Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

Paul has already mentioned two different expressions of groaning in this passage – the groaning of creation and the groaning of Christians – with each connected to the future glory that God’s people will have. Now he mentions a third expression of groaning, one that comes from the Holy Spirit. The groaning of the Spirit is connected to some of the prayers offered by God’s people, which tells us that this is an experience that only believers know. The first comment that we can make about the groaning of the Spirit is that it is connected to the other two expressions of groaning. Both those expressions were positive and not negative because they are concerned about the future entry by God’s people into their inheritance. The Holy Spirit has his eye on that day as well, so we can deduce that his groaning is one of sympathy with the groaning of Christians. A second comment we can make is that this activity of the Spirit is intended as a support for Christians in their weaknesses. Of t...

It is the case that there are many reactions to the cross of Jesus today just as there was when he was crucified. And we can see that John describes several initial responses to the crucifixion of Jesus, some hostile to him, some indifferent about him, and some very concerned over him. But John first reminds us that Jesus had to carry his own cross to Golgotha. His own cross It was customary for those about to be crucified to carry their own crosses to the place of execution. Such a practice added to the contempt with which the person was regarded. The cross could have been carried on a cart or by an animal, but the victim was regarded as unworthy of such help. On the journey to Golgotha, the victims would have been jeered and taunted. It is possible that the two criminals were near Jesus on this journey, and if they were, then the onlookers made no distinction between the good and the bad. Jesus was numbered with transgressors in different ways during his public ministry, and the...

J. C. Ryle gives his opinion of this passage, and it is quite a remarkable assessment of its importance: ‘ This passage contains a humbling picture of what human nature is capable of doing in religion. It is one of those Scriptures which ought to be frequently and diligently studied by all who desire the prosperity of the Church of Christ.’ Traditions are part of life. They exist wherever there is a long history, although they can also be the consequences of recent actions. So in our country we have strong political traditions as anyone who has seen the Houses of Parliament in operation knows. We even get traditions connected to football teams and comments can be made if a new manager does not follow them. And we have traditions in religious practices. It is the last type that Mark refers to here when he relates an interaction between Jesus and the Pharisees. How long had these traditions been around? Long enough to be given an imposing title designed to prevent criticism and assess...

One of the important ways to read the Bible is to do so with a willingness to accept what it says even if it seems to go against what we have been taught about life, especially with regard to what has been regarded as spirituality. It is the case that our religious background has tended to downplay the importance of the physical and instead to highlight inner aspects of our responses to God. Yet to ignore the physical is to ignore some essential areas of the Christian life. For example, when we read the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25, do we realise that the criteria for the judgement assessment are connected to physical activities such as feeding the hungry, visiting the needy and identifying with the persecuted (those in prison)? The assessment is not about our aspiration or our intentions with regard to such matters, but about our actions concerning them. Of course, those actions flow out of an inner change, but they are one essential set of proofs of an inner chan...