Silence is the most ambiguous communication. It can mean so many things—or nothing. Perhaps it is slow and deep reflection. Maybe it is a stunned, awkward, or embarrassed silence. ((Mark 3:4; Luke 14:4; 20:26 are examples of awkward silences, Mark 9:34 of an embarrassed silence.)) Is the person quietly plotting? Or is it a smug, […]
Jesus’ behavior at His betrayal in Gethsemane shows us the power of peace. His responses defused the tension and He miraculously healed an ear. Peter, on the other hand, panicked and fled with the other disciples. Jesus’ peace came from knowing that the Father was in control and things were going according to His plan. […]
Occasionally someone asks, “What is your favorite Christian festival day?” I struggle to answer. Other followers of Jesus would probably say Easter or Christmas; a few might say Good Friday. But I doubt if more than a tiny percentage would think of Ascension Day or Pentecost. Each special day has a meaning of its own. […]
When another driver does something stupid or dangerous my expressions, though mild, come quickly. Injustice or abuse produces a stronger reaction in most of us. So, have you ever wondered why Jesus said so little at His trials? Faced with false accusers at the high priest’s house Jesus kept silent. ((Matthew 26:57-63.)) His answers to […]
Although we will never experience the full suffering of Jesus, we sometimes find ourselves in situations that are similar in type. Jesus knew trouble was coming: Betrayal, abandonment by friends, false accusations, a mock trial without due process, unjust condemnation, mockery, torture, and cruel death. We have so many things to shout when someone cuts […]
It was one of those weeks. First a customer decided to be awkward about paying his overdue bill. Then something appropriate that I had said in private was repeated to a third party. By the time I heard about it, it was completely distorted and made me sound bad—like the product of a game of […]
Forget your carefully manicured understanding of Good Friday for a moment. Close your mind to hindsight and step back to that grizzly day, almost two thousand years ago. From heaven’s perspective, Jesus died as a sacrifice for the sin of the world; but from the perspective of everyone except His followers, Jesus was crucified because […]
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (Rom. 8:31-32) Paul tells us that Jesus’ death on the cross is God’s guarantee of love for us. […]