Unlike the synoptic writers who start with events surrounding Jesus’ birth (Matthew and Luke), or with the ministry of John the Baptizer (Mark), John’s gospel has a cosmic tone as he goes all of the way back to the beginning. We hear echoes of Genesis 1 as he writes about the beginning, the word, and light. Some have suggestedContinue reading “High Touch or High Truth?”
Category Archives: John
God Using His Words
What if there were no words? Parents wouldn’t be able to encourage their children to use your words. We would be unable to communicate with each other in the rich, substantive way that words make possible. Without words, our ability to process anything intellectually would be severely diminished. We wouldn’t be able to think our way through someContinue reading “God Using His Words”
Funeral for a Friend
The main difference between funerals in the first century and today has to do with our modern embalming practices. Nothing like this existed then so burial took place not after a few days, but a few hours. When it was determined that a person had died, their eyes would be closed, and their body wouldContinue reading “Funeral for a Friend”
Finding Jesus
John 7 takes place in Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles about six months before Jesus’ crucifixion. As John is prone to doing, he takes an event (like Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman or the feeding of the multitude) and details some of the ripples that emanated from it. In the seventh chapter, the eventContinue reading “Finding Jesus”
Come and See
We were on a once-in-a-lifetime family trip to Greece. Our youngest daughter was there as part of her university’s international study program. Everyone had been counting their nickels for quite some time (even having a home-made gift exchange the previous Christmas). Janice and I flew to Raleigh where our oldest daughter and her husband live. From there we flewContinue reading “Come and See”
Be Bold and Behold!
I have a portable DVD player that’s seen some heavy usage so I was doing a little maintenance on it. I opened the disc area and blew some compressed air into it. As I did, I noticed a warning label: DO NOT TOUCH THE LENS. That made sense— any kind of smudge on the lens would keep the discContinue reading “Be Bold and Behold!”
An Exalted View
David Blaine is an illusionist and stunt performer who has been in the public eye for a couple of decades. His most recent feat was to float upward to almost 25,000 feet while attached to over 50 large balloons in the Great Basin Desert in northern Arizona. As he was ascending, he spoke of havingContinue reading “An Exalted View”
Life at the Tomb
If you want to have some fun, ask a husband and wife to tell you about something memorable—their wedding, the birth of a child, a vacation story, etc. Then just back away and enjoy the moment. It doesn’t matter who starts telling the story, they won’t get too far before the other breaks in toContinue reading “Life at the Tomb”
The power of silence
Pilate is clearly a conflicted man when Jesus is brought to him. He understands that the Jewish leaders have an agenda in wanting to see Jesus crucified (see Matthew 27:18). On the other hand, he has a responsibility to maintain the Pax Romana (Roman peace) established by Augustus and maintained by his successor Tiberius. WhateverContinue reading “The power of silence”
A Relationship with Jesus
That’s an expression used commonly to answer the question, “What does it means to be a disciple of Jesus?” It’s a phrase that’s been around for quite a while so people use it assuming everyone understands it. That can be a dangerous assumption because over time, even the most clearly defined words or phrases tendContinue reading “A Relationship with Jesus”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 