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Is fasting an expectation for Christians?

The season of Lent is here once again which of course brings up the topic of fasting, since the tradition of Lent comes from following Jesus’ example of his time in the wilderness (Luke 4:1–2). I wasn’t planning on writing anything specific this year like I have previous in previous years, but I felt inspired today at church from one of Gospel readings: Matthew 9:14–15 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is t...

Palm Sunday and the End Times

...arge (his disciples then and now) while he goes to receive “royal power for himself” (v.12) and has a delayed return in which he will slaughter those who opposed his kingship once he is back (v.27). This leads into the “Palm Sunday” day of Jesus coming as a rightful king and then later being rejected and leaving to receive his authority: (v.12) So he said, “A nobleman went to a distant region to receive royal power for himself and then return. This ties into Daniel 7 when the Son of Man (Jesus) goes to the Father (the “Ancient One”) and is given authority and a kingdom: Daniel 7:13–14As I watched in the night visions,I saw one like a human b...

Jesus, Mithras and Ancient Roman Cults: Separating Fact from Fiction

...had women disciples and included them in his ministry and witness, as well as financial and other support (Luke 8:1–3) which went against the grain of society at the time (and later, even hosting churches in their homes!). For example, the scholarly view of Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet acknowledges that it was unusual for a woman to take on the role of a disciple in this way, as religious education and discipleship were often reserved only for men. However, this scene in Luke 10:38–42 is significant because it highlights Jesus’ inclusive attitude towards women in his ministry. Similarly, in John 4:4–42 where Jesus speaks with the woman at the well, Jes...

The Coming of Jesus: Daniel's 70 Weeks

...told his disciples, "when you see all these things, you know that he is near..." I'll be discussing Matthew 24-25 in more detail in Part 3 of this series; the next part will be looking at what exactly "coming on the clouds of heaven" means in terms of it's usage in the Old Testament prophetic texts, and how the disciples and those listening to Jesus would have understood it, as all these phrases link the New to the Old Testament. As 1st century Jews who knew their Scriptures, they would have undoubtedly have heard it differently to how we do in a 21st century context with all of our "End Times" baggage and bias.   Feel free to leave a comment below and sha...

Why do bad things happen to 'good' people?

...Even the disciples had a similar question in John 9:1-3 when they came across a man who had been born blind, and asked Jesus whose fault it was - the man's or his parents? I find this particularly interesting as the man was born blind, yet they wonder if it was his fault - how could that be? It definitely highlights some interesting theology of the day if there was a general assumption that sin was always someone's fault - like a punishment, even if you were born like that! Jesus simply responds that it was no ones fault, but it was so that "God’s works might be revealed in him" (v.3). This man's blindness was not a divine punishment, but rather just somet...

I am one with the Force; the Force is with me – A Star Wars theology

...tells his disciples in Luke 18:1. But more than just praying and keeping focused on God, we need to be as Jesus said: at one with each other and totally united with the Spirit (John 17:11,22).   So I propose an adaptation to the film quote to make it something more real and relevant to our faith:   "I am one with the Spirit, the Spirit is with me"   This, then, isn’t that far off encapsulating the teachings of Jesus and the outlook and mindset we ought to have as Spirit-filled Christians: as children of God (Rom 8:14), to be guided by the Spirit (Gal 5:25) in our new life led by the Spirit in us (Gal 2:20), because ultimately, “anyone united to the...