On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends in fire on the apostles, a crowd gathers, and Peter preaches the resurrection of Jesus. He begins by explaining how Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 16: “You will not leave my soul in Hades...." Using related passages and insights from early Christians, we learn about […]
Pentecost: Peter Proclaims Jesus' Resurrection from the Dead (Acts 2:1-29) View Lesson
Shortly after being delivered by God through the Red Sea, the Israelites complain when they face their first challenge in the Wilderness: no water to drink. Moses is told to cast a piece of wood into bitter (undrinkable) water, which miraculously becomes sweet. We consider two lessons from this encounter: first, the danger of complaining […]
First Steps in the Wilderness and a Water Crisis (Exodus 15) View Lesson
The dramatic escape from Egypt takes the Jews by an unusual route: through the midst of the Red Sea. After the Lord divides the sea, the Israelites walk through on dry ground, with a wall of water on each side. The Egyptian army pursues and is drowned when the sea returns. In this lesson we […]
The Lord sends three more devastating plagues on Egypt. In the plague of hail with fire we see God’s mercy toward the Egyptians. Those Egyptians who fear the Lord heed the advance warning, pull their people and livestock indoors, and are protected from destruction. This is followed by a plague of voracious locusts who consume […]
More Plagues: Hail, Locusts, and Darkness (Exodus 9:13-10:29) View Lesson
Bible scholars, even relatively conservative ones, often struggle with the ten plagues. Were these genuine supernatural miracles, or is it possible that these could be explained by naturally occurring phenomena? Does it matter? In this lesson we wrestle with these questions and look specifically at the first two plagues: blood and frogs. Why did the […]
Let the Plagues Begin: Blood and Frogs (Exodus 7:14-8:11) View Lesson
In the first part of John 6, Jesus feeds 5,000 men (plus women and children) and then walks on the water, calling Peter to do the same. The first miracle caused those who witnessed it to proclaim that Jesus was the Prophet foretold in Deuteronomy 18; the second caused Jesus' apostles to proclaim Jesus as […]
Feeding Thousands, Walking on Water and Working (John 6:1-29) View Lesson
In John 4 and 5, and throughout the New Testament, we read about Jesus, the apostles and others performing miracles, healings, and signs. These can easily be passed over and dismissed. Yet, why did Jesus (and others) perform miracles and signs? What are we to learn from these miracles? If someone were to work signs […]