The wedding banquet in this parable was prepared in all detail, not just the food and entertainment, but multiple rounds of invitations and a wedding garment as a gift for everyone invited. If the king represents God and his son is Jesus, then we are those invited to the wedding. And the wedding garment offered as a gift is the pure, righteous life of Jesus when He lived among us, which we receive as a gift when we come before Him with a broken heart to confess our sins.

This is one of Jesus’ most direct conversations with the Jewish leaders about losing the privileges of their missional covenant established with God through Moses. The “kingdom of God” will be taken away from them and given to others who fulfill its purpose and bring fruits. However, Jesus quotes a verse from the Psalms suggesting that repentance was still available for the Jewish leaders because they hadn’t accomplished yet their plan to kill Him. All Christians are “tenants” or stewards of God’s gifts, and are expected to bring fruits.

The parable of the two sons starts with a “forced choice” question. As parents, we would rather prefer a third option. But Jesus crafted the story this way to emphasize the “changing of the mind,” the point of “turning around.” Better the end than the beginning, said the Wiseman. And our “turning around” in life may be a sign for others, in the same way the repentance of John’s listeners was a sign for those listening to Jesus.  

Amazed by Jesus’ power to cleanse the Temple, the religious leaders came to Him and asked by what authority did He do that. But they were not looking for evidence to believe in Jesus, because they had already decided to kill Him, they had already cut a deal with Judas for His betrayal. For the spiritual leaders of Israel, collectively, all evidence about Jesus’ divine nature and ministry has been provided. They had crossed a red line when new evidence would be just a waste of time. By asking a counter-question about the authority of John the Baptist, Jesus showed that if we reject a smaller truth, we are more likely to reject a bigger truth, if it is revealed to us. This is a call to embrace and live the truth we know today.

The public ministry of Jesus is bookended by two cleansing of the Temple. This event is about the second one, just days before His crucifixion. The outcome is a glimpse of what could have happened if the people of Israel fulfilled their mission faithfully. The Temple would have been filled with those needing salvation and become a house of healing and prayer. There is also a personal application for us today, both at the individual and collective levels. God promises to forgive us and cleanse the fountain of sin, which is the heart.

On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus being hungry and expecting to find some figs in a tree with lots of leaves, is disappointed to find no fruit and curses the overpromising fig tree. The gospel of Luke presents this incident as a parable, with the fig tree representing the people of Israel, as well as any individual Christian today. Do we deliver what we promise? The next day the fig tree is completely withered, so even Peter, who witnessed many of Jesus’ miracles, is surprised. Jesus uses the withered tree as a teaching moment about faith and how to check if we have any.  Sometimes, we feel that it’s easier to move a mountain than to forgive someone!

Jesus’ triumphal entrance in Jerusalem fulfilled Old Testament types and prophecies and rekindled people’s hope of a political-military Messiah. People have neglected to study other messianic prophecies, such as Isaiah 53. Today, most of us are biased toward trying to confirm what we believe and hope for and therefore focus on just one side of the story. But by doing this we miss the whole picture. There is always enough evidence to believe, but there remains room for doubt.

This episode details the Jewish leaders’ plot to assassinate Jesus and Judas’ role in it. The surprising element is that Judas was not bribed or persuaded to betray Jesus. It was his owen initiative. It was the dead end of a road of questioning Jesus’ mission and developing a competing, hidden agenda. Even if we claim to be genuine Christians and have experienced the power of God in the past, we can still grow cold and become less interested in seeking God’s presence and spending time with Him. That’s why Jesus reminds us to watch and pray!

The feeling of imminency about something great happening during the Passover Festival in Jerusalem made Mary Magdalen - a sinner in the eyes of her village - bring her expensive container of myrrh and anoint Jesus’ body just days before His death and burial. And she received the reassurance of forgiveness. Jesus’ parable teaches that he who is forgiven more loves more. This is not primarily about the number or gravity of forgiven sins. Forgiveness and love are qualitative rather than quantitative; how deep they touch the heart and impact daily life.

The parable of the ten minas tells us that we all receive at least one gift from God to help Him grow His Kingdom, gifts for which we are accountable. There is no explicit promise of reward beforehand, just the instruction to engage in business until He returns! In that day of accountability, one thing matters the most, how faithful have we been! In the Kingdom of God, success is measured differently!