Matthew 12:22-50, Luke 11 Jesus’ bluntness in the face of legalistic hypocrisy is fascinating to ponder.  What if we confronted our cultural leaders in the same way Jesus did? At a dinner at one of the Pharisee’s houses, Jesus unleashed these spiky words: For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens,[m] but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. For you love to sit in the seats of honor in the synagogues and receive respectful greetings as you walk in the … Continue reading Fascinating Bluntness

Matthew 5-7 I don’t have any answers today…only questions. Is the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus talks about in these chapters the same thing as eternal life?  Or is it different? Apparently there is a distinction; in John 3:16, we know that “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but shall have eternal life.” Then, in Matthew 7, Jesus teaches: 21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in … Continue reading Life of the Party

Matthew 12:1-21, Mark 3, Luke 6 One of the common events told throughout each of these books is about one of the miracles Jesus performed on Sabbath.   A man with a withered hand sat among those listening to Jesus, and Jesus called him up to the front of the room. These were people who viciously followed the law even to the point of cruelty.  They didn’t want Jesus to heal the man’s crippled hand because the day happened to be the Sabbath.  In their eyes, healing constituted forbidden work. Yet Jesus exposed their hypocrisy by asking questions: which of … Continue reading Heart Healer