The New Birth Midrash, Part Two
Read the series.
(Ezekiel 18:3, 37:9-10; 1 Samuel 10:6, John 3:1-11)
The New Birth Midrash, Part One
Read the series.
(John 3:1-11 with Ezekiel 36:25-27)
The concept of the New Birth—aka, “regeneration” (Titus 3:5) or “circumcision of the heart” (Deuteronomy 30:6, 5:28-29 and 10:16)—is found throughout Scripture, but Jesus’ words to Nicodemus are perhaps the Bible’s definitive text on this subject.
Yeshua and Nicodemus
The (ESV) text of John 3:1-11 is a good place to start our investigation:
Discussion
Jesus’ Temple Remarks
Read the series.
My Father’s house
Jesus’ childhood narrative in Luke 3:41-51 records the only words spoken by Jesus while a youth. His family joined the caravan for an annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. When they could not find Jesus in the caravan, they searched, finally returning to the temple courts in Jerusalem, where Yeshua was in dialog with the learned rabbis.
Discussion
Jesus: The Branch and Ladder
Read the series.
(Matthew 2:23, Genesis 28:10-17 with John 1:43-51)
Jesus as Netzer
Jesus was just beginning to assemble His band of key disciples. The first chapter of John’s Gospel introduces us to Nathaniel (probably also known as Bartholomew). During their initial meeting, Yeshua dazzles Nathaniel and then shares a midrash to describe the nature of His ministry.
Discussion
Did Jesus’ Family Think He Was Crazy?
Body
“Did Jesus’ family think He was crazy? Probably. But not quite in the way we might make this accusation today. They thought He was placing Himself outside the bounds of normal society.” - C.Leaders
Discussion
When Did Jesus Die? (Do We Know the Day and Time?)
Body
“Jesus predicted in Matthew 12:39–40 that he would be in the grave for three days and three nights….Culturally, for Jews, it means part of one day, a full day, and part of the third day.” - Word by Word
Discussion
Christ Our Passover
Christians around the world will remember and celebrate the essence of the gospel this weekend — “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
We believe that the Apostle Paul’s inspired summary statement is true, and we are certain that these events actually happened in real history, providing the basis of our salvation.
Discussion
Jesus Was Not a Long-Haired White Man
Body
“What’s more is that Jesus probably didn’t wear bright colors or a brilliantly white robe. Bright colors were expensive to make, and bleached white clothing was a mark of politicians. Common people usually wore earth tones, reflective of the natural color of the sheep’s wool used to create the garments.” - Kainos Project
Discussion
Review: Sinclair Ferguson’s new book Lessons from the Upper Room
Body
“While Lessons from the Upper Room is an exposition of John 13-17, it is by no means a dry or academic work. To the contrary, it is devotional and applicable. It did, after all, begin as a series of lessons for laypersons—a teaching series distributed through Ligonier Ministries.” - Challies
Discussion
Satisfying the Multitude
Body
“The folly of crowds. History bears this out in many ways, but the life of Jesus highlights this truth in the most vivid way. The heart of man is indeed fickle, in one moment able to recognize a true authority but in another moment being led by whatever feeds their bellies the most.” - Ref21
Discussion
Image
Discussion