Matthew

Commentary: The Teacher’s Voice (John 10: 1-5)

April 15, 2023 by P A Downs Leave a Comment

Image by Marjan from Pixabay

The Teacher’s Voice is based on John 10:1-5

The Image of the Shepherd

The country I live in has been shaped by over a thousand years of Christianity. One result is that the image of the shepherd-leader is very familiar. Another is that – even in an urban environment – the image of the shepherd is very popular. TV programmes about shepherds, for example, get reasonable viewing figures.

That creates a problem for parables about shepherds, because shepherding in the modern UK is very different from shepherding in Judea and Galilee. In the UK, like much of Northern Europe, pasture is easy to find. Like much of Northern Europe, wool was historically a major (and very profitable) industry. The Northern European shepherd doesn’t have to search for pasture; instead, they walk behind the flock, driving them in the direction they need to go.

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The Coffee Shop Assistant (Luke 17:7-10)

February 18, 2023 by P A Downs Leave a Comment

The Coffee Shop Assistant is based on Luke 17: 7-10

Suppose you went into a coffee shop, with an assistant serving behind the counter. Would you tell the assistant, “Oh, get yourself a coffee and take a break?” No, you’d say, “I want a coffee and a sandwich and bring it to my table,” because they can go on their break when they’ve done that. And would you think you owed the assistant a special favour because they filled your order correctly?

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Commentary: Left in Charge (Matt. 24: 45-51)

February 11, 2023 by P A Downs Leave a Comment

Left in Charge is based on Matthew 24:45-51

Retell?

The setting of this parable would have been understandable up to the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Nowadays, it’s more likely that people will have to handle their own catering. But, even today, fans of TV programmes like Downton Abbey could recognise the scenario – especially when ‘slave’ is translated as ‘servant’. That leaves us with the question of whether the parable even needs retelling.

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Left in Charge (Matthew 24:45-51)

November 19, 2022 by P A Downs Leave a Comment

Left in Charge is based on Matthew 24:45-51

So who’s the responsible, sensible worker whose employer has put them in temporary charge of an entire care home? Left them in charge of making sure the residents have food and care? It’s going to be good for that worker when their employer gets back and finds them working hard. They’ll get promoted, become the new manager.

But suppose that worker was untrustworthy? That they said to themselves, ‘my employer won’t be back for ages.’ That they start ill-treating the residents, stealing their things and using the money to go drinking with their friends?

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Commentary: The Unforgiving Debtor-Matt. 18: 23-34

October 29, 2022 by P A Downs Leave a Comment

The Unforgiving Debtor is based on Matthew 18: 23-34

Retelling

A couple of blogs ago, I mentioned two parables that don’t need retelling. The Unforgiving Debtor is a parable that comes very close to ‘doesn’t need retelling’. After all, people still go into debt; they still rack up much more debt than they can ever repay.

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The Unforgiving Debtor (Matthew 18: 23-34)

October 22, 2022 by P A Downs Leave a Comment

The Unforgiving Debtor is based on Matthew 18: 23-34

What’s God’s Nation like? Imagine a man who traded in futures. He borrowed some money, from a loan company, to cover a loss. Then he lost more than he had (again!), so he borrowed more money, then more money…

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