Since Jesus’ church is divided in its understanding of the role of women and mothers in the home, in the church itself, and in the community, it seems appropriate to engage with a practical question being asked by married couples during these uncertain times: Who is responsible for all the domestic work in the home? The whole family? The wife? Should the husband and children contribute to domestic affairs of the household? What does Scripture have to say about this?
Read MoreYou know the story. The haunting ghosts of Christmas past eventually persuaded cheap-skate Ebenezer Scrooge to embrace Christmas and its spirit of generosity to the needy and poor. It was the ghosts. They were the key to the radical change in Scrooge’s attitude and practice. Cute ghost story with a happy ending. Very sentimental and Christmas like. But, according to Luke’s Gospel, quite misleading and a very unhappy ending.
Read MoreI put this video together to show my process of working through the text and making observations there, and to demonstrate how the text is connected back to Genesis 1 and 2 through repetitions of words and themes. That’s the canonical approach, looking for those recursions or patterns in the narratives that keep being threaded throughout.
So let’s get into the text! We’re specifically looking at comparing and contrasting the speeches of the serpent and of Eve to what God’s speeches were in Genesis 1 and 2. Even more to the point, we’re going to compare what God actually said to what the serpent and Eve say that He said.
Read MoreGod teaches us one of the major doctrines of the Bible through story. The doctrine of the entrance of sin and death into the human race is shown to us in story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:1-7. So—if we as Bible readers are taught one of the major doctrines of the Scripture—the entrance of sin and death into the human race, barred from God’s presence--by means of a story, should we also not expect to see the tragic effects of sin and death reversed by means of a follow-up story? Is there such a story in the New Testament of the curse in reverse? When we approach the Bible canonically, that story comes to light almost as a Xerox copy of Genesis 3. Have a look.
Read MoreNow all of this discussion about “canonical study” and “historical narratives” and “narrative typology” could sound like it’s reserved for scholars and theologians, the really smart people. But it’s not. The Bible was written to humanity; God has revealed Himself to regular people like you and me.
Let’s look at an easy question that gets resolved through observing a pattern in the Pentateuch. I say an “easy question” because it got asked in my toddler’s children’s Bible last night. But it’s not a child’s question, because it’s one that I and many other adults I know still discuss.
Basically, the question is would anyone have done things differently than Adam and Eve in their choice to disobey God (by taking and eating the fruit from the forbidden tree)? I think we know the answer is “no,” but how do we prove that from the text? Is this even a question that’s answered for us in the narratives of the Pentateuch? And of course, my answer is “yes.”
Let me demonstrate with some of the parallels I observed.
Read MoreThe biblical character known by the name of Joseph is not usually found in the same sentence as the resurrection of Christ. Joseph and Easter Sunday seems worlds apart. Even more strange is to find the name of Adam associated with Joseph and with Jesus Christ. But mere appearances can be deceiving. The story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50 is linked integrally with Adam who lost Paradise and with Jesus who regained access Paradise for the sons and daughters of Adam. The Bible was written canonically. When we begin to read the Bible canonically, all the dots—Adam—Joseph—Jesus—begin to connect into a seamless story.
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