Through laughter and tears, truth will burrow into your spirit! DR DICK FOTH
WITH LUCAS APPLYING GOD’S WORD TODAY
JANUARY – MARCH 2024
Miracle Town
A WORD FROM JEFF
WELCOME TO LIFE WITH LUCAS! Miracle Town It’s the one location on planet Earth where Jesus did more miracles than anywhere else. It was there that He confirmed His selection of His disciples, it became His base of ministry, and He taught truths there with authority and clarity. The place is the town of Capernaum, which, as we’ll see, is described in the New Testament as ‘Jesus’ town’. We’ll consider the events that led to Him deciding that Capernaum would be His home base. And we’ll see, those marvels had little lasting impact on most of Capernaum’s citizens. Early in our journey, we’ll consider Christ’s condemnation of the town: zooming in on what He did there will help us to understand His judgment call. Tracing the chronology of Jesus’ ministry is a challenge – the writers of the four gospels were more concerned to tell us what happened rather than when and where! But I have carefully researched and tried to put some order into the unfolding events. Scholars disagree about the precise timelines, and so my findings are by no means infallible. So let’s go to Capernaum – the miracle town, the Jesus town! I’d like to thank those of you who have helped us to produce Life with Lucas with your financial support. If you’d like to join them, go to lifewithlucas.co.uk and click on the ’support’ button. Finally, I want to dedicate this edition to the memory of David Newman, a friend from Bible college days who, together with his wife Gayna, encouraged and helped support this Bible note ministry. He went home to be with Jesus on the 9th October 2023. As always, thank you for joining me.
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INTRODUCTION
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF LIFE WITH LUCAS! CHOOSE A TIME Find the best time that works for you, ideally the same time, same place every day, when you can concentrate and have the least number of distractions. PAUSE AND TALK TO GOD Take a moment to focus on God and ask Him to speak to you as you read and reflect on His word. READ GOD’S WORD Read the daily passage from your Bible. Don’t be tempted just to skip this part. It’s important: who knows how the Holy Spirit might speak to you as you read the actual text? MAKE NOTES
ONLINE VIDEO INTRODUCTIONS, AND GOING DEEPER When you see the video icon, this points you to a brief Video Introduction to the subject. Make the most of the occasional Going Deeper resources when you see this icon. They will help you delve further into the passage. GIVE YOUR DAY TO GOD Thank God for what you’ve learned and ask for help if the day’s notes brought to light anything especially applicable to your life at the moment.
Writing slows you down and helps you focus. Write in your Bible, a notebook, or in the white space in the devotions. Don’t hesitate to underline, write in the margins, or circle words. 5
MON 01 JAN
TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN
READ Luke 12:35-48 Mark 2:1-2
FOCUS Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. Luke 12:48
VIDEO INTRODUCTION lifewithlucas.co.uk /intros
Looking back on my life, I am grateful that I have experienced a few miraculous events. My call to ministry was sudden, when a man of God not only spoke about my future, but did so after God revealed my first and last name to him. That caught my attention! My theory is God did that because I needed a shout from heaven to propel me into confidence and obedience. There have been amazing seasons of provision. Yet I am not only grateful as I look back, but I’m challenged too, because blessing creates responsibility. As we will discover, Capernaum experienced so much of the presence and power of Jesus – as I mentioned, more than any other location on earth. He spent a full year there, and it became the base for His wider ministry. Jesus performed more miracles there than in any other single place, together with many not described in detail in the gospels. As we will see, it was there Jesus raised a child from the dead and healed the nobleman’s son. There He healed a demoniac, Peter’s mother-in-law, a woman with a haemorrhage, two blind men, a centurion’s servant, and a paralysed man who was lowered through the roof by some friends. Not only did He teach in the synagogue, the heart of the Jewish community, but crowds gathered outside Peter’s house there. Jesus was the talk of the town – His ministry was very public. In Christ, we’ve all been given much. As we begin this new year, let’s seek to give Him our all, and respond to His work in our lives. Prayer: Lord, may I have a tender, willing heart, sensitive to Your work, alert and ready to respond. Amen.
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TUE 02 JAN
MUCH IS REQUIRED
READ Matthew 11:20-24 Luke 10:1-15
FOCUS And what about you, Capernaum? Will you be lifted up to heaven? No! You will go down to the place of the dead. Matthew 11:23
Despite all that Jesus did in Capernaum, ultimately He was met with indifference and even accusation from a few. Not only did He strongly condemn the town, but He also changed His ministry style, once He’d made that judgment call. Still using Capernaum as His base for wider ministry, now He cut back on His public teaching ministry, and taught more in parables. He also used strong words to denounce the town, comparing Capernaum with the infamous city of Sodom (Gen. 19:28-29). Ultimately, Capernaum was judged because of pride and hardness of heart. Some commentators believe the rhetorical question, ‘Will you be lifted up to heaven?’ refers to the stubbornness and arrogance of the people. And despite Capernaum being the place where light shone so brightly because the Light of the World lived there (Matt. 4:15-16), tragically, the town’s folk chose darkness. By the 13th century, Capernaum was reduced to the ruins that we can still visit today. It lay undiscovered for centuries until the excavations of the twentieth century. I can think of Christians who have stayed faithful through decades of doubt and seemingly unanswered prayers. Through it all, they have held tightly to Christ. And I know of others who have literally seen miracles, but have chosen to drift or walk away from Him. There are no guarantees. Let’s stay humble, open and teachable, and by the grace of God, walk close to the Christ who loves us so. Prayer: Keep me close to You, Jesus. Amen.
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