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A WORD FROM THE EDITOR – MAY 26, 2013
Hebrews 8:1 identifies Jesus as the exalted high priest who fulfills in the heavenly realm what the Old Testament sacrifices could only symbolize.
A WORD FROM THE EDITOR – MAY 19, 2013
In my faith tradition, we rarely talk about priests unless it’s in the context of the doctrine of the priesthood of believers. It may be hard for Christians like me to understand the role of a single, visible priestly figure in helping the faithful make their approach to God. Yet that is precisely what the ancient Hebrews had in their Levitical priests.
A WORD FROM THE EDITOR – MAY 12, 2013
Jesus is the “apostle and high priest of our confession” (Heb 2:1), faithful to God like Moses, yet worthy of greater glory. Hebrews 2 establishes a “how much more” argument.
A WORD FROM THE EDITOR – MAY 5, 2013
The writer of Hebrews begins his masterful sermon by establishing the centrality of Jesus. For this unnamed first-century preacher, Christ is God’s final and definitive word, the reflection of God’s glory, and the high priest who has “made purification for [our] sins.”
A WORD FROM THE EDITOR – APRIL 21, 2013
The last thing Ananias wanted to do was share the gospel with Saul of Tarsus. Saul’s reputation for doing evil to God’s people had preceded him to Damascus. Even so, Ananias obeyed God’s command. God used him to bring healing to Saul, thus completing the conversion experience that began on the Damascus road.
A WORD FROM THE EDITOR – APRIL 14, 2013
It is not absolutely certain that the Ethiopian eunuch was literally a castrated male, as the term “eunuch” might mean simply “royal official.” Furthermore, since a Jewish community existed in Ethiopia from Old Testament times (see Isa 11:11), it is at least possible that he was Jewish.
A WORD FROM THE EDITOR – APRIL 7, 2013
Acts 3–4 is the first extended story of the life of the church after the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. As Acts 2 comes to a close, Luke tells us the newborn church enjoyed “the goodwill of all the people” (2:47). It doesn’t take long, however, before the Sanhedrin takes offense at the apostles’ ministry of healing and especially preaching—proclaiming the name of Jesus, whom they had conspired to kill.
A WORD FROM THE EDITOR – MARCH 31, 2013
Like the other Gospel writers, Luke tells the familiar story of the women going to the tomb early Easter morning and the angelic proclamation that Christ is risen. Luke emphasizes the fulfillment of Jesus’ previous words about his coming death and resurrection. He also adds the detail that, when the women told the men, it seemed to them an idle tale.