As we celebrate Palm Sunday, we will pause to consider how important the idea of resurrection was in first century Judaism. The resurrection is foundational for Christian beliefs but we see it with hindsight.  We will look at the ways ancient Israelites viewed death and the surprising role of early prophets in Jewish understanding of hope after death. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

When Jesus’s disciples miss the real problem with a sick boy, Jesus takes the opportunity to remind them of the scope of their ministry and the need for prayerful discipline. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

This week, we pause to look back over Matthew’s gospel so far and consider what it meant to be a disciple. Why did Jesus choose those he did? What did he ask of them in the moment? And what he was preparing them for? Last, what does that mean for the Church? | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

In one of the oddest moments of Jesus’s ministry, something happens on a mountain that three of his disciples struggle to comprehend. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

While walking through the Golan Heights, Jesus asks a strange question. When Simon Peter takes a leap of faith, Jesus changes his name and makes a declaration that has been misinterpreted for 2000 years. During the message, Erik discussed the way that ancient temple locks (called Laconian Locks) worked. Here is a video of a | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

When the Pharisees and Sadducees ban together to “stump” Jesus with a question about the end times, his response puts them on their heels and confuses his disciples. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

Picking up after the healing of the Canaanite woman, Jesus makes a circuitous journey home. Along the way, he teaches a subtle lesson about the reach of the gospel and relationship between Jews and Gentiles. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

Confronted by religious leaders who have traveled north from Jerusalem to question him, Jesus openly criticizes their interpretation of the Scriptures. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

Hearing John the Baptist was executed, Jesus makes what appears to be an “accidental” tour around the northern Galilee performing two extraordinary miracles and healing many, drawing attention from the religious elite. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King

At the beginning of this narrative section, Matthew takes a moment to relate what happened to John the Baptist. This gives us a unique insight into the historical context of Jesus’s ministry. You can download the lyrics sheet for the songs here. | Matthew | Series: The Exiled King