Dr Paul Allen

The upper part of The Transfiguration (1520) by Raphael, depicting Christ miraculously discoursing with Moses and Elijah. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this ( Luke 4:28). After Jesus began to preach, the people in Nazareth started questioning His words. He was claiming to be the Messiah, but they remembered Him as Joseph’s son, a young carpenter who grew up in their midst. They wanted to see proof. Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your home town what we have heard that you did in Capernaum .’ I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his home town” (Luke 4:23–24). As if to alienate them further, Jesus went on to tell the people that the new kingdom was going to go to the Gentiles . It was going to go wherever people believed the Word. But it was not going to go to faithless Israel , unless they repented and accepted this “home town prophet.” He...

English: Jesus and Mary Magdalene (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Following Jesus ’s forty days in the wilderness where he was tempted by Satan to prove himself to be the Son of God , he returned to the Galilee where he taught in that region’s synagogues (Luke 4:14–15). On one Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue in Nazareth in which they followed an order that included a public reading from the Prophets. When it came time for that reading, Jesus stood up and was handed a scroll of the book of Isaiah from which he was expected to read (Luke 4:17). Unrolling the scroll to the verses of Isaiah 61 that announce the coming of the Messiah , Jesus read, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18; see Isa. 61:1). Then Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. It was the custom of the day for the reader to also give a sermon and for rabbis to sit when they taught, and Jesus did exactly that.13 Perhaps...

Stained glass window of the sacred Heart of Jesus Christ in the former Mosque (Cathedral) of Cordoba, Spain (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Who holds it all together? What single name outweighs everthing on this Earth ? Can you recall a name that has power? A name that captures all history’s past? One single name that holds the potential of eternity’s future? There is a name that holds it all. A name beyond all imagination and holding all possible potential. His name is Jesus and there is no other name . Acts 4:12 It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth , whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is“‘the stone you builders rejected,which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Related articles Signed, Sealed and Delivered, I'm yours! (prayersofmysoul.wordpress.com) Peter Doesn't Hold Back - Acts 4 ...

English: Baby Moses rescued from the Nile (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 2:19–23 “He went and lived in a city called Nazareth , that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: ‘He shall be called a Nazarene ’”(v. 23).  In  Matthew 2 , note how the evangelist has taught us about God ’s providence. We should see that Herod ’s hatred of Jesus and slaughter of the young boys in Bethlehem (vv. 16–18) parallel Pharaoh ’s attempt to kill Moses (Ex. 1:8–2:10). 

"Son of man" appears 25 times in Luke, a copy (c. 800) shown here. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Luke 17:11–19 Have you ever seen a stage hypnotist give water to someone they’ve put in a trance and then suggest to them that they were drinking wine? They smack their lips, get giddy and start to feel intoxicated, as though they were swigging cheap Bordeaux . British author Ian Wilson has raised the possibility that Jesus may have been a master hypnotist, which could explain the supposedly supernatural aspects of his life. For instance, hypnosis could account for his healing of lepers, his exorcisms and his transfiguration, during which three of his followers saw his face glow and his garments shine as white as light (see Matthew 17:1–2). As evidence, Wilson cites the modern example of a 16-year-old boy whose serious  skin disorder was inexplicably healed through hypnotic suggestion . Perhaps Lazarus wasn’t really brought back from the dead (see John 11:1...

Virgin Mary and Jesus, old Persian miniature. In Islam, they are called Maryam and Isa. NOTE: See discussion page before using (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Mary the wife of Joseph, known as “the Virgin” because of her reported virginal conception of Jesus. She is portrayed somewhat negatively in Mark, less so in Matthew, and positively in Luke. She is not mentioned by name in the Gospel of John , though there are several references there to the “ mother of Jesus .” Matt. 1:18–25 and Luke 1:26 –56; 2:1–38 give differing birth stories, but both include the virginal conception. In Matt. 1:18–25, Jesus’s birth is announced to Joseph in a dream; in Luke 1:26–38, it is announced to Mary herself by the angel Gabriel. In Luke’s account, Mary accepts the angel’s announcement, humbling herself as God’s servant (1:38).  She travels from Nazareth to Judea to visit her pregnant relative Elizabeth, who hails her as “blessed among women” and as the “mother of my Lord” (1:39–45). Mary respo...

Birth of Jesus Matthew 2:1 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 2 :19–23 “He went and lived in a city called  Nazareth , that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: ‘He shall be called a Nazarene’” (v. 23). As we we look at Matthew 2, we note how the evangelist has taught us  about  God ’s providence. First, we should see that  Herod ’s hatred of  Jesus  and slaughter of the young boys in Bethlehem (vv. 16–18) parallel  Pharaoh ’s attempt to kill  Moses  (Ex. 1:8–2:10). Moses was the mediator of the old covenant, and in ordaining the circumstances of the  birth of Christ  to be so  similar to Moses’ birth, our Father has prepared His people to receive Jesus as a new and greater Moses, the mediator of a new and better covenant (Heb. 7:22). Secondly, the dreams of warning that  Joseph  and the magi experience ( Matt. 2:12–13, 19–20, 22) show that God has sovereignly overruled man...

JUDAEA, Herodians. Herod Antipas. 4 BCE-39 CE. Æ 18mm (4.98 g). Dated year 34 (30 CE). Palm branch; L LD (date) across fields / Legend in two lines within wreath. Hendin 517; RPC I 4926. VF, black patina with reddish earthen deposits, a little rough. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 15:1 –20 “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person” (vv. 19–20a). Herod Antipas is not the only Palestinian whose curiosity is piqued when he hears of Christ’s ministry (Matt. 14:1–2). Some of the religious authorities in Jerusalem also want to investigate the carpenter’s son from Nazareth . Pharisees and scribes from the capital city confront our Lord in today’s passage (15:1). These men are likely official representatives of the Pharisaic and scribal movements, both of which the common folk hold in high esteem. Our Savior has encountered little but antagonism from the scribes and Pharisees in ...

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: "To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs." (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound." ( Isaiah 61:1 ) The Lord Jesus appropriated this beautiful verse of the prophet Isaiah to Himself, preaching from it one day in the Nazareth synagogue and proclaiming: "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears" ( Luke 4:21 ). No...

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 ...