Pastor Lubinda Kapuyi

UMA ORAÇÃO DE CONFISSÃO – Aceitando Jesus Cristo como Senhor e Salvador no seu Coração:

“Deus, obrigado pela minha vida. Obrigado pela Tua Palavra e pela convicção do Espírito Santo no meu coração acerca do meu pecado (João 16:8-9). Reconheço que sou pecador, concebido e nascido em pecado (Salmo 51:5). O salário do meu pecado é a morte (Romanos 6:23). Obrigado, Deus, porque me amas tanto que enviaste o Teu Filho unigénito, Jesus Cristo, para morrer no meu lugar na cruz (João 3:16).

Hoje, arrependo-me do meu pecado, confesso Jesus Cristo como Senhor e Salvador da minha vida e creio no meu coração que, depois de ter morrido pelos meus pecados, Tu O ressuscitaste ao terceiro dia, e Ele vive eternamente (Romanos 10:9). Adopta-me hoje como Teu filho, por meio do Teu Filho Jesus Cristo, segundo o propósito da Tua vontade para a minha vida (Efésios 1:5).

Em nome do Teu Filho, Jesus Cristo, eu oro. Amém.”

Luke 15

Today, as I was meditating through this chapter, a number of thoughts came to my mind:

LEVEL 1 THOUGHTS

1. Who has never made a foolish decision before in life, thinking you were wise enough to decide issues to do with your life (Luke 15: 11-12)?
- You made decisions without consulting God in prayer, His Word, or your breathren in Christ!

2. Who has not suffered the pain of their foolish decision in life of abandoning Christ and the consequences that brought in your personal life, marriage and family life or education and work (vv. 13-16)?

LEVEL 2 THOUGHTS

3. Who has come to his senses to perceive that God loves you even with your poor decisions, weakness, and failures (VV. 17)?

4. Who, after understanding God's love in your life, have made a huge step of faith to rise and go back to your heavenly father in confession of your sin and acceptance of God's unfailing love (VV. 18-19)?

LEVEL 3 THOUGHTS

5. Who came to God in confession of your sin and acceptance of His love, and God didn't embrace you and receive you with compassion (VV. 20)?

6. Who was lost and dead and God didn't manage to find you and bring you back to life (Luke 15:32)?

CONCLUSIVE THOUGHT

Who is ready to draw near to God today (James 4:8)?

Please, if you need biblical counseling concerning your personal life, marriage and family life, etc., please reach out to me through Facebook messenger or WhatsApp (85 211 4727) . You can also email me at [email protected].

Blessings

A PASTORAL COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE - CHAPTER 5
By Pastor Lubinda Kapuyi

Introduction

When you study the book of Acts, it is amazing to see the great works that the Holy Spirit did through the apostles. Many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. People carried the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, so that as Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them (Acts 5:12-16). In chapter 5 of Luke, we see how Jesus Christ called these men to be his disciples and apostles and later commissioned them on a life-transforming mission. I want you to pay attention to the simplicity of each of these men on their first encounter with the Lord.

The First Disciples of Christ

Jesus was a popular evangelist, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the Word of God. On one occasion, as he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret (The Sea of Galilee), He saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Jesus got into the boat that belonged to Simon and asked him to put out a little from the land, and Jesus sat down and taught the people from Simon's boat (vv. 1-3). According to the account of Matthew, the fishermen who had gone out of their boats to wash their nets were Simon, and Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother. James and John were together with their father, Zebedee, mending their nets. This is a set of brothers called all at once into the ministry! This is beautiful! Jesus would later on change Simon's name to Cephas (which means Peter) - John 1:42.

When Jesus had finished preaching to the crowds, he instructed Simon to put out into the deep and let down their nets for a catch. Simon made sure that Jesus knew that they had toiled all night and had taken nothing. But at the Word of Christ, Simon agreed to let down his nets for a catch. After he obeyed the Word of Christ, a miracle happened. He and his brother Andrew caught a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They had to signal to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. All were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.

This miracle struck the conscience of Simon that he fell at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord" (v. 8). The stage was now set for Jesus to call his first disciples.

"And Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men'" (Luke 5:10).

"And Jesus said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men'" (Matthew 4:19).
The Principle of Leaving and Cleaving (Genesis 2:24)

When Jesus said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19), he was inviting them to enter a covenant relationship with Him. Paul said to the Corinthians, "For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:2). When we enter a covenant relationship with Jesus, it is a marriage covenant in which we are the bride of Christ. The bigger challenge in this covenant relationship is leaving and cleaving to Him.

When Peter and his brother Andrew brought their boats to land, they immediately left everything and followed Jesus. James and John also left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed Jesus (Mark 1:19-20). It looks very simple in the text, but it is not that simple in practice. I was reading a book, “THE GENESIS FAMILY,” by Dr. Clifton F. Morris, and in this book, Dr. Cliff emphasized the importance of a husband and wife transferring their first loyalty away from their parents and to each other. In a marriage covenant, a new household is being formed, and the man and the woman become primarily accountable to each other and to God.
In our African context, we live mostly in honor and shame cultural principle that makes it hard to leave and cleave. We are mostly a traditional family setup, and there are lots of people to honor beyond one’s father and mother, and trust me, these are bonds of loyalty that are hard to break. An African wife will usually spend years planning how to get full access to her husband, who is owned by his familial chains of loyalty. Dr. Cliff mentions that “While we are called to forever love and honor our parents, the Bible indicates that a man’s first human loyalty must be to his wife, and the wife’s first human loyalty is in turn directed back to her own husband” (Clifton F. Morris, The Genesis Family, 17-18).
This is the same kind of loyalty that Jesus is asking Peter, Andrew, James, and John to consider as he invites them to follow him. Later, Jesus would emphasize more that “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:25-27). Trust me, the biggest challenge of discipleship in Africa, and probably the rest of the world, is these familiar bonds that are hard to break. As a pastor, I have come to understand that sometimes, disciples who are still growing in Christ find themselves contributing financially or participating in a family ceremony where they worship ancestral spirits (dead parents or grandparents), not because they want to, but because they want to maintain their family ties. Being unequally yoked with family members who are walking in darkness is one of the biggest challenges we face in discipleship here in Africa, and I am glad James and John left their father and followed Christ.
Jesus Cleanses a L***r (vv. 12-16).

A person with leprosy (a variety of skin diseases) was considered unclean in the Old Testament covenant. Jesus had earlier on referred to Naaman the Syrian in the days of Elisha who was healed of leprosy (Luke 4:27). A Jew who had leprosy approached Jesus when he was in one of the cities, and this man fell on his face and begged Jesus, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean (v. 12). Jesus only needed to say, “I will; be clean,” and immediately the leprosy left him. This is a physical and ceremonial cleansing that reflects the power and authority in Christ to cleanse us. Jesus was preventing people from spreading the news about him, and people did exactly the opposite of what he told them. Pay attention to the fact that “he would withdraw to desolate places and pray” (v. 16). Mark in his account of the same story mentions that the man who was healed “went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town” (Mark 1:45), and this is the reason why Jesus would stay in desolate places.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic (vv. 17-26)

Nazareth was a city where Jesus grew up, and Capernaum was his home base for ministry in Galilee. When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home (Mark 2:1). And many were gathered, including Pharisees and teachers of the law from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. Jesus’ ministry was a ministry full of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38). As Jesus was preaching the Word of God to them, some men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. To Jesus, this is a pure demonstration of faith on their part. When Jesus wanted to heal this man, he purposefully chose certain words in his declaration of healing. Instead of saying, “Man, rise and walk,” he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you” (v. 20).

Trust me, every preacher and teacher knows his audience, and Jesus surely knew his audience. He knew exactly how the Pharisees and teachers of the law would react to what he was going to say. He knew they were going to perceive it as blasphemy for a man to forgive sins. Nevertheless, His main goal is for them “to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (v. 24). You realize that this was intentional by his final instruction for healing – “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home” (v. 24). For the people who witnessed these things, they had seen extraordinary things that day and they were all amazed, filled with awe, and glorified God. As for the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, Jesus was already transforming into a nightmare for them.

The Calling of Levi (vv. 27-32)

Peter, Andrew, James, and John were all Jews and fishermen. They were living normal day-to-day lives, and this reminds me of what Paul said to the Corinthians, “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27). Jesus is now introducing into his team a tax collector or publican named Levi, the son of Alphaeus (Mark 2:14), a representative of the Roman governing authorities, despised and hated by fellow Jews. This is a shock, I believe, not only for the Pharisees and teachers of the law, but also for Peter and other disciples.
It was a normal day for Levi, sitting at the tax booth, and then Grace found him. “Follow me,” was not the phrase a sinner like Levi was expecting. He lived his life in daily condemnation by his own people, and the moment he heard this, Levi left everything, rose, and followed Jesus. He was so joyful that he organized a great feast in his house. Guess who was invited? Tax Collectors (colleagues), and other sinners, friends, and family. The Pharisees couldn’t believe Jesus and his disciples were eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners. When the concerns of the Pharisees reached the ears of Jesus, he responded with a logical answer: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (v. 31). This was meant to emphasize his point that he did not come into the world to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Jesus also gave the Pharisees an assignment to research Hosea 6:6 and explain to him what God meant by saying, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13). I encourage you also to find time to work on this assignment.

Prayer and Fasting (vv. 33-35)

After Jesus responded to their question on eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners, they had more concerns to present. The disciples of John were praying and fasting often, and so were the disciples of the Pharisees. But the disciples of Jesus were eating and drinking. Were prayer and fasting necessary for the disciples of Jesus? Is prayer and fasting important for you as a believer or as a church?

When Ezra was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect them against the enemy on their way to Jerusalem, he proclaimed prayer and fasting at the river Ahava, that they might humble themselves before their God, to seek from Him a safe journey for themselves, and God listened to their entreaty (Ezra 8:21-23). This demonstrates the importance of prayer and fasting, which the disciples didn’t need at that moment. The bridegroom (Jesus) was with them, and they will only need to do this when the bridegroom is taken away from them (Jesus was referring to his own death). Jesus was by no means prohibiting his disciples from fasting. If this were the case, he would not have given them instructions on how to pray and fast properly, different from the hypocrites (Matthew 6:16-18).

The Old and New (Covenants) - vv. 36-39.

Jesus concluded with a parable that contained two metaphors. First, “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment” (v. 36). Secondly, “No one puts new wine into old wineskins” (v. 37). These metaphors were possibly meant to communicate the need and the challenges to be expected in transitioning from the Old Mosaic Covenant to the New Covenant in Christ. Jesus also emphasized that those who already had an experience with the old wine (covenant) will struggle to accept the new (covenant), for they think that “The old is good.” Change is not easy for anybody. Not at all! Neither for the Jews!

Let me know what you think in the comments below.
I will see you in Chapter 6!

Blessings!!

A PASTORAL COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE - CHAPTER 4
By Pastor Lubinda Kapuyi

Introduction
In chapter 3, Luke mentioned that "Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age..." (Luke 3:23). In chapter 4:1-13, right before Jesus began his public ministry, Luke records that Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry (Luke 4:1-2).
I want you first to pause to reflect on this: the devil attempted to tempt Jesus to sin. What was the devil really thinking? Did he see any possibility of Jesus falling into sin? How about you? Do you think Jesus could sin? If you read James 1:13-15,

"...God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death."

Jesus, different from us, did not have the sinful nature in him. Therefore, sinful desires in him had no capacity to lure and entice him to sin. About us who have the sinful nature, "...the desires of our sinful nature are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against those of our sinful nature, for these are opposed to each other, to keep us from doing the things we want to do," especially in obeying God (Galatians 5:17). This internal battle was not a reality for Jesus because he didn't have the fallen nature in him. This leaves me to wonder what was really going on in the mind of the accuser, the devil.

Devil's First Attempt (vv. 3-4)

The devil perceived that after forty days of fasting, Jesus was hungry. The devil twisted scripture that confirms that Christ is the Son of God and gave a challenge to Jesus to transform a stone into bread so he could prove that he was truly the Son of God. Jesus, in responding to the devil, used the scriptures to show the devil that being a Son of God is not about proving to everyone that you are, but obedience and trust in God through daily meditation in His Word is the key. Jesus will later on rebuke the Pharisees on this same problem of trying to show off that they are children of God. Pharisees loved the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces (Luke 11:43), and Jesus even discouraged those who loved to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others (Matthew 6:5). Christianity is not meant to be proved but to be lived.

Devil's Second Attempt (vv. 5-8).

Not succeeding in his first attempt, the devil came up with a second attempt to make Jesus fall into sin. He took Jesus up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment, and said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours" (Luke 4:5-7).
What every Christian needs to understand is that the devil is a deceiver, and being a deceiver is not something that happens to him accidentally and later on he repents, NO! Jesus said that the devil "was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44). Lying and deceiving are part of the devil's nature, a hobby, job, ambition, dream, meal, etc., whatever you may call it, and they are a part of his personality. In this world, we have those who involve themselves in prostitution as a temptation, but we also have those who do prostitution as a means of living. It is their job, career, occupation, and whatever you may call it. This is the same with murderers. Some are murderers because of temptation, while for others, it is a career or job opportunity.
Are all the kingdoms of the world, their authority and glory, delivered to the devil in a manner that he could give them to whoever he wills? If Jesus had worshipped the devil, could the devil have given all that he promised to Jesus? Nobody knows? There is little or nothing to expect from a person who lives to deceive. Jesus didn't even struggle to respond to him on this one. Jesus answered him (Luke 4:8), "It is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve'" (Exodus 20:3). It is unfortunate that many of us as Christians easily fall into the traps of the devil, simply because we don't spend much time in God's Word with a total dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome every temptation.

Devil's Third Attempt (vv. 9-13)

The devil will not make his third and final attempt by setting Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem. This is like the first temptation because Jesus has to prove that He is the Son of God by throwing Himself down. The idea behind this challenge was that if Jesus is truly the Son of God, then God would send angels to bear Jesus up so that he wouldn't strike his foot against a stone or hit the ground. As I have mentioned before in my comments on the first temptation, there is no need for Jesus to prove Himself to be the Son of God. Now, the text that the devil was using to tempt Jesus with is Psalms 91:11-12:

"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone."

Was it possible for God to command his angels concerning Jesus to guard him in his ways and carry him in their hands so that he could not strike his foot against a stone? Absolutely YES! But was it necessary for Jesus to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple to prove that? Absolutely NOT! The Word of God is meant to be believed and not to be scientifically or logically proven. "And Jesus answered the devil, 'It is said, 'you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time (Luke 4:12-13).

Jesus Begins His Public Ministry (vv. 14-44)

From 1st to 31st December, 2025, our church was meditating daily through the book of Acts, and one of the main things that caught our attention was the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the church. From the salvation of the lost, the choosing of leaders in the church, and the miracles in the church, it is the Holy Spirit who leads. This is exactly what Luke, the same author of Acts, is trying to show us right at the beginning of the ministry of Christ.

"And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all" (Luke 4:14-15).

Jesus began His ministry in the Power and leadership of the Holy Spirit, and it was a success, right from the start. When he went back to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, Luke mentions that it was the custom of Jesus to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath days. Later on, when Luke wrote the book of Acts, he pointed out that it was also the custom of Apostle Paul to go to the synagogues on Saturdays to reason in the scriptures with the jews (Acts 17:2).
In this synagogue of his hometown, Jesus was allowed to read from the scriptures (Old Testament). In fulfillment of what was already prophesied in Isaiah, the person who was resposible to assign Jesus what to read chose the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. When Jesus unrolled the scroll, he found the place where it was written (about him):

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18-19).

After Jesus finished reading this section of Isaiah, he gave the scroll back to the attendant and sat down. Luke says that "the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him" (v. 20). Everybody was waiting to hear the first word that would come out of his mouth, considering that he was popular and news about him had spread everywhere.

"Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (v. 21).

You need to understand that this is Jesus' hometown, where he grew up, and many of these people in the synagogue saw him growing up. The big challenge won't be with the Words that Jesus will be saying, but who they think He is and whether he had the authority to say what he was saying. The identity of Christ is the biggest cause of divisions in world religions, especially between Muslims and Christians. Muslims accept him as one of the prophets, but not the Messiah. Some of the cults that associate themselves with Christianity refer to Him with a small "g" and not a capital "G" of God to indicate that He is smaller than God. The book of John, next to Luke, does a good job of nailing down the Deity of Christ, and it will be our next book to study after Luke.
The crowd gathered in the synagogue couldn't believe the words they were hearing, that they were coming from the mouth of Jesus, whom they knew to be the carpenter's son, his mother Mary, his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas, and his sisters were present with them (Matthew 13:53-58). Jesus is beginning to reveal his identity as the Messiah, and he warns them that they will have a hard time believing in him as the Messiah because of their physical, cultural, and social attachment to him. The other challenge they will have is to accept the good news that the Gentiles and Israel will now make one big family in Christ. Jesus started teaching them on God's acceptance of the Gentiles, and went on to mention God's preference for a gentile widow in Zarepath over the Israelite widows, and God's healing of Naaman the gentile l***r, while leaving many l***rs in Israel. They spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth, but not what he said about the Gentiles. Immediately, they heard it; all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose and drove him out of the town of Nazareth and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away (Luke 4:20-30). The acceptance of Gentiles as part of God's family will be a bitter pill for the jews to swallow, until the days of the apostle Paul, who was called particularly to minister to the Gentiles (Acts 13).

The Healing Ministry of Christ (vv. 31-41)

Leaving his hometown, he went to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and as his custom was, He was busy teaching them on the Sabbaths. What astonished people in the teaching of Christ was that his Word possessed authority. In the synagogue, there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon. According to the ESV Study Bible Notes, the healing of this man with a demon (vv. 31-37) will be the first of 21 miracles recorded in Luke. The healing of this man established the authority and power of Christ in the hearts of the people, leading them to the point of accepting that He is truly the Messiah.
When Jesus left the synagogue, he entered Simon's house, where he found Simon's mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And Jesus stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. In the evening, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, "You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

Jesus Continues to Evangelize (vv. 42-44).

Jesus liked isolating himself from the people after long hours of ministry, and this must be an acceptable discipline for everyone who is called into the ministry. The people could not let that happen, and they went after him, searching until they found him, and they could not let Him abandon them anymore. Jesus shared his vision with them that the good news of the kingdom needed to be preached to the other towns as well (Acts 1:8). After hearing this, they let him go, and he went about preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

May God bless you as you continue faithfully to meditate on His Word, Day and Night (Joshua 1:8)

See you in Luke Chapter 5!

With Igreja Ministério Tocando O Mundo Com Evangelho – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

LUCAS CAPÍTULO 3

Lucas inicia o Capítulo 3 com a pregação de João Batista. Lucas havia concluído o Capítulo 1 com o nascimento de João e com a forma como o seu nascimento trouxe alegria aos seus pais, bem como aos vizinhos e parentes que ouviram falar de como o Senhor havia demonstrado grande misericórdia para com Isabel (Lucas 1:57-58). Zacarias e Isabel circuncidaram João ao oitavo dia, conforme o costume, e João cresceu e fortaleceu-se em espírito, permanecendo nos desertos até ao dia da sua manifestação a Israel (Lucas 1:80). No Capítulo 2, Lucas concentrou-se no nascimento de Jesus Cristo e, agora, inicia o Capítulo 3 com a manifestação de João Batista a Israel.

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UM BREVE OLHAR PARA MATEUS… (Mateus 2)

Mais uma vez, gostaria de chamar a atenção para o facto de que, entre os capítulos 2 e 3 de Lucas, ocorreram alguns acontecimentos relacionados com o nascimento de Jesus que não estão incluídos no relato do Evangelho de Lucas, mas que são apresentados no Evangelho de Mateus. Ao ler os Evangelhos (Mateus, Marcos, Lucas e João), é importante compreender que eles se complementam entre si e não se contradizem.

Os pormenores que não constam no relato de Lucas incluem, em primeiro lugar, o facto de Jesus ter nascido em Belém da Judeia, nos dias do rei Herodes, e de magos vindos do Oriente terem chegado a Jerusalém para ver Jesus. A forma como estes magos se apresentaram perturbou o rei Herodes e toda Jerusalém com ele, pois procuravam aquele que havia nascido rei dos judeus. Segundo os magos, eles tinham visto a estrela de Jesus no Oriente e tinham vindo para o adorar.

O rei Herodes, fingindo ter intenções de adorar o Cristo, convocou rapidamente todos os principais sacerdotes e escribas e perguntou-lhes onde deveria nascer o Cristo. Estes informaram o rei Herodes de que, segundo a profecia (Miqueias 5:2), seria em Belém. Herodes, com o mesmo coração enganador, chamou secretamente os magos e enviou-os a Belém, instruindo-os a procurar cuidadosamente o Menino e, depois de O encontrarem, a informá-lo, para que também ele pudesse ir adorá-Lo.

De forma miraculosa, Deus continuou a dirigir os magos até ao Menino Jesus e, quando chegaram, alegraram-se grandemente. Entraram na casa e encontraram Maria com o Menino Jesus nos braços; então prostraram-se e O adoraram. Abriram os seus tesouros e ofereceram-Lhe presentes: ouro, incenso e mirra. Quando se preparavam para regressar e informar o rei Herodes acerca do local onde se encontrava o Menino, Deus advertiu-os em sonho para não voltarem a Herodes e regressaram à sua terra por outro caminho (Mateus 2:1-12).

Deus sabia como o rei Herodes reagiria a esta suposta traição e que ele procuraria o Menino Jesus para o destruir. Por isso, enviou um anjo a José, em sonho, dizendo: “Levanta-te, toma o Menino e Sua mãe, foge para o Egipto (em África) e permanece lá até que Eu te avise.” José obedeceu às instruções de Deus, tomou o Menino Jesus e Sua mãe durante a noite e partiu para o Egipto, onde permaneceu até à morte de Herodes. Mateus ajuda-nos a compreender que isto não se deve a uma particularidade especial de África, mas ao cumprimento da Palavra do Senhor por meio do profeta: “Do Egipto chamei o Meu Filho.”

Quando Herodes percebeu que fora enganado pelos magos, enfureceu-se grandemente e, no seu furor, mandou matar todos os meninos do s**o masculino que havia em Belém e nos seus arredores, de dois anos para baixo, de acordo com o tempo que apurara junto dos magos. Mais uma vez, Mateus recorda-nos que este acontecimento não foi algo fortuito, mas o cumprimento do que fora anunciado pelo profeta Jeremias (Jeremias 31:15).

Depois da morte de Herodes, um anjo do Senhor apareceu em sonho a José, no Egipto, e instruiu-o a regressar a Israel com a sua família, pois aqueles que procuravam tirar a vida ao Menino estavam mortos. Após a morte de Herodes, o seu filho Arquelau assumiu o trono e, por essa razão, Deus advertiu José para não se estabelecer na Judeia, mas para ir para a região da Galileia. José foi com a sua família e habitou numa cidade chamada Nazaré. Mais uma vez, Mateus recorda que isto aconteceu para que se cumprisse o que fora dito pelos profetas: “Ele será chamado Nazareno” (Mateus 2:13-23).

Quanto tempo José, Maria e o Menino Jesus permaneceram no Egipto? Não sabemos ao certo, mas, a partir do relato de Lucas, sabemos que, aos doze anos de idade, Jesus subiu a Jerusalém para celebrar a Páscoa com os Seus pais (Lucas 2:41-42). Certamente, Jesus esteve no Egipto, em África, por menos de doze anos.

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CONTINUAÇÃO EM LUCAS 3… (Lucas 3:1-22)

Quando a Palavra do Senhor veio a João, no deserto, para que ele iniciasse o seu ministério, Lucas refere que isso ocorreu por volta do décimo quinto ano do reinado de Tibério César, sendo Pôncio Pilatos governador da Judeia, Herodes tetrarca da Galileia, o seu irmão Filipe tetrarca da Itureia e da região da Traconítide, e Lisânias tetrarca de Abilene, enquanto Anás e Caifás eram sumos sacerdotes. Estes nomes mencionados por Lucas são de grande importância em relação à vida e ao ministério de Cristo.

João percorreu toda a região em redor do Jordão, pregando um baptismo de arrependimento para a remissão dos pecados. Lucas ajuda-nos a compreender que isto aconteceu em cumprimento da profecia de Isaías (Isaías 40:3-5). Multidões vinham para serem baptizadas por João, entre as quais se encontravam cobradores de impostos, fariseus e saduceus. Os judeus tinham dúvidas nos seus corações quanto a saber se João seria ou não o Cristo. Em resposta, João declarou que baptizava com água, mas que viria alguém mais poderoso do que ele, de quem não era digno sequer de desatar a correia das sandálias. João acrescentou que aquele que vinha os baptizaria com o Espírito Santo e com fogo.

Lucas menciona ainda o envolvimento de João Batista nos assuntos políticos do seu tempo, quando repreendeu Herodes, o tetrarca, por causa de Herodias, mulher do seu irmão Filipe, e por todas as maldades que Herodes havia praticado. Isto levaria mais tarde João à prisão e custar-lhe-ia a vida. Antes de encerrar o Capítulo 3 com a genealogia de Jesus Cristo, Lucas refere que, quando todo o povo foi baptizado, Jesus também foi baptizado; e, enquanto orava, o céu abriu-se. O Espírito Santo desceu sobre Ele em forma corpórea, como uma pomba, e ouviu-se uma voz do céu que dizia: “Tu és o Meu Filho amado; em Ti Me comprazo.”

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UM SEGUNDO OLHAR PARA MATEUS…

Antes de abordarmos a genealogia de Jesus Cristo, vejamos alguns dos pormenores que Mateus inclui no seu relato do Evangelho em ligação com esta secção de Lucas. Mateus refere que João estava vestido de pelos de camelo, com um cinto de couro à volta da cintura, e que a sua alimentação consistia em gafanhotos e mel silvestre (Mateus 3:4).

Outro detalhe que Mateus acrescenta é que, quando Jesus veio da Galileia até João, ao Jordão, para ser baptizado por ele, João tentou impedi-Lo, dizendo: “Eu é que preciso de ser baptizado por Ti, e Tu vens a mim?” Jesus, porém, respondeu-lhe: “Permite-o agora, porque assim nos convém cumprir toda a justiça.” Então João baptizou Jesus (Mateus 3:13-15).

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CONTINUAÇÃO EM LUCAS 3: A GENEALOGIA DE JESUS CRISTO (Lucas 3:23-38)

Ao iniciar a genealogia de Jesus Cristo, Lucas refere, em primeiro lugar, que Jesus começou o Seu ministério por volta dos trinta anos de idade. A genealogia apresentada por Lucas é descendente e começa com Jesus como Filho de José, terminando com Adão, o Filho de Deus. Mateus, por sua vez, apresenta Jesus Cristo como Filho de David (aliança de realeza) e Filho de Abraão (aliança de salvação) e desenvolve a genealogia em ordem ascendente, desde Abraão, Isaac e Jacob (os antepassados de Israel), até Maria, a mãe de Jesus.

Não é difícil perceber que Mateus escreve com um enfoque maior na comunidade judaica, enquanto o relato de Lucas se dirige sobretudo aos gentios.

Outro aspecto interessante a notar em ambas as genealogias é a inclusão de certos nomes. Nomes como Abraão e David não despertam particular atenção. O que chama a atenção é encontrar nomes como Perez, Raabe, Rute, Salomão, entre outros. Se dedicarmos tempo a ler as histórias do Antigo Testamento associadas a algumas destas pessoas, ficaremos verdadeiramente impressionados. São pessoas marcadas pela fragilidade humana, muitas delas nascidas em circunstâncias associadas à prostituição, e outras são gentias. Isto é extraordinário e constitui uma grande demonstração da graça de Deus para com a humanidade, expressa de formas que ultrapassam a nossa capacidade de compreensão.

Prepare-se para o capítulo 4 de Lucas.

Bênçãos!