The disciples had been rowing through the night but were only halfway across Lake Galilee. The boat was being “buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it” (Matthew 14:24). If you’ve ever been in a boat in those circumstances, you know rowing against a strong wind can be draining—especially at the end ofContinue reading “Meeting Jesus In The Dark Of The Night”
Category Archives: Opening the Bible
Matthew, The Scripture, And Jesus
Matthew has some important things to say in the early chapters of his gospel regarding Scripture and God. In chapter 2, he tells the familiar story of the Magi who have been following a star in search of “the One who has born the King of the Jews,” (v. 2). There’s much we don’t know—how did they know to followContinue reading “Matthew, The Scripture, And Jesus”
Matthew 24 And Loving In Adversity
There were three Jewish revolts against the Romans in the late first and early second centuries. There was the Bar-Kokhba Revolt (AD 132-136), the Kitos War (AD 115-117) and the first Jewish revolt (AD 66-73), often referred to as the Great Revolt. It is the Great Revolt (and specifically the destruction of Jerusalem in ADContinue reading “Matthew 24 And Loving In Adversity”
Love, Liberation, And Life
You can’t miss pride (I’m referring to the unhealthy kind). It’s obnoxious, outrageous and “the only disease that makes everyone sick except the one who has it.” It’s an easy thing to spot. Or is it? There’s another type of pride that is equally destructive. It is less obvious and subtle. It’s the quiet self-absorptionContinue reading “Love, Liberation, And Life”
Looking Through The Lens (2)
The prophets were interpreters of the law. The audience they preached to (Judah and Israel), were plagued with the same ceremonial instincts that their Pharisaical descendants would possess centuries later. They placed such confidence in the external that they believed that their participation in the ritual of sacrifice (emblems of the grace of God), somehow obligatedContinue reading “Looking Through The Lens (2)”
Looking Through The Lens (1)
The Hubble telescope was launched in 1990. It is currently locked in an orbit 353 miles above the earth where it circles the planet every 97 minutes. This position enables it to be free from the light distortions that ground based telescopes experience. The Hubble’s technology has allowed researchers to do some amazing things. They have peered 14Continue reading “Looking Through The Lens (1)”
Letting God Be God
Coming up with a comprehensive picture of the Sadducees isn’t easy. We have no writings from them. Aside from Scripture, our information about who they were and what they believed comes from outside sources (primarily Josephus and the Mishnah). And there’s a sparseness in these that makes almost everything they say more conjecture than conclusion.Continue reading “Letting God Be God”
Justice, Mercy And Faithfulness
Jesus chastised the Pharisees for overlooking “the more important matters of the law” (Matthew 23:23). He identified these as justice, mercy and faithfulness. Whether these three things alone constitute the most important matters or are representative of them is a discussion worth having, but this much is clear: justice, mercy and faithfulness are top tierContinue reading “Justice, Mercy And Faithfulness”
Jesus And The Fulfillment Of Scripture
In Matthew 5:17 Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Fourteen times Matthew will speak of Scripture being fulfilled by Jesus. Fulfillment is much more than the raw idea that the Scripture predicted something, and JesusContinue reading “Jesus And The Fulfillment Of Scripture”
God’s Wish For The World
“A baby is God’s way of saying the world should go on.” Who doesn’t smile (at least on the inside) at those words? The birth of a child carries its own inherent joy and celebration. It doesn’t need to be linked to anything else. So when with these words you connect it to God andContinue reading “God’s Wish For The World”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 