Month: August 2011
39 posts
The altar to the unknown god: Paul preaches in Acts 17:22-31
Paul “contextualized” the gospel for his hearers, showing how it related to their own culture without compromising its…
Philip preaches to the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-27
Since Samaritans were considered half-breeds (8:4-25), this African court official is the first fully Gentile convert to Christianity…
The lost sheep, lost coin and prodigal son in Luke 15:18-32
The religious elite were angry with Jesus for spending time with tax-gatherers and sinners; after all, Scripture warned…
Let the dead bury the dead: the demands of discipleship in Luke 9:58-62
Warning a prospective disciple that the Son of Man has less of a home than foxes and birds…
Historical information about the birth of Jesus — Luke 2:1-14
Censuses were used especially to evaluate taxation requirements. A tax census instigated by the revered emperor Augustus here…
Herod’s adultery and murder in Mark 6:17-29
Herod Antipas’s affair with his sister-in-law Herodias, whom he had by this time married, was widely known. Indeed,…
Enemy soldiers torture and mock Jesus in Matthew 27:27-34
Over six hundred Roman soldiers were staying at the Fortress Antonia and at Pilate’s palace (which once belonged…
The kingdom prayer in Matthew 6:9-13
Many pagans added up as many names of their deities as possible, reminding the deities of all their…
Keeping God’s Word in Matthew 5:18-19
In 5:18, Jesus says that not the smallest letter or mark will pass from God’s law. He probably…
Jesus, the living Word — John 1:14-18
Modern writers have proposed many valuable aspects of background for the “Word,” but probably the most obvious is…
A replacement for Judas: casting lots in Acts 1:26
Some interpreters today suggest that the apostles made a mistake in casting lots for a twelfth apostle, even…
Rebekah’s deceit in Genesis 27
Some readers have accused both Isaac and Rebekah of equal fault in favoring their sons (Esau and Jacob…
Rivers of living water in John 7:37-38
Jesus’ promise of rivers of living water in John 7:37-38, referring to the coming of the Holy Spirit…
Judah’s punishment in Genesis 38
In his attacks on Christianity, South African writer Ahmed Deedat complains that the Bible is full of pornography…
How to make disciples according to Matthew 28:18-20
The immediate context of 28:18-20 provides us examples for how to testify about Christ (28:1-10) and how not…