In the first half of the crucifixion account, there’s a theme. That theme is the fact that Jesus is mocked, insulted, jeered at, laughed at, humiliated, and shamed.
The soldiers are jeering at him, spitting on him. He is stripped naked and crucified …
For the first time, in Mark 15, we have Jesus in front of the political establishment, the Roman state. So we have to ask the question, “What is the relationship of Jesus to politics, of Christianity to the government?”
Pilate asks three questions. H…
We’re looking at the final days of Jesus’ life on earth. And in Mark 14, Jesus is on trial.
There’s nothing more dramatic than to be on trial for your life. And there’s no more dramatic moment in a trial than when the defendant is called to testify o…
As we look at the last part of Jesus’ life, we come to this scene: his arrest. In it, Jesus makes a big deal about them coming for him with swords and clubs.
What we have here is a clash between two kingdoms, two administrations of reality, two sets …
If you read the rest of the life of Jesus, he’s totally unflappable, but in the garden of Gethsemane, as he faces his imminent death, it says he’s astonished and overcome with horror. The fact that Jesus struggles with his death is not only unique in…
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In this special episode, Susan Nacorda Stang interviews Tim about his book, Hope in Times of Fear.
The interview was recorded prior to the book’s release in March 2021.
Confucius, Muhammad, Buddha, Moses—they all died in old age, in comfort and blessedness, triumphant over their opponents. Of all the founders of major religions, Jesus alone died alone, young, stripped naked, stared at, mocked, while he died by inche…
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In Mark 14, Jesus predicts his betrayal by one disciple, and he predicts the defection and the failure of all the disciples. So what are we supposed to learn from this?
Even though it will be relevant to everybody, this passage is particularly meant …
It’s very clear what Jesus Christ came to do. He came to die. That sets him apart from the founders of every other major religion. They came to live and be an example. He came to die.
Most of the people in the world fall into one of two categories wi…