Author Archives: John S.

Matthew 22:23-33; Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27-40;Matthew 22:34-46; Mark 12:28-37; Luke 20:41-44;Matthew 23:1-39; Mark 12:38-44; Luke 20:45-21:4 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Matthew 23:13a,15a,23a,25a,27a,29a Jesus gives the scribes and Pharisees quite a tongue lashing, calling them hypocrites, blind guides, whitewashed tombs, a brood of vipers. How is it, then, that we can read these …

Continue reading “November 9 / Matthew 22:23-23:39; Mark 12:18-44; Luke 20:27-21:4”

Matthew 21:23-32; Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-8;Matthew 21:33-22:14; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19;Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:13-17; Luke 20:20-26 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:“‘The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone;this was the Lord’s doing,and it is marvelous in our eyes’? [Psalm 118:22-23]Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will …

Continue reading “November 8 / Matthew 21:23-22:22; Mark 11:27-12:17; Luke 20:1-26”

Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-19;Matthew 21:12-17; Mark 11:12-19; Luke 19:45-48;Matthew 21:18-22; Mark 11:20-26 As He was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of His disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed …

Continue reading “November 7 / Matthew 21:1-22; Mark 11:1-26; Luke 19:28-48; John 12:12-19”

Matthew 20:17-28; Mark 10:32-45; Luke 18:31-34;Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-19:27;John 12:1-11 You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and …

Continue reading “November 6 / Matthew 20:17-34; Mark 10:32-52; Luke 18:31-19:27; John 12:1-11”

John 10:22-11:57 Jesus wept. John 11:35 Why? Why would Jesus weep over the death of Lazarus? He knows full well what He is about to do. He knows that within minutes Lazarus will be back among the living. So Jesus cannot simply be experiencing the loss of His dear friend the way we grieve the …

Continue reading “November 5 / John 10:22-11:57”

Matthew 19:1-15; Mark 10:1-16; Luke 18:15-17;Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30;Matthew 20:1-16 Let’s think about the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard. (Matthew 20:1-16) Most of us have little difficulty in identifying with those laborers hired at the beginning of the day, who complain of unfairness. We can envision these laborers bringing a class-action …

Continue reading “November 4 / Matthew 19:1-20:16; Mark 10:1-31; Luke 18:15-30”

Luke 16; Matthew 18:15-35; Luke 17:1-18:14 In the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus gives us the Lord’s prayer, He immediately stresses that “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Mt. 6:12) means that if we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us. (See the October 18 post.) Today, …

Continue reading “November 3 / Luke 16; Matthew 18:15-35; Luke 17:1-18:14”

Luke 13-14; Matthew 18:10-14; Luke 15 When one of those who reclined at table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” But He said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for …

Continue reading “November 2 / Luke 13-14; Matthew 18:10-14; Luke 15”

Matthew 11:20-30; Luke 10:1-24;Luke 10:25-42, 11:37-12:21, 12:35-59 Then He began to denounce the cities where most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented …

Continue reading “November 1 / Matthew 11:20-30; Luke 10, 11:37-12:21, 12:35-59”