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’
Luke 22:39-53 (especially v.43-44) (spring AD 30, Thursday night of Passion Week) “[Jesus] withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’ An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in … More Day 124: When God says no (Part 2)
Luke 22:39-53 (spring AD 30, Thursday night of Passion Week) “[Jesus] withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’ An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he … More Day 123: When God says ‘No’
John 16:4-16 (spring AD 30, Thursday evening of Passion Week) “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.” (v.12) Most of us don’t think of God as someone who sugarcoats things. And in once sense he doesn’t – the truth will always be conveyed as the truth, the whole … More Day 120: You can’t handle all the truth.
John 15:18-16:3 (spring AD 30, Thursday evening of Passion Week) Our experience of becoming a Christian involves choosing Christ, and we come from all kinds of different places to get there. Some through trauma, some in comfort; some through reason, some through emotion; some gladly, some with initial reluctance; some through reading, some through talking. … More Day 119: The encouragement of chosenness
John 15:1-17 (spring AD 30, Thursday evening of Passion Week) The connection between love, obedience and the presence of God was hammered home in our last reading, and in this section Jesus pointed out what is at stake: our eternal destiny and joy. Us being with God now, and his being with us now, is … More Day 118: A circle of joy
John 14:1-14 (spring AD 30, Thursday evening of Passion Week) As Jesus spoke the words, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me” (v.1) he knew that he was minutes from arrest and hours from death. His primary concern was for the welfare of his disciples, even as … More Day 116: You and God: Relationship or Lifestyle?
John 13:1-20; (spring AD 30, Thursday evening of Passion Week) Humble, even humiliating, service for others, placing yourself lower in status than them, should be part and parcel of being a Christian. That’s the application Jesus gives in verses 12-15 for his washing of the disciples’ feet. The foot-washing itself was symbolically useful because it … More Day 114: Wash someone’s feet today
Luke 22:24-30 (spring AD 30, Thursday of Passion Week) We all have that friend. The one who makes people laugh without seeming to have much of an idea why. That’s the benign side of when people lack self-awareness. The disciples in this story show more of the malignant side of that coin. The lack of … More Day 113: A duty of service
Paul T Reynolds 