As Jesus was warning His followers about the times of tribulations that were fast approaching, He encouraged them saying that the Holy Spirit will always be by their side throughout the ordeal. When they would be dragged to the synagogues and courts and be on trial before the authorities, they need not worry about what…
Tag: Messiah
The Parable of the Ten Minas
On His final trip to Jerusalem, Jesus visited several towns and villages along the way, teaching and healing those who came to Him. His ministry was gathering steam as more and more people started following Him. Jesus’ popularity drew such large crowds that when they were passing through the ancient city of Jericho, a tiny…
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were questioning Jesus’ authority after he had caused a ruckus in the temple. His condemnation of turning the temple into a marketplace was directed at them as they were the ones who had allowed the sellers in the temple. Thereafter, they desperately looked for opportunities to seize…
The Parable of the Lost Sons
As Jesus was gaining more followers each day, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law sought to use His popularity against Him. They started murmurs about how Jesus was mingling with the wrong crowd and that His followers were nothing but prostitutes and tax collectors, sinners that He should not be associating with. In…
The Parable of the Unknown Hour
When Jesus prophesied about the day of the lord and the abomination that causes desolation the disciples were curious to know when would these things come to pass. Like students who constantly ask the invigilator for the time remaining during their examination, we too want to know the exact time of our lord’s coming. We…
The Parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard
Once a rich man had come to Jesus asking what he must do to “gain” eternal life. We know that we cannot do anything to gain eternal life or even our salvation as it was freely given to us. But the rich man was persistent and Jesus’ standard answer of following the commandments did not…
The Parable of the Vineyard and the Tenants
After Jesus had cleared the temple of the various merchants, He called out the Jewish leaders for turning the house of the Lord into a den of robbers. This did not sit well with the chief priests and the teachers of the law, as they started looking for ways to kill Him. They questioned the…
The One After John – John 1
The conversation between the other John and the Jewish leaders where he denied comparisons to three of the most famous Old Testament figures.
The Lamb of God – John 1
The ministry of Jesus spread through people sharing their personal experiences of their encounter with the Messiah. Even today, in a world filled with countless religions and distractions, the work of God continues through the personal testimonies of people who have experienced Christ in their lives.
The New Wine – John 2
Two days after gathering His disciples, Jesus arrived at a wedding in a place called Cana in the region of Galilee. During the festivities, Jesus’s mother brought a matter of concern to Him saying that the wedding party had run out of wine. Of all the requests brought before Jesus, this would have been the most trivial of the lot.
The New Temple – John 2
Jesus did not answer their demands by giving them a sign immediately but foretold about His own death and resurrection that will be the ultimate sign of His authority given to everyone.
The Light – John 3
Everyone knows John 3:16 by heart but the next verse is equally important, for Jesus did not come to condemn us but save us. If he wanted to condemn us for our wrongdoings, He would have brought the day of judgment upon us but rather He came with the sole intention to be an atonement for our sins.
The Living Water – John 4
The living water represents His Spirit in us who gives us the joy that comes from knowing that our sins are forgiven. The joy in our hearts that gives us a new life, a new beginning with the knowledge that the slate has been wiped clean. That is what Jesus has to offer.
The Savior of the World – John 4
Quite ironical that the Jews , through whom the salvation was to come rejected the Messiah but the ‘pagan’ Samaritans were the first to proclaim Jesus as the Savior of the world. Jesus revealed His true identity in this Samaritan town, something that He would not do in the Jewish towns.
The Healer – John 5
During one of Jesus’ trips to Jerusalem, He encounters a man sitting by the poolside at Bethesda waiting for healing when the Healer himself came to him.
The Son of God – John 5
Once again Jesus had riled up the Jewish leaders simply by giving a man the ability to pick up his mat and walk as they started questioning His authority.
The Bread of Life – John 6
Just like satan blinded the eyes of those disciples who abandoned Jesus that day, he is doing the same even today for the believers who are satisfied with eating the symbolic bread and wine and will never desire to taste the Bread of Life.
The Son of David – John 7
Jesus came alone to Jerusalem and stood out in the crowd, He did not wait for the consensus to be formed about Him before He spoke out against the leaders. By the power of God, He took a stand against the leaders who had diluted the Gospel and made it a religion. Are we waiting for a consensus in our lives or are willing to stand out for God?
The Great I Am – John 8
Jesus saved the adulterous woman from being stoned and did not condemn her. But now the crowds had picked up the stones once again, this time, to kill Jesus.
The Man They Call Jesus – John 9
While the Pharisees were focused on their quest to crucify the Messiah, Jesus continued to walk on the path that God had set before Him, touching yet another life on His way to Calvary. As Jesus and His disciples were walking the streets of Jerusalem, they saw a man who had been blind from birth. The disciples could not help but pass judgement and wanted Jesus to weigh in on who is responsible for this man’s condition, his parents or he himself.
The Messiah – John 20
Often we are reduced to our basic understanding of who Christ is. We are not able to fathom the extent of His power when we experience His wondrous works in our lives. Some even try to rationalise His supernatural intervention using medical sciences, their good fortunes and even their wit that gave them a way out of their problems. Mary and the other women who witnessed the empty tomb would have often heard Jesus talk about this day, but when the day finally arrived they were puzzled.
The Epilogue – John 21
Peter and John were the two disciples who experienced Jesus’ trial up close and were also the first of the disciples to reach the tomb of Jesus only to find it empty. Perhaps this is why we are given a short epilogue at the end of John’s account to tie up the loose ends with…
God of the Living – Matthew 22
Jesus came with the purpose of introducing or reintroducing God to everyone, those who loved Him and even those who hated Him. The questioning session that the Pharisees and the Sadducees had been using to unmask Jesus before His followers, turned into Jesus revealing the identity as the Messiah.
Proof of Concept – Matthew 16
Sometimes we ask God for signs as proof, but is that wrong? We see a lot of people in the bible asking for signs and God graciously provided them with signs. As long as our intentions are pure, God would be happy to help us if that leads us to understand His will.
Will we Recognize His Voice?
We may recall the Government officials hiring Judas Iscariot to identify the Messiah, as they were unable to recognize Jesus on their own, as they did not have the Spirit of God. Whereas the ten lepers who were staying away from their village, were able to recognize Jesus in a remote place.
The Living Water
On his way to Galilee Jesus passed through the small town of Sychar inhabited by Samaritans. It was mid-day and the journey and the heat took a toll on Him and Jesus sat by the well. Along came this Samaritan woman to draw water from that well.
The Jordan Valley 