You’re in a morally fraught predicament. What would Jesus do? Not a bad question to ask, of course, not at all. And in this post I’ll ask it in a more general rather than in a specific context: What habits did Jesus have in His daily life? Because, if they were His habits, they should … [Read more…]
If you consider a psalm a prayer, then these are the two most-prayed prayers in the Bible. It’s interesting to compare them. Although each is brief and elegantly but tightly constructed, the Psalm is almost twice as long as the Prayer. Each begins with an address to God, unsurprisingly, and each ends appropriately enough with … [Read more…]
It seems to me that this is a particularly important and reassuring passage for us, since it shows that even Jesus could be frightened about the future and unhappy with a course that God the Father has mapped out to follow. *** Here is the description of this event from each of the three Synoptic … [Read more…]
I was drawing up a list today of the most important passages in the Bible, and wondering whether anything from Revelation should be included. My first reaction was, no, because the outcome of the End Times is so unsurprising. Indeed, when you think about it, the outcome of Revelation, while vivid and important, is as … [Read more…]
I argued in an earlier post on this blogsite that Jesus likely came to earth not just to sacrifice Himself but also to teach. In this post, I’d like to elaborate on that, making the point that His teaching is important for us to study not just for what He taught but for how He … [Read more…]
Introduction Happy Easter! He is risen! This post’s title is adapted from a valuable section of my NIV study Bible, “250 Events in the Life of Christ / A Harmony of the Gospels.” And I want to acknowledge upfront that I will be using it and drawing from it in this post. I’d also like … [Read more…]
I was surprised to discover in my googling today that there does not appear to be an easy and common mnemonic device for remembering the 27 books of the New Testament. (When you finish reciting your list, by the way, you can remember that the number of books should add up to 27, because that’s … [Read more…]
According to my NIV study Bible, Jesus performed 35 miracles. You can read the list at pages 13-14 of this link. (He also told 32 parables, by the way — see page 12 of the same link.) As I count them, 26 of those miracles involved healing of one sort or the other. That’s 74 … [Read more…]
Recently our pastor spoke on Matthew 18:23-36, and the next evening our small group discussed it. From this, a few thoughts. Forgiveness is important. Consider: It made the cut for inclusion in the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus did not explicitly list everything we are supposed to do in His short prayer, and He chose to include … [Read more…]
I like N.T. Wright, and a good friend recommended this book, so I read it. It’s quite short — 89 pages with no index or notes or headings — divided into six chapters that, as their titles suggest, march us sequentially through the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father in Heaven,” “Thy Kingdom Come,” “Give Us This … [Read more…]