Author: timmacbride

2 Peter 1:12-21

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April is L-Plate month, where I’ve turned over this website to my students. They are studying an introductory preaching subject this semester, and writing for this website is part of their assessment, as well as a learning exercise for them. I’m hoping you’ll interact with them a bit via the comments function at the bottom of each post, offering some feedback. (Particularly, feedback that’s constructive or affirming – they’ve got me to deliver the negative stuff! Remember, some of them will never have preached before, and some have English as their second language.) They will then incorporate this feedback in a sermon they present in class at the end of semester.

We continue today in 2 Peter.

2 Peter 1:12-21 | Sam Walker

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2 Peter 1:1-11

/ timmacbride / 12 Comments

April is L-Plate month, where I’ve turned over this website to my students. They are studying an introductory preaching subject this semester, and writing for this website is part of their assessment, as well as a learning exercise for them. I’m hoping you’ll interact with them a bit via the comments function at the bottom of each post, offering some feedback. (Particularly, feedback that’s constructive or affirming – they’ve got me to deliver the negative stuff! Remember, some of them will never have preached before, and some have English as their second language.) They will then incorporate this feedback in a sermon they present in class at the end of semester.

Over the next three weeks (including weekends – it’s a large class!) they’ll be taking us through the letters of 1 and 2 Peter, and Jude. We begin today with 2 Peter.

2 Peter 1:1-11 | Dan Waugh

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Matt 28:11-20

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Today we conclude our reading notes through Matthew’s Passion narrative, looking at the Great Commission.

Matt 28:11-15

11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

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Matt 27:11-26

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We continue our reading notes on Matthew’s Passion narrative, in the weeks leading up to Easter.

Today we look at the trial before Pilate, in which Matthew continues to emphasise the innocence of Jesus. Although it may seem Pilate is concerned with Jesus’ innocence, his delaying tactics are probably more about toying with the Jewish rulers to show who was really in charge. After all, Pilate had a reputation for being brutal and self-serving, and was quite hostile to the Jews early in his rule. He caused great offence when he attempted to set up a Roman standard within Jerusalem, when he tried use temple treasury money to fund aqueduct construction, and when he defiled the temple sacrifices by mixing human blood in with them (see Lk 13:1).

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Matt 27:1-10

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We continue our reading notes on Matthew’s Passion narrative, in the weeks leading up to Easter.

Today we look at the story of Judas’ remorse and suicide. This isn’t found in Mark’s Gospel, but Matthew adds it here probably to contrast it with Peter’s remorse – one leads to despair, the other to true repentance. It also makes the picture of the Jewish leadership blacker still, showing how their failure to lead and serve the people led to Judas’ terrible destiny.

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Matt 26:57-75

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We continue our reading notes on Matthew’s Passion narrative, in the weeks leading up to Easter.

Today’s passage is similar to yesterday’s, where the story alternates between the ordeal of Jesus and the weakness of the disciples – in this case Peter.

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