Recap After we had looked into prayers for the sainted dead in 2 Maccabees, one person in class wanted to explore the verse that followed. Your teacher tactfully avoided doing so to keep the Lesson on task. Today, to honor this person’s august wishes (it is August, after all!), we delve deeper in to what […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 13: 1-2 Maccabees, Pt. 3
July 30, 2017 by
Recap In 164 BC, with the ouster of Antiochus Epiphanes from Israel, the Israelites began to celebrate a festival every year to remember the dedication, or restoration, of the Temple. For the one who claimed to be God in human flesh was defeated and proper worship restored. Jesus used His celebration of this feast (John […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 12: 1-2 Maccabees, Pt. 2
July 24, 2017 by
Recap A representative of Antiochus confronts Mattathias in his town to be the first to offer a pagan sacrifice and become a “friend” of the king. When Mattathias refuses, another man steps in, hoping to receive favor. Angry, Mattathias kills both the opportunist and the king’s agent. The Maccabean revolt begins. At first, Mattathias focuses, […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 11: 1-2 Maccabees
July 17, 2017 by
Introduction 1 Maccabees describes the attempts at Hellenization by the Seleucid ruler, Antiochus IV Epiphanes (1:1-2:70), moving on to cover the exploits of Judas Maccabeus (3:1-9:22) and his brothers Jonathan (9:23-12:53) and Simon (13:1-16:24). Judas and his brothers battle to remove the Greek influence from Israel. The book was written after 134 BC since the […]
1 Maccabees 4:36-51, John 10:22-33
April 17, 2016 by
Today, we are following Jesus. We walk behind Him, and He makes His way to the Temple to celebrate a festival. For us, it is spring; for Jesus, the season is now winter. So, Jesus chooses to make His way to the Temple to celebrate a religious festival God never commanded for His people. Why […]
John 12:12-19, 1 Maccabees 13:43-48, 51-52, Zechariah 9:9-12: The Jesus You Need
March 31, 2015 by
Lent began with Jesus fasting. Immediately after He was baptized, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness to face down the devil. During those 40 days, Jesus chose not to eat food, spending time in prayer and meditation, battling against the tempter. Now those 40 days of temptation, of Lent, draw near to their […]
1st Maccabees, Lesson 1: Introduction
May 8, 2013 by
Why the Apocrypha When we consider studying a book from what we call the Apocrypha, why should we do so? After all, when we look at our Bible translations, those books are missing from our English-language Bibles and have been so for about 200 years. Are those books part of the Bible? If so, then […]
Advent 1
November 29, 2010 by
Intro They are nearly gone. The leaves, that is. Rich in the green of spring, they are even more stunning in autumn: gold, auburn, red as if on fire. Then follows the falling leaves and the blowing wind. Finally, only the muted-brown pallor of death remains. This death is followed by cold, biting wind, and […]
