Gentiles ⁽⁴¹⁾

Matthew 23:13-15; Acts 15:1–22; Colossians 2:4–13 There is no question about Jesus’ attitude toward the scribes and the Pharisees in this verse. It seems pretty straightforward. What if it isn’t? What if Jesus was instead using their language in a way so as to make a point?  The Pharisees,…

Mark 12:1–17; Matthew 10:5–7; Matthew 17:24–27 Within the context of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the primacy of the remnants of the Israelites cannot be denied. Jesus calls them the “lost sheep”. Their place is significant to God, for they are even called by God’s name (2…

De-Vine 22 September 2020 Isaiah 5:1–7; John 15:1–8; Romans 11:13–25 If you’ve seen ivy or even “domesticated” wisteria and clematis that have been allowed to run free, you can envision a people out of control. A vine does what it does best…spread. There are other…

Psalm 19; Matthew 6:7–15; Romans 8:18–27 We decided to get “weight management” dog food for our dog. She is a little overweight. Strangely (and this should have been a big clue), she got a greater volume of food with the “diet” food than with her…

Matthew 22:1–14 When you were a child, perhaps one of your favorite times was when you were invited to a birthday party. For some, an invitation was proof that they were actually “seen”. Even if that person was thought to be a friend, it was…