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]
When the Going Gets Tough (John 6)
Jesus said a lot of challenging things. I’ve commented on this before, but I’ll bring it up again: nobody wants to crucify Mr. Rogers. There’s a point where we have to realize that Jesus wasn’t just a nice man who did nice things. He said hard stuff, and people who were to be His followers weren’t signing up for the easy route. True, Jesus said ... [Continue Reading]
Walking on Water (Matthew 14; Mark 6; Luke 9:1-17)
One night as the disciples were traveling on water, they saw what appeared to be a ghost in the distance. In reality it was Jesus walking across the water. Peter, being the one who constantly leapt before he looked, asked Jesus if he could walk on water too. Can you imagine making such a request? But Peter did, and Jesus invited him out. ... [Continue Reading]
The Divisiveness of Faith (Matthew 9-10)
How did Jesus know that faith would be such a divisive thing? Matthew records that Jesus warned His followers that persecution was a guarantee for those who chose to follow Him. But how did He know? Shouldn’t faith be something that brings peace? And yet we can look at the world’s history and see wars fought over faith, political campaigns ... [Continue Reading]
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