These are some individual quotes which I have pulled from my reading this past week.

“[Jesus] gave the impression that he actually preferred the company of the rejects of society; he not only made them feel at home in his company, so that they felt free to take liberties with him that they would never have thought of taking with an ordinary rabbi, but even accepted invitations to share a meal with them and appeared genuinely to enjoy such an occasion. When he was challenged for this unconventional behavior, his reply was that this was how God treated sinners…” (Hard Sayings of the Bible)

“Pharaoh was another matter. Israel represented a large and inexpensive work force. There was no way he would release them willingly, so God peeled back Pharaoh’s hold on them one finger at a time by sending ten plagues upon the land.” (Ramsey, Behold the Lamb of God)