In this section of Matthew’s Gospel Jesus is in constant debate and conflict with the scribes and pharisees. As the religious leaders of Israel, they should have been calling the people to holiness and a deeper relationship with God. They set up a form of relating to...
Jesus is teaching in the temple when the religious leaders, the pharisees and chief priests, ask him with what authority he bases his teachings. He does not answer their questions directly. Rather he responds with some parables or teachings regarding the reign of God....
I have often wondered why the disciples were so startled by Jesus’ statement that being rich and being Christian are generally incompatible. None of them were rich. Why were they so disturbed by this statement? Why was Jesus’ encounter with the good, young, rich man...
We continue to hear the prophet Ezekiel condemn the people of Israel for their infidelities. Through the protection and action of God, Israel grew from a being an abandoned, discarded, and enslaved into having the dignity and shining beauty of a queen. But the people...
It is good to read the Old Testament with Christian optics to be able to understand who Jesus is as the savior. But if we don’t go further to understand the Old Testament culture, we will lose much of what is being said there. When I was in the seminary, in a class on...
