Did Jesus Really Say That ?: A 31-Day Bible Experience That Is a Probing Look at the Real Meaning Behind the Teachings of Jesus Christ

By Ellis Fuller

This collection of selected scriptures from the Gospel of Matthew will guide the reader through a 31-day glimpse into another side of Jesus often overlooked or bypassed by ministers and Lay persons alike. These daily studies, averaging about 10-15 minutes each, will allow the reader to explore, more deeply, some of the least understood and talked about passages from the teachings of Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 8, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512744057

Ellis Fuller

I have been a Sunday School and Bible Study teacher for over 25 years. I have also traveled as a missionary to Uganda where I have taught local pastors and other church leaders. I have realized through my experiences in the church the need for a greater understanding of who Jesus Christ really is. I have attempted to do this through explaining His more difficult to understand teachings and sayings. I currently reside in Western Pa., am married with two grown sons and also am retired from a Regional Bank where I was emplyed as a Computer Systems Analyst.

Book preview

PROLOGUE I

His Early Years

F rom the scriptural accounts in the four gospels, not much is known about Jesus in His early years except for the gospel accounts of His birth and later visitation by the wise men in which He is described as living in a house as a child.

With the ensuing flight to Egypt with His parents, we are left to wonder about much of His childhood, except for the fact that He was raised in Nazareth with His carpenter father, Joseph.

The only other biblical account is in Luke 2:41–50, where Jesus is found by His parents in the temple sitting among the teachers and scholars, listening and asking questions. It is there that we acquire some insight into the mind and priorities of Christ. After a mild rebuke by His mother, Mary, Jesus replies, Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be about my Father’s business? (Luke 2:49 KJV, my paraphrasing). Either way, it is evident that Jesus had the expectation that His mother should have had some awareness of who He was and why He was where he was. It seems at first that Jesus is being disrespectful of His mother for the seeming tone of His reply to her mild chastisement. But one only needs to refer to His exchange with His mother and disciple John at the cross. Dear woman here is your son … Here is your mother (John 19:26–27 NIV) to understand His great love and respect for His mother. Still, there is that thread of consistency with Jesus’s seemingly impatient and harsh remarks throughout the Gospels, particularly in Matthew’s gospel, that drew me in to take a closer look at His recorded remarks and teachings in those