Last week’s blog in this three part series was the world OF the text. Now is part two: the world BEHIND the text (concerns, circumstances and experiences of individuals). One way to initially unpack a Biblical text is to find out when it was written– providing often-significant context for why this story, told at this […]
Author Archive | Madelon Maupin
Jonah’s Enemies: Narrowness & Nationalism
Jonah is one of those Biblical books that can make me squirm. More than the ‘whale of a tale’ of childhood Bible stories, this parable offers food for thought sometimes tough to digest, not unlike the whale who couldn’t quite swallow this Avoider. Jonah makes us look closer at hints of self-absorption that make me want to […]
Bringing the Resurrection Forward
It’s hard to focus too much on the resurrection. No one understood this better than Paul who preached it throughout his 30-year ministry. Writing to the Corinthians, he asks: If Christ hasn’t been raised, then our preaching is useless and your faith is useless… then we deserve to be pitied more than anyone else […]
The Power of Jesus’ Post-Resurrection Appearances
This is the next in a series of April blogs on the post-resurrection appearances that occurred in an ancient spring some 21 centuries ago, according to the Gospel of Luke. The second time Jesus comes to view after the resurrection isn’t narrated like the other two–meeting the Emmaus followers, and greeting disciples in the upper […]
Lessons from Emmaus: Coming Home to Christ
April is the month parallel to those ancient, world-changing days when Jesus made resurrection appearances. According to Luke’s Gospel, all three occurred before the anticipated Jewish Pentecost festival – held fifty days following Passover. This month’s blogs will focus on this period of Jesus’ life between the resurrection and ascension, and examine those three appearances in the […]
