shame and inheritance
In 2013, the Catholic Church in Venezuela reported that it was running out of wine to celebrate Mass because of a nationwide shortage. This reminds me of another shortage of wine that took place in the village of Cana where Jesus was attending a wedding.
the rolling stone
Jesus was dead—witnessed by His executioners (Mark 15:37-39), confirmed by Pilate (Mark 15:44-45), and attested by two high-court judges who prepared His lifeless body for burial (Mark 15:43; John 3:1,19:38-39). Jesus was laid in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. The entrance was sealed by an extremely large, round stone (Mark 15:46). It would take many strong men to move the 1- to 2-ton door. This troubled the women who had gone to anoint Jesus’ body: “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” (Mark 16:3). They had worried unnecessarily, however. For the large stone “had already been rolled aside” (Mark 16:4), the work of an angel (Matthew 28:2).
money or mobility?
I hardly ever encounter beggars on the streets. But in some countries, you can find them begging at the markets and shopping malls. Once, when visiting a neighboring country, my hosts told me that for my own sake I had to ignore the beggars. If I showed the slightest interest in one, he would pursue and pester me until I gave him some money. And the moment I gave to one I would be very quickly swarmed by many others.
counting the cost
Jesus’ good friend Lazarus had died (John 11:14,17). And so He performed an amazing miracle by raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43-44)—leading many who came to the funeral to believe in Him (John 11:45). But the Pharisees and priests responded differently. From that time on, they began to plot Jesus’ death (John 11:53).
redeeming illness
It’s easy to miss today’s short passage when reading the book of Galatians. We rightly focus on Paul’s important teaching that salvation is a gift from God, and nothing but faith (rather than keeping the Jewish law) is needed in order to receive it. These few verses in chapter 4, however, have a beauty all their own.
It seems that…
teenage pregnancy
If your teenage daughter or your fiancé told you she was pregnant but was still a virgin, would you believe her? For when a single person becomes pregnant, the evidence of sexually immoral conduct is highly probable. That’s because, beyond medically engineered fertilization, it’s impossible to get pregnant without sexual contact. There’s no other acceptable or reasonable explanation— unless, of…
goldfields' miracle
Science’s discovery of nature’s laws makes an intervening God less believable. We surmise that lost limbs don’t grow back, and dead men don’t return to life. Or do they?
In October 2008, medical doctor Sean George was driving from Esperance to Kalgoorlie in the West Australian goldfields, when he started feeling chest pain. He called his wife and got to the…
God's visit
If you take a trip to Israel, will you plan to visit Nain? Probably not. This ancient village (now known as Nein) isn't located on any major roads running through the Jezreel Plain. It's not likely that many tourists visited this off-the-beaten-path destination during the time of Jesus either. But it was in this small, obscure village that the Savior…
