JOHN: The people's bible commentary - HAIL KING of the JEWS
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - HAIL KING of the JEWS
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
HAIL, KING of the JEWS We have had three trial scenes so far: outside “the Jews” have demanded the death penalty, inside Pilate discussed kingship with Jesus, and then came outside again to declare his innocence in an attempt to release him. The rejection of this offer sends Pila…
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - Are You King of the Jews?
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - Are You King of the Jews?
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
ARE YOU KING of the JEWS? The trial oscillates between Pilate’s own interrogation of Jesus inside and those outside the headquarters. The first three scenes develop the theme of kingship, starting with Pilate’s questions.
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The TEACHER is TAUGHT HEAVENLY THINGS
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The TEACHER is TAUGHT HEAVENLY THINGS
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
The TEACHER is TAUGHT HEAVENLY THINGS After Jesus’ comparison of the Spirit with the wind, poor old Nicodemus has to ask for yet further explanation (3:9). As ‘a teacher of Israel’ (3:10), he should have known the old prophecies about God giving his people ‘a new heart and a new …
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The King's Last Words
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The King's Last Words
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
THE KING’S LAST WORDS The soldiers have finished crucifying Jesus and shared out his clothes; there is nothing left now, but to wait for death to come. John’s focus moves to the foot of the cross, where there are four women: the mother of Jesus; his mother’s sister; Mary wife of …
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - THOMAS: from DISBELIEF to FAITH
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - THOMAS: from DISBELIEF to FAITH
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
THOMAS: from DISBELIEF to FAITH Thomas is immortalized as ‘Doubting Thomas’, an unfortunate nickname which does not do him justice either in this story or earlier in John. He is first mentioned when Jesus is returning to Judaea to raise Lazarus—and Thomas says ‘let’s go and die w…
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - LIFTING UP the SON of MAN
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - LIFTING UP the SON of MAN
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
LIFTING UP the SON of MAN The coming of the Greeks to see Jesus meant that the ‘hour for the Son of Man to be glorified’ had finally arrived. Jesus is clear that the way to glory lies only through his self-sacrificial death. No one can face imminent death without some pause. Jesu…
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - I HAVE SEEN THE LORD
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - I HAVE SEEN THE LORD
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
I HAVE SEEN THE LORD After Peter and other disciple have gone home, Mary stays outside the tomb, frozen in her grief (20:11). She has been through the desolation of watching Jesus die on the cross; at least she was there, unlike Peter (19:25). But now she suffers a second grief w…
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - SENT OUT in the SPIRIT
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - SENT OUT in the SPIRIT
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
SENT OUT in the SPIRIT Mary saw some angel-messengers at the tomb, but through meeting the risen Jesus she became a ‘messenger’ herself. The same happens now to the disciples in a climactic scene which draws threads together from throughout the gospel. In the Farewell Discourses,…
Meeting God in MARK - A lifelong passion - 4
Meeting God in MARK - A lifelong passion - 4
by SPCK - Rowan Williams
A lifelong passion About one-third of St Mark’s Gospel is taken up with the events of the last week of Jesus’ life, the story of Jesus’ betrayal, suffering and death, his ‘Passion’. It’s a very striking proportion, which has led some scholars to describe St Mark as a Passion narr…
Meeting God in MARK - Telling Secrets -3
Meeting God in MARK - Telling Secrets -3
by SPCK - Rowan Williams
Telling secrets We have begun to think in general terms about what kind of book St Mark’s Gospel is, and we have tried to identify the double demand that it makes of its readers: the demand to entertain the relationship into which the writer seeks to draw us, and so to enter into…
Meeting God in MARK - The beginning of the Gospel -2
Meeting God in MARK - The beginning of the Gospel -2
by SPCK - Rowan Williams
The beginning of the Gospel The Gospel according to St Mark can seem like something of a Cinderella among the Gospels. For many hundreds of years it was used in public worship far less than any other of the Gospels. It never attracted the great – indeed the encyclopaedic – commen…
The Meal Jesus Gave Us - Table manners and table matters - 15
The Meal Jesus Gave Us - Table manners and table matters - 15
by SPCK - Tom Wright
15 Table manners and table matters THE THANK-YOU PARTY There is much more that could be said. This little book is only a short introduction to a huge subject. But I want, in concluding, to look at six obvious questions…
The Meal Jesus Gave Us - The greatest drama ever staged (part 2) - 14
The Meal Jesus Gave Us - The greatest drama ever staged (part 2) - 14
by SPCK - Tom Wright
14 The greatest drama ever staged (part 2) Part Two THE THANK-YOU PARTY ‘Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them.’ Four actions heavy with significance. It would still be a Jesus-meal if you did all four in silence, with maybe a single word to refer to Jesus. …
The Meal Jesus Gave Us - The greatest drama ever staged (part 1) - 13
The Meal Jesus Gave Us - The greatest drama ever staged (part 1) - 13
by SPCK - Tom Wright
13 The greatest drama ever staged (part 1) Part Two THE THANK-YOU PARTY One of the best-loved stories in the Bible is the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24.13 –35). Cleopas and his companion (probably his wife, Mary) are going home on the evening of the first Easter Day. They are puzzled a…
Meeting God in MARK - Introduction -1