Digging in Deeper: John 18:28

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“Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They did not enter the headquarters themselves; otherwise they would be defiled and unable to eat the Passover.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Everybody knows the Pharisees and other religious leaders of the Jews were the bad guys in the Gospels. They were the bad guys because of their hatred for Jesus. Beyond His constantly presenting the Law in ways they didn’t understand and wouldn’t accept, though, the thing that most enraged them about Him was His constantly pointing out their hypocrisy. They hated that. A lot. And yet, we have scenes like this one in which their hypocrisy in displayed in technicolor, yet their own screens seemed to be set only for black and white because they can’t see it. Let’s talk about the glaring hypocrisy of the Jewish religious elite and what it might mean for us.

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Morning Musing: Mark 14:33-36

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“He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. He said to them, ‘I am deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake.’ He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, ‘Abba, Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

We can easily imagine the agony of the cross. At least, we think we can. You have perhaps seen Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ and its portrayal of those awful events. (Fun fact: that was the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever until its total was eclipsed by…wait for it…Deadpool. And that tells you about all you need to know about where our culture is today.) Yet the agony of the ordeal of the cross began before Jesus experienced any of its physical horrors. Let’s take a look this morning at where Jesus’ sufferings really began in earnest as He prepared to give up His life for us.

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Essential Tools

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In our journey of understanding better what followers of Jesus should believe about Him and the Christian worldview, we have so far talked about God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and people. This week we are turning our attention to another essential doctrine that involves getting people together in groups to advance God’s kingdom. This week we are talking about the church. Why does the church matter so much? Read on to find out more. Thanks for reading and sharing.

Essential Tools

I love fresh pineapple. I love fruit in general, but truly fresh pineapple may be one of my favorites. Pineapples, however, are not the easiest fruits to enjoy. It’s not like an apple that you can pick off the tree and go to town on. It’s not even like an orange that, though not something you can just pick up and eat, is usually ready to go after a few seconds of peeling. If you want pineapple, you’re going to need a knife. The treasure is hidden under a thick, spiky shell that is going to require a bit of work to get through to enjoy the literal fruits of your labor. 

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Digging in Deeper: Ephesians 2:8-9

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“For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift – not from works, so that no one can boast.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

The latest season of one of the most popular streaming series out there finally answered one of the most burning questions it has heretofore completely ignored: How do you eat with a helmet on? The answer: You don’t. With The Mandalorian’s third season having finally given us an answer to this, I’m not sure what else there is for them to do. At just over the halfway point in the season, though, the ride has been pretty entertaining. Let’s talk about what has worked, what hasn’t, and an interesting intersection with the Christian worldview.

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Morning Musing: Luke 19:37-40

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“Now he came near the path down the Mount of Olives, and the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen: ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven!’ Some of the Pharisees from the crowd told him, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

This morning finds us in one of those awkward in-between moments. We finished up our short series on how to get better at being rich yesterday. After Spring Break (which is next week, during which time I won’t have any posts going live except for my Easter Sunday message) we are going to start a new journey through Exodus about which I am pretty excited, and which will likely take us much of the rest of the year. That leaves us with four days (including today) to fill with something else. Given that Easter is on the near horizon, I thought we would take a little journey with Jesus to the cross and the empty tomb. We’ll start this morning with His triumphant ride into Jerusalem.

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