April 4, 2023
In his second of six devotions in the week leading up to Easter, former editor Mark A. Taylor shares thoughts about the two men crucified with Christ . . . "Hardened and Desperate" (Luke 23:32-43).
July 27, 2020
By Stuart Powell In his description of Good Friday, Matthew shared details about three events that corresponded with the time of Jesus’ death: At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people (Matthew 27:51-53). Why do we spend so little time pondering these three acts of God—the torn curtain,
January 8, 2019
By Ronald G. Davis Old Doc Richardson, of my Appalachian hometown, kept a human skeleton on display in his office. Carefully wired together and suspended from a metal stand, that skeleton clinked and clanked at the slightest touch of my small-child hand. It was eerie. It was also obvious to my unsophisticated mind: Whoever’s bones these were would never come to life again. Those bones were dead and dry. In Ezekiel 37, when God led Ezekiel back and forth across a field filled with bones, he asked the prophet a simple question: “Son of man, can these bones live?” Now
March 30, 2018
An ER Doctor Examines What Jesus Experienced from the Garden to the Cross By Dwain C. Illman The resurrection is the keystone and the capstone of Christian belief. The crucifixion was required as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Every time I read Isaiah 53, I’m filled with awe and sadness as I marvel at detailed predictions surrounding our Savior. Consider Isaiah 53:5: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” As a physician who saw some
February 13, 2018
By Ronald G. Davis Few experiences are as pleasant and satisfying as sitting at a friend’s table for a simple meal. Jesus had that experience on a number of occasions. At the home of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, as recorded in John 12, it appeared to be especially delightful for him. That meal was, in a certain sense, a funeral luncheon prepared by a congregation for a dearly beloved member of the family. (Read John 12:1-3.) Only, on that occasion, the “dearly beloved” was still alive and present. Though the food prepared by Martha was no doubt delicious and nutritious,
August 9, 2017
By Jackina Stark Scholars have suggested two details about the cross that I have found intriguing. One has to do with where the cross might have been placed. Some suggest it was not erected at the top of Golgotha but at the base. This is in keeping with crucifixions taking place in busy thoroughfares, but it puts the cross too close to an unconcerned, gawking public for my comfort. It puts it, for that matter, too close to me. The second detail some scholars suggest is that Jesus might have been hung only a few feet above the ground. The
January 13, 2017
By Ronald G. Davis The Passover of the Hebrew people was inextricably tied to the shedding of blood. How many thousands of Egypt”s firstborn sons had to die to free the Hebrews from their bondage? And how many young and innocent lambs and goats became a hurried meal of roasted flesh? How many gallons of their blood became the blessed stripes on doorjambs and door frames? Exodus 11 and 12 describe the wonderfully awful and bloody events of that solemn and deadly night of redemption. The Passover when Jesus gathered his devoted””and not-so-devoted””12 friends and disciples in the upper room
April 25, 2014
By Jeff Faull Where is the Garden of Eden? Not the actual geographical description. You can read that in Genesis 2. Where is the garden now? What happened to it? Last we knew, it was in Genesis 3. Remember? Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:23, 24, New
January 24, 2011
This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for January 30) is written by Drew Sherman who serves with Compass Christian Church in Colleyville, Texas. Wounded for Our Transgressions (Isaiah 53:1-12) By Drew Sherman A few years ago on a mission trip to India, we, like many others who tour India, included a visit to the city of Agra where the Taj Mahal is located. Known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, this marble monument was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is widely considered as one
April 7, 2026
John B. Penrose Jr
April 7, 2026
David Faust
March 27, 2026
Rick Cherok