As we are brought up in a fallen world, many of us carry things; opinions, thoughts, beliefs, that have been influenced by the culture we grew up in. In our story we find one of the greatest biblical characters in the history of the world, Moses.
Isaiah 61 is a powerful chapter in Scripture. Jesus makes direct reference to it in his hometown of Nazareth, but he stops short of reading the entire passage. Why?
The verses for today’s message are about those despised Samaritans. Looked down on by all full-blooded Jews, excluded from worship, if you saw one coming you would cross the street so you would pass them with the farthest distance possible. Why were they so hated?
Sometimes the truth in statements get lost in translation. For instance, our Protestant Bible is a translation of a translation, ancient and Coptic Hebrew in the Old Testament and Greek in the New Testament. The Catholic Bible is a translation of a translation of a translation, meaning the ancient and Coptic Hebrew to Latin, then Latin to English. The Greek to Latin, then Latin to English in the New Testament.
Last week’s message focused on the oppressive culture that was present during the life of Jesus. Under the brutal leaderships of Octavian, better known as Caesar Augustus, and Caesar Tiberius, those under their rule were taxed heavily and put under heavy requirements by the Herod’s and the governors of each province. Not only that, the Jews had Temple requirements, which put an even heavier burden upon them. Now look at Jesus’ statement in Luke 20:20-26:
What were Jesus’ listeners experiencing prior to the Sermon on the Mount?
A High Protein DietI Corinthians 3:1-23 New Revised Standard Version Hebrews 5:12New Revised Standard Version“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God.You need milk, not solid food” Ephesians 4:1-16 New Revised Standard Version “I therefore, the prisoner … [Read more…]
What then? Are we any better off? No, not at all; for we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, as it is written: There is no one who is righteous, not even one;
This introduction has plenty apocalyptic language in it, but the apocalypses that are referred to are ones of the past. There is a huge transition of some 3,600 years’ time from present to past. If you are not careful, you will miss it. The transition is made in the original text at verse 20. So, what two apocalyptic events (God’s Divine Judgment) could Paul be referring to? Two stories fit the descriptions:
The Scars that Lead to Faith John 20:24-29 We are all very familiar with this story and we give Ole’ Thomas a bad rap. However, the reality is that there is a very teachable moment in this text. Thomas struggled to believe that Jesus was alive, and it wasn’t until he saw the scars that … [Read more…]