Study Desk

He went into the church and took the holy bread they use for ceremonies. Now you and I both know that the bread can only be eaten by the preachers, but David gave it to his men."

The Code teachers and the Pharisees were watching to see if Jesus would heal this guy. They wanted something to use against Jesus.

But Jesus knew what they were thinking and so he said to the man, "Stand up, pard." And the guy stood up.

But them religious fellas got a burr under their skin about what Jesus had said and done. They all conspired with each other on how they could take him out.

The next day, he gathered all his followers to him and announced they were going to be his cowboys:

Jesus and his cowboys came off the mountain and a large group of other people who rode with them were waiting. They were from all over Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon.

They all came to listen to Jesus's clinics on how to ride for God and be healed of the cankers, cancers, and even their demons.

Even in the darkest of these moments you can smile because your reward in heaven will outweigh any problem down here. And you aren't alone in your trials and trails. They did the same things to God's hands while they rode down here.

"Don't judge others harshly, and God won't judge you harshly. If you go around telling others how guilty they are, then God will point out just how guilty you are. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

They came up to Jesus and said, "We're beggin' you to come help the marshal's deputy.

I work for someone myself and I also have people who work for me. If I tell someone to do something, they do it. I can tell someone else to go somewhere and they will go. I don't have to go somewhere in order to know my word will be done."

Now when they asked this, Jesus had been busy curing people and whipping demons. He was even healing blind folks.

Well, not all of them. The religious code keepers and teachers heard Jesus but they refused to listen. They wouldn't be baptized by John and so they didn't get the great promise God had planned for them.

They are like the fans in the stands while the cowboys stand in the arena and talk to them. The cowboys say to them, 'We rode the rough stock for you and got bucked off, but you didn't cheer because you wanted to see us rope. We roped fast and quick, but you didn't clap because no one got bucked off.'

Joanna, whose husband Chuza had been a boss for Herod; Susanna; and a few more women. They are the ones who provided the funds for Jesus and his cowboys.

Other seed fell among the cactus and thistles. They sprouted, but were choked out by the thorns.

He told them, "The secret of the Boss's outfit has been given to you. But for the sake of everyone else, I teach with stories. They look, but cannot see. They hear, but they cannot understand. If they could see and understand, they would turn to me and be forgiven."

The seed in the rocks stands for those who love the good news and immediately act like it changes their whole world. But they don't last long because it was all emotion and no faith. They wither quickly when faced with any kind of adversity.

Then Jesus's mom and brothers came to see him, but they couldn't get close because of the big crowd.

One day, Jesus jumped in a boat and they headed for the other side of the lake.