Latest Commentaries

This passage introduces Deborah, a prophetess and judge of Israel, who calls upon Barak to lead an army against Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s forces. Deborah delivers a divine command to Barak, instructing him to gather ten thousand men and promising victory over Sisera. Barak agrees to go but insists that Deborah accompany him. Deborah agrees, but because of Barak’s fear, Deborah predicts that the honor of victory will ultimately go to a woman. Together, Barak and Deborah lead the forces of Zebulun and Naphtali to battle.

The beginning of Judges 4 recounts the cycle of Israel’s disobedience and God’s response. After the death of Ehud, Israel again turns away from God, and as a consequence, they fall under the oppressive rule of Jabin and his commander Sisera, who wields a formidable military force. The Israelites, overwhelmed by this oppression, cry out to the Lord for deliverance.

Continuing His teaching on the consistency of the inner heart and outward action, Jesus compares two men and their choices. The man who takes His teachings to heart is like someone who builds a house that will be able to endure the coming storm.

Jesus calls out hypocrisy amongst those who call Him “Lord” and do not do what He commands.

Jesus shares an analogy of a fruit tree to show the relationship between a man’s words and his heart. Words reveal the heart to our glory or shame.

Jesus teaches His disciples not to judge other people because they will be judged according to the same standard they use to criticize others. He illustrates this point with the humorous image of a man with a log coming out of his eye trying to help remove a speck of dust in his brother’s eye.

Jesus gives two parables to His disciples. One seemingly concerns other religious teachers, likely the Pharisees, and the second speaks to the disciples’ relationship with their teacher, Jesus.

Jesus teaches His disciples not to judge other people because they will be judged according to the same standard they use to criticize others. On the other hand, Jesus promises that if they give, they will receive in the same measure.

Jesus summarizes and commands the character standard of those who are in His kingdom.

Jesus offers and commands a radically different view of love than what is offered by the world.

Jesus commands His disciples in every circumstance to treat people the same way we want them to treat us. This is a distillation of everything He has been teaching throughout His Sermon.

Jesus flips the world system of ‘justice’ on its head. He tells His disciples to seek out opportunities to serve rather than looking for opportunities to exact payback under the letter of the law.

Jesus offers and commands a radically different view of love than what is offered by the world.

Jesus’s final Makarios statement deals with being righteously persecuted. Jesus reiterates this point by telling His disciples that God will reward them for their righteous living in the face of persecution.

Jesus’s second statement focuses on the path to gain and desire to possess social harmony and righteousness. His third statement focuses on weeping as an expression of repentance. 

Jesus begins teaching His disciples in a section commonly referred to as “the Sermon on the Mount,” or sometimes, “the Sermon on the Plain.” To describe the citizens of His Kingdom, Jesus repeats the word “Blessed” (“Makarios”)—a total sense of fulfillment. 

After spending all night in prayer on the mountain and choosing His twelve disciples the next day, Jesus went down to engage with the large crowds that were gathered. Jesus performs miracles of physical healing and casts out demons. 

For a third time, Paul leaves Syria to go preach the gospel in the west. He first visits the Galatian churches. Meanwhile, in Ephesus, a man named Apollos comes to town and preaches passionately about Jesus. Priscilla and Aquila teach him about some aspects of faith in Jesus of which Apollos was ignorant. Eventually, the Ephesian believers send Apollos to Corinth. In Corinth, Apollos helps the Corinthian believers by debating the hostile Jews in public and showing persuasively that the Hebrew scriptures prove Jesus was the Messiah.

A new Roman proconsul, Gallio, comes to Corinth to govern the province of Achaia. The hostile Jews bring Paul to Gallio and ask him to get rid of Paul. Gallio dismisses them, since there is no criminal charge against Paul. The proconsul of Rome is not concerned with Jewish religious quarrels. The Jews return to Gallio, dragging with them the new leader of the synagogue, Sosthenes, who is apparently a believer. They beat Sosthenes in front of Gallio. Gallio still will not do anything about Paul. Paul and his team decide to leave Corinth. Priscilla and Aquila go with them. The married couple stop in Ephesus to live there. Paul preaches the gospel in Ephesus and tells the interested Jews there that he will return if God wills it. He sails back to Israel, visits the Jerusalem church, then returns to the Syrian Antioch church.

Timothy and Silas arrive from Macedonia to Corinth. Their presence frees Paul to preach the gospel full time. Some of the Jews reject the gospel with hostility. Paul announces he will focus on the Gentiles from then on. He leaves the synagogue and begins preaching next door. The leader of the synagogue and his entire household believe in the gospel. Many other Corinthians, Jewish and Greek, believe. Jesus tells Paul in a vision that he will be physically safe in Corinth. Paul teaches in Corinth for a year and a half.