Doctor Luke writes that Jesus tells the people to listen carefully to what he says. When they do, they will understand—and then even greater understanding will follow. But there’s a warning, too. Those who don’t really listen will lose whatever understanding they currently have. Listening to Jesus results in more understanding; not listening results in […]
One time Jesus skipped the ceremonial hand washing before he ate. The Pharisees took notice of his omission and were about to criticize him when he took preemptive action, giving them teaching about six woes: When considering these six woes, ceremonial hand washing isn’t a big deal. [Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s […]
Jesus said, “It is not healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Jesus came for the sick. (Since he came to heal and to save, we may be able to comprehend this both literally and figuratively, that is, the physically sick and the spiritually […]
Regardless of what country you live in, there will be at least one political party, and usually many to choose from. People who read and follow the Bible often affiliate with a particular party in order to best align their politics with the Bible. What’s interesting is they can read the same book and reach […]
Although the terminology and even the timing vary between the various Christian traditions and perspectives, a generality is that first, someone decides to follow Jesus and then the Holy Spirit is given to guide and direct them. While each stream of Christian thought assigns different terms to these events and has a diversity of understanding […]
The Great Three in One The prophet Isaiah gives four descriptive names for Jesus. They are Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. However, I tend to think of Jesus as Savior, Healer, Redeemer, and so forth, but not so much the names Isaiah gives. In fact, to me, Wonderful Counselor seems […]
Which Version of the Lord’s Prayers Do You Say? Did you know there are multiple versions of the Lord’s Prayer—the prayer Jesus used to teach his followers how to pray? Matthew records the most common version, which goes something like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be […]
Those who follow Jesus used to be called “disciples” but that term has fallen out of favor. Now the common label is “believer.” It is easy to believe; it takes a lot more to be a disciple. To believe is essentially a one-time act, a singular decision made at one point along life’s path. To […]
Perhaps you’re one of the 18 million people who’ve viewed the viral YouTube video, Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus—and if not, check it out. It is simply a video of a young man reciting his poem. In it, he creatively contrasts Jesus with religion. He does so with passion and conviction, avoiding overproduced […]
Jesus said that his yoke was easy; that his burden was light. What exactly does that mean? From a simple perspective, we understand a yoke to be a means to harness a draft animal in order to pull a load. Therefore, an easy yoke, one with a light burden, would be something that was not […]