Jesus as Foreigner at the Well (Part 2) [Video]
In this lesson we turn to a detailed analysis of how the Scriptures develop the well story in the lives of Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Ruth, and Saul. We also consider…
Jesus as Foreigner at the Well (Part One) [Video]
There are six “Well Stories” in Scripture. These are variations on a romantic tale where the will of God is worked out through His saints. The five Well Stories in…
Matthew’s Contest of Kings: Ringside Version
This is Matthew ‘the Taxman’ Apostle, coming to you live and ringside, bringing you blow by blow coverage for this evening’s main event. We’ve got quite a bout for you…
From Corrupt Society to Sacred Community: Isaiah 59 in Acts 2
I love discovering deeper layers of meaning in books and movies than stand out on the surface. I thrill when, having read or watched something on one level, I discover…
The Deity of Jesus in Mark 4 & Acts 1
A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. It is not uncommon when teens grow into young adults to mistake their college level introduction to philosophy, theology, science, or even…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Studies
Biblical Theology
HAGALAH
Inductive Study Methods
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Jesus, The Prophet of Prophets
In our last two posts on the incident at Nain, we discussed the importance of geographical study as something deeper than map investigations, and the importance of typology for an…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Studies
Biblical Theology
HAGALAH
Inductive Study Methods
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Old Testament Studies
What the Woman Caught in Adultery Shouldn’t Teach Us: Law, Grace & Bad Hermeneutics
John 8:7 is especially popular with non-Christians who resent any suggestion within Christianity that they are sinners in need of salvation. It is usually paraphrased, “He who is without sin,…
Keep One Eye on the Old Testament: Mark 1:2-13 & Ancient Reference
“I’m a New Testament Christian!” A common boast by those little interested in the Old Testament… I mean… Doesn’t that just sound defunct… OLD… Good old things get the label…
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Language Issues
Biblical Theology
HAGALAH
Inductive Study Methods
Intertestamental History & Literature
Meeting the Jesus of Mark
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
A Baptism in Confusion: 3 Baptisms in Mark 1:2-13
In our last episode, we introduced the bare bones essence of water baptism as an ancient covenant ratification act saturated with typical death imagery and corresponding OT interests in ordeal…
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Theology
HAGALAH
Inductive Study Methods
Meeting the Jesus of Mark
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Old Testament Studies
A Baptism in Baptism
So you read the whole Old Testament. You read it several times. Having immersed yourself in the literature that your Bible, by its basic structure, seems to promise as the…
Bible Backgrounds
Inductive Study Methods
Meeting the Jesus of Mark
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Old Testament Studies
Text Criticism Issues
Name that Quote: Exodus 23:20, Malachi 3:1, and Isaiah 40:3 in Mark 1:2
I will never forget my first Master’s paper at Regent University. I called it, “How They Got This Out of That.” I worked hard in my undergraduate programs (Yes, programs…
Biblical Language Issues
Inductive Study Methods
Meeting the Jesus of Mark
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
“As” if: Mark 1:2-4 as a Single Sentence
There is a certain beauty in translation. It is not only a science, but also an art… some would say not even a science. There are all kinds of philosophies…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Studies
HAGALAH
Inductive Study Methods
NT's Use of the OT
Old Testament Studies
So, a Donkey and an Ox Wander into a Parallel: Exodus 23:3-6
To the Hebrews context mattered a good deal. Our own struggles to understand the use to which some New Testament writers put certain Old Testament texts may make us doubt…
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Language Issues
Biblical Studies
Inductive Study Methods
Meeting the Jesus of Mark
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Technical Terms We Only Think We Understand: Gospel in Mark 1:1
There are many bingo phrases that Christian’s throw around at church that I am convinced they barely understand. If you ask them what their favorite terms mean, you will, more…
Biblical Studies
Biblical Theology
Inductive Study Methods
Meeting the Jesus of Mark
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Jesus had an Identity Crisis: Christ & Son of God in Mark 1:1
I had a professor once, gifted in languages, but not in relationships. He could not only read more than his fair share of languages even for a scholar, but he…
Biblical Language Issues
Biblical Studies
Biblical Theology
NT's Use of the OT
Old Testament Studies
Fearsome Holiness
Though appearing over 1000x in Scripture, HOLY is a tricky notion to express in modern secular communities. Few raised in the modern western tradition today have the proper mental and…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Biblical Studies
Biblical Theology
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
A Crazy Proposal About Jesus and the Woman at the Well
Okay, as promised, this is the last post on the popular type-scene “Foreigner at the Well.” I hope it will be rewarding enough to warrant a gander. No, you don’t…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Language Issues
Biblical Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Old Testament Studies
Hallelujah: Call “of” Praise or Call “to” Praise
After discussing, in my recent blog post, “Hallelujah is a Sentence,” that the biblical “term” Hallelujah has grammar and that we should both be aware of that grammar and use…
The Worst Interpretive Rule I Ever Learned
If there is one thing I can say about the church I was raised in, indeed I can say many things about it, but this blog is rated PG-13, I…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Studies
Biblical Theology
HAGALAH
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
A Prophet in Nain: Luke’s Portrait of Jesus in 7:11-16
In my previous post “The Inanity of Nain,” I introduced the importance of the physical association of Jesus’ raising of the widow’s son with Elisha’s wondrous raising of the Shunammite’s.…