The Kings Instructions Advent 2021 This is the second part of a parable and also a continuation of Jesus talking about money following a meeting with a rich young man. I'd like to think that this parable, before it was written in Greek, was a poem of Jesus. Grape harvestPicture by Larry Koester on Flickr …
Continue reading Jesus and the rich young man, part 5 — Matthew 20:8–16
The Kings Instructions Advent 2021 Jesus was a man of his time. Many of his sayings are based on things that not only people would be familiar with, but were seasonal. Fruit picking has always been seasonal work, the fruit is picked when it is ready to be picked. Jesus and his disciples are on …
Continue reading Jesus and the rich young man, part 4 — Matthew 19:30–20:7
The Kings Instructions Advent 2021 Do we have to give up everything we own? After all that is what Jesus asked the rich young man to do in verse 21. Did Jesus beat Marx to the property is theft idea? Free image from PxHere 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed …
Continue reading Jesus and the rich young man, part 3 — Matthew 19:27–29
The Kings Instructions Advent 2021 I have heard a sermon where it was claimed that there was a gate in the walls of Jerusalem where a trader could pass, but had to unload his camel so that the camel could pass through without its load and on its knees. The illustration was that we can …
Continue reading Jesus and the rich young man, part 2 — Matthew 19:23–26
The King's instructions Advent 2021 This part of Matthew's Gospel is the last part of a teaching sandwich: Jesus accepted children who were brought to him, but this is between passages about Pharisees who had already rejected Jesus before they came to him and this passage about a rich young man. The three passages ought …
Continue reading Jesus and the rich young man, part 1 — Matthew 19:16-22
The King's Instructions Advent 2021 These are the sort of passages I dread, ones that I have heard over and over. It makes it difficult to come up with anything new, and if I do, will people be upset? Children playing outside.Free image on Wikimedia Commons 13 Then children were brought to him that he might …
Continue reading Let the Children Come to Me — Matthew 19:13–15
The Kings Instructions Advent 2021 When it comes to working out what someone means the first thing to look at the meaning of the words. but logic is not the only concern. Context is everything, words change meaning over time and the context of who is speaking and being spoken to can change the meaning …
Continue reading Jesus, marriage and divorce, part 3 — Matthew 19:10–12
The Kings Instructions Advent 2021 In the previous post I wrote about what Jesus did nor say, the context was if was lawful for a man to divorce his wife. This time I am looking at what he did say about marriage and divorce. I have included the verses from the last blog for context. …
Continue reading Jesus, marriage and divorce, part 2 — Matthew 19:7–9
The Kings Instructions Advent 2021 There are ways that a person's prejudices are exposed, that they twist things around to make them fit their agenda. They even do this with the words of Jesus. The Progress Flag 3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any …
Continue reading Jesus, marriage and divorce, part 1 — Matthew 19:3-6
The Kings Instructions Advent 2021 There is a pattern emerging. Jesus has something to do but the pressure of the crowds and their expectations of who they thought Jesus is is preventing this from happening. Jesus crossed over the River Jordan to escape before, the crowds followed before and Jesus healed their sick before. A …
Making an ass of myself 