Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “2016”
Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122, Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:36-44 The hairs on your arm will stand up At the terror in each sip and in each sup Will you partake of that last offered cup Or disappear into the potter’s ground When the man comes around Johnny Cash, When the Man Comes Around Taken These verses from Matthew’s gospel form the …
Matthew 22:1-14 One Parable, Two Tellings If you turn to Luke 14:15-24 you will find a parable that is similar to the one that we are looking at this week. There is an invitation, a banquet, rejection and finally an invitation to those in the highways and byways. Matthews version differs in some major ways to Luke and is more …
Luke 16:1-8 The Most Difficult of Stories If you thought the parable of the sheep and the goats was the most difficult parable to get your head around you probably haven’t read this one. It involves a ‘dishonest’ steward and a manger who in the end praises him for acting shrewdly but losing him money. If you read on Jesus …
Matthew 25:31-46 The End of the World The parable of the sheep and the goats is often shied away from due to the perceived nature of its context. Much of this is down to the final few lines which seems to spell eternal damnation for those whose actions let them down. This focus on what happens at the end means we …
Luke 10:25-37 The Context This parable is told in response to a number of questions from an expert in the law, or lawyer as some versions translate it. The fact that this man had come to Jesus to discuss the interpretation of scripture means he is probably a Pharisee. This may seem unimportant but strikes at the heart of the …
Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20-21 A Lot of Flour 60lbs may not seem that much to some people but if we convert it into some more meaningful numbers it may help us understand the scale of this parable. 60lbs = 27.22kg 1kg makes 12 large rolls 27.22 X 12 = 326.64 rolls Thats a lot of bread for one woman to make in …
Matthew 7:24-27, Luke 6:48-49 The Sermon Close In Matthew’s gospel this parable rounds of Jesus’ sermon on the mount. It is simple in its structure, following the often used comparison between two peoples actions. It is the a summary of all that has gone before, condensing the proceeding sermon into a simple illustration. Jesus has spoken at length in the …
Treasure : Matthew 13:44; Pearl : Matthew 13:45-46; Seed : Mark 4:26-29 The Kingdom All three of these parables are offered as examples of what the Kingdom of God is like, how it works and also its worth. The Kingdom is a much debated term within Christian theology and it is difficult to give it a precise definition. It involves …
Matthew 13:1-9, Mark 4:1-9, Luke 8:4-8 The Farmer Most Bibles give this parable the title of the sower (In Matthew, Jesus uses this name v18) but if we look at it closely we may find that this character plays only a minor role in the story. If you read Jesus’ explanation in each of the gospel accounts you will his explanation …
‘I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old…’ Psalm 78:2 The Parables If you were to ask people which stories they knew from the Bible then a good number of the parables would be included in those they can recall. This is probably due to the fact that parables often come …
Written for the Methodist Churches Online Bible study, A Word in Time. The original post appears here. 1 Kings 10:1-10 “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel for ever, he has made you king to execute justice and righteousness.’” (v. 9) Psalm: Psalm 150 …
Written for the Methodist Churches Online Bible study, A Word in Time. The original post appears here. 1 Kings 8:22-30 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this temple that I have built!” (v. 27) Psalm: Psalm 95 Background Having completed the temple and addressed the gathered people (1 …
Written for the Methodist Churches Online Bible study, A Word in Time. The original post appears here. 1 Kings 8:1-11 “And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord.” (v. 10) Psalm: Psalm 94:14-23 Background Solomon is known for his wisdom but it is the building of the temple that takes centre …
Written for the Methodist Churches Online Bible study, A Word in Time. The original post appears here. 1 Kings 3:4-15 “At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, ‘Ask what I should give you.’” (v. 5) Psalm: Psalm 93 Background Have you ever been given a blank cheque? Or have you ever played that …
Written for the Methodist Churches Online Bible study, A Word in Time. The original post appears here. Luke 1:39-49 “[Elizabeth] exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb’” (v. 42) Psalm: Psalm 113 Background Luke’s Gospel often brings us alternative voices. From the shepherds (Luke 2), the centurion (Luke 7) and …
Written for the Methodist Churches Online Bible study, A Word in Time. The original post appears here. 1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12 “So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.” (v. 12) Psalm: Psalm 92 Background Last words are often thought of as important – they are the parting wisdom of someone who has …
Written for the Methodist Churches Online Bible study, A Word in Time. The original post appears here. Luke 7:1-10 “When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy of having you do this for him, …
This week saw the publication of the so called Panama Papers. These are documents leaked from the law firm Mossack Fonseca and comprises of more data than either Edward Snowden or Wikileaks managed to hand out. The Panama Papers give us a glimpse into the workings of tax evasion around the world. These papers have lifted the lid on how criminals, politicians and …
Luke 5:27-32 Engage Levi : This is a Hebrew name and probably meant that this man was a descendent of Levi son of Jacob (Gen 35:23). This meant he was of the priestly tribe though he had not taken up that line of work. Tax collectors : Rome taxed the countries it ruled in order to maintain its empire. It …