Category: Bible Study

The Lion of Judah

(3) The Life of Jesus

Also included in the one volume compiled book

( 7) The Lion of Judah

Jesus’ Ministry –

Characteristics

The Lion of Judah Series

The Lion of Judah Series – Blogs

1  The Titles of Jesus – Blog
The Titles of Jesus – PDF

2  The Reign of Jesus – Blog
The Reign of Jesus – PDF

3  The Life of Jesus – Blog
The Life of Jesus – PDF

4  The Death of Jesus – Blog
The Death of Jesus – PDF

5  The Resurrection of Jesus – Blog
The Resurrection of Jesus – PDF

6  The Spirit of Jesus – Blog
The Spirit of Jesus – PDF

7  The Lion of Judah – in one volume – Blog
The Lion of Judah – PDF

Contents of Book 3: The Life of Jesus

Introduction
The Life of Jesus
The Birth and Boyhood of Jesus
The Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry
Jesus’ Ministry – Overview
Jesus’ Ministry – Characteristics
~ Prayer (see below)
~ Crowds & Healing (see below)
~ Teaching
~ Parables
~ Opposition
Chronology with Jerusalem festivals
Holy Week
The Resurrection & Ascension
Appendix: Book Resources

This book, The Lion of Judah (3) The life of Jesus provides an overview of Jesus’ life and summarizes some key verses or passages describing Jesus’ short ministry. These passages highlight important characteristics of his life and ministry.

They are: Prayer, Crowds and Healing, Teaching, Parables, Disciples, Opposition

 This Blog reproduces the first ones: Prayer, Crowds and Healing

Prayer

Jesus prayed, constantly.

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, ²² and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’  (Luke 3: 21-22)

In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.  (Mark 1: 35)

But now more than ever the word about Jesus spread abroad; many crowds would gather to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. ¹⁶ But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray.  (Luke 5:15-16)

Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. ¹³ And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles.  (Luke 6:12-13)

Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.  (John 6:11)

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³ And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray.  (Matthew 14:22-23)

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹ And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.  (Luke 9:28-29)

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  ⁸ “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. ⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
¹³ And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
(Matthew 6:7-13 NKJV, from a later manuscript)

So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’  (John 11:41-42)

Jesus prayed at the last supper, and three times in Gethsemane, and on the cross.

After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, ² since you have given him authority over all people^] to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. ⁴ I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. ⁵ So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.  (John 17:1-5; full prayer, John 17: 1-26)

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ ³⁷ He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. ³⁸ Then he said to them, ‘I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.’ ³⁹ And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.’ ⁴⁰ Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, ‘So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? ⁴¹ Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial;^[a] the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ ⁴² Again he went away for the second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.’ ⁴³ Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. ⁴⁵ Then he came to the disciples and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.  (Matthew 26:36-45)

Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.  (Luke 23:34)

At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’  (Mark 15:34; Psalm 22:1)

Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.  (Luke 23:46 NIV)

The resurrected Jesus blessed his people.

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.  (Luke 24:30-31)

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. ⁵¹ While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.  (Luke 24:50-51)

Crowds and Healing

Jesus constantly healed people and great crowds flocked to him.

And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.  (Matthew 4:25)

[Paralytic healed] And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay.

When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.  (Mark 2:4; Matthew 9:8; see Luke 5:19)

Jesus went out again beside the lake; the whole crowd gathered around him, and he taught them.  (Mark 2:13)

At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them.  (Luke 4:42)

But now more than ever the word about Jesus spread abroad; many crowds would gather to hear him and to be cured of their diseases.  (Luke 5:15)

A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick.  (John 6:2)

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, ² he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. ³ He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.  (Luke 5:1-3; see Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20)

[The Beatitudes] When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.  (Matthew 5:1)

Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching,  (Matthew 7:28)

When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him  (Matthew 8:1)

Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side.  (Matthew 8:18)

Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax-collectors and others sitting at the table with them.  (Luke 5:29)

[Jesus teaches and heals] He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. ¹⁸ They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. ¹⁹ And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.  (Luke 6:17-19)

When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.’  (Luke 7:9; see Matthew 8:5-13)

[Jesus Raises the Widow’s Son at Nain] Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him.  (Luke 7:11)

[The Parable of the Sower] When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable:  (Luke 8:4)

[A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed ] When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered round him; and he was by the lake. ²² Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet ²³ and begged him repeatedly, ‘My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.’ ²⁴ So he went with him. And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. … [A woman who touched his robe was healed.] ³⁰ Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ ³¹ And his disciples said to him, ‘You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, “Who touched me?”’  (Mark 5:21-31; see Matthew 9:18-26; Luke 8:40-56)

And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said, ‘Never has anything like this been seen in Israel.’  (Matthew 9:33)

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  (Matthew 9:36)

While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, ‘Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.’  (Matthew 12:46; Mark 3:32; see Luke 8:19)

 He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him; ¹⁰ for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him.  (Mark 3:9-10)

Then he went home; ²⁰ and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat.  (Mark 3:19-20)

[The Parable of the Sower] Again he began to teach beside the lake. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the lake on the land.  (Mark 4:1; see Matthew 13:2)

[Feeding 5,000] Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. ¹⁵ When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ ¹⁶ Jesus said to them, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’ ¹⁷ They replied, ‘We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.’ ¹⁸ And he said, ‘Bring them here to me.’ ¹⁹ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. … Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone  (Matthew 14:13-19, 22-23; see Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14)

[Feeding 4,000] Great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many others. They put them at his feet, and he cured them, ³¹ so that the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. ³² Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.’ ³³ The disciples said to him, ‘Where are we to get enough bread in the desert to feed so great a crowd?’ ³⁴ Jesus asked them, ‘How many loaves have you?’ They said, ‘Seven, and a few small fish.’ ³⁵ Then ordering the crowd to sit down on the ground, ³⁶ he took the seven loaves and the fish; and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ³⁷ And all of them ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. ³⁸ Those who had eaten were four thousand men, besides women and children. ³⁹ After sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.  (Matthew 15:30-39; see Mark 8:1-10)

[Deaf man cured] He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue.  (Mark 7:33; see Matthew 15:29-31)

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  (Mark 8:34; see Matthew 16:24; Luke 9:23)

[The Healing of a Boy with a Spirit] When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. ¹⁵ When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. …  ²⁵ When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘You spirit that keep this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!’  (Mark 9:14-15, 25; see Matthew 17:14-20)

Meanwhile, when the crowd gathered in thousands, so that they trampled on one another, he began to speak first to his disciples, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy. …’  (Luke 12:1)

As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. ³⁰ There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, ‘Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!’ ³¹ The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, ‘Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!’ … Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.  (Matthew 20:29-30; see Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43)

[The plot to kill Lazarus] When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.  (John 12:9)

So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. ¹⁸ It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him.  (John 12:17-18)

[Triumphal entry to Jerusalem] A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,

‘Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!’

¹⁰ When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ ¹¹ The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’  (Matthew 21:8-11; see Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19)

[The betrayal and arrest of Jesus] While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people.  (Matthew 26:47; see Mark 14:43; Luke 22:47)

Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed.  (Matthew 27:20)

[Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified] So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.’  (Matthew 27:24)

References to healing all diseases and all people:

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.  (Matthew 4:23)

That evening they brought to him many who were possessed by demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick.  (Matthew 8:16)

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  (Matthew 9:35 NKJV)

Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, ¹⁶ and he ordered them not to make him known.  (Matthew 12:15-16)

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  (Luke 4:40 NKJV)

One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting nearby (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal.  (Luke 5:17)

And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.  (Luke 6:19)

And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.  (Mark 6:56)

Jesus sent his disciples and others out to preach and heal.

Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.  (Matthew 10:1; see Luke 9:1)

Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, ² and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. ⁶ They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere.  (Luke 9:1-2, 6; see Matthew 10:1)

So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. ¹³ They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.  (Mark 6:12-13)

After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. ² Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest. ³ Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. … ⁹ And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’  (Luke 10:1-3, 9)

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See also – Renewal Journal 4: Healing

GENERAL BLOGS INDEX

BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)

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BLOGS INDEX 4: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH (CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)

BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

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The Lion of Judah

Book 6: The Spirit of Jesus

The Spirit of Jesus – PDF

The Lion of Judah – Blog
The Lion of Judah – PDF
Selection from this book:
Testimonies – Zinznedorf, Wesleys & Whitefield, Finney, Moody, Roberts, Gondarra
Contents from all six books compiled in one book:
1  The Titles of Jesus – Blog
2  The Reign of Jesus – Blog
3  The Life of Jesus – Blog
4  The Death of Jesus – Blog
5  The Resurrection of Jesus – Blog
6  The Spirit of Jesus – Blog

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Selection 1 from this book: God has given us the Spirit of His Son

Selection 2 from this book: Testimonies – Zinznedorf, Wesleys & Whitefield, Finney, Moody, Roberts, Gondarra

The Lion of Judah Series

The Lion of Judah Series – Blogs

1  The Titles of Jesus – Blog
The Titles of Jesus – PDF

2  The Reign of Jesus – Blog
The Reign of Jesus – PDF

3  The Life of Jesus – Blog
The Life of Jesus – PDF

4  The Death of Jesus – Blog
The Death of Jesus – PDF

5  The Resurrection of Jesus – Blog
The Resurrection of Jesus – PDF

6  The Spirit of Jesus – Blog
The Spirit of Jesus – PDF

7  The Lion of Judah – in one volume – Blog
The Lion of Judah – PDF

Selection from (1) The Titles of Jesus: Aslan – The Lion of Judah

Selection from (2) The Reign of Jesus: Appendix – China Miracle

Selection from (3) The Life of Jesus: Prayer, Crowds and Healing

Selection from (4) The Death of Jesus: The Tree

Selection from (5) The Resurrection of Jesus: Biblical accounts

Selection from (6) The Spirit of Jesus: Testimonies

Cover art by Rebecca Brogan – www.jtbarts.com

The Emblem of Jerusalem – The Lion of Judah

The Hebrew word is Jerusalem

Contents of (6) The Spirit of Jesus

Introduction

God has given us the Spirit of His Son

The Spirit of the Lord in the Old Testament

The Spirit of the Lord in Jesus

The Spirit of the Lord in Us

Conclusion

Selection from this book:

The Spirit of the Lord in Jesus

Jesus was conceived in the power of the Holy Spirit, anointed by Spirit of God at his baptism, ministered in the power of the Spirit, and imparts his Spirit to us.

The Spirit in Jesus

Luke records how the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would conceive Jesus by the power of the Spirit: “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God’s power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

The stories in Luke surrounding Jesus’ birth make frequent reference to the Spirit’s activity (see Luke 1:15, 35, 41, 67; 2:25‑27).

For about thirty years, Jesus matured as a Jewish male, worked as a craftsman in the family business, and would have supported his family. Then a major turning point came during the prophetic ministry of John the Baptist. John saw his main task as announcing the coming of the Messiah and preparing the people for that great event (Matthew 3:1‑17; Mark 1:1‑8; Luke 3:1‑22; John 1:19‑34).

Jesus’ experience of being filled with the Spirit was public and open, not a secret. God announced by his Spirit that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah, the one who would baptize us in the Spirit

“The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” ³¹ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ ³² And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. ³³ I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” ³⁴ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’” (John 1:31‑33).

The Spirit of God coming on Jesus at his baptism transformed his life. It launched him into three years of powerful and controversial ministry culminating in his death, resurrection and ascension.

It did not make Jesus any more holy. He was already holy.

It did not make Jesus more obedient. He was already obedient.

It did not make Jesus more divine. He was already divine.

It did anoint and empower Jesus for his mission, as he explained in Nazareth, quoting from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19; see Isaiah 61:1-2).

The passage in Luke 4:18-19, where Jesus quotes from Isaiah, makes a dynamic link between Old Testament prophecy and New Testament fulfilment concerning the Spirit of the Lord.

Jesus recognised the work of the Spirit of the Lord as crucial to his ministry. He did no mighty works before the Spirit came upon him at his baptism. Luke, especially, sees this as pivotal in Jesus’ life. The Holy Spirit came upon him (3:22), he returned from the Jordan full of the Holy Spirit (4:1), faced and overcame temptation being led by the Spirit (4:1), and then returned north to Galilee in the power of the Spirit (4:14). At Nazareth, Jesus interpreted his experience in terms of the Spirit of the Lord coming on him for the purposes described in Isaiah 61:1‑3.

Jesus’ ministry gives many examples of his words and his deeds which fulfilled this prophecy concerning the Spirit of the Lord, as Luke describes:

* bringing good news to the poor (Luke 4:38‑44; 6:17‑19);

* proclaiming liberty to captives (Luke 8:26‑39; 11:14‑23);

* giving sight to the blind (Luke 7:36‑50; 18:35‑43);

* setting free the oppressed (Luke 13:10‑17; 17:11‑19);

* announcing the Lord’s salvation (Luke 10:21-22; 12:32‑40; 18:15‑30).

Jesus answered a question about him being the Messiah by referring to that charter:

“John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, ¹⁹ he sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’

²⁰ When the men came to Jesus, they said, ‘John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”’

²¹ At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, illnesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. ²² So he replied to the messengers, ‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. ²³ Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.’”  (Luke 7:21‑23).

Jesus’ ministry demonstrated how the Spirit of the Lord was upon him enabling him to fulfil God’s purposes. The Spirit of the Lord fulfils God’s will in the world. Jesus saw his ministry in that context. So can we.

God’s purposes were supremely fulfilled in Jesus’ atoning death, his mighty resurrection and his ascension to glory where he now has all authority in heaven and on earth. He expresses that authority through the Spirit of Lord, his Spirit, in his people. The Holy Spirit continually glorifies Christ and reveals God’s will to his people and to the world. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgement by the resurrected Christ through his Spirit.  (John 16:8-15; Acts 2:32-39; 3:13-16; 17:30-31).

Our mission is to continue the ministry Jesus had. The Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Jesus, fulfils that work in and through us.

Jesus gave his disciples power and authority to do what he did (the twelve, Luke 9:1‑6; the seventy-two, Luke 10:1‑12). Then, after the resurrection he renewed that same commission:

Matthew 28:19‑20, we are to obey all Jesus commanded them to do;

Mark 16:15‑18, this applies to everyone;

Luke 24:45‑49, Jesus’ death and resurrection make it possible by his Spirit;

John 20:19‑22, we are sent as Jesus was sent by the Father in the Spirit’s power;

Acts 1:8, we are his witnesses to the whole earth, filled with the Spirit.

Further, Jesus promised us the power to do it. The Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Jesus, still empowers the servants of the Lord.

Matthew 28:18-20, all authority has been given to Jesus; he is with us:

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

Mark 16:17‑18, Jesus gives believers power for mission:

“Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. ¹⁵ And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. ¹⁶ The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.’”

Luke 24:44-49, Jesus said he would send the promised power:

“Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, ⁴⁶ and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’

John 20:19-23, Jesus breathed the Spirit on his followers:

“When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ ²² When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”

Acts 1:1-9, Jesus promised that his followers would be baptised in the Spirit:

“In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning ² until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. ³ After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over the course of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. ⁴ While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. ‘This’, he said, ‘is what you have heard from me; ⁵ for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’

⁶ So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ ⁷ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ ⁹ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

The Spirit of the Lord comes on us for mission, as on Jesus, and his disciples. This is the kingdom perspective: the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Jesus, imparts power for mission.

Jesus, at the Last Supper, promised to send what the Father had promised – his Spirit.

 ‘When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. ²⁷ You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. (John 15:26-27)

Back to The Lion of Judah Series

BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)

BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)

BLOGS INDEX 3: MIRACLES (SUPERNATURAL EVENTS)

BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)

BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH (CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)

BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)

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