At the beginning of Sukkot, cut branches can still look alive. Their beauty is real, but it fades because it has been separated from its source. What can that teach us about joy, wisdom, and remaining in Jesus?
Still Green, Already Fading: Reflections on Sukkot, Wisdom, and Life Read More »
Why did the first day of the week become special to followers of Jesus? The clearest answer is the resurrection. Jesus rose on the first day. But the Bible’s fall calendar gives us a beautiful pattern for thinking about what that day means. Sukkot—pronounced “Sue-Coat”—is the seven-day Feast of Booths, also called the Feast of Tabernacles. Israel was commanded to rejoice before God, remember His care in the wilderness, and dwell for a time beneath temporary shelters. Then the Torah adds something striking: after the seven days comes an eighth-day assembly. Download the Article Seven days—and then an eighth Leviticus 23:36 says: “For seven days you are to present a food offering to the LORD. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you must not do any regular work.” Leviticus 23:39 describes complete rest on both the first day and the eighth day. In Jewish life, this eighth day is known as Shemini Atzeret, meaning “eighth-day assembly.” It follows the seven days of Sukkot. It is connected to the feast’s sequence, yet Jewish practice also treats it as a festival with its own character. That distinction matters. We should not flatten a rich biblical and Jewish observance into a convenient Christian symbol. The biblical pattern itself, however, is clear: seven days reach their completion, and then an eighth day is set apart before God. The first day Jesus made unforgettable All four Gospels place the discovery of the empty tomb on the first day of the week. John 20:1 says: “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.” That evening, while the disciples were together behind locked doors, Jesus came and stood among them. His greeting was simple and immense: “Peace be with you!” Jesus rose on the first day. That day would never be ordinary again. How can one day be both first and eighth? A week has seven days. The day after that completed seven begins a new week, so it is the first day. But if we look backward and continue counting beyond the completed seven, the same day can also be spoken of as an eighth day. This is not a claim that the calendar contains an eighth weekday. It is a theological way of seeing a new beginning after completion. The Gospels never say that Jesus rose during Sukkot. The New Testament never explicitly identifies Sunday with Shemini Atzeret. We should not claim either one. But I believe the eighth-day pattern surrounding Sukkot gives us a meaningful shadow of resurrection. On the first day of the week, Jesus stepped out of the grave. The old week had ended. Death had done its worst. Then God brought life where death appeared to have the final word. Jesus made that first day special—not by erasing everything that came before it, but by making it the morning of resurrection. Eight days later: peace for Thomas John adds another beautiful detail. John 20:26 says: “Eight days later, His disciples were once again inside with the doors locked, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’” The risen Jesus meets fearful people with peace. He meets Thomas’s doubt with His wounded, living presence. This verse does not prove a Sukkot connection. It does deepen John’s first-day resurrection scene with another gathered appearance “eight days later.” The emphasis remains Jesus Himself: crucified, risen, present, and worthy of faith. Did Sunday replace the Sabbath? This article is not making that claim. Acts 20:7 records believers gathering to break bread on the first day of the week. In 1 Corinthians 16:2, Paul tells believers to set aside their gifts on the first day of every week. These passages show that the first day gained a particular place in the life of Jesus’ followers. They do not, by themselves, settle every question about Shabbat, Sunday, and later Christian practice. The most responsible statement is also the most beautiful: the resurrection gave the first day a new glory. By the middle of the second century AD, Justin Martyr explained that Christians gathered on the day called Sunday because it was the first day of creation and the day Jesus rose from the dead. An earlier Christian writing, the Epistle of Barnabas, explicitly used “eighth day” language for the resurrection day. These writings are not Scripture, and MMAB does not adopt their polemics against Jewish practice. They do show that Christians were reflecting on the first day, the eighth day, creation, and resurrection very early. Sukkot, dwelling, and creation made new Sukkot teaches Israel to remember God’s provision and His presence through a temporary dwelling. The Gospel of John says that the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. The Greek wording carries the sense of pitching a tent or tabernacling among us. Revelation carries that theme to its promised fullness: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them.” —Revelation 21:3 The resurrection of Jesus is not merely one surprising morning in the past. It is the beginning of the new creation. Jesus rose to live for us and to bring us to Himself, when He will tabernacle with us. That is where the eighth-day reflection becomes an invitation. The temporary shelter reminds us that the present age is not permanent. The empty tomb tells us that death is not permanent either. A simple way to remember During Sukkot, gather your household or a few friends for a meal. Read Leviticus 23:33–44. Read John 20:1–20. Thank God for specific ways He has carried and provided for you. Thank Jesus for His resurrection. Pray for your home to become a place of welcome. Make room at the table for someone who might otherwise be alone. This simple practice is
The Day After Seven: Sukkot, Sunday, and the Resurrection of Jesus Read More »
A clear path through Israel’s wilderness story—from the ordered camp to a new generation waiting beside the Jordan. We often remember the censuses, but Numbers gives us a wilderness story about presence, trust, rebellion, mercy, and promise. We made this teaching for you. Reading Numbers as a wilderness story We follow Israel from Sinai through the wilderness: the camp around the tabernacle, the scouts’ failure, rebellion and judgment, priesthood and worship, Balaam’s unwilling blessing, mercy in the serpent episode, and the covenant promise carried to the plains of Moab. Numbers helps us see that judgment does not erase God’s covenant faithfulness, and mercy does not make rebellion harmless. Read Numbers 1–4, 13–14, 16–25, and 26–36; then compare John 3:14–15. Watch the complete teaching. Scripture: Berean Standard Bible (BSB). Illustrative artwork; not an archaeological reconstruction.
Numbers Explained: Wilderness, Rebellion, and the Promise That Endures Read More »
Genesis 18 places worldwide blessing beside righteousness and justice. We want to notice what Genesis places beside Abraham’s blessing. We made this teaching for you. Reading Genesis 18 God speaks of Abraham becoming a great nation through whom all nations will be blessed, then names Abraham’s responsibility to teach his household the LORD’s way by righteousness and justice. In this passage, blessing is not bare status; it is joined to a household formed in the LORD’s way. Read Genesis 18:18–19, Micah 6:8, and Matthew 23:23, then watch the short. Scripture: Berean Standard Bible (BSB).
Jacob expected danger; Esau ran toward him with an embrace. We expected danger with Jacob, and then Esau started running. We made this teaching for you. Reading Genesis 33 Jacob looks up and sees Esau approaching. He bows, but Esau runs to meet him, embraces him, and weeps with him. Jacob says seeing Esau’s face is like seeing the face of God because he has been received favorably. The feared meeting becomes a scene of reception and reconciliation, even before every difference between the brothers is resolved. Read Genesis 33:1–11 and Matthew 5:23–24, then watch the short. Scripture: Berean Standard Bible (BSB).
We introduce Mark D. Nanos’s debated reading of the natural branches in Romans 11. We are looking again at the branches in Paul’s olive-tree picture. We made this teaching for you. Reading Romans 11 with care Mark D. Nanos proposes that some natural branches in Romans 11:17 may be bent or cracked yet still attached, in contrast with the separate warning that the wild shoot could be cut off. This is his argued reading, not a settled consensus or his endorsement of MMAB. Nanos’s proposal makes Paul’s warning to the wild shoot against pride more audible while preserving Israel’s continuing place. Read Romans 11:11, 17–24, and 28–29, then watch our introduction. Source: Mark D. Nanos (2024); independent MMAB introduction.
Were Paul’s Olive Tree Branches Still Attached? | Mark D. Nanos Read More »
Jacob leaves the night with a new name, a blessing, and a limp. We see Jacob walk into sunrise changed, but not untouched. We made this teaching for you. Reading Genesis 32 Jacob enters the night alone, wrestles until daybreak, receives the name Israel, names the place Peniel, and crosses into sunrise limping. The passage does not make blessing the erasure of struggle. Genesis lets transformation carry a mark: Israel walks forward blessed, renamed, and still limping. Read Genesis 32:22–32 and Revelation 2:17, then watch the short. Scripture: Berean Standard Bible (BSB).
We introduce Mark D. Nanos’s argued reading of the conversion question in Galatians. We are asking what problem Paul was actually addressing in Galatia. We made this teaching for you. Reading Galatians with care Mark D. Nanos argues that Paul’s warning in Galatians addressed non-Jewish followers of Jesus considering formal conversion. His reading of works of law is a debated proposal, not a scholarly consensus, and this independent MMAB introduction is not his endorsement. Nanos proposes that Paul’s dispute concerned proselyte conversion rites for non-Jewish believers, not good deeds or Torah in general. Read Galatians 5:3 and 6:12–13, then watch our introduction. Source: Mark D. Nanos (2021); independent MMAB introduction.
Why Would Jesus’ Followers Consider Becoming Jews? | Mark D. Nanos Read More »
Ecclesiastes gives us wisdom for faithful living at the edge of what we can know. We are learning to value wisdom without asking it to make us omniscient. We made this teaching for you. Reading Ecclesiastes 6–8 We walk through prosperity without enjoyment, wise correction, dangerous authority, delayed justice, and the limits of human investigation. Wisdom matters, but it does not make us masters of God’s work. Wisdom teaches us how to live faithfully before God without pretending to be God. Read Ecclesiastes 6:1–8:17, then watch the teaching. Scripture: Berean Standard Bible (BSB).
Wisdom at the Edge of What We Can Know | Ecclesiastes 6–8 Read More »
We invite you into a close reading of Paul’s question in Romans 2. What does it mean when an uncircumcised person’s conduct is regarded as circumcision? Bible scholar Mark D. Nanos argues that Paul can value a non-Jew’s faithfulness without changing that person’s Jewish identity. That is his argued reading, not a settled consensus. Josephus’s story of King Izates helps Nanos illustrate a distinction between following Jewish ways and becoming a Jew; it does not prove that Paul’s audience lived the same story. Some readings turn Romans 2 into a claim that non-Jews replace Jews. Nanos challenges that conclusion. The very next chapter, Romans 3:1–2, still speaks of the value of being a Jew. We encourage you to read the whole movement of the passage before deciding what Paul means. Read for yourself: Romans 2:25–3:2. Then read Nanos’s 2014 essay, “Paul’s Non-Jews Do Not Become ‘Jews,’ But Do They Become ‘Jewish’?”, for his argument in full. Watch our short introduction. This is MMAB’s independent introduction to Nanos’s work; he has not reviewed or endorsed it. Scripture quoted in the video: Berean Standard Bible (BSB).
Can Someone Live Jewishly Without Becoming a Jew? Read More »
