Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” Then the disciples approached and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees took offence when they...
Pentecost 14 A: Forgiveness and Freedom
posted by DJL
Dear Partner in Preaching, This is one of the hardest parables we’ll ever preach on. Actually, that’s not quite true. The parable itself is actually pretty straightforward; it’s the reality the parable describes that’s hard. The parable itself, we should keep in mind, comes on the heels of Peter’s question to Jesus about how many times he should forgive. When Jesus stuns him by multiplying Peter’s generous suggestion of forgiving someone seven times to seventy-seven (or, probably a better translation, seventy times seven) times, Jesus then illustrates the importance of forgiveness by sharing this parable. While the overall...
Matthew 15:1-9
posted by DJL
Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said,...
Gethsemane
posted by DJL
I’ve spent a wonderful week in Iceland with pastors and lay people from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Iceland. We’ve been talking about preaching, a changed and changing culture, and the challenge of shaping a biblical imagination in a culture that is both overwhelmingly and nominally...
Matthew 14:34-36
posted by DJL
When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. After the people of that place recognized him, they sent word throughout the region and brought all who were sick to him, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed. So...