Our Rabbi Jesus

What the Ancient Words of the UK Blessing Mean

3 Comments

The video below is the combined effort of more than 65 churches and groups in the UK who sang together as an encouragement to their countrymen in the midst of the pandemic. In the week since it was published (5/3/20), it has gone viral with millions of listeners around the world. The song begins with […]

(UPDATED) To Save a Life is to Save the World: A Look at COVID-19

24 Comments

“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

6 Comments

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. […]

Interview: Learning from Rabbi Jesus, with the Israel Bible Center

3 Comments

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’ Mesharetet (Assistant)

2 Comments

Meet my new mesharetet, Madalyn Buursma. Moses had Joshua as his “mesharet.” Elijah had Elisha as his “mesharet” (meh-SHAR-et; fem.: meh-sha-REHT-et).” 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 […]

Upcoming Column in Premier Christianity Magazine

8 Comments

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

2 Comments

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 […]

A Recent Talk I Gave

3 Comments

Did Jesus actually claim to be the Messiah and Son of God, or was the idea dreamed up by his fawning followers? Yes he did, and in a very Jewish way. So Jewish, in fact, that Gentiles have mostly overlooked his powerful claims. A few weeks ago shared a talk about this in Indianapolis. The […]

West to East and Back Again

Leave a Comment

Pastors, here’s a creative idea. Choose a Christian book to incorporate into a sermon series (4-5 weeks), and make copies available to church members. At the end of the series, invite the author to come and speak. After the service with the author, host a potluck with a Q & A discussion time about the […]

Highlights from Speaking in the UK & Netherlands

2 Comments

What a delightful time I had traveling to the UK and Netherlands June 7-21. I spoke to a total of nine audiences, around 80 – 100 typically, always a few more than the organizers expected. A few folks came from quite a distance. I hadn’t traveled in either country before, so I enjoyed encountering these […]