Tagged: Bible Study

ON THE THRESHOLD OF GOD’S GLORY

“The Lord is with me, like a mighty Champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.” –Jeremiah 20:11 We are on the threshold of what may prove to be two of the most important weeks of our time on earth. In Holy Week, the Triduum, and the Easter octave, we will see Jesus do the works of His Father and come “to realize what it means that the Father is in” Jesus and Jesus in Him (Jn 10:38). In the next two weeks, many will come to believe in Jesus (Jn 10:42). However, the amazing graces of Holy Week,...

GOD OR SOMETHING?

“Jesus answered them: ‘I solemnly declare it: before Abraham came to be, I AM.’ ” –John 8:58 Jesus is blunt. He does not beat around the bush. He is far from diplomatic. He called people “liars” (see Jn 8:55). Then He openly and clearly called Himself “God” by using the title “I AM,” the name God had given to identify Himself (Ex 3:14). It’s not surprising that people tried to stone Him and eventually succeeded in crucifying Him. Jesus ruffled a lot of feathers, overturned the money-changers’ tables in cleansing the Temple, and unabashedly called the Pharisees “blind guides,” “fools,”...

THE INCONCEIVABLE CONCEPTION

“A body You have prepared for Me.” –Hebrews 10:5 Jesus is the eternal God. Before His Incarnation, He was Spirit (see Jn 4:24) and therefore invisible. To experience through our senses the full glory of the all-holy God would certainly have been more than we could bear (see Ex 33:20). Therefore, we would more likely see only “the vision of the likeness of the glory of the Lord” (Ez 1:28). This caused Ezekiel to fall on his face (Ez 2:1). Such an experience of God’s presence – even several times removed – would probably knock us out or even kill...

FOOD POISON?

“The people complained against God and Moses…In punishment the Lord sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died.” –Numbers 21:5-6 Hundreds and thousands of Israelites were repeatedly destroyed because of their sins (see 1 Cor 10:8-10; Nm 25:1-9; 14:37). Their basic sin was idolatry, and a significant part of this sin was their craving for the food of slavery. They wanted meat, fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, garlic (Nm 11:4-5), grain, figs, grapes, and pomegranates (Nm 20:5). The Israelites were disgusted with the “wretched” food God gave them (Nm 21:5). They complained...

“THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT” (Mt 26:28)

“The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant.” –Jeremiah 31:31 God, Who is Love (1 Jn 4:16), wants to love us in a permanent, faithful relationship, which is similar to marriage, only better. As married couples make a covenant with each other by exchanging marriage vows, so the Lord made covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and all His chosen people. The problem with these covenants was that God’s people broke them all (Jer 31:32). Human beings seem incapable of keeping a covenant with God, incapable of loving God faithfully. Therefore, God promised to...