Real Voices

When Herod heard about Jesus, he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and for this reason these powers are at work in him” (Matthew 14.2). Matthew provides a flashback of events that led to John’s death at the hands of Herod. For Herod had arrested […]

Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness with all the power and glory the world has to offer. He said, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God,and serve only him.’ ” […]

During the 1970s, I served one of the poorest churches in a very small community in southwest Louisiana. No one would be so arrogant as to believe that, out of that congregation, a world-changing ministry would emerge. Even though I was impacted and blessed by my time there, no world-changing ministry arose from that congregation. […]

To best comprehend Jesus’ teachings on parables, it’s helpful to examine his dialogue preceding and following the discussion of these parables. In Chapter 11, Jesus addresses cities that have witnessed his miracles yet failed to repent. He delivers a word of judgment upon them (Matthew 11.20-24). Then, he expresses gratitude to the Heavenly Father for […]

As we study the Gospel of Matthew, it’s helpful to remember that Matthew wrote this gospel for a church that was suffering persecution and internal struggles. On one level, Jesus told the parable of the sower to remind the church that the kinds of soils mentioned in the parable represent different responses to the gospel […]

A would-be follower of Jesus wanted to be a disciple but to delay his commitment to care for his father. Jesus responded to this man and said, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead” (Matthew 8.22). On another occasion, Jesus said: “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, […]

The best way to understand the discussion between Jesus and the Pharisees is to realize that it is connected with what has previously transpired. Jesus and the religious authorities have been arguing. Jesus healed and delivered people from demons, but the authorities were adamantly opposed to him. For some strange reason, they now ask for […]

A close friend of mine in Louisiana struggled with serious mental illness. Despite his challenges, we met often for coffee. He patiently – very patiently, in fact – taught me what carpentry skills I know. In return, I hoped to offer him some support with his mental health. One question that haunted him was whether […]

The healing of a demonized man brought two radically different responses. One came from the crowd, another from the religious authorities. Then they brought to him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed […]

In yesterday’s blog article, I asked you to imagine that you were following Jesus through the lanes and villages of Galilee. If you were following along, you were present during Jesus’s encounter with the Pharisees on the Sabbath. In a wheat field, they argued, and Jesus angered them to the point wanting him dead by […]