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Mark The Peoples' Bible Commentary - Who is the Greatest?
Mark The Peoples' Bible Commentary - Who is the Greatest?
by BRF - Dick France
Who is the Greatest? Lines of authority In a newly formed group of colleagues with an important task, it is natural to want to clarify the lines of authority. So far, of course, Jesus has been the focal authority of the group, but if they are going to lose him it will surely be v…
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - ABIDE IN LOVE
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - ABIDE IN LOVE
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
ABIDE IN LOVE Jesus uses the image of the vine to describe his relationship with his disciples, even when he is physically absent. He is the ‘true’ or ‘real vine’, and we are branches which must remain in the vine to bear fruit, the fruit of love, one of John’s key themes. Jesus …
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - BETRAYED in a GARDEN
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - BETRAYED in a GARDEN
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
BETRAYED in a GARDEN Jesus has finally finished ‘speaking these words’ of the Farewell Discourses and his Prayer, and so now he takes his disciples out across the Kidron valley to a garden (18:1). We notice immediately that John’s account of the passion is both similar to the oth…
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - I AM THE VINE
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - I AM THE VINE
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
I AM THE VINE The various themes introduced in chapter 13 were developed through chapter 14, including the key elements of a farewell speech. Finally, Jesus said, ‘Rise, let us go from here’ (14:31). However, they do not do this until 18:1. Some scholars suggest that chapters 15—…
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - JESUS WASHES the DISCIPLES FEET
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - JESUS WASHES the DISCIPLES FEET
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
JESUS WASHES the DISCIPLES FEET The curtain rises on Act Two of John’s drama, yet slowly. Now that the ‘hour’ has finally come, time slows down. Act One and the interlude (chs. 1—12) have taken over two years, with two previous Passovers (2:13; 6:4). Act Two (chs. 13—19) covers j…
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - JESUS AND JOHN THE BAPTIST
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - JESUS AND JOHN THE BAPTIST
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
JESUS AND JOHN THE BAPTIST The next scene gives us a glimpse of the ministry of Jesus and his disciples baptizing, in much the same way as John the Baptist and his followers. It was a good job there was ‘much water there’!…
Mark The People's Commentary - Not Dead but Sleeping
Mark The People's Commentary - Not Dead but Sleeping
by BRF - Dick France
“Not Dead, but Sleeping” After the unhappy confrontation the last time we heard of Jesus in the synagogue in Capernaum (3:1–6), it is a relief to find that at least one leading member of that institution still holds him in high regard, even if it is under the pressure of urgent p…
Mark The People's Commentary - Storm at Sea
Mark The People's Commentary - Storm at Sea
by BRF - Dick France
Storm at Sea In 1986 the complete hull of a cedar-wood fishing boat from about the first century ad was discovered buried in the mud by the shore of the Lake of Galilee. It is probably typical of the boats in use in Jesus’ time. It is just over 8 metres long by 2.35 metres wide a…
Mark The People's Commentary - From the Least to the Greatest
Mark The People's Commentary - From the Least to the Greatest
by BRF - Dick France
From the Least to the Greatest Mustard Seed Mustard seed is proverbially tiny (see Matthew 17:20), and yet it produces ‘the greatest of all shrubs’. This is not, of course, the puny ‘mustard-and-cress’ that we grow in little plastic boxes, but a garden herb which in Palestine com…
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The KING is BURIED
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The KING is BURIED
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
The KING IS BURIED After describing Jesus’ three last sayings and the flow of blood and water from his side, suddenly John inserts a narrative comment with two of his key words both used twice, ‘witness’ and ‘truth’ (19:35). John the Baptist was a ‘witness’ to Jesus at the very s…
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The DEATH of the KING
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The DEATH of the KING
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
The DEATH of the KING The Romans would usually leave a crucified body hanging on the cross to be picked clean by animals and birds, as a warning to others, like the old gibbets for hanged highwaymen at cross-roads. According to John, it is the Day of Preparation for the Passover,…
Mark The People's bible commentary - Golgotha
Mark The People's bible commentary - Golgotha
by BRF - Dick France
GOLGOTHA Crucifixion was a particularly cruel form of execution reserved normally for slaves and for political insurgents. The Roman writer Cicero called it ‘the most cruel and revolting punishment’ and the Jew Josephus called it ‘the most pitiable of deaths’. A crucified person …
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - GOD SO LOVED the WORLD
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - GOD SO LOVED the WORLD
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
GOD SO LOVED the WORLD THINGS As we saw before, this passage can be read either as the end of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, or as a separate comment by the evangelist. Who says it, is less important than what it says, for it is one of this gospel’s supreme passages, full of…
The Act of Prayer Year B - Proper 22 - Year B