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
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
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
After Adam and Eve were cursed and driven from the Garden of Eden, they probably longed for the days of easy gardening and painless childbirth, but I think their greatest regret was the loss of a direct line of communication with the Father. No longer could they speak with their […] Read more
After warning the disciples about the coming of false Christs and imploring them to not be led astray, Jesus begins painting a picture of the end times when he says, 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take […] Read more
This next passage of Matthew’s Gospel is often called “the Olivet Discourse,” primarily because Jesus spoke it while sitting on the Mount of Olives. It has also been referred to as “the Little Apocalypse” because its language and content mirror many passages found in Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation. Matthew introduces […] Read more
Many of the oldest biblical manuscripts, when it comes to the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6, do not include the final phrase “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.” In most instances, whether this line is part of the original prayer is of no […] Read more
Last week concluded with Jesus pronouncing two woes upon the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees because they, according to Jesus, kept people out of the kingdom of heaven and raised up followers who were twice as bad as the scribes and Pharisees. These were not, however, the only woes […] Read more
In the past few weeks we have looked at a number of events and parables that shed light on how to better pray, “deliver us from evil,” but we have paid little attention to how these events and parables parallel sections of the Sermon on the Mount. Here are just […] Read more
Among the many limitations that result from writing about Scripture in sections, the most grievous is treating each section in isolation from the surrounding context. This week’s passage really only makes sense if we refresh our memory about those verses that came before. Jesus had just told two parables, one […] Read more