Matthew's Passion: Conspiracy Easter: 2 Matthew 28:11-15 Jesus is risen, but in this version of the story has yet to meet his disciples. The story goes back to the guards on the tomb, who wer put there to prevent grave robbers, and instead become involved in the conspiracy. The guards' story does not hold up. …
Tag: Jesus
Everything is different
Everything is different Holy Trinity Church, Huddersfield, Sunday 21 April 2019 Hallelujah, Christ is risen. It is said that there is no such thing as a free lunch. That may well be, but there is free breakfast. We had one in church today before the morning service. A beautiful sunny morning where we were able …
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: Guards, guards
Matthew's Passion: Guards, guards 40 Blogs of Lent: 39 Matthew 27:62-66 In 2006 my wife and I holidayed in Nesebar on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. In the Archaeological Museum there is a room dedicated to icons from the churches there. Icons depicting the burial or resurrection of Jesus painted during the occupation of …
Matthew’s passion: A Borrowed Grave
Matthew's passion: A Borrowed Grave 40 Blogs of Lent: 38 Matthew 27:57-61 It is an odd way to celebrate a victory, by being buried. A group of women had been among those who had witnessed God incarnate, God in human form, win the final victory over evil, over sin and even over death. The chains …
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 …
Continue reading Matthew’s Passion: The cross is moral example
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. …
Continue reading Matthew’s Passion: Association with robbers
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 …
Matthew’s Passion: Where did the crowd come from?
A crowd had gathered, a substantial crowd, a crowd that was large enough to cause a riot that the Roman garrison stationed in Jerusalem would not have been able to easily contain. This crowd was looking increasingly nasty. They had already chosen the release of a notorious criminal and condemned an innocent man in his place. But what perplexes me is where this crowd came from.
Making an ass of myself 