In these notes, I first show the point of John 3:1-2 by offering a biblical apologetic for Jesus as having the authority of a prophet to reveal new revelation. Then, I explore the theological environment of First Century Judea in order to provide historical context for Jesus's conversation with Nicodemus. It is no surprise that... Continue Reading →
It is Fig Monday, and Jesus is speaking seven woes against the Pharisees and scribes according to Matthew’s Gospel. The Pharisees and scribes are woeful because they are children of Hell and, by their examples, make others worse children of Hell than they are (cf. 23:13, 15). When Jesus says, “Woe to you,” it carries... Continue Reading →
Jesus has proved Himself a capable Rabbi. He has warned the crowds not to be like the Pharisees and scribes. Now, He speaks directly to the Pharisees and scribes in order to rebuke them because of their hypocrisy. There are occasions on which one should not be polite but, instead, call out injustice. While it... Continue Reading →
It is Fig Monday during Passion Week. Jesus’s rabbinic knowledge has been tested. He upheld Torah and proved wiser than the Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees who exceeded Him in their religious status, formal education, and physical age. Jesus now turns to the crowds who have been watching His exchanges with the religious leaders of the... Continue Reading →
It is Fig Monday, and Jesus is being tested. He started teaching and healing people in the temple. A group of Pharisees tried to question His authority. After they failed, they sent their students with the Herodians to entrap Jesus—to prove He was no real teacher. Instead, they departed marveling because of Jesus’s teaching. The... Continue Reading →
The chief priests and elders have challenged Jesus’s authority to teach and act the way He has in the temple complex. In response, Jesus told three parables directed at the chief priests and elders in view of the crowd. In response, the chief priests and elders, now identified as Pharisees, plot together to entrap Jesus.... Continue Reading →
Jesus is in the temple complex speaking directly to the chief priests and elders. This is Jesus’s third parable against them in view of the public. https://youtu.be/7dylE9wAVZY Matthew 22:1-14 22.1 Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς πάλιν εἶπεν ἐν παραβολαῖς αὐτοῖς λέγων· 2 Ὡμοιώθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ βασιλεῖ, ὅστις ἐποίησεν γάμους τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ. 3... Continue Reading →
Jesus is in a conversation with the chief priests and elders who challenged his authority. He tells his second parable against them. https://youtu.be/o0CFBQCFU6Y Matthew 21:33-46 “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard and put a wall around it and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and... Continue Reading →
The Pharisees and Sadducees asked for a sign from heaven, or a sign that the kingdom of heaven was truly at hand. They were asking for a sign of the end-times; Jesus, though He seemed to agree that the signs should accompany the coming of the kingdom, called them a wicked and adulterous generation because... Continue Reading →
In May, we started watching the Bible Series again. This time with our church family at Grace. I wanted to share a few reflections on each episode. Episode 7 In this episode, we see the appearance of the Pharisees. The Pharisees were a religious group who were devoted to the Law. They treasured the Scriptures... Continue Reading →
andrew paul cannon 