by Daniel McCabe Condemnation and Invitation Matthew 11:21, 28, “Woe to you . . . . Come to Me.” From the yellow sands of the Judean wilderness to the verdant hills below Mt. Hermon. From the rocky pastures of Bethlehem to the pebbled shores of Galilee. Jesus knew them all—his hometown of Nazareth and the…
by Daniel McCabe Healing of the Demoniac Mark 5:18, “And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.” A battered boat scraped ashore on the rough eastern coastline of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus and his disciples stepped wearily from their craft into the…
by Daniel McCabe Rejection of Jesus Mark 6:6, “And He marveled because of their unbelief.” Looking down upon the ancient battlegrounds of the Plain of Esdraelon directly to its south, the small village of Nazareth has witnessed in its history the clash of countless dueling armies, including those of Sisera, Gideon, Saul, Solomon, Jehu, Jezebel…
by Daniel McCabe Feeding of the 5000 Matthew 14:14, “He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.” At the end of an unusually long day, you step through the front door, yank off your tie and head straight for your favorite chair. Off go the shoes, back goes your head, and at…
by Daniel McCabe Peter’s Confession Luke 9:20, “He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered and said, ‘The Christ of God.’” Standing guard over the orange bluffs, lush grassy fields, and thick groves of shade trees at her feet, Mt. Hermon looks out over a fertile triangular plain to…
by Daniel McCabe Transfiguration of Jesus John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” From its peak in ancient days one could look out on the distinctive tribal flags of Naphtali and…
by Daniel McCabe The Crucifixion, part 2 Mark 15:22, “And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.” When referring to the place of Jesus’ execution, three of the Gospel writers use the term “Golgotha,” meaning “skull” or “head.” Many possible explanations have been suggested for the use of…
by Daniel McCabe Washing the Disciples’ Feet John 13:1, “Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” Having spent the better part of…
by Daniel McCabe Walk to the Cross Isaiah 53:7, “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter.” Under the command of their crusty centurion, the four-man execution squad stripped Jesus of the purple robe that they had used as a prop to mock his claims of kingship, and they forced Jesus to change back…
Trial Before Herod Antipas Luke 13:32, “And He said to them, ‘Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.’” Aesop wrote in his famous fables of a famished fox who spied a cluster of ripe black grapes hanging from a…