There is something deeply moving about the opening scene in this story. Jesus comes to Bethany as a guest among friends. John tells us it is six days before the Passover (John 12:1). The shadow of the cross is already present, though nothing outward has yet unfolded. In that home, Mary breaks open costly ointment and anoints Him (John 12:3). …

The story of Easter is not gentle or sentimental. It moves from a borrowed donkey to a borrowed tomb, passing through betrayal, darkness and a cross. It is a hard story. Yet, year after year, we return to it. We all love stories with a hero. But if we are honest, a hero at a distance is not enough. What …

The Bible is not a collection of disconnected stories or religious ideas. It tells one great story and at the centre of that story stands one person: the Lord Jesus Christ. From Genesis to Revelation the whole of Scripture moves toward Him and finds its fulfilment in Him. The Apostles understood this clearly, which is why their message was simple …

When I was a young Christian, I once heard a preacher say, “Repentance is a lifestyle.” I did not grasp it then. In my mind, repentance belonged to conversion, that first decisive break with the past, turning from sin at the start of the Christian life. This is true, as far as it goes. In Mark 1:15, Jesus begins His …

Few biblical texts carry the weight, simplicity and the reach of what Jesus called the ‘Greatest Commandment’ found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5. It stands at the heart of Israel’s faith and, crucially, at the heart of Jesus’ teaching and all the teaching later expressed by the Apostles. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love …