SPCK - N T Wright
Luke for Everyone - Martha and Mary
Luke for Everyone - Martha and Mary
by SPCK - N T Wright
Martha and Mary Luke 10.38-42 If you thought ‘the good Samaritan’ was radical, this powerful little story suggests that Luke has plenty more where that came from. In describing Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, he has chosen this incident as part of his introduction. It took place at …
Luke for Everyone - The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Luke for Everyone - The Parable of the Good Samaritan
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Parable of the Good Samaritan Luke 10.25-37 The best-known stories are sometimes the hardest to understand. ‘The good Samaritan’ has passed into folklore, and has succeeded, confusingly, in changing the meaning of the word ‘Samaritan’ itself in modern English. There is now a …
Luke for Everyone - The Celebration of Jesus
Luke for Everyone - The Celebration of Jesus
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Celebration of Jesus Luke 10.17-24 What was it like being Jesus? That’s one of the hardest questions for anyone reading the gospels, but this passage gives us some clues. It’s all too easy for Christians to make the mistake of thinking that he just sailed through life with ea…
Luke for Everyone - Jesus Sends Out the Seventy
Luke for Everyone - Jesus Sends Out the Seventy
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus Sends Out the Seventy Luke 10.1-16 I had lunch with a friend who told me how, earlier in the year, his teenage son had been taken seriously ill. For weeks he had been going to doctors and specialists, all of whom had been puzzled by his symptoms. Finally he went to a senior…
Luke for Everyone - The Nature of Discipleship
Luke for Everyone - The Nature of Discipleship
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Nature of Discipleship Luke 9.46-62 The most famous work of early English literature is Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. As we read it today, we get a sudden and vivid picture of life in the fourteenth century, and of the rich and diverse human characters of the time, with their j…
Luke for Everyone - The Transfiguration
Luke for Everyone - The Transfiguration
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Transfiguration Luke 9.28-45 The Oscar-winning movie Chariots of Fire tells the story of two athletes at the 1920 Paris Olympics. Harold Abrahams, after a gigantic struggle as much against himself as against the other runners, achieved the gold medal in the 100 yards. Eric Li…
Luke for Everyone - Peter's Declaration of Jesus' Messiahship
Luke for Everyone - Peter's Declaration of Jesus' Messiahship
by SPCK - N T Wright
Peter’s Declaration of Jesus’ Messiahship Luke 9.18-27 ‘When did you first know’, I asked my friend, ‘that you wanted to be a philosopher?’ (He was at this time already a senior professor of philosophy.) ‘Oh, that’s easy,’ he replied. ‘I knew when I was sitting in my first lectur…
Luke for Everyone - The Twelve Sent Out and Feeding the Five Thousand
Luke for Everyone - The Twelve Sent Out and Feeding the Five Thousand
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Twelve Sent Out and Feeding the Five Thousand Luke 9.1-17 When a new business starts up, it’s often the dream of one person that makes it happen. But if the business succeeds, more people need to come on board. Not just to do the detailed work that the founder hasn’t got time…
Luke for Everyone - Jairus's Daughter and the Woman with Chronic Bleeding
Luke for Everyone - Jairus's Daughter and the Woman with Chronic Bleeding
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jairus’s Daughter and the Woman with Chronic Bleeding Luke 8.40-56 We don’t know for sure that Luke was a doctor, though there are several things in his work that make it likely, as well as Paul’s mention of him as ‘Luke, the beloved doctor’ (Colossians 4.14). But if he was, ther…
Luke for Everyone - The Healing of the Demoniac
Luke for Everyone - The Healing of the Demoniac
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Healing of the Demoniac Luke 8.26-39 I have a photograph, framed above my mantelpiece, of the sea of Galilee seen from the top of the Golan heights. I took it on a sunny day in late autumn: the scene is tranquil and clear, with the town of Tiberias just visible on the opposit…
Luke for Everyone - Jesus Calms the Storm
Luke for Everyone - Jesus Calms the Storm
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus Calms the Storm Luke 8.16-25 The chairman of the board looked around the room. This was a big decision and everyone knew it. ‘Can we agree on this plan, then?’ he asked. ‘We need to decide.’ Twenty serious faces looked back at him, each with their own portfolio to consider,…
Luke for Everyone - The Parable of the Sower
Luke for Everyone - The Parable of the Sower
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Parable of the Sower Luke 8.1-15 If Jesus was telling this story today, he might well include other categories as well. What about the seeds that were planted in good soil but were ruined by acid rain? What about the plants that were coming up nicely but were bulldozed by occ…
Luke for Everyone - Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman
Luke for Everyone - Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman Luke 7.36-50 When you look at a painting, what do you look for first? Some people stand well back and let the full sweep of it wash over them: the glorious colours, the contrasts, the light and shade. Some people focus at once on the characters, t…
Luke for Everyone - Jesus and John the Baptist
Luke for Everyone - Jesus and John the Baptist
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus and John the Baptist Luke 7.18-35 Pull a coin out of your pocket and look at it. What does it tell you? I don’t mean, how rich does it say you are. Nor am I thinking about the actual words that are engraved on it. I’m referring to the pictures, the symbols. The last two cou…
Luke for Everyone - THe Raising of the Widow's Son
Luke for Everyone - THe Raising of the Widow's Son
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Raising of the Widow’s Son Luke 7.11-17 So where was the faith this time? The centurion’s servant was healed because of his owner’s faith, but in this story the only person who has any faith that the dead man can be raised is Jesus himself. Though Jesus loves to see the signs…
Luke for Everyone - The Healing of the Centurion's Servant
Luke for Everyone - The Healing of the Centurion's Servant
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Healing of the Centurion’s Servant Luke 7.1-10 The soldier walks forward slowly into the jungle. His task is to protect villagers from terrorists; every step means danger. Suddenly a command reaches him on his radio. His senior officer has seen where the enemy are hiding. He …
Luke for Everyone - Judging Others and True Obedience
Luke for Everyone - Judging Others and True Obedience
by SPCK - N T Wright
Judging Others and True Obedience Luke 6.39-49 One picture is worth a thousand words. Here, in quick succession, are four of Jesus’ most vivid word-sketches. They are meant to be funny. Try reading them like that, and you’ll see a dry, perhaps typically Jewish, humour coming thro…
Luke for Everyone - Loving Your Enemies