Dear Partner in Preaching, A question: Do you think the disciples were more frightened before the stilling of the storm or after? I realize the answer may seem obvious. After all, not only does Mark describe the “weather event” the disciples are experiencing out on the See of Galilee as “a great windstorm,” but he also tells us that the boat is so swamped with water that the disciples are frightened for their very lives. And yet consider: after Jesus stills the seas and wind with his voice, after the disciples recognize that even the elements of nature obey their teacher, and after all that was once terrifying has been banished, the...
John 2:11
posted by DJL
Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. Just one more word on this first public event in Jesus’ ministry. Notice that when John describes Jesus’ act of turning water into wine he doesn’t describe it as a...
Matthew 14:13-21
posted by DJL
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the...
Matthew 12:9-13
posted by DJL
He left that place and entered their synagogue; a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, “Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath?” so that they might accuse him. He said to them, “Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath; will you not...
Pentecost 8A: The Real Miracles of the Story
posted by DJL
Dear Partner in Preaching, Do me a favor and resist the pedestrian temptation to call Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand a miracle. It’s not that I don’t understand the appeal of describing this event as a miracle – it’s in all four gospels and all that – or that it’s technically inaccurate – what Jesus does is rather wondrous. But I nevertheless worry that by drawing attention to Jesus’ act of feeding these crowds we actually may actually overlook the more significant miracles that take place in the story Matthew narrates. Here’s the thing: while we may debate whether Jesus suspended the...