One of the more famous portions of Jesus’ many Gospel sermons is known as “the Beatitudes,” nine verses near the beginning of Matthew 5 that make up the introduction to his famed Sermon on the Mount. And yet despite their rampant popularity (among Christians & non-Christians alike), many remain unaware that the inspiration for all […]
The book of Isaiah was without doubt one of Jesus’ favorites, so it comes as no surprise that he seemed to extract one of his ministry’s favorite metaphors from the same – namely, the Narrow Gate (representing the self-sacrificial entrance to the “difficult road” that runs directly between the safety of emotional callousness and the […]
Though completely absent from the Gospel of John,1 all three of the Synoptic Gospels make regular mention of Jesus seemingly casting out demons from those who have been apparently possessed thereby (see Matthew 8:16, Matthew 8:29-34, Matthew 12:23-29, Matthew 15:21-28, Matthew 17:14-20, Mark 1:23-34, Mark 3:20-27, Mark 5:1-20, Mark 7:24-30, Mark 9:14-29, Luke 4:33-41, Luke […]
The dramatic scene of Jesus walking on water is mentioned in three of the four canonical Gospels (see Matthew 14:22-34, Mark 6:45-53, & John 6:15-211), and as such it comes as no surprise to find this same image rooted throughout the Old Testament manuscripts as well – with Job 9:8 plainly stating that “[God] alone […]
“The feeding of the 5000” (the only “miracle”1 mentioned in all four canonical Gospels – see Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-19, & John 6:1-14) and “the feeding of the 4000” (mentioned only in Matthew 15:32-38 & Mark 8:1-10) directly reflect other seemingly miraculous feedings mentioned in the Old Testament (see 1 Kings 17:1-16, 1 […]
“The Transfiguration of Christ” (see Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36 – also 2 Peter 1:16-181) is another Jesus-based New Testament incident that intentionally summons forth a vivid remembrance of a specific Old Testament recounting – specifically the return of Elijah mentioned in the book of Micah.2 In this tale, Jesus and three of his […]
Throughout the texts of the Hebrew Bible the “cup” functioned as a powerful metaphor for every individual’s chosen fate (“The LORD is my chosen portion and the cup of my inheritance” ~ Psalm 16:5) – either the “cup of wrath” for those who are disobedient towards the Law by being selfish towards others1 or the […]
Another dynamic reference to “the prophets” made by Jesus is his mention of “the stone that the builders rejected” (see Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10-11, & Luke 20:17) – the stone mentioned in Psalm 118:22-231 – the stone that “has become the cornerstone”2 – the stone, rejected by the “builders” of the Law, upon which the […]
In a direct reference to the “feast for all peoples” mentioned in Isaiah 25:6-81 (see also Isaiah 55:1-2, Isaiah 61:10, Jeremiah 31:31-342, Nehemiah 8:9-123, & Psalm 63:5 – along with the Banquet mentioned in the proclamations of Talmud Pesachim 119 & Midrash Rabbah Exodus 25:8), Jesus likens the Kingdom of God to the “wedding banquet” […]
On more than one occasion in the Gospels, Jesus is seen clearly recalling “the prophets” when he boldly cites Daniel 7:13-14 while proclaiming, “then they will see the Son of Man1 coming in clouds with power and great glory” – initially doing so after having predicted “the desolating abomination”2 that would overtake the people of […]
One of the more misunderstood (and also one of the more important) statements Jesus makes in the Bible is the one he utters near the very end of his ministry – when he is hanging from the cross on Golgotha after being crucified and loudly exclaims “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” – the Aramaic equivalent of […]
;
