Yes, I know this could be an unfortunate subtitle, because taken literally it immediately invokes images of wandering Israelites, desert wilderness and manna from heaven and that is not at all what we will be exploring here. Nevertheless, I am sticking with it and using it in its metaphorical sense; we need to revisit all … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Torah
Breaking the Rules, Part Three (The Special Bread)
This bread is to be set out before the LORD regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place, because it is a most holy part of their regular share of the offerings made to … Continue reading
Breaking the Rules, Part Two (The Deacon and the Hat)
He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ (Mark 7:6-7) Recall that Jewish tradition taught that the oral Torah was … Continue reading
Breaking the Rules, Part One
Breaking the rules? This is not something that most Christians think about with a positive frame of reference. When we think about “breaking the rules” we generally tend toward the topics of sin and rebellion. It may surprise you to know that during the days of Jesus’ ministry He broke many long-established religious rules. And … Continue reading
The Greatest Command, Part Two
In the previous blog (January 2014, “The Greatest Command, Part One), we established two things concerning Jesus’ answer to the question of which command is the greatest of all the commandments. First, we established that Jesus gives us one answer to this question (not two or three); the command to love God is the single … Continue reading
The Greatest Command, Part One
A very common incident in the first century would be for an expert in Judaic legal rulings to ask a Rabbi for his opinion regarding some portion or aspect of the Torah. This is what happens to Rabbi Jesus as recorded in the twelfth chapter of Mark…. On this occasion, Jesus was asked about the … Continue reading
Would Jesus Choose to Worship In Your Church?
Let’s suppose that you are a Methodist…you have been a Methodist for most of your religious life. And Let’s suppose you opt for a vacation hundreds of miles away from where you live and work. Your vacation encompasses what for you has always been a “church day” and so you decide to attend a church … Continue reading
