One of the greatest challenges to understanding the message of Jesus is knowing how to categorize him as a speaker. When those first audiences gathered, who did they think they were going to hear? A teacher? A philosopher? A political leader? Or something else? In this fifth installment in the Next Steps into the Gospels course...
Category: Next Steps into the Bible: The Gospels
A 10-part series examining the message and ministry of Jesus within the world of first-century Judaism.
Gospels, Part 4: Satan, Demons, Devils and Exorcisms – Jesus’ Confrontation with Evil
Few elements of the biblical story cause contemporary readers more difficulty than talk of demons and devils. To our (post-?)modern sensibilities, they seem, at best, misdiagnoses of psychiatric conditions, and, at worst, conjure images of the church at its most misguided (witch trial, anyone?). And yet, Jesus’ confrontation with demonic powers is a fundamental dimension...
Gospels, Part 3: Miracles – Salvation Enacted
Much of Jesus’ ministry – and the Gospel descriptions thereof – revolve around his “miracles” (the Gk. word is best translated “works of power”). But what was their purpose? Did they simply serve to impress his audience, to demonstrate his might or authority? Or are they part and parcel of the declaration that “the kingdom...