Self-Emptying Love
I feel such tenderness for the exchange in today’s gospel reading (Mark 10:17-31) between Jesus and a man who has a deep desire to do the right thing. I feel Jesus’ heart go out to him. The man comes to this “good” teacher no doubt having heard about the goodness Jesus has been projecting across […]
The Law of Children
Keepers of religious law aren’t much interested in entertaining brand new mission and vision statements. From the legal pads under their arms, the puzzle questions on their lips, and a growing paranoia that their way of doing things was being challenged, the leaders of the institution quizzed Jesus about the law. For those who have […]
Humility is Human
“He took a little child,” “He called a little child to him,” “Jesus called the children to him,” “He took the children in his arms…” these are fragments from Matthew, Mark and Luke when Jesus gathered to himself those he called “little ones.” When his disciples were arguing about who among them was the greatest or […]
Or Would You Rather Be Free?
This time*, as Jesus’ core disciples miss the mark again, Jesus has been offering some of the deepest wisdom he has to convey. They need to really understand that the powers of this world, when confronted with the fullness of God’s love and justice, will so much prefer to keep their power that they will […]