Matthew 6:1-18 Dear RTB’ers, Giving, praying, fasting. Yesterday we saw five sets of “You have heard…But…” teachings from Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount”. Today we have three more pairings, “…they have their reward in full … But… your Father … will reward you.” (vv. 6:2,4; 5,6; 16,18) We have only a few sentences each about …
Author Archives: Fred
January 10 / Matthew 5:17-48
Matthew 5:17-48 Dear RTB’ers, “…you have heard that it was said… But…” (Mt. 5:21,27,33,38,43). With each of these phrases Jesus offers a teaching that takes the Law (a commandment) to a new level, replacing the original with a higher standard reflecting a heart attitude different from a physical activity. Although Jesus has a rejoinder for …
January 9 / Matthew 5:1-16
Matthew 5:1-16 Dear RTB’ers, Better than your reading my post…, write your own: Am I poor in spirit…? (v. 3) Am I among those who mourn…? (v. 4) Am I meek…? (v. 5) Etc. Blessings! See also: March 4 (2019) / Matt. 5:1-12.
January 8 / Matthew 4
Matthew 4 Dear RTB’ers, Today’s reading covers Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, His “settling” in Capernaum, and His calling His first disciples. But what struck me was the few verses after these incidents: And He went throughout all Galilee, teaching … and proclaiming the gospel … and healing every disease and every affliction … and …
January 7 / Matthew 3
Matthew 3 Dear RTB’ers, John and I posted comments and readers added their own comments when we read through the gospels in 2019, 2021, and 2023. I don’t look at those comments in advance, so anything that I post now could very well duplicate what John or I said in years past. There’s no problem …
January 6 / Matthew 2
Matthew 2 Dear RTB’ers, “…in a dream…” We see this phrase five times in Matthew’s first two chapters (Mt. 1:20; 2:12,13,19,22). Dreams appear to be God’s choice in speaking to Joseph; recall that He had sent an angel to Zechariah, Mary, and the shepherds (Mt. 1:11-20,26-38; 2:9-15). Have any of you had God speak directly …
January 5 / Matthew 1
Matthew 1 Dear RTB’ers, I have often encouraged all of us to own a study Bible to read along the STS notes and my posts in our daily reading. One particular advantage of a study Bible is that each book in the Bible is given an introduction to the book itself, typically explaining its authorship, …
January 4 / Isaiah 66
Isaiah 66 Dear RTB’ers, Isaiah. Beginning on November 17 we have read Isaiah for 42 days out of the next 49 – only one week in that seven-week span reading the apostle John’s three letters. So we’ve been on a long journey, ending today on a happy note as we read more about the New …
January 3 / Isaiah 65
Isaiah 65 Dear RTB’ers, Tomorrow, Sunday, January 4, our first RTB gathering of the new year – in Nathan Hall after coffee hour (and bus duty and cleanup). Come join us! Today, two distinct threads between verses 1-16 and 17-25. In the former God is distinguishing between Israelites who are faithful (My servants, Isaiah 65:8,9, …
January 2 / Isaiah 63:7-64:12
Isaiah 63:7-64:12 Dear RTB’ers, Today’s reading sounds much like a lament that we may have read from one of the Psalms. A few years back I noted (from one of my Study Bibles) the elements of a lament: a cry for help; the author’s situation; an expression of confidence; a protestation of innocence or a …