From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The verses up to now have depicted Jesus’ increasing isolation....
Matthew 27:38-44
posted by DJL
Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the...
The Satisfaction of Making a Difference
posted by DJL
There’s a lot to like about this interview with Bill and Melinda Gates. There’s the joy they clearly have in working together. There’s the regular testimony of Melinda Gates to her faith, a faith that inspires her to action and to question some of the authorities in her faith tradition. There’s the clear sense of urgency, priority, and optimism that colors their work. But perhaps my favorite thing of the interview is the delighted admission that giving their wealth away has been the most satisfying thing they’ve ever done. Yes, that’s true when you have billions to give. And, yes, that’s equally true when it’s dollar bills....
Matthew 27:32-37
posted by DJL
As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when...
Questions about Matthew’s Passion
posted by DJL
In working through Matthew’s Passion for our Lenten Devotions this year, I’ve been struck again by some of the really difficult elements of his story. In particular, at several points he seems to work pretty hard to exonerate the Romans, and particularly Pontius Pilate, of responsibility for Jesus’ death and to cast that responsibility and blame onto the Jewish religious authorities and crowds. All of the gospels do that to some degree or another, but Matthew goes to greater lengths (although John’s Gospel comes in a close second). His is the only passion narrative, for instance, in which Pilate washes his hands of Jesus’...