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Showing 4601 to 4625 of 4963 results

4601. Realizing the True Nature of Jesus the Christ

Mark 8:27-30

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Grant R. Osborne

... ignorant regarding Jesus. The leaders considered Jesus to be a false prophet, although the common people thought that he might indeed be God’s prophet. While people later tried to make Jesus their version of a conquering messiah (Mark 11:9–10), they remained ignorant and in unbelief (John 12:37–41). Worldly minded people will always fail to recognize Jesus; to them he is a great teacher and charismatic figure, but they cannot know him as the suffering Messiah and saving Lord because darkness cannot do ...

4602. The Model of Jesus for Discipleship Service, Not Self-Seeking

Mark 9:33-37, Mark 9:38-41, Mark 9:42-50

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Grant R. Osborne

... salt among yourselves.This builds on the second use of salt (v. 50a) and means that the whole community should exercise the quality of “saltiness.” The second half interprets the first and states that when salt characterizes God’s people, they will remain “at peace,” unlike the disciples who were just debating the crowds (9:14) and especially in conflict with each other (9:33, 38). Theological Insights This complex passage contains several important insights. (1) Jesus as the Son of God (and as ...

4603. The Messianic Anointing of Jesus

Mark 14:1-11

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Grant R. Osborne

... leper” would have been an outsider, and the presence of a woman at the feastwas a breach of etiquette and so lay outside the boundaries of propriety.2The Jesus movement would place followers on the outside of society, and believers must expect to remain there. 14:4–5 Why this waste of perfume? John 12:4 has Judas objecting, Matthew 26:8 the disciples, while Mark is the most general, saying that “some” complained. This likely was a general discussion in which everyone present participated. They ...

4604. The Trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin

Mark 14:53-65

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Grant R. Osborne

... world, in Jewish jurisprudence a prisoner was required to make a response to the charges and the witnesses. With the witnesses providing ambiguous evidence at best, the high priest hopes that Jesus will incriminate himself and make the decision easier. 14:61 But Jesus remained silent. Jesus the Suffering Servant reflects Isaiah 53:7: “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open ...

4605. The Supernatural Witness to the Significance of Jesus’s Death

Mark 15:42-47

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Grant R. Osborne

... in diameter, rolled into a trough in front of the entrance. It would take several men to roll such a stone. 15:47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid. At least two of the women from verses 40–41 remain throughout the burial procedure, undoubtedly planning their own return with spices to honor Jesus’s body (16:1). They are the faithful disciples, and they, not the male disciples, will be chosen by Jesus to be the first ambassadors of the resurrection tidings (16:5–7 ...

4606. The Birth of God’s Son Announced

Luke 1:26-38

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R.T. France

... theme that what is humanly impossible is possible for God. Jesus states this explicitly in 18:27, and the same idea specifically in relation to an “impossible” childbirth appears in Genesis 18:14. As in the previous section, the experience of Abraham and Sarah remains in the background of Mary’s story as well. 1:38 I am the Lord’s servant. Mary’s simple acceptance embraces not only the “impossibility” of what the angel has promised but also the personal cost of the special role that she has ...

4607. The Birth of John

Luke 1:67-80, Luke 1:57-66

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R.T. France

... happening. Music: It would be good to let the audience hear a rendition of the “Benedictus,” a term that may be unfamiliar to the average churchgoer. A variety of styles are available online, ranging from a Vineyard song to Gregorian chant. God remains faithful to his covenant and raises up messengers to point to spiritual redemption, the path through the darkness into light. Quote: Michael Milton. Milton, a professor and pastor, says that the song of Zechariah is “the song of a mind made clear” (1 ...

4608. The Birth of Jesus

Luke 2:8-20, Luke 2:1-7

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R.T. France

... “good news” is thus on a different level from the “good news” of the achievements and honors of the emperor, for which similar terminology was used. for all the people. “The people” is a term specially used for Israel, God’s chosen people. The focus remains firmly on Jesus’s mission as the Jewish Messiah (note “born to you” in 2:11), even though the angels’ song in 2:14 hints at a wider relevance when it refers to “the earth” and to “people on whom his favor rests” (see below ...

4609. Two Memorable Healings

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

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R.T. France

... only physical healing and social restoration but also spiritual liberation by the forgiveness of sins. Understanding the Text These two episodes develop Luke’s portrait of Jesus the healer, a theme that was alluded to in 4:23 and spelled out in 4:40, and that will remain a prominent feature of his ministry throughout the time in Galilee and on the road to Jerusalem. In 4:40 we learned of Jesus’s ability to heal “various kinds of sickness,” and here that bald statement is filled out by a focus on two ...

4610. Lord of the Sabbath and Appointing the Twelve

Luke 6:12-16, Luke 6:1-11

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R.T. France

... that Luke frequently uses for them both in the Gospel and especially in Acts, where they feature corporately as the central leadership group of the growing church in Jerusalem. It is thus the more remarkable that most of those listed remain merely names to us; only Simon (Peter), James and John, and, though of course for a different reason, Judas Iscariot are individually mentioned elsewhere in the Gospel or Acts. Theological Insights Jesus nowhere questions the Decalogue principle of Sabbath observance ...

4611. Power over Illness and Death

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

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R.T. France

... ministry outside his own people. The centurion himself sees the matter differently (7:6–7). 7:5 built our synagogue. Probably only the more important centers of population had a specific synagogue building at this period (see on 4:15). The imposing remains of the synagogue that visitors to Capernaum admire today date probably from the fourth century, but there is evidence of an earlier building underlying them. It would be remarkable for a relatively junior officer to have the resources to finance a ...

4612. Jesus and John the Baptist

Luke 7:18-35

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R.T. France

... game of weddings and funerals. Its application could be either that John and Jesus called on the people, respectively, to repent and to rejoice in God’s salvation, but there was no response to either, or that the people wanted John to dance but he remained dour, while they wanted Jesus to fast but he insisted on feasting. I think that the former better suits the following verses, but either way there is a general sense of incompatible attitudes toward life and to God. 7:33–34 John the Baptist came ...

4613. An Encounter across the Lake

Luke 8:26-39, Luke 8:22-25

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R.T. France

... was some thirty-five miles from the lake. Matthew locates the incident in the territory of Gadara, only six miles from the southeast corner of the lake. Several ancient texts substituted “Gergesa,” which may have been closer to the shore. The exact location must remain uncertain, though the only part of the eastern shore where the ground rises steeply from the water (see 8:33) is toward the northern end (where Gergesa may have been located). 8:27 had lived in the tombs. Ancient tombs were often quite ...

4614. “Who Is This?”

Luke 9:10-17, Luke 9:1-9

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R.T. France

... clarified as a second wave of emissaries is sent out in 10:1–12. In view of Luke’s massive emphasis on the unique authority and supernatural power of Jesus, it comes as a surprise to find his mission shared in this way with fallible disciples. He remains the source of that authority, of course, and sometimes they will fail in their task. But the message of the kingdom of God is now clearly more than a one-man campaign, and the way is being prepared for the awesome responsibilities and authority of the ...

4615. Discipleship and Mission

Luke 10:1-24, Luke 9:57-62

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R.T. France

... than an announcement of something future: in Mark 1:15 it is parallel to the statement “The time has been fulfilled.” Compare here 11:20: “has come upon you.” In the ministry of Jesus the kingdom of God has already come into being, even though it remains open to people to either accept it or reject it. 10:12 it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom. The destruction of Sodom in Genesis 19 was the paradigm of God’s judgment on those who reject his sovereignty. But these Jewish towns have ...

4616. “Love Your Neighbor”

Luke 10:25-37

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R.T. France

... Catholic, was arrested by the KGB for her work. This book, often compared to The Diary of Anne Frank, is her account of her arrest and exile in a Siberian labor camp, where she endured endless indignities and deprivations. Despite the hardship, her spirit remained strong and resolute, and she continually gave testimony to the God she believed in. While in the labor camps, people who knew her situation sent her care packages. In the camp, prisoners had to pay for many things out of their very limited wages ...

4617. The Failure of Israel’s Leadership

Luke 11:37-54

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R.T. France

... of faith; a number more were “Hopers,” “who believed themselves on the verge of conversion.” A smaller group, which included Dickinson, was “without hope” and could not claim faith in Christ. They, of course, were Lyon’s greatest concern.2 Whatever the case, Dickinson remained ambivalent spiritually for the rest of her life. In one poem she wrote about church, Some keep the Sabbath going to church; I keep it staying at home, With a bobolink for a chorister, And an orchard for a dome.

4618. Priorities

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

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R.T. France

... language would naturally be understood of a return of Jesus after his ascension to heaven, a future event that became known, especially in Paul’s letters, as Jesus’s parousia. Here there is no such technical term, and it must remain uncertain how Jesus’s disciples during his ministry might have envisaged the “return/coming” in these sayings. Teaching the Text The pressures of modern society—relationships, work, finances, health concerns—produce extreme stress and anxiety in many people, and ...

4619. “Unless You Repent . . .”

Luke 13:10-17, Luke 13:1-9

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R.T. France

... ) of the Messiah’s mission of deliverance declared on an earlier synagogue visit in 4:18. 13:17 all his opponents were humiliated. Jesus’s uninhibited stance on Sabbath observance struck a chord with ordinary people. The religious leaders, even if they themselves remained opposed to Jesus’s “radicalism,” could not afford to be cast as enemies of the people, and so they had to concede the argument, resulting in serious loss of face. Theological Insights Luke 13:1–5, together with John 9:2–3 ...

4620. Ready for the Kingdom of God?

Luke 13:31-35, Luke 13:22-30, Luke 13:18-21

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R.T. France

... (lit., “struggle”) required to get through it indicate that only a minority will make it. You cannot simply drift into the kingdom of God. 13:25–27 Away from me, all you evildoers! Not only is the door narrow and difficult, but also it will not remain open forever. This little parable of the householder and his would-be guests adds a note of urgency to the exhortation of 13:24, and the repeated use of “you” enhances its challenge. But it also spells out the reason why some will be unable to ...

4621. Table Talk

Luke 14:1-14

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R.T. France

... of underlying heart or kidney failure. 14:3 Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not? Jesus appears to take the initiative, though the very presence of the obviously affected man at the meal may already have been an unspoken challenge (see above). 14:4 they remained silent. The question of healing on the Sabbath was not directly answered in the law of Moses, but we have already seen that scribal development of the law had by now declared it illicit (6:7; 13:14). The issue here is much the same as in ...

4622. Lost and Found

Luke 15:1-7, Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:11-32

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R.T. France

... cost to the elder brother. The father could not just forgive the younger son, somebody had to pay! The father could not reinstate him except at the expense of the older brother. There was no other way. As Keller points out, “Every penny that remained of the family estate belongs to the older brother” since the father had said to him, “My son, everything I have is yours.”5 God came not only to restore the prodigal son but also the angry and resentful elder brother. Christian Living: The Prodigal ...

4623. Affluence and the Afterlife

Luke 16:19-31

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R.T. France

... Jesus’s own experience. Neither his fulfillment of the law and the prophets nor his miracles have convinced the Pharisees, and when the ultimate miracle of his rising from the dead takes place, many of those whom these Pharisees represent will remain unmoved. Theological Insights The basic story reinforces the conflict between God and mammon. Affluence can lead to self-sufficiency and to a callous unconcern for the less privileged, and that is the way to spiritual disaster. But this parable also provides ...

4624. The Revolutionary Values of the Kingdom of God

Luke 18:31-34, Luke 18:18-30, Luke 18:15-17

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R.T. France

... 12:33–34 and see the notes there; here “treasure in heaven” picks up the man’s inquiry about eternal life. 18:23 he became very sad. Luke does not say (as do Mark and Matthew) that the man “went away” at this point, so here he remains as the direct target of Jesus’s caustic comment in 18:24. As there is no indication of his continuing presence with the disciple group, however, we are left to assume that his “sadness” proved insurmountable. 18:24–25 it is easier for a camel to go ...

4625. Jesus Takes the Initiative

Luke 21:5-38, Luke 21:1-4, Luke 20:41-47

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R.T. France

... to this discourse, be sure to focus on Jesus’s primary points whenever he talks about the end. As believers we are not to set dates or obsess about the specific “signs” or historical events that herald the end. Rather, we are to remain always faithful and vigilant, living a life of godliness and spiritual maturity. Illustrating the Text We are called to maintain a fearless witness in the face of fierce opposition. Church History: John Wesley. Fox’s Book of Martyrs reports the persistent witness of ...

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