One of the benefits of translating the New Testament from the original language is that the pace of one’s reading of the text is slowed down significantly. I was translating Matt 6:25-34 recently and I was struck by the radical nature of what Jesus said to his audience. I have heard this passage many times … Continue reading "Our Inestimable Value"...
read moreA fundamental truth of Christianity is that we are loved by God not because we deserve this love, or have earned it, or have a quality inherent within us that in some way requires God to love us. We are just loved. Irrespective of who we are, what we are, what we have (or haven't done), or what we think of ourselves, or for that matter, what others think of us. God loves us and in this love is true to the very character of the God who is love. (1John 4:7-21) This means that no threshold exists below which God's love is absent. (Cf. Matt 27:46) We are never alone, bereft of God's presence and love. If this were not so what we call God's love would not be love, more like wages paid for due service. (Matt 20:1-16)...
read moreAs always, it is important to look at the context of this story. In Matthew’s gospel, the story follows discussions between Jesus and the Pharisees about the Jewish purity laws, and what makes a person clean or unclean. In the preceding passages, we have the Pharisees challenging Jesus about not keeping the law, (Your disciples don’t wash their hands before they eat!) but Jesus responds by challenging the Pharisees to think more carefully about what makes a person clean or unclean. He argues that it is not so much washing hands that makes a person clean and what goes into a person’s mouth, but rather what are the words that flow from one’s mouth and what are the thoughts that are in our hearts. This is what true purity is, he argues. ...
read moreIt strikes me that in last Sunday’s Gospel (Matt 9:35-10:8) a contrast exists between the successful mission of Jesus described in 9:35 and the quality of the twelve called out by Jesus. Jesus is doing great things. And what is the status of those he calls? Well, before we get to that, notice the similarity … Continue reading "The Grace of Discipleship"...
read moreI was a chaplain in an Anglican school for some years. Each year I would ask the Year 7s what they thought was the human failing that lay behind each of Jesus’ three temptations. What sin would Jesus be committing if he fell into these particular temptations? (See Matt 4:1-11.) The second and third temptations … Continue reading "Stones Into Bread"...
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