Jesus' authority continues to be in question as the religious leaders are hellbent on getting rid of him. They can't put him away by their own authority, so they reach for a few other options.
After 3 years of ministry, at the end of the 80-100 miles journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, Jesus crests the Mount of Olives on his way into the city, the crowd breaks into song, and he breaks into tears.
Two men from very different situations in life have a desire to see Jesus. He meets them both in very different ways, but the outcome is the same: Your faith has saved you.
A wealthy man comes up to Jesus looking for the key to eternal life. Jesus tells him to sell everything, and the rich man is extremely disappointed. The idea that you can’t work or earn your way into heaven wasn’t what he wanted to hear.
Walking out our faith looks like taking Jesus’ words and putting them to action. Forgiveness, for example. Serving, for example. It’s where the rubber meets the road.
Jesus tells a parable about a rich man and a poor man who had very different values and purposes in their lives, and their experience of the afterlife told the story.
Jesus begins a conversation about wealth, and how his followers should think about possessions and riches.
God promises us a way out of temptation, but makes no such promise when it comes to suffering. But he doesn’t run from us or watch us suffer from a distance - he enters into our suffering, even giving us the words to say when we can’t work up the prayer on our own
David encourages us to not be agitated or envious of those who seem to get away with wickedness and oppression in the world, because their day is coming. Evil has a shelf life. The righteous may go through hard times, but the Lord makes sure they are never abandoned, forgotten, or overlooked.
We all have a lens through which to process the things we read, watch, or click. When we see evil in the world, it can feel like we're staring at a mountain and holding a shovel. But God gave us the book of Psalms to help us process the things we see and experience.