I’ve been reading David Stern’s Jewish New Testament Commentary and listening to Dwight A. Pryor on the subject of Acts 2 and Pentecost. WOW. Texts: Acts 2, John 14, Exodus 20-32 The parallels between what the Jews celebrated and taught from the traditions about Pentecost and what happened on Pentecost 50 days after the Last […]
My Paraphrase of the End of John 14
Jesus says, look, so far not many horrible things have happened to us. We were in a storm at sea, and I took care of that. We were yelled at by crowds, and I slipped through them. John the Baptizer got beheaded, but we continue to praise and worship the Father and carry on what […]
Jesus the Way
– When Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” He is preaching the Gospel. He is covering every single thing that would be important to a 1st century Jew, and anyone else for that matter. God’s way was continually brought up in the OT‚Äìit was the entire way of life for […]
Jesus is Preparing to Go – John 14
‚Äú‚ÄúDo not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father‚Äôs house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back […]
When Worship Becomes Profanity
And no, I’m not talking about saying cuss words in church… Our best effort is not what the Lord wants, Exodus 20:25 If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it. Deuteronomy 12:8 You are not to […]
Tough Truths about Finding a Community
I was at the ECLC today and realized that if you pray for God to put you into a community of people, you had better check to make sure you are humble enough to be a part of whatever community He puts you in. I’m not sure I’m ready for Him to answer me, honestly. […]
Giving and Receiving in Humility
John 13.8 ‚ÄúIf I do not wash you, you have no share with me.‚Äù There is a humility that is beyond the humility that somebody can tell me I need to have or that I can see and grasp. It‚Äôs beyond a virtue or anything that you can talk about, I think. Jesus doesn‚Äôt talk […]
We Think We're All or Nothing, but We're Really Just Selfish
John 13.6-9 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‚ÄúLord, do you wash my feet?‚Äù 7 Jesus answered him, ‚ÄúWhat I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.‚Äù 8 Peter said to him, ‚ÄúYou shall never wash my feet.‚Äù Jesus answered him, ‚ÄúIf I do not wash you, […]
Jesus is the Ultimate Untopper/Topper
All of the disciples are sitting around arguing about who is the best and who Jesus loves the most, all the time getting ready to eat the passover with dirty feet. Jesus alone gets up to wash the feet, and surely nobody noticed what he was doing until He started, because no one questioned or […]
True Authority and Power on Display in John 13
3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. Here you go world, it’s not as if Jesus was slowly […]