One of the characteristics of a Jesus meal is the astonishing level of leftovers. In the feeding of the five thousand, there were 12 baskets of leftovers (Mk. 8:19). In the miracle of the four thousand, there were 7 baskets of leftovers (Matt. 16:10). We see this foreshadowed in the miracle of Elijah’s as well. …
Learning to Sing Sea Water
One of the things we should notice in Scripture is the close association of the music of the people of God and the nations of men. There is a regular appeal, throughout Scripture, asking the nations to hear us when we sing. The music of the saints, rightly done, is universal and evangelistic. The music …
Golden Barnacles
After several weeks in Central Europe and the UK, Nancy and I are headed home today. Jiggety jig, as they say. We have had a glorious time, and have seen a bunch of the sights, particularly those of interest with regard to the Reformation. We have been to the church in Cambridge where the first …
Remembering the Sniff
I am fond of saying that God is perfect, but not a perfectionist. Related to this, with imitation of God in mind, is my conviction that the Church today needs a lot more puritans, and a lot fewer purists. And, if that were not difficult enough, we have to do it while consistently raising our …
A Rest Remains
INTRODUCTION:We are celebrating Easter, the day on which we commemorate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead. But not only did He rise, but all things were restored in Him, which is something we model, not only annually, but also on a weekly basis. We worship on the first day because we are …
The Faithful Dead on Tiptoe
The great struggle that the disciples of the Lord had, even after they had given up everything for His sake, and were following Him, was the struggle to understand what He was talking about. He often had to chide them for their unbelief, which is what He called it. They called it not getting the …
Not Where Your Mouth Is
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says to “take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat” (Matt. 6:25). He is talking about physical life and physical food, and the obvious relationship between the two. He is telling us not to chase after our physical lives in the first instance, and that chasing …
Iniquity in Unbelief
Father of all nations, we confess that we are conceived in sin, and formed in iniquity. We confess that the central iniquity is that of not trusting and believing You, and so we have sought to fashion our own importance out of the brief moments we have in this life. We measure ourselves by ourselves, …
When the Divine Hammer Fell
It is very easy for modern readers of the gospel of John to assume that he sometimes falls into the role of a chatty tour guide, telling us the meaning of certain words in two languages, and that he does so for purposes of amusing us along the way. “And on your left, you may …
A Plot Twist Triumph
INTRODUCTION:The triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem is the prelude to His crucifixion, and so it is odd that it has come to be called the triumphal entry. But it actually reveals a good understanding of what was actually happening there. The right hand of the Lord does valiantly (Ps. 118:16), but it turns out …