Why Crucifixion? Why not end Jesus’ life by scourging or being stoned to death? Because the Jewish authorities would have known the teaching in Deuteronomy which states anyone who hangs on a tree will be cursed by God. “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, […]

Being creatures of habit and expectancy, we often take for granted the presuppositions we hold to be true. We can overlook seemingly insignificant details in current events or characters in our favorite TV miniseries. And we might disregard obscure details surrounding familiar Bible stories we’ve learned growing up. When we bring into focus those details […]

What good Jewish mother wouldn’t do what this mother did for her two sons? As a mother of four boys I can empathize with wanting what’s best, or at least what I believe is best for my sons.  Unfortunately, we often allow our presuppositions to influence our beliefs and choices. In this passage we will examine how a mother’s request to have her two sons placed in prominent positions of honor and proximity to Jesus misses the essence of His mission and the heartbeat of discipleship.

This week in our journey through Matthew, Jesus will once again put forth children as examples for his followers, preparing us for his exchange with a rich man who is unable to enter into the kingdom of God because of his wealth (Matt 19:13–30). This story also appears in Mark’s Gospel. In this article, Donna […]

This research paper satisfied my requirements for obtaining my MS degree in Theology. It is long and more academic, but if you have the stomach for it and like to get down and dirty in the details, enjoy the read! 1 Timothy 2:11-15 Thesis Statement This paper will show that Paul’s exhortation in his letter […]

Proverbs 3:5 tells us to trust God with all our hearts. But how do we do this? The second part of this verse gives us some insight. It tells us not to lean on our own understanding. Leaning on our own understanding can be a stumbling block to trusting God. Today we explore how we […]