One-Room School

By Sue Simon

One-Room School began as a daily blog to readers needing encouragement. The collection that comprises One-Room School is inspired by Luke’s compilation of eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life and teachings. Each daily lesson was inspired by the idea of being alone in the classroom, one-on-one with Jesus. The Teacher’s desire for

• Language: English
• Publisher: URLink Print & Media, LLC
• Release date: Oct 28, 2019
• ISBN: 9781643679136

Sue Simon

The Author, Sue Simon, is a mother of three and a grandmother of seven, who writes about her own struggles with her faith and her response to Jesus teaching in the One Room School. Through the Teacher, she challenges each reader to become not just a follower, but a living example of Gods love every day.

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One-Room School

Copyright © 2019 by Sue Simon. All rights reserved.

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Published in the United States of America

ISBN 978-1-64367-914-3 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64367-913-6 (Digital)

Devotional (Christian)

03.07.19

Dedication

To My Mom

(1920-2015)

Mom was a Prayer Warrior. This book is a direct result of her faithful prayers for her children, her family and her world. When I am asked about my Christian faith, I usually start by saying, I was brought to Christ while I was in my mother’s womb. I never questioned my faith until I was a young adult. Even then, I never questioned who Jesus was; I simply began to sample ‘the grass in other pastures’. For eight years I nibbled and wandered. For eight years Mom fought in prayer for me. Mom was a prayer warrior and she gathered other prayer warriors to pray with her. God is faithful. He never gives up on us.

When we return to Him he blesses us; He heals our wounds; He calls my name and places me on His lap. Then, as if I am the only one, He takes my face in His hands and looks deeply into my heart. His tears drop on my face and wash me, and my tears spring up as he fills this dry well with His love for me. When He teaches me to stand again, He says, What do you believe now, my child?

I stop for only a moment, tears washing down my cheeks. Then the words fill me…Words repeated like a mantra as a child, but now filled somehow, with a different, newly vibrant life and depth of beauty.

These words:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, my Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilot. He was cruelly tortured and crucified. He died on the cross, and was buried in a tomb that was covered by a huge stone and guarded by soldiers against robbery. On the third day He conquered death and walked out of the tomb. 40 days later, after eating fish with his followers, encouraging them to touch the nail-holes in his hands and the spear-hole in his side, and then forgiving them for their wavering faith, he ascended into heaven. He is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, and will come back to judge the living and those who have preceded us in death.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Church, which is the gathering of the saints, the forgiveness of my sins, the resurrection, and life everlasting.

I believe that God heals hearts that are broken, brings orphans into families, and fills the hopeless with overwhelming joy in Him.

I believe that God’s love never failed for me even when I was hopelessly confused. I believe that He is waiting for you to climb up on His lap so He can hold you, and cry over your hurts and struggles, too. And I believe that I would have been lost forever without the prayers of the saints. Thank you, Mom, for never giving up on me.

Epigraph

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

- Luke 1:1-4, NIV

Table of Contents

¹

Dedication

Epigraph

Preface

Acknowledgment

Chapter 1 - Luke 1: Birth of John the Baptist Foretold, Birth of Jesus Foretold, Marry Visits Elizabeth, Mary’s Song, The Birth of John the Baptist, Zachariah’s Song

Chapter 2 - Luke 2: The Birth of Jesus, Jesus Presented in the Temple, The Boy Jesus at the Temple

Chapter 3 - Luke 3: John the Baptist Prepares the Way, Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus

Chapter 4 - Luke 4: Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness, Jesus Rejected in Nazareth, Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit, Jesus Heals Many

Chapter 5 - Luke 5: Jesus Calls His First Disciples, Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy, Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man, Jesus Calls Levi and Eats with Sinners, Jesus Questioned About Fasting

Chapter 6 - Luke 6: Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath, The Twelve Apostles, Blessings and Woes, Love for Enemies, Judging Others, A Tree and Its Fruit, The Wise and Foolish Builders

Chapter 7 - Luke 7: The Faith of the Centurion, Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son, Jesus and John the Baptist, Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

Chapter 8 - Luke 8: The Parable of the Sower, A Lamp on a Stand, Jesus’ Mother and Brothers, Jesus Calms the Storm, Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man, Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman

Chapter 9 - Luke 9: Jesus Sends Out the Twelve, Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand, Peter Declares That Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus Predicts His Death, The Transfiguration, Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy, Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time, Samaritan Opposition, The Cost of Following Jesus

Chapter 10 - Luke 10: Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-two, The Parable of the Good Samaritan, At the Home of Martha and Mary

Chapter 11 - Luke 11: Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer, Jesus and Beelzebub, The Sign of Jonah, The Lamp of the Body, Woes on the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law

Chapter 12 - Luke 12: Warnings and Encouragements, The Parable of the Rich Fool, Do Not Worry, Watchfulness, Not Peace but Division, Interpreting the Times

Chapter 13 - Luke 13: Repent or Parish, Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath, The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast, The Narrow Door, Jesus’ Sorrow for Jerusalem

Chapter 14 - Luke 14: Jesus at a Pharisee’s House, The Parable of the Great Banquet, The Cost of Being a Disciple

Chapter 15 - Luke 15: The Parable of the Lost Sheep, The Parable of the Lost Coin, The Parable of the Lost Son

Chapter 16 - Luke 16: The Parable of the Shrewd Manager, Additional Teachings, The Rich Man and Lazarus

Chapter 17 - Luke 17: Sin, Faith, Duty, Jesus Heals Ten Men with Leprosy, The Coming of the Kingdom of God

Chapter 18 - Luke 18: The Parable of the Persistent Widow, The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, The Little Children and Jesus, The Rich and the Kingdom of God, Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time, A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight

Chapter 19 - Luke 19: Zacchaeus the Tax Collector, The Parable of the Ten Minas, Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King, Jesus at the Temple

Chapter 20 - Luke 20: The Authority of Jesus Questioned, The Parable of the Tenants, Paying Taxes to Caesar, The Resurrection and Marriage, Whose Son is the Messiah?, Warning Against the Teachers of the Law

Chapter 21 - Luke 21: The Widow’s Offering, The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times

Chapter 22 - Luke 22: Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus, The Last Supper, Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives, Jesus Arrested, Peter Disowns Jesus, The Guards Mock Jesus, Jesus Before Pilate and Herod

Chapter 23 - Luke 23: Jesus Before Pilate and Herod (continued), The Crucifixion of Jesus, The Death of Jesus, The Burial of Jesus

Chapter 24 - Luke 24: Jesus Has Risen, On the Road to Emmaus, Jesus Appears to the Disciples, The Ascension of Jesus

Bibliography

About the Author

Table of Contents²

Preface

One Room School began as a daily blog to readers needing encouragement. The collection that comprises One Room School is inspired by Luke’s compilation of eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life and teachings. Each daily lesson was inspired by the idea of being alone sometimes in the classroom, sometimes outdoors, one-on-one with Jesus, The Teacher. The Teacher’s desire for his students is that we not only listen, but that we respond. The Teacher is asked which commandment is the most important. The most important one, answered Jesus, is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. Mark 12:29-31³

Acknowledgment

This book would not have been written without the frequent encouragement of family and friends. My sister Ruth and brother-in-law Ralph Nottingham, and my brother and sister-in-law Robert and Elizabeth Coppock, read the Devotional Thoughts to our Mom and Dad when they could no longer see well enough to read for themselves. Heather Horst, our daughter, found encouragement to carry on when the ‘mountains seemed too hard to face’. Several email friends read and commented on how meaningful particular lessons were on specific days. When I began compiling the daily devotions into what became One Room School, they wrote to ask when I was going to start writing more.

Thank you to my friend, JoAnn Zoodsma, who made the school birdhouse shown on the cover photo. Thank you to my husband, Greg, who has been my personal editor. Without him, this book would still be gathering dust mites in my computer. He has been my encourager, my driver, and best of all, my priceless gem for over 47 years.

Chapter 1

Luke 1: Birth of John the Baptist Foretold, Birth of Jesus Foretold, Marry Visits Elizabeth, Mary’s Song, The Birth of John the Baptist, Zachariah’s Song

⁴

Introduction

Go to School? Me?

I remember watching my older brother and sister walk to school. I could see the school from the window in our living room. I was four years old. I could see the school’s red bricks and windows that faced our house two blocks away. When I was finally old enough to go to school, and my mother took me to Kindergarten for the first time, I could not understand why one girl was crying that she just wanted to go home! Pulling on my mother’s arm, I whispered, Why is she crying? She shook her head and said, She just misses her mommy.

It made no sense to me. There were children my age, new books, new toys. I could hardly wait to get started. I talked once when I was supposed to be resting quietly. I told the girl next to me to be quiet. My Kindergarten teacher sent me to the corner. I do not know if the teacher realized it, but I could hear music and voices coming through the wall from the room next door. The music made my ‘punishment’ more like a reward.

When I think about where I have gone to school over my years of learning about God, I am reminded of the foundation that was laid for me in my Spiritual Classroom. I have stumbled and fallen more often than I would like to admit, but God is always reaching out to me. His love is in my growing, my learning, my errors, and in my mistaken thinking that I already know everything that I need to know to get by. No matter how often I read my Bible, I am amazed at the fresh spirit and clarity that I find each day. Come with me to the One Room School and we will discover, possibly for the first time, the Teacher’s desire to see us grow in wisdom and strength in Him.

Journal Thought: What would I ask the Teacher if I was the only one in His classroom?

From the Beginning

Luke 1:1-10

Do you know anyone who reads the last several pages of a book before they read the beginning of the book? I have heard people say that they cannot wait to find out what happens! I have never wanted to know the end before I read the beginning. Reading the ending last does not make me better or worse than the person who wants to know the ending before they read the beginning.

Luke writes: Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.⁵ Luke tells us that what he has written is the eyewitness accounts of those that knew Jesus personally. Those eyewitnesses were there when the events occurred. How can we argue with these accounts over 2000 years later?

Luke begins with the setting:

Time: Herod was the king

Place: Judea

Person in charge of the Temple: Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah [each division had a set time of the year during which they served]. Husband to Elizabeth

Wife: Elizabeth, a descendant of Aaron. She was barren, and they were both very old.⁶

Today, over 2000 years later, we can look at a map of the Middle East and point to most of the places Luke named. He describes the proceedings briefly, and then tells what would normally happen when the priest went inside to burn incense. Why would this day be different? An angel of the Lord appeared to him [Zechariah]!⁷

This is an eye witness account. Luke wrote it down so that we, more than 2000 years later, might listen and believe. Begin at the beginning. Be reminded, of what has been written. These words were written for all of us so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. ⁸

Throughout the following days ‘in the classroom with Jesus’, I will remind the reader/student of Luke’s statement that what he has written is this orderly account collected from eyewitnesses…so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.⁹

Journal Thought: If I am not convinced of the validity of the Scripture, what doubt do I still cling to?

Chosen by Lot

Luke 1:11-20

Zechariah and Elizabeth were both very old.¹⁰ Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.¹¹ They were both descendants of Aaron, which made them eligible to be chosen by lot to go into the temple and burn incense before God. Only one priest was chosen at a time for this solemn honor. Many of the priests lived their entire lives waiting to be chosen but were never given the opportunity. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, Zechariah was terrified. But the angel said to him: Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.¹²

Then the angel described John. He will be a joy and a delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.¹³ He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.¹⁴ He will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.¹⁵

The priest, who was appointed for one day’s passage into the Holy of Holies to set up the incense, wore a covering that had bells hanging from it which made noise whenever he moved. He also had a special cord tied to his ankle in case the noise of the bells stopped. If it became suddenly quiet, the priests outside the Holy of Holies would not enter, but they would pull on the cord that was attached to the priest’s ankle to pull him out, assuming that the silence of the bells meant that the priest inside was dead. Zechariah was born into Aaron’s family line, raised to learn every law and nuance of the Law and all the rules, regulations and expectations of perfection. He was chosen by lot to prepare and place the incense outside the Holy of Holies, possibly only once in his lifetime. Simply going into the Holy of Holies could give you a heart attack. Zechariah seemed to doubt the angel when he said, How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.¹⁶ The angel said to him,

I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.¹⁷

Journal Thought: How many signs do I need to be given before I believe that God is able to do what He says He will do?

Meanwhile, the People Waited

Luke 1:21-25

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. The Lord has done this for me, she said. In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people. ¹⁸

Have you ever waited for something so long that you literally gave up believing it would ever happen? The Israelites had waited over a thousand years to see the result of God’s promise to them. I am not talking about a promised birthday or Christmas gift; those are things that someone, usually a grown-up, has control over. I am talking about a promise that only God can control.

After Zechariah came out