A woe is a curse. In the context of Matthew 23. These woes match with the beatitudes, those short sayings at the beginning of the sermon on the mount in Matthew chapter 5. The Greek is οὐαί, meaning not only woe, but also alas, not words we use a lot these days. Jesus is not …
Continue reading How not to win friends – Matthew in Advent day 7
In the 1990s British sitcom Keeping up Appearances, Hyacinth Bucket, who insists on her surname being pronounced Bouquet, is a snob despite her family being the kind of person she looks down on. The comedy comes from Mrs Bucket getting into embarrassing predicaments in each episode. Patricia Routledge and Clive Swift as Hyacinth and Richard …
Continue reading Keeping up Appearances – Matthew in Advent day 6
“If we do an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, we will be a blind and toothless nation.” Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Dr Martin Luther King Jr, waving to the crowd at a civil rights protest in Washington DC.Picture used under a Creative Commons licence. The Gospel of Matthew is written as a series of …
Continue reading Sweating the small stuff – Matthew in Advent day 5
It has become an increasingly common sight these days to see padlocks fastened to bridges where there is a metal handrail. While I find it sweet for couples to leave a momento of their love, the traditional way was to carve it into a tree trunk, this new way has problems, ornate wrought iron work …
Continue reading Oath is a four letter swear word – Matthew in Advent day 4
Making an ass of myself 