COVID-19

Pay close attention to Jesus’ words in Luke 16:16 – “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.” His statement effectively “time stamps” the beginning point of new testament teaching. Since about 1970, a few preachers have loudly contended that the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – along with the first chapter of Acts – ought to be considered part of the…

The interviews in Luke 9:57-63 should be very instructive for Christians because they illustrate ways many people respond to the gospel. One man volunteers to follow the Lord “wherever you go” until he learns “the price of discipleship is higher than he expected (vs. 63 seems to imply that he did not make good his offer). Likewise, the man Jesus calls in verse 59 (and the second “volunteer” in vs. 61) is ready to be a disciple, but only after…

One of the unique details Luke presents about Jesus is his record of the relationship between Elizabeth (the mother of John the baptizer) and Mary (Jesus’ mother), in chapter one. According to verse 56, Mary stayed with Zechariah and Elizabeth for about three months (evidently, the last trimester of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, and presumably the first months of Mary’s own pregnancy). Note in verse 41 that when the baby John heard the voice of Mary, he “leaped” inside Elizabeth’s womb. This…

In our new testaments, the third account of Jesus’ life is also the only record addressed to a specific audience, in this case an individual. Theophilus–whose name means “lover of God” –is also the “addressee” of the book of Acts, which is Luke’s sequel to the life of Jesus. Some commentators assert that “Theophilus” is merely a metaphor for all Christians. Theophilus was a fairly common name in the Gentile world of the first century, however, so there is no…