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Matthew 16:13-20 Sermon Commentary
Comments, Questions, and Observations This passage sits in the middle of the gospel of Matthew. It is the first time that the term “Messiah” is applied to Jesus Christ, and it is the first time that the church (ecclesia) is mentioned. It’s also the moment that Simon Peter becomes Peter in the narrative, the rock…
Exodus 1:8-2:10 Sermon Commentary
Image It matters a great deal where you place yourself in the Biblical narrative. Some of our worst theology comes from placing ourselves wrongly: always the hero, never the needy. Always the righteous, never the meanie. Erna Kim Hackett refers to this as “Disney Princess Theology.” “As each individual reads Scripture, they see themselves as…
Psalm 138 Sermon Commentary
In the film The Godfather Part II, we see in flashbacks the rise of the mafia kingpin Don Vito Corleone back in the early 1900s. At one point a friend of Vito’s wife was being kicked out of her apartment because she had been keeping a dog against the apartment rules. So Vito talks to…
Romans 12:1-8 Sermon Commentary
The biblical concept of “sacrifice” [thysian*] (Romans 12:1) is nearly as old as sin. Genesis 4:2-5 describes perhaps the first sacrifices offered to God by Cain and Abel. Many Old Testament figures, including Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob also offered sacrifices to God. The books of Exodus and Leviticus portray sacrifices as a common element…
Sermon Commentary From Other Lectionary Cycles
Matthew 16:13-20 Sermon Commentary
Proper 16A
Matthew 16:13a is not important, right? We can just skip to verse 13b, yes? We can just start with the question “Who do people say that I am?” That’s the core if it all here, right? Wrong! We cannot skip the geographical marker in this incident. If we do, we miss the key piece of…
Matthew 16:13-20 Sermon Commentary
Proper 16A
Matthew 16:13a is not important, right? We can just skip to verse 13b, yes? We can just start with the question “Who do people say that I am?” That’s the core if it all here, right? Wrong! We cannot skip the geographical marker in this incident. If we do, we miss the key piece of…
Psalm 124 Sermon Commentary
Proper 16A
“Whose side are you one?” That’s the challenging question that rings out over playground skirmishes, gangland rumbles, complicated family disputes, and international standoffs. It’s the question asked by Joshua as Israel was just beginning its conquest of the Promised Land. “Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in…
Sermon Commentary for Sunday
This Week's Commentary
Proper 16A
The Proper 16A Sermon Commentaries include reflection and illustration ideas for Matthew 16:13-20 from the Lectionary Gospel; Exodus 1:8-2:10 from the Old Testament Lectionary; Psalm 138 from the Lectionary Psalms; and Romans 12:1-8 from the Lectionary Epistle.
Related Reformed confession: Lectionary Gospel: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 84 (Lord’s Day 31)