Jesus Continues his teaching in response to questions about his authority. Using a parable about a royal wedding feast, Jesus shows what a faithful response to the King's invitation looks like.

If Jesus is not only a King, but THE King of Kings, then how individuals and nations collectively respond matter. If we desire Jesus as our savior, then we must also pledge allegiance to Him as our King. Other figures can command our respect, obedience, and affection. However, it is King Jesus who we must continually recognize as our greatest authority and the one whom all our actions flow from and allegiance and affection flows to

“The central figure in all the Bible, Jesus Christ is a man of sorrows who knows suffering….

When you are suffering my hope is not that you get all the answers to your questions, but that you meet Jesus in your suffering."

We were honored to have our friend Pastor Loren Anderson from The Fellowship at Bend preaching at Mercy Fellowship 

Parables are simple stories used to tell significant truths. Jesus continues to engage with the gathered leaders and crowds to reenforce where all authority rest and where all honor is due.

Holy Disruption brings unholy opposition. Jesus arrived and aggressively cleaned out the temple of money changers and pigeon dealers restoring it to a house of prayer and place of healing. People who benefit from oppression do not respond well to the status quo being overturned. Jesus returns to the temple facing challenges to His authority.

Jesus brings Holy Disruption to prepare (and renew) a place for Pure Devotion.

Jesus has triumphally arrived in the city of Jerusalem with fanfare from many who have great expectations of what He will accomplish. While intentionally entering with clear messianic symbolism, Jesus is not there to overthrow Roman occupation but to accomplish eternal salvation for His people overcoming sin and death. Transformation and salvation are still His mission, but they look far different than what the cheering crowds, or the plotting opponents, expect.

Guest Preacher Carl DeyArmin gives us the good news from Acts 16:

The Gospel is for Everyone & The Gospel can Transform Anyone.

We all desire glory and believe self promotion is the best path to achieve what we want. Jesus consistently shows the values in His Kingdom are different. In God's Kingdom the path to glory is not self promotion but selfless sacrifice. There is a crown ahead but there is a cross first.

The disciples who left everything, want to know "what about us? What is our reward?" Jesus assures them there are great eternal rewards for those who follow him, it will all be worth it. Here Jesus teaches them with a parable about his great generosity to those who follow him.

We value material possession and comfort, so we find our worth in our wealth. Jesus cares about our spiritual poverty and where we find our ultimate security. We will never be saved by our possessions, when they consume us sometimes we need to be saved from our possession.