Maylands Church of Christ

To be able to forgive is an important part of being able to live together in community. Whenever Jesus was confronted with the question of ‘forgiveness’ – the answer was always the same: that forgiveness was to be an ‘ongoing’ interpersonal action between followers. Forgiveness is a ‘Kingdom Value’ that continues – when we have done it, still we must keep on doing it. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant which follows in Matthew’s Gospel suggests that God holds us...

From the beginning, God the Father’s heart has always focused on looking after those who need rescuing or need bringing back in. It is God’s will that not one of them should perish or be denied entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven. This parable has been told from a couple of different perspectives – according to two different Gospel writers. In Luke the focus is on the lost sheep. In Matthew it is on the ‘little ones’ who have strayed...

Living in community is often empowering, but other times difficult and never easy in practice. People are different and not everyone one wants to play by the rules of life together. Living within Christian communities of faith are frequently very similar. We know there can be differences of opinion, disputes and individuals who continue living out their old ways – before they knew Christ. Here (in Matthew 18:15-20) Jesus provides a Kingdom-based model for people living in faith communities of...

In Matthew’s Gospel, we can see Jesus demonstrate real concern for the ‘little ones’ of the Kingdom. After all Jesus has already said to the disciples – about who he is, the Kingdom and his mission – they still have time, it seems, to argue about who is the ‘greatest in the Kingdom’. Jesus makes it apparent to them: Look at things the opposite way around, turn it all inside out. Don’t think it is all of about power or...

Jesus challenges and changes people in ways that we may never truly understand. This seems on the surface, at least, to be one of the strangest stories in the entire Bible. Why has Matthew told this story (17:22-27) we might well ask? The point of the story, isn’t that Jesus had the power to perform a miracle and make a coin appear in the mouth of a fish – although that is certainly implied. Nor is it that Jesus is...

After Simon Peter proclaims Christ as Messiah, “Son of the Living God”, Jesus promises the keys to the Kingdom to him. Even though as we know, he previously questioned Peter’s faith. Christ, though makes it clear that such a revelation could only come directly from God the Father himself.Yet here he says that: Peter is a rock on which his Church on earth will stand and nothing will be able to tear it down. The identity of Christ is crucial...

From this point in Chapter 16, the Gospel of Matthew moves towards Christ’s fate in Jerusalem. No sooner after Peter is called ‘like a stone’ he is now labelled a ‘stumbling block’ by Jesus. Of course, Peter’s thinking still, like most Jewish people of his day was that a Messiah was supposed to be a figure of authority or an all-conquering King – not someone betrayed, beaten, suffering and killed. It is easy for us all to think of the...

Jesus challenges us to set priorities and adjust our focus towards God in Heaven, and his Kingdom. When he told his followers not to worry about tomorrow, he led them by example. He wasn’t constantly looking ahead anxiously, or making the present moment count – only because of what might happen next. Instead, he seems to have had the gift of living totally in the present, giving complete attention to the present task, celebrating the goodness of God here and...