John 4:15-16, The Woman: ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty…’ // Jesus: ‘Go, call your husband…’’ At first, Jesus’ response to the woman in v.16 seems a bit jarring. Why does he change the subject so abruptly, answering her request for living water by telling her to call her […]
Psalm 139:18, ‘I awake, and I am still with you.’ In context, this verse speaks of the Lord’s faithfulness to preserve His people through the night and waken them to His presence in the morning. However, bearing in mind the double meaning Scripture assigns to the concept of ‘sleep’—i.e., both the sleep of physical rest,
Hebrews 13:5, ‘Be content with what you have, for He has said, ‘I will never leave you, nor forsake you.’ Why are the recipients of this letter to be content with what they have? Because God in Christ has promised always to be with them, never to forsake them. The groaning of discontentment is a
Col 3:5-6 [8], ‘Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. […anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk…] On account of these the wrath of God is coming. The ‘therefore’ at the beginning of this passage refers back to 3:3, ‘you have
Psalm 80:10, “ I am YHWH your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. YHWH alone—as the God who raised His people out of slavery—will be the God of His people. A necessary implication of this is that He alone will be
1 Cor. 6:7, ‘To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be defrauded?’ Paul’s question forces examination: “Why not” or “For what reason” would you not rather be defrauded? What is it that causes you to refuse to release your possessions—even if the situation IS unjust?
Psalm 45:13, “All glorious is the Princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold. In many-colored robes she is led to the King…” Revelation 22:9-11, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb…the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God…” The Bridal
Psalm 45:13, Revelation 22:9-11 Read More »
This picture is based on John 6:35-40 and was created for a pastor friend in Minneapolis. The specific focus my friend was eager to see expressed was Jesus’ call to “come to,” “look to,” and “believe in” Him, and so these became the center of the image. Jesus’ invitation for any and all to
Job 28:12, “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?” The first 11 verses of chapter 28 employ the imagery of a mine with deep shafts and searching tunnels as an example of humanity’s ability to find the “thing that is hidden” and bring it “out to the light.”
Matthew 14:28-29, “‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ And He said, ‘Come.’ And after getting out of the boat, Peter walked on the water and came to Jesus.” What Peter asks, what Jesus commands, and what Peter—therefore—does, is *not* primarily to walk on water, but *to
Revelation 3:18, 20, “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, and a white garment so that you might cover [yourself] and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes that you may see… Behold, I stand at
Revelation 3:18,20 Read More »
Ecclesiastes 7:4, “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.” First off, for those who care about such things, this seems very likely to be a source for Tolkien’s statement that Olorin learned wisdom in the halls of Nienna. Secondly,
Proverbs 1:20-22, “Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy street she cries out… ‘How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?’” At first it seems strange that Wisdom would speak to people in the “noisy streets” and “markets” and bustling of
Philippians 4:8-9, “Finally brothers, as much as is true, as much as is honorable, as much as is just, as much as is pure, as much as is lovely, as much as is admirable, if anything is virtuous and if anything is praise worthy, think on these things. And that which you have learned
Psalm 36:8, “They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.” I think the ultimate fulfillment of this Psalm is hinted at in Jesus’ prayer to the Father in John 17. There we glimpse the inconceivable truth that we will–in some sense–be woven into
Isaiah 55:2, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.” John 6:35, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and
Isaiah 55:2 + John 6:35, 45 Read More »
Luke 10:41-42, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but ONE THING is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” May the one thing Mary chose be the one thing we forever seek: to sit at the Lord’s feet, listen to His teaching,
James 1:14-17, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down
Galatians 5:16-17, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh…” May an overriding desire for Christ, granted by the indwelling Spirit, drive us to
Proverbs 5:3-4, “The lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.” It is true of all idolatry…
