This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 6:17-26. The English Standard Version presents the verses in two clusters, under the headings “Jesus Ministers to a Great Multitude,” and “The Beatitudes.” These are summaries of the first two parts of what’s often called Jesus’ “Sermon on the Plain.”[1] Luke presents the sermon as something […]
Listen to Jesus like those under the Japanese occupation Read More »
Last Sunday, the lectionary invited us to ponder Luke 5:1-11. The English Standard Version supplies the passage with the heading “Jesus Calls the First Disciples.” Christian speech can seem very strange to outsiders. The first time I attended a church service, I was horrified when the congregation sang “I really want to bless you, Lord.”
I no longer worry that Christians are agents of death Read More »
This Sunday, the lectionary offers us an alternative gospel reading, because it’s also the day of the “Feast of The Presentation of the Lord.” The passage is Luke 2:22-40. The English Standard Version supplies it with the heading “Jesus Presented at the Temple.” On feast days, churches celebrate special moments in the story of salvation.
The virgin, the widow, and the bridegroom Read More »
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 4:21-30. The English Standard Version puts verses 16-30 under the heading “Jesus Rejected at Nazareth.” Last week, I wrote about verses 14-21. Those verses end with Jesus receiving a positive reception – almost a standing ovation – in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. People
Luke’s pregnant fourth story of the adult Jesus Read More »
“Poor, captives, and blind,” are not distinct groups. They overlap. They include people born female. People who lack education, family heritage, caste, religious purity. People who suffer from poor health or are under demonic oppression or are debt slaves. People who work in occupations considered despicable. In other words, people with low social status.
Jesus the anointed, the liberator who calls for a response Read More »
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder John 2:1-11. The English Standard Version extends the cluster to include verse 12 and supplies it with the heading “The Wedding at Cana.” The title is descriptive, not theological. But, as I’ve said in several earlier columns, John is a theologian.[1] He wrote his gospel to teach
The Word speaks words, and wine comes into being Read More »
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 3:15-17, 21-22. The English Standard Version doesn’t group these verses as two short clusters like the lectionary does. It groups verses 1-22 together and supplies them with the heading “John the Baptist Prepares the Way.” The story is about John whose birth God announced through an
Why did Jesus ask to be baptized? Read More »
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder John 1:1-18. The English Standard Version supplies the passage with the heading “The Word Became Flesh.” In the passage, John tells us what he’s going to tell us in the rest of his gospel. He leads us to believe that he’s going to tell us something changed
What’s the meaning of “the Word became Flesh”? Read More »
On the last Sunday in 2024, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 2:41-52. The English Standard Version (ESV) supplies the passage with the heading “The Boy Jesus in the Temple.” Verses 40 and 52 serve as bookends. They are summary statements. Verse 40 speaks of God’s favour upon Jesus. Verse 52 suggests a three-word
The time Jesus was lost and found Read More »
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 1:39-55. The English Standard version supplies it with the titles “Mary Visits Elizabeth,” and “Mary’s Song of Praise: The Magnificat.” Today, I’ll explain why I think that in her song Mary did something which, in Malaysia, would amount to the criminal offence of sedition. We often
Did Mary and Luke commit sedition? A Malaysian reading. Read More »
