During the course of this past year we published over a hundred blog posts here (and more than a hundred on our sister site TacticalChristianity.org ). This list of "Twelve Favorites" gives you the posts that were most popular on this site, so check out the list to see how it compares with your own favorites and to see if you missed any...  

Is Faith the Size of a Mustard Seed All You Need?

The Apostle Who Didn't Come to Dinner

The Last Miracle

Walking the Road to Emmaus

Grains of Sand 

The Right End of the Telescope

Why Were You Called?

Hannah's Gift

The Apostle Paul's Job Description 

The Second Step of Forgiveness 

Not Just a Face in the Crowd

What Shepherds Do

* We have many new blog posts lined up for January, and three new blog series that we think you will enjoy. So check out any of the favorites you may have missed from the past year here on this site and then on our sister site – TacticalChristianity.org  – and look out for the new year's offerings coming soon!

Although many give gifts to each other at this time of year, supposedly in honor of the gifts the Magi or “wise men” gave to Jesus, perhaps we can find a timely reminder in that story of the focus of those individuals who gave gifts to Christ.

Although we don’t know how many wise men brought gifts to the young Jesus (it’s only tradition that there were three of them), or where they came from (other than “the East”), or even when they came (the New Testament shows it could have been up to two years after the actual birth of Jesus when they arrived at the house in which his family was living),  the one thing we do know for sure is what the gifts were that they gave to the young Jesus: “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11).

The three types of gift (the origin of the tradition that there were three wise men) were all illustrious ones, and perhaps the most expensive, by weight, that could be given in that ancient culture. It’s easy to understand that gold was considered a gift fit for kings. Frankincense was an expensive fragrance used in the making of incense offered in the temple (Leviticus 2:1-2) and was thus a fitting gift to be given to a priest (Hebrews 4:14-16). Myrrh was another expensive fragrance which was often used in embalming the dead – as it was for Jesus (John 19:39-40). In that sense it was a fitting gift to one destined to die for humankind. Whether these symbolic aspects were realized by the wise men or not, the three gifts were all certainly appropriate for the king and priest who was born to die.

Although those physical gifts are not ones that we can give directly, the New Testament does show that just as the gold, frankincense and myrrh had symbolic associations, if we choose, we too can offer things in our own lives that are associated with the same gifts. 

Faith: 1 Peter 1:7 tells us: “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Rather than  gold, we can give the better gift of faith.

Relationship with God: The book of Revelation refers to the prayers of the saints as fragrant incense before God: “Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne” (Revelation 8:3-4). The incense offered to God on the heavenly altar is directly associated with the prayers that we can offer.

Relationship with others:  2 Corinthians 2:14-16 says, "But thanks be to God, who… uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life.” Just as the pleasing fragrance of myrrh could be used in contexts of life and death, our walk before others can be a pleasing fragrance to those who can appreciate it. 

So we can give, if we so choose, the symbolic equivalents of the gifts the wise men gave to Christ. If we let it, the story of their gift-giving can inspire us to develop, through God’s grace, our underlying faith, our relationship with God Himself, and our relationship with others. Even those of us who might feel we have little to give, can give even better gifts – that may please the Son of God even more – than the gifts the wise men gave. 

Despite his position as the human father figure in the family of Jesus, Joseph is perhaps one of the least known heroes of faith. In mainstream Christianity he is represented in countless Christmas scenes and crèches each year, but then largely disappears from view.  Even from the perspective of the gospel writers (who doubtless desired to stress the true nature of Christ’s parentage), Joseph appears as a somewhat indistinct third member of the family mentioned in only a few scant verses before and after the nativity.  Yet a number of important facts can be deduced regarding Joseph’s character of faith.

Although apparently a humble and practical man (the Greek word tekton which is applied to him can mean a worker in a number of trades other than just “carpentry”), Joseph was a descendant of King David (Matthew 1:20) and clearly a man of great integrity. When we are first introduced to him we are told “… Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.  Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly” (Matthew 1:18-19). We see that although Joseph was a God-fearing man who was faithful to the observance of the Mosaic law (which in this instance would have punished Mary), he was also  a man who was willing to follow first and foremost the law of love.  Rather than reacting to Mary’s pregnancy with indignation – especially to protect his own reputation – Joseph’s desire to divorce Mary “quietly” is a clear indication of the degree of his compassion and decency. 

When Joseph’s kindness was rewarded by a dream in which an angel explained the divine origin of Mary’s pregnancy, he accepted the role he had been given without hesitation (Matthew 1:24). We then hear nothing of him until the events surrounding the nativity of Jesus.  Some time after Jesus’ birth, Joseph was again instructed by an angel in a dream – this time to flee with Mary and the infant Jesus. “So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod … After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.’ So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel” (Matthew 2:13-15, 18-21).    

Joseph clearly experienced more than the average new parents’ share of lost sleep due to the multiple dreams in which he was told to get up and do something – yet in every case we see him reacting obediently and at once. In each situation we see things being commanded of Joseph which were of potential danger or loss to him and his family, especially considering the difficulties of travel in that day, yet he responded quickly with faith in every instance.  

We see Joseph only one further time in the Gospels, leading his family to the Passover festival in Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve. After that he disappears from the narratives, so it is usually presumed that he died at some time before Jesus began his ministry.  Mary continues to be mentioned, of course, and it is due to these extra references, and those in earlier narratives, that we feel we know her better than Joseph. Yet Joseph must have had many excellent qualities to have been selected with ultimate care and knowledge, along with Mary, as the human parents of God’s Son. We can presume that Joseph was an excellent human father figure and male role model for the growing Jesus, and despite the lack of many details we certainly see him as a man not only of warmly accepting love, but also as a man of deep faith who could be trusted to act firmly and without delay when his faith required it.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters... Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,  I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff,  they comfort me…” (Psalm 23:1-4).


It’s hard for modern Christians not to think of Psalm 23 when the word “shepherd” comes to mind.  But that beautiful psalm reflects only some of the aspects of shepherding. Leading the sheep to pasture – providing for them – and through the valley of darkness – protecting them – are certainly vital aspects of the job, but as a shepherd himself David knew that there was more to the job than just feeding and protecting the sheep.

We find additional insights into the role of the shepherd in another of David’s psalms: “Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever” (Psalm 28:9). In the first half of this single verse we see the same aspects of protecting the sheep and providing for them, and in the second half David also mentions guiding the sheep (the Hebrew urom is a verb – to shepherd or guide, not to be a shepherd) and carrying them.

In this short but remarkable verse, David captures perhaps all the major aspects of the shepherd’s role in four verbs: To protect the sheep from death, to supply their needs, to guide them and finally to carry them when they are weak or injured and need the shepherd’s strength in addition to their own.   

This picture meshes well with Christ’s role as shepherd, which we see in the prophecy quoted by Matthew: “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah … out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel” (Matthew 2:6).  Jesus himself elaborated on the same four aspects of that role mentioned by David in Psalm 28.  As the prophesied shepherd,  Christ did all these things for his people:

Protected them from eternal death: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

Provided their needs: “I am the gate for the sheep… whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture” (John 10:7-9).

Guided them: “When Jesus … saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things” (Mark 6:34).

Carried them: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he… go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home” (Luke 15:4-6).

The people of ancient Israel in David’s day, and those of Judea in Christ’s day, knew well that these things were all involved in being a shepherd. That’s why Christ used that analogy often, and why his hearers may have understood more fully  than we sometimes do what it means that the Lord is our shepherd. They knew, as we should come to know also, that the flock need never doubt that the Shepherd will always do these things for the sheep. It’s what shepherds do.

*See the article “A Shepherd for a While” on our sister site.

There are so many needs in the world, and the needs are often so great that it can discourage us from trying to help; but God’s word makes it clear that it is a responsibility we should all consider: “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (1 John 3:17). 

Of course, this does not mean we should be swayed by every request for a handout when there is no real indication of need, but even when we want to help where the need is real, finding the charities that do the most good is not always easy. Some charities spend great amounts on overheads and salaries while others may support good, but hardly vital, causes.  Yet there are many charities that do accomplish a great deal. How to find them?  If we focus on the relief of life-threatening and dire needs, there are three main areas in which we can help:  

Disaster:  Several charities do good work in this area, but some have high overhead costs. A safe and great way to help in this area is through established disaster relief funds  such as the International Red Cross or various church charities that send aid to countries around the world to help with transient but devastating disasters such as floods, earthquakes, landslides, tornadoes and tsunamis.

Hunger:  Some well-known charities like Action Against Hunger do very good work, but this is an area in which it pays to be especially careful.  Some of the charities in this group also use funds for tangential causes. Check their websites carefully before selecting a charity to help.

Medical Need:   There are charities for many medical needs – all of them worthy causes – but the ones which can potentially save lives as well as bring relief from suffering are surely especially deserving.  For example, cleft repair charities provide cleft lip and palette surgeries to children around the world enabling them to properly eat and drink, to be free of a great disfigurement, and to lead normal lives. There are several charities doing great work in this area, the largest of which is “Smile Train,” rated by the New York Times as “one of the best charities, dollar for dollar.”

If you are unsure about a given charity, or in any event before contributing to one, consider checking it out on one of the online charity monitoring organizations (for example, www.Charitynavigator.org) to see what percentage of funds received actually reaches the intended destination.

Even small contributions can help well-run charities, and strong currencies such as the US dollar  go a long way in Third World countries where the needs are often greatest. So never think that a small amount will not accomplish anything.  Jesus’ comment on the widow’s mite (Mark 12:41-44, Luke 21:1-4) shows the importance of even the smallest gift. We may have no idea of how much someone may be helped by our support, but when the need is great, even a small gift can be a great help.

Scriptures in Question: Psalm 45:2-3 and Isaiah 53:2    

When studying the  Old Testament it is sometimes easy to become confused regarding prophecies which speak of the promised messiah.   For example, in Isaiah 53:2B we read: “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,  nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.”  However, when we turn to the Book of Psalms we find a seemingly conflicting statement with clearly messianic significance:  “You are the most excellent of men  and your lips have been anointed with grace,  since God has blessed you forever… clothe yourself with splendor and majesty” (Psalm 45:2-3).

A number of explanations have been put forward for this apparent difference of majesty or no majesty, beauty or no beauty – such as the idea these verses are speaking of different aspects of the messiah’s appearance, or that Isaiah was speaking of “outward beauty,” while Psalm 45 speaks of “inward beauty.”  That this is not the case can be seen by looking at the context of the verses surrounding Psalm 45:2-3 which are clearly speaking of the external appearance and attributes of the messiah.

In this, and in similar cases, the apparent conflict is easily resolved when we separate the first coming of the messiah from the second coming.  The context of Isaiah 53 is clearly one of human life that fits the physical life of Christ:  “… he was pierced for our transgressions…” (Isaiah 53:7), etc.  Isaiah was  speaking of the appearance of the messiah which also matches what we know. When we read the Gospels, we see that Jesus was able to slip through the crowds and avoid arrest on several occasions, indicating that he was probably of ordinary appearance and certainly did not stand out as a person of noticeable physical beauty.  Isaiah’s words give us a clear reason for his everyday appearance in his first coming.

On the other hand, when we look at the context of Psalm 45 it has reference to  the messiah's coming as a conquering king with great majesty and with the nations falling beneath his feet (Psalm 45:4-5).  While this description clearly does not fit the first coming of Jesus Christ, it certainly fits the second coming as we see in the Book of Revelation:  “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.  His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns … The armies of heaven were following him … Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations … On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:  king of kings and lord of lords” (Revelation 19:11-16). When we also compare the description of the “bride” of Christ in Revelation 19:7 with that of the bride of the king in Psalm 45, we see that the connection with the second coming of the messiah in that psalm is complete.

Simple as this principle is, it can resolve many seeming difficulties as we read prophetic scriptures in the Bible.  When we are careful to distinguish the humble servant role of the messiah’s first coming from his role as conquering king at his second coming, the apparent conflicts are resolved.

“Then [the king] said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready … invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.  He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.  Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness ... ’ ”  (Matthew 22:8-14).

Discussion of this parable of the wedding banquet often focuses on what it means that the unwelcome guest is cast “into the darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth,” or on the summary statement that “many are invited, but few are chosen.”   But a part of the parable that is often overlooked is, in a way, central to what Jesus was teaching in this story: the guest who was expelled was not cast out because he was not recognized or not invited, but because his clothes were somehow not acceptable.

The parable states that the individual cast out of the banquet was not wearing “wedding clothes,” and historically we know that in ancient Judea, as in  many other ancient and modern cultures, guests wore their finest clothes to a wedding. This fact showed the guest’s respect for the host and it also honored the host by showing that his or her friends were well dressed and important – and thus legitimate at the banquet of a great person or a king. Throughout Judea and many areas of the ancient Near East it was customary for the host (especially if a king) to present expensive garments as gifts to those attending a wedding or other festival so that they would be suitably attired (see Genesis 45:22; Judges 14:12; 2 Kings 5:22; 2 Kings 10:22). This seems to be the case in Christ's parable as the guests were all gathered, unexpectedly, from the streets without knowledge to prepare themselves.

So, it is clear that the parable's 1st century hearers would understand the fact that the problematic guest would not be accepted at the wedding banquet in his everyday or non-wedding clothes. But what did Christ mean by this aspect of the story? Although, like many parables, the story does not state its point directly, it is clear that the guests’ “clothes” represent their spiritual condition. The problematic guest clearly considered his own clothes amply good enough, for he has nothing to say when challenged, but the king judges by his own standard and renounces the guest for not having suitable wedding clothes. Christ’s words are clearly aimed at those who, like the Pharisees, trusted in their own righteousness. Jesus tells his hearers in this parable that our own “garment” – our own righteousness – is simply not good enough,  and we will only attend the banquet of his coming if we are suitably dressed not in our own, but in his righteousness.

Interestingly, Christ’s parable reflects a passage in Isaiah which specifically speaks of festival garments in precisely this way: “... he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness ...”  (Isaiah 61:10).  Inappropriately dressed guests are doubtless the individuals mentioned in Revelation who are said to be “naked” and counseled to buy garments (Revelation 3:4, 18) in order to join those who are said to wear white robes at the wedding of the Lamb:  “For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)” (Revelation 19:7-8).  Here the fine clothing of the wedding guests is explicitly linked with righteousness – and this clothing is “given to [God’s people] to wear.”

So Christ’s parable should remind us that while we are called to obedience, our own human righteousness will ultimately never be perfect enough by itself. Despite our best efforts our good deeds will sometimes be done for the wrong reasons, and our behavior will not always be perfect. So we are expected to wear better spiritual “clothes” than we could produce ourselves. That is why we are commanded to “…put on the Lord Jesus Christ…” (Romans 13:14) for it is God Himself who “is our righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16. and see also Romans 4:24).  Or, as the apostle Paul put it, that we should: “… be found in him, not having a righteousness of [our] own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith” (Philippians 3:9).  Our “best clothes” are the ones God gives us. 

Most new Christians soon come to the understanding that we are saved by faith – that our own best efforts can never “earn” God’s forgiveness and acceptance, and that it is through faith that we receive the gift of salvation. But is that all there is to the Christian life? Once we are “saved,” are we in a kind of spiritual holding pattern till we are eventually rewarded according to our faith?  

Our new article, “How We Are Judged: Building on the Foundation of Faith,” uploaded today, shows that nothing could be further from the truth. Since the time of the Reformation, many theologians have stressed the concept of sola fide, or “faith only,”  but today, leading biblical scholars and teachers from many branches of Christianity (N.T. Wright and John Piper to mention only two) recognize that the Bible shows something more is involved.  We are certainly saved by faith, but something else is the basis of our eventual judgement and reward, something connected to our faith, but distinct from it. This is an understanding every Christian needs – read the article here.