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Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

Showing 3176 to 3200 of 3926 results

3176. Eschatological Discourse: Being Faithful and Merciful

Matthew 25:14-30, Matthew 25:31-46

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Jeannine K. Brown

... believers in Jesus (see 25:40). As R. T. France suggests, “They have helped . . . not a Jesus recognized in his representatives, but a Jesus incognito. . . . [The needy] seem closer to what some modern theologians call ‘anonymous Christians’ than to openly declared supporters of Jesus himself.”[2] 25:40 whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. As the superlative of mikros (“little ones” [10:42; 18:6, 10, 14]), the word elachistos ...

3177. Jesus Is Tried before Pilate and Sentenced to Death

Matthew 27:1-10, Matthew 27:11-26

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Jeannine K. Brown

... failure to understand the Jewish Jesus within his Jewish context has resulted in the creation and perpetuation of millennia of distrust, and worse, between church and synagogue.”5 Yet a careful reading of Matthew, in both its historical and literary contexts, does not support this interpretation and use of the text. Matthew is a Jew who writes to other Jews who believe in Jesus; any argument that he has with other first-century Jews is by definition an intramural one. And as we have noted (see comments ...

3178. Jesus Turns to His New Family

Mark 3:31-35, Mark 3:20-30

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Grant R. Osborne

... of the same sin at the Sanhedrin trial in 14:53–65. 3:31 Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. A list of Jesus’s brothers appears in Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55 (both also mention “his sisters” [Matt. 13:56]). In order to support the perpetual virginity of Mary, there developed in Roman Catholic circles the view that adelphoi refers to cousins (Jerome, Augustine) or Joseph’s children by a previous marriage (Origen, Eusebius). Yet the more natural meaning is blood brothers, and that fits the New ...

3179. Jesus’s Glory and Majesty Disclosed

Mark 9:2-13

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Grant R. Osborne

... people and establish God’s kingdom on earth with the Jewish people in charge of the world. On the basis of the question about Elijah in 9:9, that is how the three interpreted what they had just seen. In and of itself, the transfiguration could support such an understanding. However, it takes place between the first two passion predictions (8:31–33; 9:30–31), so it is clear that triumph will come first through suffering. Still, this episode centers on the glory and majesty yet to come, so it moves from ...

3180. Possessions and Choice in the New Kingdom Community

Mark 10:17-31

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Grant R. Osborne

... . Pull out one item at a time and ask, “Would you be willing to give this up if Jesus asked you to?” In the case of the picture of the family, ask, “Would you be willing to stand for Jesus even if it cost you the respect and support of your family?” Earthly versus heavenly reward Analogy: Ask your listeners what they would choose if they were offered $10,000 today or $500,000 in fifteen years. Most people will choose the greater reward in the future. Jesus warns us not to store up treasures on earth ...

3181. Jesus Claims God-Given Authority to Condemn the Leaders

Mark 12:1-12, Mark 11:27-33

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Grant R. Osborne

... ’s brilliant comeback, the leaders are forced to take evasive action and say, “We don’t know.” In reality they do think that they know and should answer that John and Jesus are false prophets. However, they let their fear of losing their support base trump their obligation to defend the temple against Jesus. Craig Evans calls it “an embarrassing public display of cowardice.”3 Jesus then refuses to name the source of his authority and has won the first round handily. 12:1 Jesus then began to ...

3182. The Messianic Anointing of Jesus

Mark 14:1-11

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Grant R. Osborne

... Passover week (11:1, 11), probably in the home of his close friends and followers Mary (John 12:3 tells us she was the woman), Martha, and Lazarus. We know nothing more about Simon, but the occasion is an evening meal, and he was likely a supporter, perhaps healed of leprosy by Jesus (cf. 1:40–45). a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. Mark leaves her unnamed in order to center on her faithful, loving act; she is another of the “little people” highlighted throughout Mark. This ...

3183. The Trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin

Mark 14:53-65

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Grant R. Osborne

... logical progression in each of the final scenes of Jesus’s passion. The movement away from Jerusalem to Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives is preparatory, as Jesus prayerfully conquers his own dread of what is to come even as the disciples fail to support him in prayer. Then there is movement back to Jerusalem as Jesus is arrested and brought back into the city, following the same path to his trial/hearing before the authorities. Again the disciples fail him as they desert, and Peter denies even knowing ...

3184. The Roman Trial

Mark 15:16-20, Mark 15:1-15

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Grant R. Osborne

... the king of the Jews? The crowd appears here for the first time, and verse 8 describes how they “came up” or ascended the hill to Herod’s palace (15:16) (near the Jaffa Gate), where Pilate held court. There were probably few of Jesus’s supporters, and the crowd consisted mainly of people from Jerusalem who wanted to petition for the Passover amnesty (a custom of releasing a prisoner on special occasions as a gift to the people). At this point Barabbas is still in prison, and only Jesus is present at ...

3185. The Baptism of Jesus

Luke 3:21-38

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R.T. France

... son of God.” Historical and Cultural Background The many genealogies in the Old Testament illustrate how important ancestry was to the Jews. Josephus, writing at the end of the first century AD, lists his own ancestors for six generations and claims the support of publicly available genealogical records (Josephus, Life 1–6; Ag. Ap. 1.30–36). It is not unlikely that such lists were kept, either orally or in writing, especially for the (royal) family of David.1 But Luke’s list differs substantially ...

3186. Jesus’s Manifesto

Luke 4:14-30

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R.T. France

... the year of the Lord’s favor. Some interpreters think that Jesus was calling for the literal observance of the Old Testament principle of Jubilee (Lev. 25) as a social reform, but neither the words of Isaiah nor the Gospel accounts of Jesus’s ministry support this. The reference seems rather to be to the Lord’s chosen time to bring salvation and judgment (the following words in Isaiah are “the day of vengeance of our God,” which does not sound like Jubilee). That time has now come, with the ...

3187. Two Memorable Healings

Luke 5:17-26, Luke 5:12-16

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R.T. France

... ” and the belief that it was humanly incurable. In this section we are told of Jesus’s strong popular following but at the same time of the beginning of official opposition, focused in the scribes’ accusation of blasphemy. These twin themes of popular support and official opposition will run side by side through Luke’s narrative, until the issue comes to its final resolution in Jerusalem. The controversy motif, with the Pharisees as chief opponents, will continue in our next two sections, up to 6:11 ...

3188. Power over Illness and Death

Luke 7:11-17, Luke 7:1-10

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R.T. France

... troops in the service of Herod Antipas (the Roman legions were not deployed in Palestine at this time). Such troops were drawn from the non-Jewish population of surrounding regions such as Phoenicia and Syria. The centurion thus represented the Roman-supported government of an unpopular Hellenistic ruler. His good relations with the local Jewish community (7:3–5) are an important counterbalance to the general impression of an oppressive Roman occupation of Palestine. In Acts 10 Luke will tell of another ...

3189. Rejecting or Responding to Jesus

Luke 10:1-24

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R.T. France

... relevant in your context). How might 10:22 contribute to the debate? What objections should they expect to face? Is it still possible in this relativistic age to argue for the exclusiveness of the Christian way of salvation? How can such an argument be supported? 3. The expectation of judgment. What is meant by the judgment language of 10:13–15 (and of 10:12)? How might Jesus’s condemnation of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum be applied to our modern context? Can we still credibly use such language ...

3190. Priorities

Luke 12:35-48, Luke 12:22-34

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R.T. France

... 4:32–37. This radical ideal needs to be balanced against practical responsibility. Peter, for instance, seems to have retained his boat and fishing tackle, and even his home in Capernaum. The itinerant lifestyle of Jesus and his disciples depended on the hospitality and support of well-wishers who had the means (cf. 8:3). But material security is to be subordinated to spiritual priorities, as the parable in 12:16–21 has underlined. See further on 18:22. treasure in heaven. The idea is not that giving to ...

3191. Interpreting the Times

Luke 12:54-59, Luke 12:49-53, Luke 12:35-48

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R.T. France

... have heard and rejected the gospel and those who have never heard it? The phrase “I have come to . . .” (12:49; cf. 5:32; 19:10) implies a mission that originated elsewhere, and it has been used to argue that the Synoptic Gospels also support the idea, familiar from the Gospel of John, of Jesus’s preincarnate divine existence.1 Teaching the Text There are three main sections in this passage, which may be taught either separately or together. If taught together, the focus should be on the necessity for ...

3192. God and Mammon

Luke 16:16-18, Luke 16:1-15

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R.T. France

... themselves to ungodly purposes, but they can also be used for good ends (the Aramaic translation of Deut. 6:5 has “Love the Lord your God with . . . all your mammon”). The mention of “eternal dwellings” indicates that the “friends” represent not earthly supporters but rather a heavenly reception committee. Just as the manager made sure he had a refuge after he lost his job, so disciples should ensure that they will be welcome in heaven when this life is over. A responsible and generous use of ...

3193. Lessons in Discipleship

Luke 17:11-19, Luke 17:1-10

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R.T. France

... instead a round number for unlimited forgiveness. A later rabbinic discussion concluded that three times was enough (b. Yoma 86b–87a). 17:5 Increase our faith! The imperative verb could be translated simply as “give,” but the focus on smallness in 17:6 probably supports the sense “add to” (i.e., “increase”). 17:6 faith as small as a mustard seed. For the mustard seed as a proverbially tiny amount (seven hundred seeds in one gram, according to one expert), see on 13:18–19. This response ...

3194. The Coming of the Kingdom of God

Luke 17:20-37

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R.T. France

... a future “rapture,” whereby believers are taken up from the earth to be with Jesus at his return (see 1 Thess. 4:13–18). Consider to what extent 17:34–35 provides a secure basis for such an idea. Is this its main scriptural support? Illustrating the Text Jesus teaches that his second coming will occur when no one is expecting it. News Story: Any number of natural and manmade disasters have occurred when no one was expecting them, completely disrupting the lives of those who suffered through the ...

3195. Two Parables about Prayer

Luke 18:9-14, Luke 18:1-8

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R.T. France

... ” (edik-) used here and in 18:5, 7, 8 focuses on the vindication of someone who has been wronged, though it may also include the punishment of the wrongdoer (cf. the use in 21:22). A widow who fights her own case must have been without male support that she could rely on, and so she would more easily be exploited. 18:5 I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me! His eventual compliance is purely selfish, to get rid of a personal nuisance (“keeps bothering ...

3196. The Coming of the King

Luke 19:45-48, Luke 19:28-44

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R.T. France

... have Jesus use that title of himself. The natural meaning is “God needs it.” The ready response of the villagers to this cryptic message delivered apparently by total strangers suggests that it may be a prearranged password that Jesus had agreed on with known supporters in the village. 19:36 spread their cloaks on the road. For a similar gesture of homage to one proclaimed king, see 2 Kings 9:13. 19:37 the whole crowd of disciples. Matthew and Mark say that the messianic acclamation was uttered by ...

3197. God’s Saving Righteousness and the Restoration of Israel

Romans 3:21-31

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C. Marvin Pate

... where Paul shows his agreement with the Christology of the early church by quoting an early Christian hymn. Is it also the situation for 3:21–26? The theory is that 3:21–24 is Pauline, but 3:25–26a is pre-Pauline. Those who support this view point to two “un-Pauline” ideas in these verses: (1) the sacrificial language of 3:25, especially “faith in his blood”; (2) God overlooked past sins committed in the Old Testament. The upshot of these arguments is that Paul corrects a hymn that emphasized ...

3198. The Christian’s New Dominion: Dedicated to Righteousness

Romans 6:15-23

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C. Marvin Pate

... end-time conversion promised in the Old Testament, and this before the restoration of Israel. Indeed, Gentile Christians are participating in the true restoration of Israel. 6:17 though you used to be slaves to sin. Paul points to his audience’s conversion story to support the principle in 6:16: in the past the Roman Christians were enslaved to sin, but now in Christ they are slaves to obedience. As R. A. J. Gagnon notes, two contrasts between the old covenant and the new covenant are alluded to in the ...

3199. Israel and the Present Curses and the Past Blessings of the Covenant

Romans 9:1-29

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C. Marvin Pate

... this, Father Kolbe stepped forward and asked to die in his place. He told the commandant, “He has a wife and family. I am alone. I am a Catholic priest.” His request was granted. As the ten men were led to their death, Father Kolbe supported a fellow prisoner who could hardly walk. No one emerged from the “hunger bunker” alive, and Father Kolbe was the last to die. The covenant curses remain on Israel until they receive Jesus as Messiah; the new-covenant blessings now rest on the church. Literature ...

3200. The Mystery and Mercy of God

Romans 11:25-32

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C. Marvin Pate

... preferable, however, to take the antecedent of 11:26 as the Gentiles coming into the community of faith, which, when completed, turns Israel to Jesus the Messiah. The future tense “will . . . be grafted” (11:24) and “will be saved” (11:26) supports this conclusion.4On this reading, 11:26 refers to an event that will witness a national turning of Israel to Christ. 3. What does “all Israel” mean? Three main possibilities surface: (a) Some Covenantal/Reformed theologians take the phrase to indicate ...

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