In the Life of Christ When I walk with Jesus through Matthew 8:1–4, I am struck by the courage of the man who approached Him. The biblical term translated “leprosy” could describe several serious skin diseases, all of which carried consequences beyond physical suffering. According to Leviticus 13–14, such a person could be declared ceremoniallyContinue reading “The Touch He Did Not Have to Give”
Category Archives: Jesus Christ
When Jesus Sees What We Cannot
In the Life of Christ “When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” —Mark 2:5 When I walk through the crowded house in Mark 2:1–12, I am immediately drawn to the determination of four friends. The doorway is blocked, the room is overflowing, andContinue reading “When Jesus Sees What We Cannot”
When Good News Walked into Nazareth
In the Life of Christ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.” —Luke 4:18 When Jesus returned to Galilee, reports about Him traveled quickly. People praised His teaching, and His name became familiar throughout the region. Yet popularity is not the sameContinue reading “When Good News Walked into Nazareth”
The Rescue We Could Never Provide
In the Life of Christ “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” —John 3:17 When I read John 3:17, I hear the heartbeat of Christ’s mission. Jesus did not enter the world looking for people to condemn. He came becauseContinue reading “The Rescue We Could Never Provide”
The Rescue We Could Never Provide
In the Life of Christ “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” —John 3:17 When I read John 3:17, I hear the heartbeat of Christ’s mission. Jesus did not enter the world looking for people to condemn. He came becauseContinue reading “The Rescue We Could Never Provide”
The Sermon That Demands an Answer
In the Life of Christ Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount without leaving us a comfortable place to remain neutral. He does not end with a pleasant illustration followed by a polite invitation to think about it later. Instead, He places before us two gates, two roads, two kinds of fruit, two professions ofContinue reading “The Sermon That Demands an Answer”
The One Who Can Forgive What No One Else Can
In the Life of Christ When the paralyzed man was lowered through the roof in Mark 2, everyone expected Jesus to address the need they could see. The man could not walk, his friends had carried him through the streets, and the crowd had watched them tear open a roof to reach Jesus. Yet Christ’sContinue reading “The One Who Can Forgive What No One Else Can”
Friends Who Refuse to Leave Us Outside
In the Life of Christ Mark tells us that when Jesus returned to Capernaum, word spread quickly that He was home. The house—probably Peter’s—soon became so crowded that no one else could enter, not even through the doorway. Some people may have come hoping to witness another miracle, but Jesus gave them something even moreContinue reading “Friends Who Refuse to Leave Us Outside”
Love That Did More Than Speak
In the Life of Christ Most of us carry some picture of God in our minds. For some, He appears as a distant ruler watching for mistakes. Others imagine Him as an angry father who must be persuaded not to punish them. If that is the picture we carry, we may obey God out ofContinue reading “Love That Did More Than Speak”
When Righteousness Reaches the Heart
In the Life of Christ Jesus made a statement that must have startled everyone listening on the hillside: “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20, KJV). The scribes and Pharisees were widely regarded as the religious professionalsContinue reading “When Righteousness Reaches the Heart”