Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Matthew”
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 …
Hope : Jesus Titus 2:11-13, Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:1-7 ‘Turn around and believe that the good news that we are loved is better than we ever dared hope, and that to believe in that good news, to live out of it and toward it, to be in love with that good news, is of all glad things in this world …
Matthew 23:23-24 Generally when we talk about tithing we are referring to giving 10% of our income to God. In Jesus’ day, Jews tithed on all their increase, be it income, harvest or livestock. Could you imagine bringing 10% of your potato crop for the collection? The Pharisees were right to tithe their herbs but they weren’t also giving of …
Matthew 22:19-22 + 34-40 In Jesus’ day, you could not separate politics and religion. When Jesus is asked about paying the Imperial tax he asks them to look at a coin and tell him whose image was on it. The answer is ‘Caesar’ and so Jesus tells them to give to Caesar what is his and to God what is …
Matthew 6:1-8 + 16-18 Jews in Jesus’ day held three practices as ‘givens’ for their spiritual life. As Jesus preaches the Sermon on the Mount we can see that He assumes all the hearers are doing these three things; Giving, Praying and Fasting. These three disciplines have been a part of the life of the church since the beginning and …
A child is born : Isaiah 9:6-7, Peacemakers : Matthew 5:9, Surpassing : Philippians 4:1-7, No More War : Isaiah 2:1-5 More Than Enough Here are two stories…. 1. I remember walking through a well-known toy shop last Christmas looking for a present for one of the boys. I saw a woman with a trolley piled high coming towards me, …
Family Tree : Matthew 1:1-17, Word and Flesh : John 1:1-14, Becoming Like Us : Philippians 2:5-11 Look who moved in John 1:14 tells us that ‘the word became flesh and dwelt among us’ or as another version puts it ‘he moved into the neighbourhood’. Jesus’ birth, that first Christmas was world-changing, unprecedented and unexpected. This moment in history where …
Mary’s Song : Luke 1:46-55, Zechariah’s Song : Luke 1:67-80, Angels and Shepherds : Luke 2:8-20, Wise Men : Matthew 2:10-12 Worship is what we do! You are doing it right now, as you read this, in fact you have been doing it all day, every day since you were born. If this doesn’t make sense let me try to …
