By the mid- to-late 19th century, Diaspora Jews, especially those who settled in western Europe, believed that they could assimilate into European culture. In fact, most of the European democracies had granted Jews citizenship, facilitating this cultural accommodation. But this was not the case in Eastern Europe and Russia where Jews were segregated into ghettos and regularly experienced the violence of pogroms—anti-Semitic, government-sponsored violence against the Jews. Thus, accommodation in the West and pogroms in the East threatened the survival of the Diaspora Jews.

Jesus is transfigured before His 3 disciples.

Mark 12:30-31 declares that we are to love God with our heart, soul, mind and strength. The challenge for the believer is what theologians call the noetic effect of sin: 2 Corinthians 4:4 affirms the depths of sin’s effect on our minds. For that reason, one of the weighty commands of the New Testament is to “renew our minds” (e.g., Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:23). Colossians 3:2 commands: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” In 2 Corinthians 10:5 Paul speaks of taking “every thought captive to obey Christ.”

Jesus’ miracles teach His disciples profound truth.

During my years as a university president, one of my joys was to be involved in inviting various leaders to our campus for a lecture series, Bible conferences, and other university events. One of the highlights of that joy was a conference that introduced Rev. John M. Perkins to our students. He became one of my heroes and stands out as one of the important evangelical, Black leaders of the church.

Jesus continues performing His miracles proving He is the Messiah, but also teaching His disciples profound truth about Himself.

One of my hobbies is astronomy. When I retired from higher education in 2012, my wife bought me a telescope. Studying the stars and the planets is breathtaking. But beyond my amateurish investigations, I love to view the amazing photos provided by NASA from the Hubble Telescope and now the James Webb Space Telescope. The beauty, scale and sharpness of these photos are magnificent. And when I realize that these stars, galaxies and nebula are millions of light years away, I am drawn to King David’s affirmation, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky above proclaims His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1, ESV).

Jesus finishes teaching His parables about the “mysteries of the kingdom,” and finds He is rejected by his hometown of Nazareth and by Herod Antipas.

Marriage was the first institution God created (Genesis 2:24-25). Given how important marriage is to God, what is the state of this institution in the early decades of the 21st century?

In light of rejection, Jesus unfolds the “mysteries of the Kingdom.”