Commuter Bible NT

Today's reading opens with a parable that addresses the Pharisees. In the parable of the vineyard owner, farmhands rebel against the owner of the land they are working on. They reject anyone sent by the owner and refuse to give the owner any of the produce of the field. Time and again they reject and even kill the messengers sent to them and when the son of the vineyard owner comes they plot to ki...

Jesus enters Jerusalem and is welcomed heartily with fanfare, cheers, and expectation. Many had concluded rightly that Jesus was the promised Messiah, but had concluded wrongly that Jesus would a conquering king in the traditional sense. They assumed that Jesus had come to take the throne of Israel in a limited, earthly sense, like kings that had come before him. Christ, however, came to vanquish...

The Pharisees continue to test Jesus to see what his conclusions will be concerning various topics of the law. Today that ask about divorce, and Jesus asserts that divorce was permitted under the Law only because of the hardness of man’s heart. Next, Jesus tells his disciples to let children come to him, for one can never enter the kingdom unless he does so like a child. Here in the 10th chapter o...

Out of the twelve apostles that Christ selected there are three with whom he had a closer relationship; those men are Peter, James, and John. Today, Jesus takes the three of them up a mountain to pray where he is transfigured before them. In other words, his glory is revealed through his humanity in a unique and tangible way, so that the disciples might bear witness to his divinity. When they desc...

In our reading today, Jesus miraculously feeds four thousand people with only seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. When the people are satisfactorily fed, they collect the uneaten pieces and gather seven large baskets full of leftovers. Jesus later warns his disciples to watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees, and they think he’s talking about literal leaven, and begin talking about how...

The Pharisees observe a number of practices that they have developed outside of Scripture in order to maintain what they perceive to be according to the law. These traditions began to be held in such high esteem that they were seen to be equal to the Law itself. Moreover, they lacked a true love for the God of Abraham, essentially adhering to regulations as their salvation and their righteousness....

Jesus and his disciples have been traveling from town to town, and in today’s reading, they return to Nazareth, which is where Jesus grew up and where his family resides. Those who knew his family knew that he grew up without formal teaching under the roof of a humble, blue-collar father. Jesus doesn’t have the accolades of the scribes and Pharisees, and so they reject his teaching. Jesus then com...

Jesus and his disciples are crossing the sea. When they reach the other side, they are greeted by a man who is possessed, not just by one demon, but by many demons. While others attempted to bind and imprison this man who caused so much chaos, Jesus chooses to set him free, casting out the demons into a herd of pigs. This display of power freaks people out, and they ask Jesus to leave their region...

Our reading begins as Jesus tells a parable about the seed of a sower. The sower scatters the seed, but it falls onto different types of ground and into varying circumstances. The seed that falls on good soil is fruitful and reproduces, whereas the rest of the seed is not fruitful. The twelve apostles are confused. Jesus explains that his parables are intentionally obscured from those outside, but...

Jesus puts the hypocrisy of the Pharisees on display by healing a man on the Sabbath, and in turn, the Pharisees begin looking for a way to kill Jesus. The crowds continue to grow, and Jesus has the disciples get a small boat so that he can teach without getting crushed by those asking for healing. From the crowd of disciples, Jesus summons 12 men who be his apostles, and knowing the history of Go...

Here in chapter 2, Mark continues to reveal that Jesus is not just any ordinary man, nor is he just another prophet, but is, in fact, God in the flesh. When a paralytic man is brought to Jesus for miraculous healing, Jesus does not heal him at first, but instead tells the man that his sins are forgiven. When the scribes present begin thinking about how only God can forgive sins, Jesus reveals his...

Today, we begin the gospel of Mark, which is one of the three synoptic gospels. “Synoptic” basically means “seeing the same thing,” and the other two synoptic gospels are Matthew and Luke. Historical evidence from early church fathers tells us that the apostle Peter is the one who passed these reports on to his attendant and writer, John Mark. Mark’s gospel is the shortest, but the most action-pac...

Paul has argued that to submit to the law’s demands as a means of righteousness is to submit to a yoke of slavery, whereas those who submit to Christ are free. Today, he continues that train of thought by arguing that to submit to circumcision as a means of righteousness is to obligate yourself to the entire law. He encourages the church to reject the works of the flesh and embrace the fruit of Sp...

Some of you may have noticed that we didn’t quite finish chapter 3 yesterday, and yes, that was intentional. The last three verses of chapter 3 actually fit better with Paul’s flow of thought into chapter 4, because Paul is pointing us to our inheritance as heirs in Christ. When it comes to what we each inherit in Christ, there is no division or hierarchy between Jew or Greek, slave or free, male...

In chapter 3 of Galatians, Paul’s frustration with the churches in Galatia begins to show as he explains that it is foolish to trust in the law. He argues that the children of Abraham are not those who are his descendants by physical descent, but those who have faith. Those who rely on the law are under a curse, but Christ delivered us from the curse by being hung on a tree, that is, the cross of...

In the first chapter of Galatians, Paul began defending his apostleship from rumors that he was not a true apostle and that gospel he preached was not the true gospel. Writing largely to Jews who felt that they must continue to abide by the Levitical law while following Jesus, Paul began by giving his testimony, moving from a former zealot in Judaism who persecuted the church to one who had a mira...

Paul’s purpose in writing this letter to the churches in Galatia is to rebuke them for abandoning the true gospel for a false one, relying on works of the flesh rather than on works of the Spirit which they received through faith. He is more critical of his audience in this letter than in any other, calling them “foolish Galatians” and asking “who has put a spell on you?” He also defends himself a...

James begins today’s section by explaining that fighting, warring, and quarrels arise from the passions that wage war within us. In other words, people fight because they want what they want and won’t humble themselves before the Lord. James says that it is arrogant even to confidently assert that you know what tomorrow will hold. Instead, James says that our conversations should be peppered with...

James says that those who teach will be judged more strictly, and goes on to tie teaching in with one’s ability to control their own tongue. The mouth of the Lord’s servant should not release both cursing and blessing any more than you’d expect a saltwater spring to produce fresh water. He then gives a checklist of the kind of wisdom that comes from above. Earthly wisdom, on the other hand, reveal...

James wants his audience to know showing favoritism and partiality because of one’s social status is sinful and breaks the law of God. Specifically, James addresses the practice of honoring those who have money above those who are poor, reminding us to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Next, James addresses what seems to be an argument between the value of faith and the value of works. While good...

We’re beginning the book of James, written by James the brother of Jesus. Writing to his Jewish kinsmen who are scattered abroad, this letter is largely focused on the practical outworkings of faith, answering the question: “What does faith look like when it is lived out?” In the opening chapter, James commends the church to rejoice in trials, for it will produce endurance in the faith. Furthermor...

Well today is our last episode in the book of Acts, and as this book concludes, we see Paul continue to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all. He has presented the good news of Jesus to kings, noblemen, soldiers, Jews, Greeks, and yes, even angry mobs who would like to see him dead. Paul has little regard for his own life or comforts, but instead, seeks to preach Chri...

The action in Acts picks up again as Paul shipped off with other prisoners to Italy, where he hopes to meet with Caesar. Luke is still accompanying Paul on the journey, as indicated by the use first person plural. Paul tells the captain of the guard that the voyage is headed toward disaster, but he pays him no mind. As they travel, the winds pick up and begin to make the seas unnavigable. Tossing...

On today’s episode, Paul gives his defense before Porcius Festus, the newly appointed governor, as well as before his two guests: King Agrippa and his wife Bernice. Recall that Paul has been imprisoned under house arrest for over two years, and recently appealed to Caesar, so that he might make his case before him and not return to the Jewish mob in Jerusalem. Part of Paul’s testimony includes the...

Paul has spent two years under house arrest by command of Felix, the governor, who has postponed a verdict in his trial. As referenced at the end of our last chapter, Felix has been succeeded by Porcius Festus, but Paul remains in custody. Today, when Festus travels to Jerusalem, the Jews ask for a favor against Paul. Festus, on the other hand, encourages them to come to Caesarea and make their ca...