Luke 11:53-12:12 Dear RTB’ers, In yesterday’s reading Jesus connected his listeners, the Pharisees and lawyers, back to the Old Testament, “…so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the …
Monthly Archives: February 2024
February 19 / Luke 11:37-52
Luke 11:37-52 Dear RTB’ers, In 2019 our RTB group focused solely on the gospels. I looked back at what I had posted back then: “No doubt Jesus was speaking truth, but as a dinner guest He was less than courteous in His speech. More to the point, it was outright condemnation that He spoke. Surely …
February 18 / Luke 11:14-36
Luke 11:14-36 Dear RTB’ers, A mix of topics today. Jesus casting out a demon leads to a long discourse from Jesus about demons and unclean spirits, then more teaching from Jesus, much of which is also covered in Matthew and Mark. I don’t have much to say about demons, other than trusting what Jesus says. …
February 17 / Luke 11:1-13
Luke 11:1-13 Dear RTB’ers, Prayer, specifically the Lord’s Prayer, persistence, and asking. The Lord’s Prayer also appears in a somewhat different, more familiar form in Matthew 6:9-13, during Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The persistence portion of today’s reading (Luke 11:5-8) is similar to the widow’s testing of the judge in Luke 18:1-8. Finally, the …
February 16 / Luke 10:25-42
Luke 10:25-42 Dear RTB’ers, Two familiar stories today, the parable of the Good Samaritan and Jesus with Martha and Mary. I daresay that the parable of the Good Samaritan is the most well-known of all of Jesus’ parables. Yes, surprisingly, this parable appears only in Luke’s gospel. Both Matthew and Mark have a lawyer asking …
February 15 / Luke 10:13-24
Luke 10:13-24 Dear RTB’ers, Woe to you, Chorazin! … Bethsaida! (v. 13) … Capernaum! (v. 15) … USA! … Western Europe! Yes, us and our closest allies! I can remember growing up that Italy, Spain, France, and Ireland were all strong Catholic countries, that Germany was Lutheran, and that the United Kingdom was Anglican. Now …
February 14 / Luke 9:57-10:12
Luke 9:57-10:12 Dear RTB’ers, We return to the New Testament, back to Luke’s gospel. When we left Luke almost three weeks ago, we saw that Jesus was leaving Galilee and headed toward Judea: When the days drew near for Him to be taken up, He set His face to go to Jerusalem. (Luke 9:51) Today …
February 13 / Genesis 26
Genesis 26 Dear RTB’ers, Today is our last day in Genesis for a while. Tomorrow we return to Luke to cover another third of his gospel; then after about three weeks we’ll come back to Genesis. Today’s reading covers a series of events in Isaac’s life. It’s the only occasion where the focus is on …
February 12 / Genesis 24:61-25:34
Genesis 24:61-25:34 Dear RTB’ers, I mentioned yesterday that Isaac’s “story” quickly shifts to his sons instead. Jacob and Esau are at odds with each other from their time in the womb (Gen. 25:27), then in their actual birth, with Jacob holding on to Esau9’s heel (Gen. 25:26). Their difficulties continue with Esau selling his birthright …
February 11 / Genesis 24:1-60
Genesis 24:1-60 Dear RTB’ers, A wife for Isaac. Of the three patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), Isaac gets the least mention. We met Abraham back in Genesis 11 and will bury him in Genesis 25. Jacob is born in Genesis 26 and we will follow him into Egypt until he is buried in Genesis 50. With …