Luke 9:51 (autumn, AD29) “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.“ Older translations refer to him “set[ting] his face”. The Greek words ‘prosōpon stērizō’ literally mean, ‘his face set to turn resolutely in a certain direction’. Why did he have to set out ‘resolutely’. Why … More Day 63: Set your face
John 7:2-10 (autumn, AD 29) Jesus’ brothers didn’t get it. Simon, Jude, Joseph and James must have known he was an exceptionally good person, but he also seemed like an attention-seeker with a bad agent. There they were in the under-populated, under-recognised north, with a trip to the big city begging, and Jesus didn’t seem … More Day 62: Did Jesus need an agent?
Matthew 18 (AD 29) We’d like to think that we wouldn’t ask boneheaded self-serving questions like the disciples did. But let’s be honest – we absolutely would. “Who…is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” is a classic of its type: a cross between mindless trivia and self-absorbed ambition. Jesus’ illustration of needing to go … More Day 61: Soft love, tough love
Matthew 17:22-27 (AD 29) At this point in the story, Jesus was less than a year from being crucified, and this was the second prediction of his own death in a matter of (most likely) days or weeks (see Matthew 16:21-28). That first time, Peter had gotten angry with Jesus for talking of his own … More Day 60: Let Jesus finish his sentence
Matthew 17:1-21 (AD 29) In our previous passage (Mark 8:27-9:1) Jesus had predicted great suffering for himself. He followed that up with a memorable affirmation from the Father about who Jesus was. The ‘appearance’ of Moses and Elijah may not be as theologically bewildering as it seems, as it’s likely that this event was a … More Day 59: He is who he says he is
Mark 8:27-9:1 (AD 29) This is arguably the hinge passage in Mark’s gospel, marking the transition between establishing the identity of Jesus (chapters 1-8, covering about 34 years), and charting the consequences of that identity (chapters 8-16, covering less than a year). One can’t read too much into it, but it’s notable that the disciples’ … More Day 58: ‘Get behind me, Satan!’
Mark 8:1-26 (AD 29) Alcoholic fermentation involves the digesting of sugar by yeast. It produces ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide, which is how bread gets some of its flavour and all of its not-flatness. Trapped by the flexible dough, all the gas doesn’t disperse or break it’s surroundings, it just pushes it out. That’s the … More Day 57: Beware the single-celled fungi
Mark 7:24-37 (AD 29)\ There was a seeming contradiction in Jesus’ ministry. Aspects of his work that seemed in conflict with each other. On the one hand, he came to preach, teach, heal, save, and generally be about the gathering of the lost sheep of Israel to be saved for their Father in heaven. For … More Day 56: In search of unfamous fame
Matthew 14 (spring, AD 29) King Herod really loved the sexy dancing of his niece, and made a drunken offer to her that resulted in the beheading of John the Baptist to please her Mum. It’s tragic to see that Herod was “distressed” (v.9) at the idea but went along with it anyway, more concerned … More Day 51: Jesus and John the Baptist’s death
Matthew 10:26-11:1 (AD 28) ‘Peas on earth.’ ‘Give peas a chance’ (my favourite piece of graffiti, which was on a railway bridge over a motorway outside London for 20 years). Or as the famous Christian song/hymn says, ‘PEEEEEEEAAAAAAA…son earth’. But what does the Bible say about peace? Compare these three passages from three different gospels, … More Day 49: Peas on earth?
Paul T Reynolds 