Category Archives: Scripture

The Sermon on the Mount 7

Posted on January 7, 2010 by Jason

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. — Matthew 5.5 The Beatitudes operate on a counter-intuitive level. At first blush, we might wonder if Jesus has missed it on this one. The meek? Inherit the earth? I … Continue reading →

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Blessed

Posted on January 7, 2010 by Jason

Today has been a long day, but it’s been a good one. I spent the day with God’s people: men’s class this morning; a funeral for a fellow minister’s mother; lunch with a good friend; coffee & conversation with a … Continue reading →

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The Sermon on the Mount 6

Posted on December 29, 2009 by Jason

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. — Matthew 5.4 I used to have a really hard time with this passage of Scripture. I think those of us who have grieved deeply over the loss of a … Continue reading →

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What Does God Want for Christmas?

Posted on December 24, 2009 by Jason

In all the hustle and bustle of this season of giving and receiving, I had a funny thought today: what would God want for Christmas? I should add that these are the kinds of thoughts I usually have when I’m … Continue reading →

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12 Best Reads of 2009

Posted on December 22, 2009 by Jason

I’m a little disappointed in my reading output this year. Each year, i set a goal for myself of reading one book a week. Even though I fell woefully short of 52 books (by the time I finish my current … Continue reading →

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The Subject of Every Verb

Posted on December 22, 2009 by Jason

Terrence Fretheim, in his book The Pentateuch, makes some interesting observations regarding the rhetorical features of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. In addition to the portrait of God as Creator, Law-Giver, Judge, and Savior, an entirely relational … Continue reading →

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The Sermon on the Mount 5

Posted on December 2, 2009 by Jason

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. — Matthew 5.3 It is common to think of the Beatitudes as popcorn statements that Jesus directs at the crowd of people who gather to hear Him … Continue reading →

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The Sermon on the Mount 4

Posted on November 25, 2009 by Jason

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” — Matthew 4.17 Matthew prefaces his record of the Sermon on the Mount with this summary statement of Christ’s prophetic message, a call … Continue reading →

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The Sermon on the Mount 3

Posted on November 19, 2009 by Jason

My third and final presupposition for reading the Sermon on the Mount: Matthew writes in such a way to parallel Jesus with Moses / Israel. It seems that Matthew is interested in communicating a story that parallels the history of … Continue reading →

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The Sermon on the Mount 2

Posted on November 16, 2009 by Jason

I began this series by stating my first presupposition when it comes to the Sermon on the Mount, which is that Jesus actually meant what He said. My second presupposition is somewhat broader in nature as it has to do … Continue reading →

Posted in Gospel, Jesus, Scripture, Sermon on the Mount | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments