We come to Jesus like the ten lepers: powerless and sick. We come with desperate need. We cry out to Jesus to have mercy on us. And Jesus has mercy on us. Every. Single. Time.

Jesus tells a parable about wise and foolish virgins who are waiting for the arrival of a bridegroom so the wedding party can start! However, things don't turn out the way you'd expect: the bridegroom is late for his own party! The wise virgins are ushered in to the party but the foolish virgins face a closed door. What's the difference between the two? And what does that difference mean for us?

Life in this world could accurately be described as walking through a valley of tears. We shed tears. We grieve. We mourn. But like the saints who have walked this valley before us, we too are but sojourners here. We do not a pitch a tent. Our home is with Jesus. We can walk through this valley with confident hope because Jesus lives to wipe away our tears.

Why were indulgences sold and what does that mean for us today? 500 years have passed since the Reformation and we still live in a world that is spiritually enslaved. We will always need to hear the good news that Jesus died for our sins AND suffered our punishment. Jesus has set us free.

The Pharisees tried to entangle Jesus in His words with a trap question, but Jesus silenced them with His answer. Jesus always comes out victorious from no-win/lose-lose situations. When Satan, the great accuser, comes with his trap questions, Jesus answers with His cross. The accuser, like the disciples of the Pharisees and Herodians, has nothing left to say. Thanks be to God!

Our God is a party-throwing God. He has prepared the party to end all parties—eternal life—and He has invited everyone, including you, me, and the Harvey Weinstein's of the world. No amount of badness will kick you out and no amount of goodness will get you in. There's not a person excluded and there's not a sin that hasn't been covered by the blood of Jesus. All that's left is the party. Believe it! You're invited!

You have to do something with Jesus! He is the large stone in the way of the world. He is either the very foundation of your salvation or He is that which will crush you. There's no in-between. Salvation depends on what you do with Jesus...or, rather, what Jesus does with you.

The chief priests and the elders questioned Jesus' authority. Jesus then asked them a question that revealed their sin. When we question God's authority, He too reveals our sins. We then come to Him with another question: "Do you forgive me?" And Jesus, with full authority, answers us directly and personally: "Yes. I forgive you."

We love to compare ourselves to other people. We can always find someone underneath us to make us look better. We love the view from the top. But grace has a way of leveling the playing field. It destroys rankings. It kills comparisons. Grace takes trophies of prideful accomplishment and throws them away. May we stop looking at others and comparing. May we look to Jesus, our generous grace-giving God, and be thankful that the Kingdom of God doesn't operate like a Middle School Coolness Ranking.

C.S. Lewis wrote that "to be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you." Perspective is everything. As we live in a world where people will sin against us (and we'll sin against them!), Jesus points us to His surprising, extravagant grace.