Tom Wright
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The First and the Last
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The First and the Last
by SPCK - N T Wright
The First and the Last Matthew 19.23-30 ‘I’m telling you the truth,’ Jesus replied. ‘In God’s great new world, when the son of man sits on his glorious throne, all of you who have followed me will sit on twelve thrones – yes, you! – and rule over the twelve tribes of Israel. 29An…
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Rich Young Man
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Rich Young Man
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Rich Young Man Matthew 19.16-22 I have heard it said that if you want to catch a monkey, there is a particular method which works well. You need a jar which the monkey can just get his paw into when his fingers are open. Then you put something into the jar which the monkey wa…
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - Marriage, Celibacy and Children
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - Marriage, Celibacy and Children
by SPCK - N T Wright
Marriage, Celibacy and Children Matthew 19.10-15 We were staying with friends who had recently become grandparents for the first time. They were telling us of the time when their little granddaughter came to stay overnight while her parents were away for a short while. ‘We were s…
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Question about Divorce
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Question about Divorce
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Question about Divorce Matthew 19.1-9 Last time we bought a car I was startled to notice, in the book of instructions, a list of things to do if you were involved in an accident. Call the police. Make a note of exactly what happened, where and how. Write down the registration…
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Challenge of Forgiveness
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Challenge of Forgiveness
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Challenge of Forgiveness Matthew 18.21-35 Many years ago I was working in a student community. I sometimes assisted in leading worship or preaching for one particular group of students. They were theological students, training for ministry, but shared their accommodation with…
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - Reconciliation and Prayer in the Community
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - Reconciliation and Prayer in the Community
by SPCK - N T Wright
Reconciliation and Prayer in the Community Matthew 18.15-20 Soap operas are a signpost of modern culture. They divide us into two types: some love them, others hate them. Many are addicted to them, know the characters inside out, read magazines about them, write them letters (eve…
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - More about the "Little Ones"
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - More about the "Little Ones"
by SPCK - N T Wright
More about the “Little Ones” Matthew 18.8-14 Our neighbour was walking by the beach one day, with her dog, when suddenly the dog stopped and sniffed, and looked puzzled and wary. She stopped too, but she couldn’t see anything. Then she looked hard at the rocks in front of the dog…
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - The Parable of Clean and Unclean
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - The Parable of Clean and Unclean
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Parable of Clean and Unclean Matthew 15.10-20 One of the best-loved characters in children’s stories is Winnie-the- Pooh. In one escapade of this down-to-earth, loveable toy bear (the creation of the writer A. A. Milne), Pooh attempts to trap an Elephant – or, as he mispronou…
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - The Feeding of the Five Thousand
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - The Feeding of the Five Thousand
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Feeding of the Five Thousand Matthew 14.13-22 Come and be a character in this story. There’s plenty of room, and there’s a lot to learn. To begin with, cast your mind back to the last time you were really, really sad. After the death of a parent, perhaps, or a close friend. A…
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Opposition in Nazareth
Matthew for Everyone Part 1 - Opposition in Nazareth
by SPCK - N T Wright
Opposition in Nazareth Matthew 13.54-58 She came home from school with all the wide-eyed excitement of an eager eight-year-old, clutching the clarinet case to her like a favourite teddy bear. She had had her first music lesson on the new instrument that morning. She couldn’t wait…
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Temple Tax
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Temple Tax
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Temple Tax Matthew 17.22-27 Jesus told them they were going to be fishers of men, not of money (4.19)! This is one of the most peculiar little stories in the whole New Testament. What on earth does it mean? One day the bishop parked his car, as usual, outside his house. He kn…
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - Humility and Danger
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - Humility and Danger
by SPCK - N T Wright
Humility and Danger Matthew 18.1-7 Among the saddest sights in our world, some of the worst, I think, are the glimpses we get of children in need. I think of three children grubbing around in a stinking, smouldering garbage heap on the edge of a South American city. They are bare…
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Question about Elijah
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Question about Elijah
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Question about Elijah Matthew 17.9-13 The young student nervously approached the professor after the lecture. He’d been thinking for some while about doing graduate work after his degree, and this teacher’s lectures were the ones he’d most enjoyed. Could he perhaps have a bri…
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - Faith that Moves Mountains
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - Faith that Moves Mountains
by SPCK - N T Wright
Faith that Moves Mountains Matthew 17.14-21 She was a strong swimmer, and by now she was ready to tackle the challenge of swimming in the sea. A bathing pool is all right to begin with, but it’s a bit tame compared with ocean rollers. For a while it was simply exhilarating. She a…
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Transfiguration
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Transfiguration
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Transfiguration Matthew 17.1-8 Mount Tabor is a large, round hill in central Galilee. When you go there today with a party of pilgrims, you have to get out of your bus and take a taxi to the top. They say that God is especially pleased with the Mount Tabor taxi-drivers, becau…
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - Jesus Predicts His Death
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - Jesus Predicts His Death
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus Predicts His Death Matthew 16.21-28 When Lewis Carroll had become famous through his story Alice in Wonderland, he decided to follow it up with a second book in which both he and his readers would need to learn how to think inside out. In Alice through the Looking Glass he …
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - Peter's Declaration of Jesus' Messiahship
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - Peter's Declaration of Jesus' Messiahship
by SPCK - N T Wright
Peter’s Declaration of Jesus’ Messiahship Matthew 16.13-20 The Tibetan Buddhists believe in the transmigration of souls. When someone dies, they suppose that the soul of that person goes immediately into a different body, the body of a child born at the same instant. This belief …
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - The Leaven of the Pharisees