Jesus talks about the judgment as a looming and unpleasant event in this week’s reading from the Gospel According to Luke 10:13–16 (NABRE). Because of other passages in the Scriptures, we can feel fairly confident that we understand this passage. With further analysis, however, it’s possible that we don’t have …
One of our readers submitted the following question: “In our Bible study group last evening, we had a discussion about the word favorite. Our discussion centered on the favorite son of Jacob, and what that word’s meaning was in the Hebrew culture compared to our culture today. What are the …
In the First Letter to Timothy 3:1–13 (NABRE), Paul describes the roles of bishop and deacon in the early Christian community. These roles have carried over from that time into our Church today, and so it is instructive to look at how they originally were viewed. The Greek word ἐπίσκοπος …
The nature of the sabbath is the focus of an argument between Jesus and some Pharisees in the Gospel According to Luke 6:1–5 (NABRE). The central controversy they are debating is whether it is lawful for Jesus’ disciples to pick grain on the sabbath. The Hebrew word that comes to …
Tabernacle, sometimes called the tent of meeting to describe where the Israelites worshiped the Lord, is one of the major focuses in the Old Testament book of Exodus. This tent was significant to the Israelites because that’s where God dwelt. The Hebrew word mishkan is used to refer to the tabernacle. It …
The Gospel According to Matthew 9:1–8 (NABRE) centers on the topic of forgiveness. Jesus equates forgiving a paralytic’s sins and healing his paralysis. The English language uses forgiveness in a few contexts. We can pardon or exonerate someone who has wronged us, or we can excuse a loan or a debt. …
Prophets and prophecy figure heavily in the Old Testament and play a serious role in our understanding of our Christian faith. Much has been made of the prophet as a religious figure, someone who possesses supernatural knowledge not available to the average person. What is it about prophecy that so …
What is justification by faith? Being “justified by faith” is found in Paul’s Letter to the Romans 5:1 (NABRE). The idea of justification is essential in Christian theology, but like many concepts that are important in Christianity, the meaning has been slightly distorted over time. Pause for a moment and …
The Gospel According to John 14:12 (NABRE) is set at a time just prior to Jesus’ Passion, and it centers on the idea of belief. The culmination of this theme is found in Jesus’ words: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that …
The Gospel According to Luke 24:33–34 (NABRE) records the experience of the two who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus: “So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been …