Matthew 15:21-28 It is, perhaps, Thomas Cranmer’s most famous prayer. Known as The Prayer of Humble Access, it is said prior to receiving the Lord’s Supper: “We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy […]
Mark 6:14-29 TS Eliot said “human kind cannot bear very much reality.” This story plumbs the violent depths of that truth. John the Baptist was a shining light. He was the greatest of the Old Testament prophets. Jesus called him the greatest man born of woman (Matthew 11:11). As the summation of all the prophets […]
Matthew 13:44-52 Recently a friend emailed me with a question. He’s not yet a Christian but he’s been attending Bible studies for a while. The previous night they had used Christian-sounding language that he didn’t understand. He wrote: “They asked me if I had ever ‘given my life to God.’ I was unsure. What does […]
Matthew 13:1-17 Yesterday we encountered a mystery. Jesus declares His word publicly – that is, for all. But also He also proclaims it to a particular audience – not everyone has ears to hear. You might think that Jesus takes a laissez-faire attitude to this phenomenon. But no, He pleads “He that hath ears, let […]
Matthew 13:1-17 Having ears is one thing. Having ears to hear is another. Back in Moses’ day he lamented the spiritual deafness of the people: “And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto […]
Matthew 11:20-30 Jesus has hit something of a brick wall in His evangelism (Matthew 11:20-24). He brings the living and life-giving word of God. He answers every question with the wisdom of heaven. He performs the mighty works of God. He is like a little oasis of paradise walking around planet earth. Everything that He […]
Luke 10:25-37 It’s one of the most famous stories Jesus ever told. A beautiful stranger helps a man left for dead when his own people disdain and forsake him. Those who ignore his sufferings are Levites and Priests – the holiest of the holy. The stranger is a Samaritan – from that race of hated […]
Mark 5:1-20 Can people really change? Perhaps we think that, superficially, there can be a make-over. But what about an abiding shift for good in the core of a person? Mark chapter 5 gives us such a picture. In the beginning we meet a man described like this: “A man with an unclean spirit, Who […]
Luke 7:18-35 The world is always judging Jesus. At His birth much was made of His name (Matthew 1:18-25). At His death the key issue was His identity (Matthew 26:63-65). And the central question of the Gospels is “What think ye of Christ?” (Matthew 22:42). Sometimes the labels He attracted were true and well-meant, as […]
Matthew 10:26-33 I was recently talking about open-air preaching. Someone responded: “Do you have to bother people with this stuff? Can’t you just stick inside the churches.” This man (not a Christian) perfectly expresses the spirit of the age. We are happy with privatised beliefs. We are content that folks practice their personal piety behind […]
