Baptism and Testing of Jesus (Mark 1:9-13)
Baptism and Testing of Jesus (Mark 1:9-13)
Mark 1:9-13 describes the baptism and temptation of Jesus. The Gospel of Mark binds these two events causally close. The story in this passage highlights Jesus' identity as the Son of God and his ability to resist the temptation of Satan. The role of the Holy Spirit, which descends on Jesus upon...
Defilement comes from within (Mark 7:1-23)
This story questions the very essence of what is really important in our religious life. It would be the mistake to just plain read the story and apply it into our life. Key Greek terms used here are παραδοσις meaning "tradition, something handed down" and κοινος meaning "defiled; ordinary,...
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet (John 13:1-20)
The begining of thirteen chapter of the gospel of John speaks about paschal dinner. However John is not focusing on primary aspects of paschal dinner but concentrates our attention to feet washing, which is unexpected. This event is taking place in the perspective of Jesus' death (John 13:1.3).
Peter's love for Jesus - Peter do you love me? (John 21:15-19)
After Jesus meets fishing disciples in Galilee, a short story follows narrating a dialog between Peter and Jesus. This is the third encounter of Jesus with his disciples after the resurrection. The story begins with arranging the event after finishing their meal (ἠρίστησαν [éristésan]). Jesus...
Ascension of Jesus (Acts 1:1-11)
Jesus' ascension into heaven signifies the end of his earthly ministry and the beginning of the apostles' mission. It also foreshadows Jesus' eventual return, as the angels declare that he will come back in the same way he ascended. Jesus instructs his disciples to be his witnesses in Jerusalem,...
Epistle to the Romans
The Epistle to the Romans was always drawing considerable attention among theologians. For example, it was this epistle which significantly contributed to conversion of Augustine, to Martin Luther's discovery of justification by faith or was used by Karl Barth to form manifesto of dialectical...
Righteousness Through Faith (Romans 3:21-31)
Romans 3:24 speaks about "redemption that came by Christ Jesus". We do not event think about that, but this redemption has on its background very strong ancient contextual image. Redemption is not just ordinary synonym for salvation, but it concerns literal redeeming of a slave (there is a Greek...
Concerning Spiritual Gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1-14:40)
The whole discourse on spiritual gifts is one of the most controversial sections in the entire Bible. The study of the original text and employment of literary criticisms open the text in a different way than usually done on the popular level. We would like to point out one particular emphasis...
Resurrection Creed (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)
1 Corinthians 15:3-8 is considered to be an early church's creed. It expresses recorded oral tradition of the resurrection of Jesus. Yet brief, it is very deep. These particular points are stressed: fulfilling of the Scriptures, confirming the reality of the resurrection, and that Christ is both...
What is Faith (Hebrews 11:1-40)
This text is sometimes called "heroes of faith" and contains one of the most known verses of the Bible: "Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1). Surely this text has something to say about what the faith is. This text helps us to realize...