Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth

In Matthew’s Gospel “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is one of Jesus’s favorite expressions when talking about the judgment of the wicked. He uses the phrase six times.[1] Weeping of course means sadness. But what about gnashing of teeth? Many times, both before and after my conversion in 1976, Christians Read more…

Angry Jesus

Last week we talked about “gentle Jesus,” who treated sinners with compassion and kindness. In the synoptic Gospels, we find another story that is noteworthy because of Jesus’ compassion—the story of a man with a withered hand, probably atrophied as a result of some type of paralysis.[1] Jesus encounters the Read more…

Gentle Jesus

The Samaritans occupied parts of what had previously been the northern kingdom of Israel. The Jews in Jesus’ day refused to have anything to do with them. (See John 4:9.)  The feud probably originated as far as 722 B.C. when the Assyrians (from what is now northern Iraq) conquered the Read more…