How should we understand Satan entering into Judas and his ensuing plan to betray Jesus (Luke 22:3-6)? The wilderness temptations, the rebuke of Peter (Matt. 16:21-23), Christ’s agony in the garden, and even the calls to him to come down off the cross seem to suggest that Jesus was being tempted to abandon the path of suffering and death. Did Satan know that Jesus came to destroy his works by his death? If so, why would he incite Judas to betray him to certain death?
Category: Hermeneutics
Thinking Well About Our Disagreements
Today’s question asks about ways that we should think about our disagreements in the Church.
What’s the Deal With the Weird Healing Pool in John 5?
What’s going on in John 5 with the pool at Bethsaida? Was there a magical healing pool? Does Jesus sanction this healing method? If Jesus didn’t sanction this pool, why doesn’t he condemn it?
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How Does Our Highly Technological Age Affect Our Reading of the Bible?
Matthieu Pageau’s ‘The Language of Creation’
Within this video, I discuss Matthieu Pageau’s stimulating book, The Language of Creation: Cosmic Symbolism in Genesis.
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Seeing the Bible Through New Eyes
The Story of Cain and Abel
I was wondering if you would comment on the Cain and Abel story and possibly develop some of the symbols, foreshadowings, etc. It is a rich passage that I would love to get your take on, especially since it is the first thing we are told after the fall of Adam and Eve.
To What Extent Should We Approach Scripture With Completely Open Minds?
Should we come to the text with completely open minds, or should we hold some ideas and convictions with certainty? This may be a poor example to help illustrate my question, but in Ephesians 2, Paul speaks about Christ abolishing the law. Christ himself says he came to fulfill the law and the prophets. Is it cowardly, faulty, and/or problematic in some way to be committed to analyzing and studying from the perspective that Paul cannot be contradicting Christ who cannot be contradicting the Old Testament writings? Or should we be willing to explore openly and to accept whatever conclusions our analysis leads to, which in this scenario could be something like Paul is actually saying something Christ would not.
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Why is the Tribe of Dan Excluded in Revelation 7?
Why is the tribe of Dan excluded in Revelation 7’s list of Israel?
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Should We Be Using the Lectionary?
Do you commend the use of a lectionary for preaching? If so, what advantages does this approach have over preaching through whole books of the Bible? How should we think about preaching in churches where we can no longer take basic biblical literacy for granted and even face a bit of skepticism towards the Bible?
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