Jesus is challenged by the religious leaders who refuse to believe in the basis of his authority. In response, Jesus shares two parables that should leave no one with any doubt of who he is, what he has come to do.

Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem followed by his cleansing of the Temple and then a bit of strange run-in with a fig tree. In all of this we see Jesus being revealed as God's long-promised King, a King who comes humbly and who will bring about a great salvation as he establishes a new covenant at the cross.

Jesus speaks about the true way of discipleship, and he invites us to follow his example of sacrificial service to others.

The incredible grace of God is seen in our passage today as God freely give to those he has called.

As we come to the story of the rich young man, we see that salvation is a work of God’s divine mercy in our lives, and not based on what we do or what we ourselves possess. Rather, we are called to surrender all for the greater possession of having Jesus Christ as our great treasure.

As we continue to listen to Jesus’ teaching about life in his Kingdom in response to the Pharisees seeking to test him Jesus speaks about marriage, divorce, and singleness. Jesus highlights God’s original purposes for our relationships, and we are challenged to emulate little children in approaching and listening to Jesus’ words

Jesus continues his teaching about life in his Kingdom as he speaks about the centrality of forgiveness. Here is another example of a concept that is increasingly foreign to the world’s way of thinking, but central to the kingdom that Jesus has brought near. We consider not only the importance of forgiveness for those who are members of Jesus’ kingdom, but also what it is that enables us to forgive when wrongs are committed against us.

This week we resume a series in Matthew’s gospel, and we pick it up in Matthew 18 as Jesus speaks about greatness and what that looks like in His Kingdom. His words are a challenge to us about how we view status and greatness, and a call to an attitude of humility toward one another as we recognise that we are all ‘little ones’ welcomed by a gracious and merciful God.

Today we see the commitments of God's people as they return to live in the city and commit to following God’s law, ending with a great celebration around the wall. All of this leads us to see God’s faithfulness to keep his promises and causes our eyes to look further to see his promises fulfilled through Jesus. We can commit to God because he first commits to us. 

As we continue in Nehemiah, ch 9 is a great summary of Israel's history teaching us that in order to see ourselves clearly we need to look closely at God.