| By Andy Moyle | 3 mins 37 secs | 0 Comments
Love If I were to sum up this passage in one word it would be love. This is one of several places where Jesus reminds us of the greatest commandment. As the Amplified Bible puts it: “The first and most important one is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord; and you […]
| By Andy Moyle | 4 mins 12 secs | 0 Comments
Wave after wave of attacks In 1972 on the southern coast of Oman eight Special Air Service soldiers had been secretly deployed to help the local troops counter the possibility of a Marxist inspired insurrection. These S.A.S. men with thirty local policemen were occupying a mud-walled fort when at 5.30, as dawn was breaking on […]
| By Andy Moyle | 4 mins 2 secs | 0 Comments
Under whose authority? Yesterday’s fig tree cursing and cleansing the Temple were a really big deal, so now the big guns come out to challenge just who Jesus thinks he is. This would be Caiaphas, Annas and the ruling council of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They ask Jesus under what authority He cleansed the temple. […]
| By Andy Moyle | 2 mins 34 secs | 0 Comments
Oh dear Jerusalem… Jesus arrives for the last time at Jerusalem, where He is shortly to die for our sin and rise again. Riding on a donkey The fact that Jesus came on a donkey is significant. He is deliberately fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O […]
| By Andy Moyle | 4 mins 28 secs | 0 Comments
The Servant King Some years ago, I did a three-day walk, with friends, from St Jean Pied-de-Port in France to Pamplona in Spain, over the Pyrenees mountains. It was absolutely gruelling and there were occasional times when I moved to the front of the group, in an effort to forge ahead and bring the end […]
| By Andy Moyle | 2 mins 39 secs | 0 Comments
Pride, parenthood and possessions The two passages in today’s reading are connected by a single issue: pride. It’s a problem that’s addressed repeatedly in the Gospels. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ first words were “blessed are the poor in spirit.” The opposite of spiritual poverty is secular pride; self-sufficiency leaves no room for […]
| By Andy Moyle | 2 mins 36 secs | One Comment
Six characteristics of holiness Jesus and the disciples walk from Lake Galilee to Capernaum. Disciples would walk in a line behind their rabbi, not as a rabble. So as they are walking along there is a discussion (although the Greek word implies more heat than light) about who is greatest. Jesus in the natural would […]
| By Andy Moyle | 3 mins 25 secs | 0 Comments
Transfigured! Did you realise that the Transfiguration is primarily about the second coming of Christ? It’s a brief momentary glimpse of Jesus Christ that will be revealed fully when He returns in majesty, power and glory. The meaning of verse 1 has baffled commentators for centuries. Non-believers may mock saying He hadn’t returned before they […]
| By Andy Moyle | 2 mins 57 secs | 0 Comments
The new covenant explained with bread Following on from yesterday’s reading we get an amusing series of anecdotes of the disciples not understanding, then Peter getting it, then Peter not getting it again. The “it” being who Jesus is and the new covenant He is bringing into play. The disciples realise they have forgotten to […]