John 14:15-17 The word that is translated ‘advocate’ in today’s verses is hard to pin down. Some of us were brought up with the term ‘Counsellor’ which was the word used in the Authorised King James’ version of the Bible. The Greek word literally...
John 14:13-14 On the face of, it this sounds like Jesus is writing us a blank cheque. If you hadn’t read anything else from the Bible, this passage might give you the impression that we can come to God and ask for whatever we want. Request a jet...
John 14:12 When the disciples heard Jesus say these words, they were doubtless in a state of shock. They had just learnt that their master and friend was going to be leaving them. Given that they had abandoned their previous ways of life to follo...
John 14:6 Jesus had just told his disciples that they knew the way to where he was going. But Thomas denied it. He didn’t know where Jesus was going, so how could he have any idea how to get there? Jesus’ answer is one of the most crucial stateme...
John 14:1-2 The disciples were facing the biggest challenge of their lives. For the previous three years, their life had been defined by Jesus. They had intimately shared all the daily challenges and excitements of his healing and teaching minist...
John 13:34-35 It’s not entirely clear what was new about this commandment from Jesus because the command to love one’s neighbour is firmly embedded in the Jewish Law (Leviticus 19:18). Perhaps Jesus was pointing to the new example of love which h...
John 13:14-15 At no time in the history of the Church has foot washing been a regular practice, and I don’t believe that Jesus was suggesting that it should be. He was simply giving his disciples an example of costly service. If we want to live i...
John 13:8-9 For Peter, everything seemed wrong about Jesus washing his feet. The task of foot washing was such a lowly role that a Jewish slave had the right to refuse to perform it! Peter’s refusal was as strong as he could make it, and totally...
John 13:6-7 Everything was surprising about the fact that Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. First of all, this was a job for a junior slave, not a rabbi of Jesus’ standing. It was also a job that was done as soon as people entered a house, not wh...
Psalm 149:4-5 As we read through the book of Psalms, we see that they are full of declarations of how great God is. They constantly remind us that he is the creator of heaven and earth, and is therefore worthy of all our worship and praise. But w...
Ezekiel 37:4-6 The prophecy of Ezekiel isn’t an easy read. It records the complete failure of God’s people, and the details of God’s judgment are spelt out in vivid and terrifying detail. When Ezekiel was given a vision of a valley filled with dr...
Ezekiel 16:62-63 These words come at the end of a long and agonising chapter in which God reminds Jerusalem of its rebellion against him. He recalls the fact that the city had heathen roots. Before it became the holy city for the people of Israel...
Ezekiel 14:6 If you had visited Jerusalem in the days leading up to King Nebuchadnezzar’s attack on the city in 597 BC, you might not have thought their problems were all that great. The Temple was still functioning and, on the surface, nothi...
Ezekiel 3:16-17 Most towns and cities in Ezekiel’s time were protected by thick walls. They lived with the continual possibility of attack and so the role of the watchman was crucial. When Nehemiah rebuilt the city of Jerusalem, watchmen played a...
Ezekiel 3:10-11 This is a crucial point for every Christian teacher and minister to hear. Before you dare to tell other people about God, you need to make sure that you have first received the message for yourself. This was precisely where the Ph...
