Mark 7 finds Jesus engaged in a normal discussion about the Torah and tradition, that seems to many Christians, to end in a note lifting Torah and tradition. Jesus argues that the Pharisees and Scribe’s means of following the traditions of the elders invalidates the Law of the LORD. However, if Jesus did as Christians […]
Last January, I wrote this little book for my friend Dan. I was not able to finish it in time for him to get to read it. However, it is ready in time for you. My greatest hope is that you will have hope. In hopeless times, we need a hope that comes from outside […]
Recently Netanyahu used reference to Amalak in the Bible as the basis for the war against Hamas. Often, I have heard “this is just Isaac and Ismael over and over again.” These are two deeply unhelpful ways of talking about a tragic situation. One demonizes an entire people. The other makes it seem as though […]
The complaint is often made that religion causes wars. It divides people, we are told, and they fight over whose God is right. As many wars as I have seen and read about, in the end, few of them appear to be over who is the true prophet, or which is the true God. We […]
This morning I read from the Book of Ezra: 3 When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled together as one in Jerusalem. 2 Then Joshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings […]
In the last week as I have watched and prayed and cried regarding things in Israel, I could not help but think of John’s closing vision in Revelation. Here are two sections of that vision: “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride […]
There is a meme going around that shows a Bible page with a highlight of Deuteronomy 28:43-44, which reads: “43 The stranger who is among you will rise above you higher and higher, and you will go down lower and lower. 44 He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him; he will be the head, […]
What is the Prophecy of Isaiah 7? Recently during an episode of American Pickers, I found each commercial break was occupied by advertisement for a show presenting the “truth” about Jesus’ birth. The commercial claimed that the Virgin Birth of Jesus was the result of a mistranslation of the Bible. I am not concerned that […]
A popular song asks what Mary knew. But as is often true in the Bible, the people in question knew much more then we think, sometimes more than we ourselves know. For example, have you ever wondered why so many women are named Mary in the Gospels? The name Mary comes from the Hebrew “Miriam” […]
God’s interest in justice flows out of His interest in and love for His Creation. This is at the core of the uniqueness of God’s revelation to the Jewish people. The Greco-Roman world pictured justice as a blind-folded maiden with a scale and a sword. The Torah presents Justice as emanating from an All-Seeing God with a Heart of Compassion.
