Jesus calms the Storm.
Mark 4 (New International Version) Mark 4 Jesus Calms the Storm 39He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" 41They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" |
Christ healing the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda; Bartolomeo Esteban MURILLO;
1670; oil on canvas; National Gallery, London.
| Matthew 5 1.When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." |
Jesus heals the blind Man at Jericho; Nicolas POUSSIN; 1650; oil on canvas; Musée du Louvre, Paris
| Personal thoughts from reading The Bible ourselves.
Jesus Christ came to reveal God the Father. Jesus Christ died on the Cross because God loved us so much that he gave us his only begotten Son or Himself. Before everything was, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit Were! We can't imagine how much God loves us until we read his Word in the Bible and become one with Him. Who could know better than God how we should live our lives. Jesus Christ on the cross is about God's love for us, redemption, forgivness, resurrection, eternal life, for everyone who believes. No one really dies, we will all be resurrected to meet God as shown in the red text below - the Gospel of John 5:25-29. The power of God through the crucifixion and the resurrection should be enough to make us change our ways and turn to God through the blood of Jesus Christ. God through the Bible promises that by faith in Jesus Christ, He will save us from His judgment. He goes to the innermost part of our soul. This is what the Bible, some pastors, and many of the great composers, painters, writers, prophets, academics of the past (and present) are trying to convey to us i.e. they are trying to tell us something wonderful. By reading the Bible, one can see that this is God's master plan from of old. This is what brings us salvation. God designed our incredible bodies to be resurrected and live forever with Him in heaven. Jesus tasted death for us so that when we die we will have nothing to fear. When we know Jesus Christ through his resurrection it gives us a new life, a willingness to humble ourselves, to not want to live as a sinner, to cleanse ourselves and to make peace with Jesus Christ. God has given every human being eternal life, both the believers and the unbelievers. Too good to be true. How unsearchable is the mind of God. Who is it that wants to instruct God? The Bible says death is not final. Death is only separation of the body and spirit. The Bible, teaches that we cannot get to heaven through the church, that is by being a member of the church, by being baptized, or by taking communion. These symbolic things cannot give us new life. The only way to real life is by acknowledging that the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, died on the cross not for His own sins, but for our sins. We deserved eternal death but He took our place on the cross to satisfy God's moral judgment. We must come to God on His terms and say to God that we are sorry for our sins, that we want Him the Creator to live His life in us. He transforms our lives: we start to show the moral character of God as the Holy Spirit lives the life of Christ in us; we show by our lives and our words the gift of Christ so that others might know that they too can be reconciled to God; we have Him the Creator to direct our lives both here in this world and to take us to Himself and to Heaven when we die. He died such a horrible death to bring us eternal life: a life reconciled to God here in this world and when we die to live forever, we do not come under His judgment. With Jesus Christ, our names are in His Book of Life, the Lamb's book of life. End of personal thoughts. |
Luke 10:38-42 41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." |
| Here are some chapters from the Gospel of John 5:24-30 Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. 24‘Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgement, but has passed from death to life.25‘Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; 27and he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29and will come out—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.30 'I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgement is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me. 11:14-15 23, 24-27, John 12:44-50 |
Raffaello Santi, known as Raphael, (1483-1520)
Italian
The Transfiguration, c.1519-1520. Oil on panel. Vaticano, Pinacoteca Apostolica
Vaticano, Rome.
2 Peter, Chapter 1 3 His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature. 5 For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. 8 For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For anyone who lacks these things is near sighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins. 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. 11 For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you. 12 Therefore I intend to keep on reminding you of these things, though you know them already and are established in the truth that has come to you. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to refresh your memory, 14 since I know that my death will come soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, 'This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased, listen to him.' 18 We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. |
Unknown artist of the XVI century. Copy after Leonardo's Last Supper. Oil on canvas. Da Vinci Museum, Abbey of Tongerlo, Tongerlo, Belgium. The painting today is open for viewing by the general public. Visitors, however, have to book in advance and are not allowed to stay long. Read more 1 |
Leonardo da VInci, Year and Place of Birth:
1452, the village of Vinci in Tuscany - Year and Place of Death:May 2, 1519, the castle of Cloux, near Amboise, France.
He began working on it in 1495, and finished Last Supper in 1498. |
Caravaggio, The Betrayal of Christ. 1602-1603. Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.
John chapter 18 verses 1-14 After Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them,'Whom are you looking for?'5They answered, 'Jesus of Nazareth.' Jesus replied,'I am he.' Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6When Jesus said to them,'I am he,'they stepped back and fell to the ground. 7Again he asked them,'Whom are you looking for?'And they said, 'Jesus of Nazareth.' 8Jesus answered,'I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.'9This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, 'I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.'10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave's name was Malchus. 11Jesus said to Peter,'Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?'12So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him.13 First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people. |
1. Rembrandt. Peter Denying Christ,
1660. Oil on canvas. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
2 . Rembrandt. Peter Denying Christ, 1628. Oil on canvas. Bridgestone Museum,
Tokyo, Japan.
View another Painting of Peter denying Christ by Rembrandt
Peter denying Christ, John Chapter 13: Verses 36-38 36 Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, where are you going?’ Jesus answered, ‘Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow afterward.’ 37Peter said to him, ‘Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’ 38Jesus answered, ‘Will you lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times. John Chapter 18: Verses 15-27 15Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. 17The woman said to Peter, ‘You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?’He said, ‘I am not.’ 18Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. 19Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20Jesus answered, ‘I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.’ 22When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, ‘Is that how you answer the high priest?’ 23Jesus answered, ‘If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?’ 24Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. 25Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, ‘You are not also one of his disciples, are you?’He denied it and said, ‘I am not.’ 26One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, ‘Did I not see you in the garden with him?’ 27Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed. |
Excerpts from 1Corinthians 15:1-19 1Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, 2through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you-unless you have come to believe in vain. 3For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them-though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe. 12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised;14and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. 15We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ-whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. 17If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. 19If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. If the dead are not raised, 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.' |
2 Corinthians Chapter 6 verses 1-2 As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, 'At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.' See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! |
Personal thoughts from reading The Bible ourselves. We who believe in Jesus Christ are the body of Christ, We are the church, not the church denominations, as shown below in John 14: verses 1-3 End of personal thoughts. |
John 14: 1-7 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ 5Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ 6Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’ John 20: 20-29 26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ 27Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ 28Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ 29Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’ |
Caravaggio, The Crucifixion of St. Peter. 1600-1601. Oil on canvas. Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome, Italy.
Michelangelo, Crucifixion of Saint Peter. 1546-1550. Frescoes. Pauline Chapel, Vatican.
St. Peter (Apostle). Fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, Peter and his brother Andrew were the first two disciples called by Jesus. Initially called Simon, he received from Jesus the name Peter (Latin petus means rock) as a sign of the founding role he was to play in the construction of the Church. Until Ascension Peter's life was closely linked to that of Jesus. He was present at all important events. The embodyment of human strengths and weaknesses, Peter is the example of the struggle of faith and understanding that every disciple faces. Jesus clearly saw his disciples, at the Last Supper He predicted that Peter would deny Him three times (Matthew 26:31, 33, 34, 35). And He did not mistake. After Crucifixion and Pentecost Peter became the head of the earliest Christian community in Jerusalem. He was imprisoned by Herod, but set free by an angel. In A.D. 44 he left for Rome, where he remained until his death, preaching, drawing together Christ's disciples and organizing Church of Rome, of which he was the first bishop. He was crucified the same day as St. Paul beheaded; thinking himself unworthy to suffer the same fate as Jesus, he asked to be nailed to the cross upside down. In fine arts St. Peter is often depicted with keys, cockerel, as the bird which heralded his betrayal of Christ (John 13:38), inverted cross, fishing boat, net, fish, chain, papal tiara. The key has a three-fold symbolic meaning: it indicates ownership and authority; it is a metaphor for a new life, the door to which it can open; and it represents a house. The key as an attribute of St. Peter includes all these meanings and derives from the Christ's words to St. Peter:"And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 16:19). |
Our personal thoughts from reading The Bible ourselves. If you read Acts you will see how the Jews and the Romans of that period, were making every effort to stop Peter, John, and Paul from preaching to the people about Jesus Christ. End of personal thoughts. |
Caravaggio, The Conversion of St. Paul. 1600-1601. Oil on canvas. Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome, Italy.
St. Paul (Apostle). After Christ himself, St. Paul is the second most important figure in the history of Christianity. His life is known through the Acts of the Apostles and through his own writings. Although he never knew Jesus, he is nonetheless called an apostle (disciple). St. Paul was born around A.D.10, at Tarsus, in Asia Minor. He was called Saul, after his conversion he changed his name into Paul (Latin paulus means small).Saul, an enemy to Christians, asked the high priests to authorize him to arrest Christians at Damascus and bring them back to Jerusalem. On his way to Damascus at the head of his armed men Saul fell to the ground when he heard the voice of Christ, saying: 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' and temporarily lost his sight. And he said, 'Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest... And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man' (Acts 9:5-7). Saul got up from the ground, but could not see, and his men brought him to Damascus. There he stayed in the house of Judas in the Straight Street. To that house the Lord sent a disciple named Ananias to heal Saul. Ananias came to the house, laid his hands on Saul and said, 'Saul, my brother, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me to you so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit' (Acts 9:17). And his sight returned to Saul, and he got baptized.On his return to Jerusalem Paul found Peter and other disciples and was accepted into the Christian community. He traveled all over the Roman Empire on missionary voyages. At length he arrived in Rome, where he again joined Peter. Emperor Nero, around A.D. 64, martyred them both during the persecutions of Christians. Paul as a Roman citizen was beheaded; Peter was crucified like a slave. Paul is considered to be the founder of the Universal Church since he not only took the Gospel to all corners of the Roman Empire, but also separated Christianity once and for all from Judaism. |
| We understand that all the disciples were martyred but John was exiled to Isle of Patmos and died of old age. |
The Martyrdom of St. Matthew. 1599-1600. Oil on canvas. San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome, Italy
