More than any other gospel writer, Luke emphasizes Christ’s many meals and the variety of his table companions. These meals reveal not only the heart of the gospel but also the conflicts it triggers. And the Last Supper is no exception.Luke highlights how Christ modeled the gospel when he sat down to eat. For example, he not only called the despised tax collector Levi to follow him but then attend...  Read More

Jesus was harsh.  There’re no other words to describe his response to the scribes and Pharisees that had been hounding him for the last three years. Every now and then, they would set some traps for him, asking some difficult questions hoping that he would answer something that would compromise him.  They were good at it.  Keen experts in legal wrangling and in nuanced arguments. Now that Jesus is...  Read More

On Tuesday morning, Jesus returned to the Temple to teach the gathered crowd.  The religious teachers, priests, elders, Sadducees, and Pharisees were plotting and scheming to trap Jesus into breaking religious laws.  They were openly challenging His authority.  We see Jesus answering their leading questions with more questions, telling stories to illustrate and lay bare their treachery, and openly...  Read More

As we approach the final days of Jesus life we need to pause and go back to the first day of Jesus’ life on earth. Shepherds are gathered around their sheep when the angel hosts show up and announce something very important.I always thought that the angel’s sang their announcement--something akin to the Halleluiah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. But a closer examination of the ancient text in Luke c...  Read More

Jesus knew exactly what he was doing.  It was the Passover, and as more than 100,000 Jews made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate, Jesus and his disciples were among them. Jesus, however, knew what was coming. He knew the leaders were ready to put him to death in order to preserve their way of life and their understanding of the Scriptures.But instead of hiding, Jesus did the exact opposite....  Read More

Easter is an important time in the Christian year - but it is so much more than a date on a calendar...   Read More