June 19 / John 7:25-36

John 7:25-36 “Notice what you notice.” But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, “When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?” (v. 31) What a powerful testimony from the crowd! They saw what they saw – and simply believed! Unlike …

June 18 / John 7:10-24

John 7:10-24 “Notice what you notice.” The entire first paragraph of today’s reading is intriguing. John seems to be distinguishing between “the Jews” and “the people” (or the crowds). When he mentions the Jews, I’m thinking that he means the Jewish leaders. In this first paragraph John writes that the Jews “were looking for him” …

June 16 / Luke 9:46-50

Luke 9:46-50 “Notice what you notice.” Today from Luke… John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” (v. 49) A very short comment, given that it’s late in the day and we’ve had a full day! So, short …

June 15 / Mark 9:33-50

Mark 9:33-50 “Notice what you notice.” Three short vignettes today from Mark, repeating two from Matthew and one repeated in Luke tomorrow. So for today, “Who is the greatest?” Matthew has the disciples coming to Jesus (location uncertain) and asking Him that question. Mark has them all in Capernaum in “the house”, having been discussing …

June 14 / Matt. 17:24-18:9

Matthew 17:24-18:9 “Notice what you notice.” Three short vignettes today from Matthew – the temple tax, becoming like children, and temptations to sin. Two of these are also covered in Mark and Luke, but only the temple tax is covered in Matthew. Later Jesus again deals with taxation in Matthew (the former tax collector) and …

June 13 / Luke 9:37-45

Luke 9:37-45 “Notice what you notice.” Luke has two interesting twists to the story that we have been reading the past two days. First, for Luke, this boy is an only child. Matthew and Mark only mention the boy as “my son”. Second and more striking to me, however, was the Jesus’ quote in the …

June 12 / Mark 9:14-32

Mark 9:14-32 “Notice what you notice.” WOW! A number of good items to report on today, including, for every one of us, our favorite Bible verse: Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (v. 24) “I believe, Lord, help my unbelief.” How often have I cried out …

June 10 / Luke 9:28-36

Luke 9:28-36 “Notice what you notice.” Luke’s account of the Transfiguration… Posting from the plane – you’ll get it Tuesday morning. I’m always intrigued by what’s different in the Synoptic Gospel writers’ accounts. Two items come out in Luke’s account. First, Luke tells us that Jesus went up to the mountain to pray. The other …