A famous saying—said to be an ancient Chinese curse, but more likely the product of British diplomats—is, “May you live in interesting times.” Joseph and Mary certainly lived in interesting times. Both were visited by angels (although Joseph’s visitation was in a dream) to prepare them for an unexpected pregnancy Read more…
Jesus’ appearances after his resurrection are described in at least five different New Testament books—the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John,[1] the book of Acts, and Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Most of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances are well known: to Mary Magdalene and the women at the tomb,[2] to Read more…
This Sunday, April 9th is Resurrection Sunday (also known as Easter). A couple of years ago, I wrote about the resurrection, and how we can know it really happened. But why is Jesus’s resurrection important? The Bible tells about other people who came alive after being dead, such as Lazarus Read more…
This Sunday, April 2nd, is Palm Sunday, the day on which we commemorate Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, as detailed in Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, and Luke 19:28-44. The story begins with Jesus telling two of his disciples (none of the gospels names them) to go into a nearby village Read more…
When I think of fasting, I think of going without food for a day or more. But as I discussed in my entries about Lent almost 3 years ago, fasting can mean different things, ranging from simply missing one or two meals to going without food for many days. But Read more…
I’ve seen many Christmas pageants and Nativity scenes in my time, and most depict the newborn baby Jesus in a manger surrounded by Joseph, Mary, farm animals, shepherds, and three kings bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. There’s no harm in that, but historians and biblical scholars say that’s Read more…
Before I became a Christian at age 20, I often asked Christians why God is silent. After all, if—as I was so often told—God will save whoever “believes,” why doesn’t he show himself so that everyone would believe? The answer to that question is two-fold. Part of the answer—as I Read more…
Hanakkah—or Chanukah, as it’s sometimes spelled—begins this year on December 18th and runs through December 26th. The word means “dedication” in Hebrew. The story of Hanakkah begins in 175 B.C. with the accession of Antiochus IV to the throne of the Seleucid kingdom, one of the three kingdoms into which Read more…
In my previous blog entry, I said that the proponents of a Thursday crucifixion make a pretty strong case. But there is one problem. Mark 16:1 says “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might come and anoint Read more…
In my last blog entry I pointed out that if Jesus was crucified on a Friday, as tradition says, then we run into a problem with Matthew 12:39-40, where Jesus predicts that he will be “in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” Friday afternoon to Read more…