questions – Page 41 – 300 words a day

a bag of rocks

My mom always picked up rocks. We would be on vacation, visiting some historic site, and she would pick up a rock. As we kids got older, it became a family joke. I understand it. I do it too. I find striking or odd or incredibly normal rocks and dry them off and stick them […]

by Jon Swanson

Leaving out stories

Many things are included in Bibles that are not part of “the Bible.” Old photographs, notes from loved ones, flattened leaves, and gum wrappers are obvious examples. They have sentimental value, but they are not part of the text. Footnotes, cross references, and explanatory notes are printed in many Bibles, but they are not part […]

by Jon Swanson

All in the family: Jesus and the Pharisees.

The Pharisees were caught in a sitcom. I think that they are like the dad, the one that tries everything to solve a problem and nothing works? Last thing they knew, Jesus had left town. Their sources told them that he was back home, up in the northern part of the country. Good riddance, they […]

by Jon Swanson

the day after

I teach every week in three settings, but I only preach a couple of times a year. Yesterday I stitched together posts about John 4, explored ideas with our Saturday night small group, and preached. I’m grateful for the responses, grateful for what I learned while studying. I don’t want to talk about the message […]

by Jon Swanson

Confusion perspectives

But Jesus did, eventually, go to the feast. (Here’s the story about not going.) He waited until people were expecting him, talking about him, wondering where he was. His timing is perfect. Reading through John 7, we get a cross-section of reactions to him. They show how different groups viewed him and also how opinions […]