Now, I don’t mean to single Peter out, but I must use him and his actions as an example to learn from because there are definite changes in the maturation of Peter as he matures, especially after receiving the Holy Spirit.
They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!
Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
The Gospel of Luke is indeed a fascinating and in-depth look at the life and ministry of Jesus. While our story from last week has Jesus making his triumphal entry on what would be known as Palm Sunday, Luke has Jesus doing multiple things between his anointing by Mary and his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The biggest teaching that is worth investigating is Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom of God. Amazingly, Jesus was quite direct and plain in his description.
In our story today, a couple of years has passed and now we are winding down the ministry of Jesus. Jesus is back in Bethany and had brought Lazarus back to life and now Lazarus, Mary, and Martha are throwing Jesus a party. Lazarus is reclining with Jesus, Martha is again working the kitchen, and Mary again is at the feet of Jesus. But what Mary does is cultural taboo.
When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house.
James 4:1–12 (NLT): What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.
This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” 20 He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 “Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”“No,” he replied.“Are you the Prophet we are expecting?”“No.” 22 “Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”
23 John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Clear the way for the LORD’s coming!’ ”
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.