Jesus’ display of passion in the temple during the Passover must have raised many eyebrows, but Jesus was then launched onto the stage of popularity in His day. The Bible says, “When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there” (John 4:45). But before that, Jesus had a meeting with a man named Nicodemus, who was very religious. He was probably one of the people who had most likely seen what Jesus did at the wedding. He comes to meet Jesus under the cover of dark, because he was deeply concerned with his own reputation and did not want to be seen with Jesus. Take a look.
Knowing Him Study: pages 53-55
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Jesus leaves the wedding ceremony and heads up to Jerusalem with His disciples and family for the feast of the Passover. This seven-day Jewish feast has its roots in God’s deliverance of His people from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. Jesus enters the feast and becomes very, very impassioned. What gets Jesus’ blood pressure soaring? As you read this story, ask yourself if you are passionate about the same things that Jesus is passionate about.
Knowing Him Study: pages 50-52
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After you have challenged your family and friends to come and check out Jesus, you must begin to explain to them what the Bible says about Him. You must tell them who He is. There is a lot that the Bible says about who Jesus is, so where do you begin? We learned yesterday that Jesus began where the people were, where they would best understand, and He used the Bible — the Word of God. Let’s see where He goes from there with this first group of “Christ-followers.”
Knowing Him Study: pages 47-49
After more than forty days in the wilderness, Jesus comes through the time of temptation and embarks on a mission to start making disciples. He begins by calling people to “Come and see,” to come and investigate the facts of who He is. He then opens their eyes to the truth that He is the promised Messiah they have been waiting for. As they believe, He changes His message to “Follow Me.” Two calls — one to those who have not yet believed and one to those who believe. Notice on the map where Jesus is. He returns to Bethany, on the other side of the Jordan, where John had been baptizing people (John 1:28). There were several towns called Bethany in Jesus’ day. One was a few miles outside of Jerusalem, home to Mary and Martha, who we will meet later and another was on the other side of the Jordan River. It is at the latter Bethany that Jesus makes these first two calls, “Come and see” and “Follow Me.” Dive into the story and be on the lookout for words that reveal Jesus’ humanity and deity.
Knowing Him Study: pages 44-46
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God the Father opens the heavens and speaks to Jesus, telling Him that He loves Him, identifying Him as His Son and telling Him that He is well pleased with Him. What a moment in Jesus’ life! Immediately following this event, the Bible says that the Spirit of God led Jesus into the wilderness. Why? What for? What would be waiting for Jesus in the wilderness? Take a look.
Knowing Him Study: pages 41-43
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Jesus begins His earthly ministry when He is about thirty years old (Luke 3:23). This first phase of Jesus’ earthly ministry will last about a year and a half. Let’s look at the circumstances surrounding this momentous occasion. Jesus’ ministry starts when the heavens are rolled back and His Father speaks. Wow! What would it have been like to hear God the Father speak? Put yourself in Jesus’ sandals today and listen to the Father speak to you.
Knowing Him Study: pages 38-40
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The Father spent the first thirty years of Jesus’ life preparing Him to be the model leader and the shepherd of His people. Thirty years living as a human being — tempted, suffering, experiencing life growing up in a dry land that was under occupation by a strong Roman force. Jesus was prepared by the Father to emerge as the leader of leaders. There had never been and never will be a leader that is more wise, compassionate and loving as Jesus. He is our model of how to lead and shepherd the flock of God, because He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) and the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4). If you need a model for leadership, there is none better than Jesus. Read carefully and learn from the Master if you want to learn leadership Jesus-style.
Knowing Him Study: pages 35-37
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If you had any doubt that Jesus suffered for you after yesterday's study, today's might hit you hard. In Psalms, we get a glimpse into Jesus' relationship with His brothers and His community. The picture is a sad one. It shows what life was like for Jesus on a daily basis. Take a moment to pray before you read God's word.
Knowing Him Study: pages 32:34
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Today, we will be leaving the gospels and looking at the Old Testament Messianic passages. A Messianic passage is a section of scripture in the Old Testament in which God shines light on the coming Messiah, giving people a view of what is to come. We will be doing this from time to time because, really, the whole Bible is about Jesus. I remember when my mentor first shared this passage with me and what a huge insight into the growing-up years of Jesus it was for me. In Isaiah, we get a great description of the Messiah that may be unlike anything you would expect! There are great things to be learned, so let's start exploring.
Knowing Him Study: pages 29-21
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When we left the story yesterday, the Magi (wise men) had just visited Jesus and His family and had brought Him some very expensive gifts. During the night, His father has a dream in which the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt" (Matt. 2:13). Although we do not know how Jesus was in Egypt, or all the reasons His heavenly Father took Him there, we do know it was a formative time in His life. Surely Jesus was confronted by people of other cultures and was persecuted for being Jewish in a place that was never friendly to Jew and had a history of bondage and slavery. It was probably not the place Joesph would have chosen for his new family. Maybe Jesus even received several years of education in Egypt, much like Moses did. What will happen to this family next? Today. we will meet the boy Jesus as His family makes their yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Come and see.
Knowing Him Study: pages 25-28
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