Although parables are related to other kinds of speech like riddles and proverbs, parables emphasize story. Jesus’ parables are short stories that refer to God’s realm of power, God’s kingdom. In Luke’s Gospel the parable of the Good Samaritan is part of Jesus’ conversation with a lawyer about… Read More

Jews in Jesus’ time believed that God revealed his will not only through the written Torah, but through unwritten traditions as well. The rabbis claimed that the oral law, transmitted by word of mouth, was also given to Moses at Mount Sinai. The term “law” in the English Bible… Read More

We do not know who wrote Luke and Acts. Like many ancient types of writing, the author does not identify himself. The first verses in the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles show that they were both written by the same person – a man many believe… Read More

Right before Luke’s story about the Good Samaritan, Jesus and a lawyer discuss the way to have eternal life. In that talk the lawyer says that the whole of the Law of Moses is contained in Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19.18. Immediately before Luke’s story about the Good… Read More

Jerusalem is a key city throughout the Old and New Testaments. Learn about how Jerusalem turned into a city and why it featured so prominently in Scripture. The story of the Good Samaritan takes place on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Is the reference to Jerusalem important for… Read More

Jericho is located near the southern end of the Jordan Valley. It has been an oasis and a population center in the otherwise mostly barren valley. Some scholars think Jericho is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Jericho is located near the southern end of the Jordan… Read More

An “inn” in the world of the Bible might refer to one of several possibilities. It could be merely a place to stretch out on the ground for a night’s sleep, or a room in someone’s home situated by the highway. It could also be a public building where rent… Read More

The phrase “to inherit eternal life” reflects more than a simple description of a time line. Its deeper meaning hints at a life where one is free of the restraints typical of human existence. In the phrase “to inherit eternal life” the focus is not so much on… Read More

How did we get our Bible? When were the writings that make up the New Testament selected, arranged, and collected? Learn more about what biblical scholars have discovered. The New Testament we have today is a collection of writings that have been gathered and edited. The titles, the fixed number… Read More

The Gospels might seem to be biographies of Jesus’ life, but they more than this. As John 20:31 says, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Find out more about… Read More