Few people in our Western culture understand the powerful biblical metaphor of a shepherd and his sheep. In ancient times, the shepherd symbolized a ruler who wielded authority by divine right. The ideal ruler would also care for his people. Jesus came to fulfill the ancient prophecies that God would raise up a Shepherd-King who…
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul explained the importance of the resurrection of Christ (15:1-11) and laid out a strong argument against those who would deny the believer’s hope of resurrection (15:12-19). In this text, Paul connects the resurrection to the ultimate goal of Christ’s work in history. He died and rose again to reverse the…
The Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke contain overlapping information. For this reason, they are called the “Synoptic Gospels” (meaning “seeing together,” or a common view). Mark’s account of Jesus’ call of his disciples adds additional insights not found in Luke. Therefore, we will consider the two accounts together.
The first chapter of Acts chronicles the final days of Jesus’ earthly ministry and adjustments made by his followers immediately after his departure. Verse 3 says that Jesus “presented himself alive” during a 40-day period. Verse 8, a famous restatement of the church’s Great Commission, summarizes the mission of Christ’s followers: “You shall be my…