“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me’” (John 14:6, NASB). The Bible as a whole is a set of directives pointing the way to God—and, in a sense, the way back to the Garden of Eden where our first […]

“…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28, NIV). You know, you could get a “yurt” this Christmas for the one who has everything. It’s a Mongol tent, outfitted with one-of-a-kind designer down-filled pillows—and even a crystal chandelier.

“And they [the shepherds] went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child” (Luke 2:16–17, ESV). I love to study the preseason polls and the rankings of college football and basketball

“When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’” (Mark 15:39, NASB). Darkness at midday, a shattering earthquake, uncanny words from the Man on the middle cross audibly committing His life to His Father—“They had it

“‘Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him” (Mark 6:3, NIV). We’ve grown up hearing that Jesus was the son of a carpenter (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3) and that He Himself probably did some

“‘…AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,’ which translated means, “‘GOD WITH US’” (Matthew 1:23, NASB). Immanuel—God with us! This thought is incomprehensible. Yet it has always been God’s desire to dwell with humans. After Adam and Eve sinned, the first words of God to Adam were, “Where are you?” Instance after instance, too many

“…Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1, NIV). “What’s in a Title?” The opening line of Matthew’s description of the claims of a Galilean from Nazareth, an obscure village in the north of Israel (a blended Gentile-Jewish area), would have been met with shock and amazement, skepticism and ridicule by

“‘…There before me was one like a son of man…’” (Daniel 7:13, NIV). At Jesus’ birth, something didn’t feel right. The prophet Daniel had raised Israel’s expectations, but this whole God-coming-to-earth thing didn’t seem to be all it was cracked up to be. Sure, there were angels, a few worshipping astrologers, gifts, a star, and

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6, NIV). Have you been singing “peace on earth, good will to men” but your life is anything but?

“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22, NIV). Perhaps the first Scripture passage that comes to mind in thinking about prophecies concerning the coming Messiah is the Suffering Servant passage in Isaiah 53. However, other key texts also portray Jesus’ rejection by the nation of Israel. That Jesus would divide Israel’s