Dr Paul Allen

English: Jesus falling, while carrying the cross, on his way to calvary. The painting was by Anton Raphael Mengs, a German artist in the 18th century. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) We have a crisis if the cross loses its offense in our eyes. If we’re not offended by the cross, we’re in grave danger of losing the comfort and hope of the cross. Paul writes, “If I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed” (Galatians 5:11). Meaning, if I preach a righteousness through good works, then the cross is no longer necessary. The message of the cross — that we are sinful beyond saving unless God intervenes on our behalf — is softened or silenced by false gospels. The true gospel is the most offensive news ever announced: you are wicked and without hope in and of yourself. Your best efforts to be good are worthless — the worst kind of failure and rebellion. So the offensiveness can be removed, but when it’s strip...

English: This is a map of first century Iudaea Province that I created using Illustrator CS2. I traced this image for the general geographic features. I then manually input data from maps found in a couple of sources. Robert W. Funk and the Jesus Seminar. The Acts of Jesus. HarperSanFrancisco: 1998. p. xxiv. Michael Grant. Jesus: An Historian's Review of the Gospels. Charles Scribner's Sons: 1977. p. 65-67. John P. Meier. A Marginal Jew. Doubleday: 1991. p. 1:434. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 11:20–24 “I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you” (v. 24). Matthew 11 focuses on the rising opposition to Jesus ’ mission. Although John the Baptist’s question about the Lord’s true identity is not intended to oppose Him (because he does not go past doubt to unbelief, vv. 1–15), note that such doubting, if not handled properly, is the first step toward apostasy. Many religious leaders in Jesus’ day go farther do...

From The Historical Atlas by William R. Shepherd, 1923. via http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/history_middle_east.html Category:Historical maps by William R. Shepherd (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Jesus… marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” (Luke 7:9) Jesus , the “founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), once marveled at the great faith he found in a man. And it’s the only instance recorded in the Gospels when Jesus responded that way. Who was this man? A rabbi? No. A disciple? Nope. A Roman soldier . Jesus had walked down from the brow of the low mountain outside of Capernaum , his adopted home ( Matthew 4:13 ). He had just delivered what would become the most famous sermon in history. When Jesus entered the town, he was met by a group of Jewish elders. They had an urgent request. Would Jesus come quickly to the home of a Roman centurion whose servant was so ill he was near ...

Copia desde la Crucifixion dibujada hacia 1540 por Miguel Angel Buonarroti para Vittoria Colonna. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. [Luke 23:45b] Just before Jesus breathed his last, the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom (Mark 15:38). This was an amazing event, both physi-cally and in its spiritual meaning. The curtain covered the golden doors that led into the Holy of Holies . It was about eighty feet high and twenty-four feet wide. Because of its great size, it was very thick and strong and consisted of several layers of drapes. Anything layered like this is virtually impossible to tear by natural means. The veil prevented people from entering or seeing the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber of the throne of God . In the Old Testament God had slain those who approached him inappropriately. The veil protected sinful humans from the consuming fire of God’s holiness. Until the problem of sin had been dealt with, men and wome...