“Come to me, and I will give you ____.”
Finish this statement by Jesus: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you _______.
Chances are pretty good you know the last word there is rest. Here’s the thing I was thinking about today, though, when I read that verse. How many of us, even if we know that Jesus said rest at the end of that sentence, walk around with the subconscious belief that he instead said something like trouble, or pain, or punishment?
Far too many of us.
Live for Your Reward
Just before talking about the common practices of giving, praying, and fasting, Jesus gives his hearers this warning: “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Mt 6:1, NIV).
There are at least two things to make note of with that statement.
Why Jesus Taught in Parables
Parables, by their very nature, are not easy to understand… at least, not at first.
A parable is a unique type of story designed to promote observation, meditation, and action. A parable that does not invite this sort of deep thinking and eventual active response to the meaning contained within the story is not a parable after all.
Did Jesus Only Teach in Parables?
I was listening to a podcast on Jesus’s parables and, as the host introduced the episode by giving a quick rundown of what was going to be discussed—as all good hosts do—he said something that caught my ear. While setting up the importance of Jesus’s parables he referenced a place in Mark’s gospel where the evangelist writes about Jesus’s teaching style and this host said, “It even says specifically that when Jesus taught the masses…he taught exclusively in parables.”
Passion Week: Saturday - The "In-Between"
The man who, on Sunday, rode into Jerusalem being hailed as the Messiah and King was now, on Saturday, in the grave…or so it seemed.
Passion Week: Tuesday - The Wisdom of Man vs. The Wisdom of God
What happens when someone like Jesus comes into a city being hailed as king, and then goes to the temple demanding things be different? Debates happen.
Passion Week: Monday - God Is the One in Charge
The day after Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem he went to the heart of the city. He went to the temple.
A Church Called Love (Part 3) Love Reigns Supreme
It [the new heavens and new earth] will be a world ruled by love, through the one who is love, with those who live in love.
A Church Called Love (Part 1): “…but have not love.”
Burgers or pizza tonight?
What about burgers or pizza for the next 40-nights? What about for the next 10-years? Or, what about for the rest of your life?
A Moment on the Scriptures: Bible Translation Comparisons
By any conservative count, there are at least 50 different English translations of the Bible. One of the main questions for us, then, is: What do we do with all those options?