Daily Devotional

The Life of Jesus

The Story of Salvation: Day 4

Through this new eight-day devotional series based on the short iBIBLE film The Real Story of Jesus, explore Jesus’ presence in all of God’s Grand Narrative. If we are to believe in Jesus and share Him with others, we must first understand the foundational elements of our faith.

Why Does the Life of Jesus Matter?

You probably won’t need much convincing that Jesus’ life and ministry is an important part of the Christian faith. It seems fairly obvious that those who follow Jesus would care about His life and teaching. Even so, we sometimes get distracted by the details of His teaching and forget the main message Jesus presents to us.

At the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus spreads this simple message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17b, ESV). This two-fold message—turning away from sin and its kingdom and turning toward Jesus and His Kingdom—is the core of all Jesus’ teaching and the very mission of His life on earth. We dare not miss it!

This two-fold message is the core of all Jesus’ teaching, and the very mission of His life on earth. We dare not miss it!

Jesus’ Life in Scripture

Jesus teaches in many ways throughout the four Gospels, and each method serves as a different form of the same proclamation of the forgiveness of sins for those who deny themselves to take up their cross and follow Jesus (see Luke 9:23–26). Every teaching of Jesus is designed to bring us into the Kingdom of Heaven and a closer relationship with Him as we learn more about Him and His heart for us.

Parables: Jesus’ most well-known method of teaching is His parables. These are allegorical stories told to crowds or individuals so that they might remember the lesson of the teaching. Each parable is told in a specific context, and must be interpreted in that context. Take, for example, the parable of the Good Samaritan, told in Luke 10:25–37.

Jesus told this well-known parable in response to a Jewish leader attempting to trap Jesus by asking Him to clarify who the neighbor is in the second greatest commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Theologian Simon J. Kistemaker explains how Jesus’ parable turns this question back on the Jewish leader to expose his selfish heart:

[Jesus] wanted the theologian to ask, “Whom do I treat as my neighbor?” . . . For the theologian questioning Jesus, it was a matter of knowing where to draw the line. He wanted to know if love has limits. . . . But when the Law is open-ended—“Love your neighbor,” which includes “Love your enemy”—a whole new world stands out in full view making claims on that Law. —Simon J. Kistemaker

The Jews and Samaritans hated each other during Jesus’ time. By using a Samaritan to show mercy to a Jew in His parable, Jesus was asking the Jewish leader whom he was willing to love. After all, Jesus had already told him the way to eternal life was to love God and love his neighbor.

Much more than a parable about physical kindness, the parable of the Good Samaritan instructs those like the Jewish leader and like us, who claim to love God, to examine and turn from the sinful pride and hatred in our hearts that keep us from fulfilling this second greatest commandment and loving like Jesus.

The parable of the Good Samaritan instructs those who claim to love God to examine and turn from the sinful pride and hatred in our hearts.

Teaching: Jesus didn’t always teach in parables. Sometimes, like in His famous Sermon on the Mount, He taught the people directly, using Scripture instead of stories. During this special sermon recorded in Matthew 5–7, Jesus taught the people the heart of the Law, not just the letter, by quoting a passage of Scripture or common teaching and clarifying it. Here is one example of many:

“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” 

—Matthew 5:31–32

The passage Jesus quoted is Deuteronomy 24:1, and it is the same passage Jesus later referred to when questioned by the Pharisees on this same topic (see Matthew 19:1–12). Under the Pharisees’ liberal application of this passage from the Law of Moses, anyone could get divorced for any reason with no consequences. 

But Jesus taught clearly that this law should not be used as license to commit adultery, as marriage is sacred to God and is itself a reflection of the marriage between Jesus and His people, whom He will never divorce (see Matthew 19:4–6, Isaiah 54:5–8). Jesus clarified many teachings in this way so that the people would understand the heart of the Law, and through the Law, the heart of God.

Jesus clarified many teachings in this way so that the people would understand the heart of the Law, and through the Law, the heart of God.

Miracles: The third major way Jesus taught the people was through His miracles. These teachings were unique, as they were performed more through action than through words. But that is precisely why Jesus’ miracles are so precious. His teaching and healing extend to both mind and body, drawing people to Him completely!

One type of miracle Jesus performed regularly was driving out demons. One of the most famous of these instances is the case of the man in whom the demons Legion dwelled. Jesus cast these demons out of the man and into a nearby herd of pigs, and then the man wanted to follow Jesus, his Savior. But Jesus told him to go back to his hometown and share all that Jesus had done for him, and he did so (see Mark 5:1–20, Luke 8:26–39).

The region this man spread the Good News of Jesus in was the Decapolis, meaning “ten cities,” a Gentile area, where news about Jesus had probably not yet reached. Yet a little while later, when Jesus returned to the Decapolis, people came to Him to be healed (see Mark 7:31–37). The man whom Jesus had commanded to spread the news of his healing had done his job well, and the people wanted to know this same Divine power!

Do we respond in the same way to Jesus’ teaching? When we read the parables, do we remember them as nice stories or as the method of a greater teaching of salvation? Do we listen when Jesus interprets the Law? Do we excitedly share how Jesus has power over demons and even death? This message is the reason Jesus came to earth that we must continue to share: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17b)!

Looking Forward

As eagerly as the crowds received Jesus for the majority of His ministry, just as eagerly would they betray Him to be crucified. Jesus had preached the forgiveness of sins, and now He would fulfill that message once and for all on the cross. Next week we will look at just how deep Jesus’ love and sacrifice goes for us, sinners who are not worthy of such love and mercy.

Prayer for This Week

Lord Jesus, You have taught us so many things, and they all point us back to You. Every day, help us to turn away from our sin and toward You, the author and perfecter of our faith. It is only through You and Your Word that we can receive salvation, and we thank You for revealing the way to the Kingdom of Heaven through faith in You. In Your name we pray. Amen.