A number of years ago, in the hopes that I might learn a bit more about prayer, I began studying the disciples’ request in Luke 11:1, “Lord, teach us to pray,” and Jesus’s answer in Luke 11:2-4, the Lord’s Prayer. It wasn’t long before I felt compelled to reread the […] Read more
Matthew 28 – The Dawn, the Message, and the Kingdom
If Matthew had been recording the story of any other person, after the tomb was sealed, all he would have to write about would be the lives of Jesus’s friends over the next few days, months, and years. Such a story could possibly go on after their deaths, but eventually, […] Read more
Matthew 27:45-65 – The Cross, the Curtain, and the Tomb
Jesus, beaten senselessly, bleeding profusely, and stripped naked hangs on the cross for the world to see. Many people mock him, some ignore him, and his closest friends, those who were actually present, mourned him. Matthew writes, 45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until […] Read more
Matthew 27:11-44 – Guilt, Dreams, and Glory
Our deliverance from evil has been secured by means of Jesus’s deliverance unto evil. Matthew writes, 11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” 12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and […] Read more
Matthew 26:57-27:10 – Peter, Judas, and a New Day
It may seem redundant for me to say that the path leading toward the Father’s kingdom often runs through the valley of the shadow of death and close to our enemies who are enmeshed in evil, but redundant or not, it is true. A seminary professor once told me that […] Read more
Matthew 26:26-56 – Betrayal, Rejection, and Friends
Judas has left the building and, unbeknownst to the remaining disciples, his departure began a chain of events from which there was no turning back. I imagine Judas scurrying down the street to meet the chief priests, every once-in-a-while stopping to look back, wondering if he was doing the right […] Read more
Matthew 26:1-25 – The Passover, the Poor, and the Pawn
Imagination is not required to see that the remainder of Matthew’s Gospel narrates a major battle in the war waged by the forces of evil as they attempt to bring God’s eternally powerful and glorious kingdom to its knees. The Father, from eternity past, planned that his Son, Jesus, by […] Read more
Matthew 25 – Virgins, Talents, and Sheep
If you have been wondering when Jesus would start telling parables, wait no longer. Jesus concludes his answer to the disciples’ question about the destruction of the temple, his second coming, and the end of the age with two parables. But these parables are a bit different than his previous […] Read more
Matthew 24:32-51 – Fig Trees and Faithfulness
One of the best moments during the late stages of winter is when small buds begin to appear on a tree branch. For months, naked twigs bristled in the cold breeze of winter reminding us of death, but there always comes a day when small buds appear and they begin […] Read more
Matthew 24:16-31 – Great Tribulation, Lightning, and Clouds Filled with Glory
Historically, Matthew 24 has been read as a passage about the return of Jesus and the end times, and perhaps, that is the best way to read this chapter. However, this current study of Matthew is taking the approach of reading Matthew’s Gospel through the lens of the Lord’s Prayer. […] Read more