November 15 - Morning
"We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified."
- Galatians 2:15-16
- Galatians 2:15-16
Justified by Faith Not by Works
When some Jews from Jerusalem came to infiltrate the church of Antioch where Paul, Barnabas and Peter where teaching, they began to teach that the Gentile believers had to observe the Law of Moses (rituals, regulations and codes) to be justified before God and to have full salvation. This was contrary to the teaching that the work of Jesus on the cross was the means of attaining right standing with God. Peter, Barnabas and Paul all taught and believed in justification by faith, but when these Judaizers began to move through the Antioch church they criticized Paul’s doctrine until many believers were pulled over to the Judaizer’s position of trusting in works of obedience to the Law for salvation. In fact, Peter and Barnabas even sided with the infiltrating Jews against Paul and his doctrine of salvation by faith. Paul rebuked Peter in front of the church and had to rescue Barnabas from having been led astray by the imitation gospel presented by the Judaizers in the Antioch church:
“When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.” – Galatians 2:11-13
Paul quotes from his rebuke of Peter and Barnabas and the other misled Jews in Galatians chapter 2. Paul tells them even we who grew up as Jews know that we cannot attain justification through the Law. Simply put, if the Law was adequate for salvation and for justification before God, then why did Christ have to come, suffer and die?
“We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. …because by the works of the law no one will be justified” – Galatians 2:15-16
Paul’s words in Galatians 2:15-16 agree with Romans 3:20:
“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
Rapha (Hb) - Heal (Eng) - the Hebrew word rapha means "to heal," "to make healthy."
It is used to refer to water "becoming fresh," and is translated "repaired" two times.
It is used to refer to water "becoming fresh," and is translated "repaired" two times.
Do I trust my works and religious deeds for my justification before God?
Am I hoping that God will accept me because of the few token gestures of obedience I offer him?
I will no longer trust my own work for salvation, but will trust in Jesus' work on the cross because it is this that gave me right standing before God.
Am I hoping that God will accept me because of the few token gestures of obedience I offer him?
I will no longer trust my own work for salvation, but will trust in Jesus' work on the cross because it is this that gave me right standing before God.
Bible Reading Descriptions Here
Personal
Greater desire to know God
Church
Be a light in the darkness
Nation
Chief Justice
World
Tajikistan
A view from on top the Petra Hotel of Hezekiah's Pool located in the Christian Quarter in Jerusalem which was outside the north wall of Old Testament and New Testament Jerusalem until 41 AD. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is to the top left and marks the site of Jesus crucifixion with the small grey dome with a cross on top. The site of Jesus' burial and resurrection is under the large grey dome. The Dome of the Rock on the Jewish Temple Mount is to the far right at the top of this photo.
Someone to Quote
"There is within every soul a thirst for happiness and meaning."
- Thomas Aquinas
Something to Ponder
In 1054 Michael Cerularius, the Patriarch of Constantinople condemned the West for using unleavened bread in the Eucharist. Pope Leo IX sent Cardinal Humbert to end the dispute. During discussion the differences widened between the church in Rome and the church in Constantinople. On July 16, 1054, Cardinal Humbert excommunicated the East. Not to be outdone the patriarch anathematized the Pope of Rome and his followers. This formed two churches: Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic
On December 7, 1965 the mutual excommunication was removed by Pope Paul VI and Athenagoras.
On December 7, 1965 the mutual excommunication was removed by Pope Paul VI and Athenagoras.
Here’s a Fact
In 1961 an inscription with Pilate's name was found in Caesarea. (details)
Proverb
"The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway."
Proverbs 15:19
Proverbs 15:19
Coach’s Corner
You have more influence on your situation than others do.
Luke 19
New International Version (NIV)
Zacchaeus the Tax Collector
19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
The Parable of the Ten Minas
11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’
14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’
15 “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’
17 “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
18 “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’
19 “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’
20 “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
22 “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
25 “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
Jesus at the Temple
45 When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. 46 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48 Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.
New International Version (NIV)
Zacchaeus the Tax Collector
19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
The Parable of the Ten Minas
11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’
14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’
15 “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’
17 “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
18 “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’
19 “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’
20 “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
22 “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
25 “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
Jesus at the Temple
45 When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. 46 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48 Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.
Romans 11
New International Version (NIV)
The Remnant of Israel
11 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
7 What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, 8 as it is written:
“God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”
9 And David says:
“May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10
May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.”
Ingrafted Branches
11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!
13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
All Israel Will Be Saved
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written:
“The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27
And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
Doxology
33
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
34
“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”
35
“Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?”
36
For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
New International Version (NIV)
The Remnant of Israel
11 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
7 What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, 8 as it is written:
“God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”
9 And David says:
“May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10
May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.”
Ingrafted Branches
11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!
13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
All Israel Will Be Saved
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written:
“The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27
And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
Doxology
33
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
34
“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”
35
“Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?”
36
For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Luke 24
New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Has Risen
24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
On the Road to Emmaus
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
The Ascension of Jesus
50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Has Risen
24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
On the Road to Emmaus
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
The Ascension of Jesus
50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
Job 40-41
New International Version (NIV)
40 The Lord said to Job:
2
“Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!”
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4
“I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth.
5
I spoke once, but I have no answer— twice, but I will say no more.”
6 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:
7
“Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.
8
“Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
9
Do you have an arm like God’s, and can your voice thunder like his?
10
Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
11
Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at all who are proud and bring them low,
12
look at all who are proud and humble them, crush the wicked where they stand.
13
Bury them all in the dust together; shroud their faces in the grave.
14
Then I myself will admit to you that your own right hand can save you.
15
“Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox.
16
What strength it has in its loins, what power in the muscles of its belly!
17
Its tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
18
Its bones are tubes of bronze, its limbs like rods of iron.
19
It ranks first among the works of God, yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
20
The hills bring it their produce, and all the wild animals play nearby.
21
Under the lotus plants it lies, hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
22
The lotuses conceal it in their shadow; the poplars by the stream surround it.
23
A raging river does not alarm it; it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.
24
Can anyone capture it by the eyes, or trap it and pierce its nose?
41
[a]“Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook or tie down its tongue with a rope?
2
Can you put a cord through its nose or pierce its jaw with a hook?
3
Will it keep begging you for mercy? Will it speak to you with gentle words?
4
Will it make an agreement with you for you to take it as your slave for life?
5
Can you make a pet of it like a bird or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
6
Will traders barter for it? Will they divide it up among the merchants?
7
Can you fill its hide with harpoons or its head with fishing spears?
8
If you lay a hand on it, you will remember the struggle and never do it again!
9
Any hope of subduing it is false; the mere sight of it is overpowering.
10
No one is fierce enough to rouse it. Who then is able to stand against me?
11
Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.
12
“I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs, its strength and its graceful form.
13
Who can strip off its outer coat? Who can penetrate its double coat of armor[b]?
14
Who dares open the doors of its mouth, ringed about with fearsome teeth?
15
Its back has[c] rows of shields tightly sealed together;
16
each is so close to the next that no air can pass between.
17
They are joined fast to one another; they cling together and cannot be parted.
18
Its snorting throws out flashes of light; its eyes are like the rays of dawn.
19
Flames stream from its mouth; sparks of fire shoot out.
20
Smoke pours from its nostrils as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
21
Its breath sets coals ablaze, and flames dart from its mouth.
22
Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it.
23
The folds of its flesh are tightly joined; they are firm and immovable.
24
Its chest is hard as rock, hard as a lower millstone.
25
When it rises up, the mighty are terrified; they retreat before its thrashing.
26
The sword that reaches it has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.
27
Iron it treats like straw and bronze like rotten wood.
28
Arrows do not make it flee; slingstones are like chaff to it.
29
A club seems to it but a piece of straw; it laughs at the rattling of the lance.
30
Its undersides are jagged potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.
31
It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.
32
It leaves a glistening wake behind it; one would think the deep had white hair.
33
Nothing on earth is its equal— a creature without fear.
34
It looks down on all that are haughty; it is king over all that are proud.”
Footnotes:
New International Version (NIV)
40 The Lord said to Job:
2
“Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!”
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4
“I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth.
5
I spoke once, but I have no answer— twice, but I will say no more.”
6 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:
7
“Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.
8
“Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
9
Do you have an arm like God’s, and can your voice thunder like his?
10
Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
11
Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at all who are proud and bring them low,
12
look at all who are proud and humble them, crush the wicked where they stand.
13
Bury them all in the dust together; shroud their faces in the grave.
14
Then I myself will admit to you that your own right hand can save you.
15
“Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox.
16
What strength it has in its loins, what power in the muscles of its belly!
17
Its tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
18
Its bones are tubes of bronze, its limbs like rods of iron.
19
It ranks first among the works of God, yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
20
The hills bring it their produce, and all the wild animals play nearby.
21
Under the lotus plants it lies, hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
22
The lotuses conceal it in their shadow; the poplars by the stream surround it.
23
A raging river does not alarm it; it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.
24
Can anyone capture it by the eyes, or trap it and pierce its nose?
41
[a]“Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook or tie down its tongue with a rope?
2
Can you put a cord through its nose or pierce its jaw with a hook?
3
Will it keep begging you for mercy? Will it speak to you with gentle words?
4
Will it make an agreement with you for you to take it as your slave for life?
5
Can you make a pet of it like a bird or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
6
Will traders barter for it? Will they divide it up among the merchants?
7
Can you fill its hide with harpoons or its head with fishing spears?
8
If you lay a hand on it, you will remember the struggle and never do it again!
9
Any hope of subduing it is false; the mere sight of it is overpowering.
10
No one is fierce enough to rouse it. Who then is able to stand against me?
11
Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.
12
“I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs, its strength and its graceful form.
13
Who can strip off its outer coat? Who can penetrate its double coat of armor[b]?
14
Who dares open the doors of its mouth, ringed about with fearsome teeth?
15
Its back has[c] rows of shields tightly sealed together;
16
each is so close to the next that no air can pass between.
17
They are joined fast to one another; they cling together and cannot be parted.
18
Its snorting throws out flashes of light; its eyes are like the rays of dawn.
19
Flames stream from its mouth; sparks of fire shoot out.
20
Smoke pours from its nostrils as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
21
Its breath sets coals ablaze, and flames dart from its mouth.
22
Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it.
23
The folds of its flesh are tightly joined; they are firm and immovable.
24
Its chest is hard as rock, hard as a lower millstone.
25
When it rises up, the mighty are terrified; they retreat before its thrashing.
26
The sword that reaches it has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.
27
Iron it treats like straw and bronze like rotten wood.
28
Arrows do not make it flee; slingstones are like chaff to it.
29
A club seems to it but a piece of straw; it laughs at the rattling of the lance.
30
Its undersides are jagged potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.
31
It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.
32
It leaves a glistening wake behind it; one would think the deep had white hair.
33
Nothing on earth is its equal— a creature without fear.
34
It looks down on all that are haughty; it is king over all that are proud.”
Footnotes:
- Job 41:1 In Hebrew texts 41:1-8 is numbered 40:25-32, and 41:9-34 is numbered 41:1-26.
- Job 41:13 Septuagint; Hebrew double bridle
- Job 41:15 Or Its pride is its