Category: Scripture

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where He was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing at all that time and became very hungry.

Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”

But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.'”

Then the devil took Him up and revealed to Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”

Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.'”

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order His angels to protect and guard You. And they will hold You up with their hands so you won’t even hurt Your foot on a stone.'”

Jesus responded, “The scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord, your God.'”

When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came. (vv. 1-13, NLT)

At this time a message from God cam to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.

Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for Him! The valleys will be filled , and the mountains and hills will be made level. The curves will be straightened , and the rough places made smooth. And then all the people will see the salvation sent from God.'”

When the crowd came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee from God’s coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham’. That means nothing, for I tell you God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of he trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”

The crowds asked, “What should we do?”

John replied, “If you have tow shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.’

Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?”

He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.”

“What should we do?” asked some soldiers.

John replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.” (vv. 2b-14, NLT)

When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.

When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John! ”

“What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one on all your family by that name. So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.

Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way. (vv 57-66, NLT)

One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.

While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the of the incense altar. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when the saw him. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom fo the godly.”

Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also along in years.”

Then the angel said “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was He who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you don’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak them. They then realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.

When Zechariah’s week of serve in the Temple was over, he returned home. Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”(vv. 8-25, NLT)

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means “My God, My God, why have You abandoned me?”

Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought He was calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to Him on a reed stick so He could drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take Him down!”

Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed His last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was worn in two, from the top to bottom.

When the Roman officer who stood facing Him saw how He had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was teh Son of God!”

Some women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and Joseph), and Salome. They had been followers of Jesus and cared for Him while He was in Galilee. Many other women who had come with Him to Jerusalem were also there.” (vv. 33-41, NLT)

They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray.” He took Peter, James and John with Him. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

He went on a little further and fell to the ground. He prayed that if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting Him might pass Him by. “Abba, Father,” He cried out, “everything is possible for You. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want Your will do be done, not Mine.”

Then He returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep?” Couldn’t you keep watch with Me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give up to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

Then Jesus left then again and prayed the same prayer as before. When He returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they could’t keep their eyes open. And they didn’t know what to say.

When He returned to them a third time, he said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But no- the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, lets be going. Look, my betrayer is here!” (vv. 32-42, NLT)

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?”

So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. At the house he enters, say to the owner,’The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with My disciples?” He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.” So the two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.

In the evening Jesus arrived with the twelve disciples. As they were at the table eating, Jesus said, ” I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me.”

Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one?”

He replied, “It is one of you twelve who is eating from this bowl with me. For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible will it be for the one who betrays him. For it would be far better for that man it he had never been born!”

As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then He broke it into pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is My body.”

And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He ave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, “This is My blood, which confirms the covenant between God and His people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many. I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it in the new Kingdom of God.

Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives. (vv. 12-26, NLT)

[Jesus answers the Sadducees’ -religious leaders who say there is no resurrection (v.18)] Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like angels in heaven. “

“But now, as to whether the dead will be raised – haven’t you ever read about this in the writings of Moses, in the story of the burning bush? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob died, God said to Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ So He is the God of all the living, not the dead. You have made a serious error.” (vv. 24-27, NLT)

The next mornin, as they passed by the fig tree He had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!”

Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea’, and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and you have no doubt in your heart. I tell yiu , you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” (vv. 20-25, NLT)

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so He could touch them and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering Him.

When Jesus saw what was happening, He was angry with His disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to Me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never receive it.” Then He took the children in His arms and placed His hands on them and blessed them.” (vv. 13-16, NLT)