September 30th

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Luke 5:1-11, Mark 1:40-45, Matthew 8:1-4, Luke 5:12-16, Mark 2:1-12, Matthew 9:1-8, Luke 5:17-26, Mark 2:13-17, Matthew 9:9-13, Luke 5:27-32, Mark 2:18-22, Matthew 9:14-17, Luke 5:33-39.

For less flipping read Luke 5, Mark 1:40-45, 2:1-22, Matthew 8:1-4, 9:1-17

A few different things jumped out at me in this passage.

First, was the response of Peter to Jesus' request that they throw their nets back in the water in Luke 5.

Now Peter was a fisherman by trade. He was no novice. And they had already been fishing all night long and hadn't. caught. a. thing.

And now Jesus, who, as far as Simon Peter knew, had never caught a fish in His life, was telling him to "go fish".

Peter's response demonstrates how much respect he already had for his new Master.

Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." Luke 5:5 (emphasis mine)

Because you say so.

No doubt there have been times in the past, and there will be times in the future, where God is going to command you to do something that literally makes no sense.

This didn't either.

And yet, because his Master said so, Peter obeyed.

To me, this demonstrates two things.

First of all, that Jesus really was Peter's Master. There are a lot of people out there who claim to be Christians. But if they are not obeying Jesus, they demonstrate by their works (or lack of works) that Jesus is, in fact, not their Master.

Second, that Peter had complete trust in Jesus, even when it didn't make any earthly sense.

I want those two things to be evident in my life. First, that Jesus is my Master as evidenced by my obedience to His commands. And secondly, that I completely trust Jesus, as evidenced by my obedience to His commands, even the ones that don't make any sense.


The next thing that jumped out at me was the faith and determination of the paralytic's friends. Lesser men would've given up. They brought him and it was just too full of other equally sick people waiting to be healed - sorry buddy, better luck next time. But not these guys. They had faith in Jesus, they loved their friend, and that faith and love resulted in determination to finish what they started. I want that kind of love, determination and faith too!

The last thing is another reason I'm so thankful to have started this blog with the purpose of studying, and not just reading, the Bible.

"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." Matthew 9:16 (also in Mark 2 and Luke 5)

I've read this passage before. Considering the fact that it's also in Mark and Luke and that I read through the Bible last year, I have now read this passage a minimum of 6 times. And it's a familiar passage, so I know I've heard it numerous times more than that. And I've never understood what it meant, and, to my shame, I've never bothered to find out!

And now, all it took was reading the notes in my new Life Application Bible to find out. I didn't even have to study very hard to get something out of reading the Bible - imagine that!

I found out that new wine expands as it ferments and as it does so, it naturally stretches the wineskin bag that it's kept in. If you tried to put new wine into previously stretched bags, they would burst when the win expanded because they had already been stretched and could take no more. Ok, that all makes sense (and I think I've even heard that explanation before), but what does it mean? What's the relevance? (And maybe I've heard the application too and just don't remember it - not sure what is worse, never bothering to find out, or not paying attention when it is explained!) Anyway, my Life Application Bible has 4 different applications to this parable.

1) Jesus did not come to patch up the old religious system of Judaism with its rules and traditions. His purpose was to fulfill it and start something new (though this "new" thing had been prophesied for centuries). Jesus Christ, God's Son, came to earth to offer all people forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God. This new Good News did not fit into the old rigid legalistic system of religion. It needed a fresh start.

2) The message will always remain "new" because it must be accepted and applied in every generation. When you follow Christ, be prepared for new ways to live, new ways to look at people, and new ways to serve.

3) The Pharisees had become rigid like old wineskins. They could not accept faith in Jesus that would not be contained or limited by man-made ideas or rules. Your heart, like a wineskin, can become rigid and prevent you from accepting the new life that Christ offers. Keep your heart pliable and open to accepting the life-changing truths of Christ.

4) Our church programs and ministries should not be so structured that they have no room for a fresh touch of the Spirit, a new method or a new idea.

The first one is the meaning of the parable, and the remaining three are different ways we can apply that meaning to our lives.

At first glance, it didn't look like that verse had any applicable meaning to my life. I don't drink wine, and I've certainly never seen it stored in wineskins before. But it took very little studying to realize exactly how applicable that verse actually was.

It's amazing how applicable the Bible can be to our daily lives when we put even a little effort into studying it in order to understand the truths God is trying to teach us through His Word.

Tomorrow's passage: John 5, Mark 2:23-28, Matthew 12:1-8, Luke 6:1-5, Mark 3:1-6, Matthew 12:9-14, Luke 6:6-11, Matthew 12:15-21.

For less flipping read John 5-6:11, Matthew 12:1-21, Mark 3:1-6