Jesus battles against human meanness of spirit.
Jesus’ ministry of healing and deliverance
Mark 9:14-29, Luke 9:37-43
Jesus speaks again about his death
Matthew 17:22-23, Mark 9:30-32, Luke 9:44-45
Payment of the Temple tax
Matthew 17:24-27
Who’s the greatest?
Matthew 18:1-5, Mark 9:33-37, Luke 9:46-38
Causes of sin
Matthew 18:6-9, Marl 9:42-50
The parable of the lost sheep
Matthew 18:10-14
John is rebuked
Mark 9:38-41, Luke 9:49-50
Teaching on forgiveness and prayer
Matthew 18:15-20
As soon as Jesus comes down from the mountain, he is met by a scene of failure. The disciples have tried unsuccessfully to heal an epileptic boy. He is a difficult case, and Jesus ends his suffering and that of his parents by winning a brief battle with the evil spirit who had controlled him. It brings a cry of exasperation from Jesus’ lips - fresh from a mountain top experience, he is immediately plunged back into the grime and misery of human existence. He tells the disciples again that he is going to die, but they can’t accept it. He breaks up a quarrel between them over who is the most important, and tries to teach them to see things from the other side - a child is greatest in God’s kingdom, because he is dependent on God, not arrogantly assuming he can go his own way.
There’s a little string of episodes in which the disciples misunderstand, display the wrong attitudes, fail in trying to imitate Jesus, and generally display the human condition in a poor light. Perhaps this serves to make it clear that Jesus’ radical way of salvation is the only one that will work - it’s no good assuming that humans can get better by their own efforts - we just can’t carry it through.
Jesus’ ministry of healing and deliverance
Mark 9:14-29, Luke 9:37-43
Jesus speaks again about his death
Matthew 17:22-23, Mark 9:30-32, Luke 9:44-45
Payment of the Temple tax
Matthew 17:24-27
Who’s the greatest?
Matthew 18:1-5, Mark 9:33-37, Luke 9:46-38
Causes of sin
Matthew 18:6-9, Marl 9:42-50
The parable of the lost sheep
Matthew 18:10-14
John is rebuked
Mark 9:38-41, Luke 9:49-50
Teaching on forgiveness and prayer
Matthew 18:15-20
As soon as Jesus comes down from the mountain, he is met by a scene of failure. The disciples have tried unsuccessfully to heal an epileptic boy. He is a difficult case, and Jesus ends his suffering and that of his parents by winning a brief battle with the evil spirit who had controlled him. It brings a cry of exasperation from Jesus’ lips - fresh from a mountain top experience, he is immediately plunged back into the grime and misery of human existence. He tells the disciples again that he is going to die, but they can’t accept it. He breaks up a quarrel between them over who is the most important, and tries to teach them to see things from the other side - a child is greatest in God’s kingdom, because he is dependent on God, not arrogantly assuming he can go his own way.
There’s a little string of episodes in which the disciples misunderstand, display the wrong attitudes, fail in trying to imitate Jesus, and generally display the human condition in a poor light. Perhaps this serves to make it clear that Jesus’ radical way of salvation is the only one that will work - it’s no good assuming that humans can get better by their own efforts - we just can’t carry it through.
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