Unsung Brothers David Anguish Save for a break here and a bounce there, Mark Lemke would have been named Most Valuable Player of the 1991 World Series. All he did in the seven games was bat .417, hit three triples, score the winning run in Game 4, and make a key defensive play which changed the flow of Game 5. Not a bad week’s work for a man who was not the starter at his position at the beginning of the series, or for much of the season for that matter. A little known utility infielder, as...
9 days ago • 4 min read
Image by Waldryano from Pixabay A few months ago, I received an email from a Christian sister in another state. She was leading a ladies Bible study in her home church and using the commentary on Luke 1–9 that I finished writing nine years ago. She wanted to thank me for my work. The receipt of her note reminded me why I write; it also encouraged me to keep writing. As Joe Barnett wrote decades ago, the printed word has a uniquely lasting value for influence and meditation on God’s word. I...
13 days ago • 2 min read
Opening the Scriptures Then their eyes were opened and they recognized [Jesus], and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” ~ Luke 24.31-32 NIV 1 Peter, Standing of God's People # 2 Suffering: Remember This First David Anguish As we read 1 Peter, it is evident that Peter wanted to prepare his readers to endure suffering, especially the suffering of persecution (1 Pet...
23 days ago • 7 min read
The Coming One … and His Mission David Anguish Following Jesus’ sermon at Nazareth, which, in Luke, “is programmatic for … understanding … the mission of Jesus” (Luke 4.16–30) (Green 1995, 76), the author recounts a series of episodes that showcase Jesus’ teaching, healings, exorcisms, nature miracles, calling of disciples, socializing with outsiders, Sabbath works, and responses to criticism (4.31—6.11). He then reports Jesus’ selection of the twelve apostles and the core principles of his...
30 days ago • 5 min read
Opening the Scriptures Then their eyes were opened and they recognized [Jesus], and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” ~ Luke 24.31-32 NIV 1 Peter, Standing of God's People # 1 Confident in a Sure Salvation David Anguish πάσχω (paschō, to suffer) — 12 times: 1 Peter 2.19–21, 23; 3.14, 17–18; 4.1, 15, 19; 5.10 πάθημα (pathēma, suffering) — 4 times: 1 Peter 1.11;...
about 1 month ago • 7 min read
Mad Enough to Kill David Anguish Just what did he say to make them so angry? The beginning was uneventful. He stood, found his text, and read one of Scripture’s great promise passages. When the Lord’s anointed arrives, the poor will hear the good news and the brokenhearted will be healed. Captives will be released, the blind will see, and the oppressed will be liberated. At first, his words were well received. So, too, was his bold claim that followed: that he was the one fulfilling the great...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Opening the Scriptures Then their eyes were opened and they recognized [Jesus], and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” ~ Luke 24.31-32 NIV 1 Peter, Introduction # 6 1 Peter's Message and Relevance David Anguish These are people [Peter’s readers] whose commitment to the lordship of Jesus Christ have led to transformed attitudes and behaviors that place them on the...
about 2 months ago • 7 min read
The Kingdom in Context David Anguish In seeking to understand the New Testament, it is essential to keep in mind that neither the documents nor the story they tell arose from a vacuum (see The Bible’s One Story). Ideas that are brought to fulfillment in the New Testament originate and are defined in terms of their use in the Old Testament and Judaism. Everett Ferguson elaborated on this point relative to the references to the kingdom in the Gospels: In the ministry of Jesus as described in...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Opening the Scriptures Then their eyes were opened and they recognized [Jesus], and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” ~ Luke 24.31-32 NIV 1 Peter, Introduction # 5 1 Peter's Readers and Their Circumstances David Anguish Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ: To those chosen, living as exiles dispersed abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen...
2 months ago • 7 min read