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Matt. 5 Retaliation vv. 38-42 – Part 1 Revenge is not vengeance. Revenge is vindictive. Vengeance, on the other hand, is retributive justice. Revenge is subjective; vengeance is objective. That’s why the victims of an injustice cannot avenge — only a court of law, or better yet, God himself, can bring vengeance. “Vengeance is mine; […]

Key Verse: John 7:43 “So there was division among the people because of Him. The setting for this chapter is Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles. As you read it, you get a fascinating insight into the uproar surrounding Jesus in the public sector: He really rocked the boat. For instance, He was an amazement […]

Key Verse: John 6:51c “…the bread I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” Jesus certainly was skilled in alienating people. First of all there were His very exclusive claims to deity. Secondly, there was His flagrant disregard for the religious sensibilities of the Pharisees. Then there […]

Key Verse: John 5:46 “…if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.” Can you trust someone who says he is God? Not likely. Maybe you heard the story of the pastor visiting a mental hospital. He walked by tow of the patients sitting on a bench in the sunshine outside […]

Key Verse: John 4:24 “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” I love this story. For several reasons. First, because Jesus was such a free spirit that He had no qualms about talking to a woman on equal ground. That ground, in this case was at Jacob’s well […]

Key Verse: John 3:3 “…unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Have you ever been challenged to explain what you mean by the term, when you refer to yourself, or to someone else, as a “born-again” Christian? Maybe you’ve found it a bit difficult to say what you mean. If […]

Key Verse: John 1:18 (NIV) “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.” I was riding the commuter train the other day and overheard a conversation between two college students sitting behind me. They were dismissing Christianity as untrustworthy because, “Noah’s […]

Matthew 5 Oaths vv. 33-37 – Part 2 “Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord” (Lev.19:12). “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God…” (Ex. 20:7). In Jewish thought the name of God was binding. To abuse his name by […]

Looking out the window from my desk I’m watching a squirrel preparing her nest for the winter. For her the rhythm of life continues as usual. For us, however, the rhythm is irregular and scary. As I write, the Internet news is all about the second wave of Covid and the distressing awareness that Christmas […]

Key Verse: Luke 24:27 “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” The crucifixion was a real blow to Jesus’ disciples. Not just the inner group of twelve, but all of Jesus’ followers were devastated by the news of His death. It was […]

Key Verse: Luke 23: 12 “That very day Pilate and Herod became friends…” In this chapter and the latter half of the previous chapter, we read of the crucifixion. Some have called this the “Passion” narrative. In 22:47-53 we see Jesus arrested (even while His disciples were eager to use those newly purchased swords–“Lord, should […]

Key Verse: Luke 22:29 “I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me.” Here’s a passage of scripture that has been remarkably silent over the years. At least in sermons, that is. We have probably heard a few sermons on Jesus sending out the disciples without “purse, bag or sandals”–the […]