SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/18/2021 9:29 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
“Jesus Ministers Alone”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew 11:1
Message of the
verse: “1 And
it came about that when Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve
disciples, He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.”
As we look at the text we don’t
actually see that Jesus went out to minister, that He did so after He sent the
disciples out, and so Jesus was ministering on His own and the 12 were
ministering to others. I have to say
that as I think about this passage along with what I am studying in the book of
Hebrews for our Sunday school class that I can see a pattern here. What I mean is that Jesus is now in heaven
sitting at the right hand of God ministering as our High Priest and those whom
He has chosen to teach and preach in the church, which is something that I am
looking at as I post older SD’s on my other blog from Ephesians. Jesus is the One, through His Holy Spirit to
call those He wants to minister in different churches as Jesus is the One who
gifted them to do so.
John MacArthur writes “While they
(His disciples) were gone, Jesus ‘departed from there’ (the place of
instruction; see 10:1) and began Himself ‘to teach and preach in their cities,’
that is, the cities of Galilee. For a
relatively brief period of time, Jesus ministered alone while the disciples
were out on their first mission.”
By the way did
I mention that this will be a very short SD for today.
Jesus twofold ministry was to teach
and to preach, to explain and to proclaim the good news. Most of our Lord’s teaching would have been
done in the streets and the cities, but since the synagogues were the normal
place where Scripture was taught among the Jews, some of His teaching was
probably done there as well. We don’t
really know how long that this went on, but we can subject that it went on as
long at the disciples were on their mission trip. MacArthur writes “The Jewish historian Philo
reports that the main purpose of synagogue services was to read and expound
Scripture. Visiting rabbis and scholars
were always welcome to teach in the local synagogues, and Jesus availed Himself
of that privilege many times (see Matt. 4:23; 9:35; 12:9; Mark 6:2; Luke 6:6;
John 18:20).”
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: Jesus is
the One, through His Holy Spirit that leads me to do the ministry that He has
planned for me to do from eternity past (see Eph. 2:10), and I am thankful for
doing that ministry for the cause of Christ.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the
Lord to work in my heart as I prepare for my Sunday school class and also a
Bible study tomorrow, that all would bring glory to His name.
11/18/2021 9:50
AM
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