Celtic Odyssey

Matthew 5:13-20 (CEB) : “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, how will it become salty again? It’s good for nothing except to be thrown away and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city on top of a hill can’t be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on top of a lampstand, and it shines on all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven. “Don’t even begin to think that I have come to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I haven’t come to do away with them but to fulfill them. I say to you very seriously that as long as heaven and earth exist, neither the smallest letter nor even the smallest stroke of a pen will be erased from the Law until everything there becomes a reality. Therefore, whoever ignores one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the sa...

Last time we briefly looked at the stories Jesus told at the end of Matthew 24 and the beginning of Matthew 25. But, we left off the story in Matthew 25 that some call the “Final Judgment.” The question is, “Isn’t Jesus talking about his ‘Second Coming’ in this story?” I have wrestled with this passage over and over again. I think it can be tied with the rest of these stories as an illustration of Jesus’ return. Although, I admit, some scholars see this story as being tacked on to the others. That is, it may not have any reference to the other stories at all and might very well be a story about Jesus’ “final coming.” So, it could go either way. But, for the sake of argument, let’s see how it would fit into the stories of Jesus coming within his generation. Matthew 25.31-46 (adapted): “Now when the Human One comes in his majesty and all his angels are with him, he’ll sit on his majestic throne. All the nations will be gathered in front of him. He’ll separate them from each othe...

Luke 2:22-40 (CEB): When the time came for their ritual cleansing, in accordance with the Law from Moses, they brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. (It’s written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male will be dedicated to the Lord.”) They offered a sacrifice in keeping with what’s stated in the Law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons . A man named Simeon was in Jerusalem. He was righteous and devout. He eagerly anticipated the restoration of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. The Holy Spirit revealed to him that he wouldn’t die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple area. Meanwhile, Jesus’ parents brought the child to the temple so that they could do what was customary under the Law. Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God. He said, “Now, master, let your servant go in peace according to your word, because my eyes have seen your salvation. You prepared this salvation i...