Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 951 to 975 of 1138 results

Luke 16:19-31

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... (2) the lesson that nothing can persuade the wealthy to take heed (vv. 27–31). 16:19–26 The first half of the parable is the part that is best remembered, for it illustrates the theme of reversal, a theme which appears in the Gospels in a variety of forms (e.g., “the first shall be last, and the last first”; “he who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted”). Scholars have pointed out that in all likelihood there were similar fables of wealthy and poor people ...

952. Sin, Faith, Duty

Luke 17:1-10

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... to be understood of an enticement to apostasy or abandonment of allegiance (to God or to his word as proclaimed by Jesus).” 17:2 a millstone: Unlike the smaller millstone that could be manipulated by hand, the “millstone” to which Jesus refers is the larger variety that would be turned by an animal. Such a millstone would sink someone quickly and completely. 17:5 The apostles: Luke likely means the Twelve (see 6:13). Lord: See commentary and note on 2:11 above. 17:6 mulberry tree: Fitzmyer (p. 1144 ...

953. The Crucifixion

Luke 23:26-43

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... of two significant protagonists in the narrative of Luke–Acts. 23:35 rulers: By this expression we are probably to understand members of the Sanhedrin, ruling priests, and other persons of influence. 23:38 The inscription on Jesus’ cross presents some difficulties, for it appears in a variety of forms in the Gospels: Mark 15:26: THE KING OF THE JEWS Luke 23:38: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS Matt. 27:37: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS John 19:19–20: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS (written ...

954. Jesus Appears to the Disciples

Luke 24:36-49

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... 1 Cor. 2:16). This new understanding will make it possible for the disciples to glean christological truths from Scripture. A dramatic illustration of this new hermeneutical insight is mirrored in Peter’s Pentecost sermon in Acts 2:14–39, where Peter cites a variety of Scriptures and applies them to the experience of Christ and the earliest Christians. But what are the apostles of Christ to know? The Risen One goes on to explain in v. 46 that the following is written: The Christ will suffer and rise ...

955. Paul's Longing to Visit Rome

Romans 1:1-17

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... on theories of racial inferiority, as it was in the antebellum South, for instance. In this respect ancient slavery was a more humane institution. Nevertheless, if slaves were not regarded as chattel, they were regarded as inferior beings, destined for a variety of roles of servitude, constituting perhaps one-fourth of the population. In referring to himself as a servant of Christ Jesus, Paul does not desire to conjure up abject associations of subjugation, drudgery, and cruelty. His intention rather is to ...

956. Peace and Joy

Romans 5:1-11

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... ’s grace as was Christ’s death for the sinner in the first place. When Paul speaks of peace with God he means virtually the same thing as being a “new creation” (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17). The English word “peace” has a variety of meanings, not all of which are compatible with Paul’s understanding of the term. The expressions “peaceful coexistence,” or “peace and quiet,” for instance, connote absence of conflict, whereas “peace of mind” implies contentment. In the Bible, however, peace is ...

957. Slaves to Righteousness

Romans 6:15-23

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... slaves, of course, performed labors of drudgery, but some were bureaucrats, artisans, teachers, and even physicians. But like their American counterparts, ancient slaves were considered the property of their masters, literally bondspersons. They were acquired through a variety of means, including birth, war, and auctions. Some slave traders acquired babies exposed in temples or at public dumps, and in times of famine adults not uncommonly sold themselves into slavery to avoid starving. The exact percentage ...

958. All Israel Will Be Saved

Romans 11:25-32

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... common nor usual.… It is called a mystery because it will be incomprehensible until the time of its revelation” (Romans, p. 435). Note also Paul Achtemeier’s discussion of mystery: Clearly, Israel’s rejection of Christ is open to a variety of interpretations. One interpretation: They rejected Christ because when Christ came, God was through with them, and so their call proved to be only temporary. Another interpretation: Israel’s call never was valid, and their claims of a special relationship to ...

959. Living Sacrifices

Romans 12:1-8

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... rule of faith as proclaimed by the apostles and believed, confessed, and taught in the churches. The second gift, serving, is in Greek diakonia (from which “deacon” is derived). Literally meaning “to wait on tables,” diakonia encompasses a wide variety of common labors, though “indicating very personally the service rendered to another” (Beyer, TDNT, vol. 2, p. 81). How interesting that this gift would precede the prestigious gift of teaching. It is not often that table waiters are ranked above ...

960. Divisions In the Church

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... and could reflect a form of religiosity parallel to that of pagan mystery religions—see H. Conzelmann, 1 Corinthians (Hermeneia; Philadelphia: Fortress, 1975), esp. pp. 14–16, 38–39. As Barrett points out, Paul can use “wisdom” in a variety of ways to indicate both good and bad phenomena. The particular remark and its context determine the understanding the reader should attribute to Paul’s use of the word. Negatively, regardless of the “background” from which “wisdom” originated in ...

961. Apostles of Christ

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... 4:11–12a, see 2 Cor. 11:23–29. There too the apostle lists his tribulations in an attempt to confront the Corinthians for their behavior in relation to him. Lists of tribulation are found in Greco-Roman writings and function there in a variety of ways. For a careful study of Paul’s remarks in the larger context of Greco-Roman literature, see J. T. Fitzgerald, Cracks in an Earthen Vessel: An Examination of the Catalogues of Hardships in the Corinthian Correspondence (SBLDS 99; Atlanta: Scholars Press ...

962. The Rights of an Apostle

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... Ministry and Its Motivation In verses 19–23 Paul describes the style of his ministry and its motivation. This segment of Paul’s correspondence is challenging; it is clear at one level but sufficiently cryptic so as to invite a variety of understandings. The range of interpretations that has been suggested by commentators is remarkable, moving from an understanding of Paul as being totally selfless—perhaps in a psychologically unhealthy manner indicative of a loss of identity—to the contention that ...

963. Warnings from Israel's History

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... are effectively a technical phrase in Paul’s writings and signal his citation of (sometimes allusion to) portions of the Scriptures. The particular use that Paul makes of Scriptures is clear only in the immediate context, since he is capable of a variety of different styles of exegesis. 10:8 Paul’s Gk. at this point is vivid, filled with strong negatives and intense verbal forms (such as the use of the hortatory subjunctive, which makes this call not to commit sexual immortality a strong exhortation ...

964. The Believer's Freedom

1 Corinthians 10:23--11:1

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... should seek); in fact, he speaks commandingly, “Let no one seek …!” 10:25 The reference to the market is striking; Paul uses a Gk. word, makellon, that has a Latin origin, macellum, designating an area with enclosures where various merchants would offer a variety of food- and meatstuffs. The Latin ring of this term is highly appropriate for the city of Corinth, which was located in Achaia, but as a refounded, reconstituted Roman city. An article by H. J. Cadbury (“The Macellum of Corinth,” JBL 53 ...

965. The Lord's Supper

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... time they celebrated this Supper, it was for remembrance of the Lord. Attempts to reconstruct the original words of Jesus from the lines of this tradition, usually read in conjunction with the parallel materials in the Synoptic Gospels, have produced a wide variety of results and conclusions. (Consult B. D. Smith, “The More Original Form of the Words of Institution,” ZNW 83 [1992], pp. 166–86; and for an exercise in skepticism and pessimism, see H. Maccoby, “Paul and the Eucharist,” NTS 37 [1991 ...

966. Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... diverse materials as Tyrtaeus, Plato, Maximus of Tyre, and especially 1 Esd. 4:34–40; cf. also the analogous meditation on “wisdom” in Wisdom 7:22–30. Fourth, the chapter seems unconcerned with Christ. This array of observations produces a variety of suggestions, but in any case the material seems to be an originally independent piece (or originally independent pieces) of developed tradition that Paul inserted into this context and applied to the Corinthian situation. Paul is likely to have worked ...

967. The Resurrection of Christ

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... an apostle, although in this context his chief concern is to underscore the validity of the reports of the encounters of the apostles with the resurrected Christ. The Christ who was raised was the Christ who was seen in his risen form by a great variety of witnesses. 15:9–10 Having mentioned the encounter with the risen Jesus that constituted his call, Paul goes on to explain the significance of God’s grace as he knew it from that experience. He understood grace to be unmerited and transforming. Grace ...

968. To the Church in Ephesus

Revelation 2:1-7

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... of John’s subsequent vision in ways appropriate to that congregation, whether as a pastoral word of hope (e.g., the congregation at Smyrna) or as a prophetic word of judgment (e.g., the congregation at Laodicea). Because apocalypses are interpreted in a variety of ways in part because their messages are conveyed by symbols rather than by pointed discourse, the nuances drawn from chapters 2 and 3 are more necessary to an author interested that the audience properly understand the whole work. Each of the ...

969. The Trumpets

Revelation 8:6--9:21

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

8:6 The significance of the seven trumpets has been variously appraised (Beasley-Murray, Revelation, pp. 152–56). According to John’s Bible (OT), Israel’s liturgical trumpets were sounded for a variety of reasons. They were used to convene the worshiping community (Num. 10:3), to begin pilgrimages (Num. 10:5), to call warriors for war (Num. 10:9), to celebrate the sacred feasts (Num. 10:10), to install new kings (1 Kings 1:34), and to summon Israel to repentance and ...

970. The Woman and the Dragon

Revelation 12:1--13:1a

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... disciples on one side and the dragon, his agents and followers on the other. The venue of the cosmic and age old conflict is now planet Earth; and the community of the Lamb’s disciples is the current target of satanic oppression. Krodel has pointed out the variety of literary, often chiastic, relationships that tie this central section of John’s vision to the visions of the Lamb’s exaltation (cf. 5:9–10 and 12:10–12) and parousia (cf. 12:7–9 and 20:1–10; Krodel, Revelation, pp. 235–36). The ...

971. The Fall of Babylon

Revelation 18:1-24

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

In chapter 18, John describes a variety of responses, from heaven (18:1–8, 20) and on earth (18:9–19), to the shocking news of Babylon’s destruction. These responses constitute the climactic scene of the seventh trumpet-plague and the “third woe” that precede the inbreaking of God’s reign on earth. Drawing upon biblical “ ...

972. The Rider on the White Horse

Revelation 19:11-21

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... “Faithful and True” to God’s love and by which a people has been purchased for God. This is why the rider is also named the Word of God. Although interpreting the significance of Jesus as the incarnate Word of God carries a variety of meanings, that this conviction is central to John’s understanding means that through Jesus’ messianic mission “God fulfilled his divine purpose” (Mounce, Revelation, p. 346). According to John, in the passion of God’s incarnate Word an eternal age was set into ...

973. The Grain Offering

Leviticus 2:1-16

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... to partake of bread and wine as sacrificial food, a memorial portion for all believers, an act of faith in the one who gives life. Additional Notes 2:1 The title of the offering is minkhah (“gift”), and the word is used in a variety of ways in the OT to indicate a gift. In the Priestly texts of Leviticus and Numbers, minkhah normally has the restricted meaning of grain offering (Hartley, Leviticus, p. 29). The offering is sometimes called “a meal offering.” The older translation of “meat offering ...

974. Clean and Unclean Animals

Leviticus 11:1-47

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... avoid that unfortunate state. The texts also explain the distinction between the clean and the unclean in different circumstances. They do not, however, articulate the rationale for determining the distinction. Readers are left to infer this rationale, and a variety of suggestions have come forth. Some commentators understand the distinction to be quite arbitrary and thus a test of obedience. Whether ancient Israelites keep these instructions is simply a measure of their loyalty to God’s instructions, and ...

975. Eating Blood Forbidden

Leviticus 17:1-16

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... midst and give them life. The concern with holiness pervades cult and conduct of life. A number of the themes in these chapters occur also in the prophetic books. This common concern for holiness gives the chapters cohesion, although with a variety of topics there is probably less textual unity here than in the preceding sections of Leviticus. Budd lists four main characteristics that unite the chapters (Leviticus, p. 239): Historical allusions to the Egypt experience Common terms for the laws Yahweh’s ...

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