Matthew 23:25-39 Hidden in plain sight… So many times I have read Jesus’ chastisements, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites…, and His continuing comments on their behaviors, but for some reason I always imagined that He was speaking to the crowd. But not true! He was speaking directly to the scribes and Pharisees! In …
Author Archives: Fred
May 15 / Matt. 23:1-24
Matthew 23:1-24 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (vv. 13, 14, 15, 23) So many times I have likened myself to the Pharisees, especially in the area where they were distrusting this would-be Messiah as a faker or a scam artist. So if I often identify with the Pharisees, I need to read these …
May 14 / Luke 20:27-44
Luke 20:27-44 But He said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is David’s son? (v. 41) It’s intriguing to me that Jesus raises this question after He has been questioned by both the Pharisees (paying taxes to Caesar) and the Sadducees (the resurrection). After these two questions (and many, many previous questions …
May 13 / Mark 12:18-37
Mark 12:18-37 I would suggest that it’s worth reading my comment in the second link below from 2019 on the scribe’s question about the most important commandment. I find that discussion between Jesus and the scribe to be really heartwarming – a genuine question from the scribe and a perfect reply from Jesus, then further …
May 12 / Matt. 22:23-46
Matthew 22:23-46 In the second link below I tried to clarify Matthew’s verse 44 which reads The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, until I put Your enemies under Your feet”. (Caps for further clarification…) Substituting differently than below, another way to read this verse could be God the Father said …
May 11 / Luke 20:9-26
Luke 20:9-26 Verse 18 from today’s first parable is one that has been confusing to me: Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him. But a key to understanding lies in the pronoun, everyone. My Study Bible suggested pottery instead of people. …
May 10 / Mark 12:1-17
Mark 12:1-17 I noted in the second link below that the group sent to Jesus with the tribute question differs in the three Gospels. Mark has the following statement: And they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap Him in his talk. (v. 13) Here “they” must clearly …
May 9 / Matt. 22:1-22
Matthew 22:1-22 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. (v. 10) This verse caught my eye – my NASB translation said “both evil and good”, replacing “bad” with “evil”. “Evil” is a much stronger word than …
May 8 / Matt. 21:33-46
When Jesus told this parable of the landowner (or tenants or wicked vinedressers) He was taking off from Isaiah 5:1-7, where the Lord is chastising Israel for their many failures. But Jesus changes it up a bit. In Isaiah the landowner prepared the vineyard much as we read in Matthew, but kept it himself and …
May 7 / Mark 11:20-33, Luke 20:1-8
Mark 11:20-33 and Luke 20:1-8 It’s Mother’s Day week at the flower shop – that and Valentine’s Day take over our lives. So nothing for today, except for what I posted in 2019, in the links below. Be blessed! See also: