“Whoever saves a single life is considered by Scripture to have saved the whole world.” (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5) This classic rabbinic line describes the fact that human life is greatly precious in the eyes of God. When Jesus healed on the Sabbath (Luke 6:9), he preached a similar idea that is well-known in Judaism — […]
Celebrating a New Website Theme
Hooray! The Our Rabbi Jesus website has a new theme! The content of the site is still the same and all the articles and posts are still there. But now it’s more readable on cell phones and it’s easier to find things. The “Events” page is now the “Speaking” page and it’s had some updates. […]
Why doesn’t the Bible have more Romance Stories?
If you walk into any bookstore, you’ll find an enormous section called “romance,” full of steamy love affairs. Even if you shop in the “mystery” or “adventure” sections, nearly every story will have a “love interest” as a subplot. It seems like no story can be told without it. How will the lonely hero find […]
Dig in Israel: A Once in Lifetime Opportunity
Have you ever wished you could to take part in an archeological dig in Israel? Here’s a chance of a lifetime! This summer, there will be two excavation sessions at El Araj, the most likely location of Bethsaida, a New Testament village on the Sea of Galilee. Taking place on June 26-July 10 and then […]
Interview: Learning from Rabbi Jesus, with the Israel Bible Center
Recently, I was interviewed by Dr. Yeshaya Gruber as a part of the Israel Bible Center’s Roundtable Talk series. Dr. Gruber and I had a lively discussion on topics that may interest many. There are many world-class scholars in this series. I’m humbled to be included among them. The Israel Bible Center site also has […]
Meet Madalyn, Lois’ Mesharet (Assistant)
Meet my new mesharet, Madalyn Buursma. Moses had Joshua as his “mesharet.” Elijah had Elisha as his “mesharet.” The word is translated as “assistant,” but the relationship was an ancient model for how disciples studied with rabbinic teachers. Madalyn recently graduated from Calvin College with an English major and she’s aiming for a career in […]
The Gospel Makes More Sense if You Think as a “We”
Even though Jesus preached absolutely nonstop about the kingdom, that word is quite a puzzle to readers. I used to think of “kingdom” as a very esoteric, abstract idea, not considering the fact that the word kingdom describes a community. It’s describing God’s relationship with a whole group of people whom he is redeeming. When […]
Upcoming Column in Premier Christianity Magazine
Good news! In 2020 I will be authoring a bimonthly column for the magazine Premier Christianity, a popular Evangelical periodical in the United Kingdom. My first column will appear in the January 2020 issue. The overall theme of my series will be understanding Jesus as a rabbi, focusing on different aspects of his cultural background […]
Check Out the En-Gedi Resource Center Site
Shalom, all – I have some great news – we’ve finished moving hundreds of articles from my first ministry website, the En-Gedi Resource Center, to their new home at EnGediResourceCenter.com. They have also been updated and reorganized by topic to make them easier to find. This has been months of work, so I hope readers […]
Recent talks on Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus
Last winter I gave a couple lecture series on my most recent book, Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus for the Theological Education Initiative in Columbia, MO and also at Trinity Church in Lansing, MI. For both audiences, I spoke about the three main sections of the book. Repacking our Mental Bags How the Bible […]
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