To understand Jesus’s criticism in today’s reading, it helps to put it in context. In the previous verses, Jesus criticized the religious leaders of his day for being self-absorbed. Only outward appearances concerned them, and they used religion as a
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Building Tombs
Servant Leadership
Jesus’s harsh criticism of the religious leaders of his day is a wakeup call for us! They thought that religion was there to serve them. They used their power to get what they wanted and to puff themselves up. In
Read moreJumping Thru Hoops
One of the secrets to understanding scripture is to realize that it’s not a weapon. It’s not meant for us to use against others: “Oh, look at how evil *those* people are!” Instead, it’s a tool for us to use
Read morePure and Life-Giving Trust
7th Sunday of Luke Today, we get two for the price of one. The reading starts with a ruler of a synagogue coming to Jesus. His daughter is sick and he wants Jesus to come to his house and heal
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6th Sunday of Luke Most of us are familiar with the healing of the Gerasene Demoniac. Jesus travels into foreign territory where he encounters a crazed man living among the tombs. When Jesus confronts the demons possessing the man, they
Read moreThe Gospel and the Outsider
Last Sunday we read the parable of the sower. As I mentioned in my sermon, this parable is Jesus’s response to the question of why more Judeans weren’t becoming Christians. To them, it seemed like there were too many Gentiles.
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Sunday of the 7th Ecumenical Council The parable of the sower answers a critical question for many Christians: why have so many people rejected the gospel? As we find out, the sower represents Christ, or anyone who is teaching the
Read moreThe Widow as the Shepherd
3rd Sunday of Luke This Gospel passage finds Jesus entering the town of Nain. Just as he arrives, he comes across a funeral possession for a young man who has left behind his widowed mother. Moved with compassion by the
Read morePaying It Forward with Grace
2nd Sunday of Luke Today’s gospel lesson comes at the end of the “Sermon on the Plain.” The first line is one of the most famous verses from scripture, the Golden Rule—“Do to others as you would have them do
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