Welcome to Episode #165 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our fifth of eight episodes in our Twenty-First mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount Part 2. On today’s episode we’re going to take a slight detour and address why Jesus came when he did.

On our last episode we l=ooked at the Lord’s Prayer, in which Jesus said in Matthew 6:10 – Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. For numerous past episodes I’ve been talking about this kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of his Son whom he loves, etc. 

We looked ever so briefly at if this was a literal or figurative kingdom. Jesus told Pilate in John 18:36 – “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 

“When” this kingdom was coming was addressed by Jesus in Luke 17:20-21 – Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” [NKJV]

Why the kingdom is coming is an entirely different matter and is literally the subject of the entire Bible. Most people won’t go and look at the “why” answer, even believers. It can literally make your head hurt. Those who can best understand it are particle physicists because they know mathematically and experimentally nothing is really here except concentrations of light energy. I know, that’s a lot to handle.

Let’s start with something easy. Jesus said in John 4:24 – God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” That actually loses most people to a simple thought that God is only in your mind. When in reality, God is all there is. We are all in a very real sense existing in the mind of God even now. 

Stop, Stop, my head is hurting already. OK, we’ll stop there and keep going down another path. Simply look at how the Bible starts and ends. Specifically, Genesis Chapters 1 to 3 and Revelation Chapters 20 to 22. In Genesis Chapters 1 and 2 we are introduced to the creation narrative. I believe these to be reflective of what God wants us to know about what really happened at the beginning. 

The reason why this is important is how the Bible ends; which we’ll get to momentarily. If you can’t believe how the Bible begins, you certainly won’t believe how it ends. And without the beginning and end being true, the rest of the Bible doesn’t make sense. 

I don’t mean you can’t read it like an interesting novel, or a book written by a spiritualists or philosopher. With all thoughts starting with man and ending with man and no God or gods there shall be. Yet it talks all about God and gods. Thus, the Bible doesn’t make sense without Genesis and Revelation both being true.

I hate to burst your bubble, but you may be believing in vain. Not realizing that Paul was telling his readers what is really true in Colossians 1:12-14 – giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. What the heck does it mean to be transferred from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of his beloved Son? Is that transfer some intellectual switch in your mind? Or an actual spiritual phenomena that you experienced. 

For time, I’ve got to stop her. Back to the topic at hand. In Genesis 3, we are introduced to a serpent who deceives Eve to eat the forbidden fruit who then gives it to her husband who was with her and he at it. Immediately, sin, condemnation, and death entered not just

Welcome to Episode #164 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our fourth of eight episodes in our Twenty-First mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount Part 2. On today’s episode we’ll be hearing Jesus teaching his disciples how to pray. Now this is a big topic. Prayer.

I have to admit, growing up as a Catholic I really didn’t think I had a problem with prayer. Since my first communion and later Catechism classes I had a plethora of memorized prayers. Some for use in when in mass and other for use after confession. 

The in-mass prayers typically included a Hail Mary and an Our Father. The confessional prayers typically included an Act of Contrition an Apostles Creed and multiple Hail Mary’s and Our Father’s depending on the accuracy of my confession. 

I have to admit, I held back quite a lot. Eventually knowing I’d forgotten more than I remembered of my sinful past which hadn’t been confessed, I realized I was too far gone for grace and accepted hell as my destiny. And that turned out to reemerge in my struggle to receive Christ at my spiritual rebirth by the Holy Spirt. I’ve shared this account before and will reshare this account on another episode but not right now.

The skinny was I wrong about that. But in total honesty, that’s how I felt at the soul level. I was unworthy of Jesus, so I had to find another way to God other than my Catholicism. Fortunately for me I married a Baptist and I discovered an entirely different kind of works based salvation than my former faith practices. “We don’t drink, we don’t smoke, we don’t  dance, we don’t chew, and we don’t go with girls that do.” 

For me I felt right at home knowing I was breaking all these as well, but they didn’t make me confess it so I didn’t think about hell. I grew comfortable saying I believed in Jesus and if by chance after I died, I’d came to see him and/or Peter at the gate of heaven, I’d just deny ever remembering my sin. Believe me, I had gotten very good at forgetting sin as soon as I sinned it. No guilt or shame, that was my saving grace so I thought.

It was in this new religion I discovered ad hoc prayers. Whatever rolled off my tongue in the moment. Little forethought. Uncomfortable of making a mistake at first, I soon mastered the craft of just talking at God in a measured tone.

After a radical salvation by the Holy Spirit my prayer life changed to a more scripture-based content from passages I’d been memorizing. This lasted a good long time before I was awakened out of my prayer slumber. Up to this awakening I became a Methodist, then a none, then a charismatic, before finally settling in a non-denominational evangelical church where I got radically saved in the second service I attended. 

Once born again, I had questions about talking with God. Then I heard a pastor from the pulpit say his greatest struggle in ministry was his prayer life. That rocked me, how was that possible. I started to do some research and discovered prayer was one of the most written about topics out there. No one seemed to have a handle on it. Everyone had their own take, I guessed to sell more books. I certainly was struggling but I wasn’t fully committed like a pastor. I went to seminary and got an MDIV and found no adequate answer there. I had several seminary professors confess struggling with prayer. This seemed to be shear madness. 

I limped along for over 25 years until last year when I discovered the secret of prayer in the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius. Others have four the same discovery in an area called Lectio Devina. In short, they both emphasize spiritual meditation and contemplation. Learning by doing that special emphasis has been a game changer. 

And why do I share all that before getting to today’s lesson? Because, had I known then what I know now, I would have known the value of Jesus’ teaching on prayer he gave to his disciples. Jesus in a very compact less

Welcome to Episode #163 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our third of eight episodes in our Twenty-First mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount Part 2. On today’s episode we’ll be hearing Jesus teach another foundational and hidden principle of life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Giving to the Needy.

You will see this principle of giving to the needy exhibited throughout the scriptures, intimated in the name of God, embedded in the LAW, a major element of the Servant characterized in Isaiah, and of course the hallmark of Jesus’ ministry. 

Let’s start with that last one and then get into the passage where Jesus addresses our Giving to the Needy. Jesus said of himself in Matthew 20:26-28 – But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

We were all once dead in our trespass and sin, and even now we are all needy. Jesus came to serve us both then and now. How you ask? It starts with then…

Romans 5:6-8 – For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

It is our belief in the sufficiency of Christ’s service unto death for our sins and his resurrection bringing us new life that we are saved.

An example of Jesus serving us now is found in Romans 8:34 – Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Why is this intercession important? Revelation 12:10 – “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. Every accusation against you made by the devil, Jesus smothers out in intercession with the Father.

Acts 3:1-10 – Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

With that as a brief introduction, let’s jump into Matthew 6:1-4 – “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Welcome to Episode #162 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our second of eight episodes in our Twenty-First mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount Part 2. On today’s episode we’ll be hearing Jesus teach the second of two very difficult principles he reveals for Kingdom of Heaven living at the end of Matthew 5.

The first difficulty was the prohibition against retaliating against the actions of an evil person. If struck on the cheek you were to turn the other, if you get sued and lose your tunic you are to give him your cloak as well, if asked to go one mile – go two miles, give to those who beg and finally do not refuse one who would borrow from you. These are in the moment actions in response to be confronted face to face. These are not meant for enslavement or sadistic behavior with an evil person. 

You will see confirmation of this notation when Jesus sent out his twelve Apostles to the lost sheep of Israel and instructed them in Matthew 10:14 and 23 – 14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 

He did not command his Apostles to remain in the towns so as to be persecuted, but to leave and go to another place. What to do about persecution is in our passage for today. More on that in a moment.

To be brief, in the case of an “in your face trial of the moment,” we are to, as did Jesus, submit ourselves to the mercy and grace of God, manifest God’s name to our oppressor, and pray for rescue from the trial or the grace to endure. 

Now to today’s passage. I’ve entitled this episode, Love Your Enemies and Pray for Persecutors. You may, even now, think that seems strange to hear. But let’s give it a few minutes and I think what Jesus is saying will begin to sink in.

Matthew 5:43-48 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Welcome to Episode #161 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our first of eight episodes in our Twenty-First mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount Part 2. On today’s episode we’ll be hearing Jesus teach the first of two very difficult principles he reveals for Kingdom of Heaven living at the end of Matthew 5.

Many listening may be thinking, “If that’s the imagery, DrZ, experiencing torrents in the flesh does not sound very restful.” And of course, that is exactly why many ignore these last two principles in Chapter 5 or say they are for someone else at a future time. For many years that’s where I lived, thinking these principles were not for today. But then I learned more fully about the kingdom of heaven and there is indeed rest in the torrent of the flesh.

Paul spoke of this experience himself in relationship to his thorn in the flesh from the devil. I thought about sharing portions but am now certain I should share the entire account, as it has direct bearing on what we are going to hear Jesus say as I read today.

2 Corinthians 12:1-10 – I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— 6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

Did you get that? If not, go back and read it again; 2 Cor 12:1-10. I’ll reread verse 10 before reading the first of two hard principles of the kingdom of heaven, spoken by Jesus at the end of Matthew Chapter 5. 2 Cor 12:10 – For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

Matthew 5:38-42- “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. ’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. 

Welcome to Episode #160 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our eighth of eight episodes in our Twentieth mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount. On today’s episode we’ll be taking a walk on the beach with DrZ, hey that’s me, sorry, couldn’t help that it was just there. As I was saying, we’ll be taking a walk on the beach to overview and comment on what we’ve learned on this mini-series.

So glad so many of you were able to join us today given the reality of two hurricanes impacting the Gulf shores of Florida. First was Hurricane Helene which roared onshore n the Big Bend area of FL last week as a Cat 4 hurricane before quickly crossing into Georgia, South Carolina, Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee leaving in its wake catastrophic devastation. And a week later, Milton making landfall as a Cat 3 hurricane on Siesta Key near Sarasota, Fl before slicing a path across Florida and heading out over the Atlantic Ocean. 

The beaches along the emerald coast along Highway 30-A between Destin and Panama City were spared this round. But all those who have been around for forty or more hurricane seasons sense and are fairly resigned to the reality that it is only a matter of time before a storm comes knocking on your door.  

But enough of that for now, while the coast to our east and south have been ravaged by wind and waves, the Gulf waters out back are almost perfect. Still a little warmer than normal as are our daily temperatures. While we won’t break a sweat this morning, you can still get sun burned pretty quick, so hats, sunscreen, and sunglasses suggested.

I’ll meet you out back in five minutes. Make sure to top off your coffee or get one of many other options available at the bar area. Speaking of bars, we’ve got the Rooftop bar of Bud and Alley’s reserved for a private mid-morning brunch. They’re expecting us within the hour so let’s hop to it. See you out back.

I see we are all here. We’ll head toward the water and the lightly breaking surf and take a left, heading East into the early morning sun. As we head that way I’ll remind you we’ve not yet finished overviewing Chapter 5 of Matthew. The first of three chapters (5 to 7) that are referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. We still have at least two and likely three more mini-series before we complete the Sermon on the Mount. That means at least two or three walks on the beach after this one. 

Perhaps for one of those walks we can take a road trip over to the Big Bend area to lend a hand with recovery and do the same on another walk on Siesta Key. Participation is not mandatory, but if you have the inkling to go and would like to help let me know as there is a lot of preparation and staging to be done to make our trips beneficial and not an inconvenience for those most in need of assistance in these areas.

We are not at the water’s edge and ready to make our turn to the East. As you go through the text of Matthew, you get the sense Jesus made a similar turn at his baptism by John the Baptist. His turn was from a life in Nazareth which we know little about to a focused three-year life of ministry teaching, calling and training disciples. During this time, he taught with authority, was a miracle healing extravaganza, and demonstrated with signs and wonders power over the created order that testified to his being the Son of God, the Son of Man.

Shortly after his ministry life began he called his first disciples and laid out for them the foundational teaching upon which all his subsequent teaching rested. We call this teaching the Sermon on the Mount. You will discover as you dig into the epistles, the apostles were writing the boots on the ground versions of the principals Jesus was teaching his disciples. These principals deal with living in the kingdom of heaven. Something all believers are doing even today, though not all believers know it.

Let’s do a quick recap of where we’ve been so far in t

Welcome to Episode #159 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our seventh of eight episodes in our Twentieth mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount. On today’s episode we’ll be hearing Jesus teach on Pinkie Swearing as it relates to Kingdom of Heaven living.

Given this is our seventh episode in this mini-series, and some listeners are just joining us, let me do a quick recap and then get right to our text for today. Jesus began his ministry immediately following his forty-day wilderness wandering, fast, and temptation by the devil which had immediately followed his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist.

Jesus reveals the heart of his ministry message in Matthew 4:17 – From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. You will find the rest of the book of Matthew ties into this foundational teaching of Jesus. Again, for repetition, this foundational teaching was, Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. 

Jesus then calls his first disciples to join him as he begins teaching in synagogues throughout all Galilee, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. Jesus was a walking Miracle Working Extravaganza. His ministry is described simply in Matthew 4:23-24 – So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. Jesus became a very bid deal.

We then see at the beginning of Matthew 5, Jesus goes up on a mountain side with his disciples. As Jesus sees the people approaching from below, he teaches his disciples a primer on the kingdom of heaven. Specifically, what life in the kingdom of heaven was to be like. He began with what we call the beatitudes and then addressed specific topics one at a time. These have included the disciples being Salt and Light, Christ came to fulfill the law and unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:20). Speaking of righteousness, Jesus then addresses anger, lust, and divorce.

We’ve spent the first six episodes of this min-series on each of these topics beginning with the beatitudes being our first and divorce being our last. I noted as we began these episodes that life in the kingdom of heaven would be life in the will of God. And that God’s will is reflected in his name revealed to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7 – The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

We then looked at each topic and how God’s name was reflected in Jesus’ topical comments and observations. God’s name is also inclusive in our topic for today, Pinkie Swearing or as it is put in the text, taking an oath.

 So here we go. Matthew 5:33-37 –  “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

Don’t get tangled up by the many words just yet, let the last

Welcome to Episode #158 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our sixth of eight episodes in our Twentieth mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount. On today’s episode we’ll be hearing Jesus teach on what is today perhaps his hardest test to pass. Marriage is for life.

As with our last episode that addressed our primal urge bent toward abandonment of God in a heated quest for sex, drugs, rock and roll, this is a huge topic. And while Jesus covers this topic in only two verses, it is much larger than can be addressed in one episode. As with our primal urge bent on lusting the topic, of divorce follows hand in hand. We’ll just scratch the surface of this tidbit Jesus dropped into his sermon. 

We’re going to jump right into the quagmire and take our time climbing out. If you are one who has experienced divorce either by being from a child of a broken marriage or by going through a divorce yourself, hang in there as you will hear the reason why it is so difficult to reconcile in your life. Remember from the start, God has reconciled all things to himself in Jesus Christ.

So here we go. Matthew 5:31-32 – It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Before you turn off this episode, please hear what I read next and then you can turn it off. Part of our problem with Jesus when he says something we don’t like, don’t agree with, or flat out just makes us uncomfortable is we’re not recognizing who he really is. 

I purposely said “who he really IS” because Jesus is God, the Son of God, the eternal and ever existent “I AM that I AM” from which and through whom all things seen and unseen in heaven and on earth were created. God in the person of Jesus was incarnated in human form, lived a perfect life, died THE PERFECT DEATH, raised again to life on the 3d day, forty days later he ascended into heaven where he received the glory he had from before the world began, and upon sitting down at the right hand of the Father, God the Father sent His Holy Spirit to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to rescue those who would believe in Jesus; even in his name. That’s us and there is infinitely more.

I’m convinced we will spend eternity with Jesus and never fully comprehend what he and his Father did to redeem the many of mankind and to reconcile all things in heaven and on earth to himself. Key point here I don’t want you to miss. Please pinch yourself right now. Seriously, pinch yourself. Some of you are still hesitant, I get it. Did you know there are people so lost in the world, they purposefully cut themselves to prove they are alive and have feelings. If you’ve ever seen Fight-Club that’s the adult version of teenage cutters.

Point being, you are alive, you are living a life, you are listening to my voice on this podcast; at least if you’ve kept listening this long. You are human; surprise!! We’ve been here for at least six thousand years and many believe much longer. But six thousand plus will suffice to make my point. 

You didn’t create yourself. You have a mother and a father; whether you’re speaking to them or not; your parents had sexual relations, your mother carried you to term without a miscarriage or aborting you, and you’re still living. We have a tendency to think somehow, we just showed up around eight grade; fully formed wth hormones just starting to rage. 

It took twenty years from the 1960’s to the 1980’s to seep in, but by the mid-1980’s divorce was in full swing. Many of the obstacles to divorce had been lessened and latch key kids became a reality. Today, you don’t even need a reason to divorce, simply both sign a piece of paper and wait six months and you’re done. 

There are se

Welcome to Episode #157 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our fifth of eight episodes in our Twentieth mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount. On today’s episode we’ll be hearing Jesus teach on the deepest of all primal urges. Our passage appears in Matthew 5:27-30. 

This is a huge topic, much larger than can be addressed in one episode. This is the central theme running through Scripture, the core message of the Bible, the pearl of greatest price. We’ll just scratch the surface of this tidbit Jesus dropped into his sermon. 

Five episodes into the sermon on the mount and we’re only just crossing the midway point in the first of three Chapters. We’re on a deep dive into what Jesus is instructing us as we sit at his feet and listen meditatively to what he is saying. 

I think I just lost a few people there so let me briefly pause to explain. Jesus told his disciples in John 14:25-26 – These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 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 that I have said to you. 

Was Jesus speaking only to those disciples gathered with him in the upper room or to all disciples who would seek to learn from him. Remember, Jesus is not dead but is God incarnate now dwelling in heaven. In that regard, the Prophet Jeremiah wrote in Jeremiah 33:23 – Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it—the LORD is his name: 3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. 

Now imagine disciples not in the room that night with Jesus who also needed to remember what they’d heard Jesus say. Or in the third century when the gospels and epistles were being passed from church to church. What did Jesus really say and what do the scriptures mean? 

In the John 14 passage just read, Jesus said the Holy Spirit sent from the Father would teach the disciples all things and remind them of everything he said. Could the disciples call to the Lord as spoken in Jeremiah. And would the Father through the Holy Spirit do what Jesus said. Would the Holy Spirit remind them of what they heard Jesus say, and what he may have said to others?

Two blind men followed after Jesus when he’d passed, calling out to him, Son of David, have mercy on us. Jesus responded to them in Matthew 9:28-29 – When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”

I think you could guess what happened. But how did it happen; Jesus didn’t touch them or pray over them; he said, “According to your faith be it done to you.” This is where we’re going.

Welcome to Episode #156 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our fourth of eight episodes in our Twentieth mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount. On today’s episode we’ll be looking at Jesus’ teaching about Anger found in Matthew 5:21-26. When you get this one you may stay on your knees in front of Jesus just a bit longer than you expected.

As I mentioned in our last episode introduction, we’re just getting started in presenting Jesus’ teaching given in what is commonly referred to as the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5 to 7. In this sermon, Jesus is teaching his disciples and laying out for them what it means to follow him in kingdom of Heaven living while in a world of darkness. 

Entrance into the kingdom of Heaven is a permanent Supernatural transformation from death to life, from darkness to light. Colossians 1:13-14 – He [God] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus opened his sermon talking about character qualities and associated blessings for living a kingdom of heaven life. Let me quote a verse for you to momentarily consider and then I’ll offer you a prompt to reflect upon in your next meditation.

1 John 2:5-6 – By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Oh my gosh, I just heard the firehose pump kick-in as I wrote out that verse and now see the water line go from flax to taught; straining not to burst, eagerly awaiting the nozzle valve to be opened. Let me quickly cut off the compressor. Whew. No need to drink from a fire hose so early in the episode.

Here’s the skinny, I’ll leave it to you to fill in the text references. What John is speaking of in 1 John 2:5-6 is what all the New Testament writers are trying to inform us of. Let me give you the negative first. Jesus was not sent to earth by his Father to make your life easier in this life. 

Now the positive, that for some is a turn-off negative and/or a reason to say there is another way to God than through Jesus. Jesus was sent here by his Father to invite his sheep, those who hear his voice and respond, to willingly follow Jesus into his death to this life. Two passages and then a brief comment.

Luke 14:27, 33 – Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. …33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

 What we learn in the gospels and epistles and letters is that through assimilation with him in his death by grace through faith we gain eternal life, rebirth in the Holy Spirit, and the opportunity in this life to experience Union with God the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

That Union with God is what John is saying in 1 John 2:5-6 when he says, “whoever says he abides in him.” Jesus describes this abiding in him in John 15. The significance of this abiding in seen in John 17:21 to 23 where Jesus tells his Father this abiding, our Union with God and Jesus Christ, will be a witness to the world that God sent Jesus into the world.