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 …
“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.
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 »
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to meditate on Luke 7:18-28. The English Standard version groups verses 18-35 together and supplies the title “Messengers from John the Baptist.” My title is borrowed from Fred Craddock. It graphically states what John thought was the purpose of his life. He thought his purpose was to serve subpoenas, …
The judge is coming and I’m here to serve subpoenas Read More »
The question came up on Tuesday. Online. During the 5:30 Advent Morning Devotion. During the seventh session. As usual the session began with a short prayer. Then, we began listening to an audio recording of two chapters from the gospel according to Luke. Within about five minutes, we heard Luke 14:23. It’s in Jesus’ parable …
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 3:1-6. The English Standard Version supplies the heading “John the Baptist Prepares the Way” to verses 1-22. No versions treat verses 1-6 as a separate unit. But there is value in treating them separately, because here Luke names – and shames – the most powerful people …
Why does Luke present a rogues gallery of autocrats? Read More »
