Chapter nine of the gospel of John describes how Jesus healed the eyes of a man who had been blind from his birth. There are a number of details in this account which are easier to understand if we see how Jesus took this occasion to set the stage for a trap for the Pharisees. … Continue reading Jesus the stage manager
pharisees
Written in the earth
An interesting detail in the account of the woman taken in adultery told in chapter 8 of the gospel of John is that it is twice mentioned that Jesus wrote on the ground. This appears to have some connection with the fact that the woman’s accusers left one by one, from the oldest to the … Continue reading Written in the earth
God loves messed up people
Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Abram was ready to sacrifice his wife to the lusts of powerful men to save his own skin. Jacob gained his brother’s birthright by dubious means, and with his mother’s connivance. David had way too many wives. These were the kind of people God used to accomplish His plans here … Continue reading God loves messed up people
What the Bible is all about
The Bible is not a story about good people versus bad people. It is a story of people that were created to be good and rather chose to be bad from the very beginning. From that point on it is a story of people who have been rescued from evil and those who still need … Continue reading What the Bible is all about
Jesus as agent provocateur
Doesn’t it appear that Jesus deliberately did things that he knew would provoke the Pharisees to reveal their lack of compassion? Jesus healed many people of their blindness; in some cases he touched their eyes, in other cases there was no physical contact, he simply declared them healed and they were. Why then did he … Continue reading Jesus as agent provocateur
What is “the world”?
In 1 John 2:15-17, the apostle delivers a clear warning to Christians about loving the world and the things of the world: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the … Continue reading What is “the world”?
They’ll know we are Christians by our ______
I was walking through the upper shopping level of Midtown Plaza on Wednesday and noticed an elderly Sikh couple standing at the top of an escalator. The man made a few false starts, then grasped the moving handrail and stepped firmly on to the joint between two treads. He almost lost his balance as the … Continue reading They’ll know we are Christians by our ______
The world turned upside down
The scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus with a woman who had been caught in adultery, reminded Him that the law required that such a person be stoned, and asked what He had to say. Jesus only answer was to stoop down and write on the ground. One by one the accusers left. The story … Continue reading The world turned upside down
Gentle Jesus, meek and mild
GENTLE Jesus, meek and mild, Look upon a little child, Pity my simplicity, Suffer me to come to Thee: Fain I would to Thee be brought, Dearest God, forbid it not: Give me, dearest God, a place, In the kingdom of thy grace. -Charles Wesley The words of the song give us an appealing description … Continue reading Gentle Jesus, meek and mild
All things to all men
Saul of Tarsus grew up in a box; a box labelled PHARISEE. His father was a Pharisee and no doubt taught Saul the rules of the box from infancy. In his youth, he studied under Gamaliel in Jerusalem. Saul was intimately acquainted with every corner of the Pharisee box and believed that God only loved … Continue reading All things to all men
Flatlander Faith 