Jesus Predicts the Temple's Destruction

July 27, 2025 Background Scripture: Matthew 23:37; 24:35 (Mark 13:1 – 23; Luke 21:5 - 24) Lesson Passage: Matthew 24:1 - 14 I tend to cringe when I see the word "predict" used to describe prophecy, but that's the word used in our lesson's topic. Prophecy is a foretold Prophecy is an accurate account of a situation that will occur in the future. I think of the word "predict" as referring to future possibilities that are based on probabilities. Predictions may or may not happen. Prophecies will absolutely happen. In our lesson, Jesus speaks words of prophecy not prediction. What Jesus said is absolute and it will come to pass. Prophecy has a peculiar characteristic: prophetic events are often sequential in time without a timeline given. Because of this characteristic, certain events will happen prior to others. However, the occurrence of those events doesn't necessarily trigger the onset of the others; they just occur first based on the prophecy. Subsequent events might occur thousands of years later in the sequence. When the temple in Jerusalem was described by early Jewish writers such as Josephus, it is easy to understand how awe-inspiring of a structure it was. The entire complex covered about twenty acres. The major stones used for its construction were marble weighing tons each. They were adorned with gold ornamentation. At its peak height, the structure stood about one hundred feet high, That temple was constructed during the rule of the Herod's over a period that spanned more than forty years. No doubt, it was one of the unique wonders of the world in the first century. It was a monument to human creativity and construction. As Jesus and His disciples left the temple complex during the final week of His ministry in Jerusalem, some of them pointed out to Jesus how impressive the temple was. Perhaps they saw it as a structure that would last for as long as the world exists. However, Jesus responded by telling of the coming destruction of the temple that would not leave one stone atop another. How could they imagine those huge marble stones being toppled? Who, or what, would have the power to do such a thing? Jesus went to the Mount of Olives and sat facing the temple. Some of His disciples came to Him and asked when will the temple be destroyed, and how would they know the time of His return. Jesus told them about end of time events that would precede the destruction of the temple. They were warned to be alert because many deceivers were coming prior to His return. They would claim to be the Messiah. There will be worldwide conflict between nations also. Many natural disasters will unfold such as famines, pestilences, and widespread earthquakes. Before Jesus returns, some Christians will be persecuted, and people will lose compassion for each other. In short, the world will become a much worse place before Jesus returns. Some people will attempt to flee for their lives with no place to go. But people from every nation will have the opportunity to be saved from eternal destruction. That opportunity will happen because the gospel will be preached to every nation prior to Jesus' return. The times of tribulation will cause widespread calamities, both suffering and deaths. Anyone living at the time of tribulations will not be able to avoid it. But the good news. is everyone will have the opportunity to escape eternal damnation. The preaching of the gospel is essential for everyone. God loves people because we were created in His image and according to His likeness. Sin marred the image of God in us, but it didn't change God's love for us. God offers us salvation through Jesus. The world as we know it will end because destruction is coming. The tribulation in this world will usher in the kingdom of God. Jesus' prophetic statement was a warning, but it included good news for all who will accept Him before He returns. Robert C. Hudson July 16, 2025

Cleansing the Temple

July 20, 2025 Background Scripture: John 2:13 -25; Matthew 21:12 - 17; Mark 11:15 - 19; Luke 19:45 - 48 Lesson Passage: John 2:13 - 25 It is rare that the scriptures present Jesus as becoming indignant because of the actions of those who are considered the people of God. There are many situations recorded in the gospel accounts that we would understand had He become so—especially when it came to the leadership of the Jews. At first glance, the scenario that unfolds in today's lesson seems an unlikely situation for indignation to occur. That makes this incident a learning opportunity for us. Based on the Background Scripture, it appears that this incident occurred twice. John records it as occurring at the onset of Jesus' ministry. The synoptic writers of the gospel record it as occurring towards the conclusion of His ministry. It is likely that the merchants continued to do what they were doing throughout Jesus' ministry. They would not have been easily swayed to abandon their practices since they questioned whether Jesus had the authority to stop them. The Lesson Passage taken from the Gospel of John is Jesus' first public offer of Himself to Israel as their Messiah. This occurred during Passover. As the Passover celebration approached, Jews would travel from miles around to the temple in Jerusalem. The men were required by the Law to present themselves at the temple with a sacrificial offering and a financial tax for the upkeep and service of the temple. It was more convenient for the ones who traveled a great distance to purchase an animal for sacrifice after arriving in Jerusalem. This practice created an economic opportunity for those who sold animals and provided the currency needed for the temple tax (the priests did not accept foreign currency for the tax). Sadly, when there is an opportunity for economic gain, there is also the opportunity to take advantage of the consumer. There appears to have been two trespasses involved that caused Jesus to react as He did. First, the merchants set up their shops on the temple grounds. Although the location was advantageous for the merchants, the shops did not need to be on the temple grounds. The presence of the shops made part of the temple grounds a commercial area. This is the reason Jesus referred to the practice as turning the temple into a house of merchandise. Secondly, some merchants appeared to be making an unreasonable profit at the expense of those who traveled from afar to worship in Jerusalem according to the Law. The travelers without sacrificial animals or the correct currency were at the mercy of the merchants to pay whatever they demanded. Both trespasses interrupted the spirit of worship that should have been present within the temple grounds. As a result, Jesus drove all of them—including the animals from the temple grounds, poured out the money changers' money, and turned the merchants' tables over. The temple held a special place in the relationship between God and Israel. King Solomon ordered the construction of Israel's first temple. When Solomon prayed and dedicated Israel's first temple, he prayed that it would be a place for God to dwell among His people. God specified in the Law the activities that should take place within the temple. Those activities foreshadowed the atoning work of Jesus for all of mankind. There was even a place within the temple grounds specified for Gentiles. Any person that came to the temple should have done so for some form of prayer and/or worship. The merchants appear to have been there to make a profit and not for prayer or the sincere worship of God. It was personal for Jesus; especially during the Passover. The Passover observance foreshadowed Jesus' crucifixion for the sins of the world. Anything that profaned the Passover, or the temple, was spiritual pollution. Therefore, Jesus cleansed the temple. C. Hudson June 26, 2025

The Boy Jesus in the Temple

July 6, 2025 Background Scripture: Luke 2:41 - 52 Lesson Passage: Luke 2:41 - 52 The bible gives us three glimpses of Jesus' childhood: a newborn baby in a manger in Bethlehem, a child (perhaps toddler) in a house in Bethlehem, and a pre-teen (twelve years of age) in the temple in Jerusalem. Today's lesson examines the latter. Each recorded occasion of Jesus' childhood involved some group looking for Him, In our Lesson Passage, His parents are the ones looking for Him. Jesus was not lost; Jesus was just not where His parents expected Him to be. Jesus was born into a poor Jewish family that followed the rituals of the Law. Their adherence to the Law required them to go to the temple in Jerusalem every year to observe the Passover. Extended families in different regions outside of Jerusalem traveled to the temple as a group. The families returned to their homes after the Passover celebration. It would have been normal for families to expect the children to be together as they journeyed to and from Jerusalem. After traveling from Jerusalem for one day, Jesus' parents, Joseph and Mary, discovered that He was not among the family group traveling home as they expected. After traveling back to Jerusalem and searching for an additional two days, they found Jesus in the temple. Jesus was sitting with the teachers of the Law listening and asking them questions. Those teachers were amazed at Jesus' level of understanding. Perhaps the profound nature of His questions is what amazed them. On the other hand, Mary's statement seems appropriate for a mother who had no knowledge of her child's whereabouts for three days. She made it clear that they were stressed out because of His absence. Jesus' response did not clarify the situation for her. He said, "I must be about My Father's business." Since Joseph, the carpenter, raised Jesus as his son, Jesus' Father's business was expected to be carpentry. Jesus submitted to His parents and returned to Nazareth with them. He continued to grow in stature and wisdom under His parents' oversight until the beginning of His public minist1Y. Meanwhile, Mary remembered His words although she did not understand them at that time. Many of us have experienced the minist1Y calling of God without knowing the timing, or the season for which God has prepared us. Some have waited reluctantly, and some have waited with the hope that it would pass. Yet there are others, like Jesus, who have attempted to start right away without God's prompting. Whatever the case might be, recognizing the calling of God and being willing to respond to Him is essential for all. In this lesson, we see a young Jesus who was eager to do His Father's bidding years before his ministry was to begin at the Jordan River. He continued to grow and experience life in this world as we do. He needed to grow up as a normal person in this world. However, Jesus did so without any sin. This was all necessary so Jesus could be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. As we reflect on this passage of scripture, there is a certain irony in that Jesus reacted the way He did at the Jewish Passover celebration. The Passover foreshadowed the goal of Jesus' ministry. In another twenty-one years, Jesus would be offered as the world's Passover Lamb. Perhaps this is what prompted the questions and responses He shared with the teachers of the Law that left them astonished. Could it be they were discussing the Passover event and celebration with God's Passover Lamb? As an adult, Jesus returned to that same temple many times during His ministry. Oftentimes, those visits were not well received by the teachers of the Law. Maybe none were there or remember the questions of the boy Jesus. Robert C. Hudson June 26, 2025

Jacob Sets Up a Sacred Pillar

June 29, 2025 Background Scripture: Genesis 28:1 - 22; 33: 17 - 20; 35:1- 7 Lesson Passage: Genesis 28: 10 - 22 Have you ever asked, "Why am I doing this?" or "Why do we do this?" Some of our actions are so routine for us that we don't remember a time when such actions were not part of our behavior; and this is the way it should be until we reach a certain level of maturity. God-fearing parents are admonished by the word of God to, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." This behavior is observable even when we view the recorded history of the patriarchs. During the times of the patriarchs, it was common to commemorate a noteworthy event by erecting a memorial. They often used stones to build it. Abraham and Isaac had followed this familiar practice. In today's lesson, we see Jacob follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather—they were his role models. God blessed Isaac and Rebekah with twins, Esau and Jacob. They had very different personalities. The bible records that Isaac loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. Although Esau was the firstborn, as they grew, Rebekah did things to give Jacob an economic advantage over his older brother. Eventually, Jacob and his mother, Rebekah, conspired to steal the blessing of Isaac that he intended for Esau, their firstborn son. The blessing was the covenant God made with Abraham that had been passed on to Isaac. After their conspiracy was completed and Esau learned of it, he vowed to kill Jacob after their father's death. Rebekah learned of Esau's plans and deceived her husband into sending Jacob away to live with her family in Syria. Today's Lesson Passage occurred during Jacob's journey from Beersheba to Padan Aram. Jacob stopped in Luz to rest overnight. God appeared to Jacob in a dream that night. God ratified the blessing Isaac was tricked into bestowing upon Jacob. God assured Jacob that He would be with him wherever he goes and bring him safely back to his father's house. This was Jacob's initial encounter with God. Although he likely saw his father's steadfast faith in the God of Abraham as he grew up, Jacob now had firsthand experience with God for himself. In his dream, Jacob saw a ladder that extended from earth to heaven with angels descending and ascending. The vision of the ladder from earth to heaven convinced him that this place was the gate of heaven. When Jacob awakened, he was in awe of the experience. Jacob believed he had arrived at the house of God inadvertently. Jacob took the stone he had placed at his head before he fell asleep and poured oil on it. This process of anointing the stone made it sacred to Jacob and it marked the place where he slept that night. Although the place was named Luz, Jacob declared that it would be named Bethel, which means "House of God". Furthermore, Jacob vowed to be a good steward of everything God blessed him with as God honored His pledge to him that night to protect and provide for him. Jacob vowed to express his stewardship by giving back to God a tenth of all God gives to him. His grandfather, Abraham, set this example by giving a tenth of his spoils of war to Melchizedek, the high priest of God. Biblical history records that Jacob's character did not change because of his new awareness of God. Jacob still showed questionable ethical behavior. What did change was Jacob's recognition of his personal relationship with God from that time forward. Like many of us, Jacob struggled between doing God's revealed will to him and doing what he wanted to do the way he wanted to do it. Despite that, Jacob continued to worship and acknowledge God by commemorating the places where he encountered God in a special way. In today's lesson, we see Jacob behaving as such when he set up a sacred pillar. Robert C. Hudson June 7, 2025

Isaac Calls on the Name of the Lord

June 22, 2025 Background Scripture: Genesis 26:1 - 33 Lesson Passage: Genesis 26:24 - 33 What should we do when people who were friendly towards us suddenly turn against us? How should we respond to people who don't want us around and yet they still want to be on good terms with us? Today's lesson provides some helpful insights for us by examining some recorded history about Isaac. Isaac has the least written about him in the lineage of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Since the announcement of his birth prior to his mother conceiving him, Isaac has been a key link in the patriarchal lineage. Isaac preserved the faith tradition inherited from his father, Abraham, and passed it on to his son, Jacob. Like his father, Isaac built altars to worship God in the places that became his homestead. His servants also dug wells in those places to provide water for them and his flocks and herds. Some wells his servants dug again because the servants of Abraham dug them previously. However, after the death of Abraham, the Philistines had stopped them up. As stated in last week's lesson, Isaac was raised by his father, Abraham, to have a relationship with God and to know the proper way to worship Him. He had witnessed the relationship that his father had with God. As an adult with his own family, Isaac carried on the faith tradition he had learned from his father. That was important in the narrative for today's lesson. God had started interacting with Isaac and assuring him that the covenants He made with Abraham were renewed with him. God promised to protect, prosper, and provide guidance to Isaac. Not only did Isaac see God's hand in his life, but his neighbors had observed the same. Isaac became very wealthy, and his neighbors felt threatened by it. As a result, they became jealous and fearful of Isaac and asked him to leave their area. Isaac did not leave because he felt threatened. Isaac had a great number of servants who could defend him and his property if he had chosen to remain there. However, Isaac was a humble person who feared God and did not want to quarrel with others. Therefore, Isaac left the area and traveled to another location. He experienced similar hostilities in the new location. Isaac's travels continued until he arrived at another location. The Lord appeared to him the same night and assured him that he was with him. Wherever Isaac traveled, God was always with him and caused him to prosper. Isaac built an altar there and worshiped God as he had seen his father do. He also pitched his tent there and his servants dug a well. These activities suggest that Isaac saw this location as a place where finally he could treat it as a homestead. It was after these things that the king of the Philistines who sent Isaac away from his previous homestead came to him along with a friend and the commander of his army. Their visit was not expected since they made it clear that they did not want Isaac around them. Isaac inquired concerning their visit seeing that they had sent him away from them in hatred. They assured Isaac it was a mission of peace. They acknowledged they had seen that the Lord was blessing him. They were there to seek a peace agreement between them. Isaac made a feast for his visitors and entertained them overnight. (When the Lord is blessing you, you can treat those who hate you as honored guests.) The next morning, they swore an oath with one another, and Isaac sent them away in peace. After they departed, his servants came and told Isaac they had dug another well and found water. Isaac understood that it was the Lord continuing to bless him. He named that well to commemorate his experience like his father did in his lifetime. Isaac named it "the well of the oath", Beersheba. Robert C. Hudson June 5, 2025

Abraham Makes an Offering

June 15, 2025 Background Scripture: Genesis 22:1 - 19 Lesson Passage: Genesis 22:1 - 14 I believe God created mankind in His image and according to His likeness for one ultimate purpose: God desires to see a reflection of Himself when He looks at His physical creation. No other part of the physical creation is described as in the image and likeness of God. Sin disrupted the will of God because it marred the spiritual image and likeness of God in mankind. God will not allow sin to be the final state of His creation. Despite sin, the bible reveals some individuals who showed remarkable faith in God by displaying unwavering confidence in what God speaks. Abraham is first among this class. As God revealed Himself to Abraham, Abraham drew closer in his relationship to God while remaining reverent towards God. God shared some incredible plans with Abraham, and Abraham believed what God said. Even when God's plans went totally against Abraham's life experiences, Abraham chose to believe and trust God despite his contradictory experiences. In today's lesson, God created a scenario that allowed Him to view a reflection of Himself thousands of years before it occurred God caused Abraham and his wife to conceive and bear a son when it was physically impossible for them to do so. God did not permit any other offsprings to remain with Abraham. Then, God asked Abraham to offer that son to Him as a burnt offering. God emphasized to Abraham that this was now his only son. The bible does not record that Abraham showed any reluctance, or reservations, to do as God had spoken. Situations such as this clearly set Abraham apart from all others in matters pertaining to God. Abraham gathered some wood and fire to use for the ceremony. He took it along with his son and two servants to a mountain where God sent him. When they arrived at the mountain, Abraham told his servants to stay with the donkey while he and his son go worship. Abraham told his servants that he and his son would come back to them after worship. Abraham laid the wood for the offering on his son, and he carried the fire and a knife. His son noticed they had everything required for worship except a lamb to be killed and offered as the burnt offering. It is clear from his son's observation that Abraham had carried his son to worship with him before. Abraham had trained his son in the proper way to worship God. Abraham told his son that God would provide His own lamb for a sacrifice. Upon arrival at the location, Abraham set up an altar (perhaps by stacking some stones). He placed the wood on the altar and then tied his son and laid him on the wood. When Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son, the Lord called out and stopped him from proceeding. It was sufficient; God had seen a reflection of Himself staring at Calvary about two thousand years beyond that moment. When Abraham looked behind him, he saw a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham took the ram and used it as an offering to God. Abraham named that location Jehovah-Jireh, which means "The-Lord-Will-Provide". Abraham and his son returned to his two servants as he told them they would. The Lord had provided what was needed for the offering and Abraham had provided what God wanted to see. Abraham's faith was remarkable, and it was tested at extreme levels few, if any, could bear. Abraham was called the friend of God and the father of all who believe in God. This lesson is an example of why he deserves both titles. Abraham's faith was not the abject compliance of a slave. It was willful obedience. Later, God told Abraham's son that Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws. He was God's friend. Robert C. Hudson June 5, 2025