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Is He Indignant or Moved by Compassion?
I am a confessed translation junkie. As I read the Common English Bible and the NIV, I come across different ways certain phrases are turned. Mark 1:41 is a good example. The leper comes to Christ and says, “If you are willing you can make me clean.” The response is so interesting. CEB: 41 Incensed,[a] Jesus reached out his hand,…
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From Sorcerer to Magic Arts to Drug Users
The end of Revelation is one of my favorite places to camp. I honestly love the entire Book of Revelation if I can read through it without the voices in my head. (You know: Tim LaHaye, Jack VanImpe, Hal Lindsey, etc.) In Rev. 22:15 I noticed different ways translations have tackled the Greek word pharmakos over the years. Last night…
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James 2:1 in the CEB and the NRSV
I looked at James 2:1 in the Common English Bible and found it to be interesting because the phrase “deny the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ” was not in the NIV or ESV. Is the connotation there? If we are showing favoritism, are we denying the faithfulness of Christ? My brothers and sisters, when you show favoritism you deny the…
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Repetition is Necessary
In a “been there, done that” world, one of the great habits of the Christian life (and the Church world) is to go back over something. We’re not very good at it, but the habit is built in. In the tradition of the Church world going back centuries there is the repetition of the Lectionary readings. The gospels are visited…
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The End is Near!
The Mayans aren’t the only ones saying this! It’s Peter as well: 7 The end of everything has come. Therefore, be self-controlled and clearheaded so you can pray. (1 Peter 4:7, CEB) See?!?! The end is near! Rather than induce panic, Peter gives a more calm approach to the end (as does Jesus in the Olivet Discourse). It’s not scary.…
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The Use of the Plural in Genesis 3
I am on the Common English Bible Advent Blog Tour, which has afforded me a great opportunity to dig into this new translation more carefully. Overall, I love the freshness of the language. There is a fresh clarity to some phrases that I find helpful. Using a new translation always keeps me on my toes as I read very familiar…
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Sheep and Goats
Tackling the parable of the sheep and the goats hasn’t been easy. I still don’t have this one working very well in my mind. Yet, when I think of this passage with “the least of these” being Jesus’ disciples (the Sent Ones), I reflect on those who have gone before. I think of those who have laid down their lives…
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The Discomfort of the Sheep and the Goats
The text for Sunday is Matthew 25:31-46, the parable of the sheep and the goats. As is typical for Jesus, there is something here to offend just about every theological stripe. For those who fear the words “works/righteousness”, there is some contorting of the text that needs to take place to feel comfortable once again that it is “faith alone”…
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Reading the Word
When we plunge into the Word of God, do we treat it as though we are the surgeon or scientist? Are we out to make the Word prove itself to us? Does our analytical approach make us “master” over the text? How about this: how about allowing the Bible surprise you with its familiar words? Instead of us scrutinizing the Scripture,…
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Living Without Excuse
Looking ahead to the texts for next week’s message, I find myself in Matthew 25. It looks like the remainder of November to Advent will be in Matthew 25. This passage comes at the end of a larger context beginning in Matthew 23. As I begin to read through all of this material, then focus in on Matthew 25, the…
Category: Bible Study
