The name of the Lord shines brightly through each verse of Matthew’s first two chapters; that name we hold hallowed as we pray and offer praise. Certainly, the whole of scripture is a revelation of God, but Matthew’s first two chapters seem to be especially focused on his work, providing […] Read more
The Lost Children
Another Passover in Jerusalem. Another year mindlessly offering gifts. Another year with a heavy heart. I know G-d wants us to sacrifice, but it seems to be a one-way street; what has he ever had to sacrifice? I used to like Passover. Passover celebrates that time when G-d spared Israel’s […] Read more
Matthew 2:13-23 – God’s (VERY) Mysterious Ways
At first glance, this passage seems to merely reiterate a number of things we’ve already discovered about God. God communicates to his people through dreams and through his prophets. God’s plan is unalterable regardless of how much man or Satan try to interfere. And God protected Jesus so that he […] Read more
Matthew 2:1-12 – God’s (NOT-SO) Mysterious Ways
Over the years I’ve read this passage (Matthew 2:1-12) a number of times and always focused on the wise men and their gifts, Herod and his insecurities, and baby Jesus and his mother, but I don’t think I’ve ever considered the chief priests and the scribes. God, through the prophet […] Read more
Matthew 1:18-25 – God’s Timely Gift
Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name. There is a video on Youtube you may have seen titled “Basketball Awareness Test” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB_lTKZm1Ts). Two teams of four players — one dressed in white, one in black — pass a basketball between themselves. You are asked to track the number of […] Read more
Matthew 1:1–17 – God’s Eternal Plan
As a bit of an introduction, I wrote quite a bit about the Lord’s Prayer and the Sermon on the Mount a year or so ago (you can access those posts here: The Lord’s Prayer – Lord, Teach us to Pray…). Since that time, I’ve written about the book of […] Read more
“A Puzzle or Person?” Revisited
I was reading my notes and past entries trying to decide if I should write anything more when I read the following paragraph in my first post on the book of James: In my folder of notes on the letter of James is one heavily marked-up outline at the top […] Read more
From the Pieces, the Big Picture
One of the things I’ve noticed during my years in school both as a student and as a teacher is that most teachers are skilled at breaking a subject into little pieces so that it becomes easier to understand. But I’ve also noticed that there are very few teachers able […] Read more
James 5:13-20 – Famous Last Words
If you have read Paul’s letters you may know that Paul often concludes with greetings to people in the church and some version of the phrase “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.” But James does no such thing. His last words make his letter feel less like […] Read more
James 5:7-12 – Patience, Daniel-son. Patience.
This week’s passage, James’s second-to-last layer of his letter, revisits a topic he initially discussed back in James 1:2-8. A quick read of that passage will remind you that was where James first introduced the subject of suffering and told his readers to remain steadfast in their seeking of God’s […] Read more