Jesus - The Good Shepherd

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

my sheep hear my voice,
and I know them, and they follow me:
and I give unto them eternal life;
and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all;
and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
I and my Father are one.

(John 14: 1-6)

Let not your heart be troubled:
ye believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father's house are many mansions;
if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again, and receive you unto myself;
that where I am , there ye may be also.
And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
Thomas saith unto Him, Lord,
we know not whither thou goest;
and how can we know the way?
Jesus saith to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life,
no man cometh unto the Father but by me.

Give enough that your heart is in the kingdom of God and not in this material world

(Mat 6:19-21 NRSV) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; {20} but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. {21} For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

"So do not be troubling yourself about tomorrow. Tomorrow will have its own trouble. Today's trouble is enough for today."

Matthew 6:34 Jesus said, "Do not let anything trouble your heart. You believe in God and you must believe in me also."

John 14:1 "The thief comes only to steal the sheep and to kill them and spoil them I have come so that people may live and that they may enjoy life to the full."

John 10:10 More from the Bible "Turn all your troubles over to Him (God) because he cares for you, and is watching over you."

1 Peter 5:7 Note: the word translated here 'turn' can mean 'throw'. You can throw your troubles away from you, onto God!

"Always be glad for what the Lord has done. I will say it again, be glad. Let everyone know that you think kindly of others before yourselves. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything. Talk to God about everything. Thank him for what you have. Ask Him for what you need. Then God will give you peace, a peace which is too wonderful to understand. That peace will keep your hearts and minds safe as you trust in Christ Jesus."

Matt 7:13 (KJV) Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: {strait: or, narrow} 14 Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

(Matthew 11: 28-30)

Come unto me,
all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give your rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;
for I am meek and lowly in heart;
and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

(Matthew 12: 36, 37)

But I say unto you,
That every idle word that men shall speak,
they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment.
For by thy words shalt thou be justified,
and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

(Mark 7:6-8)

(To the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law)

Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites
As it is written
this people honoureth me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me.
Howbeit in vain do they worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
For laying aside the commandment of God
ye hold the tradition of men,
as the washing of pots and cups;
and many other such things ye do

(Mark 8: 36-38)

For what shall it profit a man,
if he shall gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul?
Or what shall a man give
in exchange for his own soul?
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me
and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation;
of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed,
when he cometh in the glory of his Father
with the holy angels.

(Mark 9:42)

And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones
that believe in me,
it is better for him that a millstone
were hanged about his neck
and he were cast into the sea.

(Mark 10:14-15)

Suffer the little children to come unto me
and forbid them not
for of such is the kingdom of God.
Verily I say unto you,
Whosoever shall not receive
the kingdom of God as a little child,
He shall not enter in.

What Jesus said about Fasting

The Gospel of Matthew shows that Jesus “fasted forty days and forty nights” (Matthew 4:21). The Gospel of Luke adds the detail that “in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered” (Luke 4:2). Since Jesus fasted, his true followers will also fast, if they indeed follow his teachings.

He said, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” (John 8:31).

People had complained to Jesus saying, “Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink?” (Luke 5:33). But Jesus replied that as long as he is with them his disciples should not fast, but after he is taken away then “they will fast in those days” (Luke 5:35).

This is why Jesus also gave them instructions on how to fast for the sake of God (Matthew 6:16-18). If they were never to fast, such instructions would be pointless. The Bible shows that the disciples were fasting afterwards: “they had fasted and prayed” (Acts 13:3), and again they had “prayed with fasting” (Acts 14:23).

The Bible mentions fasting as one of the observances of a minister of God (2 Corinthians 6:5), and “fastings often” as a proof of the worth of a disciple of Jesus.

Luke 5:33 quoted above reveals that

(a) fasting means abstinence from eating and drinking, and,

(b) that although the disciples were not to fast until after Jesus was taken away, Jesus himself continued to fast, otherwise the complaint would have been against him also.

It is clear that the Jewish Rabbis were fasting (Matthew 9:14, and Mark 2:18). And Jesus too was called a Rabbi (see John 1:38; 3:2; 6:25 and Matthew 23:8). So he too must have been fasting.

The disciples were unable to drive out a demon from a boy, but Jesus drove it out. When the disciples asked how he did it, he said that this kind can be driven out only “by prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29). This shows that because the disciples were not fasting they could not drive out the demon, and, that Jesus could drive it out because he was fasting.

Some copyists attempted to change this verse by leaving out the words ‘and fasting’. This is how, for example, the Revised Standard Version reads. But this reading gives the passage an impossible meaning that Jesus’s disciples were not praying either. This is perhaps why the Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version restores the words ‘and fasting’. The New Testament From the Ancient Eastern Text also includes the words ‘and fasting’ (Mark 9:29).

God rescued us from this uncertainty by revealing his final incorruptible message in which He instructs all able believers to fast for a month each year. Today Jesus' true followers are still fasting according to God's pure instructions.

The Baptism of Jesus

Matthew 3:13 - Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14: but John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

Matthew 3:15 Jesus said, "Let it be so now, it is proper for s to do this to fulfill all righteousness. Then John consented.

The prophecy that was fulfilled is this, v. 14–16. It is quoted from Isa. 9:1, 2, but with some variation. The prophet in that place is foretelling a greater darkness of affliction to befal the contemners of Immanuel, than befel the countries there mentioned, either in their first captivity under Benhadad, which was but light (1 Ki. 15:20), or in their second captivity under the Assyrian, which was much heavier, 2 Ki. 15:29. The punishment of the Jewish nation for rejecting the gospel should be sorer than either (see Isa. 8:21, 22); for those captivated places had some reviving in their bondage, and saw a great light again, ch. 9:2. This is Isaiah’s sense; but the Scripture has many fulfillings; and the evangelist here takes only the latter clause, which speaks of the return of the light of liberty and prosperity to those countries that had been in the darkness of captivity, and applies it to the appearing of the gospel among them.

4:18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus Christ? Is Yeshua (Hebrew for “Jesus”) really the promised Messiah of Israel (Hebrew for “Christ”) of the Old Testament?” Is Jesus Christ truly the Son of God … literally God Himself, the Divine living within human flesh? Were Jesus Christ’s claims that of a Liar or Lunatic … or is He really Lord of the universe?

You may want to take a tour of some of the major highlights of Jesus’ life. Or you may want to preview what people were saying before Christ was born. Of course, you may want to check out Jesus’ claims about himself. Some may be interested in learning about the muscle Jesus exercised and the miracles he performed.

Knowledgeable people will agree that Jesus Christ has made quite an impact on the world. You may even come to learn that Yeshua is indeed the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. If you prefer, you can take time to further investigate Jesus Christ’s claims in the New Testament.

But after all is said and done, the key question for you is, “What does all this information about Jesus Christ have to do with my life?” Or, you may have other questions. The following describes how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ today, experience forgiveness of your sins, receive eternal life, and gain a whole new purpose for living.