At this time of year, people everywhere are setting up nativity scenes. We’re used to having an odd mixture of characters around the manger — some scruffy shepherds, some glittering angels, a few animals, and of course a brand new little family. To many of us, the characters that are oddest are the magi, or […]
Test Your “Jesus Theories” in the Book of Acts
There’s no end, it seems, to how people can interpret the words of Jesus. It’s not hard to pluck out a line here and there and read it in some strange new way. How can we know how they actually sounded to his original audience? I’ve discovered that a great place to look for answers […]
The Epic Saga of Genesis
I used to struggle with why we have the stories we do in Genesis – about the sons of Jacob destroying the city of Shechem, or Reuben sleeping with his father’s servant girl. My expectation was that the Bible was a book of simple moral stories to teach me how to live. Actually, the point […]
A Blessing for Every Occasion
If you’ve read my article, “Learning from Jesus’ Jewish Prayer Life,” you know the richness of the Jewish pattern of prayer that encourages a person to “bless the Lord” at all times. Below I’ve put a list of some of the many blessings that are traditionally said on all sorts of occasions. (You can also […]
Learning from Jesus’ Jewish Prayer Life
The traditional Jewish prayers that Jesus and Paul prayed can deepen a Christian’s love for God and transform their spiritual lives.
Be a Bridge, Not an Island
If you’re a Christian who is learning about their Jewish roots, you’ll quickly enter a world that has an entirely new vocabulary of Hebrew names and biblical phrases, etc. Why don’t you hear me use it? I share my reasoning here.
Letting Our Tassels Show
To modern Christians, many Old Testament laws seem arbitrary. One in particular may strike you as odd — the commandment to wear tassels. In Numbers it says, Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these tassels […]
Jesus’ Jewish Logic: Measure for Measure
With the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matt 7:2 In Jesus’ words above about the “measure you use,” he was using a classic rabbinic idea called midah keneged midah (mee-dah kah-NEG-ed mee-dah), which means, literally, “measure corresponding to measure.” Paul also used this style of reasoning. Knowing more about the interesting […]
What’s So Wrong with Mixing Wool & Linen?
Most Christians would agree — the levitical law that wins the prize for weird is Deuteronomy 22:11: “Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.” Why on earth did God make such an odd prohibition? I used to roll my eyes at this one. In its ancient context, though, the law had a […]
“Believe in Christ” – It’s Not What You Think
What do we need to believe to be saved? What if we can’t be perfectly sure of the absolute accuracy of every biblical document that has been preserved? Are we in trouble? I’ve seen a lot of folks get tied up in knots over this. I’d like to suggest that there’s actually a simple answer, […]
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