Archive for September 2021

Isaiah 14-16, Proverbs 12:1-16, Luke 22:1-13, Hebrews 4:1-11 Luke 22:1-13: (22:1) It is almost Passover and Jesus is making preparations, not just to eat the Passover with his disciples, but also to be the fulfillment of that Passover in his own death for the sin of the world. Note: all of these Old Testament types and figures find…

Isaiah 11-13, Proverbs 20:16-30, Luke 21:29-38, Hebrews 3 Luke 21:29-38: (21:29-33) As so often when Jesus is teaching, he uses a parable to explain his meaning. Such similitudes aid the understanding in the same way that windows in a house allow the light to come in. We need the solidity of the structure of understanding, but if there…

Isaiah 9-10, Proverbs 20:1-15, Luke 21:20-28, Hebrews 2:10-18    Luke 21:20-28: Jesus now once again predicts the future as a concertina—first the near horizon and then the far horizon as the prediction expands. Verses 20-24 concern the fall of Jerusalem. Jesus’ counsel to “flee” when “you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies” was heeded by many Christian disciples who…

Isaiah 6-8, Proverbs 19:15-29, Luke 21:1-19, Hebrews 2:1-9 Luke 21:1-19: (21:1-4) Jesus is observing a characteristic activity of the temple: the wealthy putting their gifts in the offering. Are they doing so ostentatiously? At any rate, their giving is observable. By contrast he then observes a poor widow who only puts in a very small amount of money.…

Isaiah 3-5, Proverbs 19:1-14, Luke 20:41-47, Hebrews 1:10-41  Luke 20:41-47: Having roundly defeated his adversaries so that (in verse 40) “they no longer dared ask him any questions,” Jesus now takes his turn to ask a question himself (20:41-47). This question is designed to expose the illogical argument that his opponents were employing when they rejected the notion…

Isaiah 1-2, Proverbs 18, Luke 20:27-40, Hebrews 1:1-9   Luke 20:27-40: The Sadducees were a group of religious devotees who, according to the Jewish historian Josephus, were particularly identified with the upper elite, a sort of royal aristocratic religious party. They were distinct from the Pharisees in holding that there was no resurrection of the dead—and also in…