were good, he tried to do God's work the wrong way. In these sentences we see that Jesus instructed Peter but did not rebuke him. This is the correct way to deal with someone who has the correct attitude of heart but takes the wrong action.

In John 20:25-31 we see Jesus deal with Thomas who had declared I will not believe before the entire assembled church.. That account also tells us that Jesus corrected him publicly, in front of the entire church. Then, in John 21 we see Jesus deal with disciples who left the ministry to go fishing. Since Jesus met them on the shore, and not in the upper room, He obviously wanted this meeting to be private and only with the disciples who had gone fishing. Thus, we see that how we do correction is dependent upon how the wrong was done.

In John 21 we see Jesus deal with Peter over his denial. Her also dealt, indirectly, with the other disciples who were with Peter. Jesus did not let things sit and fester until Peter became bitter and ruined. He also used indirection to correct disciples who had not done sin but had turned away from God's plan and path for their life.

in John 21:15 through John 21:18 we see Jesus administer correction to Peter. John 21:17 says that Peter was grieved. This shows a change of attitude in his heart. Jesus did not stop administering correction until He saw evidence of a change of attitude, which is what the Bible tells us to do when we apply correction. Also, John 21:18 has the explanation from Jesus as to why He applied correction. When we correct someone we are supposed to explain to them how the correction will help them personally.

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Ministry:

Matthew 3:13; Mark 1:10-11 and Luke 3:21all report the baptism of Jesus. This was the official start of His ministry. And, as Matthew and Mark report: straightway coming up out of the water...immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan. God the Father always gives us a spiritual test when we start a ministry or when we enter a new phase of our ministry. In our Gospel accounts, we see Jesus going directly into His test without any hesitation nor complaint. Therefore, we should follow His example when it comes to our tests by God. The world sees God's tests as 'a ban thing'. The truly spiritual person sees God's test as assurance that God wants to use them for greater things. Therefore, we need to keep our attitude right about any test that God gives to us.

John 1:10-12 tells us that even though Jesus was rejected by His own people, He still ministered to all because of the few who would receive him. God wants us to continue to minister regardless of circumstances and regardless if results which we see. This is part of living by faith. Abraham has not yet received all of his promises even though he remained faithful and is our Biblical example to follow.

Jesus set aside all of His glory and power in order to come to this world and die to pay for our sins and also to teach us how to live in a way which brings glory to God (John 1:1-18). He did this for the joy that was set before him Hebrews 12:2. We are to keep our eyes on the promise of eternal reward and not regard circumstances which we have to endure.

In John 1:37-51, Mark 1:16-20 and Luke 5:1-11 we read about Jesus calling the disciples who would later become Apostles. In these accounts we see Jesus tested their commitment when they were called and before giving them promises of future blessings. Also, note that He did give them an idea of what they would receive for their commitment. We need to test and verify promises which people make before we accept them. Further, we need to reward those promises once we accept them.

In Matthew 8, Jesus did many things to back His doctrine which He had given in 'The Sermon on The Mount' (Matthew 5-7)

In Matthew 8:2-4, we read that Jesus cures a single man of leprosy. This is symbolic of someone who has grown cold in their relationship with God wanting to restore the relationship. We should do all we can to encourage saved people to maintain and, if necessary, restore their ongoing personal relationship with Go.

In Matthew 8:5-13, we read that Jesus healed the centurion's servant because of the level of true Biblical faith that the centurion displayed. We are also told that the Jews, who relied on their religious traditions, would be rejected. We should do all we can to increase our own true Biblical faith and assure others that if they do the same, they will increase their own personal blessings from God. We should also follow the example of Jesus and assure people who are relying on religious traditions that they will be rejected and cursed by God.

In Matthew 8:14-15, we read that Jesus healed the mother-in-law of Peter and then she ministered to them. Thus, we see healing given to people of the kingdom and we see the expectation that the people of the kingdom serve Jesus.. Thus, we should do all that we can to encourage and help any saved person who is truly trying to serve and build the kingdom of God.

In Matthew 8:16-17, we read that Jesus fulfill prophecy. Thus, we see that all saved people should base their lives and actions on what the scripture literally says to do. Everyone should make the main goal of their life to do the will of God the Father.

In Matthew 8:19-22, we read that people claimed to want to be a 'disciples of Jesus Christ', but, apparently, they were not willing to dedicate their lives to Jesus. They were rejected because they were not willing to fulfill the requirements from God. Thus, we should warn people that partial obedience will be rejected by God and that they must completely dedicate this life to the service of God if they want to receive the reward from God which includes returning for the 1,000 years reign of Christ when they can enjoy living in an incorruptible body (1Corinthians 15:42-54).

In Matthew 8:23-27, we read that God gave the disciples a test of faith following the lessons where Jesus rewarded true Biblical faith several times. Thus, we should expect to receive a test of faith several times in our life and we should warn other saved and serving people to also expect to receive several tests of faith throughout their lives.

In Matthew 8:28, we read that Jesus free 'the mad man of Gadara' from many devils. He served Jesus in His kingdom out of gratitude. Thus, we should go out of out way to find and help people who will sincerely serve God as a result of God using us to help them get free from the sin that binds them.

In Matthew 8:29-34, we read about Jesus letting the devils go into a herd of swine and of the swine killing themselves and of the people of the whole city asking Jesus to leave. Thus, we see that sinners who enjoy their sin want nothing to do with Jesus and His kingdom. In addition, we see that we should not directly participate in the destruction of the means of their sin, because Jesus did not. However, just as Jesus gave example, we should not hinder that destruction by others.

Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34 and Luke 8:43-48 tell us about Jesus healing a woman with an issue of blood while on the way to heal the daughter of Jairus. As explained in the note for Mark 5:30, Jesus shows us that the servant of God is to be aware of what happens around himself spiritually.

In Matthew 9:15-17; Mark 2:19-22 and Luke 5:34-39 we read that Jesus started speaking in parables to keep the religious leaders from understanding the truth. He started speaking in parables after they rejected Him as their God-given Christ and King. Please see the Table of Parables in the New Testament for links to the other places where the Gospels report Jesus teaching with parables.

In Matthew 17:17; Mark 9:19 and Luke 9:41 we read that Jesus said: O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Here, Jesus expresses His upset that people refused to learn the spiritual lessons which He taught so that they could have true spiritual power. When people depend upon another to provide the things which they need, and they refuse to learn how to provide those things for themselves, the dependent person is in a lot of trouble and hurt when the enabler is no longer around. That's what a lot of parents, especially mothers, fail to realize when they continue to provide things for their adult children.

In John 5:2-16 we see Jesus heal a man on the Sabbath even though the Jews persecuted Him for doing so. They didn't object to Him healing the man, only to His doing so on a Sabbath, which violated their religious rules. They had added these rules to God's word and actually held them higher than God's word because they refused to let God's word correct their doctrine. Here we see that Jesus did not abide with additions to God's word and actually deliberately did things to make the religious people see their error, even when the people refused correction. We must not compromise with doctrinal error.

In John 5:19-22, we see Jesus give the credit to God the Father for everything which He did. God the Father provided the power and the plan for everything which He did. Likewise, a true 'man of God' will give credit to God for everything which God does through the 'man of God'.

In John 5:19-22, we see Jesus claim that He had greater power and authority, than the religious people had based upon His relationship with God the Father He also claimed greater power and authority from God the Father because He displays God's true character to the world. Thus we see that the more that we truly represent God's character to this world, the more power and authority we can get from God.

In John 6:61-71, we see Jesus separating true believers from people who have a false profession. We also see Him drive away those who have a false profession. Thus, God believes that a small church full of true believers is preferable to a large church with a mixed multitude of believers and false professors.
In John 6 we see a disagreement between Jesus and some disciples. In John 6:66 we read: From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Jesus literally drove off people who refused to walk by faith. In John 6:32 He accused them of only seeking to fill their bellies the easy way. In John 6:27 He told them: Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life. Simply put: Jesus deliberately ran off people who wanted all of the advantages of being a church member but who refused to work in God's kingdom.

In John 6:71 we see that Jesus let Judas Iscariot stay even while causing others to leave. He did not force anyone to leave but put them in a position where they had to leave to stay knowing, beyond a shadow of doubt, that they were being a hypocrite. Judas Iscariot chose to stay and live a lie. If someone has a Judas in their ministry they are to leave them with the knowledge that God has a plan for them and that God will protect all others within the ministry who are truly seeking God. The Judas may be there to get truly saved. The Judas may be there to separate true disciples from the liars. There may be another reason and the minister may not ever know what God's reason is. However, the minister is to follow the example of Jesus and leave the Judas alone.

Classes of people: We see Jesus dealing with different classes of people different ways. However, the classifications of people that Jesus used were not race or national origin or what the world uses but were according to their relationship to God and His word.
- In John 3 we see Jesus dealing with a lost religious person who was truly seeking the truth. Jesus answered his questions but did not demand that he make a profession before he could think about the answers.
- In John 4 Jesus dealt with the Samaritan woman and others in her city. They represented people that our culture and religion tell us to ignore. Jesus dealt with her within her culture and did not require her to accept His culture like many missionaries mistakenly do.
- In John 5 Jesus dealt with the religious Jews about their religious being added to the word of God and actually being made more important than the work of God. That is: the religious Jews had a fit over a miraculous healing on the Sabbath. Jesus used the truth of the Bible and their own laws and traditions and knowledge of John the Baptist to show them the error of their religion. The context makes it clear that they rejected His message and He left them instead of arguing. After giving them truth He left them to the judgment of God for rejecting the truth.
- In John 6 we read about Jesus dealing with people who want to claim salvation for the blessings but are too lazy to work in God's kingdom. These people are the early representatives of people who cry 'It's all grace with no work' and believe the lie which is called the 'Health and Welfare Gospel'. This chapter teaches that the truly saved will have a changed physical life and that the change is due to the influence of Jesus
- In John 7 we see the family of Jesus being disrespectful to Him and we see Jesus dealing with lost religious people who think they are saved and whom He hopes to lead to true Biblical salvation.
- In John 8 we see the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees, with other Jewish religious leaders, come to open conflict. The Pharisees, with other Jewish religious leaders, keep looking at things from a physical religious perspective and refusing to understand things from a spiritual perspective. This is the basic attitude of lost religious leaders and we see how Jesus dealt with them.
- In John 9 we read about Jesus healing a man who was born blind to prove that He had the power of God. This is the true evidence we are to look for when someone claims to be a man of God. of course, lost religious people claim positions and recognitions from men give the ultimate authority. In this chapter we see how Jesus dealt with this argument over authority.
- In John 10 we learn what 'A true relationship with Jesus Christ' is like and how to separate the true professors from false ones. All saved are to learn this in order to avoid doctrinal error taught by religious leaders who have a false profession.
- In John 11 we see Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead and teach that He is the resurrection. In the chapter we see Mary anoint Jesus for His death because she received understanding that other saved people, who were there for the same lesson, did not receive. In this chapter we see that the level of understanding which we receive is dependent upon our relationship with Jesus and how much time we are willing to 'sit at His feet to learn'.

In John 11 we see the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the grave. In the early part of the chapter we read that the disciples were concerned because Jesus would have to go where the Jews were trying to capture and kill Him. We also see that He went anyway and trusted God the Father to protect Him. In this account we see that the threat of personal danger should not keep us from doing God's will, especially when it involves helping another believer.

In John 11:28 we see that Martha called her sister Mary secretly to Jesus and told her that it was a personal call. This was after Lazarus had died and before Jesus dealt with Mary about the death. By this we see that there are times that we should try to deal with someone privately and personally, especially when they are hurting. Please see the notes of that account in the gospel of John for more details.

In John 13:2 we are told the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him. With this knowledge Jesus rises, washed the feet of all of the disciples including Judas, and proceeds to teach a lesson. He did not let the devil nor upcoming events interfere with His doing what needed to be done.

In John 13:2-17 we see Jesus humble Himself, take the job of a servant and wash the feet of the disciples. He then explains what He did and ends with If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. We are to follow His example and do things which humble ourselves. When we actually do these things, God promises to make us happy.

In John 14:30-31 Jesus says it is time for 'little talk and much action'. Anyone who never gets to the point of 'shut up and get busy doing' is not following His example in these two sentences.

In John 14:31 Jesus tells us that part of the reason why Jesus did what He did, including keeping His mouth shut and going to the cross and all of the other suffering as a sheep to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7; Jeremiah 11:19; Acts 8:32) was that the world may know that I love the Father. 2Timothy 3:12 says Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. When we suffer persecution we are expected to follow the example of Jesus in this sentence and accept it with His human spirit as a witness to the world that we love Christ Jesus.

In John 20:14-17 Jesus appeared after His resurrection to Mary Magdalene and used her as His messenger to the people who loved Him. Here we see Jesus send a message of comfort when He was delayed in His personal appearance to those who loved Him. We should always try to help others avoid worry when we can do so.

In Luke 6:17-18, we see that Jesus ministered to the people, for the first reported time, after He had appointed the twelve as future apostles, which was the start (spiritual conception) of His church. Before this, the Gospels reported that the twelve followed Jesus, but now they are with Him. As His first ministry, that is a demonstration to His new church, we see Him require the people to hear Him before He heals or casts out devils. Thus, we see that all church ministries are to have preaching before any other ministry. Please see the note for this sentence, in the Book Study on the Gospel of Luke, for more details.

In Luke 8:1-3 we read that Jesus went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. We also read, in that sentence, that the twelve were with him, And certain women...which ministered unto him of their substance. Here we see that Jesus concentrated on doing the work of God's kingdom and let God use others to provide for His physical needs. This can be difficult to do but the preacher is to personally (thou) be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity (1Timothy 4:12). That is the example which Jesus is providing in this chapter.

Matthew 12:46-50 and Mark 3:31-35 and Luke 8:19-21 tell us about the mother and brethren of Jesus showing up and wanting to interrupt His ministry so that they could talk to Him. Jesus refused to let the desires of His physical relatives have a higher priority in His life than His spiritual ministering. Without a doubt, His response upset them and the Bible lets us know that His brothers and sisters were not saved until after the resurrection. However, as Jesus shows us here, we can not let such things keep us from obeying God and doing what God wants us to do.

Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29 and Luke 9:7-9 report the beheading of John the Baptist. In this incident, Jesus acted as a literal physical man and gives us an example of how to act during a tile of great personal loss and emotional upset. Many of the disciples of Jesus had been disciples of John the Baptist first and John the Baptist was the closest human friend that Jesus had in this world. Mark 6:29 tells us: And when his disciples heard of it (the beheading of John the Baptist), they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb. Then, Mark 6:31-33 continues the account and tells us that Jesus told His disciples: Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while...and they departed into a desert place by ship privately...And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. Imagine that it is you and your family trying to have a funeral and time of morning for a close family ,member and a bunch of strangers show up demanding that you take care of their desires and do it for free and refuse to let you have a time to morn. However, Mark 6:34 tells us: And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. There will be times that the demands of the ministry are extremely unfair and extremely demanding and the conditions will make anyone to consider quitting. That is what Satan wants, especially for the most effective workers in God's kingdom. However, just like Jesus did, we need to have compassion on people, especially on the lost and spiritually immature. And, that means accepting all of the unreasonable demands of the ministry with a graceful attitude.

Matthew 14:13 and Mark 6:31 and Luke 9:10 tell us that, when the disciples had a personal and emotional tragedy, Jesus took all of His disciples to a desert place by ship. A good leader knows that his people need a break from the ministry at times and makes sure that they get the break when they need it.

Matthew 14:15-21; Mark 6:35-44; Luke 9:12-17 and John 6:5-13 tell us that after Jesus taught all day long, He fed the 5,000 men (plus women and children). In the first phrase of these references, we see that Jesus made sure that this miracle was done in an orderly manner (1Corinthians 14:40). We should also make sure that things are done orderly in our service to God and in our professional and private life.

Matthew 16:13-20; Mark 8:27-30 and Luke 9:18-20 tell us about the time that Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ. These accounts make it clear that this incident occurred while Jesus, and His disciples, were on a long walk from where the prior incident (Bethsaida), and the next incident (he towns of Caesarea Philippi), occurred. And, as Mark makes clear, Jesus asked this question as He, and His disciples, walked between the two places. In addition, Luke 9:18 tells us: as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him. Therefore, they, apparently, took a rest during their walk and Jesus went aside to pray alone. We saw the same before He selected the twelve and before the crucifixion and many other places in the Gospel accounts. The important thing, for this section of this document, is this is evidence that Jesus prayed before every important event / decision of His ministry. This is an example that all Godly people should follow.
In addition to the lesson above, we see that Jesus controlled the circumstances when He revealed this important truth. He made sure that they were alone with no distractions. He prayed for help from God the Father. Then, he used a leading question to get them thinking along the spiritual lines of what he would reveal to them.

Matthew 17:24-27 tells us about the government officials demanding tribute which they were not entitled to receive. In spite of that fact, Jesus did a miracle to produce the money and told Peter to pay the tribute. This lets us know that government officials are ministers of God even when they are being corrupt. In addition, it lets us know that the example from Jesus is to not waste time arguing with corrupt officials, over non-spiritual matters, but spend our time serving the kingdom of God.

In Matthew 17:17; Mark 9:19 and Luke 9:41 we see that Jesus was upset with the faithless and perverse generation. Yet, He did not let His upset keep Him from casting out a devil. He did not let His being upset deny this man a blessing from God. Think about how often we are tempted to deny someone something because we are upset.

In Luke 9:51-62 we see a report of Jesus dealing with three people who claim that they want to follow Jesus, but never make the commitment and were not willing to pay the price required in order to receive the blessings which are only given to those saved people who actually do the work. Matthew 8:19-22 has a matching account for two of these people. The theme of the chapter in Luke is: 'The Twelve Receive Spiritual Maturity'. Part of the training and maturing of a leader is teaching him how to respond to different types of people. A pastor will have to deal with all kinds of people including people who claim that they want to serve but never show up for the work and never truly make a commitment to the ministry. Dealing with those people is what Luke is telling us that Jesus used to show the disciples how to do with these type of people.

In Luke 22:3 we read: Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. Jesus knew this and, yet, it had no effect upon what He did in the ministry. We are to follow His example and regardless of what God or Satan do in the life of someone else, we are to concentrate on doing what God gave us to do in our own ministry. John 21:22 says: Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. Thus, we not only have an example but we also have a command to do our own ministry and ignore what is happening in the life of another person who is not our responsibility.

In Matthew 26:20-30; Mark 14:18-46; John 13:1-14:31; Luke 22:14-38 and 1Corinthians 11:23-34 all report the 'Last Supper' of Jesus. At that time He knew that He was going to be tormented and crucified starting later that same night. However, Luke 22:15 tells us: With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer. His example was that no matter what happened in the future, when he had a job to do in the ministry, He let nothing interfere with His accomplishing that job. Likewise, while we are in this flesh, we are to not let anything interfere with our doing the job of the ministry.

The 'Lord's Supper' is a memorial of the 'Last Supper'. (Please see the note above for Bible references.) One of the most important things to keep in mind, and to remind people of, is that the 'Last Supper' was the highlight of a seven-day feast of unleavened bread. The Jews were to spend seven days getting leaven out of their lives to symbolically show an agreement to get sin out of their physical lives. Likewise, 1Corinthians 11 warns the child of God about possible consequences in this physical life if they do not attempt to get sin out of their physical life while participating in the 'Lord's Supper'. Part of a true ministry is to warn everyone of the potential consequences of ignoring warnings which God gives in God's word.

In Matthew 20:20-28 and Mark 10:35-41, we read about James and John coming to Jesus, with their mother, and asking to secure their future positions in His kingdom. In both accounts, they ask Jesus to grant their request before they say what it was. Jesus refused to answer until He knew exactly what they were asking for. Likewise, we need to be sure that we understand everything involved in a request before we agree to it.

In Matthew 20:25-28; Matthew 23:11-12; Mark 10:42-45; Luke 22:24-30 and John 13:12-15, Jesus explained how to get the greatest position in His kingdom. We are to make this lesson a foundational part of our own ministry and are to teach other children of God to make it a foundational part of their own ministry.

Matthew 26:33-35; Mark 14:29-31; Luke 22:31-34 and John 13:37-38 all report that Jesus prophesies Peter's denials. The rest of the disciples also denied that they would scatter. Every one of them failed their test of faith because of pride in self and their own ability to do what only God can do in and through our lives. No matter what God does in and through our lives in the ministry, we are to avoid pride and say: So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. (Luke 17:10).

Matthew 26:47-50; Mark 14:43-46; Luke 22:47-54 and John 18:2-13 report the betrayal and arrest of Jesus. These sentences are the pivotal point when the night changed from a quiet pleasant religious feast and Bible study to one of fear and violence. And, we can see that Jesus reacted totally different from anyone else because He had prayed and accepted that what would happen was the will of God the Father and would be for the good of men who truly came to God and served God. In addition, Jesus would receive everlasting rewards which He did not have before, but He first had to pay the price. Likewise, if we want to receive everlasting rewards, then we must pass God's test with the right attitude and do what God requires being done even if it is a torturous martyr's death.

Matthew 26:40-45; Mark 14:37-42 and Luke 22:45-46 tell us about Jesus finding the disciples asleep three times when they were supposed to be praying. One of the reasons, that this happened, was that they failed to realize that they were in a spiritual battle. They failed in the physical reality because they failed to realize the spiritual causes of their failure. Saved people need to always keep in mind that the ministry is done in the physical reality but is truly part of a spiritual battle. Therefore, they need to keep in mind what is going on in the spiritual reality, especially when the start having extra problems in the physical reality.

In Luke 24:13-31 we read about Jesus ministering to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus after His resurrection. He did not let them know who He was, at first, but ministered to them like He was just another man. In the opening question that Jesus asked these two disciples, He asked them about the basis of what they were feeling and talking about. He got them talking about their concerns and they admitted to hearing the testimony of the women which matched prophecy in scripture and prophecy from Jesus. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? He first chided them for their lack of belief and then pointed them to the Bible and not to Himself nor to anything that He said. When we minister to people, especially to those who lack faith, we are to always point them to the Bible and not to ourselves nor to our religious beliefs.

In Luke 24:13-31 we read about how Jesus ministering to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus after His resurrection. A lot of times one of the most important parts of ministry is how we respond. After Jesus asked a question in a way that let Him insert Himself into private communications that a couple were having, He was asked how He could possibly not know about what happened. Instead of responding with His own personal knowledge, he said unto them, What things? With this question, He was inviting them to express themselves. In addition, the next several sentences after His response show us that He did not interrupt them to correct anything that they said but He proved to be a good listener and only responded after they had completely expressed their own thoughts and feelings. Thus, we see and example of how to minister to people who are very upset emotionally.

In Luke 24:19-24 we read that Jesus let them state their beliefs without interrupting them with corrections. They were stating their beliefs and, right or wrong, they had a right to express themselves. Jesus kept His mouth shut and listened without interrupting them and, when they were ready to hear His answer, He corrected their doctrinal errors. Jesus did say: O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. However, He was not attacking them personally but was telling them the judgment that they would receive from God for their actions. In the notes for these Bible references, within the Book Study on the Gospel of Luke, are detailed explanations of how Jesus dealt with different points and those notes explain how the child of God should deal with these types of errors while ministering to people.

When Jesus ministering to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus after His resurrection (Luke 24:13-31), He did everything He could to get them to believe the scriptures and prophecy which proved that their religious beliefs were wrong. They kept refusing and, eventually He revealed Himself to them. The same thing happened with all of the disciples who were in the upper room. In John 20:29, the Lord Jesus said: because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. When we minister to people, if we let them believe the scriptures, on their own and before we completely explain them, the people will bet a greater blessing than if they do not have to accept the scriptures by true Biblical faith.

The baptism of Jesus is reported in Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22 and John 1:32. Matthew 3:14-15 tells us that John the Baptist objected but Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Therefore, we are to use righteousness as a major criteria when doing any ministry for God.

Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11; Luke 5:27-29 and John 1:37-51 all present the call of the apostles by Jesus. Throughout the Gospel accounts we read that Jesus gave them special training and understanding that He did not give to most other people. One important part of a good ministry is finding and training the person who will take over when we are gone.

Every miracle which is reported in the Gospel accounts was, in some way, related to the circumstances surrounding the miracle. (Please note that the miracles, which are recorded within the gospels, are listed in the Table of Miracles in the Gospels document.) We are to demonstrate, and testify, of the power of God so that people look to God for their needs and not to us personally.

In Mark 1:25, and other places, we read that And Jesus rebuked him (the devil), saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. (Please see the section called Jesus and Devils, in the Study called Significant Gospel Events, for links to every place where Jesus dealt with devils.) What we see here is that Jesus refused to accept the endorsement of devils. Likewise, we are to refuse the endorsement of anyone who is not righteous.

Mark 1:35 tells us: and in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. We read that Jesus prayed in: Matthew 14:16; Matthew 19:13; Matthew 26:36-44; Mark 1:35; Mark 6:46; Mark 14:32-39; Luke 3:21; Luke 5:16; Luke 6:12; Luke 9:18; Luke 9:28; Luke 9:29; Luke 11:1 and Luke 22:40-46. From this, we see that we should saturate a ministry in prayer and, in particular, start each day with prayer so that we have God's guidance for the work of the ministry on that day.

Mark 1:37-38 tells us that the disciples reported to Jesus that: All men seek for thee. Instead of building a big ministry there, Jesus responded with: Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also. Thus, we see that Jesus was more interested in reaching more people with His message than He was in building a name for Himself and a big ministry.

Mark 2:2 tells us: And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. We see that Jesus had His private time and home invaded but He did not get upset but preached the word unto them. In addition, He did not preach religious doctrine but preached God's word.

In Mark 3:32-35 we read that the mother and brethren of Jesus tried to interrupt His ministry for a family matter. Matthew 10:37 says: He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Luke 14:26 gives a similar message. Simply put, no obligations in this physical life is to be held at a higher priority than our service to God and His kingdom.

Matthew 3:13 and Mark 1:9tell us that Jesus went from Galilee to Jordan to be baptized by John the Baptist. As explained in the notes for those sentences, Jesus had to walk one or two days to make this journey. Regardless of how long it took, we see here an example that we are to ignore how much sacrifice is required in order to obey God. God records how much sacrifice is required and rewards accordingly. However, we are to not consider such things so that we avoid being discouraged.

Matthew 10; Mark 6:1-8 and Luke 9:1-6 all tell about Jesus sending out the twelve (12) disciples to preach. Luke 10:1-17 reports a similar, but different, account for seventy disciples. In these cases, Jesus told them to make no provision for their own physical needs but to rely upon the people that they preached to for their physical needs. At the 'Last Supper', Jesus changed this command for the 'Church age'. However, one thing that we saw in these incidents from the Gospel accounts is still true today. God blesses those who provide for the physical needs of the workers in God's kingdom and doe not bless those who refuse to provide those physical needs.

Matthew 15:21-30 and Mark 7:24-30 tells us that Jesus, and His disciples, went to a city of Gentiles. There, a woman asked Him to free her daughter from a devil. Jesus told her no and, in the process, called her a dog. (A female dog is properly called a 'bitch'.) She accepted this insult and was willing to do or accept anything else that Jesus demanded in order to get her request fulfilled. In this account, we see that Jesus was not being mean but was having her prove her true Biblical faith before He granted her request. Jesus answered her with: For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. Part of the ministry is verifying the sincerity of people when they claim to have true Biblical faith before giving them anything special which is beyond what the ministry gives to everyone.

In Matthew 15:32-39 and Mark 8:1-10 tell us that Jesus fed 4 thousand men plus women and children. He started this incident by saying; I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. Thus, we see that He had an attitude of compassion, He considered their need (if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far) and He verified that they had sacrificed to be there for His ministry (they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat). Jesus fed people twice, as reported in the Gospel accounts, but did not do so in many instances. What we see here is that His ministry followed the example of God and provided more blessings for people who had sacrificed more and less blessings for people who had sacrificed less. Thus, a truly godly ministry should have levels of provisions with more given to the household of faith than to strangers. We also see this truth taught in Galatians 6:10 and 1Timothy 5:17.

In Mark 9:14, we read that Jesus came down from the 'Mount of Transfiguration' and found his disciples having a with a devil that they could not cast out of a boy. Jesus cast out the devil and, later when they were alone, the disciples asked Jesus: Why could not we cast him out? And, Jesus answered: This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21; Mark 9:29; 1Corinthians 7:5). There are going to be things in the ministry which can not be done but by prayer and fasting.

Mark 9:38 tells us: And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. This is the common practice of condemning everyone who is part of a different religion. This occurs quite often and 1Corinthians 1 deals with people being split based upon the doctrines taught by men, even when they were in the same church. Paul wrote that this was the primary evidence that they were spiritual babes, even though they thought they were spiritual adults. In America today, we see 'good godly Bible believing KJV only fundamental Baptists' similarly divided with some saying: 'I'm with Hyles-Anderson', or 'I'm with PCC' or 'I'm with West-Coast' or 'I'm with (some other group)'. Jesus responded to this spiritually immature foolishness with: Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part. And, He went on to explain the attitudes we should have with other saved people who are not part of our church or group and who might have different religious practices even while keeping the same fundamental doctrines. If we do not follow these instructions, we prove ourselves to be spiritual babes and limit the blessings which we will receive from God.

Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:1-4 tell us about the poor widow casting two mites into the Temple Treasury and Jesus telling His disciples: Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Now, there is a lot of preaching on this incident and some of it contains doctrinal error. However, what is important , for this section of this document, is that Jesus was speaking from a spiritual perspective and the rich men were acting on a physical religious perspective. In a truly godly ministry, the spiritual perspective is to always be the controlling perspective.

Luke 8:2-3 tells us: And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance. This tells us that, even though Jesus was personally poor and we know that he did not handle the money (Judas Iscariot did), He had people involved in His ministry who took care of the financial needs of the ministry. In addition, they were women and, because of what they provided, they had to have some authority even though many people believe that women should not have authority in the church. Yes, women are restricted from preaching and teaching to men, but that does not mean that they are restricted from all positions of authority.

Matthew 26:17-19; Mark 14:12-16 and Luke 22:7-13 tell us about preparation for the passover / 'Last Supper' of Jesus. What we see here is that Jesus told certain disciples exactly what to do in preparation for this event. In addition, it appeared as if the owner of the house with the upper room expected them, which pretty much means that arrangements were made ahead of time. This shows us the example of the need to plan and prepare for events within the ministry.

Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-46; Luke 22:17-20 and 1Corinthians 11:23-34 tell us about the Lord's Supper. What we see here is that Jesus created a memorial of this very significant spiritual event. In addition, all of the Jewish Holy Days were also memorials created by God for very significant spiritual events. Likewise, our ministries should have celebration memorials for very significant spiritual events.

John 8:29 tells us: And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. In addition, we read that certain things were done that the scriptures might be fulfilled in: Matthew 26:54; Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:49; Mark 15:28; Luke 4:21; John 13:18; John 17:12; John 19:24; John 19:28; John 19:36; Acts 1:16; James 2:8 and James 2:23. These Bible references should show the reader that everything in a true ministry needs to have the scriptures consulted first so that the ministry does everything possible to fulfill the scriptures.

John the Baptist was probably the closest human friend that Jesus had. In addition, many of the disciples of Jesus had been disciples of John the Baptist. After John the Baptist was murdered, Jesus and His disciples crossed the lake to a desert place, twice, in order to have solitude and a time to morn. However, the people refused to give them that solitude and time. So, it is my conjecture, that Jesus and His disciples went to a neighboring country where the Jews would not follow because of their prejudices (Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30). However, as Mark tells us: but he could not be hid. Therefore, even Jesus had times when the demands of the ministry refused to give Him a break. When that happened, He did the ministry and trusted on God to provide His needs.

In Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30 we read about a Gentile woman getting Jesus to cast a devil out of her daughter. What we see, regarding the ministry, is that Jesus tested her sincerity before granting her wish. Earlier in time, Jesus had rebuked a crowd of Jews for only coming for the miracles and free bread and for not also accepting the doctrine. Thus, it is proper to test people and only give certain things in the ministry to those people who pass the required test.

In Matthew 15:29-39 and Mark 7:31-37 we read that Jesus returned to ministering to the people. Jesus had tried to have some secluded time with His disciples three times after the murder of John the Baptist and before this sentence. The third time was when He left the land of the Jews and the results were reported in the sentences just before this sentence. Thus, we see that Jesus concluded that God the Father was not going to give Him the time that he sought and, as a result, went back to doing the ministry that God gave Him to do. What we see here is that there will be times that we feel a very real need for a break, in our flesh. However, the ministry will not allow it. We need to realize that it is not the selfish people refusing to give us a break but it is God. Therefore, we need to pray for God to give us strength and keep going. Our Gospel accounts report Jesus doing many miracles when He returned to the ministry. When God puts this type of demand on us, we should expect God to work in some miraculous way if we return to the ministry with the right attitude.

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Protection:

In the General Note, it was mentioned that the 'Sermon of the Mount / Beatitudes' has many commands which there was no doubt that Jesus kept. While those commands are not examples of how Jesus acted, we can be sure that he obeyed those commands. As a result, we also should obey them. In particular, the note for Matthew 5:44-45 tells us how to maintain our assurance of salvation. We can not lose our salvation but can lose our protection and our assurance of salvation if we do not obey the command.

In John 7:30 we read Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come. God the Father protected Jesus from people who sought to kill Him until it was time for Him to die. We also can see this truth in other on their own, before places within the Gospels. Likewise, God the Father will protect any saved person who is really doing the will of God the Father for as long as they are doing the will of God the Father and while it is not yet time for them to die. However, saved people who are not doing the will of God the Father should expect God the remove His protection. This is taught in other places within the Bible. Also, this loss of protection happens most quickly and assuredly when we refuse to submit to our God-given authority.

In John 8:3-11 we are told about the scribes and Pharisees accusing a woman of adultery so that they could attack Jesus unjustly and without cause and did so publicly. After He caused them to leave, He asked the woman where her accusers were, thereby forcing her to acknowledge what He had done for her and acknowledge that it took the power of God to drive away her accusers. God wants us to publicly acknowledge when He does things for us so that we will have a thankful attitude but also so that others will know that they can go to God in time of need. This leads to more people being saved, which is God's ultimate goal.

When Jesus was arrested (John 18:3-15), the people came with a large band who came armed and, apparently, expected resistance and people trying to scatter. Then the next few sentences, within the Gospel, tell us that Peter almost caused a big fight anyway. However, Jesus also prevented a reaction to Peter's action. The lesson is to remain calm, regardless of circumstances, and act in a way which minimizes problems for other of God's people.

The Roman soldiers mocked Jesus as reported in Matthew 27:27-31, Mark 15:16-20 and as reported in John 19:2. This was after Pilate declared Jesus to be innocent. They also beat Him until He no longer looked human and He was rejected by His own people who demanded that He be crucified. In all of this He said and did nothing. This is how we are to act when treated wrongly if we want God to judge the people who treat us wrongly. If we act to protect ourselves or to get vengeance, then God lets the wrong go with only our actions as punishment.

In Luke 6:1-5 we read about certain of the Pharisees asking the new disciples of Jesus: Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days? What they were doing was lawful and the accusation was wrong but they were too new at their discipleship to know how to answer. Therefore, Jesus answered for them. It is the job of the more spiritually mature to protect the lass spiritually mature from attacks that they can not handle.

In Matthew 17:14-21, Mark 9:14-29 and Luke 9:37-42 we have the accounts of Jesus driving out a devil that the twelve couldn't drive out. They had just come down from the 'Mount of Transfiguration'. Mark's account tell us that there was a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them (the disciples). Jesus ignored the multitude and he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?. We see here that His first response was to protect His own and only after that did He deal with other problems.

In Mark 9:14, we read that Jesus came down from the 'Mount of Transfiguration' and found a great multitude about them (his disciples), and the scribes questioning with them. When Jesus saw this, he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? At this point in time, the scribes were starting doctrinal fights an, while the disciples were partially trained by Jesus, they were not yet ready for a doctrinal fight with the scribes. Therefore, like a mother protecting her young, Jesus stepped in to protect His disciples. This is an example of the promise found in 1Corinthians 10:13, which says: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. When we feel that we can not handle the circumstances, we need to 'claim' this promise and ask God what is the way to escape.

Matthew 25:40, Jesus warns us to be sure that we know who sends a message because we will reseive the resulys of our reaction based upon who sent the message and not who the messenger is.

Matthew 26:6-16; Mark 14:3-9; Luke 7:36-50 and John 12:1-11 tells us about the time that Jesus and His disciples ate a meal at the house of Simon the leper and Mary Magdalene anointed Jesus for His death. Luke's Gospel takes a totally different perspective from the other Gospels and tells us how Jesus dealt with Simon, who was the representative of the Pharisees and of all self-righteous people. Simon had invited Jesus to a meal so that he could deliberately insult Jesus and try to show how his self-righteous group were better than a true servant of God. Jesus ignored the insult to Himself. But, then the Pharisee started to criticize, in his own mind, a person who was doing what God told her to do instead of accepting his lost religious expectations. This is when Jesus spoke up and corrected the lost religious person with a proverb. Thus, His example is to ignore insults to ourselves and let God take care of those. However, we are to defend other children of God when they are unjustly attacked.

In those same (prior) references, we see that all of the disciples agreed with Judas Iscariot. Thus, they all followed him into error. We need to carefully consider the character of a person, and their motivations, before we support them in any given thing.

Matthew 26:40-45; Mark 14:37-42 and Luke 22:45-46 tell us about Jesus finding the disciples asleep three times when they were supposed to be praying. The third time, Jesus told them that it was too late to pray any more. A lot of liars and sincerely deceived people claim that anyone can go to God any time and ask for mercy and for blessings and receive them. But those are lies of devils. Luke 17:32 says: Remember Lot's wife. and He said this right after giving a warning to not delay for any reason. We need to take the warnings to not delay seriously.

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Teaching:

Please also see the Harmony Section and the Significant Events Reported only Once Within the Gospels Section' in the Significant Gospel Events Document. I tried to put the examples of how Jesus taught here while that document has links to places within the Gospels where we are told that Jesus taught. Thus, it provides links to examples that we can use.

Probably the most important lesson that people can learn, in general but most importantly when someone claims to teach what God says or what the word of God says; is to verify all such claims. In Matthew 23:18, Jesus tells us a doctrine taught by the scribes and Pharisees. In this doctrine, they taught that there was no consequence to telling a lie in the presence of God but that God would punish the people if they affected the income of the scribes and Pharisees. Now, obviously, they worded it differently, but that was the spiritual message of their doctrine. Jesus said that the people who believed that doctrine were personally (ye) fools and blind. Jesus explained how to verify that doctrine. (Please use the link provided to see the related sentences and notes which explain the truth.) The point being that God will call you personally a fool and blind if you accept religious doctrine without verifying what is taught.

In Matthew 23, Jesus teaches how to evaluate religious claims and how to verify those claims. Please study that chapter, and the notes for the sentences within it, in order to know how to verify religious claims and for how to teach others to verify religious claims.

Matthew 5:31-32; Matthew 19:1-12 and Mark 10:1-12 deal divorce, and that subject has caused great controversy for almost as long as man has existed. It still causes great controversy and very many books and opinions are written on this subject. I will only lightly touch on this subject here. Please also note that this subject can not be properly considered without including the instructions of 1Corinthians 7, and especially 1Corinthians 7:15, which says: But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. There are many 'good godly Bible believing fundamental KJV only preachers' who have, and do, tell the victim of felony abuse, when the abuser refuses to repent, that the victim must stay until dead or they have committed what the preacher believes is the 'unforgivable sin'. Such a position contradicts our Bible reference which tells us: God hath called us to peace. In addition, Jesus said For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. They had hardness of heart because they insisted on people following their religious rules with absolutely no consideration of the spiritual and physical results and no consideration of the heart motivations which caused a person to consider divorce. I've heard people condemn others whose mate left them in spite of all they could do to avoid that result. Such condemnation goes directly against 1Corinthians 7:15, which says: A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. Thus, the reader is strongly encouraged to prayerfully study this subject on their own with the knowledge that the religious teachers whom they trust most are quite possibly teaching doctrinal error which is based upon religious rules that only consider the physical aspects and ignore all spiritual and heart considerations.
Matthew 6:9-15 and Luke 11:2 what many people call 'the Lord's prayer' but is actually 'The Model Prayer'. (Please see the note for Luke 11:2 an outline and sentence-by-sentence explanation of the doctrine found in 'The Model prayer'.) Following that we have the parable called 'The Friend at Midnight'. It is an allegory which uses a non-specific but common cultural occurrence to get the listeners to listen in an abstract, non-personal, mode. Then Jesus gives His listeners instructions on how to pray and those instructions were completely different from what religious tradition taught. Thus, He first gave a general model to follow, He then gave them the allegory so that they could relate personally to the model, and He then applied it to their personal relationship with God. This is how Jesus taught something which went against the traditional religious teachings.

Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41 and Luke 8:22-25 tells us that Jesus gave a test to His disciples after teaching them the lesson just mentioned. Many people today will be highly offended if they are given a test in Sunday School, but people receiving special teaching should expect, and receive, tests to verify that they understood the lesson.

In Matthew 13:2-23; Mark 4:1-20 and Luke 8:4-15, we read 'the Parable of the Sower'. Jesus said that He provided the explanation of this parable to teach us how to understand all parables. Please see the notes associated with this parable, especially the notes in the Book Study on Luke's Gospel, to learn the Biblical method of understanding and teaching parables.

In Matthew 13:3-9; Mark 4:2-9 and Luke 8:2-8, we read the 'Parable of the Sower'. In this parable, and other places, Jesus ended His teaching with: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. He taught in parables so that people who were truly saved would understand, with the help of God, while lost and carnal people would misunderstand. Today, many ministries are only concerned with getting lost people to make a profession and in preaching milk doctrine that will not offend spiritual babes. With this example, and many other examples in the Gospels, we see that Jesus concentrated on those people who were truly saved and focused His ministry on their spiritual maturity. Ephesians 4:11-13 tells us that the main purpose that God gave pastors and teachers (one person with two jobs) to some churches was for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:. (That is: for the spiritual maturing of the saved and for lifting them up so that God can use them in His ministry.) This is what we see Jesus doing when He taught in parables.

In Matthew 13:18-23; Mark 4:8-20 and Luke 8:10-15, we read that Jesus explained 'Parable of the Sower' to His disciples but only when they were in private. Thus, we see that there are some things which you teach to people who are willing to devote their life to the service of God but do not teach to others, especially not to those people who deliberately pervert the word of God in order to teach doctrinal error.

In Matthew 13:34-36; Mark 4:33-34 tells us that Jesus only taught in parables to the multitude when they chose to believe the religious leaders who were trying to destroy Jesus. However, He expounded the parables to His true disciples in private.

In Matthew 13:51, Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. He verified their understanding of lessons which were difficult to understand before continuing with more lessons.

Matthew 14:23-34; Mark 6:45-53 and John 6:15-21 report the testing of the disciples after the feeding of five thousand men, beside women and children. This feeding happened when selfish people prevented Jesus, and His disciples, from having a time to morn the murder of John the Baptist. Jesus had compassion on the people, but I imagine that most of the disciples were feeling less gracious. However, they still helped in the ministry and were surely worn down by the end of the day when Jesus sent the people away and told the disciples to cross the lake without Him. Many times, our most important teaching comes when we are the most worn our condition physically, mentally and emotionally. Part of learning is to 'tough it out'.

In Matthew 14:24; Mark 6:48 and John 6:17-18 we read that Jesus was watching and praying for the disciples while they were struggling with a trial that God gave them. Proper teaching always includes a test. When we are in a test from God, we should be assured that Jesus is praying for us as His child.

In Matthew 16:13-20; Mark 8:27-30 and Luke 9:18-20, we read that Jesus asked His disciples: Whom do men say that I am?, and, afterwards, asked them: But whom say ye that I am? It was not until after Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ that Jesus started to prophesy His own future suffering, death and resurrection. We read that Paul wrote a similar thing in 1Corinthians 3:1, where we read; And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. What we see here is that a Bible teacher or preacher needs to try and be sure that his audience is spiritually mature enough to handle a meat doctrine message before giving such a lesson.

In the first sentence of the accounts which report the 'Mount of Transfiguration' (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-10 and Luke 9:28-36), we read that Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart. Now, as explained in the note within the Book Study on Matthew, Matthew and Mark tell us that this incident happened in an high mountain, but do not give us anything more to identify the place. Many commentators give opinion for different places but they need to be ignored. God deliberately hid where this was because religious people make a big thing about a place and use that for idol worship and the distract people from the true doctrine that God is trying to get people to accept and understand. In addition, this doctrine is reported in three Gospel accounts because God really wants us to know and understand the doctrine. Therefore, we are to ignore speculation about things, within the Bible, which can not be proved and are to concentrate on the doctrine that the devils want us to ignore while we concentrate on the distraction. No, this is not telling us directly what Jesus would do but it does tell us, indirectly, what Jesus would do. This is because He worked through God's Holy Spirit to direct holy men of God (2Peter 1:21) to write the New Testament and teach us this lesson. Therefore, when we are learning and when we are teaching, we need to stick with the true purpose of the lesson and not be distracted by irrelevant side distractions.

Matthew 18:1-35; Mark 9:33-37 and Luke 9:46-48 tell us that Jesus gives us a lesson on spiritual maturity. The disciples were arguing which of them should be greatest. Jesus did not rebuke them but used it as a teaching opportunity. When the people we are trying to teach act immature, or do other frustrating things, we are to control our reaction and use it as a teaching opportunity.

In Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-22; Luke 10:25-37 and Luke 18:18-27 Jesus explained about inheriting eternal life. If the reader pays attention to the references above, they will notice two reverences in Luke's Gospel. The reference in Luke 10 gives us the single interpretation of the Mosaic Law while the other references give us an application in the life of the person asking the question. As explained in the notes for these incidents, within the Book Studies of these Gospels, the same question was asked two different times by two different men with two different motivations of heart and other differences. As a result, we see Jesus answer the question differently for each incident. Jesus matched His answer to the true motivation behind the question and did not answer the same way even though the same question was asked.

In Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-22; Luke 10:25-37 and Luke 18:18-27 Jesus explained about inheriting eternal life. In this incident, we see that Jesus did not bother to correct the doctrinal error that this man based his question on. This is a common danger to preachers and teachers. They can 'chase a rabbit trail' instead of sticking to the most important subject before dealing with any 'side issues'. Instead of arguing the doctrine, Jesus referred him to scripture which the man knew. Only after he declared: All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? (Matthew 19:20) did Jesus deal with his wrong attitude. And, please notice, that the man first asked what lack I yet? Therefore, he invited Jesus to tell him more, which was when Jesus corrected his attitude.

In Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-22 and Luke 18:19-20, we read that Jesus asked: Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. What we see here is that, as a teacher, He asked a question to determine the understanding of the student. This is an important part of teaching and helps the teacher to match their lesson to the actual level of understanding that the student has.

In Matthew 19:17; Mark 10:18 and Luke 10:25-37, Jesus gave a question in response to a question. The prior question, from this man, was based upon doctrinal error which he had been taught all of his life. Therefore, he would not respond well to having his firm belief corrected. So, instead, Jesus asked a question which seemed to be a distraction instead of directly answering this man's question. Jesus did this to distract this man from the doctrinal error, which was the basis of his question, and to get him thinking about a related topic which could lead back to Jesus correcting the doctrinal error. This man had called Jesus Good Master, but he still thought that his religious traditions had more authority than the word of God. Therefore, Jesus is first leading him to realize that the true top authority is God. Next, Jesus will refer him to the word of God. Only after that does Jesus correct his attitude which was based upon doctrinal error from his religious traditions.

In Matthew 19:18-19; Mark 10:19 and Luke 18:20, we read that Jesus tells this man to keep the 'Ten Commandments'. He replies with: All these have I kept from my youth up. However, as explained in the Book Study on the Gospel of Luke, he really did not do so, especially when we consider the spiritual part of these commandments. However, instead of getting side-tracked with that remark, Jesus responded with Yet lackest thou one thing and continued with a command which would require him to get his heart right with God. While teaching, the teacher needs to be careful to not become side-tracked from the main purpose of the lesson.

In Matthew 19:23; Mark 10:23 and Luke 18:24 we read that Jesus had just finished giving a lesson that left His disciples astonished. Therefore, He gave further instruction so that they could have an easier time accepting the prior lesson. When a teacher's students have a hard time understanding or accepting a lesson, the teacher needs to add clarification.

In Matthew 20 is a series of lessons on spiritual maturity. In this chapter, Jesus is teaching His disciples that it takes more spiritual maturity to serve God in hope (based upon the character of God and what pleases Him) than to serve God in faith (based upon a promise found in the word of God). This chapter ends with the report of two blind men receiving their sight because they trusted in the character of Christ (thou Son of David). We see here that, sometimes, we need to give lessons and not be upset if people don't get the lesson because they are not mature enough to truly understand the lesson.

In Matthew 21:18-19; Mark 11:12-14 and Mark 11:19-21, we read about Jesus cursing the fig tree which had no fruit. (Please see the note in the Book Study for the Gospel of Matthew for doctrinal considerations.) As explained in that note, this incident is not about Jesus being angry. It is about Jesus taking an opportunity that presented itself in order to teach a spiritual lesson. All teachers should look for circumstances which present an opportunity for a teaching lesson. In addition, He did not go into the symbolism involved but concentrated on the promise from God which was based upon the lesson. While teaching, we need to concentrate on the main point and not get distracted by a secondary issue which will prevent us from teaching the main point.

In Matthew 21:23-27; Mark 11:27-33 and Luke 20:1-7, we read about the religious leaders challenging the authority of Jesus. He responded with His own challenge which they refused to accept and, thereby, proved that their minds were closed to the truth. As a result, Jesus. refused their challenge because they had proven that they were not interested in truth but only wanted to argue religious opinions. Then, in the rest of the chapter and into the next chapter, Jesus gave three parables which proved their doctrinal error and which they agreed with before they understood the messages of the parables. The point is that when people only want to argue opinions and refuse to consider truth, we need to present the truth in a way that they will agree with before they realize that what they agreed with proved their opinion wrong.

Most of Matthew 22; Mark 12; Luke 20 and John 8 deal with the religious leaders attacking the doctrine of Jesus and His ending up giving them a 'smack-down'. Those Bible references were dealt with in the section called Conflict. As pointed out in that note, Jesus only gave the religious leaders a 'smack-down' in order to keep the people He was teaching from following their doctrinal error. Then, Jesus used those incidents as a basis to teach what we find in Matthew 23:1-36; Mark 12:38-40 and Luke 20:45-47, where He told the people: Beware of the scribes and the Pharisees and explained the doctrinal error which they taught and the judgment that such doctrinal error would receive from God.

In Matthew 23, we read that Jesus said Woe! to the scribes and Pharisees eight (8) times before they received the judgment from God. This matches the rest of the Bible where we see God providing many warnings before He brings judgment.

In Matthew 23:1-12; Mark 12:38-40 and Luke 20:45-47 Jesus said The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat, in the First Equivalent Section of the sentence. That means they took the seat of authority and set themselves up as the ones to tell everyone else what to do. In the Second Equivalent Section of the sentence, Jesus said to do as they say but not as they do. He explains why in the Third Equivalent Section where He says for they say, and do not. Then Jesus gives examples of their behavior and, after that, tells us how to not follow their example. Then Jesus explains how to get the greatest rewards in Heaven. Following that, Jesus says Woe! to everyone who acts like them and explains why He says Woe!. In this chapter we see Jesus teaching us how to live in this life and how we are to teach our followers to live.

In Matthew 23:8, Jesus tells us: But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. (Please see the note, in the Book Study, about this sentence.) In it, we are told to not become antichrists and we are to not let anyone else call us an antichrist. This is done by preachers, and other people, who claim that their personal doctrine is of greater authority than the word of God.

In Matthew 23:9, Jesus tells us: And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. (Please see the note, in the Book Study, about this sentence.) In it, we are told to let God the Father give us our character and not the physical man who provided seed for our physical life. And, once we have received the character of God the Father, we are to acknowledge that He is the source of our character.

In Matthew 23:10, Jesus continues to tell us: Neither be ye called masters. As explained in the note for that sentence, in the Book Study, we are to not let people claim that our religious doctrine is the authority that they are to believe (called a lower-case master). But, as our Second Equivalent Section tells us, we are to make sure that everyone understands that the doctrine truly comes from Christ and that we are just a messenger that He works through to deliver His doctrine to them.

In Matthew 23:28, the sentence starts with the phrase: even so and it gives us the plain language interpretation of the prior sentence which used symbolic language to deliver doctrine. If the reader searches the New Testament for the exact phrase of: even so, you will find many more examples of interpreting symbolic language. Using these examples is an excellent way to learn how to interpret symbolic language properly.

In Matthew 26:21-25; Mark 14:17-21; Luke 22:21-23 and John 13:21-30 present the prophecy by Jesus that Judas would betray Him. What we see, in the reports of this incident, is that Jesus did not treat Judas Iscariot differently before he actually betrayed Jesus. Yes, Jesus warned him of the consequences, but Jesus did not even positively identify Judas before the betrayal. Likewise, we might be very sure that someone is going to do something wrong. However, we are to not react upon what we believe before the person actually does the wrong unless they are a child that we are responsible for and the child is too immature to realize the consequence of their actions.

In Mark 3:14-19 we read that Jesus ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach. (The link provided goes to the note where these twelve are named in other places within the Bible and to the other places where the Bible tells us that Jesus gave them this type of power.) When Jesus ordained the twelve, He also told them what their job was going to be. He had already taught many disciples and prayed about which ones to ordain and chose the ones that God the Father said would be best for the job. They were not yet ready for the job but He knew which of all of His disciples would be best for further training so that they could take over the ministry when He returned to Heaven. Part of teaching is to select your own replacement and give the replacement special training so that they are equipped when they take over.

Mark 4:33 tells us: And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. The first thing that we see here is that Jesus taught the same lessons more than one way because some of us understand easier one way and others understand easier another way. The most important part of teaching is getting the message to the learner in a way that he can understand. The next thing that we see here is the phrase: as they were able to hear it. 1Corinthians 3:2 tells us: I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. What we see in both of these references is that the teacher must consider the spiritual maturity of his audience and only teach at a spiritual level that the audience will be able to bear it.

In Mark 8:14-27, we read that Jesus taught His disciples, starting with the saying of: Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod The disciples misunderstood because they tried to understand the lesson from a physical perspective when Jesus gave them a spiritual lesson. There are many lessons in the Bible which must be understood from a spiritual perspective or the lesson will be misunderstood. This is because God is a Spirit (John 4:24) and God revealed Himself through His word. Therefore, we need to look at God's word first from a spiritual perspective. With that written, what we see in our Bible reference is that Jesus corrected their misunderstanding when He realized that they did not properly understand the lesson given. A teacher is responsible to do the best that they can to verify that his students truly understand any lesson given.

In Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:1-4 we see the account of the 'widow's two mites'. This account is usually taught from a physical perspective and concentrates one the amount of money or the amount of sacrifice. However, as explained in the Book Study on the Gospel of Luke, it is meant to be understood and taught from a spiritual perspective of the underlying heart condition which motivated the giving of the people mentioned. This incident is the introduction of a chapter of prophecy, and prophecy is often also taught wrong because people are concerned with what will happen in this physical reality instead of paying attention to what God is accomplishing in the spiritual reality by the things prophesied. The point is that anything which is written by one person and taught by another requires the person teaching to understand the purpose of the author if they are going to honestly pass on what was written. For example, when we write something with a pen, we move the pen and the pen puts down the ink but we are the ones truly doing the writing. Likewise, 2Peter 1:21 says: For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. When we try to read and teach the Bible we need to understand what God's purpose was in writing whatever reference we are using. That proper understanding only comes from understanding the spiritual perspective first because God is a Spirit (John 4:24). Thus, in order to properly teach what someone else wrote we need to understand the message that they were trying to convey to the reader. This is especially true for the Bible which means we need to understand the Bible from a spiritual perspective before we can truly teach what God intended people to understand from the Bible passage.

As the note for Luke 6:6 points out, there are several instances when Jesus taught and upset the religious leaders because He put true service to God, and doing right, above keeping their religious rules which went against the word of God. When we are teaching, or even learning, we need to verify the lesson and make sure that it does not lift up religious error above the word of God. That happens when traditional religious teaching goes against what the word of God literally says and people cling to their traditions while rejecting the word of God.

In Luke 8, Jesus used several procedures to teach His disciples and prepare them for the first time that he would send them out on their own. That procedure is:
1. He showed them how to do the work. (Luke 8:1-4).
2. He taught them principals to motivate them to do the work. (Luke 8:5-18).
3. He showed and taught them the proper priorities of putting the work of God above all else. (Luke 8:19-21).
4. He then gave them a test of what He taught which was also a test of faith. (Luke 8:22-25).
5. He showed them the power of the Gospel which changes lives. (Luke 8:26-39).
6. He showed them how to accept rejection graciously. (Luke 8:37-39).
7. He showed them the rewards of being in God's kingdom and living by faith. (Luke 8:40-56).

In Luke 11:15 through the end of the chapter we have the teaching from Jesus about covetousness. In the two sentences before, we read: And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. The note for Luke 11:13 explains how this fits in the context of what came before it and explains how this person is a type of church member who is inconsistent in their commitment, attendance and service. It also explains why inconsistent members have lots of problems like this. The teaching in the remainder of the chapter is what Jesus said is how to deal with this type of problem.

In Luke 12:13-14 we read about a request which upset Jesus. But, then He used it as the basis to teach the crowd a doctrinal lesson. What we learn here is that no matter how upsetting an event is, we should use it as a basis for teaching some spiritual truth.

Luke 12:15 through the rest of the chapter is a single doctrinal lesson, from Jesus, about covetousness. The rest of the notes, within this section, are all parts of this doctrinal lesson. Many parts of this lesson are parables which are explained in the notes for the Book Study on the Gospel of Luke. This entire section is an example of how to teach something which goes against prior learning of the audience.

In Luke 12:38-39 Jesus warned us that the 'Rapture' could happen any day and any hour and we could not know when it would happen. We needed to watch constantly. Then Jesus followed the more abstract statement with a particle example from the world which illustrated the sentence that He had just said. Thus, His example is to provide practice examples many time and places within His teaching to make it easier for people to understand the lesson.

In Luke 13:32, Jesus said that He knew that He would be in Jerusalem in three days (Luke 19:28). He also knew that, once there, He would be tortured and crucified. With this time limit, Jesus gave His disciples lessons which, to a large extent, are not found elsewhere. We know that Jesus lived what He preached and taught. Therefore, the teaching lessons from those chapters can be taken directly and taught to God's people as well as being used for how to deal with situations. For example, the Pharisees and scribes derided Jesus in public (Luke 16:14). The rest of the chapter tells us how He dealt with them over that matter. Then, the first four (4) sentences of Luke 17 tell us that Jesus used this incident to teach His disciples about forgiveness. Thus, our example is to use everything that happens as a teaching example if we can.

In Luke 14 Jesus gives us: 'Lessons on Pride'. In this chapter we have seen Jesus give different lessons to different social groups because different social groups get pride from different sources. Jesus deals with the source of pride for each group of people. Thus, with pride and certain other sins, we need to adjust the lesson and the application to be relevant to the type of audience that we have.

In John 3:10 we see Jesus point out the failure of teaching 'pat answers' to religious questions. Instead, as that note explains, Jesus taught methods for people to think for themselves and to use their own mind to find the answers that they needed.

In John 3:12 we see the principal of how to use the 'Natural Law', which was truly established by God, to learn and teach about spiritual things. Please see the note for that sentence, in the Book Study on the gospel by John, for more details.

In John 3:12 we see the principal that we need to be able to separate truth from error within the things which we know and understand before we can use the same principals to separate truth from error in spiritual matters.

In John 4:13-14 and John 6:27-58 Jesus talks about the same basic doctrine but in one case He uses bread and in the other He uses water as a symbolic type for teaching the same spiritual truth. That spiritual truth is that only what Jesus provides can truly meet our needs and satisfy our soul. Please see those sentences and the entire related sections and all of the associated notes for more detail on this doctrine.

In John 7:23 Jesus asked a question, which He often did. The question was to try and get His audience to think instead of just reacting emotionally and spouting prior religious indoctrination.

In John 8:3-11 we are told about the scribes and Pharisees accusing a woman of adultery so that they could attack Jesus unjustly and without cause and did so publicly. After He caused them to leave, He dealt with the woman and the context indicates that she received true salvation. When that happened, Jesus told her go, and sin no more. What we see here, as an application, is that if someone has a profession which involves sin, when they get saved they are to go, and sin no more.

In John 11 we see Jesus letting His disciples experience sorrow and confusion before He performs a miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. This is because He had a spiritual lesson to teach them which they could not truly understand, nor appreciate, until after they had the personal experience. When God does something which makes no sense to us, we should expect that He is trying to teach us a spiritual lesson and stop trying to figure out what He is doing from the perspective of this world.

In John 13 we see Jesus humble Himself to wash the feet of the disciples. He did this as a deliberate example of love for us to follow. Here we see Him teaching by example and we have a lesson that He expects all of His followers to also do.

In John 13 we also see Jesus act before He explains His actions. As always, Jesus acts in a way to make people think. Many preachers have pointed out that God will use almost any type of person except as lazy person. We all have a tendency to be intellectually lazy.

John 13:2-10; John 12:16; John 16:12 and many other places in the Bible teach that understanding coming after an experience which provides the understanding. A simple illustration is that no woman can truly understand birth before the experience. Therefore, there are times when we must teach people a truth and tell them that they will not understand until after the experience but they must be willing to have the experience, without understanding, or they will never receive the understanding. This truth especially applies to spiritual lessons which require the Holy Spirit working in our life for us to receive spiritual understanding. However, God does not take away our free will but demands that we walk / live by faith. Therefore, the Holy Spirit does not work in our life until after we obey without understanding (obey by faith).

In John 13:2-10 Jesus is showing His disciples how to act in the flesh to demonstrate a spiritual truth. While some churches practice 'foot washing', it can become just a religious ceremony like the 'Lord's Supper' is in many so-called churches. When we see or practice something that is meant to represent a spiritual truth, we need to be sure that everyone understands the spiritual significance of it.

In John 13:12 Jesus starts to explain the symbolic spiritual doctrine which is related to the physical symbolic act He did with 'feet washing'. Before He started the explanation, He first put on His garments and was set down again. He did this in order to signify that He was switching roles. We see that in what He says in the next sentence within the gospel of John. There is a major doctrinal difference between how the Bible uses Jesus and how it uses Lord. Please notice that this change in roles is so important that He does not just change clothes and change physical position, but He deliberately says this sentence to make them consciously aware of His changing roles. A lot of people think it is foolish for a pastor to wear dress clothes when he preaches. A lot of people object to 'wearing their Sunday best to church'. A lot of people object to the truth of the lesson which we have here. However, that does not change the truth that clothes are part of our mode of presentation and our mode of presentation affects the way that people listen and consider what we are presenting. Therefore, we always want to make our appearances the best we can when we represent God and God's message. The bottom line is that it is important that we consider our mode of presentation when we teach because it affects the mental attitude of our listeners.

John 13:8 is in the middle of a conversation between Jesus and Peter. This is an example of the typical saved person reacted to what he did not understand but was too proud to admit that lack of understanding. In the immediately prior verse, Jesus had said that they could not understand what He did. However, Peter, like a lot of saved people, reacted before he thought. Jesus didn't get mad or speak harshly with Peter but told him, and us, an important spiritual truth in a gentle way.

In John 13:33 Jesus tells His disciples that he is going to die soon. However, He says it in an abstract way that they can not understand unless they think about it first and accept a truth that they had earlier refused to accept. When people close their mind to the truth, Jesus continued to tell them the truth but used terms that could be easily misunderstood. That way He still fulfilled His obligation to tell them the truth while avoiding a pointless argument with a closed mind.

In John 18:36 through John 18:38 Jesus is talking with Pilate during His trial. In these sentences they are talking about Jesus being a (lower-case, human) king. At this tile Jesus says: for this cause came I into the world. As explained in the notes within the Book Study on the Gospel of John, other places in the Bible give us other reasons, but this reason relates to the concerns of Pilate. Jesus did not bring up other reasons because they did not relate to the current discussion and could lead to a distraction. We should, likewise, avoid distractions while teaching and discussing important things. That is: stick to the main subject.

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Witnessing:

Matthew 4:17-22; Mark 1:14-20; Luke 5:1-11 and John 1:37-51 present the call of the first four (4) disciples, who would become apostles, by Jesus. As part of the call, Jesus causes a miraculous catch of fishes (Matthew 4:17-22; Mark 1:14-20 and Luke 5:1-11). Please see the Table Of Miracles about this, and similar, miracles. With this miracle, and His already demonstrated character which showed that He was a man of God, Jesus provided God ordained evidence to back His call. When we are witnessing we are to provide evidence of God working to back our message. This is often providing a testimony of how God worked in our personal life in a miraculous way or some other undeniable miracle.

The miracle of Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12 and Luke 5:17-26, where Jesus healed a man of palsy, was done to prove to the religious skeptics and critics that He had the power of God and that the power of God was a better evidence that someone speaks for God than religious credentials are. Religious credentials are given by men and the ministers of devils have the best credentials.

In Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:14-17 and Luke 5:27-29 we read about the call of Matthew as a disciple who would become an apostle. In this action, Jesus shows that we are to witness to everyone and offer salvation to all.

Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34 and Luke 8:43-48 tell us about Jesus healing a woman with an issue of blood while on the way to heal the daughter of Jairus. She had tried to sneak in and get a healing without anyone noticing. However, Jesus made her come out and publiclyconfess what happened. Many people want healings from Jesus, or want some other blessing. However, they are not willing to use the blessing as a witness of God's mercy and goodness. Then they wonder why God won't give them the blessing and some even criticize God for not giving them what they wanted when they, effectively, made a demand of God instead of asking for mercy and grace. People who truly want a blessing from God must be willing to use the blessing as the basis of a testimony of God's mercy and grace.

In Matthew 11:2-6 and Luke 7:18-23 we are told that John the Baptist sent from prison and asked Jesus if He was the Christ. In this account, we see that Jesus did not answer with words but answered with evidence. This is how we should answer ant Biblically based question which we receive.

In Matthew 19:17-18; Mark 10:18-19 and Luke 18:19-20, we read that Jesus asked: Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. What we see here is that Jesus was determining if the man He was talking to understood that he was / is 'God in human flesh' or if he thought that Jesus was just 'a literal physical man'. This difference in the understanding of the listener should affect how we witness to people.

In Mark 5:17 we read: And they (the people of the area) began to pray him (Jesus) to depart out of their coasts. God never takes away our free will so Jesus left, just like they asked Him to do. However, before He left, Jesus instructed the man whom He had freed from devils to: Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. This is different from what Jesus told others to do, but other people had not asked Him to leave. Now, in our current time, Jesus has left and returned to Heaven. He also left the same instructions for us. One of the most powerful forms of witness that we can give is: Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. People who want to argue religious doctrine can not argue against a testimony of God's mercy which is based upon true personal experience.

Luke 9:51-56 tells us about the time that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem and He wanted to stay in a village of the Samaritans, along the way, but they did not receive him. James and John reacted in pride, and wanted to hurt them, but Jesus said: Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. He rebuked His disciples for being upset with the rejection and they went to another village. We are to treat insult as an opportunity to display the character of Jesus Christ Who loved and saved us in spite of the insult we did to Him while lost.

Luke 22:35-38 tells us that Jesus changed His orders for how God's preachers were to go out and represent the Gospel. In the past, while they were going to Jews only and only within the country of the Jews, they were to take nothing and rely on God to move Jews to provide for their physical needs. Now, when going to strangers in strange cultures, they were to take provision with them.
In John 4:4-26 we see how Jesus led the woman of Samaria to salvation. At that time, He was tired, thirsty, hungry and dealing with a hostile person. In this example He shows us that we are to witness under any circumstances. He also shows us how to witness under these circumstances by how He does it in this account.

In John 6:35-40 and in John 6:47-51 and in John 6:53-58 we have three different explanations of the saying I am the bread of life. When people did not understand the explanation one way, Jesus trued another until it was obvious that the problem was a closed mind which refused to allow God's word to correct their beliefs. We also should try different ways of witnessing but not continue when it becomes obvious that the person refuses to honestly listen and consider what is being said.

Throughout the answers that Jesus gives in John 6 we see Him speak from a spiritual perspective and using symbolic terms. He refused to explain things in a way that made it easy for the natural man to understand using the wisdom of this world / man. This made it hard for these people to argue, even though they objected to what He told them. At the end of the chapter He told them how to figure out what He said, but the closed-minded people would not do what He said. What some people have a hard time understanding is that it is not our job to force people to believe Bible truth when they don't want to think about God's truth. They were given the truth and if they refused to believe it they brought condemnation upon themselves. However, when anyone showed even the slightest effort to understand the truth, then Jesus made it easy to understand. Therefore, the soul winner is to pay attention to his audience. He is to preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15), But he is only required to clarity things for the person who is willing to consider God's truth. If someone insists upon having a closed mind then we are to let them have it and not take away their free will by trying to force the truth upon them. We are to tell them the truth, so that they condemn themselves by rejection the truth, but we are not to force clarity upon a closed mind.

John 7:6 through John 7:9 provide the answer from Jesus to His physical family (half brothers and sisters) telling Him to do something which would endanger His life. When true Biblical Christians act like Christ they cause the world to hateth them, as explained in this section. They also, usually, upset lost family members, like Jesus did. Here we see how to deal with haltered from physical family due to our living righteously.

In John 7:8-10 we see that Jesus waited until the right time to do the will of God the Father. Going on in this account we see that Jesus also did God the Father's will the right way. In particular, John 7:10 tells us how He went to the feast and the rest of the chapter tells us how He testified and how His testifying the right way protected Him in those circumstances. Thus, we see the importance on waiting until God's time and of doing God's will in God's way. In John 7:8 we see Jesus tell His lost physical family to deal with a religious ceremony one way while He personally dealt with it another way. There will be times when a saved person can not attend religious ceremonies with lost physical family and there will be times that they can attend such but must still act differently from their lost physical family .

John 7:10 says not openly, but as it were in secret. Many people claim that we are not being true if we hide something. However, since God keeps secrets until the right time, that claim is false. The fact is that there are circumstances where revealing everything causes harm and we are to avoid causing harm to others. Thus, we see that a true Biblical Christian will ignore danger to self, while trusting God for protection, while considering harm to others when deciding what to reveal and when to do so.

John 7:11 says Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? As the note for that sentence, in the Book Study on the Gospel of John explains, the Jews sought him at the feast because all religiously obedient Jews would attend and they knew that Jesus would be there even when threatened with death. (The first sentence in the chapter says that the Jews sought to kill Him.) How many others would do what is obedient to God when facing death threats? Yes, many would claim to do right, but how many would really walk into such a situation?

In John 8:14 through the rest of the chapter Jesus speaks spiritual truths and shows the unbelieving Jews how the Bible supports the truths which He tells them. They keep rejecting what Jesus tells them but they can not deny that the scripture, which they know, says what Jesus tells them nor can they deny that it supports what He tells them. The point is that, when we witness, even if people reject the truth, we are to back our witness with evidence which comes from God and which they know comes from God. In our reference, Jesus uses the Bible. However, when people do not know the Bible we can use nature and the witness that it provides about God. That way, whether they accept or reject our witness, they know that they accepted or rejected truth which came from God and that they did not just accept or reject a message from 'just another man'.

In John 9:1 we have the start of an account where Jesus cured a man born blind. Here we see that Jesus paid attention to the circumstances surrounding Him and took advantage of those circumstances in order to do more for the kingdom of God and to provide a witness within this world.

In John 9:35-38 we see Jesus save the man who was born blind. Jesus first verified his heart attitude. He was not willing to make a promise of salvation to anyone who had a wrong heart attitude as shown by His condemning the Jews. However, after verifying this man's heart attitude, Jesus gave a very clear and simple statement of what was required for true salvation.

In John 10:19 we read There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings. As the note for that sentence explains, Jesus told the truth even when it upset the religious people.

The Sections called Prophecies and Prophecy Fulfilled, within the Study called Significant Gospel Events and the Study called: Gospel Time Sequences provide links to where the Gospel accounts tell us about the suffering, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They also provide links to where the Gospel accounts tell us that Jesus prophesied these events to His disciples. As we read in Mark 9:31-32, and similar Gospel reports, the disciples did not understand, did not ask for clarification, and remained in denial. They suffered far more because of their denial that they would have suffered if they accepted the truth. From this, we learn that we are far better off to accept a truth that we don't like than to suffer the consequences of being a fool who lives in denial of an unavoidable truth.

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What Would Christ Do?

Christ is the role of the Son of God that deals only with the saved after they receive the indwelling holy Spirit. Christ teaches the saved how to mature spiritually just like a child must be taught how to grow up and act like and adult before the child can be a useful member of society.

The epistles are lessons which Christ teaches to the saved in order for them to mature spiritually. In general, we can say that Christ does whatever is necessary in order to get people to mature spiritually.

1Peter 2:21 says: For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.. This sentence has many points which are detailed in the Book Study on 1Peter. As our example Christ;:
- suffered for those who did Him wrong (suffered for us)
- lived a sinless life (did no sin)
- avoided the non-sin weights (neither was guile found in his mouth:)
- responded with love instead of negative emotions (when he was reviled, reviled not again)
- avoided anger and violence (when he suffered, he threatened not)
- trusted God to determine how to deal with those who did wrong (but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:)
- paid the debt of others (Who his own self bare our sins)
- taught others to stop sinning (that we, being dead to sins)
- taught others how to live righteously (that we...should live unto righteousness)
- paid the debt of immature so long as they were learning (by whose stripes ye were healed)
Our next sentence in 1Peter tells us that Christ did this to bring us back to following Him. The main focus of our life is to get people to follow Jesus Christ.

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What Did Jesus Do?

The Gospel accounts tell us how Jesus lived as an example for us to follow.

In General:

Blessings:

Conflict:

Correction:

Ministry:

Protection:

Teaching:

Witnessing:

What Would Christ Do?

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