Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out of the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. He told the dove merchants, “Get your things out of here!...
At once, this same Spirit pushed Jesus out into the wild. For forty wilderness days and nights Jesus was tested by Satan. Wild animals were his companions, and the angels took care of him. After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee preaching the message...
Jesus said, “Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theatre, but the God who made you won’t be applauding.”...
A leper came to Jesus, begging on his knees, “If you want to, you can cleanse me”. Deeply moved, Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, “I want to. Be clean”. Then and there the leprosy was gone, his skin smooth and healthy....
Everyone there was incredulous, buzzing with curiosity. “What’s going on here? A new teaching that does what it says? He shuts up defiling, demonic spirits and sends them packing!” News of this travelled fast and was soon all over Galilee....
Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally....
Jesus continued, “It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities”....
Jesus continued, “God’s kingdom is like ten young bridesmaids who took oil lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five were silly and five were smart. The silly bridesmaids took lamps, but no extra oil. The smart bridesmaids took jars of oil to feed...
Then Jesus turned and said to the host, “The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbours, the kind of people who will return the favour. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits...
Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence. This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: Love others as well as you love yourself. These two commands...