Why did Jesus provoke such rage in his religious contemporaries? And why do we still often bristle ourselves at his words? While we imagine that one who brings God’s word of salvation would be warmly welcomed – at least by us! Yet history and the human condition reveal that we often “can’t handle the truth”...
Category: Biblical Studies
God, Self & Other – Luke 06: Love, Repentance and John the Baptist
An enigmatic figure in his day and in ours! In this episode we examine the ministry of John the Baptist – a prophet in the style of Elijah who came preaching both warning and welcome as preparation for the coming of Jesus. In particular, we’ll interpret John in light of his contemporaries and how his...
God, Self & Other – Luke 05: Christmas, The Great (and Terrible?) Day of the Lord!
The central question of Israel’s faith in the first century boiled down to this: What must we do to provoke God to complete his project of salvation? It had been centuries since the temple – destroyed during the Babylonian invasion – had been restored, and yet the glory of God had not returned. Some attempts...