Jonah, Queen of the South and all that

20 March 2011 : Matthew 12 : 38-42 Matthew 12, as we have already seen, finds Jesus in a no-nonsense mood, especially with the wretched Pharisees and teachers of the Law, who seem to have perfected the unhappy art of getting it wrong time after time after time, and in...

Confessions of a short-distance runner

13 March 2011 : Matthew 12 : 30-37 Over the past 2 weeks, as we’ve studied this passage, we’ve dealt with major issues such as the unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and the vital connection between what you are and what you do. If you want to...

Three big words and a dish of fruit

6 March 2011 : Matthew 12 : 30-37 I promised – or should I say threatened? – to return to these verses today as we pick up Jesus in feisty form. Last time we learned that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was the unforgivable sin – that is, stubbornly holding on to...

Ambassadors of Christ

13 February 2011 : Matthew 12 : 22-30 Once again we see Jesus engaged in a difference of opinion, to put it mildly, with the religious establishment. This is a recurrent theme throughout the gospels, and as we noted last time it is the street-map to the cross. What...