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JOHN: The people's bible commentary - I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD In a pastoral society like ancient Israel, sheep and shepherds were used to describe the relationship of God with his people: ‘the Lord is my shepherd’ and ‘we are his people, the sheep of his pasture’ (Pss. 23:1; 100:3). Good leaders were ‘shepherds of the…
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - FOLLOW ME
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - FOLLOW ME
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
FOLLOW ME Jesus warmed and dried Peter by the fire, fed him with fish and bread; then he restored him to his pastoral care of God’s people and hinted at his glorious martyrdom to come. Only one thing remains to be said, ‘Follow me’ (21:19). It is Jesus’ last word, yet also his fi…
Mark The People's bible commentary - Barabbas
Mark The People's bible commentary - Barabbas
by BRF - Dick France
BARABBAS The insurrection Barabbas was not just a common criminal. He was a ‘rebel’, who had been involved in an ‘insurrection’. We have no other record of this particular uprising against the Roman occupation, but it need not surprise us: several such incidents are recorded in t…
Mark The Peoples' Bible Commentary - Another Warning of What is to Come
Mark The Peoples' Bible Commentary - Another Warning of What is to Come
by BRF - Dick France
Another Warning of What is to Come In this brief paragraph we find several of the key themes which run through the middle section (Act 2) of Mark’s story, as Jesus and his disciples make their way from Galilee towards Jerusalem. We may therefore take it as an opportunity to remin…
Mark The Peoples' Bible Commentary - Crumbs for the Gentiles
Mark The Peoples' Bible Commentary - Crumbs for the Gentiles
by BRF - Dick France
Crumbs for the Gentiles The question of purity, discussed in the first part of this chapter, would have important repercussions for the eventual expansion of the church to contain Gentiles alongside the original Jewish believers. This strange little story illustrates the point, a…
Mark The Peoples' Bible Commentary - What is Purity?
Mark The Peoples' Bible Commentary - What is Purity?
by BRF - Dick France
What is Purity? The last time we met scribes who had come from Jerusalem to Galilee to confront Jesus (3:22) their arrival spelt trouble. Here again they are a hostile group, a foretaste of the sort of reception Jesus is going to meet when he eventually goes to Jerusalem himself.…
Mark The People's Commentary - The Dynamics of Growth
Mark The People's Commentary - The Dynamics of Growth
by BRF - Dick France
The Dynamics of Growth This time we are offered no explanation, beyond the opening phrase, ‘The kingdom of God is as if…’ Or, to paraphrase it, ‘This is how God works out his purpose in the world’. For ‘the kingdom of God’, remember, means God being king, God in his sovereign pow…
Mark The People's Commentary - Disreputable company
Mark The People's Commentary - Disreputable company
by BRF - Dick France
A DEMONSTRATION in the TEMPLE Mark has carefully interwoven two themes here, as the scene shifts repeatedly between the temple and a fig tree on the Bethany road, thus: Verse 11, temple; verses 12–14, fig tree; verses 15–19, temple; verses 20–25, fig tree; verse 27, temple (which…
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - NICODEMUS by NIGHT
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - NICODEMUS by NIGHT
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
NICODEMUS by NIGHT In the last chapter, Jesus did not ‘trust’ himself to people who ‘trusted’ in him because of his signs (2:23–24). Over the coming chapters, many people come to Jesus because of his signs—the Samaritan woman (4:29), the official whose son is healed (4:47), the p…
The Act of Prayer Year B - Trinity Sunday Year B
The Act of Prayer Year B - Trinity Sunday Year B
by BRF - John Birch
Trinity Sunday Year B Opening prayer As we join in worship today, let us spend a moment in quietness. Listen to the noises coming from outside this building— people talking, vehicles going by and maybe an aeroplane passing overhead….
The Act of Prayer Year B - Day of Pentecost - Year B