Luke 6:43-45 “Notice what you notice.” If I had not put the two gospel passages side by side, I would have said that Luke had nothing to add that Matthew had not already said (yesterday), including the same words, almost verbatim! However, I would have been wrong! Luke gives us something to grab onto – …
Author Archives: Fred
March 20 / Matt. 12:33-37
Matthew 12:33-37 “Notice what you notice.” Matthew again on good and bad trees and their fruit… It’s intriguing that Matthew has this item in chapter 12 when he had already covered it in chapter 7 in the Sermon on the Mount. I can’t recall any other items like this (similes, metaphors, analogies, parables) that are …
March 19 / Matt. 7:15-20
Matthew 7:15-20 “Notice what you notice.” So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit (v. 17). The context here is “false prophets”. We should feel blessed that those who lead us at St. Andrew’s do not appear to be “false prophets” or “diseased trees” or “wolves in sheep’s clothing”. …
March 18 / Matt. 7:7-14
Matthew 7:7-14 “Notice what you notice.” For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few (v. 14). Strange that today’s reading would follow Patrick’s sermon from yesterday, where he asked us to look again at our “assurance of salvation” (my words, not his). …
March 17 / Luke 6:37-42
Luke 6:37-42 “Notice what you notice.” Luke’s Gospel on judgment… Some days I read the passage over and over before something hits me. Not today. Right away I saw three things I wanted to comment on. First, Luke adds a strange item to the parallel section in Matthew, where he says Give and it shall …
March 16 / Matt. 7:1-6
Matthew 7:1-6 “Notice what you notice.” Do not judge… and “pearls before swine”. A couple of good lessons here. I’ve had to work on my being overly judgmental. In a sermon a few years back our pastor in Texas told us that our worst trait was often our best trait taken to a negative extreme …
March 15 / Luke 12:22-34
Luke 12:22-34 “Notice what you notice.” Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys (v. 33). My Study Bible had a comment on this verse: “The danger of riches …
March 14 / Luke 11:1-4
Luke 11:1-4 “Notice what you notice.” Luke’s “Our Father”… It’s natural to compare Luke’s “Our Father” with Matthew’s. I saw three distinct differences and one other possible item: “Lord, teach us to pray… “…this day…” vs. “…each day…” or “…day by day…” The Matthew ending, “But deliver us from evil…” and following… I’m surprised that …
March 13 / Matt. 6:25-34
Matthew 6:25-34 “Notice what you notice.” Worry. Jesus lays it out and makes it sound quite simple. His words are so simple, in fact, that my Study Bible has only two comments on these ten verses – and even those two comments add almost nothing to our understanding of what Jesus says. Plain and simple …
March 12 / Matt. 6:16-24
Matthew 6:16-24 “Notice what you notice.” Fasting. Wealth. Our eyes. Three topics, a few sentences for each. Only a few words, but a lifetime of lessons! Again, who can disagree with Jesus’ direct words? But as I said yesterday on the topic of “giving”, our Men’s Group has spent hours looking at our responsibilities as …