If ever there were an argument for the existence of the devil, today’s gospel is it. Notice that the Spirit of God led Jesus into the wilderness, but his tempter was the devil. Not the Holy Spirit, who filled him. Not God, who called him beloved. But the adversary, which is perhaps a better translation of the Greek … Read the rest
Continue reading "Temptation & Tyranny" »
Between amazement at his gracious words and anger at his prophetic references… what the heck happened? I’m serious, this is one of the more confusing encounters between Jesus and his hearers. And in Luke’s account, it happens right at the beginning of his public ministry. Foreshadowing, perhaps, the confusion and rejection that were to characterize public reaction to … Read the rest
Continue reading "Choice to Love" »
Perhaps you’ve heard the popular saying that “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” This proverb is a slight corruption of a story from Lewis Carroll’s classic children’s tale, Alice in Wonderland. You may remember the conversation between a disoriented Alice and the mysterious Cheshire Cat. Alice asked: “Would you tell me, … Read the rest
Continue reading "Discerning the Way" »