The suffering Son of Man, who comes to Jerusalem to give his life as a ransom for many, enters the capital not as a messianic figure on a warhorse but, as Zechariah had anticipated in his prophecy centuries before, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Jesus now leaves Galilee for the last time, and the Pharisees come to test him on a hot contemporary issue, divorce. They were out to trap Jesus in front of the large crowds that followed him. Jesus refused to be drawn. Instead of talking primarily about divorce, he goes behind that regulation
If we were to stop and think what was most important in church relationships, I do not think many Christians would come up with this quality: humility. ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom?’ ask the disciples. Christians are often preoccupied with that question. And, in sharp contrast to the
For a final time during Saul’s lifetime the narrator shows the high qualities of David and the deficiencies of Saul. Instead of fighting against his own people, as Achish’s invitation almost forced him to do, David became involved in a more appropriate battle against Israel’s perennial foes,
The text starting from 1 Samuel 27 is called the “Accession Narrative” because it shows the downfall of Saul but the accession of David to the throne. Strange things go on in this narrative. David moves down with the Philistines and lives with them. He becomes a servant of the Philistine king,