Judgment Day is coming. When we hear these words, we tend to think of a wild-eyed preacher wearing a sandwich sign on a street corner, but these are the words of Jesus. No man knows the day or the hour, but the Day of Judgment is coming. Jesus says, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the…

In the Gospels we often find Jesus mingling with troubled people, people who are miserable, afflicted, and distressed. This is where Jesus wants to be. He wants to be among such people and be found by them. Among these poor people alone can His Word and work find room. People who are secure, powerful,…

This week we celebrate Reformation Day. It marks 501 years since the posting of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses. Most Protestants, especially Lutherans, recognize this event as the beginning of the Reformation. We know that Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg. Unfortunately,…

Peter came up and said to [Jesus], “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” ( Mt 18:21 ). This is exactly the type of question that the followers of Jesus often ask. Jesus tells us about the abundant mercy of our heavenly Father, and we want to know…

Many people think Jesus was a super nice guy who went around teaching people, “Be nice to everybody, just like me” – gentle Jesus, meek and mild, or so the saying goes. While it’s true that God is love, and Jesus did love everyone he encountered, the perfect love of God sometimes manifested in ways that…

In our Gospel text Jesus tells us what the kingdom of heaven is like: God the Father makes a wedding feast for his Son. He sends out his servants to those who have been invited, saying, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; he who has no money, come and eat; delight yourselves in rich food,…

For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart ( ). These words from 1 Samuel apply perfectly to our Gospel lesson which is all about seeing. It probably seems odd to say that the healing of a paralyzed man is really about sight, but that’s exactly…

The Bible contains two great teachings – the Law and the Gospel. If we want to understand the Scriptures we must learn to understand these two teachings without confusing them. The Law is easy enough to understand. It tells us what we are to do and what we are not to do. What does God want from you?…

Jesus observed how his fellow guests were choosing for themselves the places of honor and so he told them a parable. There are two errors we could make in understanding this passage. First, we might think, as many scholars do, that Jesus is simply talking about proper table etiquette – as if Jesus had…

It was a strange and dreadful strife When life and death contended; The victory remained with life, The reign of death was ended. Holy Scripture plainly saith That death is swallowed up by death, Its sting is lost forever. Alleluia! The fourth stanza of Martin Luther’s great Easter Hymn, Christ Jesus…