VIDEO: Water and Fire, Part 1
In which I give an explanation of some of the deeper meanings in Mark’s story of Yeshua’s immersion, of John the Baptizer’s work, and of the way John anticipated what Yeshua would do after him. In...
View ArticleVIDEO: Water and Fire Part 2
The kingdom implications and Hebrew Bible background of John the Baptizer and Yeshua’s immersion.
View ArticleMyth of a Less-Jewish Galilee
In 2013 I will be researching some history and cultural context of Galilee, primarily from Sean Freyne’s Galilee: From Alexander the Great to Hadrian (many thanks to Mitch Moyer for donating the book...
View ArticleThe Resurrection Through Jewish Eyes
When Lazarus died, Yeshua was consoling Martha, “Your brother will rise again” (John 11:23). “I know,” she replied, “that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” This was an answer...
View ArticlePharisees
On Wednesday I blogged about a unique Bible study group I am co-teaching for seven weeks this summer on the context of the Bible. In preparation I am making outlines and notes on various topics. There...
View ArticleEternal Messiah
My topic for today is inspired by a post on Scot McKnight’s blog about the controversial church father, Origen. One area in which Origen was not controversial was in his groundbreaking development of...
View ArticleThe Much-Storied Yeshua
The evidence is indirect, but strong, that the earliest followers of Yeshua would gather to tell and hear stories about him. Eventually four collections of these stories were put to writing when it...
View ArticleThe Gospel from the Gospels #2
A friend and I are co-teaching a group north of Atlanta that wants to learn the history and context behind the New Testament. My friend, Steve Purtell, said in the first session, “These are the things...
View ArticleBetter Informed Seekers = Need for Jewish Jesus
Thursdays at MJ Musings are for Messianic Jewish – Christian Relations. I blog on Thursdays about topics I think are relevant to Christians and churches, things many Messianic Jews would love to...
View ArticleThe Gospel from the Gospels #3
Movements can and usually do get off track. Still it is unsettling to think that Christianity in many settings has come to have little to do with what Jesus taught and did. The best thing that can...
View ArticleDavid Matthews Turns Talk of Jesus and Temple Upside Down
To good result. What you’ve heard before? Probably wrong. Jesus didn’t plan the obsolescence of the Temple. He died because he had a zeal to see the full restoration. In Part 4 of this series on...
View ArticleThe Way Yeshua Applies Torah (Halakhah)
In very general terms, there are two diametrically opposed ways of approaching the commandments for the purpose of applying them. One is a loophole approach, looking for the least common denominator...
View ArticleJesus and Sacrifices, This Week’s Series on AncientBible.net
Imagine Jesus in line at the Temple in Jerusalem, a goat or lamb beside him — the Lamb of God about to offer to God the Father an actual lamb. Is this difficult for you? It could be that, even...
View ArticleJesus and Sacrifices, Part 2, on AncientBible.net
The Gospels never depict Jesus offering a sacrifice. Could there be a reason? You bet, and the answer helps us understand a new dimension of the Jewishness of the New Testament. A giant cultural blind...
View ArticleDid Mary Have Faith?
Miriam (Mary) is the mother of Yeshua. According to Luke, she was visited by the angel Gabriel (1:26-38), heard the prophecy of Elisheva (Elizabeth, 1:39-45), and uttered the “Magnificat” (traditional...
View ArticleThe Sower and Yeshua’s Revolution, Part 1
What would you hear if you were among the crowds standing on those hills in Galilee as Yeshua spoke? Many interpretations of the Sower parable you might hear by church leaders in our time have...
View ArticleHistory, Yeshua, and His Predictions
Yeshua’s predictions of his suffering and resurrection can easily be doubted. It is easy to come up with a plausible, non-supernatural scenario, in which a Jewish teacher believed he would be martyred...
View ArticleHidden Corners and the Messiah Revelation
The single greatest reason devotion to Jesus is something hard for people to believe is important is that God does his work quietly and in hidden corners while the world is looking for noise and...
View ArticleUnderstanding Legalism, John 8
Legalism is not what you think it is. The term “legalism” is primarily used in Christian discussions and comes up in Messianic life often, especially when interacting with Christians. It is a...
View ArticleLazarus and the Fourth Gospel’s Unique Insight
In my comments on John 11 today for the Daily D’var email list, I bring up a little known issue about the authors of the four Gospels. Only one of them was an eyewitness. Feel free to comment and/or...
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