Recent Commentaries

At the close of Jesus’ sermon on “cross-bearing” in the previous chapter He promised that some of the disciples would “see the son of man coming in His kingdom” (Matt. 16:28). He chose Peter, James and John as witnesses to this event. This text does not say fo …

In many places, the Bible warns us not to “harden our hearts.” This means to stubbornly set ourselves against God so that we are no longer able to turn to Him for forgiveness. This passage is one of those warnings (vv. 7-9). Some Bible scholars say this was writ …

Paul reminds us over and over again that the riches of salvation comes from God, not humans (v. 4). By nature, man is so self-centered and self-reliant that he finds it difficult to believe that his own efforts and achievements, no matter how praiseworthy, can never save his soul. The basis for our salvation is stated both negatively and positively in these verses.

The land of Merathaim (v. 21) was the region in southern Babylon where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers enter the Persian Gulf. However, the word in Hebrew means “double rebellion."  Thus God was saying He would attack the land of double rebellion and inflect his p …

In a direct statement of judgment on Edom, God said, I am against you, Mount Seir (vv. 1-4). Seir, Edom’s geographical name, was the mountain range east of the Wadi Arabah south of the Dead Sea. This was the mountainous homeland where the Edomites lived. God would make t …

We know God will never fail us, but we might wonder, can we fail Him? Suppose some trial or temptation comes our way and we fail Him? Then what? Paul deals with that problem in this passage and explains that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. God permits trials to …

Jesus told a parable in which a landowner, during the period of grape harvest, had need of extra laborers, so he kept going out and hiring additional workers throughout the day (vv. 1-7). Early in the morning he hired workers who insisted on a contract and agreed to work for a penny a day …

In these first twelve verses of chapter 12 Jesus sounds a warning concerning hypocrisy, as the people were trying to appear good when their hearts were far from Him. Their selfishness would soon expose them as power-hungry imposters, not devoted religious leaders. Have you ev …

Joshua followed God’s instructions (vv. 2-5). On the seventh day their day began early about the dawning of the day (vv. 15-16). They marched around the city just as they had the previous six days. However, this time instead of going back to their camp, they went on marching six more …

As Jesus continued to travel, two blind men followed Him and acknowledge Him as the Son of David (vv. 27-31). We are not told why these men were blind, but blindness was prevalent in the Mideast in that day. These men were persistent as they followed Him into the house where He was …