AUGUST 06 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#24 “Is the power and authority of baptism from heaven or from men?”” (Matthew 21:25)

 

AUGUST 06  THE JESUS QUESTIONS   

JQ#24  “Is the power and authority of baptism 

from heaven or from men?””  

(Matthew 21:25)

LIVING FOR JESUS Daily Prayer    

JESUS, as I navigate my daily life I admit to the feeling that I am

 overwhelmed by the world and my changing circumstances  —

—— my ability to provide for the well being of my family has been

 diminished again ——— Lord I hear the words written yesterday as You asked

 {Question JQ#23} “What do you want Me to do for you?”

(Matthew 20:32)

 and I am torn between two emotions: the first is that You already 

have done so much for me and my family that on one hand I think 

that what You have given us already is more than “enough” but when 

I look at the bills piling up and my resources diminishing, the 

second emotion rises that says that “Now, more than ever” 

I need You, and indeed I know that from my own resources that I am

 unable to take care of everything by myself and that there is no place 

for me to turn but to You and Your Amazing Grace! Lord,

 I TRUST YOU to do with my life what needs to be done to keep me

 on the True Path. Forgive me Lord when I let the worries of the world

 rob me of the “Joy” of my salvation — let me not look to my needs 

but let me do all I can with what I have to address the needs of others,

 trusting that You will supply all my need!  

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He 

who comes in the name of the LORD!”   

AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus moves us closer to the 

ULTIMATE TRUTH OF GOD 

with each Question and now we find that as Jesus lives out His life 

that He not only uses each circumstance to Teach the 

Truth of God, 

but Jesus also uses the places where He Teaches His Lesson

 to emphasize the importance of that Truth! Jesus had started the 

last Question as He “was going up to Jerusalem” and was 

taking “the twelve disciples” with Him 

(Matthew 20:17), 

and now as Jesus begins the next Lesson we read:

 “Now they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage,

 at the Mount of Olives…” 

(Matthew 21:1) 

If we do not stop and ask ourselves if there is any “spiritual” significance

 to these three locations then we will be making a monumental error

 by going ahead and reading verse 2 that tells us what Jesus did 

at this location and miss the Truth of God that is revealed not only 

by what Jesus did but the significance of Jesus doing 

what He did at this specific location that was “near Jerusalem” 

in the village of “Bethphage” and at the “Mount of Olives”. 

Jesus never asked a Question to gain knowledge for Himself for He

 is “All-Knowing” and in His great Wisdom He Teaches not only by

 asking Questions that make us aware of our relationship with 

God Himself but Jesus also used the circumstance and even the

 precise location to demonstrate by His actions 

the Truth of God by His Perfect Example. 

We cannot read names like 

“Bethany, Bethphage, Jerusalem, and Mount of Olives” 

in the Bible without paying close attention to the 

Spiritual Significance 

God placed on specific locations where God Himself had met with

 His chosen people and gave them Instructions 

on how to relate to our Creator!

 

So before we get into the next Question it would be wise to consider

 the “context” of the JQ#24 Question (Matthew 21:1-32) and in this

 case the precise location where the next Question by Jesus was asked

 or we will miss almost entirely the “Spiritual Significance” of the 

Question itself and thereby we will miss one of the most significant

 “Truths of God” 

that Jesus has Taught with His Questions up to this point!  

So let’s do a little homework and look at the locations mentioned

 in Matthew 21:1 and it will put a completely different “light” 

on the “Spiritual Significance” of the next Question (JQ#24)

 that Jesus asks! 

“Jerusalem” is fairly easy to figure out but the significance of

“Bethphage” is difficult without “digging for the Truth” but the location

 and activities at “Bethphage” are very significant to this next question (as well as

 “Bethany, Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives!”) so “Bethphage” 

is a good place to start doing a little extra study before attempting 

to formulate our answer for JQ#24!

THE DEEPER YOU DIG 

INTO GOD’S DIVINE TRUTH 

THE GREATER THE SPIRITUAL TREASURE

 STORED UP FOR YOU

 

KEEP DIGGING

AUGUST 05 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#23 “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Matthew 20:32)

 

AUGUST 05  THE JESUS QUESTIONS   

JQ#23 

 “What do you want Me to do for you?”  

(Matthew 20:32)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS no other Name can be called upon like the Name of Jesus. 

Lord when we think of all the names that have been called out 

throughout history there simply is no Name other than the Name of Jesus

 that so many have called out to for “help” and certainly no other Name 

that people call out to shower “praise” on. There just is no other Name

 ever spoken that speaks of Grace, Mercy, Forgiveness, Cleansing,

 Salvation, and Healing and that list is but a very small portion of the 

great things that Jesus has done for mankind, for generations past,

 for generations in the future, and for our daily needs of the 

generation in which we live 

— so I simply call out the Matchless Name —

 JESUS, JESUS, JESUS!!!   

AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus is using this Question to get us to think about what we believe

 that Jesus has the power to do in our lives. Jesus had just Taught that 

God Himself will decide our place in heaven and that we should not 

seek to be great but that we should seek to find our place in the kingdom

 where we will be able to serve others for the kingdom’s sake, and not 

for any personal glory! Jesus followed up that Lesson on humility and 

servitude as He continued on His trip to Jerusalem and just outside of 

Jericho where “a great multitude followed Him” (Matthew 20:29)

 that “behold, two blind men [were] sitting by the road, 

[and] when they heard that Jesus was passing by, 

cried out, saying, ‘Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” 

(Matthew 20:30) 

The “multitudes” told the blind men to “be quiet” and leave Jesus alone

 but the blind men kept calling out to Jesus asking for His mercy,

 declaring Jesus to be the 

“Son of David” (Matthew 20:31) 

It was at this point that Jesus asked JQ#23 of the two blind men

 calling out the name of Jesus, calling Him “Lord” 

and the “Son of David” which was reference to 

Jesus, God’s Chosen One, the Messiah, 

“so Jesus stood still and called [the two blind men] and said,

 ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’” 

(JQ#23  Matthew 20:32). 

Before we see how Jesus responded to the blind men calling on Him

 to heal their blindness, we should note here that the “multitudes” 

were telling the blind men to be quiet and not to bother Jesus 

— to me this is just like our world today that tries to keep us blinded

 to who Jesus really is and what His Purpose is for our lives. 

We should be like the blind men - for the blind men had already 

recognized Jesus as the Son of God, the Chosen One, the Messiah 

so they did not let the world turn them from Jesus but they replied to Jesus,

 “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” 

(Matthew 20:33) 

Jesus then Taught by His actions that

 it is the will of the Father that we call on the Name of Jesus 

and recognize that Jesus is the Only Begotten Son, the Christ,

 the Messiah, and believe that whatever we ask of Jesus,

 that if it glorifies God, then it will be done for us

 for Matthew writes how Jesus responded 

to the blind men requesting that their

 “eyes be opened”: 

“So Jesus had compassion 

and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes

 received sight, and they followed Him.” 

(Matthew 20:34) 

Therefore when Jesus asks us

 “What do you want Me to do for you?” 

we must not let the world keep us in blindness to the

 Truth of God that God so loved the world 

that He gave His only begotten Son 

that if we believe in Him 

that our blindness will be healed 

— we should take inventory on what we believe that Jesus can do for us

 and believe that He “can” and “will” heal us and certainly He will open 

our eyes to the Purpose God has for our lives, for when we ask Jesus

 for His help, He will have “compassion” on us and our spiritual eyes 

will receive sight, but we must first have enough “Faith” in who He is 

and what He can do to ask Him to supply our need! Where will you

 turn when you realize the world has blinded you and you cannot 

see God’s Plan for your life and who will you call on to restore your sight?

 Just remember Jesus came to 

“seek and to save that which is lost” 

and 

“to give sight to the blind” 

and He gently calls out to each and every individual, 

“What do you want Me to do for you?”