One Year Bible Readings and Commentary for Thursday, March 31st
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Though there were minor festivals in the life of Israel, but there were three major annual festivals all Jewish males were required to attend.
1. Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This was in remembrance of when God delivered the Israelites from the slavery of the Egyptians. The angel of death "passed over" the houses of the Jewish families, whereas the angel death took the first born sons of the Egyptians. The Israelites were to take a firstborn animal from the herd or the flock and offer it as a sacrfice to the Lord on the first day of Passover. Though they first celebrated the Passover in Egypt, the Lord would soon pick a place where it would be held.
Passover usually falls in the Springtime. During the time of the early church, the Christian church celebrated Easter on the day of Passover. When Constantine became the first Christian Roman Emperor he ruled that Easter be celebrated on the first Sunday after Passover. Today Easter is calculated the first Sunday after the first full moon. The Jewish Passover now is celebrated in the 15th day in month of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, which is based on a lunar year.
2. Pentecost or the Festival of Harvest. This is calculated 50 days from the Passover. It is a celebration of bringing in the firstfruits of the Spring Harvest. Grain was cut and was brought to a place the Lord would designate. Pentecost was also the day when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles as they were gathered in Jerusalem, as Jesus had promised.
3. Festival of Shelters (As called Festival of Tents or Tabernacles). This is celebrated at the end of the harvest season. It begins five days after Yom Kippur (the day of Atonement). As part of this festival the Jews had to gather in booths made of sheathes in memory of when they needed to stay in tents during their 40 years in the wilderness.
At each of these three main festivals, the men were to come offer a gift in proportion to how God had blessed them.
Justice for the People
Judges were appointed from each tribe to judge the disputes among their people. When a person is caught violating the covenent, like worshipping other gods, this person was to be brought before the priest or a judge. If they were declared guilty and this was backed up by two or three witnesses, they were to be stoned publicly. Offenses like murder were investigated and a just verdict was determined. The verdict of the judge was not to be questioned, and if someone refused to obey the judge's verdict they were to be killed. All of this was meant to be a purge of evil, and also an example to others who would copy such behavior.
Guidelines for a King
The king must not be a foreigner, build a large stable of horses (so as to trust in military might), or accumulate a large amount of gold or silver. They should not marry many wives, which could lead him away from worshipping God. The king must keep a copy of the Law from the Levitical priests and read it daily, so as to not become proud and think they were better than the average citizens. By reading the Law every day he would not turn from it.
This is an affirmation of how we should read the bible daily. We are kings of a different sort. We are sons and daughters of the King of kings.
Click Here to Read Luke 9:7-27
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
1. When the crowds followed Jesus and it was late in the day, the disciples wanted to shew them away because there was not enough food to eat and everyone was hungry. Jesus said, "You give them something to eat". The disciples were confused. How could they feed five thousand with only a few fish and loaves. So Jesus had them sit down in groups.
2. Jesus looked up to have gave thanks and he blessed the fish and loaves. He kept passing out the bread and the fish and there was not only enough to feed those seated, there were leftovers.
Oftentimes when we come into situations or needs greater than we can supply, we turn away. But this story encourages us to take what we have offer it to God and allow God to make up the difference. Bottom line if God calls us to do something, he will supply where we are lacking in our own resources.
Peter Declares Jesus as the Messiah
For all the times Peter gets it wrong, today he gets it right. When Jesus asks the disciples who others think he is, they tell him that some say he is John the Baptist or Elijah (one of the great prophets). Then Jesus asks them what they think. It is then Peter exclaims "You are the Messiah, sent from God!"
In another version, Jesus says "Blessed are you Simon, for this was not revealed to you by man but by God!"
Jesus Predicts His Death
Jesus then tells his followers that he would be rejected by all of the religious leaders, would suffer, die, and be raised from the dead in three days. When Jesus addressed the crowds, he defined what it would mean for them to follow him. In a similar way they must pick up their own cross, deny themselves, and follow him. If they tried to save their lives, they would lose them, but if they gave them up they would find them.
This was not an easy message, but it is the way of the cross. Many times we try to make the Christian life more palatable by preaching a gospel of all of the good things God will give us if we follow Him. While Jesus does promise us abundant life, it doesn't mean we won't suffer for his name. As people persecuted Jesus, as we boldly testify for him, we may very well be persecuted as well.
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