Author name: Lloyd McDonald

In last week’s lesson, we attended a most unusual funeral, a funeral that would have never happened if Mary and Martha had been able to direct events. However, it was God who was directing events, and His plan involved suffering and disillusionment. Lazarus must go through the suffering of death. His sisters must go through […]

Lazarus, a good friend of Jesus, was sick, very sick. Just hang on Lazarus.  Jesus will soon be here. But when the messenger returned, Jesus wasn’t with him. They were shocked, and disillusioned. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ However, Jesus’ lack of response made good sense to His disciples. He had already told them, “This sickness is not unto death.” On

Jesus had a real way of using everyday events to teach great spiritual truths. And nowhere was this more evident than in the parable of the sheepfold. Yes, the very nature of the Israeli sheepfold lent itself to the truths Jesus wanted to convey. As you will remember, it is a single enclosure housing several

As new light dawned upon the blind man, both physically and spiritually.  Darkness descended upon the nation of Israel . John 9:39-41 “And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.40: And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these

For Jesus, the morning had started with an attentive class, and ended when the Pharisees tried to stone Him. One might ask, Was that long walk back to Jerusalem really worth it? I’m sure Jesus’ answer would have been, yes. Even though His promise of spiritual freedom had been misunderstood, His lesson continually interrupted and His statements vehemently opposed,

As the sun rose over the city, Jesus made His way to the temple. He had spent the night in the Mount of Olives , but He would be keeping His morning appointment with God’s Chosen People. No, those faithful few would not be disappointed, and would find Him waiting for them in the treasury. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I

The early morning pilgrimage to the temple had been well worth it. As they had hoped, Jesus was sittingin thetreasury, quietly waiting for them. I’m sure His message was just what they needed, and it was for their ears only,  a unique treasure, and one they would never forget. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ But then, everything changed, and not for

The Feast of Tabernacles had provided a unique opportunity for Jesus to preach the gospel of the kingdom. And under normal circumstances, it was a very enjoyable occasion, a kind of camping experience, and an opportunity to get back to their roots all rolled into one. And not only was it was a good time

Strange as it might seem, Jesus had spent His last six months in Galilee . The fact of the matter was “— he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.” However, John 7:2 tells us “the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand,” and as we noted in last week’s lesson, this feast required the

The Galileans had been very impressed by Jesus’ miracles, and no doubt by His teachings. Some of them even thought He wasElias or one of the old prophets raised from the dead. However, the feeding of the 5000 had revealed a shallowness in their expectations. They were looking for a king that could make their life easier;