Key verse
Psalm 37:39 - The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
Matthew
Matthew 16:28 almost seems like some of Jesus's disciples won't die until his second coming. But if you compare this verse to its parallels in Luke and Mark, you find out that in fact, it just means that some of his disciples will witness the coming of the kingdom of God through the Holy Spirit. God's kingdom came with power on the day of Pentecost, and many of the disciples certainly witnessed this event.
On another note, it's a comfort to know God doesn't require us to be perfect in order to participate in his kingdom. For example, Peter first announces that he believes Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah, and will follow him, and then in the next verse, he tries to dissuade Jesus from his mission (perhaps unknowingly) and is rebuked - "Get behind me, Satan!" Jesus says.
Acts
When the text says "Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees...", I could just imagine Paul scheming in his head, thinking, "Hmmm, what will make these people get in an uproar?" The debate about the resurrection of the dead sure will!
No comments:
Post a Comment