As we conclude the Gospel of Mark (chapters 14-16), we get an expanded picture of the great love of God. In his commentary on Mark, Rodney Cooper share a story of a young man and woman. As they were leaving the restaurant, you could see that the woman had a full body brace as he... Continue Reading →

When Jesus ran the money changers out of the temple, He exclaimed, “Mark 11:17 NIV “Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations' ? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.' ” There are a couple of important points we want to make about this.... Continue Reading →

The three stories in Mark 5 deal with Jesus interacting with different kinds out outcasts — people whom He shouldn’t have been in contact with . These three people were: a man with the unclean spirits who was (more than likely) a naked Gentile who was beaten and bloodied; a Jewish woman who had been... Continue Reading →

Those who think of God as being so loving that everyone is going to heaven are missing a significant portion of scripture. Matthew 25 is a section of scripture that focuses on our call to use the gifts He has given us, and to show “mercy more than sacrifice (Hosea 6:6),” for that is what... Continue Reading →

Without love, nothing else matters. This is the point that is being made in the beginning of 1 Cor. 13, and is also the point that Jesus is making in Matt. 22:37-40. He starts with love of God, who loved us first and died for us. It is so much more than what we are... Continue Reading →

Yesterday, in Matthew 18, Jesus spoke about needing to be like a little child.  Today (in Matthew 19) we see the little children coming to Jesus (which annoys the disciples) and rich young ruler leaving Jesus.   Little children don’t necessarily bring anything to the table.  They won’t teach (they don’t know enough), they aren’t... Continue Reading →

In reading Matthew 17, Jesus is being challenged regarding a willingness to pay the Temple tax. It is clear from reading different commentaries that this concept of paying the temple tax as a part of the law was disputed among some of the people. Also, Priests and Levites were exempt from paying this tax. Since... Continue Reading →

One of the great challenges of today’s church is focusing on Christ. It seems that there is a desire for the church to grow, but only within the confines of our desires. Even for ourselves, this is often the case. I will follow You as long as You go where I want to go.  The... Continue Reading →

“But you would not have condemned those who aren’t guilty if you knew the meaning of this Scripture, ‘I want you to be merciful; I don’t want your sacrifices.’”  Matt. 12:7, including quote from Hos. 6:6 There is so much to the heart of God that is easy for us to miss when our focus gets... Continue Reading →

Spending more time in the Gospels should give us a broader perspective at times. Looking at Matthew 9, especially coming after reading John, hopefully gives us an expanded view of what we are reading.  In Matt. 9, we once again read about Jesus’ “great pity for the crowds that came, because their problems were so... Continue Reading →