Jesus’ manner of arrival has put a cat amongst the pigeons. Ther authorities are increasingly determined to have him killed but also fear the crowds, so they seek ways to catch him out and either bring Roman justice or the wrath of the crowds against him. Read Luke 20:1-8 Jesus spends his time during the… Continue reading Challenged
Tag: Jesus and the Gospels
Why Jesus went to Jericho
It seems like Jericho could have been seen as a distraction and diversion to Jesus’ disciples (Luke 18-19). Did they really need to pass through? And of course, once they do, they are delayed by a blind man who interrupts them and a tax collector, a corrupt traitor whose house Jesus decides to stop for… Continue reading Why Jesus went to Jericho
Is your satnav set right? Why we need faith
This is the text of a sermon I recently preached from Luke 17. Introduction A few years ago, we went on holiday with some friends to a place called West Bay which is down in Dorset and famous as the place where Broadchurch was filmed. Our friends’ parents had a holiday home there but they… Continue reading Is your satnav set right? Why we need faith
Biblical brackets
There’s a particular technique that shows up in Scripture where writers want to show that a train of thought is being followed through from start to conclusion. It functions to bracket various thoughts, points, narratives together and is known technically as an inclusion. The method use is to repeat a word, phrase or pericope at… Continue reading Biblical brackets
The true and better story (Luke 11:14-54)
Here’s my outline for a sermon this Sunday. Look out for some articles with additional comment. You can listen to the full talk here introduction Two stories When the stories get muddled …. Which story are we living by? What did Jesus’ opponents think he was doing? (v15) What does Jesus say is happening? (v22)… Continue reading The true and better story (Luke 11:14-54)
The Luke jigsaw puzzle
We are mid-series in Luke’s Gospel at Church at the moment and I’m also working through Luke as part of a Faithroots Teaching series. I thought it might be worth taking a step back to look at the big picture.
How do we pray when we find prayer hard?
Jesus’ disciples ask him to teach them to pray. They are alert to the fact that John the Bsptist had done this with his disciples. It’s fascinating that these young men, stepped in the worship and Scripture of Israel with their access to Psalms, Lamentations and the intercessions of Daniel and Nehemiah needed help. I… Continue reading How do we pray when we find prayer hard?
Take them to Jesus and tell them stories
Luke begins his Gospel be telling Theophilus that his purpose is “So that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught” What does he do next? Well, in our contemporary context, we would expect someone with that intent to begin to teach Theophilus some apologetics, to help him think systematically through… Continue reading Take them to Jesus and tell them stories
How do we help people bring their lives into the light?
I’ve been reflecting a little more on the topic of brining our lives out into the open and into the light. Luke 8:16-18 says: 16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in… Continue reading How do we help people bring their lives into the light?
How do we let the preaching of God’s Word do its job?
I recently preached on Luke 8 which includes the parable of the Sower and Jesus’ follow on explanation about how parables work. The surprising thing is that when the disciples come to Jesus and ask him what the parable means, he doesn’t say something to the effect that parables are earthly stories with heavenly meaning… Continue reading How do we let the preaching of God’s Word do its job?
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