The Tax Collector Who Left His Money Table

By Mary Vee
Mark 2; Luke 5, Matthew 9

From Mark's Journal 

Photo by Mary Vee
I am standing on the shore of
The Sea of Galilee at Capernaum
These rock served a great purpose,
They helped amplify Jesus' voice when
he spoke to the large crowds.

My name is Mark. I am a disciple of Jesus. I am here with other disciples, so they may add something today. 

This morning, as every other one, Jesus started the day knowing exactly where He wanted to go and what He wanted to do. There were no questions or floundering. Jesus had a plan. Sometimes He told us ahead of time. Sometimes He didn't. But He always had a plan and nothing seemed to surprise HIm.

Shortly after breakfast, we walked with him down to the shore of the Sea of Galilee. There were fishermen around and crowds gathered to buy fresh fish. They looked over and saw Jesus. 

People pointed. They said His name.

It didn't take long for the crowd to leave the market and  come to hear Jesus speak. His reputation for healing the sick and speaking words that had an authority they'd not heard from the priests had spread in this area. 

They liked to hear Him speak and were willing to listen to Him talk about God's teachings for hours.

Jesus walked along the shore that morning, and turned toward a man sitting at a table off to the side. His name was Levi and he was a tax collector. In our time, tax collectors were not thought of very highly. They tended to take more than the tax that was due from the people. 

If a person didn't pay what the tax collector demanded, he or she could be put into slavery. The tax collectors became very rich. Levi was no exception.

Levi sat at his table when Jesus looked his way. Jesus called out to him, "Follow me."

I smile because I remember when Jesus said the same words to me a while ago. I understood what happened in Levi's mind the moment he heard Jesus say that. 

Levi had seen and heard about Jesus. He may have been curious but not enough to leave his work and devote his days listening to Jesus' teaching. But when Jesus said, "Follow Me," there was a sense of this is the right thing to do going on in our heads. Without a speck of doubt I knew, and he probably did too, the certainty that Jesus was a man who was worthy of following.

I wasn't surprised at all when Levi stood and left his tables. He walked down to the shore and joined Jesus' and His followers on the shore.

What he did next was unbelievable. Come back to read what happened.

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.

Matthew- Four of the Best Friends

By Mary Vee
Matthew 9; Mark 2; Luke 5

From Matthew's Journal 

Photo by Mary Vee
Remains of the synagogue in Capernaum
The area has several rooms and is quite large.

My name is Matthew. I am a disciple of Jesus. I am here with other disciples, so they may add something today. 

Jesus told us this morning we would go back to Capernaum. We followed him there. Several of the disciples had grown up here and were very happy to return.

Again, the word spread that Jesus was going to Capernaum long before we even reached the city. We barely made it into a home where He planned to speak to the crowds. 

The people quieted when Jesus began to preach. The quiet was so good. He taught may new and amazing things. Teachings that tell us how God wants us to live and how we should worship HIm. 

More men and women came. They pressed closer, trying to hear Jesus speak. No one could move in or out of the home where He stood. 

We didn't know at the time, but four friends brought a man they cared about deeply. He was paralyzed. They carried their friend a distance on a stretcher hoping to get close enough to Jesus.

As they came closer they asked the men and women in the crowd to let them through. No one did. The friends tried from different angles hoping to find some kind person to let them through.

Meanwhile on the inside Jesus continued to teach. There were also the Scribes standing close to him. Their squinty eyes said they wanted to find evidence to prove Jesus wrong. 

Back outside where the four friends carried their friend, they decided to give up. Not completely. They wanted to find another way to get close to Jesus. Our homes have roofs that we use for gardens, eating, some people even put bedrooms up there. The roofs are flat and have a parapet, that is a small wall that lets a person know they are near the edge. 

The four friends carried their friend to the roof using the stairs along the outside of the house. They carefully walked him to the roof, taking care to not let him fall off the stretcher. On top, they began to pull away the roof tiles.

Back inside the home, Jesus and all the people near him look up and watched the roof tiles move. The Scribes who stood inside couldn't believe their eyes. Actually, they became too upset to speak. 

Jesus, though, welcomed the men. They lowered their friend down. Slowly. Releasing inches of rope at the same time until their friend lay on the floor near Jesus. 

Jesus looked at the man and then his four friends on the roof. He saw proof of their faith and turned to the man, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

The Scribes who saw the whole thing whispered to one another, "Why does this man talk like that? He is blaspheming God. Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

Jesus told us that He knew in his spirit, right then, that this was what they were thinking. He said, "Why are you thinking this? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven or to say 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? 

"So you will know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." Jesus turned to the paralytic man and said, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." The man got up, took his mat, and walked out in full view of everyone there. 

The people who watched this happen whispered and talked with each other. They praised God saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

The paralyzed man walked away.

Jesus didn't hide the healing of the paralytic. He showed the people and had written for us what God did for this man. 

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.

Matthew-He Never Asked Them to Leave

By Mary Vee
Matthew 4; Mark 1; Luke 4

From Matthew's Journal 

Photo by Mary Vee
Remains of the synagogue in Capernaum
The area has several rooms and is quite large.

My name is Matthew. I am a disciple of Jesus.  I am here with other disciples, so they may add something today. 

We followed Jesus throughout Galilee, which is in the northeastern region of Israel. 

We stopped in many cities and villages watching Him teach in the local synagogue, preach the good news of the kingdom, and heal every disease and sickness the local people had. 

Not long after we visited the second city, the number of people traveling long distances to see Jesus grew a lot. I heard several say they'd walked days with their loved one who needed Jesus to heal them. The news had spread all over Syria. Jesus healed the ill, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those with seizures, and the paralyzed. He healed all of them. It was during this time that I began to understand what Jesus could do. 

Large crowds from Galilee, the group of ten cities called Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the area across the Jordan followed Jesus, longing to hear Him teach and see Him do miracles.

One day a man with leprosy came to Jesus. The crowd stepped back from him. No one wanted to be near a person with leprosy, the disease was highly contagious. 

The man fell to his knees and begged Jesus, "Please. If you are willing, you can take away my leprosy." 

Jesus eyes softened with compassion. He reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing." His voice was soft and spiced with something that was much more than hope. It was...truth. 

Then Jesus said, "Be clean!" Immediately. I really mean it. That very second the leprosy left the man. His skin was smooth. There was no sign of the disease on him at all. 

The man's eyes widened. He turned his hands over and back. He looked up at Jesus with his mouth open but no words spoken.

Jesus told him to go. "Don't speak to anyone. You must first go to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for a disease that is no longer in your body. This will be your proof to them that you are healed."

The man walked away as Jesus said, but he didn't go straight to the priests. He shared his excitement with everyone he saw, spreading the news of what happened to him. 

This brought so many people to each new town that Jesus wanted to visit, He couldn't enter any openly. The only places he could walk was in secluded places. 

Even still, the people found him and came by large numbers begging to see Him.

He barely had time to sleep a few hours.

He didn't have time to eat much.

But He never asked them to leave.

Never.

Instead He showed His compassion to everyone.

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.

Jesus: The Kingdom of Heaven is Near

By Mary Vee
Matthew 4, Mark 1, Luke 4

From Matthew, Mark, and Luke's Journal 

Photo by Mary Vee
The Sea of Galilee

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 our time with Jesus. 

News about John the Baptist spread. Herod had put him in prison. When Jesus heard what happened, he acted like he knew. Although the news made Jesus sad, he got up and walked to the road as if there was a job that needed to be done. 

"We are returning to Galilee," He said.

We gathered our few belongings and left Nazareth, the city where Jesus grew up. I was happy about our leaving. Not many of the people treated him very well there.  

We walked northeast toward the Sea of Galilee. Just so you know, that body of water isn't huge like the Mediterranean Sea. If you went to visit it today, it wouldn't seem gigantic. Water is drained from this sea in your time and bottled. As a result, the water level is going down. During the time Mark, John, and I lived, no one bothered to bottle water. So the sea level was much higher.

On the north side of the lake is a city called Capernaum. This was the town Peter and his mother-in-law had a home. It was the land given to the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali back in the days of Joshua. Come to think of it, the prophet Isaiah wrote these words long ago:

Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles--
The people living in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.  (Note from Mary Vee: this is Isaiah 9:1,2)

This is exactly what John the Baptizer said about Jesus. John the Baptizer said he was the one preparing the way and that Jesus was the light. Now here we are, going along the Jordan, up to Galilee after leaving Nazareth and into the land of Zebulun. I don't know about you, but I find this exciting to be a part of Isaiah's words coming true.

Jesus woke early each morning when we lived in Capernaum. We ate fish for breakfast then a crowd of people would gather around him. It was at this time that Jesus began to preach this message: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Luke here. News spread throughout the whole countryside about Jesus and the things he said. Jesus taught in the synagogues, because it was a place where regular men went to debate all kinds of topics. He like to teach these men about God. If you could have heard how smart Jesus was. There wasn't a single question that caught him off guard. Jesus knew a lot and he enjoyed helping people.

I'm not surprised everyone praised him as the Messiah. Probably because...He is.

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.

Matthew-Generations

By Mary Vee
Matthew 
Matthew 1

From Matthew's Notes

My name is Matthew. I was a tax collector before Jesus of Nazareth called me to be one of His followers. My life has changed completely since listening to His teachings and seeing His examples of how God expects us to live. These things will be discussed in greater detail in the days to come when I tell you what I witnessed.

For now, I want to start with telling you the generations of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham's son was Isaac

Isaac's son was Jacob

Jacob's son was Judah and his brothers.

Judah's son was Perez and Zerah by Tamar, their mother.

Perez's son was Hezron
Herzon's son was Ram
Ram's son was Amminadab
Amminadab's son was Nahshon
Nahshon's son was Salmon
Salmon's son was Boaz by Rahab, Boaz's the mother Salmon saved Rahab when the walls of Jericho fell.
Boaz's son was Obed by Ruth, Obed's mother. Ruth's mother-in-law was Naomi.
Obed's son was Jesse
Jesse's son was David, the king
David's son was Solomon. Solomon's mother had been the wife of Uriah
Solomon's son was Rehoboam
Rehoboam's son was Abijah
Abidjah's son was Asa
Asa's son was Jehoshaphat
Jehoshaphat's son was Joram
Joram's son was Uzziah
Uzziah's son was Jotham
Jotham's son was Ahaz
Ahaz's son was Hezekiah
Hezekiah's son was Manasseh
Manasseh's son was Amon
Amon's son was Josiah
Josiah's son was Jechoniah and his brothers at the time the Jews were taken as slaves to Babylon.
After many Jews were taken as slaves to Babylon, Jechoniah had a son named Shealtiel
Shealtiel's son was Zerubbabel
Zerubbabel's son was Abiud
Abiud's son was Eliakim
Eliakim's son was Azor
Azor's son was Sadoc
Sadoc's son was Achim
Achim's son was Eliud
Eliud's son was Eleazar
Eleazar's son was Matthan
Matthan's son was Jacob
Jacob's son was Joseph, the husband of Mary who bore Jesus who is called the Christ.

All the generations from Abraham until David are fourteen. All the generations from David until the Babylonians took the Jews into captivity are fourteen. All the generations from when the Babylonians took the Jews until Christ are fourteen.

Between the generations shown in the last post by Luke and this one, the descendants of Jesus can be traced. This information is very important to have recorded. The highlighted ones are names you may recognize.

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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
*The Hanukkah Book by Marilyn Burns, Four Winds Press, Macmillan Publishing Company, 1981
* Jewish History.org
*Jewish Virtual Library.org
*The Hasmonean Dynasty

Happy Birthday, Jesus

By Mary Vee

Today is a day to sing happy birthday to Jesus. 

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday dear Jesus,

Happy birthday to you.

So many of us have heard the Christmas story in plays, and school/church music programs. This time, please take the time to read the words and think about what God has done for us.





From Luke chapter 2 and Matthew chapter 2

The Birth of Jesus

Photo Courtesy

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

The Shepherds and Angels

Photo courtesy

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

The Wise Men from the East

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

Photo Courtesy

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

AND

THANK YOU, GOD, FOR SENDING US YOUR SON