Psalm: 93, 96 Meditation: John Jesus begins to build his group of disciples (students and followers), knowing them, their locations, and personalities before he meets them, some were followers of his Cousin, John the Baptist, some searchers of scripture and the Messiah, at least one a skeptic. Jesus alludes to both his and their futures …
Tag: Disciples
Friday, July 8
Psalm: 16 Meditation: ActsWhy is it so hard to believe that God can call people from different nations, languages, and cultures? Jesus commissioned His disciples to spread the Good News to all nations, but pride and prejudice tend to cause problems in the execution of this commission. What are some ways that you have witnessed …
Friday, January 14
Psalm: 88 Meditation Mark: Jesus is in the midst of choosing His disciples; this time it was Levi (Matthew) who was being called. The only flaw here is that Levi was a tax collector. I hope we all appreciate that tax collectors for Rome meant collaborators. That put the tax man in the same company …
Thursday, August 19
Psalms: 114, 132 Meditation John: There is nothing like misunderstanding to prompt conclusions and questions. Here, Jesus and His disciples are in Samaria (probably regarded more as a pig stye to most self-respecting Jews) talking with a woman (and, what a woman!). Strict Pharisaic laws would forbid a rabbi from talking to a woman. Next, …
Thursday, July 22
Psalm: 31 Meditation Matthew: Lots to talk about here: Simon the leper; Jesus’ anointing, disciples judgment, to mention 3. Every time I hear (or read) about “Simon the leper” I have to laugh.” Have you met my friend Simon the leper?” Simon the leper, you say?!...” The Jews would avoid anyone who announced his leprosy …
Friday, January 15
Psalm 17 Meditation: John – This is Jesus’ first open miracle. He mentions that his time has not yet come. It’s also mentioned that after this first revelation of his glory, his disciples believed in him. If the disciples didn’t believe in Jesus before seeing the clear water turn into drinkable wine, why were they …
Thursday, November 19
Psalm: 107 Meditation Matthew: The question: “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” springs up with alarming frequency. The sad aspect here is that for some reason the disciples cannot seem to remember what Jesus says from one minute to the next. Jesus keeps iterating to the dolts that humility is the shortest …
Monday, November 9
Psalm: 77 Meditation Matthew: Notice what is at issue here: man’s word (tradition) vs. God’s word. In an effort to safeguard against ever offending against God’s word, the teachers (some as far back as 800 years before Crist) put practices in place which would later become “traditions” – i.e., man’s word. Jesus has to explain …
Tuesday, October 13
Psalm: 10 Meditation Matthew: Jesus is describing what life will be like as a believer. He has told several prospective disciples that life will be hard perhaps to test their resolve, more likely to frighten the feint of heart. The same here. What Jesus says here hardly qualifies either as a pep talk nor a …
Going Deeper: October 4
Read Mark 10:46-52 together. If you missed the sermon on Sunday, you can watch it here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcz7MtZT2yk Here are some things that all of us need help with: 1) To pay attention to those around us, especially when we are busy or in a hurry 2) To truly listen to those in front of us …
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