A Gentle Ramble Through the Bible - Evers Bible Class

                             Choosing In "Pentecost & Persecution" we'll hang onto our hats as the disciples face a whirlwind of blessing and tragedy. The story is told in "Acts of the Apostles" which is Luke’s sequel to his gospel. But do we really know who Luke was? For that matter, do we know who wrote any of the gos...

                            The Resurrection This final class in the "My Time Has Come" series is all about differences. The four gospels writers tell four different stories of the resurrection each including different characters and events. We look at each one in turn, noticing Mark’s abrupt ending, Matthew’s guards, Luke’s wal...

                           In the Tomb Jesus is crucified the day after Passover. It’s a Friday, and since the Passover Festival lasts a whole week, the next day is a High Sabbath. It is imperative to the religious leaders that the bodies of the men crucified not be left over the Sabbath.  They ask and receive special permi...

                          The Crucifixion Jesus is too weak to drag the crossbar of his cross to the hill of execution so a passing traveler is dragooned into carrying it for him. He is stripped naked, and his wrists and feet are nailed to the cross. As the soldiers argue about who gets which bit of his clothing, other people jeer an...

                         On Trial Before Herod and Pilate It is the early hours just after dawn. The religious leaders have condemned Jesus to death for blasphemy, but for a public crucifixion they need Roman authority. They bind Jesus and take him to Pilate, the governor of Judea.  Pilate can’t find any reason to crucify Jesus,...

                        On Trial Before The Religious Leaders After they finish the Passover meal, Jesus and the disciples make their way to the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives, just across from the Temple gates. There, Jesus tells the disciples to be alert for trouble is coming, but they cannot keep their eyes ope...

                       The Last Supper (Part 3) At the conclusion of the Last Supper, Jesus explains that the disciples can’t do this by themselves. They are like branches on a vine. They have to stay connected to the vine in order to bear fruit. Jesus reviews the really important stuff: I am in the Father. You are in me. We have to all s...

                      The Last Supper (Part 2) We are in the middle of the Last Supper. Jesus talks about leaving the disciples, and he says they cannot come where he is going. Peter wants to know why he can’t go too! After all, he’d die for Jesus. But Jesus tells him, “You’ll disown me three times this very night.” Even though they cannot com...

                     The Last Supper (Part 1) On the day the Passover lambs are slaughtered, Jesus and the disciples gather in an upper room where they can share the Passover meal. The disciples are still arguing over who’s the greatest so Jesus takes on the role of the humble foot-washing servant to show them how they must be from now on. He...

                    Prepare & Keep Your Eyes Peeled Jesus has been crossing verbal swords with Pharisees, Herodians, and legal experts. Now the Sadducees pile on with a trick question about the resurrection. Jesus sends them packing with their tail between their legs. Jesus says, “Don’t be like those guys. Look at that widow who put in the last...

                   The Time Has Come When Passover pilgrims from as far away as Greece ask to meet Jesus, Jesus suddenly realizes his hour has come, and he experiences trepidation. It is a shock that the time has finally arrived. He talks about being a grain of wheat, dying so that it might bear fruit. He talks about two sons, noting that doing wha...

                  Hosanna! The pressure is mounting. The people are insisting that Jesus become the Messiah King they expect. Jesus does everything he can to dissuade them from this disastrous course of action. He sets up an almost ridiculous way of riding into Jerusalem to try to make his point. Jesus is, of course, the Messiah--even the stones under h...

                 Separating the Sheep from the Goats The people think Jesus’ time has come. They are trailing along after Jesus, waiting breathlessly for the Day of the Lord--the great and terrible day when God comes to avenge Israel and deliver her from her enemies. We hear the story of this Day of the Lord as told through the voices of the Hebrew prop...

                There's Enough Mercy For Everyone Jesus is trying so hard to teach his disciples to be as humble as servants. He tells a parable about a landowner who hires day laborers throughout the day and gives a full day’s wage to everyone. The ones who worked only one hour get the same as the ones who worked all day! He tells his disciples, “Don’t rese...

               Lazarus Is Raised From The Dead Jesus raises one of his best friends from the dead and thoroughly awes the crowds, which in turn sets off alarm bells for all the powers that be. Fearing that Rome is about to step in and crush the Jewish nation, the religious leaders call an emergency meeting. Caiaphus, the High Priest, declares that Jesus must...

              Justified & Elect Jesus teaches a lot about the difference between being self-righteous and actually doing righteousness. “Righteous” in Greek is synonymous with “justice,” so it makes sense that Jesus uses a parable about a poor widow in court. He warns the disciples not to be proud. He reminds them they are just doing their job. They must not...

             Rich & Poor, Harsh & Forgiving Jesus tells the story of a rich man and a poor man and what happens to them after death. It’s an old familiar story drawn from the culture of the Ancient Near East, but Jesus gives it a new punchline. Then he talks about how serious it is when we lay traps for other people and for ourselves. This is apparently a...

            A Prodigal Son & A Dishonest Manager Each and every one of us is known by God. We are seen and we are cherished. When the scribes and Pharisees deride Jesus for hanging out with unworthy people, Jesus tells them three parables demonstrating the prodigal love of God (“prodigal” means wasteful, reckless extravagance)! The most famous of these is the stor...

           Tell Us Plainly Jesus is very careful never to call himself Christos, the Messiah. In public, he always refers to himself as the “Son of Man.” The Jews understand this is a Messianic title, but the Romans do not, so the religious leaders keep pressing Jesus to be plain--to call himself “Messiah.” What he says in reply nearly gets him stoned. Again. Jesus is...

          Before Abraham, I AM The religious leaders are pulling out all the stops to trap Jesus, bring him up on charges (probably heresy or inciting violence or both), and then sentence him to death. First they try to get him to choose between compassion or the very clear Law requiring death for adulterers. They catch a woman in the act of adultery, drag her to Jesus and...

          Show Yourself To The World Jesus reaches back into the Sermon on the Mount to talk about going in through the narrow door--but is he really talking about the same thing this time? Once again there are people who miss the path. Jesus says some interesting things about what will happen to them. Jesus’ life is in serious danger. He’s got to go to Jerusalem for Sukko...

          Take Courage And Help Each Other Discipleship 102 gets very explicit and more than a little scary at this point. Some of the disciples may be rethinking their positions.  Do they really want to sell all their possessions, be given the responsibility of sharing God’s love to the people, get arrested, get tried, and probably get beaten or killed? Do they reall...

          God So Loved The World Discipleship 102 looks a lot like Discipleship 101. Shocking. Jesus clearly teaches the same thing over and over to the disciples. We focus especially on the new material Luke adds here. The sisters Mary and Martha make their first appearance, but the shocker is when one of the most highly placed Pharisees in Jerusalem sneaks out to find Je...

          The Greatest Commandment The religious leaders are pulling out all the stops to trap Jesus, bring him up on charges (probably heresy or inciting violence or both), and then sentence him to death. First they try to get him to choose between compassion or the very clear Law requiring death for adulterers. They catch a woman in the act of adultery, drag her to Jesus...

         Transfiguration Things start to get real. Jesus gets explicit with the disciples. Who do you think that I am? Really? What if I tell you I am going to be arrested, tried, tortured, killed, and then after three days, rise again? If you want to follow me, you’ll have to take up your cross and give up your life. Uh, nope. The disciples aren’t ready to hear that. Jesu...