Creative Space for Wanderers
Read: God is serious about the Sabbath, the fourth commandment for those with a checklist. Working from home for nearly 20 years has tainted my personal understanding of Sabbath, something I need to figure out how to fix. In this passage, Jesus challenges the Pharisees to look beyond the stone tablets, but some are hell …
Read: When was the last time you had dinner with sinners? When have I intentionally invited those who are regarded as sinful, shunned by the church, into my home to share a meal? Seriously. Consider the text: While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and …
Read: As Jesus continues to minister in the area in and around Galilee many are healed, amazed, in awe, and filled with wonder. At the same time, questions begin to arise, accusations raised, authority is challenged. From a high-level perspective it’s great to see Jesus wading into the throngs of people, moving without restraint, breaking …
Continue reading “Mark: Jesus’ Galilean Ministry — Heals a Paralyzed Man”
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: The last chapter of Matthew includes the key that separates us from all other religions: Jesus’ resurrection. No doubt, this is this pivot point in time for human existence. The guards were scared to death, took their bribes from the chief priests and disappeared. Mary and Mary were the first to discover the empty …
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: If you have a red letter Bible, or like me, you have “red letter” turned on, chapters 24 & 25 are nearly all red (initially I thought I would cover both chapters). The words of Jesus are carefully transcribed here as part of the last discourse in Matthew’s gospel account. The prophetic voice of …
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: 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 …