Love your enemies. Jesus phrases the matter strongly to make a strong point, a holy point. Enemies oppose us because of what we believe. We are their enemy because their…
All tried to touch him. O, to touch Jesus! I suppose a number of them did. We’re told a lot about Jesus touching others, but we don’t hear as much…
[With thanks to Leslie Leyland Fields, and Chapter Four of her Crossing the Waters: Following Jesus through the Storms, the Fish, the Doubt, and the Seas (2016).] I don’t ordinarily…
Those listening to Jesus “were all well impressed with him and marveled at the eloquent words that he spoke” (4:22). So far, so good. People often marvel at Jesus in…
The section headings that the translators gave these parts of Luke’s account are telling: “Jesus Begins His Work,” and “Jesus is Rejected.” Here is an encapsulation of what we’ll be…
These words of Isaiah are a poem, a song, a prophecy of hope. The hope is for Jerusalem; Jerusalem, here, is not simply a city, a spot on the map. …
John didn’t look like a Messiah, didn’t act like a Messiah, but some thought that maybe he kind of spoke like a Messiah, so they wondered: Is John the Messiah? …
Wise men. Scripture tells us they are (2:1, NRSV, ESV, RSV). What made them wise? What do we know about them? We know they studied the stars. Why? I mean,…
Some of you grew up in small towns, others in larger towns, maybe even cities. There was a time when small towns would fill up on a Saturday night—lots of…
Many people do not know Jesus. Many, even today, because they have not heard of him. Many others because they do not care to know him. They don’t see why…