John 14:27 Archives - Word of Grace Studies

Troubled (ταράσσω)

Troubled (ταράσσω) means to shake together, stir up, or throw into confusion.

A few years after the birth of Christ, three magi from the east came to Judea looking for the King of the Jews. This troubled Herod, a Roman King, Matthew 2:3. After gathering all the High Priests and scribes of Israel to determine where the Christ would be born, Herod sent the Magi to Bethlehem to seek out the child with the pretense that he wanted to also prostate before Him.

While Zacharias was performing his priestly service in the Temple of the Lord, an angel from the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. Zacharias was troubled when he saw the messenger and fear fell upon him, Luke 1:12.

After the resurrection of Christ, in one of the instances that He showed the disciples that He is, in fact, raised from the dead, when He appeared to them, at first there was great fear and trembling in them. During the journey of two of the disciples to Emmaus, a man joins them asking what they are speaking about. Surprised that he did not know about what had happened over the last few days, they informed him how the rulers of Israel put Jesus to death. A man who was great in words and works from God that they had hope was the Messiah. In response, the man opens their minds concerning how the Scripture stated it was necessity for the death and resurrection of the Messiah. While they were speaking with this stranger, their hearts burned within them. When they came to the village they constrained the stranger to come and stay with them for the […]

Simon the Sorcerer

Seeking to Purchase the Gift from God

Simon was a man in Samaria who practiced magic to astonish the people, through which he claimed to be someone great, Acts 8:9. Therefore, the people, great and small, all paid attention to him, saying that what he was doing was the great inherent ability of God, Acts 8:10. Sorcerer (μαγεύω) is one who practices magic (μαγεία). This is the same type of magic that street performers use today to amaze people and gain financially from them as they seek to be well-known for their skills. Simon was not the only one doing magic to obtain notoriety recorded in Scripture. Elymas, a false prophet who was known as a Sorcerer, stood against Saul and Barnabas, preventing them from speaking the Word of God to the proconsul of Paphos, seeking to turn Sergius Paulus from the faith, Acts 13:6-8. These men used magic to persuade the people that their power was from God and procure a position of high regard for themselves, giving them access to substantial wealth.

When Philip the evangelist came to Samaria proclaiming the gospel of the resurrected Christ, Simon the sorcerer was among those who believed. The signs and wonders that Philip was doing intrigued him, so he continued with Philip after being immersed, Acts 8:13. Although the Samaritans believed in the facts of the Gospel, they had not yet received the Holy Spirit because God was using this as an opportunity to show the Jews that He is accepting the Gentiles into the Church. Therefore, it was not until the Apostles sent Peter and John, who laid their hands on those who believed Philip’s message, that they received the Holy Spirit, Acts 8:16. The […]