Oops of the Day  

The moment Gabriel told Mary she would become pregnant with the Son of God, she agreed.

Luke 1:26-38 & 56

Fact of the Day

No! First, she “kept pondering” why he greeted her in the way he did – “favored one”.

Then she became afraid.

Then she questioned the logic of what he told her:  She was unmarried.

Oddly, she did not question the baby being the Son of the Most High, so he repeated himself saying he will be the Son of God.

She must have pondered again.

So the angel added some reassurance; her elderly cousin, Elizabeth was pregnant too, and that should be proof to her that God can do the impossible. After accepting the “holy challenge” Mary rushed to see Elizabeth. If Elizabeth really was pregnant, then Mary knew she was too.

Mary stayed three months, long enough to hold Elizabeth’s miracle baby in her arms.

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Surprise of the Day  

He’s in the Bible?  Who in the world was Theopholis?  And how can anyone even pronounce his name?

Luke 1:3

Fact of the Day

Luke addressed his account of Jesus’ life and teachings to “Most Excellent Theopohilus.”  This is a title meaning “Your Honor” and was given to men just below the title of Senator in the Roman Empire.

This third biography & teachings of Jesus in the Bible was written by a Roman physician named Luke who the apostle Paul seems to have converted.  He was not a Jew.  So, he investigated everything about Jesus – probably public records in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, etc.  He dated every major event by who was Caesar at the time, etc.  He may have even found all the apostles, then scattered around the world, so he could interview them.

Oh, and this is how you pronounce his fancy name:  THE-OPH-IL-US.

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Surprise of the Day  

After Jesus came back to life, he sometimes appeared to people “in a different form” so that they did not recognize him until he spoke.

Mark 16:12  –  John 20:11-16  –  John 21:3-7

Fact of the Day

The two on their way to Emmaus thought he was a visitor to the city. 

Mary Magdalene thought he was the gardener. 

The 12 thought he was just another fisherman.

The 12 thought he was an old man (called them children).

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Surprise of the Day  

It took courage for Joseph of Arimathea to ask for Jesus’ body.

Mark 15:43  –  Acts 10:27-29

Fact of the Day

Joseph had to break one of the Jewish traditions of never entering the home of a Gentile.  Procurator Pilate was a Gentile.  Also, as a member of the Jewish governing Sanhedrin, he would have been “disbarred” and excommunicated by the leading Jews.

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Surprise of the Day  

While Simon of Cyrene carried Jesus’ cross, Jesus walked along with him.

Mark  15:22  –  Mark 14:65  –  Mark 15:16-19

Fact of the Day

No! He seems to have collapsed after that.  He had just been beaten by fists of the priests.  Then soldiers beat him on his head and whip lashed his back so much, it was now pure raw meat.  Then the soldiers brought Jesus to Golgotha.  The word “brought” in Greek is “carried” such as “carried a bowl”.  Jesus was so weak, they had to carry him up the hill and keep him alive long enough to kill him.

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Surprise of the Day  

The Garden of Gethsemane agony was the only time Jesus was as “distress” and “troubled” as he was this night.  

Mark 14:33  –  Hebrews 5:7

Fact of the Day

No!  His whole life Jesus begged God with “loud cries” to not have to go through with his death.  (The Greek in Mark for “distress” is “horror”.)  There was more to it than his just dying.  He faced down Satan from the cross.

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Surprise of the Day  

The man carrying a pitcher of water who showed the apostles the upper room for Jesus’ last supper could have been a Gibeonite.

Mark 14:12-16 –  Joshua 9:1-27

Fact of the Day

1400 years earlier when Joshua was punishing the earlier people of the “promised land” for worshipping idols and practicing human sacrifice, Amorite tribesman (the Gibeonites) fooled him, so instead of being killed, were made water carrier slaves.

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Oops of the Day  

Judas believed in Jesus until the end.  He turned on Jesus after three years.  He betrayed Jesus just because of the money he got – 30 pieces of silver.

Mark 14:10-11 –  John 6:64

Fact of the Day

No!  Jesus  never  fully  believed  in  Jesus  and  who  he  was.  Look  it  up.

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Surprise of the Day  

About a week before Jesus’ crucifixion and death, Mary anointed Jesus with precious oil.  Judas and the other apostles complained the money should have been given to the poor.  Just money from a single flask of oil?

Mark 14:3 & 5

Fact of the Day

At that time in Jewish history, anointing with oil was done to make a person either the high priest or the king.  Both titles had equal powers.  It was the same as crowning someone king.  A single flask of the special oil Mary used to anoint Jesus with the week before his crucifixion and death was worth a year’s wages!

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Surprise of the Day  

When Jesus came up out of the waters of his baptism, the Holy Spirit descended on him, and God announced he was his son and how proud he was of him.  And from then on…

Mark 1:9-11 – Matthew 3:16-17  – John 1:12-13 – Acts 2:38 – Galatians 4:5 – Ephesians 1:5 – Hebrew 1:10 & 13

Fact of the Day

Ever since then, when we do what Jesus did that day, the same thing happens to us.  When we come up out of the waters of baptism, the Holy Spirit descends on us, announces we are now his sons, and tells us how proud he is of us. We are not begotten sons as Jesus was because he was the materialized Word of God and there can be only one Word of God.  But we are adopted sons, adopted children of the King of the Universe.

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