They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

Matthew 14:20

I love going out for a curry with my friends. Sadly it’s not something that happens all that often, but I do enjoy it when I get a chance. Being rather unadventurous, I tend to have a chicken tikka masala, pilau rice and a Peshwari nan, and perhaps one of those funny ice creams in a fruit skin afterwards. By the time I’ve munched my way through that lot, I’m usually completely full. Not another morsel could cross my lips. Then, of course, it’s time to pay the bill…

In today’s reading, we witness the aftermath of a very famous meal. Jesus has just miraculously fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish. You’d think that you might struggle to feed a dozen people with that, but somehow Jesus manages to feed five thousand! What’s more, after the meal there are twelve baskets full of leftovers! Everyone present, all five thousand, have eaten until they are full, and there is still a huge amount of food left.

The picture we have of Jesus in the feeding of the five thousand is of a compassionate person, who recognises the needs of all people and is eager to provide for those needs. We also get the image of one who provides in abundance; Jesus doesn’t hold back, he doesn’t give the people just enough to get by, he gives them more than they could possibly need. No one present on that day expected Jesus to be able to feed everyone who had turned up to listen to Jesus, but miraculously he did.

This is the same Jesus that we follow today. The Jesus who we have declared to be our Lord and master if we are Christians is the same generous Jesus who understands people’s needs and is able, willing and happy to meet those needs. Even if we believe that there is no way that Jesus could possibly provide all that we need, he is capable of doing so.

Give thanks today that our God is generous, loving and compassionate. Give thanks that he provides in abundance to those who follow him and listen to him. Pray that God will meet our needs, physically, mentally and spiritually. And be confident that no matter how unlikely it might seem that God can meet our needs, there is nothing that he cannot do.

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.

Matthew 14:13

Last month the premiere of the latest Harry Potter movie took place. Normally these events fill the whole of Leicester Square, with hundreds of film fans turning out to see the stars arrive for the screening. Harry Potter, though, is now such a successful film franchise that fans filled not just Leicester Square, but also Trafalgar Square. Over the years the films have gained such an enormous following that people travelled from across the country, and indeed the world, for the premiere.

Throughout his ministry, Jesus was followed by huge crowds. People turned up to listen to him teach, or in the hope that they might be healed, or even just to witness one of his incredible miracles. People told their family and their friends that Jesus was in the area, and in no time at all, thousands of people had turned out to see Jesus. There was no escape for Jesus. Even when he retreated to somewhere quiet in the hope of enjoying a few minutes peace and quiet, he was followed by crowds.

Perhaps these days we take Jesus for granted. Maybe we’re so used to reading his teachings in the Bible, or reading of his miracles, that we’ve lost the excitement, the sense of expectation felt by those who discovered Jesus during his earthly ministry. If we lose that excitement, though, it doesn’t take long for us to neglect our faith; we stop reading our Bibles, we stop praying, and any excitement that we had left about Jesus gradually disappears. When we make Jesus ‘normal’, we downplay the magnificence of his words, the majesty of his kingdom, and the breath-taking events of his death and resurrection. When Jesus’ victory over death becomes something that we just accept without response, our faith withers and dies.

The truth, of course, is that nothing about Jesus was normal. He was – and is – radical, inspirational, saving and life-giving. We need to be careful not to lose sight of that. We need to be more like the crowds that followed Jesus, passionate about following him, desperate to see him, and eager to hear every word that he says.

Let’s resolve today to ensure that our faith is a living faith. Let’s ensure that we’re excited about Jesus, and desperate to study his every word. Let’s strive to live our lives as a response to Jesus’ words. And let’s pray for enthusiasm of the crowd that see in today’s reading.

I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Matthew 5:44-45

Sometimes in life we find ourselves in situations where people hurt us. Perhaps a family member or close friend is unkind to us. Perhaps someone we work with is unpleasant to us. Maybe we find ourselves subject to workplace bullying by a boss or employer. It’s never nice being hurt, particularly when it’s by someone who we feel should treat us rather better. When we are treated badly, it’s very easy to feel strong hatred towards the culprits. Love is often the last emotion we feel towards these people.

That’s why today’s verse is so challenging. Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. It’s easy to love those who love us, but loving people who mistreat us, who persecute us, who make our lives a living hell is rather more difficult. Sometimes, indeed, it feels impossible. Yet that is what we’re called to do.

Jesus tells us to love our enemies for two reasons. Firstly, because in doing so we are living as “children of heaven,” transformed by the love of Christ, and seeking to build God’s heavenly kingdom here and now. Secondly, we are called to love our enemies because God loves them too. God, we are told in this verse, blesses the evil and the good, the righteous and the unrighteous. If we love God and strive to follow him, we should love what he loves – and that means even those people who mistreat us.

Of course, one of the best ways of loving someone is to pray for them, as Jesus commands us to do here. Praying for our enemies forces us to see them as humans and can change our perception of them. Praying that they will come to know Jesus can lead them to salvation and away from God’s judgement. And of course, if our enemies come to follow Christ and strive themselves to live out the gospel, perhaps they will cease to persecute us. After all, if they come to know Christ, they will themselves discover the importance of loving all people.

There’s no denying that this is a very difficult verse to live out, but just think how different the world would be if everyone stopped hating, and loved everyone they encountered. If our default position was to love all people the world would be transformed. So why not make that commitment to love today? Why not try to love everyone that you encounter, whether they love you or persecute you?

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

It’s easy at the end of a week to feel absolutely exhausted.  The pressures of work that have built up over the course of the working week often seem like a weight around the neck, which, as the weekend approaches, we can’t wait to throw off and relax a little.  Add to that the other pressures that we find ourselves under – from family and friends, from Church and from other commitments, and life can feel like a bit of a struggle sometimes.  In that context, today’s verse is a great encouragement.

In this verse, Jesus is speaking in the context of the religious legalism imposed on the Jewish people by the scribes and the Pharisees.  They often spoke of taking on “the yoke” of the law.  Jesus, whilst affirming that he had not come to abolish the law (Matthew 5:17) had a rather different take on the message.  His kind of faith is not one that forces followers to live by a prescriptive list of rules and regulations that must be obeyed; instead, it is a faith of personal commitment to him.  If we strive to follow him and to honour him, everything else will fall into place, and we can be sure of our salvation.  In Jesus we can find rest, for he is “gentle and humble in heart” and by following him we will find rest for our souls, that sense of inner peace that all humans long for.

Jesus might not be able to take away all the commitments of work and family life that we feel can burden us, but he can give us true inner peace.  By knowing Jesus, the rest of our lives take on a different focus.  By seeking to live out his teachings in our workplaces, no matter how good or bad our bosses are, we know that we are living for Christ.  When things get tough at home, we can draw comfort from the knowledge that we, and our families, are loved by God.  And ultimately, by knowing Jesus, all the stresses and strains of our modern lives are put into an eternal context; yes, life in the here and now but be busy, stressful, and at times painful, but if we honour Jesus, we are promised eternal life with him in heaven after death.

So as you prepare for the weekend, reflect on the fact that real peace, that inner peace that we can feel in our souls, is found in Christ. Let’s pray that we will feel that inner peace in the days ahead.

“And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”

Matthew 22:39

When I was at university, I was determined to get involved in as many interesting activities as I possibly could. Having worked for two years in a job that I didn’t really enjoy before starting my degree, I wanted to make the most of every opportunity I had. Two of the activities I very quickly got involved with were the Christian Union, where I served on the committee, and in the Chaplaincy, where I helped to plan the services and other activities, as well as playing my flute in the morning service. Very quickly, though, I realised that I had very little time for myself, and that I was getting tired and stressed. I remember vividly the words of the wife of the chaplain, who quoted today’s verse at me, and told me that it was implicit within it that we should love ourselves, and ensure that we look after ourselves as well as loving those around us. It came as a bit of a revelation to me, and is something that I have continued to reflect on in the years since I left university.

We read yesterday that one of the fruits of the Spirit, which we demonstrate if we are committed to Christ, is love. Love is central to the character of God, and should be central to our character too. In John 3:16, one of the most well known verses in the Bible, Jesus tells us that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son.” Jesus was sent to live amongst us, and died in our place on the cross. On the cross, he was cut off from his father, and experienced pain and loneliness in a way that we simply could not begin to comprehend. God sent Jesus willingly, though, and Jesus willingly died for us because of God’s vast love for us. If we are seeking to emulate Christ in our behaviour, then, we must first of all demonstrate love for everyone we meet, whether we like them or loath them. We might not be called to die for someone else, but there are plenty of practical ways that we can love people – helping them, caring for them, supporting them, listening to them, just being there for them. How often, though, do we find ourselves being unpleasant to people just because we are having a bad day. Similarly, just as the chaplain’s wife said to me, it is just as important that we love ourselves too, and make sure that we have time to relax and unwind, eat properly, exercise regularly, and sleep properly. If we do not love ourselves, it is very hard to love those around us.

Reflect today on whether you love your neighbour as much as you love yourself. Do you love yourself? Do you demonstrate God’s love to everyone you meet?

“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 20:28

I get very irritated when people “pull rank” and try to use their position to get one over on other people. Some people seem to develop this skill from an early age. When I was at prep school, older boys would say, “older, senior, been here longer!” as a justification for why younger boys should do as they told them. When I worked at a leading retailer, I used to get very annoyed when management would refuse to help fill the shelves. Particularly around Christmas, there would be a lot of work to do before the store opened, but management seemed to think that it was beneath them to fill shelves. Even in teaching, there are some senior managers who will use their seniority in order to get a more junior member of staff to do something that they would not do themselves. To me, the whole notion seems rather immature and silly.

Jesus, as the Son of God, had the ultimate opportunity to “pull rank.” If anyone is more important than anyone else, then surely Jesus is! He is, after all, the messiah promised by God, who is seated at the right hand of the father. He is, in fact, God. Jesus adopted the opposite attitude, however. He is known as the “servant king,” and in today’s verse, he states that he “did not come to be served, but to serve.” He has come to serve us, rather than for us to serve him! The ultimate way that Jesus did this was by giving “his life as a ransom for many.” When he died on the cross, he released us from the captivity of our sins, and freed us to be with him in heaven. We hear this so often that it almost becomes meaningless, but when you think about it, that is quite a remarkable statement. Jesus died for us. For you. For me. He willingly took the punishment for the sin that we have committed, so that we could approach God. He gave up his life to save us. That is surely something that we can give thanks for.

Do give thanks, then, that Jesus did give his life as a ransom. Reflect too on the idea of the “servant king.” As we strive to be more like Jesus, perhaps we should think about whether that humility and service to others is something that we demonstrate every day.

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes’?”

Matthew 21:42

I’ve recently discovered the joys of being an eBay seller. I know I’ve come to the party a little late, but in the past it has always seemed like so much hassle. Aware of the inordinately large amount of junk I have cluttering up my house, however, and an impending wedding, I thought that it would be a good time to have a bit of a clear out. What has amazed me is just how much value people place on the stuff that I consider tat. The stuff I throw out goes on to become another person’s pride and joy. I recently got a message from someone I sold an ancient satnav unit to, telling how her father was absolutely delighted to receive it for Christmas. Having replaced it with satnav on my phone, it was surplus to my requirements, however, and was just sitting in the bottom of my wardrobe.

In today’s verse, Jesus speaks rather cryptically about a stone that builders rejected that went on to become a marvelous capstone, the crowning glory of a building. What had seemed worthless to them, actually had a great deal of value. Of course, Jesus is talking about himself. The rejection that he speaks of is his own rejection, when he was betrayed by a close companion, disowned by one of his closest friends, and rejected in favour of a common criminal by the crowd. Jesus was, as a consequence, executed. This was not the end, however, because he rose from the dead, and subsequently ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. He who was rejected was highly valued by God, and given the authority to judge all human beings.

One of my favourite songs has the line, “ashamed, I hear my mocking voice, call out among the scoffers.” The first few times I sang this song, I thought that this simply could not be true – I would not have been in the crowd baying for Jesus’ blood. A while later, I realised that actually, I probably would have been. Subsequently, I have realised that actually I am in that crowd rejecting Jesus every day. Every day I do things that dishonour Jesus, who died for me. Every day, I neglect to serve Christ as I ought. I might have said that I accept Jesus as my personal saviour, and said that I want to live my life for him, but so often, I fail in that.

I’m sure that I’m not alone in that. The good news is that we have a loving God who forgives if we truly repent – if we say that we will try our hardest to do better in the future. Let’s all reflect on the things that we do that dishonour Jesus, and repent of our sins today.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

Soon after I joined my university Christian Union, the committee launched a major evangelistic project. At the University of Essex, where I studied for my first degree, most first year students lived in flats on campus, with between five and sixteen people in a flat. The CU committee decided that as an expression of God’s love, we would deliver a loaf of bread and two tins of baked beans to every flat on campus. How effective it was as an attempt to share the gospel with our peers, I don’t really know, but it certainly got us lots of recognition on campus, and people were talking about us for quite a while afterwards!

Evangelism is one of those difficult things about being a Christian. Lots of people feel uncomfortable doing it, and there is much discussion and debate (sometimes even arguments!) about how we should go about doing it. Today’s verses, the final verses in Matthew’s gospel, indicate that however we go about sharing the good news of Christ, we should be doing it!

The key for me in this verse is Christ’s stipulation that we should be teaching people to obey everything that he has commanded us. In order for people to be taught that they should obey Christ, though, they need to be taught why they should obey Christ. Before people can be taught why they should obey Christ, they need to understand who Christ is. It is vital, therefore, that we all make an effort to help our friends, colleagues and acquaintances to understand who Christ is. Most people have preconceived ideas about Jesus, and it is up to us to deal with wrong ideas about Christ, and to replace them with more accurate views. What better way to do this than to introduce people to the Jesus of the Bible – to help them to see for themselves just who Jesus was, and what he taught?

Today, then, why not make another New Year resolution? Why not resolve to help people understand not just that you are a Christian, but why you are a Christian? Share with them the miracle of Christ.

Today Crossring begins a short series entitled simply “The Gospel.” We hope that you will find this a useful way of getting “Back to Basics” with your faith as we enter a new year, and that it will help equip you to “make disciples of all nations.” Why not refer your non-Christian friends to this article series, and begin a discussion with them about what they have read?

Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’”

Matthew 22:37-39

Twenty first century life is full of rules. There are literally thousands of laws in the United Kingdom telling us what we are not allowed to do, from driving to fast to murdering people, from shoplifting to fraud. Working in a school, I am only too aware of the abundance of rules; homework must be done on time, go to lunch at the correct time, don’t walk over the grass next to the classroom block. I supervise detentions on Wednesday and Thursday lunchtimes, and you would be amazed what some people are punished for!

Sometimes, to non-Christians, our faith can seem like a religion based solely on rules. Most people know the ten commandments, and lots of people are aware of the seemingly rather stranges laws of Leviticus and other Old Testament books. Christianity can seem like a whole long list of rules about things that we, as Christians are not allowed to do, and things that we are required to do. This makes Christianity seem like a very restrictive religion to many. Yet Paul tells us that “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1). This suggests that Christianity is actually more freeing than restricting!

Just prior to today’s verse, a Pharisee has tried to trick Jesus by asking him what the greatest commandment was. Jesus succinctly summaries the whole of the Old Testament law, and the nub of Christianity, by stating that we must firstly love God with every fibre of our being, and secondly that we should love our neighbour as ourself. Unfortunately, Matthew does not indicate the reaction of the crowd to Jesus’ answer, but I can imagine them being fairly stunned. All those rules and regulations that they thought they had to keep are summarised into just two lines!

As we being a new year and a new decade, it is perhaps worth thinking how much we adhere to this rule. Can we honestly say that we love God with all of our heart, all of our soul and all of our mind? Is he the single most important thing in our lives? And do we really love others as much as we love ourselves – those we do not get on with as well as those that we do? Are there people at work, for example, who wind us up who we treat in a manner that does not conform to this commandment? Let’s all resolve to love God, and our neighbours, more this year.

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

Matthew 2:13

In a previous job, on my very first day at work, my new boss made it clear to me that she did not like me. She commented that she did not like people who had been educated in private schools, and since I went through the independent sector, there could be no doubt that she resented me for my educational background. She proceeded to try and make me life as uncomfortable as she possibly could. As a consequence, the dislike that she felt for me became mutual.

Sometimes people can provoke strong reactions like that, and sometimes for what amount to very trivial reasons. Jesus is also a person who has attracted strong reactions for the last two thousand years. People love and worship him, but people also hate and despise him for what he represents, usually because he poses a challenge to their lives or their understanding of the world. Herod clearly felt greatly threatened, since he ordered the murder of all baby boys in order to eradicate the one that the wise men had called a “king.” He knew that he was the king, and anyone who dared to challenge his position would be dealt with most severely. Herod feared that if Jesus was allowed to grow up, he might attempt to overthrown him, and bring his rule to an end.

There is a little bit of Herod in most of us. We all like to be in control of our own lives – to be the king of queen of our own existence. We like to make decisions for ourselves, and do things our own way. When someone poses a threat to us, we start to panic and fear what might happen if they become more powerful than us. If anyone challenges our view of the world, or the way we live our lives, then we try to disregard them. After all, we know best.

Apart from we don’t really. We only understand the here and now. God, however, has an eternal perspective, and knows what will be in our best long term interests. If only we were less selfish, and surrendered control of our lives, ambitions and plans to God, then things would be a lot better – for us, our families, for God’s people, and probably even society as a whole.