Swollen Nets and Shattered Hearts

They had been fishing all night and had nothing to show for it. That meant nothing to take to the market and no wages for their long night’s work. That’s the way it is with fishing sometimes— every fisherman knows that. Peter was a little disappointed and more than a little tired. They were washingContinue reading “Swollen Nets and Shattered Hearts”

“What must I do to be saved?”

Most of us are familiar with the story of the three blind men who had an elephant brought to them. They were to tell everyone what the animal was like. One of the men was near the trunk of the elephant. He grabbed it and said, “An elephant is like a mighty snake—a great boaContinue reading ““What must I do to be saved?””

Mary Takes a Trip

Mary’s trip to see her relative, Elizabeth, is one of those episodes that’s unique to Luke’s gospel.  In this early section of his gospel, Luke is showing Theophilus how God broke into the world to set up the kingdom of Jesus. Rather than tapping into existing power structures like the Roman Empire or the Jewish aristocracy,Continue reading “Mary Takes a Trip”

Meditating on God’s Word

One of my favorite borrowed sayings goes something like this: “Our goal isn’t to get through the Scripture as much as it is for the Scripture to get through us.” I like that because I know from personal experience how easy it is to get distracted as you work your way through Scripture. You’re busyContinue reading “Meditating on God’s Word”

After Dinner Conversation

Did you know that all foods share at least one common ingredient? No matter what kind of food you’re eating, it contains a social ingredient which means it always tastes better in the company of others. Food is something God gave us not just to nourish our bodies, but to nourish our relationships. Get people together toContinue reading “After Dinner Conversation”

Proclaiming with Power and Authority (1)

In terms of development, Luke favors geography more than chronology (Krol). After alternating between the early lives of John and Jesus in the first three chapters, he takes us to Galilee (4-9), Samaria (10-19), and Jerusalem (20-24) in telling us the story of Jesus. Chronology isn’t ignored (see 7:21, 9:51), but neither does he strictlyContinue reading “Proclaiming with Power and Authority (1)”

Proclaiming with Power and Authority (2)

In living for Christ then disciples are proclaiming the reign of God as well as providing proof of such.  By “living for Christ,” I don’t mean disciples are to be good people doing nice things—there are plenty of people doing that who (sadly) don’t belong to Jesus. By living for Christ I mean that ratherContinue reading “Proclaiming with Power and Authority (2)”

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”