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“If you are the Son of God…”: a reflection for Good Friday

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“…the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God , his chosen one!”   The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine   and saying, “ If you are the King of the Jews , save yourself!” (Luke 23.35-37)      As “the day of Unleavened Bread draws near” (Lk. 22.1), the true enemy of the people of God reappears in the Gospel narrative, just in time for the final showdown with the One who had been “anointed” to play a triple role in service to Israel as her King, prophet, and High Priest.   As Jesus takes his place at table with the disciples to eat the Passover meal, he tells them that they are the ones who have stood by him in his “trials” (Gr: peirasmoi : 22.28).   This is the same term used to describe Jesus’ “temptations” in the desert near the beginning of the narrative (cf. Lk. 4.1-13).   At the end of Jesus’ wilderness “trial”, Luke told us that the Devil had “...
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The night of the new Exodus: a reflection for Day 38 of Lent

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“When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him.    He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer,   for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 22.14-16)      On Sunday, the long (narrative) journey which had begun in Lk. 9.51 finally came to an end.   In a moment poignant with irony, Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem, mounted on a donkey, to the cheers of the Passover pilgrims which echoed those of the angels who had cheered his birth (Lk. 19.37-38; cf. 2.8-14).   It is a moment of joy for the disciples and those who believe that the Messiah has arrived in his capital to set them free…at Passover time, no less.   Every year, as the people of God commemorated the Exodus from Egypt – when Yahweh had delivered them from Egyptian oppression – they hoped that their God would once again act to save them from their enemies (cf...
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The Saviour of Sinners and Saints: a reflection for Day 35 of Lent

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“Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” (Luke 19.9-10)      Jesus and the disciples continue to journey towards Jerusalem. [1]   The number of people thronging around Jesus is increasing (Lk. 11.14, 29; 12.1; 13.22; 14.25; 19.1-3), and so is the tension between Jesus and the obstinate members of “his generation”.   Besides announcing imminent judgment, Jesus is feasting and telling stories.   Jesus’ “gospel” is bad news for the self-sufficient, smug and vengeful and good news for the poor, desperate and trusting.      The second episode showcasing the reactions of rich men to the challenge of the kingdom is found in Luke 19.   This chapter resonates with chapter 15, as Jesus once again dines with a (chief) tax collector, a notorious sinner from Jericho (Lk. 19.2, 7).   Also, the “punchline” of th...
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“Those who lose their life for my sake will save it”: a sermon for PALM SUNDAY 2026

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       A lot can happen in a week.   Just ask Jesus.   While Jesus is, rightly, the centre of attention in the Gospel narratives of Holy Week, I’d like for us to consider this morning the “elephants in Jerusalem”, i.e. the disciples.   What were the disciples experiencing during the final seven days of… “the-Present-Age phase of”… the life of Jesus?   A lot happened for the disciples during Holy Week.   Dreams tittered on the brink of fulfillment, only to be dashed to smithereens and then resurrected in a new form, all in the space of eight sunsets.   Then again, the Bible tells us that God “made the heavens and the earth” in the space of a week… the transition from an empty, watery chaos to an ordered cosmos teeming with life was also quite a change – and perhaps the Genesis story is a worthy template of how life so often goes.   Our lives frequently swing to and fro between chaos and stability, between job loss and the beginning o...
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Mammon or God? : a reflection for Day 34 of Lent

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“…Jesus said to him, “There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” But when he heard this, he became sad, for he was very rich.” (Luke 18.22-23)      Jesus and the disciples continue to journey towards Jerusalem.   The number of people thronging around Jesus is increasing (Lk. 11.14, 29; 12.1; 13.22; 14.25), and so is the tension between Jesus and the obstinate members of “his generation”.   Besides announcing imminent judgment, Jesus is feasting and telling stories.   Jesus’ “gospel” is bad news for the self-sufficient, smug and vengeful and good news for the poor, desperate and trusting.      In Luke 18.18, a “certain ruler” approaches Jesus with a question.   Thus begins the first of two episodes which sit close to one another in the narrative, showing the different reactions of two rich men to the ch...
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A trick to “manage” job loss: a reflection for Day 33 of Lent

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  “…his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly, for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” (Luke 16.8)        Jesus and the disciples continue to journey towards Jerusalem.   The number of people thronging around Jesus is increasing (Lk. 11.14, 29; 12.1; 13.22; 14.25), and so is the tension between Jesus and the obstinate members of “his generation”.   Besides announcing imminent judgment, Jesus is feasting and telling stories.   Jesus’ “gospel” is bad news for the self-sufficient, smug and vengeful and good news for the poor, desperate and trusting.      As chapter 16 of Luke’s Gospel begins, Jesus is once again telling a parable – in this instance, an infamously ambiguous and intractable story that has occasioned much spilling of ink. [1]   The Pharisees remain in the picture, if slightly out of frame (Lk. 16....
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Coming back from death – the joy of being found: a reflection for Day 31 of Lent

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  “…we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’” (Luke 15.32)      Jesus and the disciples continue to journey towards Jerusalem.   The number of people thronging around Jesus is increasing (Lk. 11.14, 29; 12.1; 13.22; 14.25), and so is the tension between Jesus and the obstinate members of “his generation”.   The tenor of Jesus’ teaching is often severe.   Jesus’ “gospel” is bad news for the self-sufficient, smug and vengeful and good news for the poor, desperate and trusting.      As was the case in the preceding chapter, Luke 15 opens with some Pharisees grumbling about Jesus’ kingdom-activity (15.1-2; cf. 14.1-6).   There is another link with chapter 14 – in both chapters, Jesus is participating in a communal meal.   However, there is also a sharp contrast between the two meals – while Jesus dined in the home of a Pharisee in ...
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