The story of the rich man and Lazarus is a curious one, particularly in light of the perspective of many that hell is not a real place. You can’t spend a lot of time reading the bible only to conclude that Jesus didn’t believe in hell. The story he tells of Lazarus and the rich man is just one example of this, but it also highlights something incredibly ... [Continue Reading]
The Parable of the Loving Father (Luke 14-15)
If you’ve read the Bible before or been in any kind of church, chances are that you have heard the Parable of the Prodigal Son. It’s about a young man who basically tells his father to drop dead and asks for his inheritance so that it can be squandered in selfish living. Before long his money runs dry, his friends run off, and his food runs out, and the young ... [Continue Reading]
More Than Just a Body (Luke 12-13)
Have you ever thought about how you’re more than just a body? I think we all inherently know this. For instance, when we’re at a funeral and see a body, we somehow know that the person isn’t there any longer. The body is present, but something is missing. I understand that I’m in my body. I can see my body through my eyes, and when I look ... [Continue Reading]
Our Internal Lists (Luke 10-11; John 10:22-42)
I'm curious if you've ever done this before. Have you ever seen a need and realized that you really want to have nothing to do with it? So instead of coming up with reasons why you should help, you instead make a list of reasons why you shouldn't. I've gotten to be a pretty good list maker over the years as I come up with why I'm too busy or why this is a bad use of my ... [Continue Reading]
All I Know (John 9:1–10:21)
I love the story of the blind man who receives his sight because of what it illustrates regarding the hearts of the Pharisees. The problem with the Pharisees was that they approached Jesus with a closed box. The Messiah, in their minds, had to fit into a certain category of expectations. Of course he would be one of the religious people – because God ... [Continue Reading]
Throwing Stones (John 7-8)
Christians over the centuries have been pretty good at throwing stones, and I doubt that it all started with the story in John 8 and the woman who was caught in adultery. But the story that is recounted in the Scripture isn't altogether different than what happens today, and it's certainly something that I've been guilty of in the past. It goes ... [Continue Reading]
Forgiven People (Matthew 18)
Jesus told a parable about a poor servant who owed his master an unfathomable amount of money. Since he was up to his nose in debt, he had no possibility of repayment. So the man pleaded with the master, and the master forgave his debt. Shortly after this experience a fellow servant came who owed the first servant a small sum of money. Though he ... [Continue Reading]
Like a Child (Matthew 17; Mark 9; Luke 9:28-62)
When Jesus’ disciples were fighting about who was the greatest, Jesus used the teachable moment as an opportunity to help them understand something incredibly important about what it meant to be a follower of His. This is an idea that’s mostly misunderstood as we read the Bible today because of our view of children in the 21st century. American culture is ... [Continue Reading]
A Call to Die (Matthew 16; Mark 8; Luke 9:18-27)
It was an amazing moment when Jesus was meeting with His disciples, and He questioned them, “Who do you say I am?” Peter impulsively gave the right answer: “You’re the Christ.” Jesus celebrated the response and praised Peter for his unnatural insight. But while Peter understood that Jesus was the Christ, he failed to understand what that actually ... [Continue Reading]
Loopholes with God (Matthew 15; Mark 7)
As little children we learn to manipulate. One of the amusing examples that I’ve seen is when my niece or nephew asks my brother for something and doesn’t get the desired result, he or she then goes to their mom to see if the outcome might be more in their favor. I’m not sure anyone taught them how to be manipulative, but as fallen human beings, these things ... [Continue Reading]
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