Posts by Josh Moody

Leviticus 14-15, Psalm 42, Matthew 19:1-15, Acts 26:1-18 Acts 26:1-18:   Paul now (finally, in a sense) has a full-orbed opportunity to defend himself. How will he do it? As is characteristic of the man, he uses this opportunity to preach the gospel. He does it by means of telling the story of how he personally encountered Christ, was…

Leviticus 11-13, Psalm 41, Matthew 18:15-35, Acts 25:13-27  Acts 25:13-27:   Once again, the powers that be are taking an inordinately long time to exercise any kind of justice with regard to Paul. Once again, we sense that Paul is a pawn in a chess game—at the beck and call of governors and kings. What must it have felt…

Leviticus 8-10, Psalm 40, Matthew 18:1-14, Acts 25:1-12 Acts 25:1-12: We come to the next stage in the process of Paul’s defense, and the attacks against him by the religious leaders at the time. First of all, we are told that they want to get him to go back to Jerusalem because they are planning an ambush against…

Leviticus 5-7, Psalm 39, Matthew 17:14-27, Acts 24 Acts 24: When you read this story, you are struck by two parallel truths all at the same time. First, you are struck by the sheer randomness and vulnerability of Paul, and thereby all of us, in the face of the “powers that be.” Here is one man, accused falsely…

Leviticus 1-4, Psalm 38, Matthew 17:1-13, Acts 23:12-35 Acts 23:12-35: More maneuvering to get Paul—and it is stymied by God’s sovereignty, and some sharp thinking on the part of Paul and the others involved. What do we learn? Even when we feel as if everything is out of our control, that does not mean it is out of…

Exodus 38-40, Psalm 37:23-40, Matthew 16:13-28, Acts 23:1-11 Acts 23:1-11: Paul is now brought before the Sanhedrin, the leading religious court of the Jewish people at the time. What will he do? How will he defend himself? First, he starts with an unapologetic and carefully worded statement. “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all…

Exodus 35-37, Psalm 37:1-22, Matthew 16:1-12, Acts 22 Acts 22: Paul now gives his defense to his Jewish people in Jerusalem before the temple. He has been arrested by the Romans because a riot was going on as people protested his presence in the temple. What will Paul do? What will he say? He seizes this moment for…

Exodus 34, Psalm 36, Matthew 15:21-39, Acts 21:27-40 Acts 21:27-40: So Paul is now in Jerusalem, and his and the Jewish Christian leaders’ attempts to pacify his accusers fail—his presence in the temple area causes a riot. He is arrested and about to be taken off by the Romans when Paul asks to address the crowd. When he…

Exodus 32-33, Psalm 35, Matthew 15:1-20, Acts 21:1-26 Acts 21:1-26: Paul is determined to go to Jerusalem. And he continues in that journey despite clear warnings from the Spirit—and also from the Spirit through a prophet called Agabus—that if he went to Jerusalem he would be persecuted. Yet Paul still insists on going to Jerusalem. By contrast, when…

Exodus 30-31, Psalm 34, Matthew 14:22-36, Acts 20:13-38 Acts 20:13-38: Paul’s farewell to the Ephesians’ elders is worth studying closely for a number of different reasons. It shows that gospel ministry is to be both public and house to house. There is a public proclamation of God’s Word and then some sort of smaller gatherings that allow that…