Jesus and His disciples were by the Sea of Galilee, but they were in the Decapolis. That was an area of 10 cities where Gentiles lived. This was outside of Jewish territory, and the people that lived there were the kind that most Jews would not even sit down with to eat a meal.
Read MoreAn argument had started to rise up between the disciples. They were debating over which one of them would be the greatest in the Kingdom of God. In the Jewish culture, rank and status were very important. Everyone knew their place in society.
Read MoreFor hundreds of years, the Jewish people had been anticipating the coming of the Messiah, Now He was among them, preaching in the Temple courts, healing their sick, and proclaiming the Good News of God's plan to bring salvation to the world.
Read MoreJesus continued to go through the region of Judea, preaching and teaching the Good News of the Kingdom of God. The Scribes and Pharisees continued to accuse Him of being an agent of Satan.
Read MoreThe Pharisees and Scribes continued to plot against Jesus. They sought to trap Him with questions so they could silence Him. Meanwhile, Jesus continued to preach the Good News to the people and bring healing to the broken.
Read MoreAs Jesus traveled the countryside of Judea, He continued to bring Truth and Light wherever He went. As He healed people of their blindness, their lame feet, and the demonization, He showed the world that the in-breaking of God’s Kingdom was already on it’s way.
Read MoreAs Jesus continued to preach, He kept untwisting the horrible distortions and lies that kept the people living in fear and false belief. How offensive it must have been to Him that these lies were being told about His Heavenly Father!
Read MoreIt was a miracle that nobody had heard of before. A man that had been born blind…that didn’t even have the proper eyes to restore sight to…was given his sight. Once again, Jesus, the radical young preacher that was turning the nation of Israel upside down, had done something nobody could explain.
Read MoreJesus had confronted the Pharisees and religious leaders over and over again for more than two and a half years. It was becoming ever more clear that their hearts were not growing softer and more ready to accept their Savior.
Read MoreAround that time, some Pharisees came to Jesus. A lot of the religious leaders wanted to see Jesus dead, but these men wanted to protect Him. They warned Him that King Herod wanted to kill Him.
Read MoreJesus sat at the table of a powerful Pharisee. The influential, honored religious men of the region had joined them. Normally, an invitation to dinner is meant to be a sign of friendship, but in this case, it was quite the opposite.
Read MoreSometimes when we read about the life and words of the Lord Jesus, He can seem wild and untamed. He is unpredictable. He does what we would never expect.
Read MoreAs Jesus finished His astonishing teachings about prayer (see Story 151), He moved on from the region in the north and worked His way through Perea. He journeyed as far as the region of Judea, on the far side of the Jordan.
Read MoreJesus was headed for Jerusalem. As they walked along the road, He strode with determination to move towards His task ahead. The disciples were amazed and full of fear. Everyone knew the rumors about the plans of the Sanhedrin.
Read MoreIt was the time of the Passover Feast for the nation of Israel. Over two thousand years before, God had brought the Hebrew people out of their slavery to the Egyptian Pharaoh. The Pharaoh had been given chance after chance to set God’s people free, but he had refused.
Read MoreIt was morning, and Jesus and His disciples were walking from the town of Bethany on the Mount of Olives across the valley into Jerusalem. As they went, the Lord explained that because of their faith in Him, His disciples could feel confident that God would answer their prayers in breathtaking ways…they could cast a mountain into the sea if they only believed.
Read MoreThe religious leaders were mad. And they were scared. Nobody, not even the most brilliant minds in the nation, had the courage to stand up to Jesus any more. He was too quick. He spoke with a power and an authority that they had no answer to.
Read MoreAs Jesus stood in a courtyard of the Temple, He had already begun to declare His indictment against the religious leaders of Israel. It was a mighty confrontation. Here was the Son of the living God, pronouncing God's rebuke against the leaders of His holy nation…His treasured possession.
Read MoreJesus was standing in the court of God's holy Temple making powerful declarations against the Pharisees and religious leaders. Now it was time for the seventh and final woe (see Story 167 for the first six woes).
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