Epaggelia

Zacharias, means “the Lord remembers.” Since the law of Moses insisted that a priest marry only a woman of good reputation, Zacharias had chosen the daughter of another priest to be his wife. Not only was she a descendant of Aaron, but she bore the name of Aaron’s own wife, Elisheba or Elizabeth, which means “the oath of God.” Their names would bring new significance before the sun set on their life together. “And they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord” (Luke 1:6). The lives of both Zacharias and Elizabeth were pleasing to God. They submitted to the will of God and obeyed the Word of God. And they did it “in the sight of God,” and rather than making a good showing before people, their emphasis in life was to give God praise & glory for all they were. In that they were different from most of their contemporaries. They did not seem to care about the status that went with the priesthood. They lived in some obscure village in the hilly region south of Jerusalem rather than, as the other priests, in the elite section of the city itself, or in Jericho, the luxurious city of the palms. (Luke 1:39 & 65) Their piety was not just a show; they were in a relationship with God. But this righteous couple had a big problem. They were childless! Sometimes God does allow ugly problems to invade our lives for no other purpose but to help us grow, and no amount of obedience can bring immunity from trials. They had “…no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years” (Luke 1:7). Many Jewish Rabbis insisted that it was evidence of divine dislike. While Zacharias and Elizabeth were righteous before God, some of their friends probably suspected them of serious secret sin. But regardless, they believed God knew their heart & daily life, and that was all that really mattered. Better is the end of a thing than the beginning of it and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit, Eccl. 7:8.

The encounter Zacharias had with the angel Gabriel (Dan. 8:16) was yet another trial, but this test too, he would pass! Returning home after his dutiful course had completed its ministry, (Luke 1:23-25) to his own house in the hill-country of Judah, his wife Elisabeth conceived a son, and spent five months following in retirement, until of course she couldn’t hide the pregnancy any longer. The nation had looked forward to this for centuries, and God had chosen this godly couple to be part of these thrilling events. Their excitement mounted daily, until “the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she brought forth a son” (Luke 1:57). They are a classic example of the mundane as far as the world was concerned, but one single event in their life is what they lived for, to see their son and raise him to be the Messiah’s fore-runner! Their introduction to this grand occasion was fraught with Zacharias being mute, and even deaf. (1:62-63) His lack of faith in his response to the detailed announcement, resulted in a “proof”, being a miraculous inability to speak or hear. We should not be too harsh on him, after all, the Apostles doubted the testimony of the women after the resurrection of Jesus, Mt. 28:17 & Mk. 16:11, and also Thomas doubted the testimony of the other apostles, Jn. 20:24-25. Sometimes we might be truly righteous, but one thoughtless act of doubt while in a panic can result in awful consequences, but even through this trial, if we remain faithful, the Lord’s promise is kept and we are blessed.

What do we live for? These family members of Christ, were not noteworthy by worldly standards, but what would the family of Christ be, without them? Do we have members like that today? This couple only had one talent between them, their love, which God turned into a baby! Please read the words of Jesus, Matthew 25:27, Are you making an investment in love?

Luke is the only known Gentile author in the New Testament, his name is unrelated to a Jewish family, it is a Greek name from western Europe and is vague in it’s definition, but probably is in connection with the thought of enlightenment. 52 Chapters of the New Testament are attributed to Luke, both his Gospel & Acts account for a 1/3 of the New Testament. His work includes more details about Christ’s infancy and miracles of healing than any other author, which is what we would expect from a doctor. We learn about Luke as a person from 5 passages.

Colossians 4:14, he was a dear friend and doctor to Paul the Apostle. On the subject of Luke being a doctor, you can see a relation between Mark 5:26 & Luke 8:43.  Mark had said that a certain woman needing healing ‘had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better, but rather grew worse.” Luke, perhaps trying to defend his professional colleagues, merely said that this same woman “could not be healed by anyone.’ That is, they had done their best, but it was an incurable disease.

Philemon 1:23-24, shows that Luke worked with Paul while in prison, enduring shame and risking his own welfare for the propagation of the gospel. In 2nd Timothy 4:9-11, Luke was the only person able to encourage Paul while he was incarcerated for a time, proving his faithfulness to both the Lord and Paul’s mission efforts against all odds. It is interesting to note that if not for Luke, we would not have any indication of how long it took for the work of the Apostles to reach Rome. Acts ends with the power of the gospel being preached at Rome, which by direct implication means the gospel has extended to the world, because for the civilized world, Rome was the superpower and center of their world. From there, the gospel would have free course!

From Luke 1:1-3 & Acts 1:1-2 we learn the purpose of his writings, which tells us a little about what kind of Christian he was. Luke seems to be the only New Testament writer that was interested in “an orderly account” of the life of Christ. He doesn’t say he wanted to write out a chronological order of events, but he does emphasize the need to describe it in a logical orderly way, so that a person by the name of Theophilus could ascertain exactly who the Christ is. This means Luke valued using logical reasoning for ascertaining facts about Christ and his Church. He did all this for just one person whose name was Theophilus!  But once Theophilus had received the message, understood the contents and deduced a conclusion, he was obviously convinced that anyone and everyone should have this account, turning it into public knowledge. The literary grammar and precise facts of the gospel of Luke are truly beautiful. The historian Sir William Ramsey proclaims his Greek syntax and accuracy of locations are geographically precise.

Luke was the kind of Christian that could have been very successful by the standards and definition of what the world called successful, but he obviously decided against that direction in life. His profession was used to support the missionary efforts of Paul & Silas & Timothy. He devoted himself to writing the gospel of Christ and recording the history of the church, and his professional skills in healthcare were used for his fellow Christians, if they were used at all. It is conjecture to suppose Luke practiced medicine as a priority, instead the New Testament makes it clear he used much of his time doing research, traveling, writing and practical support of the mission efforts of Paul. From God’s perspective, that is SUCCESS. Luke helps us understand how real success as a Christian is defined, or should be defined. Read 1^st Corinthians 1:26-31

Mark is a common non-Jewish name in the 1st century. It’s possible that two (or more) people by this name were involved in the early Church.  Mark himself seems to stay in the background so that Jesus can be in the foreground. We don’t know his name for sure because that is exactly how he wanted it to be. However, no other author than John Mark of Jerusalem has ever been associated with, or suggested for, the Gospel of Mark. John is a Jewish name, so it’s very likely he was a Hellenistic Jew.

When Peter escaped from prison in Jerusalem, Acts 12:1-19, he went to the home of “Mary, mother of John Mark, where many people were praying.” The Title, “The Gospel According to Mark” was probably attached to the Gospel in about the middle of the second century. Most Scholars agree that this is the same Mark who wrote the Gospel of Mark. Like some other books of the Bible, the author of Mark seems anonymous. The first discussion of authorship dates back to the time of Papias, a Christian in Hierapolis (within modern Turkey), whose writings date from 110-130AD. Papias wrote about the Lord’s Oracles, in which he states, “Mark became Peter’s interpreter and wrote accurately all that he remembered, not, indeed, in order, of the things said or done by the Lord…” This quote has been preserved in Eusebius’ History of the Church. This suggests that the author of Mark was very close to Peter.  So most scholars accept that the author was someone named Mark. Some scholars wonder whether Papias connected Mark with Peter on the basis of what had been written in 1 Peter 5:13 where he calls him his “son”. The connection is seen in the fact that Peters actions are recorded immediately after an unnamed naked man runs away after Jesus is arrested, but Peter follows on, which may be John Mark the author himself, See Mark 14:51-54. His mother was a wealthy woman with a house large enough to hold meetings for early Christians (Acts 12:12). He traveled with Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem from Syrian Antioch (Ac.12:25). From there, they went to Cyprus (Ac. 13:5). Mark left them in Perga (Ac. 13:13) for unknown reasons, and Paul refused to take him back after that. It resulted in a split between Paul and Barnabas, who left Paul and accompanied Mark back to Cyprus (Ac. 15:37-39). The rift between Mark and Paul appears to have been resolved at some point. Paul mentions that Mark was with him in Colossians 4:10 and Philemon 24. In 2 Timothy 4:11 he requests that Mark come to him in Rome. Later on, secular traditions claim that Mark was in Alexandria Egypt and at some point claims he was martyred in Egypt.

There is nothing from Biblical or Secular history that would prohibit John Mark from being the author of Mark’s Gospel, but scholars are reluctant to make the connection with absolute certainty. One of the arguments trying to prove Mark is the author, comes from the Greek syntax and diction of the Gospel. It is the Greek grammar of a native speaker, not being so sophisticated, so he was probably informally educated. The word that Papias uses in saying that Mark was Peter’s “interpreter,” could also mean “translator.” A native speaker is what is best for translation work. Presumably Peter was so Jewish he may have needed a translator when trying to write in Greek. Peter was indeed so Jewish he needed a vision three times from God to convince him all things God created were “clean” (Ac. 10:9-16) So the unique comment in Mark 7:19 about cleanliness would be expected in this Gospel if it originally came from Peter. This seems like dictation from Peter’s experience.

Our conclusion is that humility reigns supreme as a great virtue in one of the key characters for establishing what the earliest account of the gospel actually is and is not. The family of Christ always needs and uses to great effect, the useful humble talents of people who are honest and willing to render whatever talent they have for the spread of the gospel. This allows Mark to put personal insight from himself or Peter into His writing about the person of Jesus, adding a touch of authenticity, here are three unique features proving how real Jesus is to the author: One: Only Mark gives healing commands of Jesus in the original Aramaic: Talitha koum (Mark 5:41), Ephphatha (Mark 7:34) Two: Only here in the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as “the son of Mary” (Mark 6:3). Three: Mark is the only gospel where Jesus himself is called a carpenter (Mark 6:3); in Matthew he is called a carpenter’s son (Matthew 13:55). These points show us as His Family, that a personal touch in our work for our Savior is needed, in order to have a real relationship with Him. Do you?

John was from Judea and his parents worked in Jerusalem but Jesus was from Nazareth, with good weather, it was at least a five day walk, and we know Mary & Joseph went to Jerusalem every year at least once^{Luke 2:41}  The biological relationship between John & Jesus as cousins happened to be of no concern or implication upon the gospel or ministry of Christ, or else it would have been recorded. Jesus called him John the Immersionist^{Luk 7:33} not John my cousin. They obviously knew “of” each other, but John makes it obvious that they didn’t know each other well, until he saw a “dove” descend upon someone whom he was to immerse^{John 1:32-33}  John was fearless in proclaiming his message, and called the Pharisees a “brood of vipers.” This was in reference to the fact that they were making baptism a mere ritual but their lives were just as corrupt as ever – with no signs of true repentance. He challenged people to be all they could be. He must have made quite an impression because “all” of Jerusalem went out to him in order to be baptized. Most Jews were able to recognize him as being a prophet even though there had been no prophets for almost 400 years, without him working one miracle! John’s basic message was REPENT FOR THE KINGDOM IS NEAR^Mat.3:2  so change your mind and change your ways because a big change is coming, ready or not! According to Mark, Jesus began his ministry after John had been imprisoned, so while Jesus was 40 days in the wilderness a great travesty of justice struck John. Josephus, the historian says that John was held in a cell at the castle of Machaerus, the impenetrable fortress located in Perea, east of the Dead Sea. We know John was arrested by Herod for denouncing his marriage to his brother’s wife, Herodias. When John heard of the miraculous signs Jesus was doing, he sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus whether he was the One that should come^{Luk 7:19-28} or if they should “wait for another.” Scholars have various thoughts on the nature of this question. In Luke’s gospel, it provides the opening for one of several questions relating to Jesus’ identity. The question allows Jesus the opportunity to pay tribute to John, calling him “more than a prophet”^Mat.11:9  so establishing and confirming his prophetic role. He was “more than a prophet” because he was the forerunner of the Messiah (Christ), who came in the spirit of Elijah. In the meantime, while John was in prison, Herod “feared him and protected” him because he knew John was a righteous man. He even liked to “listen” to him. But Herodias wanted to kill him, no doubt in order to silence his denunciation of her marriage to Herod and to solidify her position as Herod’s legal wife. Her opportunity came the day Herod offered to give her daughter Salome, “anything you want” as a thank you for her seductive dance at his birthday party. Herodias coached her daughter into asking for the head of John; the daughter came up with the idea of having it delivered on a platter. Despite Herod’s “great distress,” he had to save face with his dinner guests and ordered it done. John’s disciples took his body for burial. This is in contrast to Jesus’ disciples who all ran away when he was killed. But this was not the end of Herod’s nightmare regarding John. Later on, he feared that Jesus was the reincarnation of John. Jesus also made reference to John’s authority in his conflicts with the temple priests. Josephus adds that Herod’s forces were eventually defeated by his ex-wife’s father. The people saw it as punishment for killing John and a sign of God’s displeasure. It would have been a case of God’s providential justice! John lived his beliefs and died for them as well. In the family of Christ, there should always be a member who can boldly point people to Jesus and beg them for repentance, if not, then start training someone to do it! John teaches us that no matter how effective, bold and successful any single individual is in the family of Christ, we are all equal in The Father’s eyes^Mat.11:11

Intro:

James, the physical brother of Jesus, calls Abraham a “Friend of God”, a description that seems rare in the Bible. We know from personal experience that we can choose our friends but not our family and it means a lot to us to have friends, they are very valuable for many reasons. Our family are invaluable for strength, love & friendship in trials, and God’s family is priceless, as we are eternal. Having friends in your family makes for the best kind of family we can imagine. In the Bible there are actually only a few people called ‘friends’ by God, Abraham^{Jas 2:23}   Lazarus^{Jn 11:3-11}  The Twelve Disciples^{Jn 15:15} Or at least it seems that way, until you read how Jesus addressed his disciples in a huge crowd, which would obviously have more than just the Twelve^{Lk 12:1-4}  This sentiment is true from John’s perspective, having many friends in Christ^{3Jn 1:14}  Notice the way Paul addresses the church in Rome “Greet Ampliatus my dear friend in the Lord”^{Rm 16:8} He felt that way about Onesimus too^{Phm 1:16}

Jesus himself had a disciple which he felt affectionately closer to than the other disciples^{Jn 13:23} There is obviously nothing wrong with feeling closer to some of our family members, than others, but there is something wrong when we feel nothing towards anyone that is a member of the Church^{2Pt 1:7-9} There is certainly sin within our relationship, if we feel hatred against anyone in the Church. This Series of discussions is an attempt to engender genuine affection and greater love for the Family of God in Christ. We will look at the following people in Scripture, to get God’s perspective on what He intends our relationships to be focused on:

JOHN THE IMMERSIONIST

MARK THE AUTHOR

LUKE THE DOCTOR

ZACHARIAS & ELIZABETH

JOSEPH & MARY

MARY, MARTHA & LAZARUS

MARY OF MAGDALA

JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA & NICODEMUS

AQUILA, PRISCILLA & APOLLOS

BARNABAS & SILAS

TIMOTHY & TITUS

A “Household” during the 1^st Century when Christ lived, was a term used for people that you were associated with on a daily basis. Whether or not you were close to them, is ambiguous, but nevertheless, they were part of your “household”. Your household was not just your biological kin, but anyone that you had personal contact with, such as maids or laborers and tutors. The “Household” of God in Christ is spiritual, eternal and real. Let’s grow, show and share the fruit of the Spirit in His household^{Eph 2:19}  Jesus had this concept taught and used in a practical way for us as Christians^{Mt 12:48-50}  In what ways do we treat each other as “family”?

“River of Water…Proceeding from the Throne” v1, Within this vision of the new Jerusalem we see detail of what God Himself issues out with the Lamb. Water! John 7:37-39 says this speaks of the Holy Spirit. This is who helps grow priceless fruit, Gal. 5:22-23. The blessings from God get bigger and better as the river flows, Ezekiel 47:1-12, Zechariah 14:1-8 & Joel 3:18 all have similar pictures of water flowing from the house of God. It is interesting that the “Lamb” is part of the Throne, clearly showing the New Jerusalem as being present tense, because Paul talks of the future of the Kingdom being submitted to God by Jesus. Here in John’s vision there is no submission, but rather, The Lamb is reigning from the Throne, see 1^st Cor. 15:24ff.

“Twelve Kinds of Fruit” v2, The garden of Eden first had this tree to sustain eternal life, it’s image of fruit is the Spirit’s work being shown with the number 12, meaning authoritative power. The virtues of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Faithfulness, Kindness, Gentleness, Self-control, Holiness, Rom. 6:22, Righteousness, Eph 5:9, Heb. 12:11 & James 3:18 and Truthfulness, Eph. 5:9, are the 12 words which the New Testament uses to describe the Fruit. We are being taught that our power lay in the heart of a Christian where his virtue grows, share these virtues so that His power can be experienced and His Kingdom reigns over darkness & sin. “Healing of the Nations”, the world can only find forgiveness, friendship and citizenship in this city if they look upon the leaves representing the gospel, God’s word is often spoken of as food in the New Testament. Remember Adam used leaves to hide his shame or guilt, but here God uses leaves in the sense of healing, He doesn’t just cover up dirty laundry, He offers healing & new life with the gospel.

“Blessed is the one who keeps the words” v7, this is the fourth beatitude from Christ in the Revelation, and it is connected in thought to the necessity of perseverance. Real happiness is to remain steadfast by His strength and not our own, Eph. 6:10-14.

“The Time is Near” v10, Just as near as it was in 1:3, The entirety of this Revelation is applicable in the century the church was born in, as it is in today’s century the church grows in, till Jesus returns. From God’s perspective within this vision, there is no time with God, but He fits His victory for us within our understanding of time, see 2^nd Peter 3:8.

“Still do Evil…Still be Holy v11, This is the same warning Paul gave Timothy in the face of establishing and spreading the eternal Kingdom of Christ, 2^nd Tim. 3:13, and it’s the very reason we must persevere in growing the fruit of the Holy Spirit in order to be holy as He is holy. Our perseverance is guaranteed stronger and better than any force of evil, because the source of our holiness is Christ, not ourself.

“Blessed are they that wash their robes” v14, Promised happiness, deep contentment and eternal satisfaction from the cleanliness of doing what God wants, which is obviously seen in baptism. Robes represent the righteous acts of Christians sanctified and called saints, Rev. 19:8. These are indeed the labor that follows us into the city? Indeed, Rev. 14:13.

“Whoever loves and practices a lie” v15, the grammar literally conveys the idea of living a deceitful lifestyle, a pretence, as a hypocritical flip-flopping church hopping Christian. Remember Ananias & Sapphira, Acts 4:32-5:10. Our holiness should be a growing lifestyle, maturing the fruit of the Holy Spirit and sharing it.

“Things which are Written in this Book” v19, The whole of Revelation is practically written for the 7 churches of Asia primarily, It’s interpretation is for them foremost. Why? Because each congregation has a specific reward described if they remained faithful to the point & purpose of the entire message of visions in the Revelation. Chapter 22 has much in common with Chapter 1, proving it’s also written to all of us. Seven means perfect and total coverage in God’s work, like 7 days in a week of His creation, or the 7s used in Lev. 25:8-18 to discern the Year of Jubilee celebrating God’s work of Justice. Here the 7 churches, represent the work of God in creating the church as a whole for all time till Jesus comes again. Here is what Chapter 22 has in common with Chapter 1. Showing His servants what must soon take place, 1:1, 22:6,16. The Testimony of a Faithful Witness, 1:2,4,9 & 22:16,18,20. The Beatitude of Keeping This Word, 1:3 & 22:7, 9,14. The same “Churches”, 1:4 & 22:16. The Alpha & Omega, 1:8 & 22:13.

“Come Lord Jesus” v20, As John understood Christ coming as “soon” on his own time scale, it couldn’t be fast enough. Do we love the news of Jesus appearing? Or is that a frightful prospect for us? Read 2^nd Timothy 4:8.

It is important to see a link or theme within chapters 19:20, 20:10 & 21:8, the lake of eternal destruction shows the contrast between Christ’s victory for us, and Christ’s punishment for our enemies. There is no room in these chapters for a separate theology of millennialism, pre or post, to cloud our view of reigning with Christ now!

“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth” v1, The new Jerusalem was a reality and existing many years before Revelation was written. What this passage reveals is God’s description of the glorious replacement of the Roman world authority, with a new Godly world authority in Christ. The old Jerusalem was for Judaism but the new Jerusalem is for the whole world!

“A Bride adorned for her Husband” v2, The woman, or church is now finished with her trial, being chased and persecuted. How does she look after the battle? Not worn & blood-stained, but beautiful, faithful and new. “The Tabernacle of God is with men” v3, God lives with “anthropos” in the Greek, correctly translated, “humanity”. The word tabernacle is used to show God’s mobility amongst us in the world. The new Jerusalem is truly global. 1^st Cor. 3:16, Eph. 2:20ff, 1^st Pet. 2:5. “He will shall wipe away every tear” v4, God’s comforting strength and indwelling presence is an effectual reality for his children who are facing persecution. Isaiah talks of God wiping away tears for his children on earth, Isa. 25:8, so we have no reason to think this divine act is strictly or literally limited to the future, but rather it’s possible here and now. We do not weep as those with no hope, but rather continually have reason to rejoice. Isaiah repeatedly remarks on God’s present care in comforting his suffering children, Isa. 14:3, 30:19, 35:9, 65:13-19. As there will no longer be any old world order (Rome) there will be no more death from Rome.

“I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life” v6, Herein is the root cause for the effect of comfort in wiping our tears in His dwelling with us. We are made to drink of Him, 1^st Cor. 12:13. Jesus spoke of this water to the Samaritan woman and the Jews at the Feast, Jn. 4:14 & 7:38-39.

“The Second Death” v8, Death itself is personified and it is finished in the lake that destroyed the Beast, false-prophet & the devil, 19:20-20:10. There is a day when the Roman Empire will no longer use martyrdom against the church, Rev. 20:14. Jesus spoke of death as something we will not even “see”, Jon. 8:51. But cowards, the faithless and perverts will see it along with murderers and all liars.

“The Glory of God” v11, The church in God’s view is splendid and secure with high walls. Precious costly jewels surround it as a Bride, after all, his Son paid for it with his blood, 1^st Pet. 1:18-19. “12 gates…12 angels…12 foundation stones” v13-14, The gates never close, v25 because it’s growing! Angels are messengers much like each of the 7 churches have, 2:1-3:14, The authoritative care and security for the holiness given to all who enter, becoming a part of the body of the bride of Christ, this City. 12 names on the gates represent the family nature of all citizens. The foundation stones with 12 apostle’s names show us their authority from Jesus being the chief corner stone, Eph. 2:20. Our apostles & prophets are living in this word we grow from, called the New Testament.

“A golden reed to measure the City” v15 The One who did the measuring is known in 4:2 as God Himself, measuring like Ezekiel measured, Ezk. 40-43. Why? To emphasize the glorious Holiness of those who live in this City. The several 12s in the size of the City tell of our divine and powerful protection of the city and it’s citizens. Never would any enemy even dent the wall, much less gain entry through the open gates. 1500 mile high walls, jeweled and thick as 72 yards, forming a big cube, v16. This speaks of the City as secure as a nation with eternal guards, 1^st Pet. 2:9.

“Nations will walk by it’s light…Kings of the earth will bring their glory into it” v24, The Lamb in the center is the light as the sun shining through glass-like jeweled walls. How would this affect the Nations outside? Blinding brilliance! Jesus is the light of the world, Jn 8:12. Jesus is King of kings and we see Isaiah talk about old Jerusalem becoming victorious with the worlds strength flowing into it, Isa. 60:1-20. This City is the triumphant church of our history and we are now in it. The persecuted church John wrote to needs this glorious identity, which Isaiah prophesied about and the old Jerusalem can’t see with it’s veil of Moses’ law being read, 2^nd Cor. 3:13-16. The darkness outside the City reminds us of the darkness of the plague before the last plague in Egypt, when they gave gifts to the Hebrews leaving for freedom, Ex. 10:21-11:4. We leave our old self for a new life in this City NOW, Jn. 10:10. Peter spoke of God’s glory in our hearts, 1^st Peter 1:8-10, promising us reception of the crown of glory, 1^st Pet. 5:4.