Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 2526 to 2550 of 4942 results

2526. Divorce

Matthew 19:1-12

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

19:1–6 When Jesus finished his discourse (as recorded in chap. 18), he left Galilee for the last time and went to the area of Judea that lay east of the Jordan. Great crowds followed him there and he healed them. Some Pharisees came to him to test him (note the same use of peirazō in Matt. 22:18, 35) by asking him if the law allowed a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason. The Pharisees permitted divorce but differed on the appropriate terms. Deuteronomy 24:1 speaks of a man divorcing his wife “ ...

2527. A Warning Against Hypocrisy

Matthew 23:1-39

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

Hypocrisy Denounced: The last of Matthew’s five major discourses begins with chapter 23 and runs through chapter 25 (see the standard closing formula at 26:1). It differs from the others somewhat in that there is a break and change of scene between chapters 23 and 24. The first section (chap. 23) is directed to a wider audience (cf. vv. 1, 13, 37); in the second (chaps. 24–25) Jesus speaks to his disciples in private. The material in chapter 23 has been compiled by Matthew on the basis of topical relevance ...

2528. Crowds Follow Jesus

Mark 3:7-12

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

3:7–12 This portion of the narrative gives an account of Jesus’ ministry to a crowd at Lake Galilee (see note) and offers one of several summaries of Jesus’ Galilean ministry (3:11–12; cf. 1:39; 4:33–34; 6:6, 56). The passage functions as a transition from the preceding collection of conflict stories (2:1–3:6) to a new section that may be thought of as extending to 6:6 (where Jesus is rejected in Nazareth) or even to 8:30 (the confession at Caesarea Philippi). The section 3:7–6:6 shows Jesus teaching (e.g ...

2529. The Triumphal Entry

Mark 11:1-11

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

11:1–11 From here to the end of chapter 16 the action takes place in or very near to Jerusalem, with much of it centering on the temple area. In the passage before us, Jesus enters Jerusalem from the east (having come from Jericho, about eighteen miles away) in the company of a crowd of pilgrims who are going to the holy city for a religious celebration, perhaps Passover. The scene of the entry is full of jubilation and is portrayed by Mark as the appearance of the Messiah, Jesus, coming for his final ...

2530. The Authority of Jesus Questioned

Mark 11:27-33

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

11:27–33 With this incident we are introduced to a longer passage concerned with Jesus’ conflict with the authorities in Jerusalem (11:27–12:44). The Jewish leaders demand to know the nature of the authority by which Jesus does his works (vv. 27–28). The these things (v. 28) about which Jesus is questioned are no doubt his attack on the temple business and his condemnation of the priestly leaders described in 11:15–19. From the standpoint of the Jewish leaders, it is a matter of reproaching this arrogant ...

2531. Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

Luke 4:14-30

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

4:14–15 This brief summarizing section, probably derived from Mark 1:14–15, represents the beginning of Jesus’ Galilean ministry (so Fitzmyer, p. 521; Ellis [pp. 33, 98–99] and Schweizer [pp. 96–97], however, see the beginning at 4:31). Luke wishes to make it clear that Jesus’ ministry begins in the power of the Spirit as he taught in their synagogues (see 1:35; 3:22; 4:1), which parallels the inauguration of the apostolic preaching and teaching in Acts 2. These verses establish the context for an expanded ...

2532. Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit

Luke 4:31-37

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

Jesus Casts Out Demons: With the exorcism in 4:33–36 we have the first of some twenty-one miracles performed by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. These miracles may be assigned to four basic categories: Exorcisms, healings, resuscitations, and nature miracles. (1) In addition to the exorcism of the demon-possessed man in the synagogue, Jesus exorcises two other demon-possessed persons (the Gerasene “demoniac” in 8:26–39 and the mute man in 11:14). Luke 4:41 refers to exorcisms in general, while elsewhere in ...

2533. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Luke 9:1-9

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

This section is made up of the sending of the Twelve (vv. 1–6) and Herod’s perplexity about Jesus’ identity and the meaning of his ministry (vv. 7–9). It is probably legitimate to combine these two parts (derived from Mark 6:7–29 and portions of the sayings source) since Luke may have intended Herod’s question to be viewed against Jesus’ Galilean ministry as it reaches its climax in the sending of his men to preach and to heal, the very things that Jesus has been doing since Luke 4. Luke 9 is for the ...

2534. Peter's Confession of Christ

Luke 9:18-27

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

The question of Jesus’ identity, brought out into the open with Herod’s question in 9:9, is now answered. Whereas the Lucan account of the feeding of the 5,000 comes from Mark 6:30–44, Luke’s version of Peter’s confession has been taken from Mark 8:27–29. All of the Marcan material between these two episodes (Mark 6:45–8:26; Luke’s “Big Omission”) has been omitted by Luke not simply because of the appearance of certain repetitious materials, such as a second feeding miracle, but because of the evangelist’s ...

2535. The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Luke 15:1-7

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

This section contains three parables that return to the theme of the inclusion of the lowly and the outcast in the kingdom of God: (1) the Parable of the Lost Sheep (vv. 1–7); (2) the Parable of the Lost Coin (vv. 8–10); and (3) the Parable of the Lost Son (vv. 11–32). These parables more or less pick up where the Parable of the Great Banquet (14:15–24) left off. The Parable of the Great Banquet taught that the least expected people would be included in the kingdom, while the three parables of Luke 15 ...

2536. The Crucifixion

Luke 23:26-43

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

The crucifixion account consists of three parts: (1) the journey to the place of crucifixion (vv. 26–31), (2) the crucifixion (vv. 32–38), and (3) the story of the two crucified criminals (vv. 39–43). Although most of this material comes from Mark 15:21–32, much of it appears only in Luke (vv. 27–32, 33b, 39b–43); consequently, many commentators think that the evangelist had access to another account of the crucifixion story. 23:26–31 Verse 26 describes how Simon from Cyrene is made to carry Jesus’ cross. ...

2537. An Illustration from Marriage

Romans 7:1-6

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

Paul at last turns to the problem of the place of the law in salvation, a problem he has mentioned in passing but has not discussed in depth. Like all Jews, Paul made certain affirmations of the law. The law was given by God and was thus “holy, righteous, and good” (7:12). It was the definitive expression of God’s will for the ordering of human life (2:1ff.), and as such it was worthy of endorsement (3:31). But in the wake of his conversion, and unlike most of his Jewish contemporaries and even many of his ...

2538. Future Glory

Romans 8:18-27

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

As we near the conclusion of the first half of the epistle Paul summarizes a number of vintage ideas. From the immediate context he continues the themes of liberation from slavery (vv. 2, 21), resurrection (vv. 11, 23), sonship and adoption (vv. 14–17, 19, 21, 23), and the role of the Spirit. From earlier portions of Romans he reintroduces the themes of creation (1:20, 25; 8:19, 21), futility (1:21; 8:20), and likeness (1:23; 8:29). The two dominant themes, however, are suffering and glory (see v. 17). ...

2539. The Resurrection of Christ

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

The letter moves toward its conclusion with a long, crucial defense of the truth of the resurrection of the dead and its intrinsic importance for all of Christian faith and living. The length and complexity of this reflection, coupled with its subject matter, make this portion of the letter important for understanding early Christian belief and practice, the foundational nature of resurrection faith for all of Christian theology, and the reconstruction of Paul’s overall understanding of God’s work in and ...

2540. Greetings and Doxology

Revelation 1:4-8

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

An author’s salutation is more than formal greetings; it usually contains a self-introduction and a description of the audience, which together define the relationship between the two. The author thereby deliberately creates the proper context for reading his composition as the word of God. In this light, then, John’s greeting, which actually extends through chapter 3, is of considerable theological and rhetorical significance for how one interprets the rest of the book. The epistolary relationship between ...

2541. The Seals

Revelation 6:1-17

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

The judgment of God against a fallen world is one yield of the death and exaltation of Christ. The breaking of the seals, which opens the scroll and declares God’s decree of salvation, occurs as an essential part of Christ’s entrance into the heavenly throneroom. The seal judgments, and the trumpet judgments that follow, do not depict a sequence of future historical events; rather, they symbolize together God’s response to—and are in that sense co-terminus with—chapter five’s exaltation of the risen Lamb. ...

2542. The Angel and the Little Scroll

Revelation 10:1-11

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

The role played by the interlude in each of the three visions of divine wrath is the same: to cause the readers to assess their present crisis in terms of the future realization of God’s past triumph in Christ. In this sense, the crisis confronting unbelieving humanity is a theological one. Their vision is blinded by the “official” propaganda of the surrounding world order; thus, their life is anchored not by faith in a sovereign God but rather by a false confidence in the idols of the anti-Christian world ...

2543. The Census

Numbers 1:1-54

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

The First Census: The first major section of the book of Numbers stresses the right ordering of life for the people of God. The people are preparing to leave the Sinai area and move through the wilderness toward Canaan. The community needs to be organized and to arrange its leadership before it can consider specific logistics for departure. While the Priestly tradents drew on various earlier sources, the consensus of scholars is that Numbers 1–10 comes from the Priestly tradition. The Priestly tradents ...

2544. The Passover

Numbers 9:1-14

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

Passover and Divine Guidance: This chapter illustrates the difference between narrative time and real time. The opening chronological note reminds readers that the narrative flashbacks continue. The time is the dedication of the tabernacle in the first month of the second year (earlier than the events in the beginning of Numbers in the second month of the second year). Then on the fourteenth day of the first month the Israelites observe the Passover. A few days later they leave Sinai, and the last part of ...

2545. Balaam’s First Oracle

Numbers 23:1-12

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

Balaam’s Oracles: Balaam’s oracles comprise much of the rest of the Balaam cycle. Olson’s treatment of the first three oracles has shown clearly how the material is organized as a narrative. Olson has further noted that the account of the three oracles mirrors the account of the three encounters with Balaam’s donkey in chapter 22 (Numbers, pp. 145–47). Balaam is caught between God’s intention to bless and Balak’s desire for a curse, as the donkey was caught between Balaam and the angel. As Balaam’s ...

2546. Zelophehad's Daughters

Numbers 27:1-11

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

The New Generation: Inheritance and Leadership 27:1–7: The census in chapter 26 prepares for the distribution of the land. The custom in ancient Israel was that land stayed with the tribe and was passed from father to son. The question now arises as to what happens when there are no sons but only daughters. The daughters of Zelophehad . . . belonged to the clans of Manasseh. The five of them—Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah—approach the community’s judicial body in an effort to inherit their father’ ...

2547. Stages in Israel's Journey

Numbers 33:1-56

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

The Wilderness Itinerary: Before moving further in final preparations for entering the land, the narrative stops to review where Israel has been on the journey. The preceding chapters have looked to the past for guidance. Chapters 28–29 considered again the offerings instituted at Sinai. Chapter 31 responded to the incident in Numbers 25, and chapter 32 recalled the account found in Numbers 13–14. Here, then, chapter 33 expands the memory of events at Kadesh-Barnea in reviewing the journey from Egypt to ...

2548. Boundaries of Canaan

Numbers 34:1-29

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

The Land of Promise: The tone of the last three chapters of Numbers is very hopeful as the people anticipate entering Canaan. After the last section of chapter 33 witnessed the divine instruction to take the land (v. 53), it is reasonable now to articulate what constitutes the land and how it will be distributed among the tribes. These questions are the subject of chapter 34. The final two chapters in the book turn to other issues related to settling the land. 34:1–12 The chapter begins with a description ...

2549. David's Victories

2 Samuel 8:1-14

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

War and Peace – Enemies and Friends: 8:1–14 In contrast to the relaxed narrative style of the surrounding chapters, this is a terse summary of David’s military successes against the surrounding tribes. These verse fill in the background and explain how the LORD gave him rest from all his enemies (7:1). David’s victories eventually led to the stage where the Philistines no longer posed a serious threat. In a similar way, the other tribes surrounding Israel were subdued and often subjugated. Some, like ...

2550. David Returns to Jerusalem

2 Samuel 19:9-43

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

Return to Jerusalem: 19:8b–15 After any civil war feelings and tensions take time to settle. Bitter enemies do not become friends in a moment. Even if they had been stirred up more than was necessary, Absalom’s followers had felt genuine grievances against David. Nevertheless, after Absalom’s death people recognized that there had been many good times under David and felt a growing desire to restore the old regime (vv. 9–10). David, with a glimmer of his old diplomatic skills, used the rivalry between ...

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