Thur Inspiration

Morning Inspiration with Pastor Merritt

The gospel writers described the public ministry of Jesus as involving three things: teaching, preaching and healing. For three years, Jesus went about the countryside teaching what was right, preaching what was true, and healing what was wrong. This story begins with Jesus teaching and people hearing the Word of God. That is important since every journey of Jesus begins with hearing the Word of God.

Jesus was not teaching from the Bible like I am teaching from today, because in that day there was no Bible, at least not as we know it. Jesus was not teaching from a book. He was teaching from His heart. That phrase, “The Word of God” could also be translated “The Word From God.”

Every time Jesus opened His mouth you were hearing the Word of God. His teaching was the Word of God, because He was the God of the Word. John, who is in this story, would later write this:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

What was He teaching? Before this story, Luke records this in Luke 4:43.

“But he said to them, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.’” (Luke 4:43)

He was teaching them about the Kingdom of God. Light had come to the spiritually dark. Sight had come to the spiritually blind. Freedom had come to the spiritually captive.