Author: Administrador

Just as the central New Testament story of Jesus’ death and resurrection comes to us in four different versions (the four Gospels), so the central Old Testament story of the exodus and Red Sea event in Exodus 14-15 comes to us in three different versions that have been woven together and placed alongside one another. … Continue reading “Exodus 14:19-31 Commentary by Dennis Olson”

This fourth semi-continuous selection from the Book of Exodus focuses on what most people mean by the Exodus: the escape from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea. Sermon preparation may not seem like an ideal time to revisit the vagaries of the Pentateuch, but it is good to know that there are at … Continue reading “Exodus 14:19-31 Commentary by Ralph W. Klein”

A cloud holds water, promise of rain and sustenance. It presages storm. It can obscure from view the heavens and the workings of God; it can form a barrier in which none can find their way (Exod. 14:19-20). God is multiply present in this passage. The angel of God walks and the cloud of divine … Continue reading “Exodus 14:19-31 Commentary by Anathea Portier-Young”

Have you ever taken your Bible to an unusual or unfamiliar place to read and study? Old words can sound very different in a new setting. Take, for example, Elijah’s first encounter with the widow of Zarephath and her son (1 Kings 17:8-16), in which the prophet fills the starving family’s food jars with inexhaustible … Continue reading “Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 Commentary by Cameron B.R. Howard”

Last week’s scenes from the Joseph story showed God at work quietly, delivering God’s people in subversive ways. God enabled Joseph to interpret dreams, rise quickly through Pharaoh’s palace ranks, and use human systems in all their brokenness to bring about safety, prosperity, reunification, and reconciliation for Jacob’s family. This week’s reading from Exodus 14 … Continue reading “Exodus 14:10-14, 21-29 Commentary by Cameron B.R. Howard”

The Past Becomes Present: The Ritual of Passover In preparation for preaching on this Sunday’s text, it would be helpful to read the larger context of chapters 11-13 in Exodus. Notice how the chapters bounce back and forth between recounting the story of a past event, on the one hand, and providing a set of … Continue reading “Exodus 12:1-14 Commentary by Dennis Olson”

The church should reclaim the Passover. We tend to relegate the Passover to Judaism, considering Lent to be its replacement for the church. The Old Testament is part of our scriptures, and Passover is part of our heritage. Reclaiming Passover might help us see our solidarity with Judaism, as well as teach us some things … Continue reading “Exodus 12:1-4, [5-10], 11-14 Commentary by Charles L. Aaron, Jr.”

Maundy Thursday is the Thursday of Holy Week. This day, recognized as a major liturgical celebration since the fourth century, commemorates John 13 where Jesus washed the feet of the disciples (verses 4-5) and gave them a new commandment (mandatum in Latin, hence Maundy Thursday) to “love one another” (verse 34). So what does this … Continue reading “Exodus 12:1-4, [5-10], 11-14 Commentary by Mark Throntveit”

This Passover text is appointed for Maundy Thursday each year. According to the Synoptic Gospels, it is on Thursday evening that Jesus, in the upper room with his disciples, celebrates Passover and institutes the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:17-29; Mark 14:12-25; Luke 22:7-28). The Gospel of John, however, speaks of the Thursday supper as the day … Continue reading “Exodus 12:1-4, [5-10], 11-14 Commentary by Terence E. Fretheim”

Passover in the Old Testament is at the heart of the Exodus experience. The Pharaoh who did not know Joseph (Exodus 1:8) stubbornly refused the demands of Moses and Aaron to “let my people go.” The tenth and climactic plague, the slaughter of the firstborn, will finally force Pharaoh’s hand. The threatened Egyptian firstborn represent … Continue reading “Exodus 12:1-14 Commentary by Ralph W. Klein”