Sep 30, 2020
2CHRONICLES 26-27:
King
Joash didn’t end so well, did he?! He killed Jehoiadah’s son
Zechariah. When Jesus mentioned killing prophets A through Z, that
Zechariah was the Z that he mentioned by name. Time and time again
Judah’s kings needed to learn not to be proud, and that certainly
happened to Joash’s son Amaziah, who was assassinated like his
father.
ECCLESIASTES 3:
Chapter 2 ended with a significant conclusion
or two:
Ecc.
2:24 GNT The best thing we can do is eat and drink and enjoy what
we have earned. And yet, I realized that even this comes from
God.
25
How else could you have anything to eat or enjoy yourself at
all?
26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness
to those who please him, but he makes sinners work, earning and
saving, so that what they get can be given to those who please him.
It is all useless. It is like chasing the wind.
MATTHEW 17:
Yesterday we heard the words that remind me of
Jim Elliot’s words, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to
gain that which he cannot lose.” The end of chapter 16 leads
to today’s chapter:
16:27 NLT For [I,] the Son of Man will come
with [my//his] angels in the glory of [my//his] Father and will
judge all people according to their deeds.//GNT For the Son of Man
is about to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and
then he will reward each one according to his
deeds.]
28 I
assure you that there are some here who will not die until they
have seen [me, the victorious Son of Man, coming to rule as
king.//the Son of Man come as King.]”
GNT Translation
notes:
Mat. 17:19 Then
[we disciples//the disciples] came to Jesus in private and asked
him, “Why couldn't we drive the demon
out?”
20
“It was because [you don’t believe fully in me//you do not have
enough faith],” answered Jesus. “I assure you that if [your belief
in me was no bigger than//you have faith as big as] a mustard seed,
you [could//can] say to this hill, ‘Go from here to there!’ and it
[would//will] go. You could do anything!”
22
When [we//the disciples] all came together in Galilee, Jesus said
to [us//them], “[I,] The Son of Man[, am//is] about to be handed
over to those
23
who will kill [me//him]; but three days later [I//he] will be
raised to life.” [Hearing that, we//The disciples] became very
sad.
24 When Jesus and [we] his disciples came to
Capernaum, the collectors of the Temple tax came to Peter and
asked, “Does your teacher pay the Temple tax?”
25
[NLT “Yes, he does,”
Peter replied. Then he went into the house. But before he had a
chance to speak, Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Peter? Do
kings tax their own people or the people they have conquered?
” //GNT “Of course,”
Peter answered.
When Peter went into the house,
Jesus spoke up first, “Simon, what is your opinion? Who pays duties
or taxes to the kings of this world? The citizens of the country or
the foreigners?”]
26
[NLT “They tax the
people they have conquered,” Peter replied.
“Well, then,” Jesus said, “the citizens are
free!//GNT“The foreigners,”
answered Peter.
“Well, then,” replied Jesus, “that means that
the citizens don't have to pay.]
NLT Translation
note:
Mat. 17:20 “[You don’t believe fully in
me.//You don’t have enough faith,]” Jesus told them. “I tell you
the truth, if you had [belief/faith] even as small as a mustard
seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’
and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”