September 15 / Matt. 22:23-33

Matthew 22:23-33 Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty. Sorry for the late post – it’s been a family weekend and I wanted to devote my time to them. “Notice what you notice.” Jesus and the Sadducees… For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in …

September 14 / Luke 20:20-26

Luke 20:20-26 Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty. “Notice what you notice.” Luke is more straightforward than Matthew and Mark as to the dilemma in which the Jewish leaders were trying to trap Jesus: So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something …

September 13 / Mark 12:13-17

Mark 12:13-17 Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty. “Notice what you notice.” There’s not a whole lot different in the three Synoptics’ accounts of “Paying Tribute to Caesar”. One item of note, however, is who meets Jesus with this tribute question. Matthew reports that the Pharisees sent some of their disciples and the …

September 12 / Matt. 22:15-22

Matthew 22:15-22 Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty. His surgery is today…! “Notice what you notice.” Paying taxes to Caesar… The Pharisees have been watching Jesus closely, trying to trip Him up and find ways to accuse Him so the people might turn against Him. Having failed at every attempt, they now enlist …

September 11 / Luke 20:9-19

Luke 20:9-19 Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty. “Notice what you notice.” I saw two items in Luke’s account of the Parable of the (Wicked) Tenants that were different from Matthew and Mark. First, in Matthew and Mark the tenants (vinedressers) killed one of the servants who was sent to collect the fruit …

September 10 / Mark 12:1-12

Mark 12:1-12 Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty. “Notice what you notice.” We are back to the Parable of the Tenants, after having Matthew’s Parable of the Wedding Feast in between. I think I’ll rearrange these readings for the next time we do this (next year?) so that we have all three Synoptic …

September 9 / Matt. 22:1-14

Matthew 22:1-14 Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty. “Notice what you notice.” As I’m sure is the case for many of you, I have read this parable probably hundreds of times, but never seriously pondered it – until this morning. So first, the characters. The king is God; He is preparing a wedding …

September 8 / Matt. 21:33-46

Matthew 21:33-46 Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty. “Notice what you notice.” More than 40 years ago I had my own construction company, a partnership with another young man building poured-wall concrete foundations for new houses. We named our company “Cornerstone Construction”. Psalm 118:22 was the Scripture verse that gave our company its …

September 7 / Luke 20:1-8

Luke 20:1-8 Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty. “Notice what you notice.” My Study Bible opened a new possibility, that the Jewish leaders were not challenging Jesus’ authority to teach and preach, but that they were challenging Him for having cleansed the temple of the merchants and money-changers. And in this they had …

September 6 / Mark 11:27-33

Mark 11:27-33 Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty. “Notice what you notice.” It’s a small difference, but somewhat informative; Matthew 21:23 has the chief priests and elders confronting Jesus “…as He was teaching…”; Mark 11:27 says they approached Him “…as He was walking in the Temple…”. Matthew’s account makes more sense, that they …