Matthew for Everyone Quotes

“Instead, the nations will now flock to a different hill: to the hill called Calvary, outside the city walls, where the king of the Jews has died a cruel and shameful death. As a sign of what is to come (and looking back to the wise men of 2.1–12, the centurion of 8.5–13, and the Canaanite woman of 15.21–28), we see another centurion, standing guard at the foot of the cross, giving voice to the confession of faith that millions more would make, in shocked surprise at the sudden revelation of God’s truth where one would least expect it: ‘He really was God’s son!”
― Tom Wright, Matthew for Everyone, Part 2: Chapters 16-28

“And when we ourselves find the ground giving way beneath our feet, as sooner or later we shall, Gethsemane is where to go. That is where we find that the Lord of the world, the one to whom is now committed all authority (28.18), has been there before us.”
― Tom Wright, Matthew for Everyone Part 2: chapters 16-28

“The shocking lesson for the disciples can, of course, be turned to excellent use if we learn, in our own prayer, to wait with them, to keep awake and watch with Jesus. At any given moment, someone we know is facing darkness and horror: illness, death, bereavement, torture, catastrophe, loss. They ask us, perhaps silently, to stay with them, to watch and pray alongside them.”
― Tom Wright, Matthew for Everyone Part 2: chapters 16-28