Archive for April, 2006
What’s your sign, the Pharisees asked Jesus? Answer: don’t look for a sign. Jonah the unwilling prophet gave a hint; he spent three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, just as the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the [...]
5:1 (5:15) King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father’s place. (Hiram had always been an ally of David.) 5:2 Solomon then sent this message to Hiram: 5:3 “You know that my father David was unable to build a temple to honor the [...]
When I read the Gospels and listen to Jesus speaking to the Pharisees, I just wonder what the people around them are saying. Do you think people are saying, “that Jesus guy seems to get them all the time.” The Pharisees are always concerned about the traditions and less concerned about what really [...]
3:5 One night in Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream. God said, “Tell me what I should give you.” 3:6 Solomon replied, “You demonstrated great loyalty to your servant, my father David, as he served you faithfully, properly, and sincerely. You have maintained this great loyalty to this day by allowing his [...]
The twentieth century Madonna wrote a song that began with the words “You can dance,” but there are no reported instances of the first century Madonna dancing. (Sorry, had to say that.)
As Jennifer has noted in her personal blog, the “Herod the Tetrarch” named in this passage is not the Herod who was ruling at [...]
24:1 The Lord’s anger again raged against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go count Israel and Judah.” 24:2 The king told Joab, the general in command of his army, “Go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba and muster the army, so I may know the size of [...]
A farmer…
A mustard seed…
Yeast…
Hidden treasure…
A net…
I must say – if I were among the crowd hearing these parables, I wouldn’t have gotten them either. I’d like to focus on this one:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and [...]
18:14 Joab replied, “I will not wait around like this for you!” He took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the middle of Absalom while he was still alive in the middle of the oak tree. 18:15 Then ten soldiers who were Joab’s armor bearers struck Absalom and finished him off.
18:16 Then [...]
If I could have picked a chapter I did not want to write about this would be it. There is so much in Matthew 12 that I find perplexing, but here goes.
Sabbath
The Pharisees in there usual legalistic way begin to berate Jesus and his disciples because they are not following the “rules” for the [...]
16:20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?” 16:21 Ahithophel replied to Absalom, “Have sex with your father’s concubines whom he left to care for the palace. All Israel will hear that you have made yourself repulsive to your father. Then your followers will be motivated to support you.” [...]
