The man from Decapolis was anything but free before he met Jesus. He lived in the tombs among the dead, because for all intents and purposes—that’s what he was. But it wasn’t always that way for him. He once had a life. He was someone’s son, grandson, probably a brother, nephew, and cousin. Maybe heContinue reading “Saying Goodbye To Your Pigs”
Category Archives: Opening the Bible
Something To Think About
The Beatitudes are rich with multiple layers of meaning. Here’s a paraphrase I did a while back in an effort to uncover some of the treasures found in them. I hope it makes you think. Better yet, maybe it will make you want to try coming up with your own paraphrase! Blessed are those who recognize their spiritual poverty apartContinue reading “Something To Think About”
Revolution
You say you want a Revolution, Well, you know, We all wanna change the world. You tell me that it’s evolution, Well, you know, We all wanna change the world. John Lennon sang these words in 1968 in the Beatles’ classic, Revolution. Our country (and much of the world) was going through turbulent times—not a lot different than today in manyContinue reading “Revolution”
The Challenging Beatitudes
Matthew’s gospel alternates between six narrative and five teaching sections (5-7,10,13,18,23-25). Each of the teaching sections conclude with a statement to the effect of when Jesus had finished saying/teaching (all) these things (7:28,11:1,13:53, 19:1,26:1). Some think that Matthew laid the teaching of Jesus out in five sections to mirror the five books written by Moses. That mayContinue reading “The Challenging Beatitudes”
Staying Humble and Hungry
Most of us have heard of the John Godfrey Saxe poem, The Blind Men and the Elephant. It is based on a traditional Indian parable and tells of six blind men from Indostan who come across an elephant. As each touches a different part of the animal, they come to different conclusions about what theContinue reading “Staying Humble and Hungry”
Reasons to Praise
The psalmist supplies us with several reasons for praising God. At the start of his list is “forget not all of His benefits” (103:2). In v. 3-8 he enumerates some of those. Applicationally speaking, this is a part of the psalm where there is plenty of room for us to personalize the psalm by thinkingContinue reading “Reasons to Praise”
Atonement
The Hebrew writer is involved in an extended discussion about the superiority of Jesus to the angels that begins in 1:4 and continues through 2:18. In 1:5-14, he quotes seven Old Testament texts to make his case. He then pauses in 2:1-4 to exhort his readers to “pay the most careful attention” to the messageContinue reading “Atonement”
A Midwife Crisis
While it’s true that when we think of the book of Exodus mothers don’t immediately pop into our minds, it is nonetheless the case that in addition to Jochebed, his mother, there were at least five other women who had a significant impact on Moses’ life. Two of these were Shiprah and Puah. They were HebrewContinue reading “A Midwife Crisis”
Shaped by the Story
We are all shaped by stories, aren’t we? A tender-hearted teenager hears a speaker talk about their work as a medical missionary and they decide right then and there that’s what they want to do with their life. Someone else reads a biography of a Navy Seal and thinks, “That’s for me!” This kind ofContinue reading “Shaped by the Story”
What Makes a Church Special?
“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” Paul to the Ephesians in 1:16 of his letter. Here’s one of those verses that’s easy to rush right past. It’s not hard to think of Paul’s statement as being the first century equivalent of asking someone today, ”How are you doing.” We don’tContinue reading “What Makes a Church Special?”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 