What did Jesus mean when he said, “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass until all these things be done”? That’s one of the toughest statements of Jesus in all of the New Testament. Some seminary students may recall that the famous New Testament scholar, missionary, and musician Albert Schweitzer wrote his […]
“What did Jesus mean when He instructed us to turn the other cheek?”……Answer: The entire section of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in which this verse is found can be understood as one where Jesus actually serves to elevate the importance of following Israel‘s moral law beyond the letter to the spirit of the law. […]
“What did Jesus mean when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23)?”……Let’s begin with what Jesus didn’t mean. Many people interpret “cross” as some burden they must carry in their lives: a strained relationship, a thankless job, a physical illness. With self-pitying pride, they say, “That’s my […]
“What is the Olivet Discourse?”……Answer: The Olivet Discourse is the name given to the orderly and extended teaching given by Christ on the Mount of Olives (MountOlivet). This discourse is recorded in Matthew 24:1 – 25:46. Parallel passages are found in Mark 13:1-37 and Luke 21:5-36.……Though the discourse itself begins at Matthew 24:3, Mark 13:3 […]
Not Yet Said Jesus…John 8:20 “Jesus made these statements while he was teaching in the section of the Temple known as the Treasury. But he was not arrested, because his time (Greek his hour.) had not yet come.“ This is the last of seven times in the gospel of John that the phrase “not yet” […]
“What did Jesus mean when He said the first will be last and the last will be first?”……Jesus made the statement “many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first” in His response to the disciples’ asking what reward they would have for giving up everything to follow Him […]
In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “The Father is greater than I.” What does he mean by that? Sometimes when Jesus makes straightforward statements that appear to mean one thing on the surface, they require that we go a bit beneath the surface to resolve the apparent difficulty. In this case, that kind […]