Picturepocket's Blog

Category: Bible

  • Acts 8: Saul, Simon and The Spirit  

    With the stoning of Stephen, the gloves were off when it came to the burgeoning new church. The religious establishment were intent on crushing the beautiful new community of Jesus. Saul, a young Pharisee, entered private homes and dragged men and women off to prison. The believers scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Many of the…

  • Acts 7: Martyr 

    At the temple, Stephen retells the spiritual history of Israel from the perspective of the Holy Spirit. He starts with the calling of Abraham to go West from Mesopotamia to a yet unknown promised land. Then he tells of the subsequent years of slavery in Egypt and Israel’s salvation through Moses, Aaron and gift of…

  • Acts 3: Better than Gold

    In this chapter Peter and John go to the temple and see a man begging. He has been lame from birth, and lives by asking for alms of those entering to worship. Peter asks him to look at them, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In…

  • Acts 2: The Gift

    Chapter 2 starts on the day of Pentecost, which is 50 days after Jesus rose from the dead. It is also a Holy Day that Jews commemorate Moses receiving the Ten Commandments (Shavuot) on Mount Sinai. The 120 were all together and a wind blew through the house and rested above each one like tongues…

  • John 21: The Last Breakfast

    Simon Peter invites the other disciples to go fishing with him. So he along with, Nathaniel, Thomas, James, John and two others go to the Sea of Tiberius, which is also called the Sea of Galilee depending on what area you are from. They went out on the boat and caught nothing all night. At…

  • John 20: Alive

    Foreword: Between John chapter 19 and 20 is a missing day. Nothing happens on Saturday. It must have been the longest, saddest day for the disciples of Jesus who left their homes and their jobs and their families to follow him. The man who healed the sick and raised the dead, fed the masses, saw…

  • John 18: Midnight Chicken

    After Jesus finished his supper and prayer for the disciples, he crossed the brook of Kidron and went up the mount of Olives. This is significant because King David also crossed the same stream and went to the same place after he was betrayed by his son Absalom, who had tried to overthrow him.  Judas…

  • John 17: The Last Prayer

    Jesus ends the last supper with a prayer. Now is the time for Jesus to be glorified for the glory of God. He is giving eternal life to all who know him. This is significant because eternal life was withdrawn from humans when they were expelled from Eden for eating the forbidden fruit. Jesus not…

  • Focus on the Fear

    A staple of my childhood passed this week and wow, do I have a lot feelings about it. I remember Dr. James Dobson and Focus on the Family as an inescapable part of my childhood and young adult life. My parents read his books and listened to all of his broadcasts. They bought me his…

  • John 13: Self-Serve

    At the Passover supper, Jesus washed his disciples feet. Peter does not know how to handle it. First he refuses because he feels it’s not right for the master to serve the follower, but Jesus responds that if he doesn’t allow it, Peter will have no share with him. Then Peter asks Jesus to wash…