Tag: Jesus

Niceness Is Not Enough

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

Preaching about evangelism makes most people uncomfortable. Not everyone is a gifted evangelist, though some high school and college ministry activities may overlook this fact.

The alternative I’ve most often heard to an overemphasis on extroverted, street-corner gospel sharing concerns “friendship” or “relationship” evangelism. The idea is that your closest relationships naturally give you an opportunity to talk about matters of great importance. Like the apostle Philip, we can invite our friends to consider the claims of Jesus. “Come and see.”

This is (more or less) how I came to faith during my first year of college. A friend invited me to tag along first to church and then to a conference. Then, boom—that was the first time the gospel lightbulb lit up my heart.

Witnessing for non-professionals

Much “witnessing” advice related to friendship evangelism is inspired, so far as I can gather, from 1 Peter 3:15.

but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

The plea goes something like this. Live your life in such a way that people will wonder what’s different about you. They’ll ask, and you’ll have the chance to share the gospel or invite them to church.

There’s a phrase in this advice, however, that is often underexplained: “in such a way.” What exactly about my life will make someone ask me about it?

Will they know us by our niceness?

I fear many people process this exhortation as: be nice. If we’re extra nice to our neighbors and unbelieving family members, maybe they’ll wonder why we’re so nice. Surely niceness like this must have a supernatural origin!

The problem with this thinking is that tons of non-Christians are really nice! Like, way, way nicer than I am.

I’m not against niceness. Kindness, after all, is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. However, I don’t personally know anyone who has been drawn to the Lord by the niceness of others. Niceness isn’t inherently Christian, and niceness doesn’t necessarily point beyond oneself.

What behavior distinguishes Christians as Christians? Jesus said that people will know we are his disciples if we love one another (John 13:35). There’s one uncontroversial answer.

Here are two others.

What do we do with sin?

As a person walking around, living in the world, sin is unavoidable. We sin against others, and others sin against us. How we think about sin, and how we react to sinful offenses, really matters.

How do we handle the sin of others against us? What do we do when we sin against a friend? When we are confronted with our own moral failings, how do we react?

The Bible has specific answers to these questions, but there’s a good chance following the Bible’s instructions will strike others as strange. If you own your sin and seek forgiveness from those you harm, you will likely be initiating uncommon conversations.

Non-Christians handle sin in plenty of ways, but it often amounts to burial. If we pretend it didn’t happen, we can move on. But unforgiven sin is like mold growing behind the shower walls. You might not notice it right away, but it’s doing damage. We may eventually need to tear down the walls.

What do we do with Jesus?

Because Christians have been forgiven of their sins, they rejoice in their Savior. A real Christian cannot be neutral about Jesus.

Do our actions and words shine a spotlight on Jesus? Could we say, with saints through the ages, that the last thing we’d give up is our friendship with Jesus?

Sooner or later, a skeptic or curious outsider to Christianity must confront the claims of Jesus. And, as C.S. Lewis famously wrote, Jesus doesn’t allow someone to shrug and claim that he is only a good teacher. He made head-turning claims, and we must reckon with their veracity.

Getting close

Being nice to our neighbors is, in one sense, easy. We can deliver cookies and casseroles, we can loan cars and water plants, we can run errands and shovel driveways, all from a safe distance. Getting close is the hard part.

For a friend to see how I handle my sin (and theirs), we need to be in each other’s lives enough to sin against each other. If my neighbor is going to observe how I think and speak about Jesus, we probably need to share more than a five minute conversation about the lawn.

This is uncomfortable for me, and maybe for you too. But if you’re feeling weak and unable, God is happy to use that weakness to bring himself glory (2 Cor 12:9-10). He’s been there, too—getting close to sinners and dealing with their sin is one of the things he does best. He can help.

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No Longer on Repeat

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

The task isn’t really that hard, and it probably takes at most 30 minutes. But in my mind—ahead of time—it stretches on for multiple, grueling hours.

No one likes cleaning their bathroom—I get that. For me, part of my avoidance of this chore is that the bathroom just doesn’t stay clean. No matter how good a job I do, the shower, sink, and toilet will all need to be cleaned again. My work feels ineffective when I know I’ll need to pick up that same scrub brush again next week.

Early Christians who received the epistle to the Hebrews were tempted to turn from Christ back to their familiar Jewish practices. The author of this letter pleads with them to stay; most of the argument is how much better Jesus is than what had come before.

One part of that argument concerns Jesus’s sacrifice of himself. This work was so great that it only had to be done once. That was new.

Once for All

By the time we reach Hebrews 9, we’re deep into the author’s argument about the superiority of Christ. In the passage below, we read reasons why Christ entered heaven.

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:24–26)

Unlike the high priest, who entered the earthly holy place every year (on the Day of Atonement), Christ entered heaven “once for all.” He did this “to put away sin” (Heb 9:26). (In other places near this passage, his purpose is stated as “bear[ing] the sins of many” and “deal[ing] with sin.”)

We don’t have a good category for this in modern life—not in the same way that first century Jewish people did. Picture some regular ritual, set to repeat for the rest of your conscious life. And then, a man comes along and completes that ritual in such a way that it never would need to be performed again. Ever!

On a much grander, more significant scale, it’s like someone scrubbing the shower so thoroughly and excellently that it never would need scrubbing again.

Let’s pause and glory in the implications. The fact that Christ’s sacrifice only needed to happen once shows us (among other things):

  • how holy and pure he was;
  • how steadfast he was in the face of suffering;
  • how faithful he was to his father;
  • how righteously he completed his mission;
  • how acceptable was his sacrifice;
  • how complete is the Father’s forgiveness;
  • how thorough is our cleansing;
  • how secure is our adoption as children of the Father; and
  • how perfect and deep and eternal is the Father’s love for us.

This phrase “once for all” is only three words, but it is no small phrase!

A Second Time

Jesus’s sacrifice only needed to happen once, but he will appear again.

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:27-28)

Jesus no longer needs to deal with sin, but he will return to save his people.

I love the emphasis in this passage. It is just as certain that Christ will appear a second time as it is that man dies once and then faces judgment.

Until Then

The work of Christ was definitive and effective. It never needs to be repeated. That once-for-all work set a people apart that will be saved when Jesus appears a second time.

The task for those who follow Christ in the mean time is to wait eagerly for him (Heb 9:28). Waiting is difficult; by definition it means enduring a delay—persevering for a time, submitting to God’s superior wisdom and care for us.

But our waiting is not the flinching of those bracing for punishment. It isn’t the sour-stomach dread of those wondering how bad the news will be. Our waiting is to be eager.

If we understand what Jesus’s work for us accomplished and the eternal implications, we would wait differently: as those leaning forward, pressing our noses against the pane glass windows, hearts thrumming with the anticipation of our favorite person in the world turning into our driveway.

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Links for the Weekend (2026-07-03)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

Each Friday, I’ll post links to 3–5 resources from around the web you may want to check out.

What It Means That Christ is Praying for You Today

Dave Harvey explains how Christ’s work continues for us after his ascension.

And our Advocate isn’t distant. He’s not working remotely from some heavenly retirement home. He’s seated next to the Father, pleading our case, defending us against every accusation, and interceding for us day and night.

I Thought Healing Would Look Different

Kirsten Black writes about how grief tends to have a starting point but no obvious end point.

Healing doesn’t look like I thought it would. Before loss, I assumed healing meant the hard days would resolve; that there would be an end to the sadness. Now I realize that healing is learning to honor the sorrow when it returns. It reminds my heart that because of Christ, there is still hope, even when the sadness remains. It speaks to my still-aching heart, reminding her life is not as God intended it to be, yet the life to come will be exactly how he planned. And then it patiently waits for the sun to rise, knowing that sorrow will not have the final word.

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Our poem of the week: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, by Megan Willome. This is a very short poem about the difficulty we have with silence.

Note: Washington Presbyterian Church and the editors of this blog do not necessarily endorse all content produced by the individuals or groups referenced here. 

Links for the Weekend (2026-02-06)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

Each Friday, I’ll post links to 3–5 resources from around the web you may want to check out.

Love Is the Interpreter

A keen observation from Tim Challies here: knowing the author of the Bible is a sure way to grow in our love for the Bible.

Yet each of us can attest that we did not always love God’s Word. It was not always sweet to our taste and not always our delight. In fact, there may have been times in which we hated it, in which we found it bitter, and in which we mocked and belittled it rather than find delight in it. There were times when the Bible was like those musicians—we skipped it, we tossed it, we moved on to something we liked better.

When Life is Hard, Keep Reading Your Bible

Glenna Marshall reminds us how much we need the Scriptures when life is hard.

The daily act of opening my Bible and digging in wasn’t a distraction from my troubles. It was guidance and hope in them. The Lord gave me peace—not in changed circumstances but in the grounding of my soul in the Word of my God. He never changes. He is always true. He is the source of joy and hope. The ordinary rhythms of study directed my soul when life got really hard really fast.

Jesus Loves the Self-Righteous Sinner

If you’ve accepted that God loves loud rebels but have more trouble believing that God loves the self-righteous, this post is for you.

Most of us are comfortable with a Jesus who loves the prodigal, but less comfortable with one who loves the self-righteous. Yet if we let Scripture shape our understanding of Christ’s love, we see that Jesus is not only kind to the hurting but also to the proud. Consider Luke 15. In one of Jesus’ most famous stories, a father runs to embrace his rebellious son after he returns broken and ruined by sin. But that’s not where the story ends. The older brother—the hard-working, well-behaved son—refuses to join in the celebration of his lost brother now found, resentful and convinced of his own moral superiority.

On the WPCA Blog This Week

This week on the blog we published an article I wrote called The Parable of the Dog and the New Master. If you haven’t already seen it, check it out!

Note: Washington Presbyterian Church and the editors of this blog do not necessarily endorse all content produced by the individuals or groups referenced here. 

Jesus Takes Office Through His Resurrection

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

The Christian faith is based in history. Jesus of Nazareth was a man who lived, died, and came back from the dead.

These are historical claims of fact, and Christianity rests on the truth of these claims. As Paul wrote, “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14).

Jesus’s resurrection is central to our faith and has scores of implications for Christians throughout the ages. But in this post I want to direct our attention to what Jesus’s resurrection tells us about Jesus himself and the offices he occupies.

Jesus is a Prophet

While it is true that Jesus is The Prophet, the one spoken of by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15–19), that is not my present concern. In this post, I’ll only argue that Jesus was confirmed as a prophet of God by his resurrection.

Jesus predicted his suffering, death, and resurrection multiple times (see Luke 9:22 and Luke 18:31–33 among other places). Further, the two men at the tomb told the women,

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” (Luke 24:5–7)

These prophecies were a regular part of Jesus’s teaching. His contemporaries recognized that Jesus was a prophet, and the Old Testament teaching on prophets is clear: false prophets can be identified when prophecies do not come to pass.

This means that Jesus’s credibility was on the line on the third day after his death. His resurrection proved that he was a true prophet of God.

Jesus is a Priest

The book of Hebrews spends a lot of time explaining that Jesus is a priest. The author contrasts the priesthood of Aaron (the Levitical priesthood) with the priesthood of Melchizedek and concludes that Jesus is a priest of the second kind.

How was Jesus qualified for this priesthood?

This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 7:15–17)

Jesus’s resurrection proved his “indestructible life”—he was victorious over death and therefore stepped into his eternal priesthood. In his death, Jesus was both priest and sacrifice (Hebrews 7:27), and he now lives to make priestly intercession for his people (Hebrews 7:25).

Jesus is a King

Jesus’s resurrection declared him to be the king of the world.

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 1:1–4)

Paul writes that Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God … by his resurrection from the dead.” The title “Son of God” was, in part, a royal title, so Paul is connecting Jesus’s resurrection to his kingly office. (I have written more about the title “Son of God” and its use in the Gospels; you can find that post here.)

The Centrality of the Resurrection

It is not a stretch to start with Jesus being a prophet, a priest, and a king and end with the fact that he is the prophet, the priest, and the king. In other words, Jesus occupies these offices in a way that is so unique, powerful, and unending that there can be no comparison with other human prophets, priests, or kings.

The resurrection of Jesus starts us down that road. In addition to being a necessity for our faith, Jesus’s resurrection reveals some of the historical and ongoing work that he does for his people.

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Reading the Bible for the First Time

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

Imagine that a friend of yours has just become a Christian. She knows of your faith and asks to meet with you.

Your friend knows the Bible is an important book for Christians, and she wants to read it. But she has no familiarity with the Bible at all.

What would you say to her?

Only the Essentials

This post isn’t an attempt to say everything about the Bible, just what would be most helpful to a person reading the Bible for the first time.

In what follows, I’ve collected some important facts and advice aimed at first-time Bible readers. If you have further additions or suggestions, I’d love to read them in the comments!

6 Facts About the Bible

Welcome to the Bible! As you begin, you should know some information about the book you’re about to read.

  1. The Bible is God’s word. Though the Bible was written in time and space by human authors, it is divinely inspired. God’s love and sovereignty are such that the words we have are exactly what he intended. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16–17)
  2. The Bible is true. If God is the ultimate author of the Bible then we will see his character throughout this book. Since he is perfect, pure, and unable to lie, the Bible is trustworthy and true.
  3. The Bible is important. A small number of questions in life have ultimate consequences. What is God like? What does he think of me? What does he want people to do? Because God wants to be known, he has answered these questions in the Bible.
  4. The Bible is concerned with God and his people. The relationship between God and his rebellious people—first the nation of Israel and then the church—is the focus of God’s word. Biblical teachings have massive implications for individuals, but they are primarily addressed to groups of people.
  5. The entire Bible is about Jesus. After Jesus rose from the dead, he explained to some of his disciples that every part of the Bible spoke of him. “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27)
  6. The Bible is clear. Though some parts of the Bible are difficult to understand, far more of the Bible is plain. After all, in several places, God commands his people to teach the Bible to their children. We must interpret the more challenging parts of Scripture in light of the portions that are clear. The Bible is not only for those with high IQs or advanced degrees; the Bible is knowable to everyone.

7 Suggestions for Reading the Bible

There is much more to say about the Bible, but for those just starting out, it is more important for you to start reading. Here are some suggestions for reading the Bible that apply just as much on Day 1 of your Bible-reading adventure as they will on Day 10,000.

  1. Pray before you read the Bible. Because the Bible is God’s word, we need his help to understand and benefit from reading it. God loves to answer this prayer!
  2. You don’t need to read the Bible from start to finish. Many Christians read the Bible from Genesis straight through to Revelation, but this is not necessary. I suggest starting with the Gospel of John, then Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Then move on to Genesis and Exodus. There’s no single correct way to read the Bible.
  3. You don’t need to read the entire Bible right away. Read-the-Bible-in-a-year plans are popular, but these are not mandated by God. You should eventually make your way through the whole Bible, but it is far more important to read carefully and slowly than to read quickly without understanding.
  4. Reread the Bible. Plan to read the Bible for as long as you live. We need to reread the Bible both because we forget what is true and because each reading of the Bible offers more riches than the last.
  5. Read the Bible with others. Christians are a part of God’s family and we are called into community with each other. This is important for many reasons, including understanding and applying the Bible. Seek out a Bible-believing church and some people within the church with whom to read and discuss the Bible.
  6. Establish a habit. The sooner you can make regular Bible intake a part of your life, the better. Find a good time and place for reading the Bible, and try to read regularly. A habit like this doesn’t make you more precious to God, but it could make God more precious to you.
  7. Study the Bible. While the Bible is knowable, sometimes it requires work to understand what it says. Older Christians in your church should be able to offer guidance, and there are lots of articles and resources on this web site to help.

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Links for the Weekend (2024-11-01)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

Each Friday, I’ll post links to 3–5 resources from around the web you may want to check out.

We Groan for Home

Jon Bloom highlights two (of many!) wonderful parts of Romans chapter 8.

But why? Why has God ordained that humiliation should precede exaltation, that suffering should precede glory, that futility should precede freedom, that groaning should precede redemption? Since God has innumerable purposes in everything he does, I’ll venture just one reason — a very significant reason for fallen humans: faith.

What Does it Mean to Rejoice in Christ?

Michael Reeves answers this question succinctly and wonderfully: What does it mean to rejoice in Christ? (Video)

Christus Victor (Amen)

Here’s a new song by the Gettys, called Christus Victor. This is a live recording. The song is about the victorious, reigning Jesus, and it’s really good.

On the WPCA Blog This Week

This week on the blog we published an article I wrote called How Idols Hijack Our Hearts. If you haven’t already seen it, check it out!

Note: Washington Presbyterian Church and the editors of this blog do not necessarily endorse all content produced by the individuals or groups referenced here. 

No Good Tree Bears Bad Fruit

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

Jesus was a master of metaphor and illustration. Camels fitting through the eye of a needle! A woman turning her house upside down because of a lost coin!

He also spoke of trees and fruit. If you’ve been around the church, you’ve probably heard the saying, “no good tree bears bad fruit.”

So, what does this phrase mean?

Jesus the Preacher

While we hear much from Jesus in the Gospels, we must concede that Jesus preached far more sermons than the Gospel writers recorded. He likely talked with his disciples, preached to the crowds, or taught in the synagogues most every day of his adult ministry.

“Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25).

The phrase “no good tree bears bad fruit” shows up twice in the Gospels, in Matthew 7:18 and Luke 6:43. (The ESV translates the phrase in Matthew as “a healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit.”) This is one of several similarities between Jesus’s sermons in Matthew 5:2–7:27 and Luke 6:20–49. Matthew’s account has been called the “Sermon on the Mount,” and many have assumed that Luke’s version is an excerpt from the same sermon.

But a closer look calls this assumption into question. Not all of Jesus’s sermon in Luke appears in Matthew. (The “woe” pronouncements in Luke 6:24–26 are a prime example.) Also, where the sermons overlap in content they differ in important specifics. (In Luke’s Beatitudes, Jesus blesses the “poor” and the “hungry,” while in Matthew Jesus blesses the “poor in spirit” and those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness.”)

The most straightforward conclusion is that these are different sermons. Anyone who has spent time around a preacher knows that favorite phrases and illustrations show up in different settings for different purposes.

Matthew 7

In Matthew 7, Jesus uses the tree/fruit illustration to help his disciples spot false prophets.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15–20)

Consider the larger passage. In Matt 7:13–14 Jesus speaks about the wide and narrow gates leading (respectively) to destruction and life. In Matt 7:21–23 Jesus warns that not everyone who calls him “Lord” and claims to have worked in his name will enter the kingdom of heaven. Some he will throw out as “workers of lawlessness.” Jesus is teaching about the way to life—who’s in and who’s out?

Jesus wants his disciples to identify those who do not bear good fruit, especially when they claim to follow him. And what fruit did Jesus have in mind? “Judge not” (Matt 7:1). “Take the log out of your own eye” (Matt 7:5). Ask the Father for good things (Matt 7:7–11). Treat others the same way you want them to treat you (Matt 7:12). In summary, build a solid house by hearing and obeying Jesus (Matt 7:24–27).

Luke 6

Let’s take a look at the tree/fruit illustration in Luke.

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:43–45)

The word “for” at the beginning of verse 43 points to the previous section, where Jesus commands his disciples not to be hypocrites, but to remove the log from their own eyes before taking a speck out of a brother’s eye (Luke 6:41–42). This caution flows from Jesus’s warning not to judge others (Luke 6:37–38).

Significantly, there is no mention of false prophets in this section of the sermon. Instead, Jesus speaks of fruit as the overflow of the heart.

Coming on the heels of the exhortation to “take the log out of your own eye,” the implication is clear. Jesus’s disciples must examine their own hearts. When they see bad fruit, it is the result of lingering evil in their hearts.

Context!

Back to our original question. What does the phrase “no good tree bears bad fruit” mean? I hope by now the answer is clear. It depends!

Words and phrases have little to no meaning when lifted from their context. This is true for our own words; how much more is it true of Holy Scripture!?

So, when reading Jesus’s sermons, or any part of the Bible, pay attention to the context. Observe and interpret accordingly. And as you apply the truths of the Bible, you also will bear much fruit.

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Links for the Weekend (2024-09-20)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

Each Friday, I’ll post links to 3–5 resources from around the web you may want to check out.

Why a Good God Commanded the Israelites to Destroy the Canaanites

It’s an important question we should consider when talking to unbelievers: How could God command his people to destroy the Canaanites?

To drive a wedge between God and goodness, I’d point to God’s command to the Israelites to “utterly destroy” every person living in the Canaanite cities God was giving them. They were instructed to “not leave alive anything that breathes”—to kill every man, woman, child, and animal (Deut. 20:16–17). Why would a good God have the Israelites exterminate entire groups of people, including women, children, and animals? Here are four principles to remember the next time you encounter this issue.

“Why Have You Forsaken Me?” Understanding Jesus’s Cry on the Cross

This is a helpful, theologically deep article about Jesus’s famous cry on the cross. The authors approach the question from a number of angles.

The crucifixion is a good case study in showing how a careful Trinitarian framework can help work through thorny issues related to the Trinity and salvation. Not only does it bring to the surface the difficult question of what the Father was “doing” (or not doing) while Jesus hung on the cross, but it also raises the question of the Spirit’s seeming absence during the event.

Podcast: Why Christianity Is Not Just about Being a Follower of Jesus (Sam Allberry)

Here’s a helpful interview with author Sam Allberry about the doctrine of union with Christ, which is the subject of his newest book.

On the WPCA Blog This Week

This week on the blog we published an article I wrote called No Images. If you haven’t already seen it, check it out!

Note: Washington Presbyterian Church and the editors of this blog do not necessarily endorse all content produced by the individuals or groups referenced here. 

Links for the Weekend (2024-05-17)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

Each Friday, I’ll post links to 3–5 resources from around the web you may want to check out.

Did the Jews Kill Jesus?

With Israel in the news a lot recently and anti-Semitism on the rise, Kevin DeYoung answers an important question: Should we say that the Jews killed Jesus?

But what about the Jews? Isn’t it the case that the Bible repeatedly affirms that the Jews as a people were responsible—perhaps uniquely responsible—for killing Jesus? After all, the crowd in Jerusalem, in clamoring for Jesus to be crucified and for Barabbas to go free, exclaimed, “His blood be on us, and on our children” (Matt. 27:25). Even if the statement is unpopular, aren’t we obliged to say with the Bible that the Jews killed Jesus?

The short answer is: It depends.

Cling to the Light: How to Cope When Suffering with Depression

This article may be helpful for some in our church family, and it may be helpful for others who have friends and family members in this situation. Kathryn Butler offers counsel for Christians suffering with depression.

Dear friend, if you’re among those who cry out to God and yearn for his comfort, know you’re not alone. Your walk in the darkness cannot hide you from the Light of the World (John 8:12). Even when you can’t feel his presence, Jesus remains with you until the end of the age (Matt. 28:20), and nothing—not your shame, your despair, or the agony of depression—can separate you from his love (Rom. 8:38–39).

Jazz

Our poem of the week: A four-stanza poem about jazz and much more. This one will repay multiple readings.

On the WPCA Blog This Week

This week on the blog we published an article I wrote called Ordinary Ingredients of Christian Growth. If you haven’t already seen it, check it out!

Note: Washington Presbyterian Church and the editors of this blog do not necessarily endorse all content produced by the individuals or groups referenced here.