John 21:1-25 (spring AD 30: during the 40 days after resurrection) Peter denied – three times – that he was a friend of Jesus. The third time he was asked, Peter got agitated and swore angrily. Jesus asked Peter – three times – whether Peter loved him. The third time he was asked, Peter got … More Day 140: Like a dog greeting its owner
John 20:29-31 (spring AD 30, a week after the resurrection) “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his … More Day 139: The reason for the Bible
Day 137: John 20:19-23 (spring AD 30, Sunday – the final evening of Passion Week, and one week later) “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” (verse 23) This verse has led to much confusion, being leveraged by those who seek an unbiblical … More Day 137: God’s forgiveness is granted by God
Matthew 28:9-15 (spring AD 30, Sunday morning of Passion Week) It is truly astonishing that a bald-faced lie – debunked immediately – would still be so popular, but you still hear it: “The disciples must have stolen the body”. Never mind that they didn’t have any weapons, but the 10-20 guards were fully armed. Never … More Day 135: An awkward reality
Matthew 27:26-44; Luke 23:39-43 (spring AD 30, Friday of Passion Week) How did Jesus suffer in these verses? Let us count the ways: Whipped (Matt 27:26) Put a crown of thorns on his head (Matt 27:29) Spat on him (Matt 27:30) Beat him over the head with a large stick (Matt 27:30) Mocked him about … More Day 131: The many sufferings of Jesus
Matthew 27:15-31 (spring AD 30, Friday of Passion Week) Sometimes a Scripture passage will have me reaching for a shovel and a pile of wooden planks so that I can tunnel under the text and mine it for the infinite treasures that lie under an apparently barren surface. Sometimes I walk around the mango orchard … More Day 130: Sinkhole day
John 18:28-38; Luke 23:7-12 (spring AD 30, Friday of Passion Week) The religious leaders took the Son of God to the idolatrous Roman governor, in hopes of having the Son of God executed by the Roman authorities. As they went to the governor, they made sure to be ceremonially clean by not going inside, as … More Day 129: Jesus faced down temptation
Day 128: Matthew 27:3-10 (spring AD 30, Friday of Passion Week)https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+27%3A3-10&version=NIV Remorse is not the same as repentance, regret is not genuine sorrow for sin, and merely feeling bad achieves nothing. Judas Iscariot, a greedy thief during Jesus’ ministry, did what came naturally to him: made money any way he could, no matter the cost … More Day 128: An implosion of guilt
John 18:13-14, 19-24; Luke 22:63-65 (spring AD 30, Friday of Passion Week) When you get enough people of the same, strong opinion together, there is a danger that opposing views are not deemed worthy to be engaged with or rebutted. Rather, the carriers of those views become the ‘other’, the ‘enemy’, which must be belittled, … More Day 126: Jesus vs. Bad-faith opponents
Luke 22:39-53 (especially v.43-44) – (spring AD 30, Thursday night of Passion Week) What does a ‘No’ from God really look like, anyway? For the purposes of this piece, a ‘No’ from God is any time you asked or expected something from him, and you didn’t get it. Famous examples in the Bible are the … More Day 125: What to do when God says ‘No’
Paul T Reynolds 