A Second Trial

 Here we go again.  In these verses, Luke gives the account of the apostles second trial before the Sanhedrin.  

The first time, the council basically gave them a warning ticket (Acts 4:18).  Peter and John told the Jewish leaders this wasn't going to stop them from telling others about Jesus (Acts 4:19-20).  

These religious big wigs toss the apostles in the clink a second time for continuing to proclaim the Gospel (Acts 4:17).  But this time God sends an angel to bust them out of the joint and continue preaching the Good News (Acts 4:19-21).

When the high priest and the Sanhedrin reconvenes the following day, they send for the 12 prisoners (v21).  There's only one problem.  They are not there (v22).  

And they are stunned at what they do find.  The cell block is still locked tight.  The guards are still standing at each cell door.  "But when we opened them we found no one inside” (v23).  

That left everyone scratching their heads (v24).  What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on?  

Suddenly, someone runs in to report that prisoners are actually "standing in the temple teaching the people" (v25).  They immediately send out the temple security detail to bring them in.  

But the cops don't make a big scene.  They don't use force.  But this has very little to do with civility and everything to do with public opinion.  "They were afraid of being stoned by the people" (v26).

It is interesting to note the difference in the reactions of the apostles and the captain of the temple guard.  

The Twelve didn't care that the council would most certainly arrest them.  They were going to obey the Lord.  They feared God.  

On the other hand, the temple cops worried about the people's reaction to putting the apostles in a paddy wagon.  They feared man.  

The Apostle Paul had the right priorities.  "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?  Or am I trying to please man?  If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ" (Gal 1:10).

Once the hearing gets underway, the high priest reminds them of the warning ticket he gave them just the other day.  

What particularly ticked him off was that these men were teaching the people that the Sanhedrin played a central role in Jesus' execution.  "You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this Man's blood upon us” (v28).  

Clearly, the Gospel is turning the city on its head.  It's all the buzz.  

As they have done many times before, Pete and the boys boldly accuse the Jewish leaders as being culpable in the death of Christ (Acts 2:23, 26; 3:15; 4:10).  The apostles pulled no punches.

As leader of the Twelve, Pete responds.  And the Sanhedrin's not going to like what he has to say.  "We must obey God rather than men” (v30).  He says they really have no choice.  

When the ruling authority demands a follower of Jesus to sin in disobedience, there is but one godly response.  Obey God.  

We've come to call it civil disobedience.  A better term would be godly obedience.  This call to obedience was such a burden for Martin Luther King that he led the American Civil Rights movement.  

Throughout the Bible, we read of God-fearing individuals thumbing their noses at sinful authority (Ex 1:15-17; Dan 6:4-10).

Pete goes on to proclaim Jesus' resurrection before the council.  "The God of our fathers raised Jesus” (v30).  

Let's be clear on this.  This is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who brought the Rabbi/Carpenter back to life.  

This is OUR God!  This is the God these Jewish leaders claimed to follow.

Then the fisherman drops the hammer and accuses the Sanhedrin of murdering Messiah.  "Whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree” (v30).  

And the Greek word used here is διαχειριζω/diacheirizo.  It means to lay hands on violently, to seize and kill, to murder.  

Pete doesn't want the high priest to miss his point.  Yes, Jesus' blood IS on his hands!

But it didn't end with simply a risen Jesus flaunting the council's failed plot to eliminate Him from the scene.  "God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior” (v31).  

Jesus has returned home to heaven.  And His Dad was saving a chair for Him.  It was the throne of authority at the Father's right hand (Ps 110:1 Lk 20:41-44; Acts 2:34-36; Phil 2:9-11).

God has given His Son the authority "to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins" (v31).  We often think of the forgiveness of sin as a gift, but how about repentance?  

Peter is teaching that repentance itself is a gift of God.  The Lord doesn't have to let us turn back to Him.  Our holy God could simply damn us to hell for a single sin, no questions asked.  

But He doesn't.  He grants us the gracious gift of repentance.  We should take full advantage of this wonderful gift each and every time it is needed.  For me, that is all too often.

Peter goes on to testify that the followers of Jesus "are witnesses to these things" (v32).  And they aren't the only ones.  “So is the Holy Spirit” (v32).  

God's Spirit also testifies to the truth of the Gospel.  And God gives His Spirit "to those who obey Him” (v32).  What a marvelous promise!  

And notice the appearance of the Trinity here in these verses.  The Father is at work.  The Son is risen, ruling and reigning.  The Spirit testifies.

In essence, Pete tells the council that if they make the apostles choose whom to follow, they will follow Jesus every time.  

How 'bout you?  

©2011

Jay Jennings

Charges Dropped

 The Sanhedrin wants to shut up Peter and John as well as shut down this growing movement.  But once the council hauls these two men in to intimidate them, they realize they have a HUGE problem on their hands.

These two followers of Jesus were fearless (v13).  And despite being a pair of illiterate idiots (“uneducated...common": Gr. agrammatos/αγραμματος and idiotes/ιδιοτης), Pete and John had clearly spent time with that radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth.

Do people say the same about us?  Are we known for our boldness?  Is it obvious to others that we spend time with our Savior?

Apparently, the council didn't bring in just Pete and John, but the newly healed man (v14).  If they wanted proof of this most recent miracle, he is standing right before their eyes.  

They all knew him.  He had regularly parked himself at the Beautiful Gate to the temple in order to panhandle (Acts 3:2).  These religious leaders had walked past him day after day, week after week, year after year.  

No doubt, they had ignored him.  Clearly, they had done nothing for him.  Now he stands before them.  In contrast with the courage of Peter and John, the members of the Sanhedrin are speechless.

"But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another" (v15).  The council goes into private deliberation and tries to figure out what in the wide world of sports they are going to do with all of this.  

The rise of Jesus and His followers has stunned the council.  They were sure that His crucifixion would put an end to it.  

Not only were there numerous reports that He was alive, two of their own (Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus) had gone over to the other side.

The question was simple.  "What shall we do with these men?" (v16).  They had used every bit of political capital and leverage with Pilate to crucify Jesus.  They certainly couldn't go back to him about these two Galilean fishermen.  

It's interesting to note that Luke has somehow gotten the information of what was discussed in the Sanhedrin's closed deliberations.  It indicates a couple of things.  

First of all, it reinforces the fact that the good doctor did lots of interviews and a boatload of research in writing his two volumes to Theophilus.  

Second, it reminds us that the Holy Spirit was divinely inspiring his work.

The council had big problem.  "For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it."  They recognize that this miraculous healing is actually a sign of something greater.  And they understand that this miracle is being done through them.

The miracle was both notable and evident.  The Greek for “notable” is gnostos/γνοστος.  It means something notable but also remarkable and extraordinary.  In other words, this healing is all the buzz in the city.  

It was also “evident” or phaneros/φανηρος, which means plainly visible, brought out into the open, widely known and public knowledge.  

It had just happened yesterday afternoon, but with the large crowd present in the Court of the Gentiles the word was out.  

There was no way to spin this.  There was no way to deny it.  There was no un-breaking this light bulb.

The Sanhedrin decides to put a gag order on Pete and John.  "Let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name” (v17).  

Surely they can bully them into stop talking about Jesus.  If they can intimidate these two rubes from the boondocks, they can at least slow down the rumors running rampant in Jerusalem.  

So that's exactly what they do.  They bring the two back in before the full council and "charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus” (v18).

Pete and John respond to their intimidation with even more boldness.  "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (v19-20).  

In other words, it's totally their decision (i.e. their mistake) if the Sanhedrin wants to disobey God but as followers of Jesus, they must do what He says.  The council may rule in such a way, but these two men will always choose to obey the Lord.

This brings up the topic of civil disobedience.  Are there times when it is proper if not imperative for followers of Christ to disobey governmental authority?  The answer is "yes."  

The Bible clearly commands us to submit to our government (1Pet 2:13-17).  And that includes corrupt and evil rulers like Rome (Rom 13:1-7).  Remember, our Savior Jesus was without guilt and broke no law despite being executed (Lk 23:4, 14-15).  

But when what the government demands goes in the face of God's commands, we MUST obey God.  The Jewish midwives did it (Ex 1:15-17).  Daniel did it (Dan 6:4-10).  

Peter and John could not keep quiet.  And a big reason was that Jesus had commanded them to tell the entire world about Him.  "You will be My witnesses  in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).  

They were also filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit for such a time as this (Lk 12:11-12).  They'll just be obedient to Jesus, thank you.

The Sanhedrin tries to throw their weight around and threaten these men even more (v21).  They couldn't even find anything to charge them with.  

But these two illiterate idiots could not and would not be pushed around.  Part of the council's problem was they were worried about the polls.  

They were worried about public support.  They were paralyzed "because of the people” (v21).  

Do you let the fear of man keep us from doing what we know God is commanding us to do?

Dr. Luke concludes his account of this hearing by reminding us of the man who started this whole thing (v22).  The healed man.  

The Sanhedrin had treated him like a pawn, like a piece of evidence.  They had absolutely no compassion for the man.  They were unwilling to celebrate what God had done for him.

The once-disabled panhandler was more than 40 years old.  For more than four decades, he had never walked.  

How many times had the members of the council walked past him in and out of the temple courts?  

Yet his life was changed when two Galilean watermen stopped and looked into his eyes.  The Spirit of God opens our eyes to see people as Jesus sees them.

©2011

Jay Jennings

Seeking the Spotlight

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow up?

Remember when you were a kid and people would ask you what you wanted to be when you grow up? For me the answer wasn’t a baseball player, an astronaut, or a firefighter.

I wanted to be famous. It didn’t matter what I would do. I just wanted fame. I wanted people to recognize me. I dreamed of the day I would walk down the street and folks would ask me for my autograph.

I loved me some me. And I wanted everybody else to love me too!

Famous for Being Famous

Yeah, I know. Pretty shallow stuff. But it’s true. One hundred percent true. Decades before the Kardashians and everybody who’s famous for just being famous, I had career goal of being a celebrity.

That’s exactly why Jesus’ teaching here in Mark 12:38-40 is like a dagger piercing my still bloated ego. Christ calls out the religious celebrities for their love of the spotlight. First, watch them. Second, watch out for them.

Not Just Any Tuesday

Before we zoom in on the details of the Lord’s dialogue, let’s pull the camera back for context. It’s Tuesday. But not just any Tuesday. This is Tuesday of the last week before His betrayal and brutal murder. 

The place is Jerusalem. Specifically, the temple courts. That’s where Jesus did a little housecleaning by driving out the various vendors who were making a quick buck on worshipers through a nasty system of exchanging currency and officially licensed sacrificial offerings. And you thought prices were bad at the airport!   

A Series of Confrontations

The temple courts are also where Christ faced a series of confrontations with all sorts of religious big shots (Mk 11:20-12:36). The chief priests. The religious teachers. The senior Jewish leaders. The Pharisees. The Herodians. The Sadducees. 

He took them all down. Every. Single. One. And the huge crowd in town for Passover went bonkers (Mk 11:37)! That will all change on Friday, but that’s a story for another day.

Back to Teaching

It’s at this point that Jesus gets back to teaching, you know, what He was doing before He was so rudely interrupted. He does so by using one of the groups who has just tried to ambush Him as an example of what NOT to do.

The Son of God says, “Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces” (v38).

Teaching the Teachers a Lesson

Ah, the teachers of religious law. You may remember them from just getting their collective butts whipped after poking their fingers in the chest of Jesus. He ends up teaching the teachers a lesson they will never forget.

So just who are these guys? The phrase “teachers of religious law” we see here is the Greek noun γραμματευς/grammateus. It’s where we get our word “grammar.”

Word Nerds

It generally describes anybody who deals with the written word. A clerk. A writer. A scholar. A word nerd. In Acts, Dr. Luke drops this term when talking about a local government bureaucrat (Acts 19:35).

But more often that not, it’s talking about a recognized expert in Jewish law. Think of a seminary grad or a theologian. You know, those folks who are your lifeline when you can’t figure out some confusing passage in Scripture.

Illiterate Idiots

Interestingly, some of these very same Hebrew honchos throw Peter and John under the bus after Jesus’ resurrection by calling them “ordinary men with no training in the Scriptures” (Acts 4:13). 

Most translations go easy on their trash talk and call them “unschooled” (NIV) or “uneducated” (NASB). But the original language here literally says they are “illiterate” (Gr. αγραμματος/agrammatos) “idiots” (Gr. ιδιωτης/idiotes).

I’m NOT saying education is a bad thing. But considering what Jesus is going to say about the cockiness of these religious hot shots, let's be careful not to think we’ve got it all going on just because we’ve got a couple of degrees on the wall.

On High Alert

Now that we know who the Lord is talking about, let’s taking a closer look at what He says about them. Spoiler alert. It’s not good.

He tells the big crowd to “beware” of these goobers. The original language uses a verb (Gr. βλεπω/blepo) which means to look at carefully, take notice and consider, or be on high alert while watching out for danger.

Danger, Will Robinson!

Picture one of those caution signs telling warning us of a slippery floor, an angry dog, or even a biohazard. When you’re around these religion experts, be VERY careful. Watch them VERY closely. 

It’s a lot like that famous warning from the robot on “Lost in Space”…Danger, Will Robinson! 

Bad Examples

So what makes these “teachers of religious law” such a threat? Jesus says one big reason is the bad example they set. Just watch how they “like to parade around in flowing robes and receive greetings as they walk in the marketplaces” (v38).

Don’t miss just how much they get off on everyone’s attention. Would you allow me to nerd out in Greek one more time? Ah, you’re the best!

The One in the Mirror

Check out the word the NLT translates here as “like” (Gr. θελω/thelo). It means to truly enjoy or take so much pleasure in something that you’ve just gotta make it happen.

They wake up in the morning thinking about it. They plan their whole day around it. They’re so focused on the one in the mirror that helping others never crosses their mind. 

These guys absolutely love getting all gussied up just to be seen in public. I mean, they are obsessed with it. Can’t you just see them standing in their walk-in closet carefully choosing their outfit. Hmm, I wore that robe yesterday. And that one is so 25 AD.

Hoping to Get Noticed

The language here makes it clear that these teachers don’t simply do this occasionally. No, they are preoccupied with it. And when they put on their best, they make sure they’re seen.

They constantly “parade around” (v38). They don’t just go to the busiest places in town which have the most people. They walk up and down, back and forth. Hoping to get noticed, looking for recognition. Nobody loves a parade like these teachers love their parade.

The Red Carpet

These dudes are constantly walking the red carpet. Their life is an extended photo op. Can’t you just see some First Century cable show dedicated to which theologian wore it best?

It seems to me that long before there was ever an internet or social media, these religious teachers were the original influencers. Let’s be blunt. When someone calls themselves an influencer, it’s usually a desperate plea for attention and fame.

The Best Seats in the House

Jesus tells the crowd at the temple how these Jewish celebrities are constantly angling for the best seats in the house. “And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets” (v39).

One commentator points out that there was a bench at the very front of every synagogue that faced the rest of the people. These are the seats they want. And it’s not so they have a good view. It’s so others will have a good view of them.

Looking for the Limelight

Think about that for just a second. When folks gather to worship God, these religious scholars are looking for the limelight. Here’s a pro tip: God refuses to share the stage with anyone or anything else.

Mind if I ask you a question? Why do you sit where you sit when you go to church? Is it to be seen? Is it so that others will know what a super saint you are? No, I didn’t think so. Where would I get such a ridiculous idea?

These scribes also seek to score the best tables at the restaurant. Anytime there’s an event, it’s important for their ego to sit up front. The closer to the speaker the better. 

A Truth Bomb 

What Jesus says here is a truth bomb that busts the bunker of my ego. For most of my life, I wanted to be famous. I wanted to be noticed. I wanted the attention. 

I’m fairly confident that I would have been a charter member of the religion scholars club if I lived during the days of Christ. Shiny new suit? Check. High traffic location? Check. Luxury box at church? Check. Best table at the trendy restaurant? Check.

Fear of Man

It hurts to type these words. But it’s the truth. I struggle with a little something-something called Fear of Man. The quick explanation is that I’m WAY more concerned about what others think of me than what God does.

The Holy Spirit has done some serious heavy lifting in my life over the past few years when it comes to this. I’m far from finished but grateful for what He’s done.

The Audience of One

A guy named Paul wrote something that the Lord has used to help turn things around. “I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant” (Gal 1:10).

Pleasing people versus pleasing God. What’s it gonna be? It’s a choice I’m faced with just about every single moment my eyes are open. For me, the audience for which I perform is the Audience of One.

An Overwhelming Relief

What an overwhelming relief I found when I stopped trying to impress everyone and get the world to like me. I could stop being something I wasn’t. I could simply be the real me. The One who made made me not only knew me but loved me.

I didn’t need to dress to impress God. I didn’t need to go anywhere special for Him to see me. It didn’t matter where I sat in church or whether I sat at the kid’s table at the party.

Misdirection

Meanwhile, back in the temple courts, Jesus tells the big crowd what these religious teachers are REALLY up to while putting on a show. They may project a slick image but there’s something else altogether different going on.

These experts want you to look over here at their impressive activities. That will distract you from what’s really going on. Magicians call it misdirection. It’s that little trick of calling our attention over here so they can pull off the sleight of hand over there.

Stealing from Widows

So what exactly are they trying to do? I’ll let the Lord tell you. “Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property” (v40).

The scribes use their leverage to put the squeeze on those who can’t protect themselves. In First Century culture, widows were an easy mark. They had few rights and very little protection. 

Looking out for the Most Vulnerable

Apparently their strategy for building their real estate portfolio by running roughshod and basically stealing property from single women. No late night cable infomercials on how to flip houses for these guys. All they had to do was hoodwink a woman who’s lost her husband. 

A couple of thousand years later, has much really changed? Grifters and con artists are still target the elderly and single moms as their prey. As the followers of Jesus, we need to look out for those who are the most vulnerable.

Smokescreens and Flowery Prayers

Christ points out one of the favorite tactics used by the religion teachers. At the same time they’re cheating the powerless, they “pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public” (v40).

They throw up smokescreens with flowery prayers when the crowds are around. Jesus sure seems to indicate there’s not a whole lot of praying going on when they’re alone. As the divine Son of God, He should know who’s really talking to God and who’s not.

Flying Solo in Prayer

Here’s another moment when the Lord’s words hit a little too close to home for me. Don’t get me wrong, going to God in prayer with other followers of Jesus is an awesome experience.

But what’s my prayer life look like when I’m flying solo? Do I pray as passionately and frequently when I’m alone as I do when I’m around others? Asking for a friend.

Getting What They Deserve

The radical Rabbi/Carpenter wants us to know that these religious phonies won’t get away with it. “Because of this, they will be more severely punished” (v40).

He knows they will get what’s coming to them. Maybe not on this side of eternity but God ensures they will get what they deserve. 

How can Jesus be so sure? Because He’s the One who will do it! “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body” (2Cor 5:10).

Making God Famous

Which brings me back to the whole “what do you want to be when you grow up” thing we started with. Like a I said before, what I wanted was to be famous. What I wanted was to be liked. What I wanted was to be the center of the attention.

Little did I realize at that time that my career goal was to be a religious legal eagle. A phony who was only concerned with my image but had no real substance when you peeked behind the curtain. As they say in Texas, “All hat and no cattle.”

While I’m far from perfect, I’m so incredibly grateful that Jesus has saved me from that. That He saved me from MYSELF! My life is so much so more fulfilling now that my goal is to make God famous.

©2020

Jay Jennings

Trust the Source

Paul writes to the network of churches he planted in Galatia, hoping to head off the heresy that’s threatening to undermine everything God had just done in his two visits during his first missionary journey.  False teachers have preached a counterfeit gospel to these new believers (Gal 1:6-9).  

These are Jews teaching that to be true followers of Jesus we must become Jewish if we are Gentile and continue to practice Judaism if we are already Jewish.  

The apostle doesn’t give a flip what these false teachers say about him.  As a matter of fact, he doesn’t care what the Galatians think about him.  He’s not out to win any popularity contests but be obedient to the assignment given him by Christ (Gal 1:10).

Paul gets the full attention of his recipients.  The phrase “For I would have you know, brothers” (v11) is a way of letting them know that he has something REALLY important to say.  

He uses the Greek verb γνοριζω/gnorizo.  It not only means to make known or to reveal, but to certify to the truth and importance of something.  

The apostle is certifying that what he’s about to write is straight up.  It has his personal stamp of approval.  Pay attention, boys.  This is big stuff.  Are you listening?  Do I have your full attention?  Good.

He tells the Galatians that he didn’t get the message he proclaims from any man.  “The Gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel” (v11).  

This wasn’t something he heard at some seminar.  He didn’t read this in a book.  It’s not something he found on the internet.  He didn't get this from any preacher, teacher or rabbi.  His old mentor Gamaliel didn’t teach him this.  

As a matter of fact, this wasn’t from any of Jesus’ closest followers.  The Good News Paul preached to them is no manmade speculation. This is God-given revelation.

This is a great reminder to each of us to be VERY careful with anyone’s opinion or interpretation of the Gospel.  It doesn’t matter who it is.  Luther.  Calvin.  Spurgeon.  Edwards.  Graham.  Driscoll.  MacArthur.  Chandler.  Stanley.  Groeschel.  Tchividjian.  

If what they say doesn’t match what the Bible says about Jesus and His atoning death in our place for our sin then it must be ignored.  We’re called to proclaim Jesus’ Gospel, not man’s gospel.

The English translations of this verse don’t do justice to the original language.  In Greek, Paul uses both the noun (Gr. ευαγγελιον/euangelion) and verb (Gr. ευαγγελιζω/euangelizo) forms of Gospel.  A more accurate and awkward rendering would be: “The Gospel which was Gospeled to you is not according to man.”  It just reinforces how Gospel-centric this letter is.  

In order to correct the perversion preached by the false teachers, Paul gets back to the very basics of Jesus’ message of grace.  It’s all about the Good News.  Nothing but the Good News.  These morons have twisted the Gospel by adding works back to it.  Anything added to the Good News is actually very bad news.  VERY bad news.

Paul reinforces the fact that “I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it” (v11).  So just where did the man from Tarsus get his radical message?  “I received it  through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”  In others words, Paul got Jesus’ message straight from Jesus!  There’s no filter.  There’s no middle man.  Jesus is the Source of the Gospel Paul proclaims.  

This goes back to his claim to be an apostle in the first words of his letter (Gal 1:1).  In the first century, an apostle is personally appointed representative of the one sending who is given full authority to act on behalf of his master.  

To speak with an apostle is to speak with the master.  So to speak with the Apostle Paul is to speak with Jesus Christ.  The Galatians can trust Paul’s Gospel because it is Jesus’ Gospel.

The apostle tells us that he got his message “through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”  The Greek text uses the term αποκαλυπσις/apokalupsis.  This is actually the word from which we get our word apocalypse.  

Rather than describing the cataclysmic end of the world, it means to reveal something hidden or mysterious.  It’s actually a compound word meaning “from” (Gr. απο-/apo-) “hiding” (Gr. -καλυπτω/-kalupto).  

Jesus Himself personally revealed the mystery  to Paul.  Any message is only as good as its source.  This message is from THE Source.  We can trust what Paul preaches and proclaims because it is straight from the mouth of Jesus.

So when did this happen?  When did Jesus reveal to Paul His marvelous message that He is not only the long awaited Messiah to the Jews but the light of salvation to the entire world?  It would seem that it happened either during the divine mugging on the highway outside of Damascus or in Arabia (or possibly both!).  

In Acts, Luke tells us that immediately after Paul regained his sight, “He proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God’” (Acts 9:20).  In just a few verses here in Galatians, the apostle tells us that before he ever went to Jerusalem and while he was in Damascus, “I went away into Arabia” (Gal 1:17).  

John MacArthur says this is Nabatean Arabia, a desert wilderness stretching from east of Damascus down to the Sinai peninsula.  There’s part of me that wonders if this isn’t where Jesus appeared to personally teach Paul His incredible Gospel for both Jews and Gentiles.

We can trust Paul’s Gospel because we can trust the Source.  Jesus.  Paul’s Good News is Jesus’ Good News.  Jesus’ Good News is Paul’s Good News.  Trust the Source.  Trust Jesus. 

©2012 

Jay Jennings