The short second letter of Peter begins by reminding us what it means of what it means to live as Christian people in the world: moral excellence, self-control, endurance, godliness, affection for others and love. But this reminder has a larger purpose: the author of 2nd Peter knows that we are in this faith for the long haul. The earlier letters of Paul spoke of the imminent return of Christ They believed and hoped that he was coming back soon. But now, well, he's still coming back, but perhaps not so quickly. so what do we do, in the meantime?
We wait. And we live. And we live faithfully. Which means....
we are on guard against false teachers, which are everywhere trying to lead us astray, both by teaching and by life style. The author speaks about teachers who proclaim that there is no ultimate truth, and therefore no point to living a chaste and humble life.
The other two things the author of 2nd Peter does are:
1. he retells the story of the transfiguration, remembering the moment on the mountain when Jesus appeared to the three disciples. In the same way we retell the stories (not just of the transfiguration, but all of the stories of scripture, and also the stories of how God works in our lives).
2. and he imagines the future that they are looking forward to, the future where there is a new heaven and a new earth, and righteousness is at home.
In between these two realities is faithful waiting and faithful living. The author reminds us that in God's time a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day, and that the delay is a gracious sign, because the longer God delays his coming, the more people who will hear and believe the good news.
And one more thing: between God's faithful actions in the past, and our hope for the future, is the present, and the presence of God.
Showing posts with label Peter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peter. Show all posts
Monday, August 20, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Day 80: Faith under Fire
The Letters of Peter, James, John and Jude are called by scholars the "catholic" epistles -- because they don't seem to be written to any one church (as Paul's letters were) but seemed meant to be shared among many churches. So they are not known by who they are to, but by who (supposedly) wrote them. I say supposedly because not all scholars are agreed that every one of these catholic epistles was written by the person to whom it is ascribed.
Aside: the word catholic means "universal."
That being said, there does seem to be a theme for this short letter. It is written to a church, or to churches, that are experiencing persecution. So there is a combination of inspiration, encouragement and exhortation in this letter. There's the wonderful image of the church as living stones, chosen, gathered up and built into a house by God. Peter wants the people to remember that God first loved and chose them; this will help them to resist the temptations they encounter and the sufferings that they need to endure. He identifies the people as strangers among people with different values than their own. He encourages them to continue to live counter-cultural lives, resisting finery, and living simply. Persecution and suffering naturally come to those who are faithful (look at Jesus, after all).
I have to admit some discomfort with some of the author's advice, especially his advice to slaves to obey their masters and just keep taking the abuse. Although this was certainly written at a different time than ours, when the Roman empire did not take kindly to civil disobedience, these verses and others have been used to justify oppression and slavery. And do we want to counsel women to put up with being beaten by abusive husbands, because suffering can be good for you?
We need to be careful how we read scripture.
Certainly there is truth here. We can't avoid suffering in life. And it's true that many have suffered for good cause, and that good has come out of it (I think of those who peacefully protested the Jim Crow laws in the south, and won civil rights for themselves by their faithful witness).
So the author writes to people who are experiencing suffering, and we can hold on to this: suffering is not good, but when we encounter suffering in this life, it also does not that we have done wrong. Sometimes it is a price we pay for doing the right thing.
Aside: the word catholic means "universal."
That being said, there does seem to be a theme for this short letter. It is written to a church, or to churches, that are experiencing persecution. So there is a combination of inspiration, encouragement and exhortation in this letter. There's the wonderful image of the church as living stones, chosen, gathered up and built into a house by God. Peter wants the people to remember that God first loved and chose them; this will help them to resist the temptations they encounter and the sufferings that they need to endure. He identifies the people as strangers among people with different values than their own. He encourages them to continue to live counter-cultural lives, resisting finery, and living simply. Persecution and suffering naturally come to those who are faithful (look at Jesus, after all).
I have to admit some discomfort with some of the author's advice, especially his advice to slaves to obey their masters and just keep taking the abuse. Although this was certainly written at a different time than ours, when the Roman empire did not take kindly to civil disobedience, these verses and others have been used to justify oppression and slavery. And do we want to counsel women to put up with being beaten by abusive husbands, because suffering can be good for you?
We need to be careful how we read scripture.
Certainly there is truth here. We can't avoid suffering in life. And it's true that many have suffered for good cause, and that good has come out of it (I think of those who peacefully protested the Jim Crow laws in the south, and won civil rights for themselves by their faithful witness).
So the author writes to people who are experiencing suffering, and we can hold on to this: suffering is not good, but when we encounter suffering in this life, it also does not that we have done wrong. Sometimes it is a price we pay for doing the right thing.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Day 40: The Message Expands outward, with opposition
There's a shift coming here -- in chapter 12, it is the preaching and message of Peter which still take precedence, but shortly the apostle Paul and his exploits will take center stage. Though right away we can tell that the church is growing, and that the opposition is growing too.
James, John's brother is martyred, Peter is put in prison, and the church is under duress. It is not explicitly stated, but the implication is that Peter is about to be martyred. But an angel leads him through locked prison doors, until he is comes to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark. (this is where the believers often met.) He knocks on the door, and a little servant girl named Rhoda answers the door. She is so excited to see him that she forgets to let him in!
Also, just inside, many disciples are sitting in a circle and praying for Peter. Imagine their surprise when the answer to their prayers is suddenly standing among them.
Perhaps it felt as if Jesus had been resurrected again.
Answers to prayer are not always (or even usually) so dramatic or immediate. But this gives you an idea of how the Spirit directed the early believers.
So the Spirit sends them out from Antioch, even farther out. Paul, Barnabas and John Mark head down to Seleucia, to Cyprus, and to Paphos and Perga, preaching in the synagogues and then going out to tell the Gentiles as well.
Paul preaches a sermon telling the basic story about Jesus. He meets with success at first, but later on, some of the other Jewish leader come in with questions, and their success is diminished. This is the pattern wherever he goes, whenever Paul goes out into the world; he always goes to the synagogue first, and then later on, they go out to the Gentiles.
Even when Paul meets with success, there are complications. Paul heals a man in Lystra, and then has to deal with the problem that the people there think they are gods, like Zeus and Hermes. They are too popular for their own good. Even so, it appears that the crowds of believers are easily swayed, and later on Paul is stoned and left for dead.
Crowds are fickle. It is ever so.
And even success bring complications, for the early church, and for us.
James, John's brother is martyred, Peter is put in prison, and the church is under duress. It is not explicitly stated, but the implication is that Peter is about to be martyred. But an angel leads him through locked prison doors, until he is comes to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark. (this is where the believers often met.) He knocks on the door, and a little servant girl named Rhoda answers the door. She is so excited to see him that she forgets to let him in!
Also, just inside, many disciples are sitting in a circle and praying for Peter. Imagine their surprise when the answer to their prayers is suddenly standing among them.
Perhaps it felt as if Jesus had been resurrected again.
Answers to prayer are not always (or even usually) so dramatic or immediate. But this gives you an idea of how the Spirit directed the early believers.
So the Spirit sends them out from Antioch, even farther out. Paul, Barnabas and John Mark head down to Seleucia, to Cyprus, and to Paphos and Perga, preaching in the synagogues and then going out to tell the Gentiles as well.
Paul preaches a sermon telling the basic story about Jesus. He meets with success at first, but later on, some of the other Jewish leader come in with questions, and their success is diminished. This is the pattern wherever he goes, whenever Paul goes out into the world; he always goes to the synagogue first, and then later on, they go out to the Gentiles.
Even when Paul meets with success, there are complications. Paul heals a man in Lystra, and then has to deal with the problem that the people there think they are gods, like Zeus and Hermes. They are too popular for their own good. Even so, it appears that the crowds of believers are easily swayed, and later on Paul is stoned and left for dead.
Crowds are fickle. It is ever so.
And even success bring complications, for the early church, and for us.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Day 39: The Circle Widens with Cornelius and his family
There's a turning point in this chapter, and it begins with two men praying and seeing angels and having visions. First, there is Cornelius, a pious Gentile, who is praying at around three in the afternoon (one of the hours of prayer, by the way), when he sees an angel who tells him to go and summon a man named Simon (who he has never met.) This Simon will tell him Something.
In the meantime, Peter is also praying. It is noon (another hour of prayer) and he sees a vision while he is on the roof. In the vision, he sees a sheet full of animals that are considered unclean by Jewish law. The voice in the vision says to Peter, "Get up! Kill and eat!" Peter refuses, but the voice persists. "Never consider unclean what God has made pure."
Peter does receive a visitor, who invites him to Cornelius' home. He finds a surprising welcome when he gets there. There are many people waiting for him, waiting for the word that he will give him. Peter begins by noting that Jewish law forbids him to even be in the house with Cornelius. But God has commanded him.
So he preaches the good news about Jesus to Cornelius and his extended family and servants. The result? They are all "filled with the Holy Spirit" (whatever that means); they begin to speak in tongues. Because of what Peter witnesses, he decides that these Gentiles should be baptized and become a part of the body of believers.
No longer is the church simply a small sub-set of Judaism. It is still small, but it is a wider circle.
The other believers have questions for Peter when he gets back to Jerusalem. They aren't happy that he broke Jewish law, and they don't understand why he baptized Cornelius. But he explains his encounter and the power of God he witnessed there, and the other apostles change their minds. Perhaps even Gentiles can repent, they decide.
I know that this story is literally about the divide between Jews and Gentiles, but I can't help but wonder what unclean things God might be declaring pure even now, and in whose lives we witness the power of God, if we are given eyes to see it.
That is the criteria for Peter: I saw the power of God in the life of Cornelius. I saw the Holy Spirit.
What about you? Where do you see the power of God? Are there any surprising places?
There's a short aside after this story about the church in Antioch, and how Antioch is where the people who believed in Jesus were first called "Christians." As well, I can't help but notice how obviously the Spirit directed the travels, words and actions of the apostles (according to Luke.) The Spirit tells them that there will be a famine. The Spirit tells them to go to this city, or to send this person.
I wonder what it would be like for us to listen carefully enough to know that our actions were spirit-directed. And what do you suspect we would be called to do?
In the meantime, Peter is also praying. It is noon (another hour of prayer) and he sees a vision while he is on the roof. In the vision, he sees a sheet full of animals that are considered unclean by Jewish law. The voice in the vision says to Peter, "Get up! Kill and eat!" Peter refuses, but the voice persists. "Never consider unclean what God has made pure."
Peter does receive a visitor, who invites him to Cornelius' home. He finds a surprising welcome when he gets there. There are many people waiting for him, waiting for the word that he will give him. Peter begins by noting that Jewish law forbids him to even be in the house with Cornelius. But God has commanded him.
So he preaches the good news about Jesus to Cornelius and his extended family and servants. The result? They are all "filled with the Holy Spirit" (whatever that means); they begin to speak in tongues. Because of what Peter witnesses, he decides that these Gentiles should be baptized and become a part of the body of believers.
No longer is the church simply a small sub-set of Judaism. It is still small, but it is a wider circle.
The other believers have questions for Peter when he gets back to Jerusalem. They aren't happy that he broke Jewish law, and they don't understand why he baptized Cornelius. But he explains his encounter and the power of God he witnessed there, and the other apostles change their minds. Perhaps even Gentiles can repent, they decide.
I know that this story is literally about the divide between Jews and Gentiles, but I can't help but wonder what unclean things God might be declaring pure even now, and in whose lives we witness the power of God, if we are given eyes to see it.
That is the criteria for Peter: I saw the power of God in the life of Cornelius. I saw the Holy Spirit.
What about you? Where do you see the power of God? Are there any surprising places?
There's a short aside after this story about the church in Antioch, and how Antioch is where the people who believed in Jesus were first called "Christians." As well, I can't help but notice how obviously the Spirit directed the travels, words and actions of the apostles (according to Luke.) The Spirit tells them that there will be a famine. The Spirit tells them to go to this city, or to send this person.
I wonder what it would be like for us to listen carefully enough to know that our actions were spirit-directed. And what do you suspect we would be called to do?
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Day 38: The Adventures of Philip, the Conversion of Saul
At the end of the last chapter, we were briefly introduced to someone who will eventually play a major part in both the book of Acts and in the growing church (we will read many letters by him.) A young Pharisee named Saul is zealous for his faith, holds the coats of those who are stoning Stephen.
And he has other plans for the followers of Jesus....
But, we move on for a moment, to hear about some exploits of another of the Deacons (remember those seven deacons?) Today there are two stories which feature Philip (not the apostle, but the deacon, newly commissioned). First there is a story about a magician names Simon, who follows the disciples around and is captivated by the powerful acts they can do. He was the main event before Philip and Peter arrive with the power of the Spirit, given through the laying on of hands. Eventually he asks whether he can pay money to get some of that power, because, you know, it might come in reallllly handy.
Part of me feels sorry for Simon. He does, in some ways, seem genuinely curious about what is going on. But, he just doesn't get it. I also can't help wondering if this story is here to both compare and contrast the power of magic and the power of the Holy Spirit. It seems, some people do mistake the two....
The second story involve Philip not healing and preaching, but in a one to one conversation with an Ethiopian eunuch. There are many strange elements to this story, not the least of them the character of the Ethiopian eunuch, sitting and reading scripture (in your mind, picture him reading aloud, but to himself) when Philip happens by. He is reading Isaiah 53, about the suffering servant, and asks the question, "Who is this suffering servant?" Philip baptizes him on the spot, and sends him on his way. (The Ethiopian church, by the way, traces its inception to this Bible story…).
Remember Saul?
Now, we are back to his story. He's got some dastardly plan for Christians in Damascus, when God intercepts him, blinds him, and turns his life in another direction. I always feel that Ananais, the man sent to pray for Saul's sight to be restored, doesn't get enough credit. We're all about the Bible heroes (like Saul, like Peter), but Ananias is no less important. It's just that nobody wrote down the stories of all the things that Ananais did. If he hadn't put aside his questions and obeyed God, the whole story of the church might have turned out differently.
After Paul becomes a disciple, you might be interested to know that he is not immediately embraced by the disciples in Jerusalem, who are understandably suspicious. It takes some time before they believe that this is not an elaborate plot.
Again, there are conflicts with the synagogue leaders, who try to kill Saul/Paul.
And Chapter 9 shifts the focus again by reporting the story of Peter's healings, and how he raised a pious woman named Tabitha (or Dorcas) from the dead.
When I read of the power of the Holy Spirit in Acts, I inevitably begin to meditate on the gift of healing. On rare occasions, I do hear a story of someone being healed; I do believe it can happen. But....
And he has other plans for the followers of Jesus....
But, we move on for a moment, to hear about some exploits of another of the Deacons (remember those seven deacons?) Today there are two stories which feature Philip (not the apostle, but the deacon, newly commissioned). First there is a story about a magician names Simon, who follows the disciples around and is captivated by the powerful acts they can do. He was the main event before Philip and Peter arrive with the power of the Spirit, given through the laying on of hands. Eventually he asks whether he can pay money to get some of that power, because, you know, it might come in reallllly handy.
Part of me feels sorry for Simon. He does, in some ways, seem genuinely curious about what is going on. But, he just doesn't get it. I also can't help wondering if this story is here to both compare and contrast the power of magic and the power of the Holy Spirit. It seems, some people do mistake the two....
The second story involve Philip not healing and preaching, but in a one to one conversation with an Ethiopian eunuch. There are many strange elements to this story, not the least of them the character of the Ethiopian eunuch, sitting and reading scripture (in your mind, picture him reading aloud, but to himself) when Philip happens by. He is reading Isaiah 53, about the suffering servant, and asks the question, "Who is this suffering servant?" Philip baptizes him on the spot, and sends him on his way. (The Ethiopian church, by the way, traces its inception to this Bible story…).
Remember Saul?
Now, we are back to his story. He's got some dastardly plan for Christians in Damascus, when God intercepts him, blinds him, and turns his life in another direction. I always feel that Ananais, the man sent to pray for Saul's sight to be restored, doesn't get enough credit. We're all about the Bible heroes (like Saul, like Peter), but Ananias is no less important. It's just that nobody wrote down the stories of all the things that Ananais did. If he hadn't put aside his questions and obeyed God, the whole story of the church might have turned out differently.
After Paul becomes a disciple, you might be interested to know that he is not immediately embraced by the disciples in Jerusalem, who are understandably suspicious. It takes some time before they believe that this is not an elaborate plot.
Again, there are conflicts with the synagogue leaders, who try to kill Saul/Paul.
And Chapter 9 shifts the focus again by reporting the story of Peter's healings, and how he raised a pious woman named Tabitha (or Dorcas) from the dead.
When I read of the power of the Holy Spirit in Acts, I inevitably begin to meditate on the gift of healing. On rare occasions, I do hear a story of someone being healed; I do believe it can happen. But....
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Day 34: The Resurrection.... and The Life
Chapter 19 should have been the last chapter, but it wasn't. Death should be the end of the story for Jesus, but it isn't. Joseph of Arimathea provides the tomb for Jesus' body. And the stone is rolled in front of the tomb, and that should be the end of it.
But it isn't. For Mary Magdalene, first to the tomb, and first to find it empty. For Peter and the Beloved Disciple (whoever it may be), For the other disciples, afraid and behind locked doors. For Thomas (a week later). For Mary, it's the sound of her name that convinces her that Jesus is not the gardener, but her friend and her Lord. For the disciples, it is the sight of his nail-scarred hands and his words, "Peace be with you." For Thomas, it is Jesus' invitation to touch him and find out for himself.
What is it for you?
At the end of Chapter 20 John hopes we who have not seen have come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and that we too have life, and that this chapter is not the last chapter for us, either.
But then, curiously, there is this other chapter, chapter 21. Chapter 20 seems like it ought to be the end, especially with that wonderful summary of the purpose of the Gospel at the end. But then there is chapter 21, which begins with some of the disciples together -- doing what? -- we don't know. It seems like they were just hanging out when Peter says "I am going fishing." And Jesus appears to them, and he gives Peter the commission to "feed my sheep," and he says words that seem like a prophecy of Peter's eventual martyrdom.
And then, again, John ends the gospel for the second time, by telling the readers that his 21 chapters are only a fraction of the stories that could be told about Jesus. There are so many stories about Jesus that all of the books in the world could not contain them.
And the story will never end.
But it isn't. For Mary Magdalene, first to the tomb, and first to find it empty. For Peter and the Beloved Disciple (whoever it may be), For the other disciples, afraid and behind locked doors. For Thomas (a week later). For Mary, it's the sound of her name that convinces her that Jesus is not the gardener, but her friend and her Lord. For the disciples, it is the sight of his nail-scarred hands and his words, "Peace be with you." For Thomas, it is Jesus' invitation to touch him and find out for himself.
What is it for you?
At the end of Chapter 20 John hopes we who have not seen have come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and that we too have life, and that this chapter is not the last chapter for us, either.
But then, curiously, there is this other chapter, chapter 21. Chapter 20 seems like it ought to be the end, especially with that wonderful summary of the purpose of the Gospel at the end. But then there is chapter 21, which begins with some of the disciples together -- doing what? -- we don't know. It seems like they were just hanging out when Peter says "I am going fishing." And Jesus appears to them, and he gives Peter the commission to "feed my sheep," and he says words that seem like a prophecy of Peter's eventual martyrdom.
And then, again, John ends the gospel for the second time, by telling the readers that his 21 chapters are only a fraction of the stories that could be told about Jesus. There are so many stories about Jesus that all of the books in the world could not contain them.
And the story will never end.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Day 25: He is Always Near
There's a little story at the beginning of Luke 21 -- the widow and her two coins. We often use her as an example of good stewardship, because she gave all she had. But she's not an example of good stewardship. She's a victim of the corrupt temple system; she's taken advantage of by unscrupulous religious leaders who use her offerings to build up the temple (which is just going to be destroyed anyway)
And, she's also a picture of Jesus, who gave up everything to set us free from the power of sin and death.
Because He is always Near. Keep alert. Keep Awake.
This chapter immediately precedes the beginning of the passion story, starting with Jesus celebrating the passover with his disciples. Before that, Jesus warns the disciples that they need to always keep alert, because the end will come like a thief in the night, and they need to be ready always. There are signs everywhere of his presence -- in the stars and the changing of the seasons, in the fig tree, in the widow and her two coins.
The end is always near.
Then the story becomes familiar: Jesus eats with his disciples, and one of them goes to betray him. He predicts Peter's denial; he prays, and they cannot keep their eyes open. He is arrested, and he is mocked, and Peter does deny Jesus, and finally, he is brought before the religious leaders.
The end is always near.
We fall asleep, but he prays for us, and keeps telling us: keep your eyes peeled.
Where do you see him?
And, she's also a picture of Jesus, who gave up everything to set us free from the power of sin and death.
Because He is always Near. Keep alert. Keep Awake.
This chapter immediately precedes the beginning of the passion story, starting with Jesus celebrating the passover with his disciples. Before that, Jesus warns the disciples that they need to always keep alert, because the end will come like a thief in the night, and they need to be ready always. There are signs everywhere of his presence -- in the stars and the changing of the seasons, in the fig tree, in the widow and her two coins.
The end is always near.Then the story becomes familiar: Jesus eats with his disciples, and one of them goes to betray him. He predicts Peter's denial; he prays, and they cannot keep their eyes open. He is arrested, and he is mocked, and Peter does deny Jesus, and finally, he is brought before the religious leaders.
The end is always near.
We fall asleep, but he prays for us, and keeps telling us: keep your eyes peeled.
Where do you see him?
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Day 6: Jesus begins predicting his death, and all that....(Chapters 16-18)
It keeps getting worse between Jesus and the religious leaders. (And, not to reveal any great secrets, but it will not get any better.)
In the meantime, Peter gets it right (momentarily, at least) by confessing that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. He gets a rare bit of praise from Jesus, but it doesn't last. Jesus tells his disciples how he will die, Peter is offended. Death on a cross is not something the Messiah of God should have to endure! And as fast as he was praised, Peter is rebuked. Called "Satan", of all things. "Get behind me!", Jesus says.
Now everything that Jesus says, everything that Jesus does, everything that happens is in the shadow of his words, that he will he will suffer and be killed and rise on the third day. What does it mean? Do these words change what Jesus will say and do next? Do they change what came before? (
There's a strange story in chapter 17 (okay, there are TWO strange stories, but one of them is well-known.) The transfiguration, if you really think about it, is a really strange story, about how Jesus goes up on some mountains and begins to shine, and looks like Jesus, but different, somehow. Somehow they know that the shining look means that this is Jesus in his glory. And just as this is dawning on them, the shining disappears.
No, the strange story I mean is about paying the temple tax, and finding this shekel in a fish's mouth.
Chapter 18 again contains the admonition that if our hand causes us to sin, we should cut it off. I never noticed until today that in Matthew, Jesus says this twice. It was tough enough to hear the first time.
On the other hand, Jesus tells us that children are greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. Those with the least power, who are the most vulnerable, are greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And finally, there is the math problem of forgiveness. 70 times 7. If you are in need of forgiveness, this might be good news. If you have been sinned against, these might be tough words to live by.
Where are you finding good news in Matthew so far?
Where are you finding tough words in Matthew?
In the meantime, Peter gets it right (momentarily, at least) by confessing that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. He gets a rare bit of praise from Jesus, but it doesn't last. Jesus tells his disciples how he will die, Peter is offended. Death on a cross is not something the Messiah of God should have to endure! And as fast as he was praised, Peter is rebuked. Called "Satan", of all things. "Get behind me!", Jesus says.
Now everything that Jesus says, everything that Jesus does, everything that happens is in the shadow of his words, that he will he will suffer and be killed and rise on the third day. What does it mean? Do these words change what Jesus will say and do next? Do they change what came before? (
There's a strange story in chapter 17 (okay, there are TWO strange stories, but one of them is well-known.) The transfiguration, if you really think about it, is a really strange story, about how Jesus goes up on some mountains and begins to shine, and looks like Jesus, but different, somehow. Somehow they know that the shining look means that this is Jesus in his glory. And just as this is dawning on them, the shining disappears.
No, the strange story I mean is about paying the temple tax, and finding this shekel in a fish's mouth.
Chapter 18 again contains the admonition that if our hand causes us to sin, we should cut it off. I never noticed until today that in Matthew, Jesus says this twice. It was tough enough to hear the first time.
On the other hand, Jesus tells us that children are greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. Those with the least power, who are the most vulnerable, are greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And finally, there is the math problem of forgiveness. 70 times 7. If you are in need of forgiveness, this might be good news. If you have been sinned against, these might be tough words to live by.
Where are you finding good news in Matthew so far?
Where are you finding tough words in Matthew?
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