The next three weeks will see us follow Jesus as he makes his way through Judea up to Jerusalem where he will challenge the religious authorities with his teaching, be arrested and crucified. As the time draws short, Jesus will continue to teach his disciples along the way about what it means to be a part of God's family. This week's readings focus on Jesus' teaching about marriage and the celibate life, as well as the place and importance of children in the Christian community.
- Read Matthew 9:1-12. How can we honour both the high demands of Jesus' teaching about marriage, and the equally high demands of his teaching on forgiveness (looking back to Matt. 18:21-35)?
- The Apostle Paul had to apply this challenging teaching from Jesus in his new Christian communities in the Greek cities of the eastern half of the Roman Empire. Read 1 Corinthians 7:10-16 and consider how we might prayerfully apply Jesus' teaching to our own time and place.
- Read Matthew 19:13-15. While children have a much more important place in our society than they did at the time of Jesus, do we truly value them as an equal part of our churches?
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