The idea of hiddur mitzvah (beautifying a command) says that if God tells us to do something, we shouldn’t just do the minimum, but to perform it in the best way possible, sparing no expense or trouble.
Remembering A Passover Long Ago [UPDATED]
Prior to celebrating our Passover Seder, I had always thought the crowds unimaginably fickle, cheering Jesus one day and then shouting for his head the next. But Jesus’ supporters never changed their minds. The entire plot unfolded in the wee hours, after the late-evening Passover feast had ended, while most people were sound asleep.
The Gospel Makes more Sense if you Think as a “We”
Jesus preached nonstop about the kingdom. I used to think of “kingdom” as abstract, not considering the fact that the word kingdom describes a community.
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.
Jesus’ Words in Context: Imitating Our Father
We were created to be God’s image on earth. Both Jesus and other rabbis shared their wisdom about the implications.
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 […]
Why are there so many spellings of Hanukkah?
Which is the correct spelling of the word Hanukkah? Learning more about this taught me a lot about Hebrew, and even about the name of God.
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.
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