Jesus’ words cut deeply and they may even cause us to question what category we fall into when we take an honest look at our own lives (this is, after all, the point of the parable). But there are three distinct sources of hope in this parable. First...

The man who discovers the treasure, like the merchant who purchases the pearl, stands for anyone who becomes a ‘child of the kingdom,’ that is, a disciple of Jesus. In this sense, there are two emphases to each parable, but it seems natural to frame...

The parable illustrates a simple principle: that the kingdom of God has humble beginnings, but we should not let those humble beginnings fool us. The seed that starts small will grow exceedingly large. The dough that is mixed with yeast will feed...

We have so much to learn from the life of Mary the mother of Jesus. Through Mary’s song we glimpse into her soul. We see in the life of Christ the importance of the mother’s role. From the Annunciation to Pentecost, Mary was focused on her child. She...

Learning to be Human Like Jesus

Last week the encouragement was to trust Jesus in the face of profound betrayal, even betrayal in the church. This week’s encouragement is similar: to recognize Jesus’ loving resolve and to trust Jesus in the face of our own confusing, terrifying...