Mark’s Gospel really highlights the unfairness of the trial that Jesus underwent before he was passed on to Pilot by depicting the dishonest testimonies that didn’t even line up with each other. The angry mob of religious leaders didn’t really care about being fair – they were there with the sole purpose of convicting a man who had shown up on the scene only a few ... [Continue Reading]
Peter’s Denial (Matthew 26)
Peter’s denial of Jesus is of particular interest to me because he so fiercely fought for Jesus a few hours prior. After all, Peter was the one who cut of the high priest’s servant’s ear when the men came to capture Jesus. Peter wasn’t afraid of a fight. In fact, he was expecting one. Maybe that’s why he was so confused. Jesus didn’t ... [Continue Reading]
Christianity Without God (Matthew 25)
I think one of the most startling thoughts to me is that there are people who spend their lives in church but end up missing God. How does it happen? I’m not sure I have the absolute final answer, but it seems that they are more concerned with following the rules they think God makes over learning to follow the two greatest commandments: loving God and loving ... [Continue Reading]
Keeping Your Eye Out (Mark 13; Matthew 24)
There is a lot to take note of in the chapters from today’s reading, and it’s easy to get caught up in the speculations of end time prophecies. However, one thing should receive special attention: the return of Christ. The fact is, many of the signs referred to have been going on for a lengthy period of time. We have earthquakes, and they seem to be ... [Continue Reading]
The Importance of Being Diligent (Matthew 23; Luke 20-21)
It’s hard not to crack a smile when the news reports about some guy who’s predicting that Jesus is going to return on a specific date. The Bible has made it pretty clear that no one knows the day or time, so it’s comical to me when a person advertises that he knows Jesus will return. The ironic thing is that, if Jesus was going to return then, now He can’t ... [Continue Reading]
Chucking The Greatest Commandment (Matthew 22; Mark 12)
Can you name the greatest commandment? Jesus said it’s “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” (Mt. 22:37). If you’ve spent any time in church you’ve probably heard that commandment. In most churches I’ve attended though, we easily glide past the greatest commandment and move on to the secondary one: ... [Continue Reading]
Closet Jesus Fans (Mark 11; John 12)
The miracle involving raising Lazarus from the dead was a pretty convincing sight for those who hadn’t yet decided what they thought of Jesus. It’s hard to deny the deity of a man who is able to bring someone else back to life. John (as well as other Gospel writers) tells us that the Pharisees wanted to put Lazarus back to death because of the commotion this miracle was ... [Continue Reading]
Why Jesus Came (Luke 18:15-19:48)
When Jesus showed up on the scene around 2000 years ago, He was stepping into a religious system where people were distant from God. The religious rulers (the Pharisees) had established law after law after law that had to be adhered to for a person to find favor with God. These laws had their origins from the time of Moses, but the Pharisees took the laws to ... [Continue Reading]
A Poor Fig Tree (Matthew 20-21)
Every time I read the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree that was bearing no fruit I have this feeling that the act was out of His character. After all, it wasn’t the tree’s fault that it bore no fruit, and Jesus typically had compassion on the faultless. However, that is a simplistic view of the purpose of the cursed tree: to serve as a symbol of Israel and ... [Continue Reading]
Drinking the Cup (Matthew 19; Mark 10)
As Jesus was traveling with His disciples James and John made an odd request: “can we sit at your right and at your left in your glory?” Jesus was still a political messiah to them, and to sit at his right and left was a request for power with an assumption that Jesus would be ruling politically. Little did they know that their request for such positions ... [Continue Reading]
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