Luke 15:24, ‘For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ This statement unites a number of concepts from ch. 15 and links them in mutually illuminating relationships. Already in the first two parables, we’ve learned that lost=unrepentant sin, and found=repentance. But now, at the climax of the […]
2 Corinthians 4:17-18, ‘This light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.’ The sufferings of this age—which are the sufferings of Christ on our behalf—are working eternal glory for those
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Luke 8:35, ‘…they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had done, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.’ In 8:27, we saw that this man was A) possessed by demons, B) without clothes, and C) dwelling among the tombs. Now we find him C’) sitting
Psalm 102: 24-26, [v.24] ‘Oh my God,’ I say, ‘take me not away in the midst of my days—you whose years endure throughout all generations!’ [v.25] Of old you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. [v.26] They will perish, but you will remain… Heb. 1:10 cites
2 Cor 4:17-18, ‘this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen.’ Paul does not say that our afflictions in this life will *give way* to glory, but that our
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Heb.13:8, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. How crucial is the grace of faith that looks into the past and sees who God has declared Himself to be in the Passion of His Son, and that turns toward the impenetrable veil of the future and believes He will always be as He
Lam. 3:21-23, ‘this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of YHWH never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.’ The steadfast love of YHWH *never ceases*. At least one implication of that statement is that in the midst of
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Ps 83:16-18, ‘Fill their faces with shame, THAT they may seek your name, O YHWH. Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace, THAT they may know that you alone, whose name is YHWH, are the Most High over all the earth.’ Two points — First, there is a
Psalm 65:3-4, “When iniquities prevail against me, you atone [ἱλάσκομαι/כָּפַר] for our transgressions. Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!” Notice the transition into verse 4, “Blessed is the one…” We move almost
Ps. 52:8-9, “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever…I will wait for your name, for it is good…” David as a tree in God’s house is an image for his trusting in the Lord. As in Ps. 1:3—and
Jer. 30:12-13,15,17 — “Your hurt is incurable, and your wound is grievous…[there is] no medicine for your wound, no healing for you…Your pain is incurable.” /// “…*I will* restore health to you, and your wounds *I will* heal.” The wound referenced here the wound of and the wound dealt by YHWH’s people’s turning from Him
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Mark 9:24, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” What is the spark of primal faith that creates a faith in Jesus that is able to ask Jesus to create faith in the midst of faithlessness? Of course, the answer would be the sovereign grace of God (Eph 2:8). However, if all of God’s grace
Mark 5:21-43 Notice the way that Jesus penetrates into the heart of hopelessness in the story of Jarius’ daughter. At first, Jarius comes to Jesus and asks for help because his daughter is dying, and Jesus agrees to go, v.24. When they draw near to the house, they find out Jarius’ daughter has died
Mark 6:56, “…they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored Him that they might touch even the fringe of His garment. And as many as touched it were made well.” So too, as many as reach by grace from the grave of sin to touch by faith even the fringe of the garment of
Ps 23:5, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…” “Table” implies rest, rejoicing, supply, and—perhaps most important—fellowship, while “in the presence of my enemies” conjures images of threat, danger, tension, and enmity. It is not natural to set the experience of table fellowship and the immediate presence of enemies
Ps 30:4-5, “Sing praises to YHWH, O you his saints, and give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may remain for the night, but rejoicing comes with the morning.” Notice that verse 5 supports verse 4, meaning that what
Mark 2:11, “I say to you, rise, take up your bed, and go to your home.” Jesus does not say to the paralytic, “you are healed of your paralysis,” or “I take away your disability,” rather, He COMMANDS the man to do what is—for him in his disabled state—impossible (ie, “rise, take up your
Matt. 26:30, “When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” The “hymn” that Jesus and His disciples sang here was likely the “Hallel,” which encompasses Psalm 113-118. These Psalms are rich and multifaceted, but a common theme shared amongst them all is YHWH’s deliverance of His people, especially
Psalm 22:23-24, ‘…stand in awe of Him…FOR He has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and He has not hidden His face from him, but has heard when he cried to Him.’ Verse 24 (starting with “For He…”) gives the reason that YHWH is to be praised, glorified, and stood in awe
Isaiah 11:1-2, 9, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse…And the Spirit of YHWH shall rest upon him…[and] the earth shall be full of the knowledge of YHWH as the waters cover the sea.” First, the chapter begins with an anticipation of the “shoot from the stump of Jesse,” the
