Read more in Peter’s devotional Bible study, A New Heaven and a New Earth: 40 Practical Insights from John’s Book of Revelation.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
When Jesus’ disciples asked him how to pray, he gave them a short little example.
It’s commonly called “The Lord’s Prayer” (though some suggest “The Disciples’ Prayer” would be a more appropriate label.) Others refer to it as “Our Father” after its opening phrase.
The Lord’s Prayer is found in Matthew 6:9-13. In the NIV, it’s only 53 words long and 66 words if you include the additional text at the end that is not found in all manuscripts:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.
“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (53 words)… “for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen,” (13 more words; 66 total).
The Lord’s Prayer is also found in Luke 11:2-4. Compared to Matthew’s version, it omits two phrases and simplifies others, so it is even shorter, at only 34 words:
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
In my prior post, “Listen to Understand,” I noted that listening to Jesus results in more understanding; not listening produces confusion.
This parallels Jesus’ teaching about the “talents” and the “minas” (both words refer to denominations of money).
These parables, though differing in details (likely because they were given to different audiences at different times) have the same conclusion and message.
To those who invest their master’s money wisely, more responsibility (or money) is given; to those who fail to invest, what they have will be taken away.
Just as really listening to God results in more understanding of him, so too being faithful in the jobs he has given us results in greater responsibility and opportunity.
Many followers of Jesus desire to do great things for him, but before he gives us huge opportunities, we must prove ourselves diligent in completing lesser tasks first.
When we are diligent in serving God, he rewards us with more.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Doctor Luke writes that Jesus tells the people to listen carefully to what he says. When they do, they will understand—and then even greater understanding will follow.
But there’s a warning, too. Those who don’t really listen will lose whatever understanding they currently have.
Listening to Jesus results in more understanding; not listening results in confusion.
If we are to understand, we need to listen to him—really listen.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
One time Jesus skipped the ceremonial hand washing before he ate. The Pharisees took notice of his omission and were about to criticize him when he took preemptive action, giving them teaching about six woes:
Tithing, but neglecting justice and God’s love (v 42)
Loving others to be noticed and respected (v 43)
Being like unmarked graves—an unseen danger (v 44)
Making unrealistic demands of others (that they don’t do) and not helping out (v 46)
Implicitly honoring the sins of their ancestors (v 47-51)
Hiding the truth from people—and missing it themselves (v 52)
When considering these six woes, ceremonial hand washing isn’t a big deal.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Jesus said, “It is not healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Jesus came for the sick. (Since he came to heal and to save, we may be able to comprehend this both literally and figuratively, that is, the physically sick and the spiritually sick.)
Jesus came for sinners—those who miss the mark.
Conversely, Jesus did not come for the healthy, the righteous. What exactly does that mean? Perhaps:
People who are righteous (good and law-abiding) don’t need Jesus. (Is Jesus implying their path is through the Old Testament covenant and following the Law of Moses?)
People who think they are on the right track will never know they need Jesus, so he is dismissing them.
Everyone needs Jesus, but some people delude themselves, thinking they are the exception.
None of these ideas is an adequate explanation for me of what this text means. Although the first one seems heretical, it is also the most direct understanding of Jesus’ actual words.
The other two responses require an interjection of ideas, some assumptions to be made—of basically reading the text through our own theological glasses.
Fortunately, I don’t need to understand this text completely. What I do know is I need a doctor—and his name is Jesus.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Tuesday’s post was about Jesus’ invitation to side with his life-party. This is not a raise-your-hand, say-a-prayer, or sign-a-card decision made without careful consideration, but a total, lifelong commitment regardless of the consequences.
To grasp the enormity of this, contemplate the verses where these phrases appears in the Amplified version of the Bible:
…became His disciples [sided with His party and followed Him] (Matthew 4:20).
…joined Jesus as disciples [sided with His party and followed Him] (Matthew 4:22).
“Be My disciple [side with My party and follow Me],” (Matthew 9:9).
“…be My disciple [side with My party and follow Me]” (Matthew 19:21).
…become Your disciples [sided with Your party and followed You] (Matthew 19:27).
“…you who have [become My disciples, sided with My party and] followed Me,” (Matthew 19:28).
…followed [with] Him [joining Him as disciples and siding with His party] (Mark 1:18).
…went off after Him [to be His disciples, side with His party, and follow Him] (Mark 1:20).
Follow Me! [Be joined to Me as a disciple, side with My party!] (Mark 2:14).
…take up his cross, and [joining Me as a disciple and siding with My party] follow with Me (Mark 8:34).
“…we have yielded up and abandoned everything [once and for all and joined You as Your disciples, siding with Your party],” (Mark 10:28).
…they left everything and joined Him as His disciples and sided with His party and accompanied Him (Luke 5:11).
“Join Me as a disciple and side with My party and accompany Me” (Luke 5:27).
And he forsook everything and got up and followed Him [becoming His disciple and siding with His party] (Luke 5:28).
“Become My disciple, side with My party, and accompany Me!” (Luke 9:59).
“I will follow You, Lord, and become Your disciple and side with Your party,” (Luke 9:61).
“…follow Me [become My disciple, join My party, and accompany Me],” (Luke 18:22).
…many believed in His name [identified themselves with His party] (John 2:23).
This is what it means to follow Jesus.
[Biblical references to Jesus’ party (and a few others, too)]
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Regardless of what country you live in, there will be at least one political party, and usually many to choose from. People who read and follow the Bible often affiliate with a particular party in order to best align their politics with the Bible.
What’s interesting is they can read the same book and reach different conclusions about which party to join. This, I think, points to the diversity of the Bible—and the God behind it—as much to the varied interpretations of its readers.
But setting politics aside, what if there was a life party, a holistic philosophy that covered everything? Might you join a compelling life party? I have.
In the Amplified Bible, Jesus invites people to “side with my party.” This wasn’t about politics, but about life.
When Jesus calls people to do this, it usually accompanies phrases such as “be my disciple” and “follow me.”
Other supporting thoughts include “take up your cross,” “forsake everything,” “identify with me,” “leave everything,” and “join with me.”
Being part of Jesus’ party isn’t about politics; it’s about all of life. It’s not an opinion to be held, it‘s about a complete, all-in, sold-out commitment to side with him.
Will you side with his party?
[Biblical references to Jesus’ party (and a few others, too)]
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
The Bible writes that Mary became pregnant by the Holy Spirit and the result of this spiritual/physical union was Jesus—it was a virgin birth.
This supernatural impregnation was the spiritual superseding the physical. And if God can do that, he can certainly heal our bodies and restore us to health.
He has the power to do that. (When and why he does so is a different discussion for a different time.)
However, there are some within Christendom who deny the possibility that a baby could be conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. These are often the people who also disregard God being able to heal.
Their view of God is more limited than mine, but just because our respective understandings of God are different, it would be wrong to assume one is right and the other, wrong.
God is a big God and even the grandest of our comprehensions of him are small and understated. So we understand him the best we can and to the degree we are able—and I suspect that is enough.
[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Luke 1-3, and today’s post is on Luke 1:35.]
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
