Christmas Fear

“Do not be afraid.” Three times in Luke’s birth narrative an angel appears to people, and these are their first words. It’s understandable; I’d be freaked out if an angel appeared to me and started talking, especially if “the glory of the Lord shone round about them,” as it did with the Bethlehem shepherds....

No Inn, But Plenty of Room for Jesus

In which gospel does the innkeeper tell Mary and Joseph that he has no rooms available for them? Trick question; Luke simply writes that Jesus was laid in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. No innkeeper is ever mentioned. But what if there wasn’t even an inn? Kenneth E. Bailey, in Jesus...

Next Entries »