It is hard to imagine the confusion that swirled around Jesus during his ministry. The entire Jewish world had already been ripe with expectations of a Messiah, but Jesus was not exactly what they expected. …
The Words of Jesus #22
Do you wash your hands before you eat? Well, if you had a mother, you probably do. It is a habit acquired in childhood. But chances are you don’t worry about it very much unless …
The Words of Jesus #21
There were at least three major categories of people who heard Jesus speak. There was a smallish group of people who immediately responded to him. To them, he was like water on dry ground. They …
Endowed By Their Creator
I honestly don’t know what the founders of this nation believed about God. But I do have their words to go by. They signed their names—and pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor—to a document …
The Words of Jesus #20
Was Jesus a racist? You know, he live in a society that was, frankly, racist. Religious Jews would not eat with gentiles and Samaritans were beneath contempt. Oh, they were happy enough to make a …
The Words of Jesus #19
Jesus must have given a lot of people whiplash. For one thing, he didn’t seem to be very religious. That is not to say that he was not a law-abiding person, or that he was …
The Words of Jesus #18
Why was Jesus so hard to understand at times. Oh, there were times when he was clear as crystal, and we just don’t like what he said, but there are other times when he is …
The Words of Jesus #17
Imagine for a moment that you and your family go out to a movie one night and when you come home, your house has burned to the ground. I know, it would be a terrible …
The Choice
What do you call those little wooden figures with movable arms and legs that are controlled by strings from above (like Pinocchio)? It’s a puppet, right? Actually, no, that’s a marionette. I learned that from …
The Words of Jesus #16
When reading the Bible, especially the words of Jesus, have you ever wondered why Jesus did not speak more plainly? He was a man of few words, and I often find myself wishing for more …
The Words of Jesus #15
There is such a thing as an unpardonable sin. I hesitate to bring it up, because some poor soul out there who is guilty of serious sin is likely to have a few bad nights …
The Words of Jesus #14
How do you look at religion? Is religion a burden you have to bear, or is it more of a release from burdens? I don’t mean theoretically, I mean by your own observation of the …
The Words of Jesus #13
Man is a territorial creature. I don’t mean that purely in a geographical sense, either. Man is socially territorial—we expect people to stay in their class or in their race. Man is even territorial in …
Practicing Your Faith
Do you take your faith for granted? Or is it like a lot of married couples: We have been together for so long, we can complete sentences for each other. We can take one another …
The Words of Jesus #12
Would you consider yourself a fair-minded person? I mean a person who believes in equity—who holds yourself to the same standards to which you hold others; a person who really believes we shouldn’t have double …
The Words of Jesus #11
All of us grow up familiar with rules. Our parents had rules for us. Schools had rules. The community had rules. If you are the parent of a teenager, I’ll bet you have heard at …
The Words of Jesus #10
Was Jesus a pacifist? It hasn’t been much of a question in this country since the end of the draft, but it still resonates with a number of people. Did Jesus say we could not …
The Words of Jesus #9
When the history of our generation is finally written, I think historians will see the single greatest tragedy of our generation is the disintegration of the family. Some experts are now saying that half of …
If You Call Yourself a Christian…
If you call yourself a Christian, what can I assume that you believe? If you call yourself a Christian, what can I depend on you to do? One fellow recently wrote to me and commented …
The Words of Jesus #8
I known I’ve been complaining about Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John not giving us more of what Jesus actually said. They’ll tell us that Jesus went into a synagogue and taught, that people were astonished …