Mark 8 The truth of the matter is this: “For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom” [1Co 1:22], so it is no wonder that the Jewish religious leaders arrive to argue with Jesus and to test him. Had they been there earlier, they would have seen a miraculous sign of the multiplied loaves and fishes, instead, […]
Mark 7, Matt 15 “Rules of Men and Rules of God” We are caught up in men’s rules: do thus and so because if you don’t, you won’t reach heaven. Martin Luther was caught in that vicious cycle. When he was at the Vatican, he crawled on his knees in penance. Later, he would read […]
John 6 Today we are bombarded with trinkets, gifts, and so on and in fact so much that we have become the “gimme” generation, and this is not new. In John 4, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman and dialogs with her about living water. She says, “Sir, give me this water so that I will not be […]
Mark 6; Luke 9:1-17; Matthew 14 A Faith Test When you look about and see the tasks before you, do you become overwhelmed? I wonder if that is why Jesus gave his power to the 12 and sent them out. There was so much to be done and so little time. So he sent them […]
Matthew 9 and 10 Jesus spent a fair amount of time walking among the people, listening to their conversations. He saw those paralyzed both physically and spiritually. He saw a desperate father in need of direction when all around him was collapsing. He encountered religious leaders who could not or would not see the helpless, […]
Mark 4-5; Matthew 8:14-31 To Leave the Results to God Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would” bring good news to the afflicted; bind up the brokenhearted; proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners;” [Isa 61:1] Yet, some did not experience those blessings because Satan, the master deceiver, had one goal: to blind “the minds […]
Luke 8 and Matt 13 Ever go back to your high school reunion? If you have, you come away with ideas and thoughts about those four years. They walked with you, sat beside you in class but after high school, some stayed behind, and others went a different path. It was true for Jesus as […]
Matt 12:22-50 and Luke 11 The Witness of the Spoken Word & Creation There are many today that seek visible or tangible evidence to believe. I will believe when x,y,z happens, or when I can see God do a miracle before me. I will believe when I find the “real Bible.” I will believe when…and […]
Matthew 11: What are we to go and tell? As John sits in prison, he may be set apart from the goings-on, but he is not unaware of what is happening beyond those prison walls. He still has connections with his advisors/disciples, and in their discussions, he sends them to Jesus to ask: “Are you […]
Luke 7 Matt 8:1-13 Jesus’ Healing Ministry – Questions answered about John the Baptist Jesus remarked that he had not seen such faith even in Israel as he listened to the Centurion and said as much about the “woman of the city.” Jesus crosses every stratum of society, no one is left untouched. Take for […]
