Rumination Journal

Jesus and His disciples approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent out two of His disciples and He told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a donkey tied there, along with her colt, on which no one has ever sat. Untie the donkey and the colt and bring them to Me. If anyone asks, ‘Why are you doing this?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs them and will return them shortly.’ ” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Zechariah: “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war will be broken. Then He will proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion will extend from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth. As for you, because o...

Jesus and His disciples reached the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, near a town called Gergesa, or Gadara, or Gerasa. When they stepped ashore, they were met by a demon-possessed man who formerly lived in the town but was now living among the tombs. He wore no clothing. Although he had often been bound with chains and shackles, he would always break them. And there was no one who had the strength to subdue him. The man was so violent that no one would pass that way. Night and day the man would cry out in the tombs and in the mountains and he would cut himself with stones.  When the man saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees before Him. Jesus declared, “Come out of this man, you unclean spirit!” But the man shouted in a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Have you come to torture me before the appointed time? I beg You before God not to torture me!”  “What is your name?” Jesus asked.  “Legion,” he replied, “for we a...

Jesus and His disciples dismissed the crowd. Then the disciples got into the boat with Jesus, who was already in the boat. And there were other boats with Him. As they sailed, Jesus fell asleep. Soon a violent windstorm came up on the sea. The waves were breaking over the boat, it was filling with water, and the disciples felt they were in great danger. But Jesus was in the stern of the boat, sleeping on the cushion. So, the disciples woke Jesus, saying, “Master, Master, save us! Don't you care that we are perishing?” Jesus replied, “Where is your faith? Why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the raging waters. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and the sea was perfectly calm. Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the sea, and they obey Him!” (See Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25) -

As evening came, Jesus gave orders to cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. But before Jesus and His disciples departed, one of the scribes came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” Jesus then said to another of His disciples in the crowd, “Follow Me.” The disciple requested, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still, another said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first let me bid farewell to my family.” Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (See Matthew 8:18-22; Luke 9:57-62) -