by Eva Marie Everson
As my journey into the questions God asked within the Holy Writ continues, I came across this question asked by Jesus during His earthly ministry.
If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.
That’s the New Living Translation. Look now at Matthew 5:47 again in the Berean Literal Bible.
And if you greet only your brothers, what extraordinary are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? (emphasis, mine)
I visited my cousin’s church recently. A well-maintained country church set under the shade of massive live oaks that spread their branches so wide you have to squint to see the sun as it attempts to filter through. Along the sanctuary walls are stained-glass windows depicting various events in the life of Christ. When the sun finally does make it through the leaves and branches, colors like those from an 8-crayon box of Crayola cast prisms over the padded pews. It’s like Christmas every day.
