The account of Jesus’ trial before Pilate makes no logical sense, until you figure in the emotion that was present. Just days before, the crowd had praised Jesus as he entered into Jerusalem, declaring him to be the son of David. The religious leaders should have followed Jesus and rejoiced at his coming, because theyContinue reading “The Destructive Power of Fear”
Tag Archives: religion
True Religion
When the Pharisees pointed out the failure of Jesus’ disciples to follow the traditions of the elders, Jesus addressed their hypocrisy that had been previously addressed by Isaiah the prophet, through whom God declared that the people honor him with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. The Pharisees were those who livedContinue reading “True Religion”
Why people may reject Jesus
Observing the reaction of the religious leaders to Jesus is instructive. Jesus did amazing things; primarily he helped people. So we must ask the question, why would the religious leaders react so negatively to him? What do we know about the religious leaders? They often did not act or speak the truth, because they fearedContinue reading “Why people may reject Jesus”
Knowing Jesus
How do we know we belong to Jesus? John, whom we also identify as “the Baptist”, was a prophet in the mold of the Old Testament. Theologians consider him to be the last of the Old Testament prophets. In his message to the people he was blunt and even harsh. To the people who cameContinue reading “Knowing Jesus”
The Irony of an Offense
It can happen that what we consider truth may actually hinder us from growth in our understanding. Jesus revealed an ironic truth to the religious leaders during his conversation with them after he healed the man by the pool on the Sabbath. They rejected Jesus for two reasons; he healed on the Sabbath and heContinue reading “The Irony of an Offense”
How to respond to blessing
In the parable of the talents, Jesus taught his disciples how to respond to blessings in our life. The first two servants responded by using their blessings (talents) for good, but the third man hid his because he was afraid of the Master. In fear, he actually accused his Master of stealing from others (seeContinue reading “How to respond to blessing”
Thankfulness
I recently heard a speaker explain that, according to studies, the most underdeveloped attribute in humans is gratitude. Because we have not developed gratitude in our lives, we fail to discern all that is good in our life. If we fail to focus on the good, then we give in to the tendency to focusContinue reading “Thankfulness”
Jesus’ Nearness
A few years ago, a missionary speaker came to the church I was pastoring. His young son of three, who had recently broken his leg, was with him as he spoke. After holding his son for a while, the speaker put him down on the platform next to him as he shared about their ministry.Continue reading “Jesus’ Nearness”
Jesus is the Treasure
In 1980, a movie came out called Little Lord Fauntleroy. It was about a little American boy, Cedric or Ceddie, and his aristocratic English grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt. At the beginning of the movie, it was believed that Ceddie was the last surviving heir to his grandfather. He was brought from America to EnglandContinue reading “Jesus is the Treasure”
David Freitag 