The Life of Christ

• The day is coming when family members will have to take a costly stand for their faith. Already in various nations, to become a Christian is also choosing to become disowned by one’s immediate family. Mt. 10:37-30 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it.”

This is in the context of being persecuted by one’s own family members.

• This can become a heavy cross; to bear this cross, however, strongly proclaims our worthiness in Christ.

• We each must carry some form of cross; its kind and weight differ from person to person.

Mt. 10:40-41 “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.”

To receive a prophet means first to acknowledge one as a prophet of God, and more importantly to do what the prophet declares.

• If we choose to respond to the prophet’s words, there will be a reward that follows.

SECTION 101

Mk. 6:14-16 And King Herod heard of it, for His name had become well known; and people were saying, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.” 15 But others were saying, “He is Elijah.” And others were saying, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he kept saying, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen!”

Tradition tells us that Herod was a very superstitious man, who greatly regretted having killed John the Baptist.

• He actually thought that Jesus was a reincarnation of John the Baptist, who had come back to curse him.

SECTION 102

Mk. 6:17 For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her.

Herod had John arrested because John was publicly declaring that Herod was committing adultery, having married his own brother’s wife.

• According to Lev. 18:16; 20:21, such a marriage was considered incestuous.

• You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness (Lev. 18:16).

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