The scheme for May – June can be found here
Pr 5-6; Mat 12; Psalm 76
There are many places we might stop and pause in the 12th chapter of Matthew’s gospel. The intriguing mention of the Sabbath and the Temple. Is Jesus here pointing to the disciples as the new priestly caste – within the new creation announced by the Lord of the Sabbath?
Certainly he takes legalistic notions of Sabbath and demolishes them – this ‘Sabbath breaking’ is consistently portrayed as a key episode in the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees. Clearly there is far more to the Sabbath than perhaps we comprehend.
Again Jesus’ words contradict what we might call ‘easy believeism’. The Life of Christ is expected to be evidenced n the life of the believer. Jesus reminds his hearers that ‘every careless word you utter’ will have to be accounted for. This saying following on from the issue of blasphemy against the Spirit, locates those careless words in the realm of speaking of God.
And once more we are reminded of the new people of God, the new ‘family’ – those who do the will of my Father in heaven.
Jesus’ words here as so often are unambiguous. uncomfortably so. How is it that we have so often designed a faith that fits us and requires nothing of us in terms of doing the will of God?
the elves are heading west 