Psalms of David Psalms in Book 1 (Psalms 1 to 41) are mostly personal songs, so I will be looking at how they apply to us personally. Social and communal aspects of life and work do not come in until the later books of psalms. Psalm 22 comes in the middle of a 5 psalm …
Tag: crucifixion
Forgiveness has been brought into the present — Matthew 18:21–27
Humility and forgiveness — Part 1 A reflection for Good Friday 40 blogs of Lent — day 38 The Galilean ministry of Jesus is over. Over a period of time his ministry has taken him into Gentile lands, first just across the Jordan to Bethsaida, then to Tyre and Sidon, the Decapolis and Caesarea Philippi. …
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Matthew’s Passion: Women’s work
Matthew's Passion: Women's work Easter: 1 Matthew 28:1-10 There is a meme going around Facebook and Twitter. It says, "In the interests of Biblical accuracy, all the preaching about the resurrection on Easter Sunday will be done by women." It has a point. All the disciples have fled and a few women watched from a …
Matthew’s Passion: The cross is victory
Matthew's Passion: The dawn of the dead? 40 Blogs of Lent: 37 Matthew 27:51-56 What are we to make of the zombie apocalypse in Matthew's Gospel? Jesus dies, God dies and then tombs are opened and the dead roam the streets like a scene from The Dawn Of The Dead. The events in Matthew's Gospel …
Matthew’s Passion: The cross is moral example
Matthew's Passion: God dies alone 40 Blogs of Lent: 36 Matthew 27:45-50 Jesus dies alone. Abandoned by his followers and rejected by the people he cries out to his Father. Since before time itself was created, Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ, member of the Godhead, Emmanuel, God with us, God in human form is alone …
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Matthew’s Passion: Association with robbers
Matthew's Passion: Association with robbers 40 Blogs of Lent: 33 Matthew 27:32-44 Who was Simon, the man from Cyrene who was made to carry Jesus' cross. That someone should ne named in the story in all three synoptic Gospels is strange. Stranger still is that Mark's Gospel should also mention Simon's sons Rufus and Alexander. …
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Matthew’s Passion: Humiliations
Matthew's Passion: Humiliations 40 Blogs of Lent: 32 Matthew 27:27-31 Jesus has been arrested, tried convicted and sentenced, other than the actual execution, could anything be worse? The answer to that is yes. There are lots of things that could be worse. There is an English proverb that says, "Sticks and stones may break my …
Dead is dead
Dead is dead My old blog balaam.wibsite.com can no longer be accessed. Using the Wayback Machine I am trying to save whatever can be saved, There are no images available for these old blogs. This blog is from 30 March 2013 -o0o- Death is pretty final, once dead that’s it, there’s no going back. Forty …
‘Tis mystery all…
…The immortal dies My old blog balaam.wibsite.com can no longer be accessed. Using the Wayback Machine I am trying to save whatever can be saved, There are no images available for these old blogs. This blog is from 29 March 2013 Charles Wesley’s words hit on the significance if the crucifixion, God dies. God, the …
Raised for a reason
What does the resurrection of Jesus mean to you? As evangelicals we are very keen on the crucifixion. Sometimes to the exclusion of everything else. The cross has said it all, we sing, but if so, what was the purpose of Jesus rising again if there was nothing left to accomplish? On this last day …
Making an ass of myself 