It must have been quite a scene. Coins were scattered. Cattle and sheep were running. Even the tables were overturned. And there, in the midst of this chaos . . . Jesus. Jesus had entered the temple courts in Jerusalem and witnessed the crass commercialism of the people. There in the temple courts, bankers were […]
Friday, 01 March, 2019 by Matthew Richard
Should we take a hammer and chisel to the Jesus of the Bible and shape him into our own personal Jesus? Of course not! This does not, however, stop North Americans from getting out their toolbox. Obviously I’m not speaking literally, but the tendency of people to “rebrand” the Jesus of history into their own […]
Monday, 01 January, 2018 by Matthew Richard
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, […]
Tuesday, 30 June, 2015 by Matthew Richard
In the Old Testament, three different kinds of people take center stage in the story of God’s salvation of hispeople Israel: prophet, priest, and king. These were real offices filled by real people. Prophets rebuked sin, proclaimed mercy to the crushed, and interpreted events of the past, present, and future. They functioned as mediators proclaiming […]
Wednesday, 31 December, 2014 by Matthew Richard