A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;   from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him–   the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,   the Spirit of counsel and of power,   the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD–and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. Isaiah 11:1-3a I have this palm tree (affectionately known as Jungle Jim) growing in my living room. Despite having enough vertical room to grow, it decided it liked growing sideways towards the window rather than up. After putting up with […]
Author Archive: Brian Johnson
Holiday Weekend
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Colossians 2:16-17 Monday was Memorial Day, a day in the US where we remember those who have fought in our wars and gone before us. Sunday I mentioned it was Pentecost. That made for a full holiday weekend, but also an enjoyable one. Perhaps you’ve read on my blog about the various festivals mentioned […]
Weeks
Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the LORD your God has given you. And rejoice before the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name–you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, the Levites in your towns, and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows living among you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and follow carefully these decrees. […]
Jesus…the Engineer?
Coming to his hometown, [Jesus] began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” Matthew 13:54-56 Jesus’ father, Joseph, was described as a carpenter. Fathers usually passed down their trade to their sons, so it is very likely that Jesus learned the trade from his father. Being a rabbi at that […]
God’s Dinner Table
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:46-47 Rabbi Shimon would say: Three who eat at one table and do not speak words of Torah, it is as if they have eaten of idolatrous sacrifices; as is stated, “Indeed, all tables are filled with vomit and filth, devoid of the Omnipresent” (Isaiah 28:8). But three who eat at […]
Make it Count
From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. Leviticus 23:15-16 We are in a time of year known as the counting of the Omer. I mentioned the Feast of Firstfruits a couple weeks ago. That was day one and kicked off the counting up to 50, which will be the Feast of Shavuot (Hebrew for ‘weeks’; Pentecost in Greek). Passover/Unleavened Bread/Firstfruits takes place around […]
Matzah Man
On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD’s Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. Leviticus 23:6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast–as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth. 1 […]
Firstfruits
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 Happy Resurrection Sunday! Today Christians around the world are remembering and celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Messiah! Today is also an important day on the Jewish […]
Twas the Night of Passover
Last fall I wrote “Twas a Night During Sukkot“, which was a lot of fun to write and read. Passover is now upon us, a time for remembering the redemption God worked by bringing the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt as well as the greater redemption that our Messiah Jesus worked in freeing us from slavery to sin by his death and resurrection. I had the privilege to celebrate with some good friends last night. In light of my previous poem, I felt it was appropriate to write a new poem for Passover. The last was filled with some […]
Crackpot Ideas
Then the word of the LORD came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.” Jeremiah 18:5-6 When visiting ancient sites, pottery pieces can be found all over the place. With its abundance, understanding it yields a greater understanding of the past. How can these little broken pieces of fired clay help us so much? Why are they so important? As you pick up one of these ancient relics, the first […]