Welcome to this 4-part series on Jesus Christ: yesterday, today, and forever.
Our focus will first be to show why God had four gospels written. They are all the same good-news story of salvation, but each gospel [Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John] shows a different aspect of Jesus Christ and what he accomplished in his earthly ministry. That’s the “yesterday” aspect of Jesus’ ministry.
Before we enter Capernaum, let’s consider how this town had become the chosen base of operations for Jesus after He was driven from Nazareth by religious officials there (Luke 4:16, 28–30).
Jesus Christ’s ExampleJesus Christ was the greatest leader who ever lived. He watched over others as the good shepherd. He ran to serve and minister, even washing his disciples’ feet. And he grew and matured in God’s Word, love, and power because of his meek and lowly heart. He set the example of what a bishop (one watching over), deacon (minister, servant), and elder (mature leader) should be.
Background
Psalm 123 is in the Deuteronomy Book of the Psalms (Psalms 107-150). These 44 Psalms, like the Book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament, show God’s Word as the source of salvation, deliverance, and healing. This would be fully carried out in the life of the coming Messiah, the living Word, Jesus Christ. Whereas Psalm 119 showed that God would raise the Messiah from the dead to eternal life, Psalm 123 is the fourth of 15 “songs of the degrees” (Psalms 120-134) regarding God keeping Hezekiah alive (see the notes on Psalm 120 for more details).