Reading the Gospel

Jesus' disciples, like most in their times, looked at diseases such as blindness as a direct punishment for people's sins. But how about a man born blind? Did he sin in his mother's womb before being born? Or the blindness is related to his mom's or dad's sins? Jesus' answer to this puzzling question is surprising, even shocking. It is about a God who reveals His grace even in the darkest moments...

This long debate between Jesus and the Jewish leaders is set up as two opposite ways of living and two characters resulting from two relationships with different fathers, God and Satan. The cosmic conflict between good and evil, God and Satan, is brought from the background of the Gospel into the light of Jesus' imminent sacrifice on the Cross. The good news is that, even if we were born in sin, J...

When Jesus described His close relationship with His Father, so close that they were inseparable, the Pharisees asked Him, Where is Your Father? In other words, whose son are you? Who are you, indeed? Jesus' close communion with the Father models our relationship with our Heavenly Father. So close that in everything we do, the Father and us have the same purpose and goals. And always, "God honors...

Those who ordered His arrest came back to trap Him but had to leave empty-handed again when their sins were written on the ground, in front of their eyes. Jesus' words "Go and sin no more" are the sweetest words you can hear when you crash under the burden of guilt and shame. These words express the grace of God in the form of another chance to start your life over, and over, and over again. We ca...

During the Festival of the Booths, Jesus spoke in the Temple with such power that even the officers sent to arrest Him were touched and changed their minds. Jesus revealed leaders' disbelief and evil intentions and proved from the Scriptures that their reasoning was flawed. His close union with the Father is a powerful example for us. The secret to standing firm in difficult moments of life is to...

This story tells us that our time is not always God's time. A close communion with Heaven reveals God's plans for us, sometimes in painful details. Following those plans to the smallest detail may put us against the flow, the popular theology, or even against our loved ones. But God is always present in our lives and in control. 

This tax was different from tithe or offerings. It was also different than the Roman government taxes collected by tax collectors. In this story, we see Jesus going the extra mile to remove any potential barrier to preaching the Gospel. He cares so much about any human being. There are valuable lessons to learn for our lives and ministry today.

This story is about miracles - and other life events - that don't happen without unceasing prayer or being in the prayer state all the time. On the other side, this boy's father, in a public outburst of despair, expresses his 'unbelief' in an amazing statement of faith. Prayer is a conversation with God as with a dear trusted friend. Trust is essential, and it is built over time. 

Jesus took three of the church's future leaders to a mountain where He was comforted, encouraged, and strengthened by the presence of His Father, Moses, and Elijah. The Cross was approaching, and Jesus was getting ready for that experience. However, His disciples didn't get the meaning of this event. How much do we understand and care about what is in God's heart? 

This is one of those teachings when Jesus said: Let these words sink into your years! We may not be spiritually mature enough to understand or may need to be taught multiple times until it clicks, but Satan is always there to induce fear and diminish our perception. The first step is to put our will in neutral, then ask, and the understanding will be given to us. 

In this long and meandering chapter, Jesus teaches how we, as citizens of the kingdom of heaven, should act towards one another and relate to our fellow brothers and sisters. It focuses on the humility needed to forgive and reconcile with those who wronged us. Forgiveness is a link in God's universal circuit of grace, and we receive forgiveness from God to give it to others. 

This story reveals Peter's extreme swing from his confession about Jesus' messiahship to his rebuking of Jesus for talking about His suffering and death. To what extent can we identify with Peter? The antidote to these wild swings in our spiritual lives is self-denial and taking Jesus' cross on a daily basis. In that spiritual state, the Holy Spirit reveals God's will in heaven, and His church wil...

The healing of a blind man in Bethsaida is the first multi-step miracle performed by Jesus Christ. Not because Jesus cannot heal a person at once but because, many times, our faith needs to be strengthened in the middle of the process. As when we pause on the landing of the stairs to catch our breath. We have to learn to wait on the Lord and to develop patience. The Lord will finish the good work...

Having a permanent and meaningful relationship with God helps us notice and interpret the road signs on our spiritual journey. Otherwise, we demand more and more signs from heaven, like the Pharisees of the old. Formalism, pride, and hypocrisy keep us from embracing God's will. Faith is necessary to perceive the spiritual truth and discern false teachings.

A crowd of four thousand men, plus women and children, twice as many as in the previous miraculous feeding, followed Jesus Christ for days on the east of the See of Galilee, a non-Jeiwsh territory. Jesus demonstrates deep compassion for people's needs by providing food, multiplying the little His disciples had. The disciples are expressly involved in the process of multiplication, practicing the f...

The healing of a deaf man with speech limitations reveals that some evil spirits specialize in setting limitations on human beings. Not just limitations to motion or communication but to thinking, dreaming big, setting goals, or exercising faith. Some limitations may be inherited or developed over time and triggered by fear. But Satan and his agents use our weaknesses as a back door to access the...

The healing of a Canaanite woman in Phenicia is a significant moment in Jesus' training of His disciples. He walks a thin line between not pushing them to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles before they are ready, and making clear steps in that direction. Are there prejudices in your life that limit your effectiveness in sharing the Good News with everyone? Analyzing the allocation of your time and...

It is so easy to get caught up in traditions and lose sight of God. Traditions are not necessarily bad. The problem with traditions is when we put them above the Bible, replacing our relationship with God. To make His point, Jesus describes a scam of His time designed to avoid obeying the fifth commandment. Pause for a minute and analyze that long list of desires, attitudes, and behaviors which sp...

Jesus Christ offers Himself to us in many forms and shapes according to our situation or needs. This time, as a follow-up conversation after the multiplication of the five loaves of bread, Jesus offers Himself as the living bread that comes from heaven. We receive this bread in the form of the Word of God. Also, in a visible way, we receive it as the holy symbol of Communion. The purpose of eating...

Jesus returns to those towns east of the Lake of Galilee which had previously rejected Him. By doing this, Jesus revealed a God who offers one more chance to those who reject Him without rubbing it on their face or holding a grudge. Acknowledging their needs, they replicated and amplified the story of that sick woman who touched His garment from behind. One person's testimony can impact a whole re...

Look at this story through the eyes of a father who is ready to grant the gifts requested by his children. "Come," was Jesus' response to Peter's request. It also shows that the faith to get out of the boat, as significant as it may be, is insufficient for the next steps of our journey. Faith happens only when we face Jesus! We see winds and waves if we take our eyes off Him. What do you see today...

This miracle is sandwiched between two statements about Jesus. When He asked Philip about feeding the crowd, Jesus knew what He was about to do . After the miracle of feeding the five thousand, when Jesus abruptly disappeared from among the disciples and the crowd, He knew what He was doing . Jesus can anticipate our thoughts and our necessities and has a plan for every situation. Through this sto...

This event raises many questions, such as, Why Jesus has not intervened? Why has He ignored this great injustice? The focus of the story is on Herod and his decision to go against his conscience and please "those who sat" with him at his birthday party. Who is "sitting" close to us? How can we bring Christ closer? 

The saying "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" was proven by Jesus' second rejection in His hometown. This time, the Nazarenes acknowledged the wisdom of Jesus, but they rejected it because they couldn't link it o any source and couldn't believe that it came from above. They could not see in Jesus more than a carpenter who grew up among them. Do we do the same, pushing people back into their...

During the third Galilean tour, when Jesus saw that the crowds looked like sheep without a shepherd, He decided to multiply His ministry by training the twelve disciples and sending them to do what He has been doing. Jesus taught them where to go, how to find a place to stay, what to say, and what to do. How to react in different circumstances. He also told them that this ministry should supersede...