Faith of a Mustard Seed

In today’s Bible reading* from Matthew 17, we come across a passage that is easy to misunderstand. Admittedly, I only came to see a nuance of this a few years ago. I was in our Adult Bible Study class at church and a friend brought out this issue of the “faith like a mustard seed”….

A Tale of Three Places

In today’s Bible reading*, Matthew applies several Hebrew (Old Testament) Scriptures regarding where the Messiah would be born and raised to show how Jesus fulfilled them. These were three very different places. Bethlehem was a small town outside of Jerusalem. Herod would live in Jerusalem, so it’s logical that the Magi would come Herod’s palace…

A Misapplied Prophecy?

Today’s Bible reading* looks back to Isaiah 7:14 and finds its fulfillment in Jesus. Did Matthew go too far in applying this prophecy to Jesus? Isaiah 7:14’s context is that God extends to King Ahaz an unusual offer to ask for a sign. When he refuses, saying he doesn’t want to test God, Isaiah steps…

Faith like a Mustard Seed

In today’s Bible reading* from Matthew 17, we come across a passage that is easy to misunderstand concerning “faith like a mustard seed”. Admittedly, I only came to see a nuance of this a couple of years ago. I was in our Adult Bible Study class at church and a friend brought out this issue…

A Different Kind of Prosperity

In today’s Bible reading* (Psalm 106:5) we read of a different kind of prosperity than the Prosperity Gospel peddlers talk about. Important note: Before I go any further, please hear me clearly say that all of the modern translations are very reliable. The English translation you hold in your hands (or read on your computer…