Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | August 2, 2012
The Beatitudes are not to be seen as moral achievements but the acknowledgement of the exact opposite – moral depravity, moral emptiness, and moral needs. The Beatitudes are not philosophical idealism but the idea that we are not spiritually ideal. Self-righteousness looks at the qualities of poor in spirit, moral mourning, and such as achievements […]
PHall | August 1, 2012
Matthew begins and ends with God’s presence. Matthew begins with Jesus being, “God with Us” (1:23); and closes with Jesus saying, “I am with you always” (28:20). In between Jesus fulfills the Law and Prophets (5:17). In fulfilling God came near, and when we fulfill the true meaning of the Sermon on the Mount (7:12), […]
PHall | July 31, 2012
“Blessed” – what is the real meaning? Some suggest “happy” but I wonder if the meaning of “blessed” is closer to being spiritually “content” or “fulfilled:” Each beatitude has a blessing or reward that corresponds with the need. The hungry are filled; the mourners are comforted; etc. Blessings from God fulfilled His purposes and individual […]
PHall | July 30, 2012
Shockingly, at least to our modern theological ears, the most works-oriented discourse in the Bible, whether Old or New Testament is…the Sermon on the Mount. Maybe equally shocking is that the word “grace” is never uttered; yet Jesus commands the ultimate call to be perfect as His Father is perfect (5:48). Is Jesus the Uber-Pharisee?
PHall | July 30, 2012
What is the best news you’ve ever heard? On a national scale, when V-E Day and V-J Day were announced jubilation erupted, and yet people only had to wait 4 or 5 years from the beginning of the war to the end. On a more personal note, was the clean bill of health of a […]
PHall | July 29, 2012
Christianity today makes God man-centered where He is only concerned with us being happy instead of us glorifying Him. Instead of making God into an idol to be placated, modern man has done worse. God is our puppet and we pull the strings.
PHall | July 27, 2012
So much of Jesus’ wilderness experience is echoed within “The Lord’s Prayer.” This suggests to me that Jesus prayed what He experienced. Our prayers should be filled with the reality of this life and God’s life in us. “Our Father in heaven (6:9) – “If you are the Son of God” (4:3,6). “Hallowed/holy be Your […]
PHall | July 27, 2012
There is an intriguing shift from blessings to warnings between chapters 5 and 6: In chapter 5 Jesus blesses those who are persecuted because they are seen practicing righteousness; and in chapter 6 Jesus warns against practicing your righteousness to be seen. In chapter 5 Jesus blesses public righteousness, salt and light; and in chapter […]
PHall | July 26, 2012
How much influence did Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount have on the early church? James, who wrote one of the first written NT books, probably written by Jesus’ fleshly brother, borrowed, expanded, and applied it comprehensively. So influenced was James, it would be beneficial to compare the two. Matthew 5:10-12 NASB “Blessed are those who […]
PHall | July 26, 2012
Jewish tradition through Oral Law built hedges around the Law of Moses to protect both it and the people from breaking it. This was called the Mishna and resulted in more law. The Pharisees were the misguided protectors and enforcers of the Law. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus contrasts “You have heard” with […]