St. John’s Park Slope

“The contrast couldn’t be clearer: Jesus lives to serve, while his disciples scramble to be served. But his cross isn’t just a model to follow—it’s the power that saves and heals the so-called ‘greatest.’”

''C-3PO says, 'We’re made to suffer; it’s our lot in life.' But Jesus’ call to 'take up your cross' flips the script. We don’t 'lay down our lives' in resigned despair but in resurrection hope..."

It’s the 1st century. You’re a woman, a Gentile, and you’re begging a Jewish man to heal your demon-possessed child. By every standard, you’re an outsider. Yet this Jesus, who just declared all foods clean, goes further still—he makes the ‘unworthy’ worthy...

Jesus sees through the highly edited versions of ourselves and loves us anyway. No matter what lurks underneath, He draws near to heal our hearts.

Like the crowds, I don’t easily ‘abide.’ When I’m refused the quick fix or the easy victory, I scatter like the Twelve on their darkest day. But God is faithful even on our worst day. He’s moving toward us, even when we don’t stay

"If God chose to lay down his life rather than break his promise, how much more will he stay true to you and me now that the hardest work is done?"

C.S. Lewis and Rick Rubin share a similar truth: Lewis didn’t decide to follow Jesus—he was decided upon. Rubin’s creativity didn’t come from within—it came from without. Both reveal that “God’s compulsion is our liberation...”

Like the crowds following Jesus, I often seek the sign rather than what it’s pointing to. I’m fixated on loaves and fishes when the “bread of life” is right in front of me. Thankfully, Christ intervenes with “living water”—sustenance that will not perish but “springs to eternal life.”

Rev. Ben is back from vacation (and camp counseling) to continue unpacking the juxtaposition between the rule of Herod, Pilate, and Caesar and Jesus:

"The Gospels juxtapose two uses of power: For Herod, Pilate, and Caesar, the ends justify the means. For Jesus, the means justify the ends."