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The story of John’s murder is dreadful throughout. The Bible includes a number of tales that take us inside the courtrooms of immoral, unprincipled, and self-absorbed leaders. There is no Esther or Daniel in this (...)

What gives us the courage to do the right thing—to act on what our conscience calls us to do—when we know that we often will not be rewarded for it in this life?1 Can we (...)

Paul—the textual Paul, the letters P-a-u-l, not the man who lived and died so many years ago and is beyond our knowing—is persistent and clever. He insists on walking blind and talking about his stumbling, (...)

From 1 Corinthians 11:1 on, Paul has been rehearsing elements that he has taught or passed on to the Corinthians. In some cases, he commends them for adhering closely to what he taught (11:1–16). In (...)

Ephesians 1:15 begins the letter’s thanksgiving, a customary element of the ancient letter genre that was frequently but not universally incorporated. In nonbiblical letters from the period, the thanksgiving was directed to an individual god (...)

While not exactly rose-tinted, in Acts there was an almost triumphal portrayal of the church at Thessalonica turning the world upside down in last Sunday’s reading. The heady possibilities of this scene slip away entirely (...)

The author’s reflection on Jesus as our “great high priest,” begun in Hebrews 4:14, continues into chapter 10. Throughout these chapters, the author argues that the high priesthood of Jesus is superior to the Levitical (...)

As is common, the lectionary today sections off a shorter passage from within its larger context. What immediately precedes chapter 2 is most pertinent for our passage at hand. God raised Christ and “seated him” (...)

On this First Sunday in Lent, we are invited to reflect upon water. The first reading takes us to the story of God’s covenant with Noah; the gospel reading recounts the baptism of Jesus in (...)

This reading from 2 Corinthians invites us to a paradox of faith. Paul testifies: Serving God can take you anywhere, from beatings to genuine love.  Second Corinthians is a composite of multiple letters; some scholars (...)