Tag Archives: Messiah

A House Divided

15 Sunday Mar 2026

Posted by in Books by David Kitz

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James: the Lynchpin of Our Faith — Chapter 5

The family rift that is evident in John’s Gospel did not appear overnight. Undoubtedly, it had been growing for years. Most likely it worsened after Joseph’s death. His authority as the head of the home would certainly have had a calming effect, but with his passing, the simmering rivalry between the sons of Joseph and the firstborn son of Mary boiled to the surface.

Luke tells us that Jesus was thirty years old when he began his public ministry (Luke 3:23). All four gospel writers agree that it was his relative, John the Baptist, who lit the spark in Jesus that set the world ablaze. Jesus’ baptism by his cousin John was the starting point of the meteoric rise of Jesus’ ministry (Luke 1:36). The latent potential of his divine DNA suddenly came alive. His baptism experience marked a dramatic turning point in his life.

When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:21–22)

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The three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke provide essentially the same description of this transformative event. The Triune God is manifest: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father speaks words of affirmation to his Son, and the Holy Spirit descends in bodily form to empower Jesus for the mission that lay before him. The gospel writers leave no doubt that everything that follows in Jesus’ ministry had its starting point in this turning-point experience.

If Jesus the man ever questioned his own divinity, every shred of doubt was removed in that moment. This was heaven-sent confirmation. His Father had spoken—had spoken audibly. From the age of twelve, Jesus knew of his divine origin—his life source—and now he knew his destiny. He was God’s son. Though his brothers rejected him, though the world rejected him, he knew the love of his Father. And in the days that followed, nothing would deflect him from doing his Father’s will.

Called, chosen and approved by his Father, Jesus was now ready to walk out his redemptive mission.

John the Evangelist, the gospel writer, gives us a different perspective on this event. In John’s gospel we see the baptism of Jesus through the eyes of the one who performed it, John the Baptist:

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” (John 1:29–34)

John the Baptist’s testimony adds considerably to our understanding of this life-defining event. Chiefly, he identifies for us who Jesus really is. In a moment of divine revelation, he declares, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

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John the Baptist did not live to witness Jesus’ death on the cross, but in that instant, he caught a glimpse of what lay ahead for the man he identified as the Messiah. He saw the sacrificial nature of Jesus’ mission.

In his own words, John tells us his own mission has now been fulfilled. “The reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

John the Baptist’s ministry will decrease; the ministry of the Christ, the anointed one, will increase. The torch has been passed. The new covenant has begun.

The Baptist makes no mention of the Father’s affirming voice from heaven, but he provides more detail about the coming of the Holy Spirit. He emphasizes that the Spirit remained on Jesus. From that moment on, the miraculous power that is evident in Jesus’ life can be directly attributed to the Holy Spirit remaining on him.

John’s endorsement of Jesus’ divine calling and ministry stand in sharp contrast to the rejection Jesus would later experience from James and the other members of his immediate family. For reasons we will never fully know, this blood relative recognized in Jesus what his brothers completely missed. Those who are too close sometimes fail to grasp what is patently evident to an outsider. Undoubtedly, John’s affirmation of Jesus carried considerable weight, since he was a public figure of national renown. Yet as we will see, it did not appear to persuade James.

This raises the question of where James stood regarding John the Baptist. There is no indication in scripture that James and the other family members submitted to John’s baptism. The gospel writers and John in particular give us the impression that Jesus acted alone. He came for baptism apart from his family. This was solely his decision, without the support or presence of his family.

This seems rather unusual given that John the Baptist was a close relative, and there was a strong bond between Mary and John’s mother Elizabeth at the time of their pregnancies—a bond so strong that Mary spent three months living in the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:39–56). Though the gospels are silent on this matter, it is easy to imagine these two families spending time with each other on special occasions such as the Passover. It is not unreasonable to surmise that as boys, John, Jesus, and James were playmates. Did they drift apart over time or was there a sudden rupture in relations?

In his adult life did James disapprove of John the Baptist’s message and tactics? The gospels leave the impression that John’s call for repentance and baptism was broadly accepted by the people of the time, but he raised the ire of one particular group.

But when he [John] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.” (Matthew 3:7–9)

Later in Jesus’ interaction with the Pharisees and religious authorities, it is abundantly clear that they have rejected John’s call for repentance. See Matthew 21:23–27. If James embraced the teachings of the Pharisees, it is probable that he opposed John’s message and his call for baptism. With their strict adherence to the Law and their extreme pride in Jewish heritage, the Pharisees and their teachings might have found a welcome home within the mind of James. His writings have often been described as having a legalistic bent.

If as a young man James fell under the sway of the Pharisees, he would find himself opposing both John the Baptist and Jesus, his own brother. Again, though the scriptures are silent on this topic, it seems quite likely that this was a family divided along religious lines.

The writers of the synoptic Gospels tell us that immediately following his baptism, Jesus entered a forty-day period of fasting:

At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. (Mark 1:12–13)

Then, having overcome the temptations of the flesh and of Satan, (see Mathew 4:1-11) Jesus began his public ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit and under the watchful eye of his heavenly Father. The impact across the region is felt almost immediately.

Matthew gives us this summative overview:

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases,
those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. (Matthew 4:23–25)

What had come over the carpenter’s son? What did Jesus’ family think of this dramatic turn of events? Within a few months this young man, conceived out of wedlock, had become a much sought after religious teacher, a healer, and a crowd-gathering celebrity. Did they approve?

Mark’s Gospel provides us with a clear answer:

Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” (Mark 3:20–21)

The answer is an unambiguous “No!” No, they did not approve. They thought he was insane. We know from John’s Gospel that Jesus’ brothers did not believe in him. Now we discover that they truly thought he had gone mad. Their own words best convey their rendered judgement, “He is out of his mind.”

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They considered him to be a raving lunatic incapable of conducting his own affairs. Why else would they go to take charge of him? Furthermore, they were not alone in this opinion. Mark’s account continues:

And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”

So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.” (Mark 3:22–30)

In brief, Jesus’ family thought he was insane and the teachers of the law from Jerusalem thought he was demon possessed. The opinion of these teachers of the law may have had a good deal of influence on James. It is worth noting that these would be the same religious leaders from Judea that according to John were trying to kill Jesus. See John 7:1. This can hardly be described as a resounding endorsement of Jesus’ ministry!

But then Jesus has always been a controversial figure throughout history. The great twentieth-century thinker C.S. Lewis, in his defense of orthodox Christian faith, makes this insightful statement regarding Jesus:

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (MacMillan, 1952), pp. 55–56.)

His enduring love stretches beyond the horizon — photo by David Kitz

There is no convenient middle ground concerning Jesus. It has always been thus, even for the members of his immediate family. Yet there is one thing abundantly clear from Mark’s account: this is a deeply divided family. Mary may have believed in the messianic mission of her firstborn son, but it is apparent her other sons do not. They believe Jesus is out of his mind, and, bringing their mother with them, they set off to rescue their errant half-brother from his delusion.

In his discussion with the teachers of the law, Jesus refutes the idea that he is demon possessed with the argument that a kingdom or a house divided against itself cannot stand. There is a good deal of irony at play here since his own family is divided, and now he finds himself on the outs with most of them. Do they too believe he is demon possessed? Quite possibly, though we are not explicitly told.

Mark continues his account of these events:

Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

“Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:31–35)

Obedient Christian believers—Christ’s followers—draw a great deal of warmth and comfort from this passage. They are identified as brothers, sisters, and mothers to their Lord. What amazing words of love and embrace!

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But there is a stinging flip side to this affirmation. The members ofJesus’ own family stand excluded. Both literally and figuratively they are on the outside—on the outside of the home looking in. For them this is a backhanded rebuke of the highest magnitude. They are not deemed to be part of this happy family of followers—Jesus’ spiritual family—but neither do they want to be.

What appears to follow (though Mark provides us with no further details) is a classic standoff. We are not even told if Jesus agrees to go out and meet with his biological family; presumably he did not. If he knew their intentions, it may have been wise to not meet with them. The brothers might try to take him by force.

Were harsh words exchanged? Perhaps.

Did Jesus try to reassure them that he was sound of mind? Maybe. The silence of scripture on this matter allows some room for conjecture.

But ultimately from the three gospel accounts that record this incident, (Matthew 12:46–50, Mark 3:31–35, Luke 8:19–21) we can only reach one conclusion: Jesus continues on with his ministry, and his brothers returned to Nazareth without their wayward older sibling. They may consider him insane, but Jesus is not about to change course and yield to their will. He is doing his Father’s will. He is going about his Father’s business.

The rift between them has widened immeasurably. Can it ever be bridged? In effect Jesus has disowned them, and they in turn have abandoned him to his own will. The gulf between them is enormous.

In the days ahead the implications of this rift will play out in stunning ways.

 

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The Family Rift

08 Sunday Mar 2026

Posted by in Books by David Kitz

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James: the Lynchpin of Our Faith — Chapter 4

One can easily assume that Jesus, and by extension James, grew up in an idyllic family. If God selected Mary to be the mother of God’s own son, then surely, she was a perfect mother—the perfect mother. Joseph too must have been a man of flawless character, a hardworking, salt-of-the-earth fellow with impeccable morals. Growing up in such a home in small-town Nazareth must have been like having your own corner of heaven in this rough and tumble, sin-stained world.

But in this fallen world there is no perfect home and no absolutely perfect family. The taint of sin and the machinations of our ancient foe are everywhere. If it were not so, this world would not need a Savior. It should come as no surprise then, that all was not always sweetness and light in the household of Joseph and Mary. God frequently uses deeply flawed characters.

Luke concludes his account of Jesus’ boyhood temple experience with this summary statement:

Then he [Jesus] went down to Nazareth with them [Mary and Joseph] and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:51–52)

There is no indication of any family tension in this statement. On the contrary, the opposite appears to be true, and undoubtedly there were many happy moments of family harmony in this home. But when we examine other passages from the four gospel accounts of Jesus life, we can see that below the surface, trouble was brewing within this holy family. How soon family tension and rivalry reared its ugly head remains open to debate, but as we will soon see, it certainly was present during the time of Jesus public ministry.

Sibling rivalry is common among multi-child families. Was there rivalry between Jesus and his brothers as they grew up? Most likely there was. In fact, the very notion of living with a morally perfect, intellectually superior older brother should send shivers of dread through any thinking child. How could any sibling possibly measure up to this older brother’s exemplary standard? Here we have the textbook recipe for childhood frustration and sibling resentment.

If Jesus reached an epiphany moment in the temple at age twelve, it is reasonable to surmise that James may have had a similar epiphany in his early teens—a moment when he realized that Jesus was profoundly different, and that unlike himself, Jesus was not the son of Joseph.

The Boy Jesus in the Temple Courts

This epiphany may have occurred in a rather ordinary way. Teens his own age may have told James that his brother was the son of another man. Small-town communities have a collective memory. Mary’s initial unexpected pregnancy likely had tongues wagging. Rumors spread and gain currency with time, and in due time that rumor may have circled round to James.

James did not conclude that Jesus was the Son of God. A more natural explanation was much more logical. It is reasonable to assume that in his judgment, James came to believe that Jesus was the product of his mother’s rather unfortunate union with another man. Scripture bears witness to this verdict.

The following passage from John’s Gospel provides us with ample evidence of the tension that was rife within this family:

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

Therefore Jesus told them, “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee.

However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, “Where is he?”

Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”

Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders. (John 7:1–13)

John’s observation on the brothers’ advice is very enlightening. He states, “For even his brothers did not believe in him.” There was clearly a bitter tension here that the brothers’ words alone do not convey. The brothers that this passage refers to are of course James, Joseph, Simon and Judas (Jude), as identified in the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

And what precisely did the brothers not believe about Jesus? From the context, it appears that they did believe in his miraculous powers; in fact, they challenged him to reveal himself to the world through them. The phrase that is translated “the works you do” in the New International Version is more freely translated “see your miracles” in the New Living Translation. So, it is clear that the brothers had heard the stories of Jesus’ miracles or had witnessed them personally. Now they want Jesus to reveal himself to the world. They say, “Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”

The brothers’ unbelief went deeper than a surface acknowledgement of the miracles. They doubted his deity—his divine origin. To his brothers, Jesus was too familiar. He was Mary’s boy—their half-brother—nothing more. But beyond that, he was their half-brother, the bastard son, putting on airs, rising above his rightful station in life. Furthermore, they were jealous of his rising popularity as a person of considerable renown.

Here we see the truth of what John said in the introduction to his Gospel, “He [Jesus] was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:10–11).

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Jesus was rejected by his own—by his own brothers. They did not recognize him as God or the Son of God.

As one of the three disciples within Jesus’ inner circle, John was likely a witness to this conversation between Jesus and his brothers. Now in his Gospel, John bears witness to the brother’s unbelief.

But John had another domestic source that may have enlightened him more fully on the brothers’ lack of faith. John was responsible for looking after Mary after Jesus’ death. Surely the issue of the brothers’ early rejection of the messianic Jesus was a topic of discussion at some point.

Undoubtedly, at times Mary would also have encountered the disparaging perspective that her younger sons had toward Jesus. Jesus did not easily fit into a world or even a family that prefers conformity. Those who are struggling to raise exceptional children may find some comfort in that. Often gifted children are misunderstood or not well-received socially by peers and even by adults.

Jesus sees through his brothers’ advice to their deep-seated antagonism, and consequently he responds harshly to their challenge to reveal himself to the world. But with his response, he provides a clue as to why they rejected him. “Jesus told them, ‘My time is not yet here; for you any time will do.’”

For the brothers, when they consider Jesus’ claims to deity, they see an elephant in the room—perhaps several of them. The largest problem may well be the death of their father Joseph. How could this healer of the sick, this miracle worker, this man who raised the dead to life on more than one occasion do nothing to prevent the death of their father?

The unspoken thought might go something like this, “So Jesus, you’re the Son of God! Well, why then did you let Dad die? Why didn’t you do something? Why do you go about healing perfect strangers, while your own family suffers?”

But how does Jesus respond? “Jesus told them, ‘My time is not yet here; for you any time will do.’”

That may be a fine answer for the public, but it does little to soothe an aching heart or comfort the doubting soul of a family member. Why did Jesus raise to life the son of the widow at Nain (Luke 7:11-17), but leave Joseph, his earthly father, to die?

Variations on this question confront us often. Why is one child spared in a school shooting, while others are gunned down by a madman? Why does one woman make a miraculous recovery from terminal cancer, while an equally worthy woman suffers and dies, leaving a grief-stricken family? These questions have no easy answer. None exists on this side of eternity.

Death stalks all of us, and ultimately death always claims its prize. A better question might be, “Why now? Why did this person die now? Why not later?”

“Jesus told them, ‘My time is not yet here; for you any time will do.’”

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There was no miracle for their father Joseph. Jesus’ time had not yet come. His time for doing miracles had not yet arrived. Earlier in John’s Gospel, Jesus made a similar pronouncement when Mary asked him to intervene when the wine ran out at the wedding in Cana. “‘Woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My time has not yet come.’” (John 2:4)

But despite this objection, Jesus proceeded to perform his first miracle as he turned water into wine. The question of timing remains. Why work a miracle in one situation, but not in another? Why heal one invalid at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-16), but leave many others to suffer?

Clearly, Jesus was working according to a different timetable. In the present, we tend to think as Jesus’ brothers thought. We could always use a miracle or two. For us, when it comes to receiving a miracle, “any time will do.”

At this point in John’s account, there is clearly a great gulf separating these brothers and Jesus, and Jesus does nothing to bridge it. On the contrary he expands the gulf and elaborates on it. Speaking of his brothers, he says, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.”

Implied in these remarks is the idea that the brothers are worldly and complicit with the evil of the world. Jesus sees himself as being on a great redemptive mission—a mission set in motion by his heavenly Father. It is a mission of impeccable, precise timing. He will not be distracted, bated or thrown off course by his brothers. For Jesus timing was everything. He will not be hurried into doing miracles or into revealing himself to the world. He will not be hurried to his death in Jerusalem. He is not a showman, a performer or an entertainer for the crowds.

He is a redeemer on a mission—a sacrificial lamb, the Passover lamb—saving himself for slaughter at the right time, the perfect time.

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There is a double meaning in the phrase, “My time is not yet here.” For the brothers it meant the time for Jesus to reveal himself to the world through his miraculous powers, but for Jesus it also meant the time for his approaching death. The Jewish leaders were already plotting his demise. He did not want to speed that day by following his brothers’ ill-conceived ideas.

Jesus’ brothers understood none of this. They did not believe in him. James did not believe in him. The brothers proceeded to the feast while Jesus stayed for a time in Galilee. The rift between them is clearly defined. They did not travel together. They are walking separate paths. Jesus has his followers, his disciples, but his brothers are not numbered among them.

Unbelief and a sharp division in the family are not what we would expect from the union of Mary and Joseph. We would like to believe that Mary and Joseph did a stellar job in raising their children; after all they were selected by God for this specific assignment.

But let’s be clear: this was no easy task.

Many believe that Mary and Joseph disclosed to Jesus in an age-appropriate manner the divine nature of his origin and the broad outlines of his calling. Surely this was a part of their parental responsibility, a responsibility given to them by God.

Joseph certainly would have trained Jesus in the skills of carpentry. The family would have been active in the local synagogue. A synagogue education would include learning to read and write, but also committing reams of scripture to memory.

This would all be foundational to Jesus’ later ministry.

But the parental task of educating Jesus in his messianic calling would be far easier if there were no younger brothers around. Singling out a child for special status or treatment instantly creates family tension. Anyone named Joseph should know this well.

The brothers’ rejection of Jesus bears a striking resemblance to another example of sibling rivalry and rejection recorded in the last chapters of Genesis. When he was a teenager, the patriarch Joseph (Joseph of the multicolored coat) was rejected by his brothers. But this was no mild snub. Joseph’s brothers initially wanted to kill him, but they settled for selling him to Ishmaelites, who later sold him into slavery in Egypt. See Genesis chapters 37-50.

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The New Testament Joseph surely must have had his Old Testament namesake in mind as he raised his own family. The parallels run deep. Many biblical scholars have noted that there is a striking similarity between the life of Jesus and the life of Joseph, the patriarch, whose story is recorded in Genesis.

Here in brief are some of these parallels:

• Both claimed a special relationship with their father—Jesus’ father being God, while Joseph’s father was Jacob, who is also called Israel, the father of the nation. (Luke 2:49, Genesis 37:3–4)

• Both had a revelation of their divine calling at or near puberty. (Luke 2:41–52; Genesis 37:5–11)

• Both were rejected by their brothers. (John 1:11 and John 7:5; Genesis 37:12–32)

• Though both were tempted, they lived a sinless or exemplary life. (Matthew 4:11 and 2 Corinthians 5:21; Genesis 39:6–15)

• Both were wrongly accused, arrested and suffered though innocent. (Mark 14:43–15:41; Genesis 39:19–21)

• After suffering both were exalted to rule. (Philippians 2:9–11; Genesis 41:41–44)

• Both brought deliverance or salvation—Joseph for Egypt, Jesus for the world. (John 3:16; Genesis 50:20)

• Both forgave those who wronged them and were reconciled with their brothers. (Luke 23:34; Genesis 50:21)

If the New Testament Joseph showed any special favoritism to Jesus, he risked repeating the mistakes of Jacob, the father of the Joseph of the Old Testament. In that instance, special treatment led directly to fierce resentment and forced exile from the family.

This may have left Joseph in a conundrum. Too much disclosure of Jesus’ divine origin and messianic calling put him at risk of resentment and rejection by his siblings. No disclosure at all could be interpreted as a failure of parental responsibility.

Even the meaning of term Messiah is problematic. We understand this word quite differently now. How did Joseph and Mary see their son’s calling? They were looking at him through first century Jewish eyes, and they likely had expectations and perspectives that were quite different from ours today.

The desire for a Jewish Messiah to arise from among the people was pervasive during this historic period. The felt need was for a strong leader to arise and rally the people, so they could overthrow the oppressive pagan rule of Rome by means of a bloody insurrection. From the Jewish perspective the need and the vision were clear. This Messiah—the anointed one—would re-establish the throne of David and with a rod of iron he would rule over Israel and the surrounding nations in righteousness and justice.

The firstborn son in Joseph’s household had the right lineage. He was a son of David and furthermore, at his birth his messianic call was confirmed by the words of angels, prophets and magi. Surely at the right time Joseph would or should instill into Jesus the imperatives of his messianic call. Did Joseph do this?

On this topic the scriptures are maddeningly silent. Joseph dies at some point between Jesus’ boyhood visit to the temple and the emergence of his public ministry. When or how is unknown.

If Joseph and Mary followed the wisdom of the day, they would have imparted an incorrect messianic vision. Several would-be messiahs rose up in rebellion against Rome before and after Jesus’ crucifixion. Each rebellion was brutally crushed until the Jews were finally expelled from Jerusalem and their homeland in 135 AD.

The rebellion that Jesus would eventually lead was a soft power rebellion that rejected bloodshed and the use of force. See John 18:36. But ultimately the kingdom of God, which Jesus founded, would triumph over the empire of Rome. Down through the ages to the present day, his followers have submitted to his rule within a kingdom that never ends.

In matters affecting family dynamics, timing is crucial. In the right time, the dreams of the Joseph of the technicolor coat would come true. His parents and brothers would bow down to him. Joseph, the son of Israel, became the ruler of all of Egypt.

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In the right time, Jesus’ brothers beginning with James would recognize him as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. They too would bow before him as king. All would come in the right time, including reconciliation.

Prior to the disagreement with his unbelieving brothers cited in John 7, Jesus was in conflict with the Jewish leadership in Judea. This too was a conflict over timing. He had dared to heal a man on the Sabbath. See John 5. In his discourse with the Jewish leadership, Jesus gives us a glimpse into his modus operandi:

Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. (John 5:19–23)

These words leave no doubt about whose agenda Jesus is following. He is going about his Father’s business. The twelve-year-old has grown up. Joseph is dead. The thirty-year-old Jesus is moving according to the dictates of his heavenly Father. He does “only what he sees his Father doing.”

Without doubt, what Jesus does, he does in his Father’s perfect timing. As we shall see, pursuing his messianic call would bring him into direct conflict with his brother—James the unbeliever.

Did Joseph and Mary fail in their parental mandate because we see evidence of serious conflict and unbelief within their family? If these saintly parents were unable to raise their family in harmony and faith, what hope do Christian parents have today?

Concluding that Joseph and Mary somehow failed in their parental mandate is unwarranted. Right actions stemming from right motives are often misunderstood, particularly within the dynamics of a large and growing family. Children, particularly adult children, are accountable for their own attitudes and actions.

In some respects, the Genesis account of Joseph’s life serves as a template for what unfolds 1,500 years later in the family of Mary and Joseph. Division and conflict bubble to the surface, but ultimately all is resolved through salvation and forgiveness.

Interestingly, the Book of Genesis ends with this statement:

So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt. (Genesis 50:26)

Four hundred years later, after a great deliverance, the stone box containing Joseph’s bones was carried out of Egypt and into the land of Israel. There his bones found their ultimate resting place.

And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants. (Joshua 24:32)

Time photo of the James Ossuary

Two thousand years after the death of the New Testament Joseph, we encounter another stone burial box. In the Hebrew language it bears this inscription: “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.”

New from David Kitz

James—the brother of Jesus—who was this man? What evidence do we have that this “brother of our Lord” even existed?

David Kitz digs deep into archeology, family dynamics, church history, and the biblical texts. What emerges from his research is a portrait of a decisive, pivotal leader who embodied the will and character of Jesus Christ.

But how did James—James the unbeliever—transform to become a leader who changed the course of world history? In these pages you will uncover the answer and rediscover for yourself the life-changing power of the gospel.

To view further details or purchase directly from the author click here.

 

It’s all about DNA

15 Sunday Feb 2026

Posted by in Books by David Kitz

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James: the Lynchpin of Our Faith — Chapter 1

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like, if you grew up in a different family? I think we all have considered that thought. Maybe it occurred to you the first time you slept over at a friend’s house. You thought, what would it be like to grow up in this house, with this family? Would you be where you are today? Now stretch that thought a bit. What if you were born into a different nation, culture or religious tradition? Would you still be the same person? What would you be like, if you were raised by a low-caste family in southern India, or by Masai warriors in Kenya? We all know that our home and upbringing influence our adult life in a thousand different ways.

Photo by samer daboul on Pexels.com

Then there is the question of DNA. We also know that our genetic make-up impacts everything about us. Every cell and fiber in our body is programmed according to the genetic code inherited from our parents. That code determines more than just our eye colour and shoe size. It shapes facets of personality, disposition, and even subtleties such as our posture, the way we move, and the gestures we use. Of course the influences of nature and nurture, DNA, and upbringing were just as important in biblical times as they are today. We are who we are because of the complex interactions of heredity, family, and social influences. These same influences were at play in shaping the life of James

It is only natural that, following in this vein, the New Testament begins by highlighting heredity. The Gospel of Matthew starts with a recitation of the lineage of Jesus. Incidentally, since they were half-brothers by blood, this also would be the lineage of James. And to truly under stand James—to paint a portrait of him—we need to grasp the paramount role that his older brother played. With this purpose in mind, let’s examine Matthew’s account.

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother
was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of King David. (Matthew 1:1–5)

The gospel writer’s purpose here is to establish the quintessential Jewishness of Jesus. He does this in the most organic way possible, by linking him back to the father of the Jewish nation, Abraham. Matthew’s
gospel is written to a Jewish audience and so by doing this, Matthew is saying to his fellow Jews, “Look folks, Jesus, the Messiah is one of us. Just like you, he can trace back his bloodline right to Abraham. We have
a common heritage and here it is spelled out in black and white.” With the next portion of the genealogy Matthew takes this message a step further:

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers
at the time of the exile to Babylon. (Matthew 1:6b–11)

To the casual present-day reader, this list of names means next to nothing, but in Matthew’s time every educated Jewish boy or girl would recognize that this is the full pantheon of Jewish kings. Here are the great and not so great leaders of the Jewish nation—royal heroes and scoundrels all. By providing this list Matthew has just upped the ante. He is telling his Jewish readers, “Have a look at this. Jesus is a royal descendant from the line of David. He is no ordinary Jew. Surely, he is marked for a higher calling.”

Matthew continues:

After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,
Abihud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Elihud,
Elihud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary,
and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. (Matthew 1:12–16)

Matthew has laid out this catalog of patriarchs to establish Jesus’ provenance. This is his royal heritage. To his Jewish audience he is saying, “We all know that the coming Messiah—the promised one—is a descendant of David. Well, here is Jesus’ family tree. He springs from the right stock. He’s got the bona fides.”

But did you notice that surprising little twist at the end? We are introduced to “Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah” (Matthew 1:16). That’s right! After that great, long, monotonous list of was the-father-of’s, there’s an abrupt change. Joseph was not the father of Jesus. The genetic link breaks down. “Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah” (Matthew 1:16).

Matthew goes on to explain:

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about:
His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph,
but before they came together, she was found to be
pregnant through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)

 

It’s as though God is saying through Matthew that royal heritage is significant, but it isn’t good enough; the best human DNA isn’t good enough. It’s only human after all. For the Messiah we must look to a higher source—a divine source. “But before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18).

God intervened. God put some skin in the game. If the redemption of mankind was a rescue mission, then the Maker of the universe just got seriously committed. He inserted Himself into the human genome.

Divine DNA—Holy Spirit DNA. Think of that for a minute. Divine DNA, the very nature of God, is linked with human DNA in theperson of Jesus. “She [Mary] was found to be pregnant through the HolySpirit” (Matthew 1:18). If you find it difficult to wrap your mind aroundthat statement, you are not alone. Joseph had some difficulty with it too. In fact, he needed a bit of angelic dream therapy to convince him of the heavenly origin this pregnancy. Let’s return to Matthew’s account:

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about:
His mother 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.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the
Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son
of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your
wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy
Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give
him the name Jesus, because he will save his people
from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said
through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and
give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”
(which means “God with us”).

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of
the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home
as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage
until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the
name Jesus. (Matthew 1:18–24)

In a normal human pregnancy, the father’s sperm, containing his DNA, unites with the mother’s DNA in the egg to form a new child (zygote). In Mary’s case, the Holy Spirit supplied the required male DNA, or its spiritual equivalent, to set the growth of the zygote (child) into motion.

Theologians have pondered and debated the topic of the virgin birth from the very foundation of the Christian faith. For unbelievers it is a huge stumbling block. How could this come about? It should not surprise us that those most intimately involved with this miracle—Mary and Joseph— would also have doubts and questions. They needed divine assurance and convincing proofs, even as many believers do today.

It’s easy for us who live in a postmodern world to assume that the ancients of biblical times lived in an age of faith where everyone was quick to believe in miracles and the supernatural intervention of God. But a careful reading of the New Testament tells quite a different story. Many struggled with their faith. There are skeptics who demand proof in every age. But how glorious it is when the skeptic has his questions answered, his doubts stripped away, and he finds himself confronted by the living God. This was the case with both Mary and Joseph.

In Luke’s gospel account, Mary’s encounter with the angel Gabriel quite logically sets off some serious questions and doubts. We are told that “Mary was greatly troubled at his [Gabriel’s] words and wondered
what kind of greeting this might be” (Luke 1:29).

Mary had just heard that she “is highly favoured,” and “the Lord is with her.” If she found that angelic greeting disturbing, or as some translations say “confusing,” I am sure she found Gabriel’s announcement
which followed even more troubling.

“Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with
God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you
are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called
the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him
the throne of his father David, and he will reign over
Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never
end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since
I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:30b–34)

 

Evangelho — Lc 1, 26-38 AI Modified

Mary’s uncertainty is evident through her question. This girl without doubt knew about the birds and the bees and the normal ways and means that produce a pregnancy. Her question flowed logically from everything she knew about human reproduction. Would this promised-child come from her union with Joseph? That would certainly be the natural, predictable course of events, since she was already pledged in marriage to him. Can you imagine her surprise when she heard the angel’s response to her question?

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on
you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow
you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son
of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a
child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable
to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from
God will ever fail.” (Luke 1:35-37)

Mary is unequivocally told that God would be the father of this child, “so the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” This echoes what she had been told before she questioned Gabriel. Mary was told, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” Undoubtedly, it takes time and repetition to fully grasp the implications of such statements. In Mary’s case it would take a lifetime. After all, this angelic announcement confounded her Jewish theology. How could God take on human flesh? It defied logic and the norms of human experience. While a Jewish Messiah was hoped for, even expected, who knew that it would come this way? From her own body no less?

To reassure Mary, Gabriel adds the news about Elizabeth’s pregnancy. This aged, barren woman was the last woman among her relatives that Mary would expect to be pregnant. If the miraculous pregnancy of Elizabeth was possible, then perhaps this divine conception via a virgin was possible too.

Mary’s response indicates the spark of faith was alive within her.

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:38)

Following this angelic visitation, Mary did not remain in her hometown, Nazareth, for long. Luke goes on to tell us that she went down to Zachariah and Elizabeth’s house in Judea. We are not told why she made this journey, but Mary probably hoped for confirmation that Gabriel’s words were true—that Elizabeth was indeed pregnant. If it was confirmation that she sought, it came upon her arrival.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (Luke 1:41–45)

Elizabeth’s words confirm that the spark of faith in Mary was sufficient. She had believed the angel’s words—the Lord’s promise to her via Gabriel—and as a result conception had become reality. As the gospel writer John puts it, “The Word [Jesus] became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). In the coming days, God would become flesh within the womb of Mary.

Later, we see that this concept of power residing in spoken words becomes a prominent theme in Jesus’ ministry. When mixed with faith, the spoken word releases transformation, healing and the miraculous. Jesus speaks to the wind and the waves, and they obeyed him. With a simple spoken word, he heals the sick, restores sight to the blind and casts out demons. Time and again we hear him say, “Your faith has healed you,” as the afflicted walk away in perfect health (Matthew 9:22, Mark5:34, Mark 10:52, Luke 8:48, Luke18:42).

It is this potent mix of the spoken word and faith in the heart of the listener that brings forth amazing transformation. As it was at conception, so it continued through Jesus’ life—words and faith formed an astonishing blend. His words brought life; God’s word brings life.

Later we will see that James, the brother of Jesus, fully grasps this concept of power residing in the spoken word. It is a major theme in his writing, and he hammers it home like no other New Testament writer.

Is it legitimate to speak of divine DNA linking with human DNA to produce the God/man Jesus Christ? Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA is a physical molecular structure after all, but the Bible asserts that God is a spirit. How could God, who is a spirit, have a physical component or discernible material structure?

If this question seems baffling, then consider this. For the last 50 years nuclear physicists have been trying to find the Higgs boson or ‘God particle’—that elusive element that gives everything in the universe its mass. After spending billions of dollars on the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland, and then creating millions of subatomic particle collisions, scientists have concluded that what we call nothing (totally empty space) is actually something. The God particle discovery announced on July 4th, 2012, is the theological equivalent of saying that God has substance.

For more than two thousand years, Christians have been arguing that God has substance. He took on substance at the conception of Christ in Mary’s womb. In an instant God took on human form. Godly characteristics found their full expression in a human form—first as a zygote, then a fetus, an infant, a child, an adolescent, and a man named Jesus. At every stage of development, he was both God and man. The essence and nature of God took on substance—a material form—and became incarnate. God was no longer only a spirit. He had a physical structure—a human form through which the world could see the express nature and character of God. As a human father expresses his nature and characteristics genetically through his offspring, so too the heavenly Father’s spiritual code was written into every molecule and fiber of Jesus’ being.

Furthermore, it bears noting that this God/man, Jesus Christ, was not a demigod in the Greek and Roman religious tradition of that period. He was simultaneously fully God and fully man, according to sound biblical interpretation and the earliest Christian conventions.

From a biblical perspective the divine nature of the child Jesus is undeniable. Jesus’ biological father was God, as clearly stated in Matthew and Luke’s gospel accounts. But why does Matthew bother listing his earthly, adoptive father’s genealogy if, as stated, Joseph had no DNA in the mix?

The answer appears to be threefold. First, nurture matters. An all-knowing God recognized that Joseph would act as an ideal father to the boy Jesus. Joseph would raise Jesus in the faith. He would love and discipline him in a godly way and educate him in what it means to be a man in Jewish society. Everything we know about child rearing points to the importance of the father figure in the home. This is especially true in the case of boys. Joseph played a very significant role in the life of Jesus. But Joseph played a crucial role in the life of James—crucial because he was the biological father of James. As the lives of these two boys develop, we will see the pivotal role this difference in DNA played.

Secondly, family lineage matters. In Western society we downplay the importance of family heritage. Rugged individualism is highly valued. But even today in Middle Eastern culture, a person’s family name and lineage are of great importance, even paramount. An individual’s life is always viewed in the context of family and family heritage. This is why such a high premium is placed on family honor. It is also why blood feuds go on for multiple generations, as families are locked into past modes of behavior and interaction. To fully introduce a person within such a society, one needs to provide their lineage. Matthew does just that by delineating Jesus’ heritage at the outset of his gospel account.

Finally, royalty matters. The long-awaited, promised Messiah was to come from the royal line of David. This was common knowledge to all Jews of this period. Hence, Matthew begins his gospel with these words: “This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). Similarly, in Joseph’s dream, recorded inthe first chapter, the angel does not address Joseph as the son of Jacob, Jacob being his immediate father, but rather as, “Joseph, son of David” (Matthew 1:29). Why jump fourteen generations back? Simply put, it’s because royalty matters.

Because royalty matters, it is the opening theme of Matthew’s first gospel narrative:

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the
time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?
We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed,
and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called to
gether all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the
law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.
“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what
the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd
my people Israel.’” (Matthew 2:1–6)

Because royalty matters, jealous King Herod had all the male infants under the age of two put to death in Bethlehem and its environs. Clearly this newborn king had the endorsement of heaven, since the appearance of a star marked his birth. Furthermore, the scriptures predicted his birth. The crafty Herod immediately sensed the threat to his dynastic rule.

In Luke’s gospel account we see that being a descendant of royalty mattered to Joseph. Why else would a resident of Nazareth make the long journey to Bethlehem for the sake of an imperial census, especially since his wife was in the final stages of pregnancy?

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. (Luke 2:4–5)

As you can see, it’s all about DNA—royal DNA—messianic DNA. It’s all about being from the right family, the right clan, and being born in the right place at the right time as a fulfillment of ancient biblical prophecy. It’s about divine DNA or its spiritual equivalent touching the right human DNA to trigger the birth of the Messiah—the God-man who came into the world.

But the DNA that the Holy Spirit touched to trigger conception was Mary’s DNA. Luke provides us with a different genealogical list than Matthew as he traces back Jesus’ ancestors all the way to Adam and finally to God. (See Luke 3:23–38.) He does this because unlike Matthew, who is writing to a Jewish audience, Luke is writing to a Gentile audience. Luke wants his readers to understand that this Jewish Messiah is not just the Savior for Jews, but for all humankind. Of course, Luke goes on to describe the stable birth, the shepherd’s visit and the heavenly, angelic light and sound show that heralded the nativity of the Son of God.

Many Bible scholars believe that the differences between Matthew’s genealogical list and Luke’s list are due to Luke following Mary’s line of descent, while Matthew follows Joseph’s line. What is abundantly clear from both lists is that we are tracing the royal line of David, since at some point the lists merge and are identical.

Implicitly what both authors are saying by providing these lineages is that Jesus is the rightful heir of the Jewish throne. He is the long-awaited Messiah and the fulfillment of prophecy. His birth and arrival on the
scene mark a turning point in world history. God has stepped into human flesh and has come to live among us.

The gospel writer John puts it this way:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

James was born into this family, with this heritage, with this more-than-preeminent older brother. Talk about being overshadowed by an older brother! Like no one else on this planet James had the blessing, the challenge, and the curse of being overshadowed by the Almighty. And in human form, this Almighty was none other than his living, breathing, flesh, and blood older brother.

 

New from David Kitz

James—the brother of Jesus—who was this man? What evidence do we have that this “brother of our Lord” even existed?

David Kitz digs deep into archeology, family dynamics, church history, and the biblical texts. What emerges from his research is a portrait of a decisive, pivotal leader who embodied the will and character of Jesus Christ.

But how did James—James the unbeliever—transform to become a leader who changed the course of world history? In these pages you will uncover the answer and rediscover for yourself the life-changing power of the gospel.

To view further details or purchase directly from the author click here.

My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation

28 Sunday Dec 2025

Posted by in Psalm 25, Psalms

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I will praise the LORD!

Photo by Laura Garcia on Pexels.com


Reading: Psalm 25:1-7

Jesus Presented in the Temple

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon,
who was righteous and devout.
He was waiting for the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was on him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he would not die
before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
Moved by the Spirit,
he went into the temple courts.
When the parents brought in the child Jesus
to do for him what the custom of the Law required,
Simeon took him in his arms
and praised God, saying:

   “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother marveled
at what was said about him. 
Then Simeon blessed them
and said to Mary, his mother:
“This child is destined to cause the falling
and rising of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be spoken against,
so that the thoughts of many hearts
will be revealed.
And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” *
(Luke 2:25-35, NIV)

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Available now…

James—the brother of Jesus—who was this man? What evidence do we have that this “brother of our Lord” even existed?

David Kitz digs deep into archeology, family dynamics, church history, and the biblical texts. What emerges from his research is a portrait of a decisive, pivotal leader who embodied the will and character of Jesus Christ.

But how did James—James the unbeliever—transform to become a leader who changed the course of world history? In these pages you will uncover the answer and rediscover for yourself the life-changing power of the gospel.

To view further details or purchase directly from the author click here.

The Magi Visit the Messiah

27 Saturday Dec 2025

Posted by in Christmas

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I will praise the LORD!

The Magi Visit the Messiah

Then Herod called the Magi secretly
and found out from them
the exact time the star had appeared.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
“Go and search carefully for the child.
As soon as you find him,
report to me,
so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king,
they went on their way,
and the star they had seen when it rose
went ahead of them
until it stopped over the place
where the child was.
When they saw the star,
they were overjoyed.
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.
And having been warned in a dream
not to go back to Herod,
they returned to their country by another route.
(Matthew 2:7-12 NIV)*


Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Available now…

James—the brother of Jesus—who was this man? What evidence do we have that this “brother of our Lord” even existed?

David Kitz digs deep into archeology, family dynamics, church history, and the biblical texts. What emerges from his research is a portrait of a decisive, pivotal leader who embodied the will and character of Jesus Christ.

But how did James—James the unbeliever—transform to become a leader who changed the course of world history? In these pages you will uncover the answer and rediscover for yourself the life-changing power of the gospel.

To view further details or purchase directly from the author click here.

We Saw His Star When It Rose

26 Friday Dec 2025

Posted by in Psalm 26, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer

 Today’s Reading: Psalm 26:1-7

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:


LORD,
examine my heart and my mind.
I want to grow in my knowledge of you
and my confidence in you.
Help me to have a pure heart
and mind before you.
I want to experience your presence
in my life.
Amen.

— — — —


The Magi Visit the Messiah

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,
during the time of King Herod,
Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked,
“Where is the one
who has been born king of the Jews?
We saw his star when it rose
and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed,
and all Jerusalem with him.
When he had called together all
the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law,
he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.
 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied,
“for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.
(Matthew 2:1-6 NIV)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for enduring peace in Israel and Gaza,
and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Also available from David Kitz

Holy Week as seen from a soldier’s perspective

American readers click this link to purchase The Soldier Who Killed a King.

Canadian readers click this link to purchase The Soldier Who Killed a King directly from the author.

Great Joy for All the People

25 Thursday Dec 2025

Posted by in Christmas

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I will praise the LORD!

The angel and the cross on Parliament Hill, Ottawa, ON

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby,
keeping watch over their flocks at night.
An angel of the Lord appeared to them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid.
I bring you good news
that will cause great joy for all the people.
Today in the town of David
a Savior has been born to you;
he is the Messiah, the Lord.
This will be a sign to you:
You will find a baby wrapped in cloths
and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host
appeared with the angel,
praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those
on whom his favor rests” (NIV).*

A Very Merry Christmas to All!


Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

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* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Available now…

James—the brother of Jesus—who was this man? What evidence do we have that this “brother of our Lord” even existed?

David Kitz digs deep into archeology, family dynamics, church history, and the biblical texts. What emerges from his research is a portrait of a decisive, pivotal leader who embodied the will and character of Jesus Christ.

But how did James—James the unbeliever—transform to become a leader who changed the course of world history? In these pages you will uncover the answer and rediscover for yourself the life-changing power of the gospel.

To view further details or purchase directly from the author click here.

Give Him the Name Jesus

22 Monday Dec 2025

Posted by in Advent

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer

 Today’s Reading: Psalm 25:1-7

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:


LORD God,
this is my prayer:
Show me your ways,
LORD, teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long (Psalm 25:4-5).
I pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

— — — —


An Angel Appears to Joseph

This is how the birth of Jesus
the Messiah came about:
His mother 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.

But after he had considered this,
an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream
and said,
“Joseph son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife,
because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will give birth to a son,
and you are to give him the name Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
(Matthew 1:18-21 NIV)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for enduring peace in Israel and Gaza,
and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Also available from David Kitz

Holy Week as seen from a soldier’s perspective

American readers click this link to purchase The Soldier Who Killed a King.

Canadian readers click this link to purchase The Soldier Who Killed a King directly from the author.

A Horn of Salvation

19 Friday Dec 2025

Posted by in Advent

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer

 Today’s Reading: Psalm 24:7-10

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

Lord Jesus,
I thank you for coming to this world,
for your suffering and death on the cross.
Your blood cleanses my hands
and purifies my heart.
Today I want to seek you.
In your great mercy reveal yourself to me.
Amen.

— — — —


Zechariah’s Song Praising the Messiah

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit
and prophesied:
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
  because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—
to show mercy to our ancestors
    and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
(Luke 1:67-75 NIV)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for enduring peace in Israel and Gaza,
and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Also available from David Kitz

Holy Week as seen from a soldier’s perspective

American readers click this link to purchase The Soldier Who Killed a King.

Canadian readers click this link to purchase The Soldier Who Killed a King directly from the author.

The Power of the Most High

16 Tuesday Dec 2025

Posted by in Psalm 22, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer

 Today’s Reading: Psalm 22:27-31

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

 

Father God,
thank you for the good news of the gospel.
Jesus is alive and reigns forever.
Help me to do my part
in bringing the message of your love
and redemption to the world.
I want to see people from all nations
turning to you in repentance and faith.
Amen.

— — — —


The Annunciation of the Coming Messiah—
Mary’s Response

“How will this be,”
Mary asked the angel,
“since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered,
“The Holy Spirit will come on you,
and the power of the Most High
will overshadow you.
So the holy one to be born
will be called the Son of God.
Even Elizabeth your relative
is going to have a child in her old age,
and she who was said
to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.
For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,”
Mary answered.
“May your word to me be fulfilled.”
Then the angel left her.
(Luke 1:34-38 NIV)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for enduring peace in Israel and Gaza,
and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Also available from David Kitz

Holy Week as seen from a soldier’s perspective

American readers click this link to purchase The Soldier Who Killed a King.

Canadian readers click this link to purchase The Soldier Who Killed a King directly from the author.