Creative Space for Wanderers
Read: John Mark wastes no time in getting into the story of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The NIV Study Bible notes summarizes his perspective like this: Mark’s Gospel emphasizes more what Jesus did than what he said. Mark moves quickly from one episode in Jesus’ life and ministry to another. No joke! In the first 13 …
Read: Not the end of the story. Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor. When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead …
Continue reading “Matthew: Jesus’ Trial, Crucifixion and Burial”
Read: The last of Matthew’s record of Jesus’ teaching through parables includes three lessons: The Parable of the Ten Virgins: The Parable of the Bags of Gold: The Sheep and the Goats: The first exhorts us to be prepared, the second to be prudent and the third invites us to love the world as Jesus …
Read: Following the parable of the wedding feast, Jesus continues to challenge the Jewish leadership by exposing their inability to grasp the fundamental truth that was literally standing right in front of their faces. The reading today includes a wide array of topics presented by Matthew as keys to revealing significant problems with the religious …
Read: Chapters 22 and 23 includes intense words from Jesus that leave little room to doubt His authority. If there were gray areas before, reading these words sharpen the contrast and move the colors to more distinctive black and white. This is an important perspective in Matthew’s account as he is building up to the …
Read: As much as I’d like to cruise through the book of Matthew, I simply can’t! There is so much to consider even in this single chapter of Matthew. As Hurricane Irma knocks out power and disrupts the lives of so many in Florida (in particular), I pray we can slow down and listen to …
Read: Jesus loved to teach using parables, short stories that invite us to step back and learn from seemingly everyday experiences. We learn a lot through this kind of lesson because it’s more like teaching someone to fish than simply supplying a fish dinner when asked. The funny thing I’ve found is how the application …
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 …