We have now come to the fourth discourse of Jesus in Matthew's Gospel. The first part of the discourse in chapter 18 concludes with the parable of the Lost Sheep. That leads to the question: how do we welcome back the lost one?

When Jesus tells his disciples that he will suffer and die in Jerusalem, Peter cannot accept it. But what does it mean for us to take up the cross and follow Jesus?

In Matthew's Gospel Jesus now begins his journey to Jerusalem. His focus is the formation of the disciples. As the journey begins, Jesus gives Peter the keys, the symbol of authority to teach in his name.

In the exchange between Jesus and a Canaanite woman, it can seem that at first Jesus was not prepared to help her. But to understand the significance of what happened, we need to recall the wider context in Matthew's Gospel.

As we continuing reading from Matthew's Gospel we are invited to reflect on the scene that follows the feeding of the crowd. As the disciples struggle in the boat Jesus comes to them walking on the sea.

The readings this Sunday are about the generosity of God. In his account of the feeding of the crowd, Matthew links the old and the new. Just as the People of Israel were fed in the wilderness, Jesus feeds the crowd and continues to feed us.

The Gospel this Sunday concludes the Parables of the Kingdom. The parable of the dragnet again reminds us that God is patient. There will be a harvest in the future but what about now? This Sunday we explore that tension: the now and the future.

In another parable, the parable of the wheat and the weeds, we hear Jesus reflecting on what it means to follow him. In Matthew's Gospel that is the call to be one with him in the Kingdom of Heaven.

This Sunday, as we begin to listen to the Parables of the Kingdom, we hear Jesus describing how a farmer sowed seeds in a field. We will also hear that the essential message of the parable is that there is always a harvest.

In Matthew's Gospel, we hear that Jesus is the one who comes to lift the burden and calls us to trust in the mercy and compassion of God.