One of the most troubling images in Jesus’s teaching is the sorting of the sheep and the goats (the “sheep” being the “righteous” who are rewarded with eternal life, the goats the “unrighteous” condemned to punishment). At first glance the stakes appear to be “heaven” and “hell,” with our human actions the determining factor in...
Tag: understanding Jesus
Understanding the Bible 24: The Transfiguration and Jesus’s Messianic Identity
“Who do you say that I am?” This questions forms a turning point in the Gospel narratives and remains a central question for students of the Bible in every generation. Precisely who is this Jesus of Nazareth? As we’ve discussed before, those who encountered Jesus would have understood him as a prophet (one sent...
Understanding the Bible 23: Demons, Exorcisms and the Reality of Evil
Is there such at thing as Evil? Not just as an adjective – describing the character of an act or even a person – but as a thing in and of itself; evil with a capital “E”? From the biblical perspective, the answer is: yes. There is a force, a drive within creation that...