Loading...
Search, filter, and discover the perfect illustration for your sermon
Free to browse · Sign up free to unlock most illustrations · Premium ($9.95/mo) for the full library of 50,000+ illustrations
Maclaren asks the penetrating question: why did they not seize Him?
The commission 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature' was not spoken to the eleven apostles alone, but to all generations of Christ's Church.
Yet Christ's response cuts through all such speculation with sovereign authority: 'If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?
Among those who reverently buried the martyr were devout men—not disciples, but Hellenistic Jews, perhaps from the very synagogue whose members had disputed with Stephen and dragged him before the council.
Christ does not warn His disciples of persecution as an unfortunate accident; He presents it as the necessary consequence of their union with Him.
Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?' The unworthy members of Zion—the *sinners in Zion*—cry out in terror, supposing the prophet speaks of annihilation.
Yet the most penetrating insight concerns what seems like deprivation—that He shall depart.
The *bruised reed*—a slender bulrush crushed by wind or foot, its head hanging by a thread yet not severed—represents evil in its incipient stage, a destructive process begun but still avoidable.
He receives Nathanael's confession—'Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel!'—along with the magnificent titles bestowed by others: John's 'Lamb of God,' the disciples' 'Messias, which is the Christ.' These crowns, placed upon His head by...
To the officers sent by the Pharisees—men animated by hatred, restrained only by inexplicable awe—His declaration 'Whither I go, ye cannot come' becomes a triumphant assertion of invulnerability.
Yet Maclaren observes that this solitude, rather than paralyzing the Apostle, clarified his method.
These heresy-hunters positioned themselves apart from the crowd at Peter's house, near enough to observe but far enough to demonstrate their separation from what they deemed vulgar enthusiasm.
The material vine one might observe by the wayside becomes merely shadow; the truth resides in Him alone.
The 'stout-hearted'—those untouched by conviction, ignorant of sin, self-reliant and nearly defiant before God—expect rebuke and condemnation from the Almighty's lips.
The Greek word *parakletos* means 'one who is summoned to the side of another'—a Champion clad in celestial armour, dispatched directly from God's throne.
In Palestine, the Passover coincided with harvest's first fruits—*aparche*—ready for Temple presentation.
For six days, Israel performed what appeared utterly useless—a silent, circular procession around an impregnable fortress.
Only *sections* of these households became Christian; notably, the masters themselves remained outside the faith.
He names it twice in his opening movement (verses 1 and 4), and again when addressing the Corinthians themselves (verses 6-7).
Maracleren observes that all earthly teachers—however towering—accomplish limited, transient work.
The warm-hearted, impulsive fisherman who once denied knowing Jesus now speaks with 'calm, fixed determination, which wastes no words, but in its very brevity impresses the hearers as being immovable.' Maclaren observes that this man—once prone to wrong-headedness—has laid down...
Maclaren observes that the repetition is not accidental.
The phrase 'in this mountain' echoes three times through the hymn, deliberately juxtaposed with 'all people' and 'all nations.' Maclaren observes that this is no accident—the prophet insists the world's blessing cannot be vague or abstract.
Standing amid the magnificent statues of Pallas Athene and Greek art, surrounded by educated philosophers who mocked new ideas, Paul possessed every reason to denounce their idolatry immediately.