As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
See the first article.
Because Jesus is our good shepherd, he’s our guide who cares for us in this life and brings us along to the next. Israel’s leaders (“shepherds”) were basically terrible. Worthless. Unreliable. Bad. It’s not that Jewish people were habitually bad. It’s that all of us are habitually bad! We need a leader from outside to get us out of this mess.
God told us that he’d send a special someone to do a proper job.
Jesus ascended back to heaven 40 days after his resurrection. We know this because Luke tells us (Acts 1:3). It’s a very important event, and Luke is the guy who wrote both accounts of it. One is shorter (Lk 24:50-53), and the other is a bit longer (Acts 1:10). Other New Testament writers constantly reference it, too.
One big reason is that the Christian story makes no sense without it.
“Most American Christians think of Easter as only a day and of Ascension Day as barely a blip on the calendar. However, in different times and places, Christians put a high priority on the Ascension. In the first few centuries of the Church, it was celebrated, along with Pentecost, as part of the Easter season.” - Breakpoint
“The Bible doesn’t say Jesus was nailed to a cross. Telling the story of Christ’s death, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John simply say that Roman soldiers crucified him. They don’t say how.” - CToday
“Priests and people had turned worship into a racket (in more ways than one). And both leaders and laymen were culpable. As it turns out, there is nothing new under the sun.” - BJU Seminary
Christians around the world will remember and celebrate the essence of the gospel during this week ahead — “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
We believe that the Apostle Paul’s inspired summary statement is true, and we are certain that these events actually happened in real history, providing the basis of our salvation.
“…there’s a whole lot more you can learn about someone by reading four stories of their life, rather than just one.” - P&D
“I love the way Jesus responds to Mary’s beautiful, useless gesture and recognises it as something that is always worthwhile, something that will live forever, for all the carping and criticism of Judas, then and now.” - Malcolm Guite
Discussion