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Matthew 25:1–13 (read online ⧉) This is an odd parable. It makes some sense on the surface, but even then, not much. One of the surface tensions is that Jesus refers here to the Kingdom of God. Jesus often refers to the Kingdom having already…

Lamentations 3:16–33, Job 2:11–13 James 1:9–18 Wikipedia summarizes Nathan Robinson’s take on platitudes as: “A platitude is even worse than a cliché. It’s a sanctimonious cliché, a statement that is not only old and overused but often moralistic and imperious. ... [they] have an aphoristic…

Ezekiel 16:7–22, 2 Corinthians 11:1–4, Revelation 19:6–9 The image of the church as the bride of Jesus was not a new concept. Israel/Judah was often compared to a wife, though, sadly, often an unfaithful wife. Despite the seeming graphic nature of this passage in Ezekiel,…

Leviticus 21:16–24, Matthew 20:29–34, 1 Corinthians 1:26–29 Even today people struggle with blindness. Granted, today those who are blind have legal protections, braille, technology, and acceptance that wasn’t part of other cultures. In the New Testament era, the only “job” the blind could get was…

1 Kings 3:3–12, Daniel 3:8–28, Luke 20:27–40 We have all heard an instructor, teacher, professor, or lecturer say, “there is no such thing as a dumb question.” The intent is to make the students or hearers more comfortable to ask questions. While that statement is often…