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Showing 1101 to 1125 of 1354 results

1101. Judgment and Restoration

Isaiah 66:1-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... for their brothers and sisters in the faith. The judgment of God clearly comes against all those who have opposed his kingdom (66:7–9). The noise coming from the temple (66:5–6) is the sound of the Lord himself, who has come to defend his children by bringing retribution on the wicked. The Lord invites all to rejoice with Mother Jerusalem. Those who love her in adversity and prosperity will be rewarded with joy, fullness of life, peace, and comfort (66:10–14). These benefits are further guaranteed to ...

1102. Not One is Upright

Jeremiah 5:1-31, Jeremiah 6:1-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... increasingly exasperated. Throughout the larger block (4:5–6:30) more and more details about the invader from the north have been supplied. Here the army is depicted as advancing fully armed and altogether cruel and merciless (6:21–30). The defenders are hopelessly enfeebled. Escape routes are cut off. Jeremiah anticipates sackcloth rituals of mourning for those slain. The foe from the north has been said to be the Scythians, but that is hardly likely since their invasion is historically questionable ...

1103. Going Back on One’s Word

Jeremiah 34:1-7, Jeremiah 34:8-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . Mosaic law called for the release of slaves every seventh year (Exod. 21:1–11). The seriousness of siege apparently brings compliance with God’s law, perhaps to secure God’s favor, and the people of Jerusalem free their slaves. Freed slaves would defend the city better; owners need not be responsible for their provisions. When the siege slackens in the summer of 588 BC because the Babylonians leave to fend off the Egyptians, the king and others promptly go back on their word. The incident inspires ...

1104. Lamenting a City in Shambles

Lamentations 1:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... :19–22; 52:17–23). Contrary to God’s law, which forbids foreigners to enter the temple (Ezek. 44:9), the Babylonians, a pagan people, have defiled the temple by entering it. The enemies taunt Jerusalem by saying that her God is unable to defend her. The city is personified. Her nakedness, the depopulation of the city, is a disgrace; her “filthiness,” menstrual uncleanness, is a telltale evil (1:9). She lives for the moment and does not consider her future. 1:12–17 · In search of comforters:From ...

1105. Edom’s Judgment Pronounced and Reaffirmed

Obadiah 1:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the final destiny of the wicked and to rest in Yahweh as their portion and strength (Ps. 73:17–19, 23–28). “You drank on my holy hill” (v. 16) is a cryptic expression for the cup of wrath God pours down the gullets of the nations as he defends his people Israel (Isa. 51:17–23; cf. Zech. 12:2). Ironically, the cup of wrath once tasted by Samaria is now passed on to Judah (Ezek. 23:31–34); finally, it will be drunk by the nations (v. 16). Like the staggering drunkard falling unconscious to the ...

1106. Jesus’s Fourth Discourse—The Community Discourse

Matthew 18:1-9

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of his day, and he calls the disciples to do the same: anyone who welcomes a child welcomes Jesus (18:5)! In Matthew 18:6–10, Jesus expands his discussion about those in the messianic community who, like children, possess little or no status. Jesus defends these “little ones” (mikros) against those who would cause them to sin (skandalizō: “stumble”; 18:6) or who look down on them (18:10). Warnings are given against bringing about the sin and stumbling of others (18:5–6) or of oneself (18:7–9 ...

1107. Jesus Before Pilate

Matthew 27:11-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... sedition. They fear that this Jesus may be preparing to lead a rebellion against Rome, which both the Jerusalem elite and Rome (Pilate) would have been keen on suppressing. While Jesus acknowledges his kingship when asked by Pilate (27:11), he does not defend himself when the Jerusalem authorities bring charges against him (27:12–14). Pilate offers to release one prisoner (according to his custom; 27:15) and gives the crowd the choice of either Jesus or Barabbas, whom Matthew describes as “a well-known ...

1108. The Trial of Jesus

Mark 15:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ’s release (15:9, 12, 14), but his efforts are politically motivated (“wanting to satisfy the crowd,” 15:15) rather than based on moral conviction. Facing mounting uproar—“Crucify him!” (15:13–14)—Pilate decides that Jesus is unworthy of defending on principle or by a show of force. In the end, he stands down and consigns Jesus to crucifixion. Although the chief priests appear to have instigated events leading to the crucifixion, Pilate bears final responsibility for it, for crucifixion was ...

1109. Conflict with the Pharisees

Luke 5:17-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The next five stories belong together since in each of them the Pharisees question Jesus (hence “conflict stories”), and he responds by defending the legitimacy of his behavior. The climax comes in 6:11, where Jesus’s opponents fulminate against him. The drama of the episode is apparent from Luke’s introduction. Pharisees from every area of Palestine were present to investigate Jesus’s teaching (5:17). The Pharisees were a popular religious ...

1110. Jesus’s Second Controversy with the Pharisees

Luke 5:27-32, Luke 5:33-39

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... would make one unclean, are surprised when Jesus goes to a banquet attended by tax collectors and sinners (5:30). In this context “sinners” refers to others who are ritually unclean. By eating with these people, Jesus himself would contract uncleanness. He defends his association with sinners by enunciating the principle that the doctor comes to aid the sick, not the healthy (5:31). In verse 32 Jesus explains the meaning of his illustration; his ministry is not for the righteous but for sinners. Here ...

1111. Warnings and Encouragements

Luke 12:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to submit to the gospel. It is not an occasional denial of Christ (as Peter did) but the hardness of heart that refuses to repent and turns completely against the witness of the Spirit. (6) Last, Jesus promises that when disciples are persecuted, the Spirit will give them wisdom to defend themselves (12:11–12).

1112. The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Luke 15:1-7

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Jesus associates and eats with tax collectors and sinners (15:1–2). By eating with defiled people, Jesus himself would contract uncleanness. Thus these parables all emerge from a controversial setting and need to be interpreted as parables in which Jesus defends his ministry to the “lost.” Three different parables with the same basic theme are included here, the last one being the most detailed. Jesus’s association with sinners is justified because God is like a shepherd who searches diligently for ...

1113. The Parable of the Lost Son

Luke 15:11-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of the lost younger son (15:32). Notice that the father reminds the older brother of his relationship to his kin by saying, “this brother of yours” (15:32). The parable ends up in the air. Will the older son enter the party? Jesus is defending his association with tax collectors and sinners. The festive eating with them is a necessity, for it symbolizes God’s joy over their repentance. And his acceptance of them indicates his forgiving grace. Like the older son, the Pharisees are invited to enter the ...

1114. Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

Luke 19:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... poor, and he will make fourfold restitution to those who have been cheated (19:8). The present tense of the verbs “give” and “pay back” should be understood as futuristic presents. Some scholars claim that Zacchaeus is not repenting of sin here but is defending himself. He has always (present tense) given half of his goods to the poor and repaid those who have been cheated. Such a view is incorrect, for it does not explain the word “today” in verse 9. Zacchaeus reforms his life the day he meets ...

1115. Apocalyptic Discourse

Luke 21:5-38

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... from suffering, because persecution will precede the end (21:12). They will be prosecuted by civil and religious authorities. But their defense will produce an opportunity to testify about the gospel, and they will receive the necessary words with which to defend themselves. The persecution may be bitter, perhaps even involving betrayal by family members and death. They must steel themselves to face implacable hostility (21:17). To say “not a hair of your head will perish” (21:18) seems to contradict ...

1116. The Unbelief of the Jews

John 10:22-42

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ), and now Judaism aims its two charges that will reappear later at the formal trial: (1) Are you claiming to be the Christ (cf. Luke 22:67)? (2) Are you the Son of God (cf. John 19:7 and Luke 22:70)? The way in which Jesus defends his claims and explains Jewish disbelief affirms that God is sovereign over who accepts revelation. The leaders are simply not of Jesus’s fold and hence cannot hear his voice. This divine control over revelation has appeared elsewhere (6:37, 44, 65; cf. 17:6). Understanding the ...

1117. The Work of the Holy Spirit

John 16:5-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... readers back to what we knew “from the beginning” (1 John 1:1–3). The picture so far has developed thus: Jesus must go away, but he will return; yet this return will be realized in a significant way through the Spirit’s indwelling the Christian. The Spirit will instruct, defend, empower, and guide the disciple within the world. The remaining question—When will these events take place?—will point to Easter (16:16–33).

1118. The Crucifixion

John 19:17-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , already crowned (19:2), is now enthroned (19:19–22). The irony of the scene fits well the two-level understanding that has accompanied the signs and discourses throughout the Gospel (e.g., 3:3; 4:7–8). Pilate misunderstands the truth that he so valiantly defends. Only John mentions that the title is in three languages (19:20), and this underscores his interest in those outside of Judea who are also a part of Christ’s fold (cf. 10:16; 12:20; 17:20). The Romans customarily removed and confiscated the ...

1119. Peter Explains His Actions

Acts 11:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The surprising work of God among the Gentiles forces Peter to defend his acts, as he is accused by “the circumcised believers” (11:2) upon his return to Jerusalem. The accusation that Peter “went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them” (11:3) does not exactly repeat the earlier account of Peter’s vision and his interaction with Cornelius, ...

1120. Paul Speaks to the Crowd

Acts 21:37--22:21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... him to be an uneducated rebel from the outlying regions of the Roman Empire. Paul identifies himself not only as a Jew but also a citizen of Tarsus (21:39; cf. 9:11, 30; 11:25). Being “a citizen of no ordinary city” allows him to defend himself, and being a Jew allows him to address the crowd to clarify the charges launched against him. In his first defense after his arrest, Paul provides a detailed account of his background, conversion, call, and subsequent vision that brings him to the land of the ...

1121. Before the Sanhedrin

Acts 22:30--23:11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of God (cf. 1 Tim. 1:5, 19; 1 Pet. 3:21). Finally, “to this day” also points to the consistency and determination of Paul (cf. 2:29; 26:22) as he aims at fulfilling God’s call. From this basis, Paul makes it clear that he is defending not merely himself but the God whom he preaches. Apparently because of his claim in regard to his relationship with God, the high priest Ananias (AD 47–59) orders Paul to be struck on his mouth (23:2). In response, Paul says, “God will strike you,” a phrase ...

1122. The Trial Before Felix

Acts 24:1-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Paul’s imprisonment in Caesarea:The trial before Felix (24:1–27) provides one of the most detailed accounts of the formal interaction between the plaintiff, the defendant, and the judge in Acts. The charges against Paul are presented by Tertullus, a legal advocate who represents Ananias and other elders of the council (24:2–9). Tertullus begins by praising Felix for his accomplishments and his care for the Jewish people. While such flattery is not unexpected in ...

1123. Israel’s Unbelief

Romans 9:30--10:21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... and prays for the salvation of his fellow Jews (10:1; cf. 9:1–3). In 10:2–5 Paul explains why the Jewish people need salvation. He attests that they are zealous for God (10:2). They are passionately determined to do God’s will and defend God’s honor (cf. Elijah, 1 Kings 19:10, 14). But their zeal is “not based on knowledge” since they do not recognize that God revealed his righteousness in Jesus the Messiah. Paul was himself, before his conversion, extremely zealous (Gal. 1:14); he had a zeal ...

1124. Sexual Immorality

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... that he disagrees in principle, but that they should remember that the freedom to eat whatever one desires is inconsequential in light of the coming destruction and transformation of our bodies, and therefore is not a freedom one should cling to or defend at all costs. A final rationalization, unrepeated by Paul, probably underlies the words that follow these and returns us again to the subject of sexual morality. For some of the Corinthians, it followed from their freedom to eat that they were also free ...

1125. Questions about Food, Idolatry, and Freedom

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... shown, a common social convention among everyone except slaves, and virtually all the food sold in the marketplace would have passed through a pagan temple for symbolic purposes before its sale. But the questions here appear to have been asked by some in a way that defended their own conduct and challenged Paul’s (9:3) in this matter and others (9:4–6) as either too bold in its exercise of Christian and apostolic rights (9:4–12a) or too timid in its restraint (9:12b–27), and in any case inconsistent ...

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