Reading the Gospel

The wedding banquet in this parable was prepared in all detail, not just the food and entertainment, but multiple rounds of invitations and a wedding garment as a gift for everyone invited. If the king represents God and his son is Jesus, then we are those invited to the wedding. And the wedding garment offered as a gift is the pure, righteous life of Jesus when He lived among us, which we receive...

This is one of Jesus’ most direct conversations with the Jewish leaders about losing the privileges of their missional covenant established with God through Moses. The “kingdom of God” will be taken away from them and given to others who fulfill its purpose and bring fruits. However, Jesus quotes a verse from the Psalms suggesting that repentance was still available for the Jewish leaders because...

The parable of the two sons starts with a “forced choice” question. As parents, we would rather prefer a third option. But Jesus crafted the story this way to emphasize the “changing of the mind,” the point of “turning around.” Better the end than the beginning, said the Wiseman. And our “turning around” in life may be a sign for others, in the same way the repentance of John’s listeners was a sig...

Amazed by Jesus’ power to cleanse the Temple, the religious leaders came to Him and asked by what authority did He do that. But they were not looking for evidence to believe in Jesus, because they had already decided to kill Him, they had already cut a deal with Judas for His betrayal. For the spiritual leaders of Israel, collectively, all evidence about Jesus’ divine nature and ministry has been...

The public ministry of Jesus is bookended by two cleansing of the Temple. This event is about the second one, just days before His crucifixion. The outcome is a glimpse of what could have happened if the people of Israel fulfilled their mission faithfully. The Temple would have been filled with those needing salvation and become a house of healing and prayer. There is also a personal application f...

On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus being hungry and expecting to find some figs in a tree with lots of leaves, is disappointed to find no fruit and curses the overpromising fig tree. The gospel of Luke presents this incident as a parable, with the fig tree representing the people of Israel, as well as any individual Christian today. Do we deliver what we promise? The next day the fig tree is completel...

Jesus’ triumphal entrance in Jerusalem fulfilled Old Testament types and prophecies and rekindled people’s hope of a political-military Messiah. People have neglected to study other messianic prophecies, such as Isaiah 53. Today, most of us are biased toward trying to confirm what we believe and hope for and therefore focus on just one side of the story. But by doing this we miss the whole picture...

This episode details the Jewish leaders’ plot to assassinate Jesus and Judas’ role in it. The surprising element is that Judas was not bribed or persuaded to betray Jesus. It was his owen initiative. It was the dead end of a road of questioning Jesus’ mission and developing a competing, hidden agenda. Even if we claim to be genuine Christians and have experienced the power of God in the past, we c...

The feeling of imminency about something great happening during the Passover Festival in Jerusalem made Mary Magdalen - a sinner in the eyes of her village - bring her expensive container of myrrh and anoint Jesus’ body just days before His death and burial. And she received the reassurance of forgiveness. Jesus’ parable teaches that he who is forgiven more loves more. This is not primarily about...

The parable of the ten minas tells us that we all receive at least one gift from God to help Him grow His Kingdom, gifts for which we are accountable. There is no explicit promise of reward beforehand, just the instruction to engage in business until He returns! In that day of accountability, one thing matters the most, how faithful have we been! In the Kingdom of God, success is measured differen...

The story of Zacchaeus contains the mission statement of Jesus Christ, He come to seek and save the lost. It’s a story of repentance and restoration and a gradual spiritual renewal until that amazing pledge in front of the crowd to give half of his wealth to the poor and on top of that, to restore fourfold everyone whom he wronged. A double sinner becomes an example for millions and millions of pe...

In this story, a blind man from Jericho named Bartimaeus makes a surprisingly strong statement of faith and implores the healing power of the Lord. As soon as he was healed, he followed Jesus, as His other disciples, on His way to Jerusalem. Jesus asked him to go his way, but the blind man chose Jesus’ way! What a contrast with the two disciples from the previous event who had sight but were spiri...

On their journey to Jerusalem, while “marching to Zion” and singing the Psalms of Ascent, the disciples’ minds were disconnected from the lyrics and their deep spiritual meaning. Moreover, Jesus told them multiple times about his upcoming betrayal, suffering, and death, but they didn't heed His words. They wondered who would be the greatest among them and who would sit the closest to the soon-to-b...

This is the third time Jesus foretells his death. The first time, in Cesarea Filipi, the disciples denied that reality and were ready to protect Jesus. The second time they were horrified. This time, the disciples’ senses are numbed by their dream of an earthly kingdom and desire to sit as close as possible to that political Messiah. Jesus knew that and tried to prepare them for a bitter disappoin...

The parable of the workers in the vineyard reveals a dimension of salvation that some may perceive as unfairness. And indeed, forgiveness which is the core of redemption, is somehow unfair. It was unfair for the thief on the cross to be forgiven and awarded heaven after doing so much evil in his life. But that is not unfair in the eyes of the whole universe, because by dying on the cross, Jesus ea...

The story of the rich young man, one of the rulers of Israel, reveals the surprising truth that we can come to Jesus but not follow Him. We need to untie ourselves from this world to enjoy that meaningful relationship with Jesus offered by the invitation “Come to Me.” The rich young man received the same invitation as Pater, John, and the other disciples. It’s important to come to Jesus at the rig...

While heading to Jerusalem to lay down His life for our salvation, Jesus found time for children, to take them in His arms and bless them. We found the meaning of blessing in the context of the story of Cration. Moreover, Jesus uses the simple, unsophisticated faith of children as a metaphor for our relationship with God. All people, children or adults, have a special place in the arms of the Heav...

In this episode, Jesus surprises the teachers of the Law of Moses by explaining the reason for God’s temporary teaching on divorce, their hardened hearts. Then Jesus establishes the marriage on the solid foundation of the creation story. The first two chapters of the Bible describe God’s ideal for humanity, to which we are called back.

The parable of a pharisee and a tax collector praying in the temple is short but it cuts deep into our self-righteousness and spiritual arrogance. When we worship our holy God, like looking into a mirror, we notice our imperfections and shortcomings. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. We cringe in our hearts realizing that we hurt Someone deeply interested in our eternal wellbeing. That is genuin...

The parable of the persistent widow is built on the contrast between our loving Heavenly Father and the corrupt character of an unjust judge. Even that unjust judge eventually did justice to a persistent widow. We don’t have to recite our needs in prayer over and over mechanically, hoping that by repetition, our requests will be granted. Prayer is a conversation with a dear friend who knows our si...

Through Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of God came in an invisible reality in the heart, but still in a tangible way so that anyone can enter it. However, at the end of time, the Kingdom will come visibly and surprise many. Life will go on as usual until the final destruction will be upon the wicked, as in the days of Noah or Lot. Now is the time to invite King Jesus into the heart so that He can make...

Beyond being a mighty miracle, the story of the ten lepers is about the human suffering that brings us together and makes us cry with one voice. From the beginning to the end of the story, there is a noticeable line of separation between the Samaritans and the Jews. The shared pain and challenges of life often blur this line. Does God allow pain and suffering to bring us closer to each other? Join...

In this episode, Caiaphas, the high priest of the Jews, tries to kill Jesus Christ in order to save the nation. While being a corrupted leader, God uses him to utter one of the most unexpected prophecies in the Bible: “It is better that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” This raises the question, can God use anyone to accomplish His purposes? In what condi...

The resurrection of Lazarus is one of those miracles meant to be signs of Jesus’ divinity. The manifestation of the glory of God was beyond the miracle of resurrection; it was a revelation of who Jesus was and His close relationship with His Father. Like Martha and Mary, we may think sometimes our prayers are unanswered, and our desires are not fulfilled. But even some of God’s desires will never...

This event has three parts, and it is structured as a sandwich. The middle part, the filling, is the prayer to increase our faith. We need faith to avoid temptation or be a channel of temptation for others. Also, we need faith to rebuke a sinning brother and forgive him when he repents. Out of faith, naturally, we return to God our service as a labor of love, not to gain favor or points to buy ete...