Creative Space for Wanderers
Read: Matthew wants to make sure we are clear on this: Jesus is The Messiah. The blind see, the lame walk, the sick are healed, the dead rise, and the gospel is proclaimed! This is the great news they’ve been waiting to hear, but some can’t understand because Jesus’ yoke is light, He didn’t provide …
Read: In this incredible chapter we read about Jesus sending out his fledgling followers we revere as His amazing disciples. They weren’t so amazing when they started, but they had one major advantage: they knew. They knew Jesus was the Messiah because they walked and talk and watched Him do things beyond their wildest imaginations. …
Continue reading “Matthew: Jesus Sends Out His Disciples; Working Within Your Gifts”
Read: Matthew provides an incredible list of miracles by Jesus throughout the area and some unique ministry challenges in these two chapters. It’s hard to imagine how this news spread around the region, how it was received, etc. I’m sure they were skeptical of the fake-news of their day and I’m confident I would have …
Continue reading “Matthew: A Collection of Miracles and Some Ministry Notes”
Read: There is no way that this simple post can adequately cover the vast material in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Seriously. I have to point back to the primary purpose of this blog at this time: read through the Bible and post thoughts that stick out as significant. With that disclaimer, let’s fly through …
Read: TheBibleProject.org’s video introduction to Matthew helps provide context and a framework within which we gain his perspective on the life of Jesus. Matthew choice of stories depend on some knowledge of what we call the Old Testament, common knowledge for those in his time. Today we read about John the Baptist’s preaching and baptizing …
Continue reading “Matthew: John Prepares the Way; Jesus’ Ministry Begins”
Read: Following the ReadScripture plan, we start with the first two chapters in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew begins by establishing who Jesus was in human terms that we can understand and historians can validate. It’s quite interesting to read chapter 2 in parallel with Exodus as we see Joseph leading his little family to …
Continue reading “Matthew: Jesus’ Heritage, Birth, Escape and Return”
Read: The New Testament begins with a list of who’s who from the Old Testament, a very direct link to the past. The list of characters range from good to notoriously bad and even includes five women! As I tried to get through the first two chapters, I found myself digging into the details of …
Read: The closing chapter of Nehemiah exposes Eliashib’s character and the problems caused by his association with Tobiah. Way back when I was a young child, my parents used to tell me they knew who I was playing with by my attitude when I came home. Nothing new here. The Tobiah/Eliashib relationship runs deep. I’m …
Read: , and We left the story at the point where it appears the opposition has won, the work in Jerusalem came to a halt. Does that read like an ancient headline or a text you just received? Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in …
Read: Jonah is a short story that has captured the imaginations of countless people of all ages, but especially children in Sunday Schools and Vacation Bible Schools around the globe. It’s ironic that children enjoy the story while adults, if they would answer honestly, will most likely say it’s a fictional or allegorical work based …