The Gospel Series Part 6b

DISCIPLES CALLED AND MINISTRY THROUGHOUT GALILEE

First call of the four (Mt 4:18-22, Mk 1:16-20)

All the previous events happened before the official calling of the twelve. Certainly Jesus was well known and had followers, but he hadn't officially called out the twelve disciples yet.

Mk 1:17 Note the simplicity here. Jesus didn't say to go to seminary, do a list of works, give money, or anything else. He simply said, "follow me". The Gospel is simple.

Mk 1:18 "left" - They already knew of him, but now they left their fishing business and followed Jesus. They are called to service.

Mk 1:19 The "sons of thunder" (Mark 3:17)

Teaching in the synagogue of Capernaum authenticated by healing a demoniac (Mk 1:21-28, Lk 4:31b-37)

Mk 1:21-22 The scribes taught by quoting other teachers. Jesus taught by his own authority, as the voice of the burning bush, the I AM of the Old Testament.

Mk 1:23 "unclean spirit" is a demon

Mk 1:24 "let us alone" - Evil always wants to be left alone, but we have a duty to respond. Even though the demons wanted to be left alone, Jesus provides a response.

They know who Jesus is, but knowledge alone is not sufficient for salvation (James 2:19).

Mk 1:25 "rebuked" - He does this several times. In Luke 4:38-41, he rebukes the fever. In Matthew 8:26, he rebukes the wind and sea. As the creator of the universe, Jesus is Lord of all. He commands the natural realm just as easily as living.

"be quiet" - His hour had not yet come. After healing or some other miracle, Jesus frequently told the people not to tell anyone.

Peter's mother-in-law and others healed (Mt 8:14-17, Mk 1:29-34, Lk 4:38-41)

Lk 4:38-39 Once again, we see Jesus use the word rebuke outside it's normal context. We wouldn't rebuke a fever, for we have no power over it. Jesus of course does.

Lk 4:40 Isaiah 53

Lk 4:41 He doesn't allow them to say who he is. Only on one occasion did he allow himself to be recognized as the promised Messiah, on the specific day prophesied by Daniel in Daniel 9:25-26. To fully understand this, we must do a little background in the Old Testament.

Lesson: The Precision of the Bible

Frequently, when Jesus would cast out a demon, they would cry out he was the Son of God. But strangely, Jesus would command them to be quiet. They were speaking truthfully, so why would Jesus want them to be quiet? And several times the crowds would proclaim him King, but he would slip away quietly. What's going on here? To understand, we must look at a passage in Daniel 9, the famous seventy weeks of Daniel. Jesus himself pointed to this in Matthew 24 as a key to understanding end times prophecy. This will also be an exercise in demonstrating the precision of the Bible; there are no errors.

In fact, this passage (and others in Daniel) are so specific about future events the critics try to late date the book of Daniel, and say Daniel couldn't have written it, someone had to write it after these events occurred. But they have a problem. Several hundred years before Jesus' birth, the people of Israel didn't speak much Hebrew, and thus they couldn't read their own scriptures. So a group of men set out to translate the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek between 285-270 BC.^[1] The entire Old Testament, including all the prophecy about Jesus was on the record at least 250 years before Jesus was born. So we don't need to be worried exactly when Daniel (or others) wrote, we have at least a 250 year gap.

The passage we are interested in is Daniel 9:24-27, the famous 70 weeks of Daniel. We are mainly interested in verse 25 and it's incredible accuracy, but this passage will have significance later in the gospels, so we will take a complete (if brief) look at it.

"Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. (Daniel 9:24)

This verse tells us several important things. First, this prophecy involves the Jewish people ("your people and for your holy city"). That will become important in verse 26. Secondly, some try to twist this section to say it has already occurred. But have we had the end of transgression? Or the end of sins? Or brought in everlasting righteousness? Not if you read the paper or watch the news. Thus at least part of this prophecy is as yet unfulfilled.

"Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. (Daniel 9:25)

This is a numerical formula to tell Israel exactly when the Messiah would present himself. But we must clear up a few things first. The weeks spoken here are of years. The Jews had a concept of a week of days, a week of weeks, and a week of years. For example, the Sabbath was six days, and on the seventh you rested. But the land also had a Sabbath. For six years, you could farm the land, but in the seventh you let the land rest. Also, for reasons we won't go into here, when working with Biblical years, the years have 360 days in them, not 365 as we have now. (If you're going to study this yourself, be prepared: Leap years are not necessarily every four years, there is no year zero, and other potential errors can creep in). So we have a total of 69 weeks of years, thus we have the simple math 69 x 360 x 7 = 173,880 days until the Messiah would be revealed. But where do we start? This verse says "from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem". This can cause some confusion. There were actually four of these events.^[2]

Cyrus 537 BC Ezra 1:2-4
Darius, Ezra 6:1-5, 8, 12
Artaxerxes, 458 BC Ezra 7:11-26
Artaxerxes 445 BC Nehemiah 2:5-8, 17, 18

So which one do we use? The answer is giving by the second part of verse 25 "The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times." Only one of these meets that criteria, in 445 BC in Nehemiah. (March 14, 445 BC). So we know exactly 173,880 days from March 14 445 BC the Messiah of Israel would appear. That day is April 6, 32 AD and the events are recorded in Luke 19. We'll come back to that in a minute, first let's complete the rest of the seventy weeks.

"And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. (Daniel 9:26)

After the sixty two weeks really means after the sixty nine weeks because the number is given as seven weeks, followed by sixty two weeks. Thus after the sixty two weeks really means after the full sixty nine weeks. It's easy to misunderstand it. In any event, after the Messiah presents himself, he will be cut off, or in the Hebrew karat, meaning execution or death penalty.^[3] But it's not for Himself. Here we see a hint of Jesus' sinlessness. He was not executed for his own crimes, it was for us he died.

Daniel goes on to say "And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary". The prince who is to come is a reference to the Antichrist, the people of him are the Romans. In 70 AD Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. This implies a gap between the sixty nine weeks and the rest (verse 27).

Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate." (Daniel 9:27)

This last week of 7 years is commonly referred to as the tribulation, and is detailed in the book of Revelation.

To look a little closer at the events of April 6, 32 AD we move to Luke 19 where we know this event as Palm Sunday. Here Jesus does allow himself to be proclaimed as King, it fact he goes to some lengths to arrange it! We are familiar with this event, as Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, exactly as Zechariah said in Zechariah 9:9. And the people cry out "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!" We may miss the significance of this, but the Pharisees didn't. They asked Jesus to rebuke his disciples (v. 39). Why? The crowd was proclaiming Jesus to be the promised Messiah of Israel, and surely Jesus didn't want the crowds to do that. But of course he did, as he was the promised Messiah, the Pharisees just didn't understand. But as Jesus came near the city, he wept over it and prophesied the destruction of the city (v 43-44), which as previously mentioned occurred in 70 AD.

But the key is given at the end of verse 44, the reason for their blindness and destruction, "because you did not know the time of your visitation". As people who had studied the Old Testament thoroughly, he held the Pharisees accountable to understand this was the very day Daniel spoke about! This day exactly fulfilled the prophecy of Daniel; the Pharisees should have been looking for the Messiah on this day.

But in all of this there are two lessons for us. First, the incredible precision of the Bible. People continually try to disprove the Bible, but all the research only further proves it's true, accurate and 100% error free - even in the most advanced scientific concepts.

Secondly, and more important for us, we also are to be held accountable for our knowledge of the Bible. Jesus held the Pharisees accountable for their knowledge, do we have the arrogance to believe the same standard won't be applied to us? It's a sad state in the Church today of people who don't want to study for themselves, they believe the Bible is too big and too hard to understand. Instead, they depend on the spoon feeding they receive once a week on Sunday, instead of learning for themselves. Garbage! Lies of the enemy! Untrue! How can I be so sure? Jesus himself said so.

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. (John 14:26)

He didn't say some things, or only some people could ever learn the truths of God. No, they are available to any Christian, no matter what their level of academia.

As we head into dark days ahead, it's vital each Christian works to understand the Bible in it's entirety. Let's not be lazy in the things of God.

Tour of Galilee with Simon and others (Mt 4:23-24, Mk 1:35-39, Lk 4:42-44)

Mk 1:35 Jesus frequently went off alone and prayed. A lot. If he desired frequent prayer, shouldn't we also?

Mk 1:36-37 They were looking for him because they had heard of the previous nights events.

Mk 1:38 He doesn't stay just for the miracles, he wants to teach in other places.

Mk 1:39 A casual statement by Mark - casting out demons was (is) a big deal.

Second call of the four (Lk 5:1-11)

Lk 5:1 Gennesaret = Galilee

Lk 5:2 They had fished all night, and caught nothing (v. 5). These were professionals who made their living by fishing.

Lk 5:3 Going out a little in a boat accomplishes two things. First, in creates a natural amphitheater to help carry his voice better. Second, it prevents the crowd from pressing in too much.

Lk 5:4 Jesus tells them to try again, using the word nets, plural.

Lk 5:5 As professionals, they didn't really believe it would do any good, but in a half-hearted attempt, they would let down the net, singular.

Lk 5:6 If they had followed Jesus' exact directions (using more than one net), these problems could have been avoided. When God gives directions, we must follow them exactly.

Nevertheless, they were rewarded by their partial obedience by a plentiful catch of fish.

Lk 5:7 These were professionals, whose boats were designed for fishing. If they were beginning to sink, it's because there were many more fish than they were used to.

Lk 5:8 Peter knew this was a miracle. At this point he recognized the gap between him and God. This is a common occurrence when people in the Bible are faced with the true holiness of God. (Isaiah 6:1-8). But we see the opposite today. Today people claim to have seen God, with the result of them exalting themselves instead of God. These are obviously not true encounters with God, but instead are a sign of the end times. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

Lk 5:9-10 Once again, proof these knew this to be a miracle.

Lk 5:11 They forsook all to follow Jesus. It's an all or nothing thing. You can't follow Jesus casually.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 16:24-25)

Cleansing of a leper followed by much publicity (Mt 8:2-4, Mk 1:40-45, Lk 5:12-16)

Mk 1:40 The leper did not doubt Jesus ability to heal him, what he wanted to know was if Jesus was willing to heal him. Different question. Sometimes God doesn't heal when we want him to. Paul asked three times, and wasn't healed. God heals for his purposes. That's what the leper is asking, is it God's will for me to be healed?

Mk 1:41 Jesus touched a leper, a major no-no according to the Pharisees.

Mk 1:43-44 Again, Jesus didn't want anyone to know, but he instructed them to follow the Mosaic law.

Mk 1:45 When they went and told everyone anyway, Jesus had to leave, because the crowds were only interested in miracles. This is the opposite of us. Jesus says and spread the gospel, and we keep silent!

Forgiving and healing of a paralytic (Mt 9:1-8, Mk 2:1-12, Lk 5:17-26)

Mk 2:2 The crowds probably came to see miracles, but Jesus preaches the Word to them.

Mk 2:3 Illness was seen as a penalty for sin, and could have been in this case.

Mk 2:5 Not what they were expecting. Jesus always did the unexpected. Why didn't he just heal him? He had to make a point yet.

Mk 2:6 They were "reasoning in their hearts". It doesn't say they ever spoke.

Mk 2:7 "Only God can forgive sins". True of course. That will be Jesus' point.

Mk 2:8 Jesus "perceived in their spirit". He knows the thoughts of all, there is no point in trying to hide anything. But he challenges them on their thoughts. But what might they have thought about someone who knows their thoughts? They didn't seem to care.

Mk 2:9 Good question. I wonder how they would answer if they did?

Mk 2:10 This was Jesus' point - He has the power to forgive sins.

Mk 2:11 Jesus gives him an impossible command. It's important to remember when Jesus gives us a command, he always provides the ability to carry it out.

Mk 2:12 The leper never asked how he was supposed to do this.

Call of Matthew (Mt 9:9, Mk 2:13-14, Lk 5:27-28)

Banquet at Matthew's house (Mt 9:10-13, Mk 2:15-17, Lk 5:29-32)

Mt 9:10 Why would all these people be attracted to Jesus? Perhaps because they recognized their need for a savior. The Pharisees felt righteous by their own works.

Mt 9:11 Eating in Jewish culture was an extremely intimate occasion.

Mt 9:13 "go and learn" is a form of rebuke. And the passage Jesus picks is from Hosea 6:4-10 speaking of Israel's spiritual destitution.

Changed conditions with the Messiah present explained by three illustrations (Mt 9:14-17, Mk 2:18-22, Lk 5:33-39)

Lk 5:36 Imagine working with unshrunk cotton. If you put a piece on a old, well washed garment, when it was washed again it would make the tear worse due to the shrinking of the new patch.

Lk 5:37 Wineskins became soft during the fermentation process of the wine. If new wine was put in an old skin, the process would burst the skin.

Lk 5:39 The message given by these illustrations. The Pharisees preferred the old wine of their traditions instead of the new teaching of Jesus. But we must be careful not to extend this illustration too far. Jesus did not invalidate the Old Testament law (Matt 5:18), just the traditions taught as law by the scribes and Pharisees. In no way does this verse justify the "new wine" proponents of the various movements today, i.e. the "Toronto blessing" or other such non-biblical name-it-and-claim-it movements.

^[1] Missler, Chuck Daniel page 12

^[2] Missler, Chuck Daniel page 16

^[3] Missler, Chuck Daniel page 17

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