Dr Paul Allen

“And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” ( Isaiah 53:9 ) It is generally recognized that the amazing 53rd chapter of Isaiah, written over 500 years earlier, is the most explicit and complete exposition of the substitutionary suffering and death of the Lord Jesus Christ in all the Bible, including even the New Testament accounts. And this prophecy that His death and burial would be with both the “wicked, and with the rich” is surely one of the most remarkable. How could such a prediction possibly come to pass? Yet it did! Unjustly condemned, not for any violent or deceitful acts, but only for telling the truth, Jesus was crucified between two wicked criminals, yet He was buried in a garden tomb lovingly built by a rich member of the council that had condemned Him to death. Furthermore, that elaborate tomb had almost certainly been personally designed and built ahead of time by Jose...

English: Peresopnytsia Gospels. 1556-1561. Miniature of Saint Matthew. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 16:24–28 “ Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (v. 24). Peter ’s grasp of the Messiah ’s task was lacking at first (Matt. 16:13–23), but he finally saw that the Messiah is the Suffering Servant who bears God’s wrath against sin ( 1 Peter 2:21–25).  Moreover, Peter probably met his end by being  crucified upside down , enabling him to share the Savior’s misery in a special way. Jesus in this passage calls each person who wants to be a disciple to take up the cross and participate in His afflictions (Matt. 16:24; see also Col. 1:24). To partake in Jesus’ sufferings is not in any way redemptive; only heretics say Christ ’s death is insufficient to save us unless joined to our own efforts. Instead, our share in Jesus’ afflictions shows our commitment to live...

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 16:24–28 “ Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (v. 24). Peter ’s grasp of the Messiah ’s task was lacking at first (Matt. 16:13–23), but he finally saw that the Messiah is the Suffering Servant who bears God’s wrath against sin ( 1 Peter 2:21–25). Moreover, Peter probably met his end by being  crucified upside down , enabling him to share the Savior’s misery in a special way. Jesus calls each person who wants to be a disciple to take up the cross and participate in His afflictions (Matt. 16:24; see also Col. 1:24). To partake in Jesus’ sufferings is not in any way redemptive; only heretics say Christ ’s death is insufficient to save us unless joined to our own efforts. Instead, our share in Jesus’ afflictions shows our commitment to live as He lived, which always earns for us the persecu...

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written, “ KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS ” (Revelation 19:16). “Jesus is the Christ . He is the Lord. He is the Son of David . He is the Son of God. He is the Lion of Judah . He is the Lamb of God. He is our Righteousness. He is the Prince of Peace. He is the Suffering Servant . He is the Savior. He is the Lily of the Valley . He is the Rose of Sharon . He is our Great High Priest. He is the Mercy Seat.” Jesus is the incomparable Christ , and there is no limit to the wealth of glorious titles that can and must be given Him for all eternity. The Bible is filled with names for Jesus. How many do you know? When you read and study the Bible, do you look for Jesus, or do you find yourself just acquiring interesting information? As you read the Bible, ask yourself, “What name of Jesus do I see in this passage?” While you will never exhaust Christ’s character and personality, yo...

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Matthew 4:2-4 "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God " ( v. 4 ). Having come into the world to save His people ( Matt. 1:21 ), Jesus begins His ministry when He identifies with God's chosen, Israel , in His baptism and follows the Spirit into the wilderness to face Satan ( 3:13-4:1 ). In the desert, Jesus shows Himself to be the new Israel, the second Adam and true Son of God, so that His disciples can be adopted as the Father's children ( John 1:9-13 ). When the Devil comes to Jesus in today's passage, the Messiah has been "fasting forty days and forty nights" and is obviously hungry ( Matt. 4:2 ). This reveals the hard place in which Jesus finds Himself. Scripture often associates forty days and nights with difficult circumstances. For example, Elijah endured the same period without food while on the run from Ahab and Jezebel ( 1 Kings 1...