Mark continues his authentication of Jesus’ deity by appealing once again to Old Testament prophecies and events, especially Isaiah. Just as the Holy Spirit led the people of the Exodus through the waters of the Red Sea to freedom, so Jesus leads His followers through His baptism into the New Exodus. Mark identifies Jesus as the […]
Mark 1:4-8
John the Baptist was a prophet after the pattern and stature of Elijah. His baptism went beyond ritual self-cleansing to a baptism that marked repentance in search of forgiveness from God. In all this he was an effective herald of the ministry of Jesus, a prophet far greater than John or any who had preceded him. Jesus, […]
Mark 1:2-3
We cannot fully understand the New Testament without a proper knowledge of the Old Testament. In his gospel account Mark rests his claim that Jesus is God by equating Yahweh the Deliverer in the Old Testament prophecies of Isaiah, Exodus, and Malachi with Jesus. But Jesus’ rescue of captives would be greater. His deliverance would complete the Old […]
Mark 1:1
The gospel of Mark opens with several truth claims: Jesus is identified as Israel’s promised One, the Messiah. The man Jesus is not just a man but the Son of God, who, as sons do, carries on the work of the Father. The very name Jesus carries the gospel message “Yahweh saves”, and Mark’s gospel account will go […]
Psalm 30
The one who truly loves God never feels that God gets the praise He deserves. In this text David the psalmist expresses his joy over the deliverances of God for him and calls on the saints to do the same. Even when he has been prideful due to complacency or perhaps a sense of deserving God’s favor, that […]
Psalm 29
Psalm 29 is a rich expression of the psalmist’s yearning to see the glory of God recognized, first in heaven, and then on earth. He recognizes the Lord’s greatness in His power and characterizes that power by His thunderous voice, a force that can carry destructive power. When He brings storms into our lives that shake us, […]
Luke 3:1–14
John the Baptist came to preach good news. It began and ended with a call to repentance which leads to forgiveness. He warned the Jews of his day to beware a smug contentment with law keeping or ancestry as their hope for acceptance by God. By resting in such false assurance they would be among the ones […]
Luke 3:1-14
The ministry of John the Baptist was short but eventful. He came to herald the coming of the Messiah, God’s greatest saving act. He came, preaching in the desert, in the desert of Israel’s existence as it labored under the rule of wealthy and powerful Rome, and under the empty faith of its spiritual leaders. He preached in […]