Long-time readers will know by now that I love the quote from the physicist Niels Bohr, that the opposite of a great truth is also true. It’s an important idea and it’s linked to my fundamental theological maxim: that, in order to avoid idolatry and misunderstanding, we have to be willing to unsay everything we … Continue reading As Children, As Grown ups (A reflection on Mark 9.30-37)
One of the recurring themes in the teaching of Jesus is that small things can have an oversized impact. Normally this is in the context of his teaching of the Kingdom of God, which he compares to a tiny mustard seed which nonetheless grows into a large bush, or to a priceless pearl, which, though … Continue reading Leaven (A Reflection on Mark 8.14-21)
“There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Mk 7.15f) This brief passage from today’s Gospel reading is one of the most revolutionary of Jesus’ … Continue reading Spotless (A Reflection on Mark 7.14-23)
The Gospel reading this morning is the story of Jesus healing a man so beset by demons that he can no longer speak with his own voice. The man has lost his identity and refers to himself as “Legion,” after the multitude of voices in his head. For years, it seems, the man has been … Continue reading Face to Face (A reflection on Mark 5.1-20)
Matthew Root 