Jesus’ Words in Context: God’s Servant Heart
Humility and serving others was of great concern to Jesus. This great theme was central to his ministry and his theology. Other rabbis pondered the implications of God’s humility as well.
Articles
A Good Eye or a Bad Eye? A Cryptic but Critical Idiom
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:22-23) Over the years, these mysterious […]
Is Christ the End of the Law? (part 3 of 3)
While telos can mean “end” or “termination,” it can also mean “goal,” “perfection,” or “culmination.” Paul’s wording is deliberately vague, conveying two ideas at once. Christ is both the goal and the end of the Law.
What Paul Says about Fulfilling the Law (part 2 of 3)
If the Torah is God’s instructions for how to live, why would Gentiles be excluded from its wonderful truths? In both Romans and Galatians, after Paul has spent a lot of time arguing against their need to observe the Torah, he actually explains how they can “fulfill the Law.”
What “Fulfill the Law” Meant in its Jewish Context (1 of 3)
Why Jesus say he “came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it”? A surprising insight comes from the fact that “fulfill the Law” is actually a Jewish idiom. Along with being found in rabbinic writings, it’s even used several other places in the New Testament.
Greek Brain, Hebrew Brain: How Parables Worked
(An excerpt from my book, Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus ) Jesus’s parables fit perfectly into a non-Western, Jewish culture that expressed itself through tangible metaphors. He was engaging in sophisticated theological teaching, but we miss it if we are looking for the deductive abstract arguments of the Greeks. Jesus often based his reasoning […]
Greek Brain, Hebrew Brain: The Way Parables Worked
(An excerpt from my book, Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus ) Jesus’s parables fit perfectly into a non-Western, Jewish culture that expressed itself through tangible metaphors. He was engaging in sophisticated theological teaching, but we miss it if we are looking for the deductive abstract arguments of the Greeks. Jesus often based his reasoning […]
“Where Two or Three are Gathered” …in Context
Jesus’ words in light of rabbinic sayings about what happens when people gather to study or pray… God’s Shekinah draws near. Fascinating.
Where Two or Three are Gathered…
I recently received a question about Jesus’ words in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” which I discussed in my book Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, page 72. Many read this line as meaning that Jesus promises to be present when his […]
Why was Resurrection on “the Third Day”? Two Insights
Christians scratch their heads over Jesus’ being raised “on the third day.” Doesn’t Sunday comes only two days after Friday? And what’s so significant about the “third day” anyhow?
A Surprisingly Messianic Tradition in the Ancient Synagogue
Christians should be fascinated that a prominent theme in early synagogues was the fulfillment of God’s prophetic promises. It fits perfectly with Jesus’ ministry of preaching from town to town about the coming of God’s redemptive Kingdom.
Irony in the Extreme
(This article is one that I’ve recently posted on the brand new En-Gedi Resource Center website. Under “Jesus’ Jewishness” go to “His Sayings in Context” to read others on this topic.) ~~~~~ . . One key to unlocking many difficult Bible passages is to know that Middle Eastern teachers loved to use irony to make […]