This world honors the rich, famous and powerful. But God honors those who minister to the poor. He honors those like Buck Ferr who has given up time with his family to coordinate debris removal teams in Laurel, Mississippi.
Jesus is the new sheriff in town - sent by his Father. And he doesn't like what he sees and what he hears. The Pharisees had argued the life right out of God's covenant.
Jesus is telling his disciples that people who lay aside their worldly possessions and pride and follow Jesus--all of these people, no matter how lowly, will have the same rewards… a place in Heaven.
I never owned one, but I liked the little W.W.J.D. bracelets. Ask yourself, "What would Jesus do here? What would Jesus say? How would Jesus react?" It can help you get beyond your own gut-level feelings and respond in a Christ-like manner.
Just who is this Jesus? By the time of this gospel he has gained far too much buzz to be ignored. Is he a trickster, a blaspheming charlatan, a sacrilegious upstart? The Pharisees think so. Is he a good man, a prophet, a healer, an agent of God? His followers think so.
Who is Jesus? That’s really the question we Christians are all trying to answer—to the world, to each other, to ourselves—isn’t it? I used to know the answer . . . when I was 5.
Jesus asks of us no more or less than he did of himself. This shatters the life of every Christian like a rock thrown through glass. Echoing Peter's refusal, we don't want a suffering messiah, one who calls us to a cross with our name on it.
In Dante's Divine Comedy, the envious always wanted what others had. They could not celebrate the gifts those others had received. They closed their eyes to the light of a shared life and sewed them shut.
Ask a group of people to keep a secret, and you're looking for trouble. More than likely, someone will let it out. Especially if the secret is astonishing.
Be honest. When you heard the reading of the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard just now, did your heart leap for joy? I think not! Let's face it, this is not one of Jesus' more popular parables.