Category: JOHN D. BARRY

  • PRIDE IN DISGUISE

    Connect The Testaments Sometimes recognizing our sin for what it is can throw us into deep shame. In Matthew, we find that two of Jesus’ disciples experience this moment of remorse—Judas after he betrays Jesus, and Peter when he denies Jesus. From their responses, we learn what true repentance looks like. Judas is remorseful when…

  • BE VIGILANT

    Connect The TestamentsGenesis 35:16-36:43; Matthew 26:14-56; Ecclesiastes 8:10-17 Faith doesn’t always come to bear until we are faced with our own fallibility. When we “enter into temptation,” it often means we haven’t been vigilant—that we’ve stopped pursuing the God who has pursued us. In the aftermath of temptation, we recognize our spiritual laziness. We become…

  • WHILE YOU ARE WAITING

    Connect The TestamentsGenesis 32-33; Matthew 24:29-25:13; Ecclesiastes 7:22-29 Jesus’ instructions to His disciples about His return have inspired many to incorrectly predict His second coming. But if we read His parables, we find that they’re not so focused on the future. Jesus prepares His disciples for His absence, and for the end times, because He…

  • THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION

    Connect The TestamentsGenesis 31; Matthew 23:37-24:28; Ecclesiastes 7:13-21 “Why do bad things happen to good people?” This is an ancient question, though often asked as if it’s new. The Preacher in Ecclesiastes says, “There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his…

  • GIVING UP CONTROL

    Connect The TestamentsGenesis 30; Matthew 22:23-23:36; Ecclesiastes 7:6-12 We are born bent on our own ambitions. It’s in our nature to control and compete. And pride—often the source of this behavior—keenly notices the pride of others. Often, we want to point out the failing of the equally prideful and impose our own wills on them,…

  • CHEER UP, PREACHER

    Connect The TestamentsGenesis 28-29; Matthew 21:23-22:22; Ecclesiastes 7:1-5 Things are getting serious for the writer of Ecclesiastes (“the Preacher”), and sometimes confusing for us, as we follow him through the labyrinth of his discourse on the meaning of life. Death is better than birth, mourning is better than feasting, and sorrow is better than laughter?…

  • SAVE US!

    Connect The TestamentsGenesis 27; Matthew 20:17-21:22; Ecclesiastes 6:5-12 “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Matt 21:9). Idiomatically, this means: “Save [me], I pray, the Son of David. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of Yahweh!…

  • I UNDERSTAND HOW THEY FELT

    Connect The TestamentsGenesis 26; Matthew 19:1-20:16; Ecclesiastes 6:1-4 “Allow the children, and do not forbid them to come to me, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 19:14). This is the type of Jesus I want to know. It’s easy for me to think of Jesus as a man I see in film…

  • UNEXPECTED RIVALRIES

    Connect The TestamentsGenesis 25; Matthew 18; Ecclesiastes 5:12-20 When in survival mode, you have to compete against anything that could hinder your survival. Strong competitors, like professional athletes, often can’t explain their almost inhuman acts under pressure; adrenaline takes over. The same thing that the ancients used to escape from wild animals is what makes…

  • AVOIDING THE UNAVOIDABLE

    Connect The TestamentsGenesis 24; Matthew 16-17; Ecclesiastes 5:8-11 It’s common to put people in our lives on hold, even if we love them, until something forces us to pay attention. Forgetting those who are closest to us is a frightening thought. Peter, Jesus’ disciple, likely realized that people were making a similar mistake in their…