Jesus was born in Bethlehem which is just south of Jerusalem. He spent most of His life in a town called Nazareth in the northern part of Israel near the Sea of Galilee. Like all Jewish men, He learned a trade, in His case carpentry, from his step-father Joseph. He would have gone to the local synagogue, the local place of religious learning. He would also have visited Jerusalem up to three times a year, visiting family and friends, including those from his step-father's side in Bethlehem. Jesus may have become a rabbi. If the triumphal entry was 10th Nisan AD32 eg 6th April AD32 then Jesus started His ministry in September - November   Read more »

Luke 3:1-20. Son of Zechariah and Elizabeth and cousin of Jesus. John was God's forerunner to Jesus. John the Baptist baptized with water and Jesus baptized with fire and the Holy Spirit. John started his ministry about three months before Jesus started His. Of interest, the stones John the Baptist and Jesus mentions may have been the stones Joshua had placed by the River Jordan as Israel crossed into the promised land (see Joshua 2:20-24). John in Hebrew means: God has shown favor.
Background Reading: 3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Caesar Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,   Read more »

Luke 3:15-18. While preaching to those who came to hear him, John the Baptist said, "I baptize with water and He will follow who will baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist said he was not worthy to be the second to lowest slave. It was the custom that the second to lowest slave removed the sandal and the lowest slave washed the feet. In the week of His death, Jesus would choose, as the disciples' teacher, do both himself. Discover why.
Background Reading: 3:15 Now the people were filled with expectation, and all of them were wondering if John was perhaps the Messiah.   Read more »

Luke 4:1-13. Satan tempts Jesus for 40 days in the wilderness, which was south of Jerusalem. Satan is at war with God and if Satan could have corrupted God's Son, Jesus, he, Satan, would have won the war, but again he, Satan, lost another battle. Satan tempts Jesus with three totally different temptations. The first Adam failed the temptation in Genesis 3:1-24 and the second Adam (Jesus) passed all three temptations here in Luke 1:1-13 and the temptations in Revelation. Satan quotes Scripture but not correctly and Jesus quotes the correct Scripture back at Satan.   Read more »

John 1:35-51. Andrew was one of the first disciple Jesus called. Jesus called Andrew shortly after He was baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan near Jerusalem. Jesus also ended up with Simon Peter. Who is Andrew's brother? The unnamed disciple may be John the writer of this Gospel or could have been Judas Iscariot. Jesus also called Philip and Nathanael. Then they all headed back to Galilee. Sometime after their arrival, Jesus went to a wedding at Cana in Galilee. Background Reading:   Read more »

John 2:1-11. This was Jesus' first miracle when He turned water into wine. The Master of Ceremony commented to his host "You have kept the best wine to the last". Notice the interactions between Jesus and His mother, Mary, in the reading below. According to John, this was Jesus' first miracle. There were many more to follow including His resurrection from the dead. This happened in the small town of Cana in Galilee. Background Reading: 2:1 On the third day of that week there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,   Read more »

John 3:1-21. Nicodemus goes under the cover of night to visit Jesus. Jesus says to him "you must be born again from above" e.g. spirit. And also by natural father and mother. Jesus is now back in Jerusalem for the Jewish Passover Feast early Spring e.g. March-April. Jesus uses the term Son of Man to Nicodemus to say I am God.
Background Reading: 3:1 Now there was a man from the Pharisees, a leader of the Jews, whose name was Nicodemus.   Read more »

John 4:1-42. Jesus talks to a woman in the middle of the day. This happened near the town of Sychar. The Hebrew name of Sychar could mean shoulder. Jesus and His disciples were again heading back to Galilee. Via Samaria, which was not the normal way for a Jew to travel to Galilee. Normally Jews would all travel the longer way by going up the Jordan River on the other side. Background Reading: 4:1 Now when Jesus realized that the Pharisees had heard he was making and baptizing more disciples than John—   Read more »

Luke 5:1-11. The first time Jesus called for disciples He was near the river Jordan. The second time Jesus called disciples He was at the Sea of Galilee. Some disciples were in both groups e.g. Peter, Andrew. This time Peter and his brother Andrew were working by casting a fishing net into the lake. At this time He called James and John who were brothers. This was the second set of brothers called. The other set of brothers in the 12 disciples were Andrew and Simon, also called Peter by Jesus.   Read more »

Luke 5:17-26. Jesus heals a man brought on his sleeping mat by four friends. Houses were constructed mainly of clay and stone and were mainly flat-roofed, with a stairway at the side of the house. The four friends climbed the stairs and removed the roof tiles. They lowered the man on a mat right in front of Jesus. Jesus healed him and the man went home praising God. By saying He was the Son of Man and had the power to forgive sins, Jesus was saying He was God. The Jewish leaders kept saying Jesus was not God but how wrong they were.   Read more »

Matthew 9:27-31. The healing of these two blind men may have taken place in Matthew's own house. Matthew had just been called as a disciple. He was based in Galilee as a tax collector for the Romans, therefore, was an outcast in Jewish society. Calling of Matthew also called Levi Matthew 9:9-9, Mark 2:13-14, Luke 5:27-29. Matthew's nationality was that of a Jew probably from the tribe of Levi. Background Reading: 9:27 As Jesus was traveling on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting,  Read more »

Luke 6:12-16. After Jesus had spent a night in prayer He chose out of His followers those He wanted to especially train.
The twelve he chose were: 1 Simon (whom He named Peter), 2 His brother Andrew, 3 James and his brother, 4 John, 5 Philip, 6 Bartholomew sometimes called Nathanael, 7 Matthew some times called Levi, 8 Thomas also called Didymus, which means twin, 9 James son of Alphaeus, 10 Simon who was called the Zealot, 11 Judas son of James, 12 And Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. After Jesus had sent out His twelve disciples.   Read more »

Luke 6:17-49. The sermon in a level place, as found in Luke 6:17-49, and the Sermon on the Mount, as found in Matthew 5:1-7:29, are possibility the same message at two different places. It appears that this level pace was in walking distance of Capernaum. Maybe the mount was in the greater area of Galilee also. Jesus teaches them how to live their lives according to God's word. In Luke's account, Jesus stands to teach the crowd. In Matthew's account - After seeing the crowds, Jesus takes His followers or disciples and Apostles away from the crowd up a mountainside.   Read more »

Luke 7:1-10. The Centurion's servant was healed at a distance because of the Centurion's faith. Jesus said "I have not found such great faith even in Israel." The Romans were seen as a foreign occupying force. The headquarters for the Roman army was at Caesarea, a seaport. This Roman Centurion was stationed at Capernaum, a town on the edge of the Sea of Galilee. He had built for the local Jews a place of worship, called a synagogue. A centurion was in charge of 100 soldiers.   Read more »

Luke 7:36-50. Jesus early in His ministry had gone to have an evening meal with a religious leader called Simon. A woman who had lived a life that had not pleased God came to say "I love you Jesus". She showed her love by anointing Jesus with her own burial perfume. With her tears she washed Jesus' feet and with her hair she wiped Jesus' feet dry. Simon had not done the customary thing, by not washing his guest's feet.
Background Reading: 7:36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to eat with him. So he went to the Pharisee’s home   Read more »

Luke 8:4-15. Jesus used a parable of a farmer sowing his fields to illustrate a point. The word of God and how people react to it. The 10th Parable in Luke. In Luke 8:11-15 He gives the explanation of this parable. This parable was told while He was in Galilee. Jesus seems to have told the same parable more than once. Background Reading: 8:4 Now while a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from every city, he said in a parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, were trampled on,   Read more »

Luke 8:16-18. In the eleventh parable in Luke Jesus uses a lamp. A parable is a brief, succinct story, in prose or verse, that illustrates a moral or religious lesson. This parable was about making your light shine and what is hidden will be exposed. Jesus was teaching in parables so the people listening would not understand what He was teaching unless God the Father revealed it to them.
Background Reading: 8:16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it under a bowl or puts it under a bed.   Read more »

Luke 8:22-25. The Lake of Galilee has fierce storms and high winds which come without warning. It was one of these storms that came while Jesus was sleeping in the boat. The wind was so strong that the fishermen disciples were totally terrified. Jesus spoke; "Quiet! Be still", and the wind obeyed Him. Background Reading: 8:22 One day, Jesus and his disciples got into a boat. He told them, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they started out. 23 Now as they were sailing, Jesus fell asleep. A violent storm swept over the lake, and they were taking on water and were in great danger.   Read more »

Luke 9:1-6. The twelve disciples of Jesus were later known as the Twelve Apostles. At this time they included Judas Iscariot. Jesus sent them out for practical training. They were sent out with power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and Jesus sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. The things that Jesus and the twelve disciples were doing even got all the way to Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch (ruler) of Galilee and Peraea, and even Herod Antipas tried to see Jesus.   Read more »

Matthew 14:1-12. John was God's forerunner for Jesus telling people to get ready for their Messiah. John the Baptist was Jesus' cousin. When John heard the voice of Mary the mother of Jesus he jumped in his mother Elizabeth's womb. Herod the Tetrarch was also known as Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee and Perea 4BC-AD39, and he had John the Baptist beheaded to keep a promise to Salome daughter of Herodias.
Background Reading: 14:1 At that time Herod the tetrarch, hearing about the fame of Jesus,   Read more »

Luke 9:10-17. Jesus feeds 5000 men plus women and children, possibly on the way to a Passover Feast in Jerusalem. Jesus was speaking to the crowd that was there and yet He was teaching His own inner twelve at the same time. The event starts off with Jesus planning to debrief His apostles, who have just come back from a mission. This was the second to last Passover Feast before His Crucifixion at the next Passover.
Background Reading: 9:10 The apostles came back and told Jesus everything they had done.   Read more »

Mark 6:45-56. After the feeding of the five thousand Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go to Bethsaida. Jesus stayed behind. He then later came to them walking on the water. Peter asked if he could come to Him. Jesus said "yes". So Peter got out of the boat and also walked on the water. Then Peter sank when he realized what he was doing.
Background Reading: 6:45 Jesus immediately had his disciples get into a boat and cross to Bethsaida ahead of him,   Read more »

Matthew 15:29-39. Again the crowds came to have their physical needs met, whereas Jesus was trying to tell them He was here to meet their spiritual needs. Jesus turned seven small bread rolls and some small fish into a meal that fed 4000 men plus women and children. Afterwards, the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. Jesus fed a mixed crowd of Jews and mainly Gentiles. The event of feeding the 4000 took place in the Decapolis on the southeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus left the scene by boat.   Read more »

Matthew 15:39 or Mark 8:10. Again one of a number of times Jesus used a boat to get around the Sea or Lake of Galilee. The Pharisees again ask Jesus for a sign. This time Jesus sighs and says no sign will be given. Other times include: Matthew 4:21; 8:23; 9:1; 13:2; 14:13;15:39, Mark 3:9; 4:35; 8:10-13, Luke 5:2; 8:22 and John 6:23: 21:8. Background Reading: 10 he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha. 11 he Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven.   Read more »

Mark 8:22-26. Jesus healed a Blind Man while at the village of Bethsaida by taking him outside the village. Jesus spat on his eyes and laid His hands on him twice. Jesus then said to the Blind Man, "Go home and do not tell people what I have done for you. Notice that Jesus healed each blind man, or set of blind men, in a unique way. Background Reading:22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him,   Read more »

Matthew 16:13-20. Jesus asks His disciples, "Who do you think I am." Peter answers, "You are the Messiah." Jesus replies, "You are Peter (Petros=stone)." "I (Jesus) am the bedrock (petra) and I (Jesus) will build My Church and the gates of Hades i.e. (powers of death) will not overcome it." Jesus holds the keys and control of Death and Hades and He lives forever and ever. Keys denotes authority and power. Hades is the Greek world for the realm of death. In the New Testament, the word used for what we call "hell" is Gehenna.   Read more »

Luke 9:28-36. Jesus goes to a mountaintop with three of His disciples. And meets with His father and two men, possibly Moses and Elijah. Peter wanted to build three Shelters or Tabernacles or Sacred Tents. God replied to Peter's comments by saying, "Listen to my Son". God now does not dwell in tents but in His people's hearts. Once again Jesus was to tell His disciples that He was going to die and how it was to happen and yet the disciples still did not get it. Background Reading: 9:28 Now about eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John, and James with him and   Read more »

Luke 10:1-24. Jesus sent 70 or 72 disciples out for practical training. Jesus has already sent out earlier His 12 inner group of disciples for practical training. This time the disciples came back all excited that the evil spirits were in their control. To which Jesus replied but "Rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven." Jesus ends the whole exercise with more teaching on who He is and His relationship to God and also the disciples' relationship to God. Background Reading: 10:1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him.   Read more »

John 8:12. By saying "I Am," Jesus was telling people that He was God. A number of Jewish leaders believed He was not the Messiah because He lived in Nazareth. However, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and where was the Messiah to be born of the line of King David? Yes, Bethlehem. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world". Jesus was saying, "Follow Me and not others. See Me and believe on Me. In Me you see God. If you will follow Me you will always walk in my light. Jesus was now teaching the crowds only in parables, so they could hear but not understand.   Read more »

John 9:1-41. Jesus heals a man born blind to teach His disciples a truth. Those against Jesus used this to cause trouble. Jesus makes His point again to the Pharisees, He heals this blind man on a Sabbath. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath and one of the signs that He was the Messiah, and God was His father, was He, Jesus, would heal the blind. The word Sabbath in Hebrew means: rest.
Background Reading: 9:1 As he was walking along, he observed a man who had been blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him,   Read more »

John 10:1-21. As His sheep, we need to know the true shepherd and respond to His voice. Jesus used an everyday example to make His point that He was the true shepherd and He will look after His flock. Jesus was still polarizing His Jewish listeners, those who did not believe He was the Messiah and those who did. Jesus was back in Jerusalem. Jesus soon after this teaching goes beyond the Jordan somewhere near Jericho.
Background Reading: 10:1 “Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, the person who doesn’t enter the sheepfold through the gate,   Read more »

Luke 11:29-32. Jesus talks about Jonah the prophet as a sign to his Jewish hearers. Jonah's ministry was about 782BC-753BC. He was the prophet who traveled in a whale or a great fish to Nineveh. The city of Nineveh is now called Mosul in northern Iraq with a Jewish quarter, synagogues, study halls and a cemetery. Background Reading: 11:29 Now as the crowds continued to throng around Jesus, he went on to say, “This people living today are an evil generation. It craves a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.   Read more »

Luke 11:33-36. Jesus came as the light of the world. Jesus uses this parable (17th in Luke) to illustrate. Believe in Jesus and walk in the light of life. Darkness is a state of those who do not believe in Jesus. The lamp represents the light of God and his son Jesus. JESUS IS THE LAMP AND GOD IS THE LIGHT. God is light. Light is pure energy. Background Reading: 11:33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a hiding place or under a basket, but on a lamp stand, so that those who enter may see its light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy,   Read more »

Luke 11:37-52. Keys Luke 11:52 sixth woe or terror. Keys were a symbol of authority. With the right key, you can open or lock doors. Again we see an insight into the running war Jesus had with the Pharisees, the stricter religious group within the Israeli religious system. After Jesus had said some comments against them and the teachers of the law. See the bottom two lines of the background reading for their response.
Background Reading: 11:37 After Jesus had said this, a Pharisee invited him to have a meal with him. So Jesus went and   Read more »

Luke 12:13-21. Jesus, in answer to a question replied with a parable. Maybe the questioner, was using the Law of Moses as found in Deuteronomy 21:15-17. The Parable of the Rich Fool. The 18th parable in Luke, illustrating that life does not consist of earthly possessions.
Background Reading: 12:13 Then someone in the crowd told him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But Jesus asked him, “Mister, who appointed me to be a judge or arbitrator over you people?   Read more »

Luke 12:35-40. Jesus uses this parable (28th in Luke) to illustrate: Having yourself ready for the master day or night. "Master", in this case, is Jesus. The lamp represents the light of God and His son Jesus. JESUS IS THE LAMP AND GOD IS THE LIGHT.
Background Reading: 12:35 “You must keep your belts fastened and your lamps burning. 36 Be like people who are waiting for their master to return from a wedding. As soon as he arrives and knocks,   Read more »

Luke 15:1-7. Jesus tells another parable. This time about the lost sheep. Until we know Jesus we are like the lost sheep. If a shepherd lost a sheep, he had to pay the owner for the sheep he had lost. For a person who did not make much money, it was a lot of money. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus was going to give His life for His sheep. How often do we see a parable spoken after the Jewish religious leaders (e.g., as here, the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law) have said something against Jesus?   Read more »

John 11:1-45. Jesus raised His friend Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus had been dead for four days. Mary and Martha were Lazarus' sisters. Jesus had just come back from beyond the Jordan. After healing Lazarus He goes to Ephraim, which is this side of the Jordan River from Jerusalem, until Passover week. Jesus again split people into two camps, those for Him and those against Him. Some of the religious leaders of Israel who were against Jesus used this event to plot for Jesus' death. Jesus knew what He and His father had planned was about to happen:   Read more »

John 11:45-57. After healing Lazarus Jesus goes to the village of Ephraim until Passover week. Jesus knew that some of the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Him So He stayed out of their way until it was time for Him to die, which was at the beginning of the Passover week, one of the feasts God commanded all Jewish men to keep. Caiaphas, the High Priest that year, prophesied why Jesus was to die. Ephraim is on a conical hill overlooking the Jordan valley and the Dead Sea, about Sixteen miles or 16km northeast of Jerusalem and five miles or 8km east of Bethel.   Read more »

Matthew 18:21-35. The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, Matthew 18:21-35. The 48th Parable. The first servant probably in today's money owed millions of dollars. This man was in charge of a number of servants. The second servant probably in today's money owed a maximum of two or three thousand dollars. Background Reading:18:21 Then Peter came up and asked him, “Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I have to forgive him? Seven times?” 22 Jesus told him, “I tell you, not just seven times, but 77 times!   Read more »

Luke 18:35-43. There is a number of times in the Gospels Jesus opened blind eyes. This one was as Jesus approached Jericho to pass through it on His way to Jerusalem and His death by crucifixion. This blind man recognized Jesus as Lord and Jesus was able to heal him from his blindness. Those who could not work had to beg for food and money, like today in many countries where the state does not look after the sick. Signs of the Messiah were that He would heal the blind, make the deaf and mute hear and speak, heal the sick and raise the dead.   Read more »

Luke 19:1-10. Zacchaeus, the wealthy tax collector, climbs a tree so that he can see Jesus. The local people did not like him because he worked for the Romans. Jesus said, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately, I must stay at your house today." Jesus stays with Zacchaeus for a meal. We are not told whether it was lunch or evening dinner. After the meal, Jesus leaves Jericho. He walks towards Jerusalem and His death in 10 days time.  Read more »
Next Bible Module or part or section is: Easter - Palm Sunday to Pentecost.

1. Where did Jesus start His ministry? 2. What did Jesus ask John the Baptist to do for Him? 3. What was John the Baptist implying when he said, "I am not worthy to untie the sandal"? 4. How many days did Satan tempt Jesus in the wilderness? 5. Can you name any of Jesus' first disciples? 6. What did Jesus do to the large water jars when He was at a wedding in Cana in Galilee? 7. In which city did the meeting of Nicodemus and Jesus take place? 8. What did the woman at the well end up getting from Jesus?   Read more »

15. Who had Jesus gone to have a meal with, where He was anointed by a sinful Woman? 16. Jesus used a parable of a farmer sowing his fields to illustrate which point? 17. In the eleventh parable in Luke Jesus uses a lamp. What is a parable? 18. Lake of Galilee has fierce storms and high winds which come without warning. During one such storm, what was Jesus doing and then spoke; "Quiet! Be still"? 19. Why did Jesus send out the Twelve? 20. Who was John the Baptist beheaded by? 21. Where was Jesus possibly going when He fed five thousand people?   Read more »

29. Jesus the Light of the world. Where was he born? 30. Jesus heals the man born blind on what day? 31. Why does Jesus look out for lost sheep? 32. Jesus uses Jonah as a sign. When did Jonah live? 33. God is the Light. What is light? 34. What do Keys represent in the Bible? 35. In using the parable of the Rich Fool Jesus was illustrating what? 36. Which master should we be ready to serve day and night? 37. Who told the Parable of the Lost Sheep? 38. Who raised Lazarus from the dead? 39. Who were in the plot to Kill Jesus?   Read more »

Ministry of Jesus - three and a half year timeline that was used to organize the order of the images. Note – they may not be completely in the correct order and there could be mistakes. Please enjoy looking at this table of contents as much as we did in making it. The Ministry of Jesus coves the period when Jesus started His public Ministry until about a week before his death in Jerusalem. You will meet a number of people Jesus talked to including Nicodemus, a Samaritan Woman, blind men, Mary, Lazarus, and Zacchaeus.   Read more »

Easter, Triumphal Entry to Pentecost - is the third of 8 sections or modules of the New Testament. This module takes an in-depth look at this period of Jesus life and his followers and those who opposed Him. Including the crucifixion and thee days later His resurrection. And ending with the Holy Spirit coming on the day of Pentecost.   Read more » »