Jesus, in the last days of his life, is in the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, sitting at the table. Mary takes a pound of “costly perfume made of pure nard,” which was a fragrant, imported oil.
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There are controversial parts of the Bible, there are unclear parts of scripture, and there are passages that are difficult to understand. But this one is clear — as clear as Jesus’ words about how we treat the poor.
One of Jesus imperatives to his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount is “Search, and you will find.” (Matthew 7:7, NRSV)
On more than one occasion Jesus told a parable that featured a banquet or a feast. In this parable of the kingdom of God, a man is holding a banquet and the invited guests are too busy to show up — all of them have excuses.
The Psalmist is singing and praising God. In his praise, he remembers the ways in which God speaks to us and the tremendous difference that makes.
Within every moment of deep darkness lies the certainty that the dawn is coming. Most people have felt, at one time or another, that everything seems hopeless.
This is one of the two passages Jesus quotes as the summary of “all the law and the prophets”—“you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Imagine that you are living in Gergesa, situated on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee.
In the Corinthian correspondence, Paul wrote to a church he had founded three or so years earlier to deal with issues and questions that had arisen in the church.
“In Christ,” Ephesians 1:11 says, “we have also obtained an inheritance.”
Gratitude is powerful for several reasons.