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 “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!