Scripture is clear that God desires a pure and spotless people. From the laws in the Old Testament that differentiated the clean from the unclean to the sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit, Scripture is replete with this theme. What often gets missed from this perspective though is how the…

The Anchor Yale Bible Commentary is one of the most detailed and demanding products we have available for the Olive Tree app. It’s the largest set we have (currently 92 volumes!) and contains original translations, overviews, notes, and comments on each verse in the Bible. In this post, we want…

Jesus didn’t shy away from controversy. In fact, there were times when he initiated it. One such occasion occurred in a synagogue on the Sabbath. Jesus stood before them all and posed the question, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save life…

John’s baptism clearly revolved around the two related practices of repentance and confession of sins. Since that’s the case, then why did Jesus submit to baptism? Since he had no sin to confess and repent of, then why did he identify with a practice he did not need to participate…