Tag Archives: sermon on the mount

New Covenant Epilogue: Warnings and Response

Posted on February 16, 2012 by John Valade

In the epilogue to the New Covenant Jesus utters three warnings. These are bookends to the blessings at the start of the section, and probably function the way the curses of the Old (Sinai) Covenant functioned: as warnings against disobedience … Continue reading →

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Wasting Grace and Asking Faithfully

Posted on February 15, 2012 by John Valade

Jesus next gives His disciples a command to refrain from “giving what is holy to dogs” or “giving pearls to swine.” This instruction resembles ancient wisdom about avoiding needless conflict by refraining from offering unwanted advice to people with the … Continue reading →

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Judgment Calls

Posted on February 9, 2012 by John Valade

Judgment Calls In our latest Wascana Fellowship session we finished Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount by covering the last three “commandments,” Jesus’ famous summation of “all the law and the Prophets,” and His three final warnings/exhortations to His disciples about … Continue reading →

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Public Piety

Posted on January 31, 2012 by John Valade

Jesus’ “sixth commandment” involves three aspects of public piety, or making a show of being religious. The aspects He describes are good works, prayer and fasting. Jesus seems to be addressing a common trait of the time and place: religious … Continue reading →

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Turning the Other Cheek: the Background

Posted on January 24, 2012 by John Valade

Previously on Wascana Fellowship 2.0: With the demise of the Sinai/Deuteronomic Covenant in 586 BC, there needed to be a New Exodus, led by a New Moses. Jesus’ ministry is described by the Gospel writers in terms and symbolism that … Continue reading →

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