Two small coins, worth almost nothing: why Jesus said the poor widow gave more than all the rich
In Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:1-4, Jesus watches people giving at the temple treasury. Rich people put in large sums. A poor widow puts in two…
Category
Teachings
Biblical insights, sermons, and thought-provoking articles from a Christian perspective.
Hiding in a winepress, called a mighty man of valour: Gideon, the fleece and the 300
In Judges 6 and 7, Gideon is threshing wheat in a winepress, hiding from the Midianites, when an angel calls him a "mighty man of valour".…
The priest thought she was drunk. Hannah was praying for a son, and her prayer changed Israel
In 1 Samuel 1, Hannah, childless and taunted by her husband's other wife, prays at Shiloh with such intensity that Eli the priest thinks she is…
Martha was busy serving, Mary sat and listened: the lesson Jesus gave in a kitchen in Bethany
In Luke 10:38 to 42, Martha is overwhelmed with preparations while her sister Mary sits at Jesus's feet. When Martha complains, Jesus gently tells her that…
Peter walked on water until he looked at the wind: Matthew 14 and faith in the storm
In Matthew 14, the disciples are caught in a storm on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus comes to them walking on the water. Peter asks…
A short, rich tax collector climbed a tree to see Jesus. Zacchaeus and the grace that went first
In Luke 19, Zacchaeus, a wealthy chief tax collector in Jericho, climbs a sycamore tree to see Jesus. Jesus calls him by name and invites Himself…
Five talents, two talents, one buried in the ground: what the parable of the talents teaches about fear
In Matthew 25, a master entrusts his servants with talents before a journey. Two invest and double what they received; one buries his out of fear.…
“Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” The courage of Queen Esther
The book of Esther tells how a young Jewish woman became queen of Persia and risked her life to save her people from a plot to…
“Our Father which art in heaven”: what each line of the Lord’s Prayer asks for
When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, He gave them a short model prayer. The Lord's Prayer, recorded in Matthew 6 and Luke 11, covers…
Daniel kept his windows open and prayed three times a day, knowing the law had changed
In Daniel 6, jealous officials trick King Darius into banning prayer to anyone but the king. Daniel, now an old man, keeps praying at his open…