Category Archives: Bible References
Become like a little child; Understand the Kingdom of Heaven
The Story of Cain and Abel This basic little story is not complex. It is structured like a children’s story. But for reasons I list below, theologians almost universally fail to understand it. It means what it says: “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” ()
Read MoreFor me, to live is Christ – Philippians 1:21
“To Live is Christ” – a bold claim. Today at church we sang “Let it be Jesus”, a beautiful song of worship (Click here to listen to it) that had me streaming tears. It occurred to me, however, that many of those singing one of the refrains, “For me, to live is Christ”, probably would […]
3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 18
Chapter 18 This is part 18 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In Chapter 18, Jesus is brought before religious leaders, before being handed over to Pilate, the Roman Governor. At every stage in the process, guess who is […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 17
Chapter 16 This is part 17 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. This whole chapter is Jesus’ prayer for the disciples. It continues to underscore and reinforce our theme of hearing and believing. It becomes the central understanding around […]
Read MoreActs 17 – Paul’s address to the Athenians – That moment when God made foolish the wisdom of the world.
Paul in Athens The Book of Acts tells the story of the early church in Jerusalem, and then follows Paul’s missionary journeys. In chapter 17, Paul addresses the wise, the powerful, and the religious of Athens. What he said there is often misunderstood or misrepresented. This was, however, arguably the moment that Paul would later refer […]
Read MoreMatthew 18:34-35 – Honour, Reconciliation, Forgiveness, and the People of God
Did Jesus just say, “… his lord handed him over to be tortured … likewise my heavenly father will do this to every one of you unless you forgive”? In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus tells a story. The punch line sounds like he is saying that God is going to torture people who don’t forgive each […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 16
Chapter 16 This is part 16 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. Chapter 16 opens with the profound words, “I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling”, as if to underscore this theme of hearing and […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 15
Chapter 15 This is part 15 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In chapter 15, Jesus continues teaching his disciples in preparation for the Crucifixion. He talks about two things: The “True Vine”, and the fact that the world […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 14
Chapter 14 This is part 14 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In chapter 14, Jesus speaks with his disciples and prepares them for what is about to happen. The story is now converging on the moment at which […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 13
Chapter 13 This is part 13 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. This is the Last Supper. At first glance it may seem that our “seeing” and “hearing” theme is absent here, but in fact it does play a […]
3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 12
Chapter 12: This is part 12 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In this chapter, we see the effect that the resurrection of Lazarus had on the Jewish observers, and we find foreigners coming to enquire into the teachings […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 11
Chapter 11: The Resurrection and the Life This is part 11 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In this chapter, Jesus raises his friend Lazarus from the dead. This is a pivotal moment in the story of the Gospel of John, as […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 10
Chapter 10: The Voice of the Shepherd This is part 10 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In this chapter, Jesus uses the metaphor of a shepherd talking to his sheep to illustrate his point. Much as been said over the […]
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3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 9
Chapter 9: To see This is part 9 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. Chapter 9 opens with Jesus restoring sight to a blind man, and the rest of the chapter is essentially expounding on the meaning of Jesus giving […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 8
Chapter 8: The Adulteress, Light of the World, and Abraham’s Sons This is part 8 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. This chapter is a series of encounters and conversations with Jesus. We are, among other things, to grasp that the words of […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 7
Chapter 7: The Festival, The Living Water This is part 7 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. This chapter is Jesus’ appearance at the festival of Booths. At this festival, the Jewish tradition had developed so that a water libation was […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 6
Chapter 6: Feeding the 5000, Bread from Heaven, Words of Life This is part 6 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. Chapter 6 begins with Jesus using bread to feed 5000 people, and then the question of “bread” becomes a spiritual […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 5
Chapter 5: Sabbath, and the Son of God This is part 5 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In Chapter 5, Jesus has a stand-off with the Jewish authorities, ostensibly about the Sabbath, but it becomes a conversation about his claim […]
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Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’ – Jesus
What are you doing, helping people like that? A friend recently heard what I’m up to on the streets of Ipswich and was flabbergasted. Not that she thinks I’m doing anything wrong, to the contrary she dubbed me “Saint Kevin”, about which I have profoundly mixed feelings, but I can add it to the list […]
- June 26, 2014
- / Category Commentary, Matthew 9, Mission to the Marginalised, Reflection on Ministry, Sin, Sinner, The Human Connection
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / 3 Comments.
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