Chuck Larsen

After Jesus cleansed the temple a delegation came to challenge him. According to Matthew and Mark the delegation consisted of representatives of the Chief Priests, the Elders and the teachers of the Law. There confrontation was very clear. They asked him, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” We can see that this group represented the authorities in Israel. They had not authorized Jesus to say the things he was saying or to do the things he was doing. There was probably a special focus on his cleansing the temple. These officials had not given him any authority to teach or to supervise activities in the Temple. “Who do you think you are?” might be part of their challenge. View full article »

The Greek word for angel is literally, “messenger.” Angels are God’s messengers to man. Just as an angel brought the message that announced Christ’s birth, so too an angel brought the message that announced his resurrection. In Matthew 28, we read about the angel at Christ’s resurrection. The body of Jesus Christ apparently returned to life unseen in the darkness of that Middle Eastern tomb, rising out of His burial shroud and physically and miraculously passed through the sealed, stone door of the tomb without the guards even knowing He was gone. As the women approached the tomb, an angel descended, touched down with an earthquake, and rolled away the stone—not so that the body of Jesus Christ could get out of the tomb, but so that the women, the guards, the disciples, and all the world could go in and see for themselves that it was empty. View full article »

Just before he gave up his spirit, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”

Someone once said that the biggest little word in the dictionary is “Why?” View full article »

The choice that Pilate gave the nation was between Barabbas, the murderer, and Jesus, the Christ. The nation chose to have Barabbas released and Jesus executed. It has been suggested that the two thieves that were executed beside Jesus on the cross were probably the associate of Barabbas. They were most likely all sentenced to be executed together. If so, it’s rather evident that Barabbas was destined for the middle cross; but Jesus died in his place. This was a particular fulfillment of Isaiah 53:12, which says that the suffering savior “poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors…” View full article »

The worst kind of betrayal comes from those closest to us. Those who profess to love us, say all the right things, break our hearts when they show their true colors by contrary behavior. There are more songs written about this than any other specific subject. As BJ Thomas sang back in the 70’s, it’s “just another somebody done somebody wrong song.” Et tu Brute? It’s the professing friend who stabs you in the back. View full article »

I’ve always thought it was pretty presumptuous for Jesus to invite himself to use the house of a friend in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with his apostles. When they asked him where they were to eat, he said, He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, my time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’ “ He doesn’t ask permission! He simply says I’m coming to your house. From the text, by the way, the “certain man” phrase is an indication that Jesus identified the man by name. The interesting thing in the passage is that the next verse puts Jesus and the disciples in this man’s house. He didn’t question Christ’s authority; He simply opened his home to Him. View full article »

When the woman anointed Jesus’ head from the alabaster jar of ointment, the disciples rebuked her for wasting the ointment when it could have been sold and given to the poor. Jesus’ response to them is often misunderstood. He said, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.” View full article »