Love Truth Blog

How do you change a person’s mind about something? Introduce that person to an idea challenges any preconceived notions. If someone thinks all apples are red, show a different colored apple, like the “Golden Delicious” or “Granny Smith” variety. Such a paradoxical crisis can bring a person to reassess an idea, such as “all apples are red.” Jesus similarly challenged the Pharisees on their preconceived ideas about the “Son of David.” The Lord does this by pointing out something incongruent with the Pharisaic understanding of the “Son of David.” After a few answering a foray of questions from religious leaders on various theological issues—prophetic authority (21:23-46), tributes to Caesar (22:15-22), the resurrection (22:23-33), and the greatest commandment (22:34-40)—Jesus turns the tables and directs questions to the Pharisees. The Lord asks: “What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?” (22:42a). “The son of David,” the Pharisees replied (22:42b). The subtext, of cou...

What is now will not always be. I can remember that it was not too long ago where one could simply go find multilevel bookstores and get lost in browsing through the titles. In many instances there would also be a large section for music. But times have changed. People are taking advantage of new technologies to get their books and music, so a trip to the local bookstore is less common. Numerous bookstores have closed down, and stores that once had large music sections are, at best, down to an aisle of selected titles. What is now will not always be. That is really the mistake of what the biblical writers understood the Sadducees had committed. They thought the way things are will always be with respect to their reasons for denying the resurrection. The Sadducees denied the resurrection, which meant when the body died the soul likewise perished. As for the future judgment, this was also rejected. They were simply for the here and now. When confronting Jesus Christ on the resurrecti...

"For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial" (Matt. 26:12 NASB). During the final days of Jesus’ earthly ministry, Mary broke open an alabaster jar of costly perfume, and anointed the head of her Lord (Matt. 26:6-7; John 12:1-3). A common practice of the day was to anoint with oil the head of an important guest, but this woman had done something extraordinary with the breaking open of an expensive jar of oil. It was an extravagant act of love bestowed upon the Lord; yet, others in the room missed the significance. The expensiveness of the alabaster jar of oil, being approximately a year’s worth of wages for common folk, was likely a family heirloom. Something unique that once opened had to be immediately used for freshness. What sacrifice! What devotion to the ministry of Jesus! Seeing the life of Jesus, she saw something beyond greatness, she got the message, the Messiah would suffer, and her response was appropriate. She was pre...