20 Why Jesus Says Only the Merciful Will Receive Mercy (Matthew 5:7)
Only those will to commit the costly act of being merciful will receive mercy in the kingdom of God, because showing mercy is an implication of having saving faith.
June 2021 Reflections
Does God only bless? Many are willing to believe that God only blesses, but reject the idea that He also judges. A subtext of the beatitudes counters that idea.
19 What Jesus Means by “Blessed Are Those Who Hunger” (Matthew 5:6)
When you’re physically hungry, the desire to eat is so overwhelming you can hardly think about anything else. Jesus is counting on that experience in this beatitude. The truly fortunate ones long for that which is missing in this life which only the kingdom of God can fulfill: holiness.
18 Why Does God Bless the Meek? (Matthew 5:5)
While Matthew 5:5 is probably the most famous beatitude, not many people understand what it means. Jesus does not explain what he means by “meek”, but he is quoting Psalm 37 which gives us a very big clue.
pure, katharos, G2513
Tools and resources you need to do a word study on the Greek word for pure or clean: καθαρός
inherit, kléronomeó, G2816
Tools and resources you need to do a word study on the Greek word for inherit, kléronomeó, κληρονομέω.
17 Why Those who Mourn are Blessed (Matthew 5:4)
Mourning is the appropriate emotional response to being poor in spirit. When you realize that life is not what it should be and you are not the kind of person you should be, the appropriate response is to weep over it.
Understanding Biblical Greek Punctuation & Accents
Even if you’re using an interlinear Bible, it’s helpful to understand the basic punctuation marks and accents.
Empires of the Ancient World
Over the course of biblical history, the children of Israel were challenged, threatened and conquered by several other ancient empires. Understanding something about those empires can inform your biblical understanding.
Happy Memorial Day
We thank all those now serving and pray for their safety and blessing. We are grateful.
May 2021 Reflections
1st major section done! Deep dive into the beatitudes. Tell me what you’ve learned from the Gospel of Matthew so far. I’ll include a few favorites in next month’s email. (This should be fun!)
How the Apostles died
Scripture records the deaths of only 2 apostles: James (Acts 12:1-2) and Judas Iscariot (Matthew 27:5). Most of what we know about the deaths of the other apostles comes from early Christian writers and church tradition. Most scholars think the Apostle John is the only apostle who died of natural causes. The exact dates are unknown, most are estimates.
About the Author
Krisan Marotta is a Bible teacher and host of Wednesday in the Word, the podcast about what the Bible means and how we know.