I Will Complete My Work...Jesus

By Mary Vee
Luke 13

Peter

Eastern Gate in Jerusalem
Photo by Mary Vee

My name is Peter. 

I am with Jesus and the other disciples visiting cities and villages. 

Some Pharisees came to Jesus sent with a message. They said, leave. "Go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you."

Even I could tell the Pharisees did not bring the message because they cared for Jesus' welfare. 

Herod considered Jesus a mischief-maker like John the Baptizer. He had made it clear on more than one occasion that he wanted Jesus out of his dominion. Like John the Baptizer, Herod didn't seem to want to kill Jesus, just frighten him enough to leave the area.

Jesus said to the Pharisee messengers, "Go tell Herod, that cunning fox, I have work to do. I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day, I will reach my goal. You and Herod can try to stop me. It won't work. I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day. You may threaten me, but we both know, no prophet can die outside of Jerusalem."

Herod didn't have the power to put Jesus to death on his own. A trial would have to be held by the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. So their threat didn't work.

While I am thinking of this,  I am reminded of these words from Jesus when we stood outside the city: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to help you. How often have I longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. 

"But you were not willing.

"Look, the Temple is left to you desolate. You wanted me to leave so I will. You won't see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

Jesus wanted to help. He wanted to gather those who believed in the one true God. I didn't know it at this time, but I later learned he was telling us they would put him to death. Jesus told us he would return one day. At that time he would gather all those who believe in the one true God. Until then, I will continue teaching Jesus' message.


Author's note: It seemed fitting to include the photo of the Eastern Gate as it currently stands, sealed. An attempt to keep Jesus out. But Jesus, God's son will return one day. Through the Eastern Gate.

Come back to read the next story.

*Note from Mary Vee: If you have questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section. I will see them and will answer as best I can or direct you to a source.


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sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary
*My notes from my trip to Israel.
*Photos from my trip to Israel.

Who Ruined Herod's Birthday Party?

By Mary Vee
Mark 6

From Herod's Journal 

What remains of one of Herod's palaces - Israel
photo by Mary Vee

My name is Herod. I am a king and rule from Jerusalem. I'm not a Jew, but have been given this position from my connections in Rome.

I have heard of a man who is gaining a lot of attention in Israel. He travels through the cities and villages with his disciples healing the sick, performing miracles, and teaching about God in Heaven.

We've had many men rise up and gather followers. They usually want political power. Most of the time these groups die out, and I don't have to worry about them. If they gain too many followers, I send my army to squash them. 

This new man that has gathered many followers and has become well known in the land, is a mystery. His name is Jesus.

I called my counsel together. "Tell me about this man who has risen to such popularity."

The counsel answered, "Some say he is John the Baptist raised from the dead and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him."

Others said, "He is Elijah."

And still others claimed, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago."

Their words upset me. "John has been raised from the dead! I beheaded John. Who then, is this man I'm hearing about?"

From that moment on I wanted to see this man called Jesus and know for myself who he really was.

I remember the day I beheaded John the Baptist. I gave orders to have him arrested. Had him bound and put in prison. I had to. I had to. John the Baptist created such a stir. He came to my palace and had the nerve to say I had done something unlawful. Well, I did. I had my brother Philip killed so that I would be king then I married his wife, Herodias. But I am king and can do as I wish.

Herodias heard about John the Baptist's accusations. From that moment on she carried a grudge so vehemately she wanted him killed. I couldn't let her do that. This man made me nervous. He said things with such authority. I protected him. I had to, he was a righteous and holy man.

Every time this man spoke his words puzzled me, yet I couldn't resist hearing what he had to say. 

One year I gave a banquet and invited my high officials, military commanders, and the leading men of Galilee to celebrate my birthday. The food poured out of the kitchens. The hall decorated in all the best. Everyone had a wonderful time. At the end of the meal, I ordered the entertainment to begin.

Herodias' daughter entered the room. The music began. The next several moments voices stilled. Her dance thoroughly pleased me and my dinner guests.

I had to reward her. "Ask me for anything you want, and I'll give it to you. Whatever you ask I will give it to you, up to half of my kingdom."

"I need a moment." She met her mother at the doorway and spoke with her then returned. "I would like you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter."

I never expected her to say that. Had I known, I would have pharased my reward differently. Her request upset me terribly, but I had to honor it. I had said I would give what she asked in front of all my guests. My word must be honorable. 

My smile and pleasure in her dance had long left. I inhaled deeply and did the only thing I could. I called for an executioner to go to the prison where John had been safely protected. "Bring me back the head of John the Baptist.

The man left the room. Any celebration after that point was pure show. Happiness had completely left me. 

The executioner left the hall, beheaded John in the prison, and brought back John's head on a platter. He presented it to Herodias' daughter. She accepted the platter and took it to her mother.

John's disciples came later that evening requesting his body for burial. I, of course, had it given to them.

In the next days I wanted to find out who this Jesus really was.

 Come back to read the next story.

*Author of blog's note: If you have questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section. I will see them and will answer as best I can or direct you to a source.


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sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary
*My notes from my trip to Israel.
*Photos from my trip to Israel.

Herod the Villain

By Mary Vee
Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 2

From Matthew, Mark, and Luke's Journal 

Photo by Mary Vee
This is one of Herod's Palaces. This one is located in Samaria
and was considered the place to go for a great party.
This is probably the palace Herod was at for this story.

My name is Matthew, I am a disciple of Jesus. Mark and Luke are sitting here with me, ready to tell what we know about the evil Herod and his horrible deed.

John the Baptizer saw no problem with telling people what God put in His heart. He lived alone in the desert and ate locust and honey. His clothes were made from camel's hair.

He preached to crowds of people who walked all the way to the desert just to hear him. John the Baptizer talked about the law of Moses and how much we'd all walked away from obeying God's commands. 

Well, one day, John the Baptizer went to Herod to give him a message from God. Herod was intrigued by this man. He'd heard about the desert preacher, how John captivated those who came to hear him speak and that many asked to be baptized in the Jordan River to show their change of heart. 

Herod invited John into his courts. That's when the problem began. 

See, Herod didn't really know what John was going to tell him. John stood before Herod, who was sitting on his throne, and said, "You have broken the law by marrying Herodias. She was your brother's wife. You killed your brother, Philip, then married his wife."

John mentioned a long list of sins committed by Herod.

This didn't go over well at all.

Herodias heard what John the Baptizer said. She became very angry.

To calm her down, Herod had John bound and thrown in prison. Actually, Herod was so mad he wanted to order John's death.

The problem with that idea was John the Baptizer pleased the crowds. They'd considered John a prophet. If Herod put John to death, the people would rise up and complain. The Roman officials would accuse him of not keeping control of the Jews. He'd have a horrible mess on his hands. One that could put him in jail. No. This would not do.

Herod decided to lock John up in prison, the worst one he had...for now. 

Come back to read the next story.

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sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary
*My notes from my trip to Israel.

Herod the Great Was a Cranky and Greedy Man

By Mary Vee
Matthew 2

From Matthew's Notes

My name is Herod, I am the appointed king of Israel by the Roman emperor.

Since my early twenties, I have work hard to impress the Roman emperors. I held no allegiance to any one of them. Whichever man was in power was the one I wanted to impress. Not holding allegiance to past emperors has saved my life at least once.

Let me first make it clear that I am not a Jew.

I have a very inventive mind. I see how things work and immediately think of ways to make them better. Nothing is good enough as it is. There is always room for improvement.

For example, water was needed in the area of Joppa and north. Fresh water. By studying the area, I figured out that if aqueducts in these areas were angled on a one degree slope, water would continuously flow. I had two aqueducts constructed, side by side, each nine miles long, to meet the needs of the cities.

This is only one of the my many inventions.

I find myself to be a giving king, but also demand obedience and hard work from those around me. I wanted to please the Jews. Realizing they didn't have the mind for construction that I had, I trained the slaves to build the structure with the highest caliber of craftsmanship.

I was a very busy man with endless projects going at one time. When a group of wisemen came from the East, I was duly impressed. They wanted to know where the new king of the Jews had been born. 

I had no knowledge that one had been born and didn't like the fact that my throne stood in jeopardy. I called in my advisors who determined that Bethlehem was the location the wisemen wanted. I sent them off to continue their journey, but pretended to have interest in worshiping this new king. I asked them to come back and tell me where they found the king so I could go too.

Days had passed and the wisemen had not returned. I was furious. I paced back and forth in my chambers trying to come up with an idea what to do about the situation. Then the idea came to me. A devious one.

I called for my captain and ordered all boys two years old and younger living in Bethlehem to be executed. "No, wait, I want the surrounding area included in these orders." I told him. 

The captain bowed and left the room. I knew my order would be carried out to perfection.

I felt better already. It didn't matter which boy was the new king. He wouldn't be alive by sundown the next day.


Author's note: Matthew 2:16-18 says: Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 

"A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted because they are no more.

Rachel is mentioned here because Bethlehem is in the area known as the tribe of Benjamin. Benjamin was Rachel's second son born to Jacob.

Come back for the next story.

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sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary

* Jewish History.org
*Jewish Virtual Library.org

My research in Israel.

The Great Escape

By Mary Vee
Matthew 2

From Luke's Notes

Photo Courtesy

My name is Joseph, my wife is Mary. I would have never expected the guests who visited us today to come to our home. 

Several men who, by their clothing and language, traveled from the east. They said they'd seen a star in the night sky. One that, through their studies led them to understand a king had been born. The star led them to our home.

They wanted to see Jesus. They had gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The conversation amazed me. These men did not worship God. 

An angel hadn't spoken to them like one who visited me in a dream or like the one who visited the shepherds telling them to come see Jesus. All these men knew they'd figured out from writings, the night sky, and their conversations.

I went outside with them. They showed me the stars and the one bright one over our home. They told me how they'd come to their conclusion that Jesus was the one born to be king of the Jews."

After they left, Mary and I talked about their visit for a while. She then put Jesus down to sleep. 

During the night, I had a dream. An angel spoke to me. He sounded concerned. He said, "Hurry, get up now. Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."

I awoke instantly. Wide awake as if I'd slept all night. I woke Mary. "We have to leave."

She climbed out from her blankets. "What's wrong?"

"An angel spoke to me in my dream. He said we need to leave right away. Herod is searching for the child and wants to kill him. Hurry. We are to go to Egypt."

We packed only what we'd need and left the house. 

She didn't look back, or try to leave messages. We didn't tell anyone what we were doing. The child didn't make a sound while we walked in the city. We simply left in the dark of the night with Jesus asleep in her arms and travelled to Egypt.

The journey was not difficult. No one chased after us. We found a wonderful home to live in and made our lives in Egypt, planning to stay as long as God wanted us to and knowing He would let us know when we should go back home.

Come back for the next story.

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sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary

* Jewish History.org
*Jewish Virtual Library.org

The Search for A Special King

By Mary Vee
Matthew 2

From Luke's Notes

Photo Courtesy

My name in Herod. I am king in Jerusalem. The story I am about to tell you stirs my anger.

I woke to a nice day. The sun had been shining and there weren't any major issues to attend. A servant came to my chambers and announced visitors who were not from this area. They had requested to speak with me. I was curious so I invited them to my chambers.

The servant led the men in. They wore different clothes that we did, their manners were different, and they spoke a different language. I approved them to enter and offered them a place to sit. "Bring our guests something to drink." I ordered my servant.

The men sat. Dust and sand coated their clothes. They must have traveled a long ways. "So, tell me what brings you here."

"We are learned men who have studied the stars. We have discovered that a new king has been born and have come from the east to worship him."

A new king? What were these men talking about. And how is it that they learned this information by looking at the stars? I didn't understand any of it. "I will ask my advisors and find an answer for you. Please go with my servants. They will make you comfortable."

Once the men left, I called for my advisors. This baby king must be found and killed. But, I must be crafty about it to learn the details. The advisors assembled in the room. I told them about the visitors and their question.

At first the advisors were uncertain. They spoke among themselves and asked each other questions. 

"Sire," the eldest said. "This baby king was born in Bethlehem of Judea. It is written by the prophet: And you Bethlehem, land of Judah are in no wise least among the princes of Judah. For out of you will come forth a governor which shall be shepherd of my people Israel."

Really? I am to be replaced? I don't think so. I sent the advisors away and called for the wisemen to return. "I have an answer for you. My advisors tell me that such a baby has been born in Bethlehem. Go there."

The men stood. But I couldn't let them leave until I learned the details. "Wait. When you find this king, come back and tell me where he is so I may go and worship him also."

The wisemen bowed and left.

I will find this king. And I will have him killed. 

I will not be replaced that easily.


Come back for the next story.

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sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary

* Jewish History.org
*Jewish Virtual Library.org