The story of how Jesus has Peter pull the money, the exact amount needed, out of the mouth of the first fish Peter catches is extraordinary, so extraordinary that some scholars have tried to argue it away. It was just a “bit of a folk-tale,” a cute story to make a point, nothing more. Of … Continue reading –>
Read Matthew 17:24-27. What is going on here, and what does this also tell us about Jesus? Though all Jews were required to pay the temple tax, priests, Levites, and rabbis were exempt. So, this question about whether Jesus paid the temple tax was also a challenge to His ministry. Ellen G. White writes that … Continue reading –>
Read Matthew 17:1-9. What happened here, and why was it so important for both Jesus Himself and for the disciples? Jesus “had dwelt amid the love and fellowship of heaven; but in the world that He had created, He was in solitude. Now heaven had sent its messengers to Jesus; not angels, but men who … Continue reading –>
You can view an in-depth discussion of “Peter and the Rock” in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. (Adobe Flash Player version.) A Youtube version of this week’s lesson at Hope Sabbath School is below. You can download the video, the MP3 audio, and the lesson outline from the HopeTV Sabbath … Continue reading –>
Read Matthew 16:21-23. Why is Jesus suddenly so tough on Peter? Peter’s problem wasn’t that he was trying to protect Jesus. He was trying to steer Jesus. He was no longer following Jesus; he was telling Jesus to follow him. Jesus said, “‘Get behind Me, Satan!’” (Matthew 16:23, NKJV) because, like Satan himself in the … Continue reading –>
Right after Peter’s bold confession of faith in Jesus as “‘the Christ, the Son of the living God,’” Jesus says something in answer to Peter. Read Matthew 16:17-20. What did Jesus say to Peter, and how are we to understand what He meant? The phrase “on this rock” has been controversial within the Christian church. … Continue reading –>
I once visited Rome and stood in the very room next to the Sistine Chapel that was the Pope’s office during the Reformation. I saw an old chair next to the wall, so I sat down, closed my eyes and thought about the wooden desk standing across the room. I wondered about the conversations and … Continue reading –>
Imagine what it must have been like for Peter, who had been with Jesus almost from the start. What must have gone through his mind as he witnessed one incredible event after another: the healings, the casting out of demons, the feeding of the multitudes, the amazing teachings, the controlling of nature, raising the dead, … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Gal. 4:4, Heb. 7:26, Matt. 16:13-20, Eph. 2:20, Matt. 16:21-27, Matt. 17:1-9. Memory Text:“‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’” (Matthew 16:15, NIV). From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the … Continue reading –>
A Christian was speaking to students on a secular campus about the existence of God. After using all the common arguments, he took a different tack, saying: “You know, when I was about the age of most of you, and not believing in God, every now and then, when something would convict me that maybe … Continue reading –>
