Posts by Josh Moody

Deuteronomy 22-26, Psalm 68, Matthew 27:27-44, Romans 13 Matthew 27:27-44: Being reviled and treated as nothing is hard enough without excruciating pain thrown in too—but add to that the anguish of bearing the sins of the world. The moral curse that was ours is to be borne by him. The biblical account is sparing in its description of…

Deuteronomy 18-21, Psalm 67, Matthew 27:11-26, Romans 12:9-21   Matthew 27:11-26: The crucifixion is getting closer and closer. Jesus gives no answer to the accusations brought against him. The governor was amazed that Jesus gave no answer. Led like a lamb to the slaughter.   Pilate’s discomfort at the possible innocence of Jesus is greatly increased by an apparently…

Deuteronomy 13-17, Psalm 66, Matthew 27:1-10, Romans 12:1-8 Matthew 27:1-10: How extraordinary it is to find the leaders of God’s people “taking counsel” together to oppose the work of God, and to do so in such a gross manner as to actually seek to kill the Son of God (27:1)! The truth is that all of us are…

Deuteronomy 9-12, Psalm 65, Matthew 26:57-75, Romans 11:25-38   Matthew 26:57-75: In an illegal court, the high priest gathers to bring false accusations against Jesus to be able to take him to the Roman governors to ensure he is crucified. Peter follows at a distance (26:58). Many false witnesses come to accuse Jesus, but nothing wrong can be…

Deuteronomy 6-8, Psalm 64, Matthew 26:36-56, Romans 11:1-24 Matthew 26:36-56: What a prayer is this—take this cup from me, but not my will, but your will be done (26:39). Jesus is expressing his desire, if it be possible, that the cup of suffering would not be his. At the same time, through this torturous moment, he is both…

Deuteronomy 4-5, Psalm 63, Matthew 26:17-35, Romans 10 Matthew 26:17-35: Was ever love like this? Jesus prepares to eat the feast of Passover, and as he sits down at the meal, he tells them that one of them will betray him. He knows full well who it is—“You have said so” (26:25). And yet, out of love, Jesus…

Deuteronomy 1-3, Psalm 62, Matthew 26:1-16, Romans 9:19-33 Matthew 26:1-16: The movement towards Jesus’ death, betrayal, execution (and then resurrection) now appears inexorable. Once again, Jesus predicts his death (26:1-2). And, indeed, in the background, in the smoke-filled rooms of the religious leaders of the time, there is a plot being hatched to kill Jesus (26:3-4). There is…

Numbers 33-36, Psalm 61, Matthew 25:31-46, Romans 9:1-18 Matthew 25:31-46: This is no doubt one of the scariest passages in the whole Bible, and from the lips of Jesus. It does though first need to be correctly understood before its full weight can be appropriately felt and applied. The critical text to notice is the repeated, first positively…

Numbers 31-32, Psalm 60, Matthew 25:14-30, Romans 8:18-30 Matthew 25:14-30: Carrying on with Jesus’ teaching about how to get ready for his return, now is the famous parable of the talents. A “talent” was a monetary unit worth around twenty years’ work for a laborer. In very rough contemporary terms, then, if we say a reasonable but not…

Numbers 28-30, Psalm 59, Matthew 25:1-13, Romans 8:1-17 Matthew 25:1-13: The Master storyteller takes another story from contemporary life, familiar to his original hearers, and uses it to bring into sharp focus the lesson he has been teaching them. Imagine a wedding. Imagine two sets of bridesmaids. As sometimes happens, the bridegroom is much delayed—so much so,…