The Book of Peter

The author is Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ (1 Pet 1:1a). The first letter is written to Christians who lived in the western parts of present-day Turkey (1 Pet 1:1b).
Peter wrote this first letter to people who were suffering and being persecuted
(1 Pet 1:6). He therefore begins this first letter to describe the blessings they
have in Christ. He wants to give encouragement and hope in their situation. In his
second letter he warns against false teachers and calls for fidelity in the end times.

God the Father has given us birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (1 Pet 1:3). We are given a new birth to a living hope and have become born again Christians. It's given to those who come to Jesus Christ,
receive what he did on the cross, confess their sins, and turn away from their sins, see Salvation. It's available to everyone. See The Narrow Gate.

Jesus is the one who came up with the term born again (John 3:3–8), see
Jesus and Nicodemus. How then do I know that I am truly born again?

• We have the promise that everyone who receives him, who believes
  in his name, gives Jesus the right to become a child of God (John 1:12). We are born of God (John 1:13). We become spiritually connected to God 
  (1 Cor 6:17). The disciples were born again when they received
  the Holy Spirit after Jesus' resurrection from the dead (John 20:22).
• When I receive Jesus as my Savior, it means that Jesus took
  my punishment when he physically died on the cross (1 Pet 3:18),
  and that the Holy Spirit comes to indwell me. It's a spiritual process,
  and it doesn't necessarily involve emotions. Jesus said:
  "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound,
  but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.
  So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).
  The Holy Spirit reveals Christ in my life and strengthens me to serve
  the Lord Jesus Christ. In reality it's by faith; I believe I'm God's child.
• The Spirit of God testifies with our human spirit that we are children of God (Rom 8:14–17), see Body, Soul, and Spirit 
  in The Danger with Gnosticism.
• We need to regularly come back to God's Word and choose to believe it (Rom 10:17). Because the natural man will always try to come back
  with natural explanations. I need to put my faith in God's Word,
  in what the Bible teaches.

In these promises we can rejoice, even when we are distressed by various trials 

(1 Pet 1:6–9, 4:16, Acts 5:40–41). Blessed are those who are persecuted
for righteousness' sake (1 Pet 4:14, Mat 5:10–12). It may be God's will that we must
go through suffering (1 Pet 4:19). We should endure all hardships as discipline,
see the first part of The Book of James. A purpose of our sufferings is also
to test the authenticity of our faith (1 Pet 1:7, 4:12, Mark 4:16–17), see

The Parable of the Sower. The sufferings of the present time aren't worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us (1 Pet 4:13, Rom 8:18, 2 Cor 4:16–18).
There will be a new heaven and a new Earth (Rev 21:1),
see A New Heaven and a New Earth. Death will be no more,
and there will be no more mourning, nor crying, nor pain,
for the former things have then passed away (Rev 21:4).

As obedient children of God, we should strive to be holy in all our conduct 

(1 Pet 1:14–16), see Sanctification. We need to conduct ourselves
with reverent fear of God during the time we have on Earth
(1 Pet 1:17, Mat 10:28), see To Fear the Lord in Fear of Man.
As Christians, we need to love one another deeply from our hearts
(1 Pet 1:18–19, 22, 4:8–9, Proverbs 10:12, 1 Cor 13). 
We should have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart,
and a humble mind (1 Pet 3:8). We should get rid of all malice and deceit,
hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind 
(1 Pet 2:1, Rom 6:6, 11–14), see the following definitions:

• Malice: The intent and determination to do evil to someone.
• Deceit: The act of deceiving someone by being intentionally deceptive.
• Hypocrisy: Claiming to be moral against specific sins
  that one secretly commits.
• Envy: A resentful longing for another's possessions, gifts, or qualities.
• Slander: Making a falsely uttered statement
  with intent to damage a person's reputation.

We shouldn't repay evil for evil or insult for insult, on the contrary we should bless 
(1 Pet 3:9), see Love and not revenge in The Sermon on the Mount.
We should pray that those who persecute us will be blessed. 
We should dress in humility towards one another (1 Pet 5:5, Mat 11:28–30).

Jesus is the cornerstone, the foundation of Christians
(1 Pet 2:6, Isaiah 28:16, Psalm 118:22, Zec 10:4, Mat 21:42, Mark 12:10,
Luk 20:17, Acts 4:11, Eph 2:20), see The Parable of the Tenants. 
The foundation rests on Jesus Christ, 
see The Parable about the Wise and Foolish Builders.
All true Christian churches must be built on faith in Jesus Christ
and what he did on the cross, see Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life. 

We as Christians are called to be a holy priesthood (1 Pet 2:5, 9). As Christians,
we should abstain from the passions of the flesh (1 Pet 2:11, Eph 4:17–19). 
We shouldn't compromise with God's Word and with God's values (1 John 2:15–17).
We should wait for God's timing.

It's a gracious thing when you are aware of God, you endure sorrows
while you suffer unjustly (1 Pet 2:19–21). We are blessed when others revile
and persecute us because of our faith in Jesus (Mat 5:11–12, 10:22, 24:9).
However, it's not a blessing if we suffer because we break the law
or disobey authorities (when it's not against the will of God) 
(1 Pet 2:13–15, 20a, Rom 13:1–7), see This World is Not Our Home
in The Book of Romans. It's not a blessing to suffer for being disrespectful 
(1 Pet 2:17–18). In this, Jesus is an example for us to follow (1 Pet 2:21–23).

The main reason Jesus came was to die for our sins (1 Pet 2:24). Jesus became cursed for us when he took our sin on the cross (Gal 3:13, Deu (5 Mos) 21:22–23). 

By his wounds we are healed (1 Pet 2:24b, Isaiah 53:5b).
Note that the word healed in this context doesn't refer to physical healing.
There are many false teachings about healing and about these verses.
See False Teaching on Healing in Word of Faith Movement in the U.S. 
In this context it's about spiritual healing. It's about Salvation.
Christ's sacrifice heals our sinful condition and satisfies the penalty for our sin. Spiritual gifts also exist in our time, we can pray for healing and people are healed, but not all the time and not always immediately. Christ's sacrifice doesn't mean
that all true believers are promised physical healing in this life.

There is beauty that is external and beauty that is internal. We shouldn't focus on external beauty but on God. A woman's beauty shouldn't derive from the outside
but from the inside (1 Pet 3:3–4). The use of jewelry or fine clothing
shouldn't be excessive (1 Tim 2:9). We must not focus on such things,
see How should a woman dress? in The Woman's Place in the Congregation.

A leader in a congregation should oversee and shepherd the flock of God
that's among him (it's not the flock of the leader, it's the flock of God),
not under compulsion, nor for shameful gain, not being greedy
or focused on money, but serve eagerly and willingly (1 Pet 5:1–2).
Don't be domineering or controlling, see the end part in The Book of John,
but be an example to the flock (1 Pet 5:3). To summarize:

• Not serving under compulsion.
• Not greedy or focused on money.
• Not domineering or controlling.
• Be an example to the flock.

When choosing a leader in a congregation, it's about recognizing a person
called by God to be a leader in that congregation. 

God's divine power has given us everything we need, both for this life
and for a godly life through our experiential knowledge of him
who called us by his own glory and goodness (2 Pet 1:3). 
But we shouldn't base our faith on experience alone, but on God's promises
in the Scripture. That's why we should do everything to supplement
our faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control,
self-control with steadfastness, steadfastness with godliness, 
godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love (2 Pet 1:5–7).

People will gather around false teachers who will tell them what they want to hear, and who will secretly bring in destructive heresies (2 Pet 2:1–2). 
Many of them will deny central Christian doctrines. They use the words of the Bible but give them false interpretations. They teach doctrines that make people feel good.
Greed is one of their major motives (2 Pet 2:3). They are wolves in sheep's clothing (Mat 7:15–20). They follow the way of Balaam, who loved the gain
of unrighteousness (2 Pet 2:15), see Balaam and Balak. We shouldn't be deceived by these false teachers, see Beware of false prophets in The Sermon on the Mount.
It would have been better never to have known the way of righteousness
if one turned away from Jesus after believing in him (2 Pet 2:20–21).
God judges sin in one way or another (2 Pet 2:4–6).

The present heaven and Earth are preserved for fire and are preserved
until the day of judgment and the destruction of the ungodly
(2 Pet 3:7, 10–12, Isaiah 66:15–16, Mal 4:1), see A New Heaven and a New Earth.
The Lord isn't slow to fulfill his promise but is patient with us and doesn't wish
for anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9), see Salvation.

See also The New Testament of the Bible.

The Book of Jude

The author introduces himself as Jude, brother of James (Jde 1:1a, Gal 1:19),
see The Book of James. Jude and James were Jesus' half-brothers. 

Jude warns of godless people in the church, who have taken God's grace and made it to a license to sin (Jde 1:4). The Lord rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt, but on the way to the promised land he destroyed those
who didn't believe (Jde 1:5), see for example Twelve Spies Exploring Canaan
in Moses; Part 13: Rebellion and Paganism. Such people can have a devastating 
influence in the church (Gal 5:7–9, 1 Cor 15:33). People in Sodom and Gomorrah
gave themselves over to sexual immorality and is presented as an example and suffers the vengeance of eternal fire (Jde 1:7), see Homosexuality. What happened in Sodom and Gomorrah is a reminder for us, see The Life of Abraham. 

Likewise, these godless people also defile the flesh, reject authority,
and speak evil of dignitaries (Jde 1:8, 2 Pet 2:9–11). 
They live only to please their flesh.
We shouldn't pronounce a blasphemous judgment against anyone (Jde 1:9–10), 
see time 13:37–14:37 in Bible Q & A With Pastor Paul │December 2023. 
They have walked in the way of Cain (Gen (1 Mos) 4:6–11), have greedily run
in Balaam's delusion for gain, see Balaam and Balak, and perished
in Korah's rebellion (Num (4 Mos) 16:1–35), see 6. Korah’s Rebellion
in Moses; Part 13: Rebellion and Paganism (Jde 1:11). False teachers do all of this. 

They are shepherds who feed only themselves (Jde 1:12a). 
They follow their own sinful desires, show favoritism to gain advantages,
and cause division (Jde 1:16, 18–19, 2 Pet 3:3–4a). 

Instead, you should aim to do as follows:

1. Build yourself up in faith (Jde 1:20a), see How to Build Your Faith.
2. Pray in the Holy Spirit (Jde 1:20b), as the Holy Spirit leads in our heart.
3. Keep yourself in God's love (Jde 1:21a), see Faith, Hope, and Agape Love.
4. Wait for God's mercy (Jde 1:21b), see The Parable of the Persistent Widow.
5. Exercise mercy toward doubters (Jde 1:22).
6. Share your faith with unbelievers (Jde 1:23a).
7. Show mercy to people who live in sin, but keep your distance (Jde 1:23b).
8. Hate all sin (but not sinners) (Jde 1:23c).

See Sanctification.

See also The New Testament of the Bible.

The Book of James

According to ancient church tradition, the author is James (Jas 1:1a) 
who was Jesus' half-brother (Gal 1:19), the leader of the congregation
in Jerusalem until his martyrdom around 62 or 69 AD. 
James was a very straightforward person, something that can be seen
in his letters. James is speaking to Jews who have become Christians (Jas 1:1b),
but it's also very applicable to Gentiles (non-Jews). 

A great persecution was going on against these Christians (Acts 8:1).
It was a hard and difficult time for them. We shouldn't give in to it.
We should rejoice when we face trials of various kinds
because it gives perseverance (Jas 1:2–4):

1. Allow God to use difficulties in our life as training (Deu (5 Mos) 8:2).
   We should accept hardship as discipline (Psalm 26:2),
   see God rebukes us to become more sanctified in The Book of Hebrews. 
2. Continue to trust in God that he wants our best (Rom 8:1, 28). 
   God has intended that the trials we face will eventually bear good fruit
   and will be a blessing to us.
3. Don't give room to discouragement and bitterness.
   Trials either make us better or bitter.
4. Don't give in to self-pity. It can help to do something for someone else.
5. Be responsive when confronted with sin and repent of it (Jas 1:21).
6. Stay in touch with Christ. Don't let hardship chase you away from the Lord, from spending time reading the Bible, praying, or Christian fellowship.

God doesn't show partiality, as people do (Jas 2:1–8). When we receive Jesus into our lives, we become children of God (John 1:12). We are all children of God equally, whether we are popular or not popular, male or female, reach or poor 
(Proverbs 22:2). We shouldn't show partiality, it's a sin (Jas 2:9–10), see Unity.
See this explained at time 6:17–13:27 in James 2 (Part 1) :1-13.

God tests us, but God doesn't tempt people (Jas 1:13), Satan does. 
Every person is tempted when he is enticed by his own evil desire
(Jas 1:14). Jesus quoted the Word of God when he was tempted by the devil 
(Mat 4:1–11, Luke 4:1–13), see The Temptations of Jesus.
He never fell into temptation, he was without sin (1 John 3:5, Heb 2:18, 4:15).
See time 13:47–15:29 in August 2024 Bible Q&A.

We should strive to resist temptations. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (Jas 4:7b, 1 Pet 5:8–9). "In all circumstances take up the shield of faith,
with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one." 
(Eph 6:13, 16, 1 Cor 10:13, Gal 5:16), see The Book of Ephesians. 
Sin brings destruction and death (Jas 1:15), see The Book of Jude.

How to minimize the impact of sin in our lives:

• Temptations come from Satan or from desires in our heart.
  We should spend time in God's Word and let it judge our heart (Heb 4:12).
  We should be opened to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can convict us of something that needs to change in our life.
• We shouldn't do what our evil desires want us to do (John 3:20–21).
  We should bring our sin into the light and confess it to God as sin.
• We should avoid places where we are weak to avoid falling into temptation.

We should be doers of God's Word and not just hearers (Jas 1:22–25, Mat 7:24–27), see The Parable about the Wise and Foolish Builders.
We are saved by grace through faith and not by work, but faith leads to works
(Jas 2:14, 17, 20, 24, 26), see The Parables of the Talents and the Ten Minas.
There should be no contrast between what we say and how we live (Jas 2:15–17). What we do is a result of what we believe. True faith is seen in our actions.
The faith that Abraham had led to actions (Jas 2:21–23), see The Life of Abraham.
"Faith was active along with his (Abraham's) works, and faith was completed
by his works." (Jas 2:21–22). Our faith is proved by our good works,
see time 35:43–40:40 in Bible Q & A With Pastor Paul - June 2023.

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Luk 6:45b).
We must think about what we say (Proverbs 10:19, 11:9, 15:4, Psalm 141:3).
Our tongue can start a big fire (Jas 1:26, 3:5–6, 1 Pet 3:10).
We can use it to bless the Lord, but also to curse other people (Jas 3:9).
It must not be so (Jas 3:10–12, Mat 12:36–37).
We must let the Holy Spirit transform our hearts to prevent that (Jas 3:8).

Wisdom from God is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason,
full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere (Jas 3:13–18).

The Mosaic Laws aren't bad, but keeping those Laws for the purpose of being saved or righteous is wrong (Rom 3:20). We should love our neighbor as ourselves,
then we fulfill these Laws (Rom 13:8–11), see The Golden Rule
in The Sermon on the Mount. See also Jesus and the Young Rich Man. Therefore,
we shouldn't speak evil or judge each other by speaking bad of other people 
(Jas 4:11–12), see time 8:35–11:39 in Bible Q&A • Episode 43 and 
Do not judge others in The Sermon on the Mount. We should condemn sin
when it's committed by other believers (1 Cor 5:12–13a). But then it's important
to speak the truth in love. We shouldn't be condemning or unkind to the person
if we condemn a sin in the person's life, see Dealing With Sin in the Church.

We should involve God in our plans (Jas 4:13–17), see time 12:46–15:43
in Bible Q & A With Pastor Paul │ January 2024. He is the Lord of our lives.

James confronts the rich who exploit their employees (Jas 5:1–5).
He isn't saying that wealth is evil. But it can corrupt a person's heart
(1 Tim 6:6–10), see The Love of Money.

There is a great blessing in bringing back a Christian who has wandered away
from the Lord (Jas 5:19–20), see The Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin.

See also The New Testament of the Bible.

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name
of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see
who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him: "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today." So he came down
at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter:
"He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner."
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord: "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods
I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." Jesus said to him: "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is
a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. A tax collector collected taxes for the Roman government that occupied their country. This government
required a sum of money and the excess money went to the tax collector. 
A tax collector essentially made his money by overtaxing people.
He could basically set the amount that people would pay in taxes.
This made tax collectors very unpopular among the Jewish people.

When Jesus told him that he wanted to visit his house, he immediately
came down and welcomed Jesus with joy. There is a selection of Jesus,
but also a free will in the sense that Zacchaeus joyfully welcomed the Lord,
see The Predestination Theory.

The response of Zacchaeus shows what biblical repentance is all about
(2 Cor 7:10–11). He voluntarily promised to give away a significant amount
of money to the poor and to repay anyone he had defrauded fourfold,
without Jesus having to say anything about it. Real genuine biblical repentance
many times involves certain actions that are done voluntarily without
anyone demanding it. In this case it involved giving money, but it can also be
something else. Godly sorrow produces repentance (change of mind)
while worldly sorrow doesn't, see Godly sorrow and Repent in Salvation.
 

The reason Jesus said that Zacchaeus was a son of Abraham was because
he believed and trusted in Jesus (Rom 9:7–8, Gal 3:5–7). Zacchaeus had expressed true faith in Jesus. The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost (Luk 19:10).

Jesus knows what is in people's hearts. He always tells an individual what
he needs to hear, which isn't necessarily what he wants to hear (itching ears).
That is why Jesus says different things to different people:

• Zacchaeus was considered a sinner, and not many people wanted to be associated with him (Luk 19:7), but Jesus said that he wanted to visit him.
• Another rich man thought he was good enough to keep the Mosaic Laws. Jesus showed him that he couldn't, see Jesus and the Young Rich Man.
  No one can (Rom 3:20–24).
• Jesus told a woman from Samaria that he could fill her emptiness
  with living water, see Jesus and the Woman of Samaria.
• See Jesus the Bread of Life.

Sometimes Jesus asks people in such a way that they realize their area of ​​need
and express it, even though Jesus knows the answer. Jesus wants us to do that.
To confess our need for him (Mat 20:32, Mark 10:51, Luk 18:41, John 5:6). 

Many people took Jesus at his word, they believed, faith can move mountains, see time 9:37–11:58 in John 5 (Part 1) 1–18 • The Heart of Legalism.

Jesus also asked questions to test people as in John 6:5–7,
see time 5:59–16:27 in John 6 (Part 1) :1-15 • When you're facing the Impossible. 

Jesu also asked questions to people who were planning how
to trap him in his words as in Mat 21:24–27, Mark 11:29–33, and Luk 20:3–8,
see Jesus' Authority is Challenged in Jesus' Last Days before his Crucifixion.

See also Some stories in the Gospels at the end of The Four Gospels.

Jesus and the Young Rich Man

Jesus confronts the question what legalism combined with wealth can do
to a person related to his desire to be saved, to follow God, and to live for God. 

A rich man came to Jesus and asked what good thing he must do to inherit
eternal life. That is, to be admitted into God's Heaven (being saved by his own work)
(Mat 19:16). He believed the following:

1. Eternal life with God can be earned.
2. The payment for eternal life with God is good deeds.
3. He was potentially good enough to make the payment.

The Jews at that time believed that their salvation was based on what good things they did, that they kept the Mosaic Laws, and that it was possible to keep them. 
This was also taught by the Pharisees at that time. But God never promised
eternal life to those who kept the Mosaic Laws. What God promised was to bless
the Jews in the Promised Land if they kept these Laws. However,
the Jews began to believe that it also provided a free ticket to Heaven with God. 

A common belief today is to hope that all the good deeds you do outweigh the bad things you do. In this way, they will be taken up into God's Heaven when they die.

Jesus answered the man that only one is good (Mat 19:17a). Only God is good
(Mark 10:18, Luk 18:19). This means that no man is good according to Jesus.
We are all sinners (Rom 3:23, Isaiah 64:6), and we all need a Savior (Rom 3:24).
No person can be good enough by trying to keep all the Laws with the intention
of inheriting eternal life in Heaven with God (James 2:10, Gal 5:4). Salvation is always received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (John 6:27–29, Eph 2:8–9). 
See also What Happens to Those Who Have Never Heard About Jesus?

The rich man said that he had kept all the commandments, even the one to love his neighbor as himself, and asked what more he should do (Mat 19:18–20). Jesus told him that if he wanted to be perfect, he would sell all he had and give it to the poor, then he would have a treasure in Heaven, and then he would come and follow Jesus (Mat 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luk 18:22). When the young man heard that word,
he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions (Mat 19:22, Mark 10:22). 

Jesus exposed the self-deception this man was living under. He didn't keep
all the Laws. If he truly loved his neighbor as himself, there should be no problem
in selling all he had and give it to the poor. But he couldn't do that because
he had great possessions. Riches can take hold of a person's heart (1 Tim 6:6–10). 
Jesus even said that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than 
for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Mat 19:24, Mark 10:25, Luk 18:25).

This young wealthy man had not kept the commandments in the Mosaic Laws. Nobody can. No one can get into God's Heaven by being good enough, by keeping
all the Mosaic Laws, which he believed was possible (Rom 3:19–20), see the videos: 

• Time 0:33–4:59 in Salvation by Goodness . . ..
• Time 1:35–16:30 in Understanding and Responding to Legalism.
• Time 15:14–19:45 in Galatians 1 (Part 3) - The Witness of a Changed Life.
• Time 24:36–25:39 in Bible Q&A • Episode 33.
  

What is impossible for man is possible for God (Mat 19:26, Mark 10:27, Luk 18:27). 
It's only possible by grace through faith in Jesus Christ to be saved (John 14:6),
see Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life and Jesus and the Law.

Another person who was an expert in the Laws asked Jesus the same question
but with the intention of testing him (Luk 10:25). Jesus gave him the same answer, that is, to love your neighbor as yourself (Luk 10:26–28). See this explained at time
2:50–11:57 in Luke 10 (Part 3) 25-42 • The Good Samaritan and the Good Sister
and in The Parable of the Good Samaritan.

The God-fearing people in the Bible who were also very rich, such as
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David, put their trust in God and not in their riches,
see The Love of Money. That faith enabled them to be saved. It's always faith
and trust in Jesus Christ that makes the impossible possible. No one is good but God, as Jesus said. We can't save ourselves by good deeds (Luk 13:1–5).

This young man's attitude can be compared to the man who had no wedding garment in The Parable of the Wedding Feast. We can’t be justified and saved
by our own deeds or by being good enough. Believing is a decision we make. 
We must receive Jesus into our heart (John 1:12). Righteousness is imputed to us
by doing so. It means getting a right standing with God. We haven't earned it,
it has been given to us as a free gift when we come to Christ (Isaiah 61:10).
It's the righteousness of Christ that we literally put on almost like clothing.

The response of this rich man can be compared to the response of another
rich man, Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector (Luk 19:2), who was seen as a sinner 
(Luk 19:7), see Zacchaeus the Tax Collector.

Some people respond to sorrow with repentance like Zacchaeus did, and others with worldly sorrow that leads do death, see Why Judas betrayed Jesus. Judas was sorry for what he did and tried to return the money. However, his response to his sorrow
was hopelessness, and because of that he took his own life. When faith enters into
a sorrow it produces hope, repentance, and life. The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost (Luk 19:10), see The Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin.

See also Some stories in the Gospels at the end of The Four Gospels.

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria

Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John although in fact it wasn't Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her: "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples
had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him: "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews didn't associate with Samaritans.) (John 4:1–9).

This story is explained at the times given below on these two links: 

1. John 4 (Part 1): 1 - 24 • Living Water and True Worship.
2. John 4 (Part 2) :25-42 • Taking Jesus at His Word.

See time 5:32–11:24 in link 1, but it happened probably around 6 pm,
see How to Interpret John 19:14a and John 13:1a?

Jesus answered her: "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you: 'Give me a drink', you would have asked him, and he would have given you 
living water." The woman said: "Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well
is deep. Where can you get living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob?
He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock?" 
(John 4:10–12). See time 13:11–15:41 in link 1.

Jesus answered: "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,
but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.
The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water
welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him: "Sir, give me this water,
so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water." 
(John 4:13–15). See time 18:35–19:53 in link 1.

Jesus told her: "Go, call your husband, and come back." She replied: "I have
no husband". Jesus said to her: "You are right in saying: 'I have no husband';
for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband.
What you have said is true." (John 4:16–18). See time 19:53–21:38 in link 1.

The woman said: "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet." (John 4:19).
See time 21:41–23:53 in link 1. 

She then said: "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say
that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship." (John 4:20). 
See time 23:59–26:16 in link 1. 

Jesus replied: "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither
on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship
what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
(John 4:21–24). See time 26:17–39:43 in link 1,
and How should we worship God? in The Woman's Place in the Congregation.

The woman said: "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When
he comes, he will tell us all things." (John 4:25). See time 5:33–6:42 in link 2. 

Then Jesus declared: "I who speak to you am he." (John 4:26). 
See time 6:43–9:18 in link 2.
See also The Triumphant Entry in Jesus' Last Days before his Crucifixion.

Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked: "What do you seek?" or: "Why are you talking with her?" 
(John 4:27). See time 9:19–9:57 in link 2. 

Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said
to the people: "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" They came out of the town and made their way toward him. 
(John 4:28–30). See time 9:58–14:01 in link 2.

Meanwhile his disciples urged him: "Rabbi, eat." But he said to them: "I have food
to eat that you do not know about." Then his disciples said to each other:
"Has anyone brought him something to eat?" Jesus said to them: "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work. Do you not say: 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest?' Look, I tell you, lift up
your eyes, and see that the fields are white (ready) for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true: 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor." (John 4:31–38). See time 14:02–32:13 in link 2.

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony: "He told me all that I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because
of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman:
"It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."
(John 4:39–42). See time 32:15–40:35 in link 2.

See also Some stories in the Gospels at the end of The Four Gospels.

Balaam and Balak

The Israelites had been out of Egypt for almost 40 years. They were just ready
to enter the Promised Land (Numbers (4 Mos) 22:1). Balak was the king
of the Moabites. He was afraid of the Israelites (Num 22:2–4),
and wanted Balaam to curse the Israelites in order to defeat them (Num 22:5–6). 

There was no reason for Balak to be afraid of the Israelites. God had told Moses
not to attack Moab because God had given Ar to Lot's descendants as a possession (Deuteronomy (5 Mos) 2:9). The Moabites came from one of Lot's daughters. 
Lot was a nephew of Abraham, making the Moabites related to the Israelites.

The Moabites had fallen away from the Lord at this time. Balak was nervous about nothing. God doesn't want us to fear people or things, but we should fear
the Lord (Deu 10:12), see Fear of Man. It would have been better to send for Balaam
to get a Word from God what to do in this situation, and not to curse the Israelites. 

The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian were now sent by Balak to Balaam
with fees for divination, and they gave Balak's message to Balaam
that he wanted him to curse the Israelites (Num 22:7). Balaam asked God
what he should do. God told Balaam not to curse the people of Israel
because they were blessed, and he shouldn't travel with them to Balak
(Num 22:9–12). Balaam then told the men that he couldn't travel with them
because God had refused him to do so (Num 22:13–14). 

Balak then sent princes to Balaam, more numerous and more honorable
than the first, promising him great honor if he cursed them (Num 22:15–17).
Balaam now understood the following:

• Balak wanted Balaam to curse the Israelites in order to defeat them.
• God didn't want to curse the Israelites.
• God didn't want Balaam to travel to Balak.
• It was a long way to travel for Balaam, about 600 km to Balak.
• Balaam could receive a great reward if he did
  what Balak wanted him to do.
• He probably wouldn't get any reward
  if he just prophesied the Word of God to Balak.

Balaam was very faithful to God in his prophecies (Num 22:18). But even though
it was very clear what God wanted, he decided to ask God again what to do 
(Num 22:19). The reason he didn't just send them away was because he had
a serious weakness, and that was money (Mat 6:24). He was greedy (Jude 1:11).
He loved the gain of wrongdoings (2 Pet 2:14–15). That can be devastating, especially if you are in a service for God. God now told Balaam to go with them, but only do what God told him to do (Num 22:20). It wasn't that God
had changed his mind. Sometimes God brings his discipline upon a person
by allowing him to walk the sinful path he desires to walk. 
God knew Balaam's weakness and warned him by saying so. 
Balaam then travelled with them to Balak (Num 22:21).

But God’s anger was kindled because he was going, and the angel of the Lord
took his stand in the way as his adversary (Num 22:22). (Most of the times
the angel of the Lord is mentioned in the Old Testament, it's Jesus Christ himself).
Balaam's donkey could see the angel of the Lord and turned aside, but Balaam couldn't see him (Num 22:23–27). This obstacle that Balaam was frustrated with 
was God's mercy. God warned Balaam to turn back. Sometimes an obstacle
can be God's mercy upon us. The Lord even opened the donkey's mouth
so the donkey could speak to Balaam (Num 22:28–30). The donkey
had more spiritual insight than Balaam had. The Lord opened Balaam's eyes
so that he could also see the Lord, who said that he should have killed him
unless the donkey had turned aside, because the Lord knew that Balaam's way
was perverse before him (Num 22:31–33), see God is omniscient (all-knowing)
in God's Attributes. It was madness (2 Pet 2:16). God looks at our heart
and our motives. God saw that Balaam wanted to find a way to get the rewards
from Balak. Balaam then said to the Lord that if it didn't please him to go to Balak, he would turn back (Num 22:34). It was very obvious that it displeased the Lord, so he wouldn't have to ask. The Lord answered Balaam that he could go,
but only the Word that the Lord spoke to Balaam he would speak 
(Num 22:35). But that would probably mean no reward for Balaam. 

When Balaam came to Balak, he gave four amazing prophesies from God:

1. Num 23:6–12: He said that he he couldn't curse whom God hadn't cursed,
   and he couldn't denounce whom the Lord hadn't denounced (Num 23:8).
   Israel is called by God.
2. Num 23:17–26: He said that there is no sorcery that will help 
   against Jacob, nor any divination that will help against Israel
   (Num 23:23a). Israel is accepted by God.
3. Num 24:1–13: He said that blessed is he who blesses Israel,
   and cursed is he who curses Israel (Num 24:9b). This is a confirmation
   of the promise that God made to Abraham (Genesis (1 Mos) 12:3). It was
   a prophesy not only to Balak, but also to Balaam himself. Unfortunately,
   he didn't follow this rule. It still applies today to all people and nations, regardless of what they think of Israel. It's a matter of obedience to God.
4. Num 24:14–25: He even gave a Messianic prophesy:
   "A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel."
   (Num 24:17b). See The Christmas Star.

God doesn't necessarily require a person to be godly in order to give prophecies
from God. Saul prophesied shortly after he had been anointed king 
(1 Sam 10:10–11). He also did it when he tried to kill David (1 Sam 19:23–24). 

Saul proved to be a very cruel and ungodly king. 

God gives Spiritual Gifts of grace to be used, and not as a reward for long
and faithful service. The person God uses doesn't have to be saved, godly,
or righteous. God can use anyone. Ministering in spiritual gifts doesn't automatically provide a free ticket to Heaven after death (Mat 7:22–23). God is Love, Grace, Mercy, Forgiveness, but he is also Holy, see God is holy in God's Attributes. Therefore, it's important to fear God more than to fear people or things 
(Deu 10:12), see To Fear the Lord in Fear of Man and Sanctification.

False prophets are recognized by showing bad fruits in their lives (Mat 7:15–20),
see Beware of false prophets in The Sermon on the Mount. The prophesies that Balaam gave to Balak weren't what Balak wanted to hear, and therefore would bring no reward to Balaam (Num 24:11), see The Love of Money. Balaam therefore proposed an alternative to weaken the people of Israel, with the aim of turning God's wrath against the Israelites. This shows that Balaam could be a very ungodly person while giving amazing prophecies from God. This made him a false prophet even though his prophesies were accurate. He gave the following advice to Balak, who probably gave him the rewards he was promised.

• Because God is Holy, they should make their women date the Israelites,
  in order to seduce them into sexual immorality connected to idolatry
  (Baal worship involved perverted sexuality) (Num 31:14–18).
• They should seduce them to eat meat sacrificed to idols and worship other gods, pagan deities, such as Baal who was a god of fertility (Rev 2:14). Pagan deities often involved sexual immorality. 

This led the people of Israel to commit fornication with the women of Moab.
The people of Israel sacrificed to their gods, they ate and bowed down to them.
God's wrath fell upon the Israelites. 24,000 of the people of Israel died
because of the plague that resulted. (Num 25:1–9, Psalm 106:28–31).

One result of this was that no Ammonite or Moabite would ever enter the assembly of God (Nehemiah 13:1–2, Deu 23:3–6, Joshua 24:9–10, Micah 6:5).

The Israelites took vengeance on the Midianites because of this 
(Num 25:16–18, 31:1–2a). They killed all the male of the Midianites, and they also killed Balaam (Num 31:7–12, Joshua 13:22). This means that Balaam didn't get time to enjoy the rewards that he probably received from Balak because of his devastating proposal to Balak. Balaam disobeyed God's warnings to speak only
to Balak the words God gave him. We don't know if he was given time to repent before he was killed, or even if he understood that he was acting in disobedience.
We don't know if he went to Paradise or Hell when he died. This shows that
God can use a person and he still ends up in ruin. So it was for Balaam.

What we can take from this historical account is to learn from Balaam's disobedience; the sin that this led to by the people of Israel, and what this sin resulted in. There is always a danger for us as Christians to compromise who
we are in Christ, especially as we live in the world with many things thrown at us. 
This entails the risk of compromising in disobedience, see Sanctification.

See also The Old Testament of the Bible.