Matt 4:8-11 The two previous tests of Jesus were subtle, but the last is so blatant that one wonders how anyone could fall for this one. Jews in Jesus’ time recited the Shema (Deut 6:4-5) daily reminding themselves of their…

Matt 4:5-7 In Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus’ relationship to God is extensively tested. While His connection as Son to the Father is unique, we can nevertheless learn something about the nature of our relationship to God as well. In my first…

Matt 4:1-4 Sometimes hardship comes to us for no apparent reason. Jesus acted faithfully, got baptised and was affirmed publicly in our last reading, but now He is in the wilderness, hungry and tempted by the devil (Matt 4:1). God,…

Matt 3:13-17 As Jesus arrives to be baptised by John, Matthew alone records John’s hesitation (Matt 3:14). We might feel equally uncomfortable: Why should Jesus be baptised when He is sinless? And how does His reply ‘to fulfil all righteousness’…

Matt 3:10-12 John the Baptist’s call to a re-orientation of one’s life towards God is given against the background of God’s coming judgement. We are uncomfortable about the topic for several reasons. I know people whose experience of Christianity is…

Matt 3:7-10 When I was a teenager, a church friend invited me to her family’s bach[1] by Lake Balaton in Hungary. As we were sitting on the veranda, I looked up at the tree growing next to the house and…

Matt 3:1-6 Many of you reading this will know that at the end of last year I finished up as OT lecturer at Carey Baptist College, which meant moving my office to the spare bedroom at home. I ordered some…

I am taking a break from Exodus and continuing a series on Matthew (from ch.3) that I started over Advent and Christmas. For a summary of chs. 1-2, see my Christmas post here. Other posts on Matthew 1-2 are under…