This divergence between the relatively dynamic and entrepreneurial economy in which Jesus spent His formative years and the comparatively top-heavy, political economy of Judea provides a backdrop that sheds light on the rest of the Gospel accounts. Jerry Bowyer

A beautiful morning for riding today. Nuable Creek is looking like an oasis in the wilderness.

That’s right, Jesus was the Lamb of God, who bears away the sins of the world, and He was born in the one city named by the rabbis as the place designated for the breeding of sacrificial lambs. Jerry Bowyer

What you will see is Jesus confronting the takers of wealth, not the makers of it. He did this with such vigor and clarity, the ruling class who lived and worked in that nation’s capital saw Him as a threat to their system of economic extraction. That’s why they instigated His judicial execution by the Roman state. Jerry Bowyer

Another fine morning in Narrabri.

What the Gospel accounts showed was a Jesus who was very concerned about economic exploitation, but whose economic denunciations were not broad, to-whom-it-may-concern condemnations of all wealth. Instead, He directed His denunciations in very specific geographical and socioeconomic ways, aiming His barbs at the exploitative members of the ruling class. Jerry Bowyer

Another beautiful morning. A bit breezy on the way home, but not too bad.

To get the blessings of Jesus, we must really want to know what He taught and to follow Him wherever He leads. Jerry Bowyer

After the rain the last couple of days, this morning was clear and low humidity. Great morning for riding.

The truth is, God’s faithfulness and loyalty and love are never put to the test in our difficulties; it was my faithfulness, my loyalty, my love for him that was being tested. Andrew Brunson