Matthew 23: 1-39 Summary: In this chapter, Matthew recounts some of the sharpest words of Jesus on record. And he saves his most blistering admonition for the sin of religious exhibitionism–religion as a mere show put on to impress others. Given their supposed devotion to the scriptures, the Pharisees ought to have been right beside […]
Mark 10:17-31 Summary: The rich man looked like such a good candidate to follow Jesus. He was moral, respectful, deferential, and his longing was to have the assurance of salvation. All looked primed for a wonderfully happy encounter with Jesus. Surely he was mere steps away from the Kingdom. But Jesus saw that another god […]
Luke 4:14-30 Summary: You can well imagine Nazareth abuzz with anticipation that the boy they’d known from his childhood would be leading the Sabbath worship in the synagogue this week. And in fact, all seems to be going wonderfully as Jesus begins his sermon from Isaiah 61…until Jesus addresses the proverbial elephant in the room. […]
1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 Summary: In this chapter, Paul takes up a couple of subjects in which he thought the Thessalonians could benefit from more instruction and encouragement; namely, sexual morality (v.3-8) and work (v.9-12). While they’re two quite distinct subjects, he holds them together in verse 1 as areas of life in which we ought […]
Matthew 2:1-8 Summary: Before Jesus had said or done anything that could have been offensive, he was already rejected by the ruthlessly paranoid Herod the Great. It’s the beginning of a life-time of rejection for Jesus–the unavoidable consequence of the true King of Heaven entering into a world of sinful human pride. Yet Matthew quotes […]
Matthew 2:1-8 Summary: Before Jesus had said or done anything that could have been offensive, he was already rejected by the ruthlessly paranoid Herod the Great. It’s the beginning of a life-time of rejection for Jesus–the unavoidable consequence of the true King of Heaven entering into a world of sinful human pride. Yet Matthew quotes […]
Psalm 130 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2
Psalm 119:162 Summary: Most of us are captivated by the idea of finding lost or hidden treasure. We love stories that include such plots, and maybe we have a few of our own exciting stories of times when we found something of unexpected value in an unexpected place. The Cadet’s theme verse this year says […]
1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13 Summary: We’ve been noting in previous weeks how Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica was cut short because of the threat of violence against him. And in this Sunday’s text, we get a glimpse of the deep worry Paul felt for these new believers and his pain in being unable to see them again. […]
1 Thessalonians 2:1-16 Summary: Paul was forced by threat of violence to leave the newly planted Thessalonian church within weeks of their conversion. After he left town, the attacks continued, though not physically. Opponents outside the church tried to call the sincerity of Paul’s ministry into question in order to sow doubts in the minds […]