President Trump has publicly declared his intent to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The reaction has been varied. It has inspired excitement by many Jews and Christians. And of course it has incited anger on the part of many Muslims and Palestinians. It is certainly true that God established Jerusalem as the center of worship for his … [Read more...]
Looking for Peace in All the Wrong Places
As Jesus approached the city of Jerusalem before his arrest and subsequent crucifixion, he cried over the city (Luke 19:41-42). The text gives us insight into what prompted this outburst of emotion. Jesus said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace…” Jesus was crying because Israel was in a desperate situation and … [Read more...]
Get Ready to Fight!
Luke 22:35-38 is one of the more curious passages in the gospel accounts. Here Jesus urged his disciples to prepare for battle. If they didn’t have a sword they should sell their coat to buy one. This seems to run counter to all that Jesus had taught them about his mission in the world. There are three things that help us correctly interpret this … [Read more...]
Violent Peace
Romans 16:20 includes a curious statement regarding God’s activity – “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” The words peace and crush don’t seem to belong in the same sentence. How could a peaceful God perpetrate such violence? Part of the problem is that we have a poor understanding of peace. We think of peace as tranquility and … [Read more...]
The Divine Coup D’état
Fyodor Dostoevsky is most famous for writing Crime and Punishment. But one of his lesser known works, The Idiot, made a more lasting impression on me. The main character is a twenty-six year old Prince Myshkin. He is not the prototypical hero. He seems somewhat naïve. He is very simple in his outlook. And he has some physical infirmities. He … [Read more...]