Ten of the eleven remaining apostles don’t believe the women - only Peter does, and then only reluctantly, and with the need to verify what they say by running to the tomb. Imagine what it must have been like to be one of the others. Called to be apostles, given power and privilege, they hide … Continue reading Luke 24:1-12 The Tomb of Longing
So what does Jesus accomplish on the cross? According to Adyashanti, a writer whom I’ve mentioned before on this blog, the cross is the moment of ego death, when divine radiance burns “all of the old conditioning that opposes spirit out of our system.” I like this well enough, and agree that Jesus is modeling … Continue reading Luke 23:44-56 Ego Death?
Now we come to the passion, and I feel tempted, like a great many Christian writers before me, to start talking about atonement theories, spilling ink, or in this case bytes, over that cosmic something that happened when Jesus died on the cross. But my intent with this blog has been to present Luke’s gospel … Continue reading Luke 23:26-43 The Sudden Enlightenment of St. Dismas
Herod plays a strange role in Luke’s Gospel. Or one might say a mercurial role. He imprisons and beheads John the Baptist because he can’t stand John’s criticisms. Yet members of his court follow Jesus, or at least their wives do, as Joanna the wife of Chuza is named as one of the women who … Continue reading Luke 23:1-25 The Oddness of King Herod
I wonder if Jesus was really afraid, and if he really suffered. I know that there’s some danger in saying this, because we take such comfort from his suffering. It explains and dignifies our own. But I’m led to this question by my beloved Teresa of Avila, who wrote After the rapture has passed, the … Continue reading Luke 22:47-71 The Mind of the Martyr
KPB Stevens 