Matthew 20:21-22, “‘[Let] these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and one at your left in your kingdom.’ Jesus answered, ‘You do not know what you ask.’” Matthew 27:37-38, “‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.’ Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one at the right and one at […]
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Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of YHWH is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Many of you probably recognize this, but today’s picture is built on Plato’s famous “analogy of the cave”. Briefly, the analogy presents a cave in which people sit facing the back wall. The bright
Habakkuk 3:5, “Before Him went pestilence, and plague followed at His heels.” Habbakuk’s Prayer in chapter 3 starts by recalling the way that YHWH has revealed Himself to His people in the past through His work (the exodus and surrounding events seem to be view). Building on this, Habakkuk asks the Lord to now
Hebrews 10:19-22, “…since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near…”
1 Corinthians 6:19, “You are not your own.” The simplicity and counter-intuitive nature of this sentence is amazing…. You Though this word is plural, Paul seems clearly to be addressing each individual Corinthian. When he says, “You,” he means, “each one of you.” And so, the word means, everything that is themselves, everything
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Romans 8:28, “…we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”
Matthew 26:64, “I tell you, *from now on* you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Jesus seems to be implying that humanity begins to see the divine Son of Man enthroned in the sky and coming in power when He
Nahum 1:6-7, “Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the heat of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by Him. YHWH is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him.” The first thing to
Psalm 147:4-5, “He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; and gives to all of them their names.” The hands that fashioned the heavens are the same that heal the broken-hearted…. How heart-calming is it to consider that the same God who placed the stars in
Matthew 23:38-39, “Behold, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’” What catches my attention here is the “for I say to you…” This phrase is introducing the explanation as to why
1 Corinthians 2:10, “These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?” These Things? First, what are the “these things” that God has revealed through
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Ephesians 2:20-22, “Christ Jesus Himself [is] the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
Numbers 14:17-18, “And now, please, let the power of the Lord be great, as you have promised, saying, “YHWH is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love….” Two wonderful things stand out about this passage. First, notice how the Lord shows the greatness of His power: by forgiving the sins of His covenant
Numbers 11:20, “…you have rejected YHWH who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?” Notice the strong language that Moses uses to describe what we might consider a comparatively “innocent” situation. Some of the people have a “strong craving” for meat (v.4), and this apparently
1 Corinthians 1:21, “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.” Now, this is a paradigmatic verse. Notice that the world did not know God through wisdom, therefore it pleased God to
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Matthew 22:4, “Come to the wedding feast.” I read three parables this morning. The parable of the two sons (21:28-32), the parable of the tenants (21:33-44), and the parable of the wedding feast (22:1-14). Each one of these parables is told in response to the Scribes and Pharisee’s question about Jesus’ authority, and Jesus’
Romans 15:4, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” This is a significant hermeneutical statement that I think I’ve overlooked before. Here is a divinely inspired apostle writing to us the mind and heart of
Psalm 119:130, 135, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple….Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.” What catches my attention here is the repeated light imagery. In verse 130 the unfolding of God’s words gives light, and in v.135, the Psalmist’s desire is
Matthew 16:23,25, “But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man…” I’m always intrigued by the seeming irony of Jesus’ statement here. Peter has just said, essentially, that
Psalm 126:5–6, “He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” When God the Son was sown in the dust of the earth, He carried every tear of His Bride in Himself; and when He rose again, He reaped for her
