Without Wavering
He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. Deuteronomy 32:4 Stephen Hopkins was faithful to the cause of American Independence and completely devoted to making the new nation a reality. According to those who analyze such things, […]
Not a Lazy Bone in His Body
The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt. Proverbs 12:27 George Washington was the first President of the United States upon ratification of the U.S. Constitution. But Sam Huntington has the claim to being the first “executive” of the U.S. upon the ratification of the Articles […]
Tough as Nails
Act with courage. 2 Chronicles 19:11 James K. Polk was the 11th President of the United States of America. At the time of his election, he was the youngest man to hold the office. He served one term and went home. Three months later he was dead. One historian has called him “history’s most under-appreciated […]
Transcending Circumstance
They get lost and die because of their foolishness and lack of self-control. Proverbs 5:23 There are wise people and there are fools. Count Roger Sherman as one of the former. Thomas Jefferson said that Sherman “never did a foolish thing in his life.” Historians tell us that Sherman was also humble — there was […]
Louder Than Words
I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts. John Locke Actions do indeed speak louder than words! As I reflect on the rebels who fought the soldiers of King George III in the American Revolution, I am struck by the fact that talk and debate only took them so […]
Steady
Slow but steady wins the race. Aesop William Williams was steady — a man with constancy of resolve and conduct. Even before he signed the Declaration of Independence representing the Connecticut delegation, he had devoted himself to a life of public service. Denise Kiernan, in the book Signing Their Lives Away, describes a man who […]
Ecstacy
Mark describes the reaction of the women who found the tomb of Jesus empty like this: “And going out from the tomb they fled, for trembling and amazement had held them, and they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid.” “Trembling” and “Amazement” in Greek are τρόμος (tro-mos) and ἔκστασις (ek-sta-sis) from which we get our English words “tremor” and […]
Have Joy!
Χαῖρε Βασιλεῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων (chai-re ba-si-leu tōn i-ou-dai-ōn), is the phrase the soldiers of the Roman cohort which guarded Pilate’s headquarters used to mock Jesus. It’s usually translated “Hail, King of the Jews!” but that first word χαῖρε is really just the 2nd person singular imperative mood of the verb meaning “to have joy.” In other places it is translated “Rejoice!” […]
A Little Word Can Mean A Lot
Today, bloody minded political calculus in the West doesn’t typically involve flogging and crucifixion. The suffering has been sanitized and distanced so that modern sensibilities are not offended. The goal is the same however: to appease the mob. In Rome this was done with bread and circuses. Today it’s stimulus checks and pork-barrel funding of unnecessary projects with imaginary money
Ask or Beg?
There are two Greek words which are often translated “ask”: αἰτέω (ai-te-o) and ἐρωτάω (er-o-ta-w). Both of them are used in the passage where Jesus appears before Pilate in Mark 15. When Pilate is asking questions ἐρωτάω is used. Later when the ESV version states: “Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked.” The […]