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Showing 3926 to 3950 of 4977 results

3926. Luke 24:1-12

Luke 24:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... messages. In verse 5, they give neither a reassuring message nor a future promise, but instead they direct a mild rebuke at these apparently faithful women. Their criticism takes the form of a well-known proverbial saying, but in this instance it is to be taken quite literally: "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" This is no rhetorical question. The two messengers have a clear reason for such a rebuke: "He is not here, but has risen." No longer is there any doubt about why the women have been ...

3927. John 21:1-19

John 21:1-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the proper translation of Jesus' directive to Peter. The NRSV records Jesus' commands as "Feed my lambs" (v.15), "Tend my sheep" (v.16), and then again "Feed my sheep" (v.17). The verb translated simply as "feed" (bosko) in verses 15 and 17 could quite easily be considered "take care of" (as is poimaino or "tend" or "be a shepherd to" in verse 16). "Take care of" offers a more extensive development of the nurturing relationship the shepherd has with the sheep in his care. Since Jesus is clearly commanding ...

3928. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the Luke/Acts tradition and the church calendar celebrate Pentecost. Although the event Acts describes is clearly a one-of-a-kind experience, this does not mean it is described in wholly unfamiliar terms. The images the Lucan author uses would all have been quite recognizable to anyone with knowledge of the Hebrew scriptures. The "rush of a violent wind" evokes the image of God's Spirit moving over the waters in the first creation story (Genesis 1:2). When the "divided tongues, as of fire" fill the house ...

3929. Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... examples and fierce arguments Paul had leveled against the law-oriented Judaizers (who had apparently gained considerable influence over the Galatian Christians) now give way to Paul's positive concluding remarks. Chapter 5 begins with Paul drawing a quite specific conclusion from his previous four chapters of discourse: The Galatians should not be forced to submit to circumcision. The Judaizers' insistence that this ritual be observed, Paul contends, flies in the face of Christian freedom. Clarifying the ...

3930. Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... hope that continued to live in the hearts of faithful Christians being addressed by this author. Although some commentators attempt to see the "city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God" as a reference to the earthly Jerusalem, it seems quite clear that the writer intends here the heavenly city, the dwelling place of God (see Hebrews 12:22). For this writer, Canaan is not the final goal of Abraham or the Abrahamic promise. Faith is a forward-looking endeavor, and the ultimate fulfillment ...

3931. Luke 15:1-10

Luke 15:1-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and his sons. The depth and complexity of this type of narrative accounts for the enduring interest of these parables that has kept them so well-known and beloved for all these centuries. The parable of the lost sheep recalls an image that is both quite familiar and a bit too "common" for Jesus' audience. On the one hand, identifying God with a shepherd and using the shepherd's role as a symbol of divine care was a well-established Old Testament tradition. Furthermore, sheepherding had been a familiar and ...

3932. Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... as being only a rather inept manager for the charge that gets him in trouble with his master is "squandering" his property (v.1). Unlike outright theft, this term suggests that the steward's poor performance at the job was costing his master money. Quite sensibly, the master gives his inefficient manager a pink slip. The steward now faces an uncertain future and he quickly dismisses the options of manual labor or simply begging. He determines that his next course of action must be one that will result in ...

3933. 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... impostors"/ "false teachers." In verse 16, Paul declares that all Scripture is "inspired" - or in older but somehow more invigorating language - "God-breathed." But besides its divine pedigree, Scripture also serves a specific purpose. It is "useful" in quite particular ways: "teaching," "reproof," "correction" and "training in righteousness" - that is, all the tasks of ministry. "Teaching" is the primary focus here. It is teaching Paul wishes Timothy to claim as his main responsibility. The larger category ...

3934. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... by the world of God's divine rule and an active opposition to the divine, will mark and mar the face of the earth. Second, associated with this tremendous rebellion is the one Paul calls the "lawless one," the supreme embodiment of evil. It seems quite apparent that Paul is not concerned with pinning this title on any particularly wicked or despicable human ruler of his age. This "lawless one" rises above the evil abilities of any known human being, no matter how corrupt and cruel. But even as he maintains ...

3935. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Jesus Christ" to add undeniable weight and authority to his words. Yet again, there is a softening of his words, for it is coupled with his "exhortation" or "urging" toward these wrong-headed Christians for their return to right action. He identifies these idlers quite obliquely here as "such persons." This restrained term doesn't brand them again as idle or lazy, but instead lets the readers decide if they themselves are among "people of this kind." It is evident that while Paul is anxious to root out this ...

3936. Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew 1:18-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... situation, he receives a direct message from a divine messenger about what he should do and why. This is the first of three divinely inspired dreams Joseph will have. According to Matthew's gospel, it is this dream that tells Joseph to take a quite different course of action than the one he had been considering. The angel tells Joseph to go ahead with the marriage because the adultery accusation is not true. Mary should not be made subject to the law because her pregnancy came about through the activity ...

3937. John 10:11-18

John 10:11-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... from the flock. Jesus first identifies himself as the gate itself. By inference the sheep who pass in and out of the gate are safe, for they are attended by their own shepherd. The gate keeps out the "thieves and bandits" - in this context quite obviously the Pharisees who had just driven from the synagogue a man whom Jesus had healed. The thieves Jesus describes have no concern for the individual sheep. Their only concern is to perpetuate themselves, even if it means destroying others. The Pharisees cared ...

3938. 1 Samuel 16:1-13

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the sheep, keeping ordinary daily business going while his more spectacular siblings participate in the festivities. David, the youngest of Jesse's sons, is finally brought before Samuel. Despite the late admission that this young man is handsome, it is still quite evident that he is considered the least of the lot - just an average youthful shepherd. Nevertheless, the Lord now speaks to Samuel, revealing to the prophet that "this is the one" (verse 12). No longer obstinate, Samuel obediently anoints David ...

3939. 1 Samuel 16:14-23

1 Samuel 16:14-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... just God, a good God, is given a decisive shake in this text. It is one thing for "the spirit of the Lord" to depart from Saul. After all this spirit had been a special gift intimately linked to his recognized kingship (1 Samuel 10:6). It is quite another matter for the author to claim that "an evil spirit from the Lord" now arrives to "torment" Saul. How can we reconcile this description of divine activity with our own understanding of God? It would be a mistake to assume the author of 1 Samuel deemed God ...

3940. Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's Epistle text is quite different in flavor and savor from the rest of Paul's letter to the Ephesians. In fact the whole unit from 4:17-5:20 is often thought to be a post-Pauline insertion into the text. The first three chapters of Ephesians concern themselves with wide-angled lofty theological ...

3941. 2 Samuel 18:24-33

2 Samuel 18:24-33

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... greatest single threat to the stability of David's throne and the whole nation's welfare trying to find a way to break this news of Absalom's death to their supreme commander. The two men present at Absalom's death and closest to David react quite differently to the foreboding task of informing the king that his son was dead. Joab, whose unswerving sense of duty and loyalty to king and country demanded that he see Absalom dead, is suddenly reticent. Whether out of genuine respect for David and his impending ...

3942. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... literature. There are several Greek parallels of Paul's words here - in Plato, Tyrtaeus and Macimus, as well as Jewish parallels from wisdom literature (such as 3 Ezra 34-40). The form and content of Paul's version, which we read Christ into, would actually be quite acceptable to any learned Greek or Jewish scholar of Paul's day. Yet we know Paul was addressing a Christian community. He forges a strong link to the concerns of this Corinthian church in verse one by beginning with the gift of tongues. Paul's ...

3943. John 20:1-18

John 20:1-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... when faced with the evidence. But the Beloved Disciple is convinced by these telltale clues that something extraordinary has occurred. Though the bells go off for this disciple ("he believed"), it is evident that neither the Beloved Disciple nor Simon Peter have quite awakened to the miraculous truth of this situation - "for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead" (v.9). Now John returns the focus of his resurrection rendition to Mary Magdalene. As though the other ...

3944. Acts 14:8-18

Acts 14:8-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... - the rains, the harvest, a full belly and joyful heart. These things, like the miraculous healing they have witnessed, are likewise displays of the living God's acts of graceful goodness in their lives. Yet still the crowd doesn't seem to quite get the point, being only "scarcely restrained" from continuing their sacrificial homage to Paul and Barnabas. That they are in a confused state is further exemplified by the conclusion of this story. The Jews from Antioch and Iconium journey to Lystra and convince ...

3945. Revelation 21:10, 22-27

Revelation 21:10, 22-27

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... in the divine Spirit. This is the most important feature of the curriculum of the home. Despite the strange images John uses to describe this new residence of glory, we can surely identify with his longings and his hopes. Far from his own home, quite possibly wearing chains while working in the forced labor camps of the Patmos quarries, John writes of a time when fear and sorrow and disappointment will no longer exist. The life John envisions is so permeated with God's Spirit that virtually no barriers ...

3946. Galatians 6:7-18

Galatians 6:7-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... proverb of the first century - yet one highly applicable to this situation. Verse 8's sowing and reaping imagery defines the active role believers take in shaping their own destinies. The Spirit is available to all who seek it. But it is also quite avoidable. Paul states plainly where the ultimate responsibility lies for those whose harvests are stunted and decayed. It is within everyone's own power to determine whether the outcome of their life will be blessing or judgment. Verse 9 relieves this somber ...

3947. Luke 10:25-37

Luke 10:25-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

All of this quarter's Gospel readings are from Luke - a fact that makes focusing on any of the other weekly texts quite difficult, for Luke is one of history's most masterful storytellers. Thoroughly steeped in Jewish Scripture, Luke's descriptions are so vital, his characters so pungent, his scenes so artfully set, that our whole being is drawn into the flair and fascination of these stories. It is no surprise that ...

3948. Luke 13:22-30

Luke 13:22-30

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the question from "someone" about the salvific scope of the approaching eschaton. We do not know whether this questioner was a devoted disciple or a troublemaker trying to get Jesus into the proverbial tight spot. However, Jesus' response makes it quite clear that the wrong question has been asked, and that he will only address the appropriate issue. Jesus ignores the "how many" question of an apocalyptic sensationalist who hopes to discover some horrifyingly juicy tidbit of information. Instead he chooses ...

3949. Ephesians 1:3-14

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

In this first unit of Ephesians, the text reveals itself to be both like and unlike other Pauline epistles. The opening greeting and declaration of blessedness are quite familiar. But the text never takes on the personal, pointed trajectory common to other Pauline letters. Though debate continues, there is considerable consensus that the "letter" to the "Ephesians" should be seen as a kind of general sermon intended to be read during worship to any number of congregations, with ...

3950. Mark 9:2-9

Mark 9:2-9

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... is an idea all his own. Obviously the strangeness of Peter's suggestion is intended to point up the truth of verse 6 both that he did not know what he should say in such a situation and that Peter, James and John were quite understandably overwhelmed, indeed terrified, at what they were witnessing. Most scholars dismiss Peter's suggestion (that the disciples build "booths" or "tents" to provide shelter for these visiting dignitaries) as both foolish and wrong-headed. It is true that Peter's suggestion seems ...

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