In our reading today we have the end of Luke’s Gospel and the beginning of John’s Gospel. In Luke’s account of Jesus’ resurrection appearances, he emphasizes the fact that Jesus rose bodily from the dead. It was not just a spiritual resurrection. In the Road to Emmaus appearance Jesus sat down with the two travelers […]

This portion of Scripture in Luke’s Gospel contains some of the most well-known parables of Jesus. For example, in Luke 10:25-37, we have the priceless Parable of the Good Samaritan. In this wonderfully-crafted story, Jesus powerfully teaches that our neighbor is anyone in need that we are in a position to help. The hero of […]

Many Bible commentators believe that Luke was the sole Gentile to write a Book which became a part of the Jewish-Christian Scriptures. All the other authors were Jewish. In the early chapters of Luke’s Gospel, we see the saving message of Jesus beginning to burst the wineskins of Judaism (Luke 5:33-39). Luke clearly portrays Jesus […]

In Isaiah 55:8&9 we read these words: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” says the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” We see the truth of these words most clearly in […]

The opening of Mark’s Gospel has many intentional allusions to the story of Israel’s Exodus from slavery to Egypt. Mark portrays Jesus’ ministry as a second Exodus from the powers of darkness such as sin and the demonic. The first allusion to the Exodus are the opening words of the Gospel which is a combined […]

In Mathew 16 we have a real turning point in Jesus’ earthly ministry. Jesus intentionally takes His disciples to one of the most pagan places in all of Israel – Caesarea Philippi (verse 13). In this area we have the blatant worship of pagan deities like Pan. It is in this very dark place that […]

The 4 Gospels were originally written to 4 different audiences. The most Jewish of these original recipients was the one that received the Gospel of Mathew. It should not surprise us, therefore, that it was Mathew’s Gospel which utilizes the greatest number of Old Testament direct quotations and allusions. For example, after Jesus performed some […]

The last two Books of the Old Testament, Zechariah and Malachi, address issues that were pressing for the post-exilic community as they set down roots again in the Promised Land of Canaan. Zechariah was raised up, along with his contemporary Haggai, to encourage the returning Jews to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple. The exiles had returned […]

At the close of yesterday’s reading, the Book of Nahum was covered. The messages of Nahum were specifically addressed to Judah and Nineveh. and were preached somewhere between 663 and 612 BC. In 612 BC, the city of Nineveh fell to the Babylonians, in fulfillment of Nahum’s prophesy. What is noteworthy is that in the […]

Our reading today covers the Books of Obadiah, Jonah, Micah and Nahum. As we read these Scriptures, God’s heart for the Gentiles is very evident. In the short Book of Obadiah, the prophet exclusively addresses the people of Edom. Even though it is a message of warning, the LORD cares about the Edoms enough to […]