Dr. John C. Reddy

Home  “ Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests  and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. ”  [Matthew 26:14-16]  The Treachery of Judas  T hen one of the twelve—one of the disciples who had lived with the Lord Jesus, traveled with Him, seen His miracles, heard His incomparable teaching, and witnessed the miracle of a sinless life—one whom Jesus could call “my familiar friend… who ate my bread” (Ps. 41.9)—it was that one who lifted up his heel against the Son o God. Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and agreed to sell his Master for thirty pieces of silver.  The priests paid him on the spot—the contemptible total of about fifteen dollars.  It is striking to note the contrast between the woman who anointed Jesus at Simon’s home and Judas.  She value...

Home  “ So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,  for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. ”  [Galatians 3:26-29]  "In Christ Jesus..."  T he key point in this passage is “ In Christ ”. In Christ you are all children of God through faith. In Christ you are all one. In Christ you are all counted as Abraham’s seed and become heirs to the promise.  In Christ you are all chosen. [Eph. 1:3]. In Christ you have the redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. The pronoun “you” here includes both saved Jews and saved Gentiles.  Such people are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Union with Christ, which takes place at the time of conversion, is...

Home  “ They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”  He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.  “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.... Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour?  Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  [Mark 14:32-34, 37,38]  "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation"  D arkness had settled over the land. It was Thursday night running into Friday morning.  When they came to an enclosed piece of ground name Gethsemane, the Lord Jesus left eight of the disciples near the entrance. He took Peter, James, and John with Him deeper into the garden. There He experienced an ove...

Home  “ In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “ Repent , for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” [Matthew 3:1,2]  Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!””    [Mark 1:14,15]  "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"  J ohn the Baptist was six months older than his cousin Jesus. He stepped onto the stage of history to serve as forerunner for the King of Israel. His unlikely parish was the wilderness of Judea. John’s message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” The King would soon appear, but He could not and would not reign over people who clung to their sins. They must change directions, must confess and forsake their sins. God was calling them from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of heaven. John was put in prision by Herod. From then on Jesus took up the ...

Home  “ Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”  So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.  Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.  Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.  This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.   When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”   “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”    [John 21:10-15]  "...do you love me more than these?"  T he Lord Jesus took care of their physical needs first. Then when they were warm and had eaten,  He turned to Peter and dealt with spiritual matters. Peter had publicly den...