Psalm: 74 Meditation Luke: Here we go again! Faith versus works. A lawyer, no less, challenges Jesus on the best, if not the shortest way to inherit eternal life. They discuss what the law says, and the lawyer is spot on. Words are important – especially to lawyers. Notice the lawyer employs the word “inherit”. …
Tag: Law
Monday, May 23
Psalm: 106 Meditation Deuteronomy is a retelling of the law. Simple enough. It also serves to “fill in the gaps” left in the law’s wake. Verse 3 cuts to the heart of the matter like a laser: “one does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of the …
Monday, March 28
Psalms: 108, 111 Meditation Romans: Volumes are written about Romans alone so I will never render it appropriate justice. The short answer: likened to a child who is forbidden by his parent to cross the street, he finds the greatest desire to cross the street. While one can’t sin “outside” the law, one doesn’t need …
Tuesday, February 22
Psalms: 131, 134, 135 Meditation Matthew: Jesus, even early in His ministry, must have gained some notoriety for “skirting” the Law. Many times, during His ministry He was criticized for just that by the ruling elders at the time. Their criticisms were, of course, based upon a misreading of the Law for, as Jesus proved …
Monday, February 14
Psalms: 121, 122 Meditation 1 Timothy: Scholastic consensus is that this letter to Timothy was written prior to Paul’s final imprisonment; 2nd Timothy during his final “stretch in the joint”. Timothy must have been a remarkable Christian. He was young, to be sure, as Paul refers to him as “my loyal child in the faith” …
Thursday, February 10
Psalm: 74 Meditation Mark: The rich (young) man depicted here must have felt some emptiness in his life despite his wealth. But why would Jesus quiz him about the Law as a means to eternal life? Jesus certainly knew better. The reason is that though it is impossible for us to keep the entire Law, …
Saturday, January 29
Psalms: 124, 126 Meditation Mark: Since Mark spent so much time (or space) talking about this issue, it must be important. Mark is celebrated for being succinct in his writing so the subject must, therefore, be weighty. And so it is. Pharisees and their ilk, wise, and very keen; their predecessors had established guidelines to …
Wednesday, January 26
Psalm: 89 Meditation Mark: The death of John the baptizer. King Herod (this one being Antipas) took it upon himself to marry his brother Philip’s wife. Under the Law this was not acceptable (at least while Philip was alive). Herodias (with a name like that must have been somehow related to King Herod the Great …
Thursday, November 11
Psalm: 135 Meditation Ecclesiasticus: All throughout Scripture we are admonished to “remember”. The truth is we don’t, so occasionally we are given “boosters” to remind us. Most of the time we are exhorted to remember the law, or the word of God. In this case, Sirach delves into the lives of OT saints much as …
Thursday, October 28
Psalm: 81 Meditation Luke: In the law (principally the book of Leviticus) there are a number of prohibitions regarding blood which may lead to personal uncleanness. It was not unusual for the priests to “expand” on certain prohibitions in order to safeguard against violating the commands. Though I suppose the priest and this Levite avoided …
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