SPCK - N T Wright
John for Everyone part 2 - Like Master, Like Servant
John for Everyone part 2 - Like Master, Like Servant
by SPCK - N T Wright
Like Master, Like Servant John 13.12-20 I was given a beautiful present this week. To celebrate a special anniversary, someone close to me spent hours and hours weaving a careful tapestry, a needlepoint work of art. The theme comes from one of the early Celtic gospels, and is a p…
John for Everyone part 2 - Washing the Disciples' Feet
John for Everyone part 2 - Washing the Disciples' Feet
by SPCK - N T Wright
Washing the Disciples’ Feet John 13.1-11 I had never washed anyone else’s feet (bathing my own children doesn’t really count) until I went to work in a church where they acted out this scene every Holy Week. On the Thursday, the day before Good Friday, many churches arrange a ser…
John for Everyone part 2 - The Final Challenge
John for Everyone part 2 - The Final Challenge
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Final Challenge John 12.44-50 One of the oldest clichés in the movie business is the final showdown between the arch-opponents. The hero and the villain have been plotting against one another all through the story. Their allies and helpers have struggled and fought. There hav…
John for Everyone part 2 - Glory and Blindness
John for Everyone part 2 - Glory and Blindness
by SPCK - N T Wright
Glory and Blindness John 12.37-43 It was seven o’clock in the evening when Susan called the family in. She had worked hard all day to prepare this meal, and she was excited, eyes sparkling, on edge to see what they would say. Delicious smells came from the kitchen. She sat them d…
John for Everyone part 2 - The Hour Has Come
John for Everyone part 2 - The Hour Has Come
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Hour Has Come John 12.27-36 As I was walking into my study to begin working on this passage, I was alarmed to hear three loud explosions from the other side of the street. We live close to some important national buildings, and there is always a danger that terrorists will so…
John for Everyone part 2 - The Seed Must Die
John for Everyone part 2 - The Seed Must Die
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Seed Must Die John 12.20-26 Every autumn, when I was a boy, we used to collect horse chestnuts. We would watch the trees as the chestnuts started to fall, usually in late September or early October. The prickly, green outer shell would often split; if it didn’t, we would slic…
John for Everyone part 2 - Jesus Enters Jerusalem
John for Everyone part 2 - Jesus Enters Jerusalem
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus Enters Jerusalem John 12.9-19 Even now in Western culture most people know what the symbols mean. If someone went into a deep sleep, then woke to see shops full of stockings filled with presents, they would know it was nearly Christmas. If they woke up to see people with ch…
John for Everyone part 2 - Mary and her Ointment
John for Everyone part 2 - Mary and her Ointment
by SPCK - N T Wright
Mary and her Ointment John 12.1-8 I always hate it when, in a movie or a novel, a social event suddenly becomes tense and fraught. People who write novels and screenplays seem to like them: anger and bitterness bubbling to the surface, family members losing their tempers with eac…
John for Everyone part 2 - The Plan of Caiaphas
John for Everyone part 2 - The Plan of Caiaphas
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Plan of Caiaphas John 11.47-57 We hadn’t been in the country very long when we noticed that our host was driving in a strange fashion. At first, being sleepy from the journey, we thought we were just imagining it; but then it became quite unmistakable. He would drive along an…
John for Everyone part 2 - The Raising of Lazarus
John for Everyone part 2 - The Raising of Lazarus
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Raising of Lazarus John 11.38-46 We saw a programme on the television last night about the fossilized remains of what looks like an ancient race of creatures. They seem to be like humans, but much taller. They appear to have been significantly different from any monkeys or ap…
John for Everyone part 2 - Jesus Goes to the Tomb
John for Everyone part 2 - Jesus Goes to the Tomb
by SPCK - N T Wright
Jesus Goes to the Tomb John 11.28-37 John for Everyone Part 2 28With these words, Martha went back and called her sister Mary. ‘The teacher has come,’ she said to her privately, ‘and he’s asking for you.’ 29When she heard that, she got up quickly and went to him. 30Jesus hadn’t y…
John for Everyone part 2 - The Resurrection and the Life
John for Everyone part 2 - The Resurrection and the Life
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Resurrection and the Life John 11.17-27 When did you last say ‘If only . . . ’? If only he hadn’t stepped out in front of that car . . . If only she had worked a bit harder and not failed the exam. . . . If only a different president had been elected last time round . . . If …
John for Everyone part 2 - The Death of Lazarus
John for Everyone part 2 - The Death of Lazarus
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Death of Lazarus John 11.1-16 Why didn’t they do something? A friend of mine had been invited to take on the leadership of a vibrant, growing church. He and his family were eager to go and meet this new challenge. But the church authorities seemed to be dragging their feet ab…
John for Everyone part 2 - Introduction
John for Everyone part 2 - Introduction
by SPCK - N T Wright
INTRODUCTION John for Everyone Part 2 On the very first occasion when someone stood up in public to tell people about Jesus, he made it very clear: this message is for everyone. It was a great day – sometimes called the birthday of the church. The great wind of God’s spirit had s…
John for Everyone Part 1 - Glossary
John for Everyone Part 1 - Glossary
by SPCK - N T Wright
GLOSSARY accuser, see the satan age to come, see present age apostle, disciple, the Twelve ‘Apostle’ means ‘one who is sent’. It could be used of an ambassador or official delegate. In the New Testament it is sometimes used specifically of Jesus’ inner circle of twelve; but Paul …
John for Everyone Part 1 - Blasphemy!
John for Everyone Part 1 - Blasphemy!
by SPCK - N T Wright
Blasphemy John 10.31-42 They found the music, a single manuscript copy, among the piles of unsorted paper the composer had left at the time of his death. It was clearly a piece for solo violin, but it looked extraordinary: difficult, daring, probably unplayable. Above it was scra…
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Messiah and the Father
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Messiah and the Father
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Messiah and the Father John 10.19-30 It was the third winter after the disaster. Many of the people had begun to lose hope that good fortune would ever return to them. The enemy had come in and trampled all over their lovely city. Many had been killed, many captured. Some of …
John for Everyone Part 1 - The Shepherd and the Sheep