Study The Details!

 

Study The Details!

 

I have been saying for years; when you read the Bible study it by paying attention to the context. That really means study the details, the what, who, when, where, why and how. Don’t use partial Scriptures unless the context supports your point.

In six Scriptures the fact that JESUS had brothers and sisters in mentioned, in Mark 6:3 His for brothers are mentioned by name and it says He had sisters that the people there knew.

 

Matthew 8:18-22, 12:46-50, 13:53-58; Mark 3:31-35, 6:1-6; Luke 8:19-21, 9:57-62, 14:25-33; John 2:11-12, 6:41-42, 7:1-9, 19:25-27 All of these Scriptures talk of the cost of following JESUS, even the cost of family.

 

Now the point of some of these Scriptures is not that JESUS had siblings, but it is important background information. We know that JESUS had earthly parents, Joseph and Mary; we don’t hear anything about Joseph after JESUS is twelve – so it is not important; but the fact that he was JESUS’ step-father is important. In Mark 6:3 the people name His brothers James, Joses, Judas and Simon and reference His sisters (at least two). So Mary and Joseph had six children after JESUS was born. That’s important to understand when reading the Scriptures where He says His mother, brothers and sisters are those who believe in Him; He knows what it means to deny His family for the Work of The Kingdom, as mentioned in Matthew, Mark and Luke. He knows what it means to be rejected by His family, as in John 6:41-42. At His crucifixion JESUS transferred the responsibility; that He had as the first born son, of His mother’s care to His disciple John not to the next oldest son of His parents. Yet we know that that brother, James and the third brother Judas became believers and wrote two of the epistles of the New Testament.

 

This also shows how important it is to study the four Gospels in harmony, when you study an event in one Gospel study it in any of the rest where it is also found. And pay attention to the context! In Matthew 10:27-31 (10:1-42 He’s talking to the twelve disciples before He sends them out on their own.) and Luke 12:4-7 (11:29-12:57 After a long session of teaching the multitudes He tells the disciples the same message He told them in Matthew 10, notice that two times He is speaking to the disciples and someone from the crowd asks a question. The overall conversation between these two passages is different.) JESUS gives the same core message, but when you study it in the context of that Gospel you see that He was talking to two different groups of people at two different times. That is important to know, because that is what preachers do, they give the same message to different groups of people in different locations. But, more important is that JESUS taught this lesson multiple times – so it is important!

 

If You Want To Understand What JESUS Said And Did It Is Important To Understand The Details! Everything In The Bible Is Important or it would not be there, what is left out is not important even if it is interesting. Understanding this will help you understand what GOD is teaching through His Word while not getting distracted by unimportant but interesting stuff.

Seek GOD First!