The Rambling Disciple

The first century Jewish world was just as diverse as any religious movement today is. There were theological arguments, divisions based on class, geographic differences, interpretive schools, and political squabbles. Two thousand years later and halfway around the globe we read about these things in the New Testament, especially in how they relate to Jesus. However, that difference in time and geography causes to be blind to many of the distinctions that existed within first century Judaism. One thing of particular interest to us is what the Jews of that time expected in their Messiah. We normally give a standard answer of “a military leader” and leave it at that. The truth is the expectations for the Messiah in that world were just as diverse and varied as any set of opinions on an important subject. Some Jews were looking for a military leader, as we often say, who would slaughter the Romans and establish the nation of Judah once again as a world superpower. Others were ...

I grew up in a Christian household. I went to church every time the doors were open. Congregational events took precedence over pretty much everything else in life. This upbringing is something I'm extremely grateful for, but it did lead to an interesting side effect; I was incredibly comfortable with Jesus. I imagine that the majority of my readers also grew up going to church or at the very least have been a Christian for a while now. Most of us have heard the sermons and sat in the Bible classes that have talked about Jesus. Most of us, I would guess, are pretty comfortable with Jesus. We know who he is and we're kind of used to it. We are used to hearing Jesus be called the Son of God. We are used to hearing Jesus be called the Messiah. We are used to hearing Jesus be called the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace, our Redeemer, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, and so on. We are used to it and are comfy in it.  Have you ever thought about ...

One of the most common questions I get as a minister is what Bible translations are best. The realm of different Bible translations can be quite confusing given just how many different ones there are. Walk into any book store that sells Bibles and you will immediately be confronted by dozens of different translations. So which one is best? Well, that depends on what you're looking for. To start we must acknowledge that there is no such thing as a perfect translation. No English Bible will be able to perfectly capture the original languages nuances and meanings and precisely put them into our language. That doesn't mean our translations don't do an excellent job, but it does mean none are perfect. Essentially there are two approaches to translating the Bible. The first is going for a Word-for-Word approach. This approach attempts to bring what the original says  into English as closely as possible. The upside is that you get to see, as close as possible, what the origi...

The Trinity is just one of those things that most Christians just don't know what to do with. Sure, they know it's important to the Christian faith but it just doesn't seem practical. It's that thing that theologians and PhD students argue about that probably matters but ultimately just confuses things. Our typical solution has been to ignore the Trinity, leading to the perception that it really just isn't that important. This couldn't be further from the truth. ( Read Parts One and Two to be caught up! ) The Trinity is the beating heart of the Christian life. It is inexorably connected with the person and mission of Jesus Christ. It is the very life of God, and it is the wellspring of our life as well. Too often the Trinity is treated as an abstract hypothetical when in fact it is the very basis of all Christian thought and practice. Let's start at the beginning of the Christian life; baptism. When you are baptized it is in the name of the Father, Son...