14th April 2013

 The reading is from Matthew 5: 1, 2, 38 - 42. Continuing with a Jesus centred Gospel this week looks at Justice, retaliation & generosity. The people of Jesus day (including his disciples) understood both how the legal system worked and how people functioned in everyday life. In ethics and law in a civilised society “the punishment should fit the crime but again Jesus teaches his disciples something more (but note he does not call for the removal of the Courts or the enforcement officers) if someone slaps you on the right cheek…this is more than a brake on retaliation but at what point do we stand up to an oppressor ? The difficult teachings on the place of justice and retaliation are then followed by equally challenging questions of generosity “ give to those who ask/and lead to those who ask to borrow .”

 

Notes will usually be available on the downloads section of the website