The word behind ‘poor in spirit’ carries deep Old Testament roots. In the Psalms and Isaiah, the anawim were the oppressed poor whose condition had driven them to one conclusion: they had nothing left but God. Stripped of every other resource, every other...
Before Jesus ever uttered the word ‘blessed,’ Matthew spent an entire chapter telling us who was following Him. The crowds that gathered on the hillside to hear the Sermon on the Mount were not the religious elite or the socially powerful. They were the...
Jesus’ baptism was an act of humiliation. The sinless Son of God stood in line with sinners, associated Himself with their shame, and submitted to a baptism He did not need. In the eyes of many, this made no sense. Why would the Holy One lower Himself in this...
If Jesus did not separate Himself from sinners, why would we? This is one of the most challenging applications of Jesus’ baptism. He entered into the mess of human sin and shame. He built relationships with tax collectors, touched lepers, spoke with the woman at...
After Jesus emerged from the waters of baptism, the heavens opened, the Spirit descended like a dove, and the Father spoke: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” This was a moment of Trinitarian glory: Father, Son, and Spirit all present...
