Reflection for the Week

A young man blessed with many possessions in life walked away sad when Jesus said that wealth held him back. The Disciples had given up everything, and Peter asked what they would get out of it. Jesus talked about eternal life. In a parable, temporary workers who put in a full day expected more pay than those who had worked for merely an hour. Another tale described invited guests refusing to attend a wedding feast for the king’s son. Among people then invited off the streets, one skipped putting on a wedding garment (a robe a king would have

Children depend on their parents to love them, care for them, and give them what they need. Jesus noticed the reluctance of adults to humbly acknowledge dependence on our heavenly Father. Even the faithful sometimes go astray, but the Lord never hesitates to bring a lost sheep back into the fold. The Pharisees used Mosaic law on marriage to challenge Jesus, who taught His followers not to undo God’s work. We might want to draw the line on how many times we will forgive. When Peter suggested seven as a cutoff, Jesus said to go for seventy-seve

Walking across a turbulent sea, Jesus came to the rescue when Peter tried it but started to sink. The Disciples wondered what went wrong when they failed to bring healing to someone unable to heed physical dangers. Jesus taught that “impossible” would no longer apply if they had faith the size of a mustard seed. On the other hand, a Canaanite woman had faith enough to put differences in beliefs aside and plead with Jesus to heal her daughter. Pharisees and scribes preferred sticking to the letter of the law and asked Jesus why His disciples

In Jesus’ parable, an enemy went so far as to sow weeds in a wheat field. Good and bad mingle in the world. We can see reckless disregard of the dangers of sin. We encounter values different from our own. On the other hand, the lessons Jesus taught and grace gladly bestowed enable us to see the wisdom of ignoring a “word to the wise” that would contradict God’s Word. Scripture shows us that Jesus cast a wide net, drawing people to Him. Like a fisherman netting unpalatable fish among the prized catch, He continues to easily spot both hyp

Jesus told a parable of seed scattered on all kinds of ground to teach the importance of receptiveness to His Word. Scribes and Pharisees asked for a sign, and Jesus pointed out the prophet Jonah’s three days and nights in the belly of a whale before going forth to preach repentance among the hostile people of Nineveh. Likewise, the Son of Man would spend three days in the heart of the Earth before rising. The mother of James and John wanted Jesus’ assurance that her sons would sit at His left and right in heaven. They envisioned the royal

Townspeople sometimes refused to repent, even after seeing the miracles that Jesus worked. The Lord kept on inviting people to come to Him, and He traveled around to meet them. Blessedly, the heavenly Father reveals things to the childlike that escape people supposedly wise. For instance, Pharisees called it unlawful breaking of the Sabbath when the Disciples decided to pick and eat heads of grain while walking along. Jesus allowed the innocent snacking. The Lord taught that kindnesses to His Disciples—even something as small as offering a cu

After suffering for twelve years from hemorrhages, a woman believed that wellness would come if she touched Jesus’ cloak. Imagine her fear when He abruptly turned around at the mere touch. Jesus said to have courage, and she needed it! Until the Lord said that her faith had saved her, the woman had no idea what He would do. On the same day, Jesus rewarded an official’s faith by bringing his daughter back to life. After giving the Twelve authority to preach and heal in His name, Jesus sent them forth with the instruction not to pack even mon