In Matthew 21:23–32, Jesus challenges the religious authorities who question where his authority comes from. He responds with the parable of two sons: one says no but eventually goes, while the other says yes but does not. Jesus exposes the difference between outward words and inward transformation, reminding us that what we ultimately do matters more than what we say.
Jesus challenges Peter’s understanding of forgiveness by revealing that mercy received is meant to become mercy given. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant invites us into a life shaped by radical grace, where forgiveness is not a transaction but a way of living.
Isaiah 5:1-7.. “Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.” vs. 1 Isaiah imagines the Lord singing a love-song for the nation of Israel and it’s rather like a country western. It starts with an image of a vineyard, one planted with care on a very fertile hill, but the refrain turns dark in a hurry, “when I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield…
Matthew 21:28-31.. “Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.’” vs. 31 When he was challenged by the chief priests and the elders in the temple Jesus told them a little parable about a father who asked his two sons to go work in the vineyard. One says that he will…
Matthew 21:23-32.. “When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’” vs. 23 In general the people who heard Jesus teach in the course of his ministry didn’t question his authority. He didn’t belong to any particular school of thought or claim to follow some famous rabbi. He spoke from the heart…
I came for the Healing of Memories workshop for veterans, and I almost didn’t come because of the trauma I wrestle with, but your staff, the workshop leaders and the quiet and safe campus held me there and I’ve found a new sense of peace and healing.