"Father, restore our souls in Jesus Christ, that we may be merciful and kind, even as Thou art."
Tag: Bible
Bible Note #62: Compassion & the Anger of Jesus–Mark 3:1-6
They knew that Jesus was guided by compassion for the weak and broken and not by some hard-edged interpretation of the law.
Quote of Note #198: Lying to Ourselves & Resentfulness
The man who lies to himself can be more easily offended than anyone. You know it is sometimes very pleasant to take offense, isn't it?
Bible Note #61: Zacchaeus #5–Why Would Such a Man Want to See Jesus?
Zacchaeus acts like someone who was desperate to see Jesus. Why? Why would a hardnosed, money-grubbing guy like Zacchaeus be the least bit interested in someone like Jesus?
Quote of Note #195: God’s Grace to Me, My Grace to Others
"God gives us real treasures; we are rich people, but only if we put this capital into use. Forgive your brother; then you will also get peace for yourself. Otherwise you are a dead spiritual capitalist."
Bible Note #60: Zacchaeus #4–Getting into the Story–Jesus Make a Lot of People Mad
So, I’ve now provided some background material (see links to previous "Zacchaeus" posts at the end of this post ) for understanding this powerful encounter between Jesus and the chief tax collector in Jericho—maybe more background information than you really wanted (judging from the amount of traffic those earlier posts have generated). Let’s now dive … Continue reading Bible Note #60: Zacchaeus #4–Getting into the Story–Jesus Make a Lot of People Mad
Bible Note #59: Zacchaeus #3–Tax Collecting in Roman Palestine
Right up front, Luke tells us two key pieces of information about Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. These two facts were not unrelated. Zacchaeus was rich because he was the chief tax collector of the region. Let’s review some of what it meant for Zacchaeus to be a tax … Continue reading Bible Note #59: Zacchaeus #3–Tax Collecting in Roman Palestine
Bible Note #59: The Delight of Feasting on God’s Presence
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 (NIV) The idea of “taking delight” or pleasure in the Lord is one that we modern Western Christians have a tendency to spiritualize in a way that, I think, David and ancient Israelites did not. We want this … Continue reading Bible Note #59: The Delight of Feasting on God’s Presence
Bible Note#58: Zacchaeus #2–Some Background
In order to understand this encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-9), we need to know a little bit about the geography of the Holy Land in Jesus' time. So, let’s start with this question: where was Jericho and what was Jesus doing there? I’ll address the second question first. What was Jesus doing in … Continue reading Bible Note#58: Zacchaeus #2–Some Background
Bible Note #57: Zacchaeus #1–The Real Zacchaeus and That Terrible Children’s Song
Christians, especially American Christians, can be really good at sanitizing the gospels in order to make Jesus less offensive. We want a version of Jesus that doesn’t make us uncomfortable, one that fits with our American way of seeing things. The story of Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus is a case in point. One of the … Continue reading Bible Note #57: Zacchaeus #1–The Real Zacchaeus and That Terrible Children’s Song
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 