Wisdom is spoken of as a tree of life in Proverbs 3:18. What a picture! It takes us back to the beginning when the newly created Adam and Eve lived in the glorious garden of Eden. This was before the earth was cursed (Genesis 3:17-18; Romans 8:20-21), so it was unlike anything we have everContinue reading “Wisdom As A Tree Of Life”
Category Archives: Opening the Bible
The Fellowship Of His Sufferings
As we read through the gospels, we come across a number of things that are said to be involved in following Jesus. Here are a few: being born again (John 3:3-5), loving God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34-40), receiving the kingdom like a childContinue reading “The Fellowship Of His Sufferings”
Jesus From Mark (2)
4. Life was seldom smooth for Jesus. He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness and by Peter at Caesarea Philippi. He experienced rejection from the Jewish leaders, His own family, and His own church. At times in His ministry, He had huge crowds following Him and He enjoyed immense popularity, but most of itContinue reading “Jesus From Mark (2)”
Jesus From Mark (1)
I just finished teaching a series on the gospel of Mark. As a review, I thought it would be helpful to put together a list of some of the things we learn about Jesus from Mark. Some are more obvious than others, but I hope we can appreciate them all. 1. Jesus lived a simpleContinue reading “Jesus From Mark (1)”
“Just As He Told You”
“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” (Mark 16:6-7) The emptyContinue reading ““Just As He Told You””
A Textual Question And A Glorious Treasure
There are questions about the how Mark’s gospel concludes. By that, I mean there is a question about whether the material in 16:9-20 are part of the original text or if it was added at some later date. The NIV has this note before v. 9-20: The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses doContinue reading “A Textual Question And A Glorious Treasure”
Appreciating Emphasis
We emphasize something we want others to pay attention to because we think is important. We raise our voice, lower our voice, or talk slower. We raise our eyebrows, maintain eye contact, or use gestures. If the message is written, we might use boldface, or italics, underlining, the dreaded ALL CAPS, or even worse, ALLContinue reading “Appreciating Emphasis”
The Humanity Of Jesus
The Letter to the Hebrews has a good bit to say about the humanity of Christ. It was written to Jewish disciples who were under pressure to renege on their commitment to Jesus and return to strictly Jewish ways (10:19-39). After a magnificent opening showing the supremacy of Christ to Moses (and everything else), HeContinue reading “The Humanity Of Jesus”
Blood, Covenant, And Jesus
When Christ celebrated the Passover with His disciples, He gave thanks for the cup and they all passed it around and drank from it. He then told them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (Mark 14:24). He said a lot with those words! I want to say somethingContinue reading “Blood, Covenant, And Jesus”
The Day Has Arrived
In the confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson this week, she was asked if she could provide a definition for the word woman. Jackson demurred saying, “I’m not a biologist.” There’s a lot to unpack here—confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominees have sadly regressed to the opposing party using the occasion to air theirContinue reading “The Day Has Arrived”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 