Readings
- Exodus 30:11-38
- Matthew 17:24-27
- John 12:1-8
- John 13:2-20
- 1 Timothy 2:1-6
- Exodus 31:1-32:14
- Luke 13:10-17
- Romans 15:1-13
- 1 Corinthians 3:4-23
- Colossians 3:1-6
- 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
- Exodus 32:15-34:35
- Matthew 6:9-15
- Acts 2:38-43
- Acts 21:17-26
- 2 Corinthians 3:1-4:6
- Revelation 7:13-17
Additional Reading
Videos Related to Parsha Ki Tisa
- Wisdom is free to whomever is willing to go get it – Wisdom cries out in the streets, markets, courts, and boardrooms of the world. She is free to whomever seeks her out, but you will never find her in books alone. Proverbs 1:20-21
- Jesus and the Temple Tax in Matthew 17:24-27 – The temple tax was not part of God’s Law, although it was loosely based on the census of Exodus 30:11-16. Yeshua used the tax to illustrate a couple of truths about our relationship to him, to the Father, and to the world. As children of the King of Kings, we are not under the authority of any Law, yet out of love for him and his kingdom, we willingly subject ourselves to his commandments and even to those man-made traditions that aren’t sinful.
- The Sabbath As a Sign. Exodus 31:13-14 – The weekly Sabbath is a sign between God and Israel, whether natural born or grafted in, of our faithfulness and sanctification. It’s one of the only commandments that can’t be derived from natural law, and it’s so important to God that deliberate violation carries the death penalty.
- The Rules of Sabbath in Matthew 12:1-14 – If you find yourself worrying about exactly where the limit is between “allowed” and “forbidden”, then you’re missing the point of Shabbat. It’s a friendlier KYSS principle: Keep Your Sabbath Simple.
- Does Hosea 2:11 Say God Would Cancel the Sabbath? – Hosea is actually saying that Israel was abusing all the good things that God had given them, so he was going to take them away temporarily until they repented. Then he would restore them again.
- Teaching Fools and Wise Men – A chiasm in Proverbs 9:7-9 highlights something important about teaching foolish person versus teaching a wise person. In both cases, you put something in and you get something back. I also have some thoughts on implications for how we educate our children.
- Why do people worship idols? Romans 1:22-23 – If there is a single, ultimate Creator of the universe, then he logically must be infinitely powerful, infinitely wise. He would be terrifying beyond our imagination with standards higher than we could ever reach…so we set our sights lower. We ignore the Creator and worship creatures because they don’t demand anything too big. We can make them weak and flawed, just like us, and then pat ourselves on the back for how great we are.
- Together with one voice in Romans 15:5-6 – Disciples of Yeshua shouldn’t divide over relatively minor issues. We don’t have to agree on everything, but we also shouldn’t bring shame on God’s name by public (or private!) bickering over matters of opinion that aren’t central to our common faith in God and the Messiah of Israel.