Author Archives: jonmkiwi

(John 2:13-22) Jesus cleansing the temple: He has a whip, He overturns tables, the disciples quote Psalm 69:9. It puts me in mind of the T-Shirt I saw once: “Jesus is coming back, and boy is He mad!” However, if we are picturing Jesus filled with wrath and wreaking destruction, we might need to readContinue reading “I predict a riot”

(John 2:1-11) In John’s Gospel, the first sign Jesus does is a rather irrelevant one. Instead of something useful (a healing, a feeding, a raising from the dead), He makes wine for a party where everyone has already had more than enough to drink. Strange… Having gathered at least some of His original disciples (ofContinue reading “What’s “need” got to do with it?”

(John 1:10-14a) We can be unwittingly passive, as believers. Even the name, “believers” says it all: we believe that God will turn up and do something. What we actually need to believe is that God has already equipped us with everything we need, so that we can get on with the assignments He gives us.Continue reading “Are you receiving this?”

(Luke 5:33-39, also Matt 9 and Mark 2) The Pharisees asked (actually, “accused” is closer to the mark) Jesus why John the Baptist’s disciples regularly fasted and prayed, and their own disciples also – but His disciples just kept on eating and drinking. Jesus answers them with three figures: the bridegroom and his friends; theContinue reading “New wine or old?”

(Matt 14:15-21) I touched on this a couple of posts back (Peter Gets It), but I find myself drawn back to Matthew’s version of the Feeding of the Five Thousand, because it reads differently from how we often tell it. It deserves a post of its own. We know the story (we think) – JesusContinue reading “You, you do it”

(Matt: 9:9-13) The Calling of Matthew: Jesus passes a tax-farmer at his table, says “follow me” and the tax-farmer follows Him. Perfect. And at the end of the day, Matthew hosts a big dinner at his house for all his tax-farmer friends and other ne’er-do-wells. (Tax farmers are people who buy the right from theContinue reading “Why are all these people in my house?”

(Matt: 14:25-33) This is another of those set pieces that everyone remembers: the disciples see Jesus walking on the water, Peter impetuously joins in, but his faith isn’t up to the task and he is only saved by Jesus’ intervention. “Just like us, so often,” we sigh. Let’s take a closer look. I will spareContinue reading “Peter gets it!”

(Matt 15-10-20) The Pharisees approach Jesus and demand to know why His disciples ignore the traditions of the elders, by eating without washing their hands first. And Jesus asks them why they ignore God’s word in favour of their traditions. He then goes on to say this to the crowd: “Listen and understand. What goesContinue reading “No, Peter, it isn’t a Parable…”

(Matt 16:24-25, also in Mark 8 and Luke 9 – not to mention Matt 10:38) It is one of the best known sayings of Jesus – and yet it doesn’t make sense. “If anyone would follow me, let him deny himself, pick up his cross and follow me.” What do I mean, “it doesn’t makeContinue reading “Follow me, soldier”

(Matt 15:21-28; see also Mark 7:24-30) This is a well known and understood story: the Syro-Phoenician mother comes to Jesus because her daughter is demonised and ill; the disciples tell Jesus to send her away because she is making a big fuss, and Jesus initially tries to turn her away, saying it is not rightContinue reading “Heal her, she’s so annoying”