Month: March 2025

“He prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, is this not what I said while I was still in my own country? This is why I fled at first toward Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, repenting of punishment.”

Jonah 4:2 (NAB)

To me, Jonah is one of the most bizarre men in the Bible. He is mentioned in the Christian Bible, Hebrew bible and the Muslim Koran as the preacher of Nineveh, in what is modern day Iraq. Whether every detail in the story is or isn’t historically true, the Apostle Paul said that all scripture is profitable for teaching, reproof and correction.  

(2 Timothy 3:16)

There is something we can all learn through inspired scripture, especially the story of Jonah. 

Jonah had a very impulsive and  melodramatic personality. He had strong opinions, and didn’t think that certain groups of people were worthy of God’s mercy. God told Jonah to go preach to the people living in Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrian kingdom, at the time. Instead, Jonah boarded a ship going in the opposite direction, because he couldn’t bear the thought of God showing mercy to the gentiles.

A bad storm arose, and the ship was in extreme danger of sinking. The men on board were superstitious and decided to cast lots to find out who is responsible for bringing this curse upon them, and the lot landed on Jonah. They approached him,  asking who he is and what his business was on that ship. He told them that he was a Hebrew who was fleeing from where God wanted him to go.

Jonah then offered himself to be cast into the sea. The men refused at first, but after praying that Jonah’s God would not hold it against them, they finally threw Jonah overboard, and the storm immediately stopped and all was calm. 

A whale swallowed Jonah and he was in its belly for three days, before being spit out, on the shores of Nineveh. (If this sounds fictional, there recently was a kayaker in Chile who was swallowed by a humpback whale and then spit back out into the water. He survived, unharmed and a  video was taken by the man’s father, which was shown on the news in February of this year.)

Anyway, Jonah finally did what he was told to do, and preached to the people of Nineveh. They humbly responded, repented and believed in the God that Jonah preached about. The entire city converted, and yet Jonah was angry. He thought God was too kind and merciful to “those”people. Jonah believed that mercy should be exclusive, for his own people, and not for unworthy gentiles or foreigners.  

I don’t know anyone as extreme as Jonah, but I can relate to once having a bias towards the generation of young people in their teens and twenties, until something changed me. In my mind, they were labeled as shallow, confused and unmotivated. Two years ago, a documentary was made by the producer of the Chosen movie series, gathering a group of young people in their teens and twenties, who were randomly selected to binge watch the Chosen for the first time. They came from different backgrounds, and from all over the country, knowing nothing about what they were about to watch. 

It was a total eye opening experience for me, to see how receptive they were to Jesus, while watching the movie series. It was also sad to learn how dysfunctional their young lives were. One young man spent his childhood raised by parents who were in a religious cult. Another went back and forth from foster homes to jails. One person was abused in a church at a very young age, and another teenager was simply left to grow up alone, after both his parents died suddenly. They all grew up with hardships out of their control, not in faith filled homes, which led to their skewed and false impression of Jesus, Christianity and the church. 

The Chosen series revealed the love of Jesus to them for the first time. As  I listened to their stories, and how their hearts opened, and what Jesus now meant to them, it opened a new place in my heart towards young people. It changed my previous tendency to prejudge that entire age group, just as Jonah prejudged the entire population of Nineveh. 

It’s so typically human to forget that people are individuals, not to be viewed as an entire group, race, religion, political party or any other category. 

That age group was my Nineveh, in a sense, but those young people taught me to see each person as individuals, without attaching my labels to them. Maybe people would be more open to God’s mercy and love if everyone made a conscious effort to avoid being like Jonah and more like Jesus, in the world.

Lord, help us to recognize our own Nineveh, remove any bias and give us compassion towards all people, so that we can go where you send us and share your truth in love. Amen

“Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.

But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders.”

John 8:6-9 (NAB)

The men of the community and their elders were trying to trap Jesus into agreeing with them, that the woman accused of adultery, deserved to be stoned to death. At first, Jesus ignored them and started writing words in the ground. 

Jesus knew exactly what the law of Moses said on the topic, but he took a totally different approach by suggesting that whoever was without sin should cast the first stone. Then He bent down and continued to write on the ground. Whatever Jesus was writing, locked in His point, because the men all left, one by one, the elders being first.

Everyone wonders and many have tried to guess what Jesus wrote on the ground that day. It’s the only time the gospel refers to Jesus writing anything at all. Scripture never tells of any other time that Jesus wrote something except for that day, in this particular story, which has always sparked curiosity.

The gospel writers wrote down whatever the Holy Spirit inspired them to write, according to what they observed Jesus say or do. On that day, His disciples were right there and witnessed the whole event, yet none of the gospel writers tell us what Jesus wrote.

We know one thing for sure, that a woman, condemned for adultery by her community, was about to be stoned to death, but she received mercy instead. Jesus looked around, asking if anyone was left to condemn her and the answer was no one. 

Then Jesus told her, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.”

Throughout the gospels, Jesus speaks about showing mercy. He stressed how God desires for us to show mercy more than offering Him sacrifices. Jesus boldly clarified the core of His mission by telling the religious authorities that He didn’t come to call righteous people, but instead, He came to call sinners to repentance, and show them mercy. (Luke 5:32)

Jesus’ words can easily upset those who were satisfied with their own self righteousness, but to those who knew that they had fallen short, His words gave life and hope, as they turned their hearts toward Him, instead of away from Him in shame. 

Whatever He wrote on the ground  that day was bold enough to stop a frenzied mob, and make them feel ashamed enough to turn around and leave. Jesus had a habit of transforming a reason for judgement into a fountain of God’s mercy. We may never know the specific words He wrote in the ground that day, but through His act of writing, came the act of mercy. 

Mercy, like faith, requires an action, just as when the blind men once shouted out to Jesus as He passed by, “Have mercy on us!” Jesus responded by asking them, “What do you want Me to do?” Mercy always involves “doing” something.

Jesus emphasized showing mercy throughout His ministry. The elders and accusers had the option to repent and stay with Jesus, from that day on, but they chose to walk away. The only ones left were the accused woman and His disciples. Mercy is offered to all, through His final action on the cross, but it’s up to people to act, by receiving it.

Once we receive His mercy, He asks us to show mercy to those who cross our path each day. Jesus showed mercy to the various outcasts of His day. His mercy was rendered through an action like sharing a meal with tax collectors and prostitutes, or touching the untouchable, contagious lepers, and by breaking the social norms of His culture, by talking alone with a gentile woman at a well. 

He invited everyone to receive His living water of endless mercy and love. On that day when He wrote something on the ground, which convicted the accusers, His hope was that all would receive His mercy. He showed the same mercy to the whole world, by laying down His life, and giving Himself up for us. Some walked away and others received it.

There is nothing we could do to make Jesus love us any more than He already does. There is also nothing we could do to make Him love us any less. Mercy flows from that kind of love. It makes us wonder how anyone could refuse it. The blood that flowed from His nail pierced hands, has since been writing in the soil of every human heart. He writes in unspoken words that invite every soul to return to Him and receive mercy. 

As part of His church, He expects us to be His body in the world and carry on His acts of mercy. We are now the hands and feet of Jesus and it’s our turn to show mercy through actions. We are also writing words in the ground today, words that offer love to the outcasts, forgiveness instead of judgement, and mercy instead of condemnation. 

Lord, help us to first receive all the mercy that you offer to us, and then help us to share it with those who cross our path in this life. Open our hearts to see where we can take new actions in showing mercy to others. Amen

“I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord.”

Psalm 27:14 (NIV)

David, the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse, was underestimated by his whole family. He was treated more like a servant than a son. His older brothers were proudly accomplished in military skills, viewing David as a mere musician/poet. David wrote his psalms, sang and played his harp, while doing his duty of tending the family sheep.

God sent the prophet Samuel to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse, to anoint one of his sons as king. The moment Samuel entered the city, the elders came trembling before him, inquiring whether he has come in peace. The authority of God rested upon the prophets in those days, so that whether they declared a blessing or a curse, it was received as a direct message from God. 

Samuel arrived at the family home of Jesse, who brought out his seven sons, while deliberately excluding David from the group. Jesse might have thought Samuel was looking for heroic men of valiance, an image David didn’t fit, but the Spirit of God told Samuel that none of those brothers were chosen, so Samuel asked Jesse if he had any other sons. They finally sent for David and Samuel knew that he was “the one,” and anointed him as the next King of Israel. 

Jesse didn’t see what God saw in his son, David. People often judge people by their esteem, worldly accomplishments or the most typically admired attributes, but God looks straight at the heart. David wasn’t even on the radar of his family’s thoughts that day, but he was on God’s. 

Jesus told us that God exalts the humble, and humbles those who exalt themselves, which was a lesson that actually played out in the family of Jesse and his sons.

As exciting as that day was for David to be anointed by Samuel, and declared the next king, in front of his whole family, it still took him seven more years before he was crowned. Those seven years were waiting years, full of various tests and trials, but in God’s due time, the outcasted young poet finally was exalted and became king. 

Along with humility, David had an inner confidence at a young age, as he learned through his own skills as a shepherd, that the Lord, who is the Chief Shepherd, was leading him in paths of goodness, and would do so all of his days. He was overlooked and under appreciated by those closest to him, but God saw David as someone after His own heart, with the potential to lead with faith, trust and courage. 

Every believer’s life has its highs and lows, like David. We all have hope filled dreams and long periods of waiting and delays that challenge our faith and hope. We all wait, while going through many tests and trials, but we know that our due time will come. Confidence develops in knowing who we are in God’s eyes, not people’s. We bring our prayer requests to Jesus, in confidence, that our Chief Shepherd is leading us in good paths, and in due time will fulfill His promises.

Lord, give us the confidence of knowing you lead us only in paths that are for our ultimate good, as we keep our hope in you. We thank you that there is a due time for the fulfillment of our many prayer requests. Amen

“When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”

And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

But they did not understand what he said to them.”

Luke 2:48-50 (NAB)

Pilgrims used to go together in a large group, traveling from Nazareth to Jerusalem, to celebrate the festival of Passover each year. For safety in numbers, they traveled in a caravan, and within that crowd was Mary, Joseph and Jesus. It was a three day journey, stopping along the way to replenish their food and water supply.

After Passover, on the way back from Jerusalem, they realized Jesus was missing from the group. They first searched for him among their relatives and friends. When he couldn’t be found, his parents left the others to return to Jerusalem, and search for their son. 

Jesus was twelve years old at the time, the usual age of beginning to transition from boy to man. After celebrating the Passover, something must have stirred him to stay behind, and spend time talking with the elders in the Temple.

It took his parents three days to find him. They trusted in God, but they had to wonder why He would allow their son to go missing in the first place. The gospel account tells us that Mary and Joseph became very anxious while searching for their son for three days. Who wouldn’t?

Some of us may have had an experience of our own, that caused us to agonize or worry for three days, before finding something, someone or receiving some answer. It might have been three days of waiting for the results of a medical test, or for a response from a loved one or an organization. Whatever we are waiting for, three days can feel like eternity. Although our faith is tested and strengthened after every trial, each new problem still brings new worries. 

Mary and Joseph were holy, faithfilled people, but even they, being human, agonized looking for Jesus those three days. Any parent can relate to them, with our concerns for our own children. 

When they finally found Him in the temple, Mary asked,

“Son, why have you done this to us? For a moment, it sounded like they felt abandoned by him, as Mary told Jesus that they were looking for him with “great anxiety.”

Mary asks Jesus why he has “done this to them.” When anyone disappoints us in a major way, it feels like they have “done something to us.” It’s easy to become the victim, as a natural human response toward those we love. We forget that God is still working out a purpose for the good of everyone’s life and destiny.

Jesus answers his mother, reminding her that he has his own mission, saying, 

“Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 

Scripture tells us that Mary and Joseph didn’t understand a word of His said to them. Parents don’t always understand their children, but God does. 

Every person has their own journey of faith to travel. We cannot always know what our children’s journey will be, just as children don’t always know how deeply their actions affect their parents. Mary and Joseph must have felt perplexed that God would permit their son to be lost for three long days. God’s purposes are not always revealed, even to Mary and Joseph. Every trial is a part of our journey, but not the end of the story. 

There is a fairly new resident of the Nursing Home, who has a room next to my son’s. He’s about the same age as Jon, but he appears to have been born blind and deaf. He sits by himself in the large Day room every day. Only one other resident knows sign language and he occasionally speaks to him, otherwise no one can communicate with him. 

When I bring wrapped candies to share with the residents, I need to gently touch Martin’s hand, or else he gets startled with sudden touch. I place the candy near his hand and he reaches out, picks it up, unwraps it and quickly eats it. The last few times, I placed candy in front of him, he makes a drinking motion with his hand, so I got him a drink of water, and he drank the whole glass. I never before thought about what it’s like to be deaf, mute, blind and very thirsty. 

I look at Martin and wonder about his life, existing alone in a totally silent, dark world, with so few people who can communicate with him. I never see any visitors with him, and I wonder if he ever feels lost, sad or abandoned. I wonder if his parents are even living, or if they ever felt that they lost a son, due to his many handicaps. I wonder if perhaps, he was abandoned long ago. 

I don’t know much about Martin, but I do know that God made him, and loves him as much as any of us. He wants to be a Father to him, to speak to his heart, and comfort him, despite the challenges he was born with. So, I pray that Martin can come to know that truth. 

Some parents know the feeling of losing a child, and some children may have felt abandoned by their parents, but God put a hunger in every heart to seek Him, since He is a Father to all the fatherless. We are all at different stages of our faith journey, with turning points that take us deeper with Him, just as young Jesus did, when he stayed behind in the Temple for three days. 

Lord, comfort the hearts of all parents who have lost a child in any way, and comfort those who have ever felt abandoned. As a father to all the fatherless, we pray you will reveal your persistent, unconditional and devoted love for all of us. Amen 

“But I will restore you to health

and heal your wounds, declares the Lord.”

Jeremiah 30:17 (NIV)

I do a volunteer ministry, once a week, at the hospital I retired from. One day I walked into a room with an older lady lying in her bed, who looked very frail. She had a bandage that protruded from the left side of her head, and IV fluids going into both of her bruised arms. 

I offered to say a prayer for her to get well, but she quickly replied, “I am well.” Her response stunned me, so to be sure I understood, I asked again, “You are well, so you don’t need prayer ?” She agreed and nodded, so I left. 

She was the image of frailty, with that bandage on her head and IV’s in both arms, and yet she claimed to be well. Maybe she was thinking of a different kind of wellness, but to see her say she that, was like looking at someone in denial.

Whatever the reason for refusing a prayer, she caused me to think. I began to wonder if I have ever told myself that I am well, despite being wounded, physically, emotionally or mentally. 

I immediately remembered a time when I was once physically injured, although in denial at first, after an ice skating accident when I was thirteen. I loved ice skating, and my best friend and I used to free skate regularly, at an indoor ice skating rink, called Rainbow Arena in Chicago. 

One Saturday, while we were skating, I slipped and fell on the ice, but wasn’t hurt at all. My friend saw my clumsy fall and we both burst into laughter at the same time. I didn’t get back up right away, as we continued to laugh. While I was sitting on the ice, neither of us noticed a woman skating backwards, who was heading towards me, and then slammed  into me. The woman and I both exchanged apologies, I assured her I was fine, and she skated away. 

I started to get up, but felt a sharp pain and weakness in my left leg. 

I managed to walk toward the restroom, assuming I was probably bruised from the impact of her bumping into me. I never looked at my leg until I reached the restroom. When I finally looked down, I saw a hole in my left thigh, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, that tore through my pants. 

I never thought the back end of an ice skate blade could cause such a stab wound. I received stitches at the nearest emergency room, to close the ugly wound, and it healed.

I am still surprised at how long it took me, before looking down at my leg. Though I felt pain, I was in a temporary state of denial, during those few minutes, while walking with a stab wound in my leg. I told myself, I am well, just like that little lady in the hospital.

I wonder if God sees people walking around, repressing their pain, until they look within and realize they need inner healing. He sees people walking and limping through the pain of their emotional wounds, which He wants to heal with total wholeness.

Many years later, as an adult, after experiencing different problems, I remember a time in prayer, when I brought all the things that ever wounded me, emotionally and spiritually, to Jesus. I recognized and embraced my vulnerabilities, for the first time, recalling not only who or what hurt me, but who I hurt, and then I surrendered it all to Jesus, instead of trying to walk around in pain and denial.

It was a season of reset for me, and I believe God meant for us to have more than one of those seasons of reset and renewal in our lives. When we pause to look inside of ourselves, and give Jesus all that wounded us and kept us down, He heals, forgives and assures us that it’s been nailed to the cross. In His love, He takes our hand, and raises us up again. 

When I recall that whole ice skating accident, I know now, that the cause of it, was not the lady who didn’t see me, or that I fell, but that I stayed down too long. Falling is one thing, but staying down is a choice. 

Because Jesus loves us more than we realize, He constantly invites us to rise again, just as He did. He knows all about our inner mental, emotional and spiritual wounds, which we carry around inside. As we look within, we bring Him our pain, our shame and our wounds, and He gives us healing, mercy and spiritual wholeness, in exchange.

Lord, as we come to you with all of our inner wounds, we thank you for the healing that restores true wholeness, that we may be well, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Amen

“To Daniel the King said, “Truly your God is the God of gods and Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries; that is why you were able to reveal this mystery.”

Daniel 2:47 (NAB)

It was 605 B.C., when Daniel and his three companions, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were forced from their homes in Jerusalem, and taken as captives to Babylon. They were young men, but never saw their families again, being forced to adapt to a new land, culture, laws and people who did not share their faith, much less their dietary laws. This new life was thrust upon the four of them, causing them to adjust to a new phase, which I refer to as plan B.

The four of them prayed together, and had many spiritual gifts, especially Daniel, who had an extraordinary gift of prophesy. It eventually caused the Babylonians to take notice of them, and they were added to a special advisory group called “Wise men of the King”. It was a group mostly made up of astrologers, sorcerers, magicians and self proclaimed prophets. 

Though they didn’t practice the magic arts of their colleagues, Daniel and his friends were fervent in observing their own faith in one true God. They prayed three times a day and avoided the foods which were forbidden according to their faith customs. The royal court approved of their request to receive a diet of vegetables only, and yet they still had little control over their own lives. While trying to adjust to captivity in Babylon, they missed the carefree days of plan A, their life in Jerusalem. 

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had an impulsive and volatile personality. One day, he awoke from a disturbing dream and summoned his own Chaldean prophets and seers, to obtain the interpretation. The tricky part is that he demanded that they first tell him what he dreamed. When no one could tell him what he dreamed, he lost his temper and ordered all the wise men to be executed. 

The eccentric King caused a widespread panic among the wise men who tried reasoning with him. Despite their pleading, an execution was set in place for every wise man, prophet and seer in the kingdom, unless someone could tell the King what he dreamed. 

Daniel and his companions began praying. They implored God’s mercy to reveal the King’s dream to them. That night Daniel received a vision from God, describing every detail of the King’s dream, which included prophecies of future kingdoms to come. To make a long story shorter, Daniel presented the exact dream in detail, to the King, including its meaning. The King was amazed at Daniel’s gifts and abilities, and he cancelled the mass execution. He proclaimed the God of Daniel to be the “God of gods, Lord of kings, and the revealer of mysteries.” 

God revealed the dream to Daniel, and saved the lives of all the wise men. Daniel had gifts of prophesy and wisdom, and yet the greatest gift God gave him was three faithful prayer partners. He and his friends found their purpose in plan B, and they became an influence for good, shining light on the one true God who they served.

Life leads us through so many twists and turns, some being situations that are difficult, unfamiliar, and lonely, which we gave no consent to and had no control over. Plan A may fall apart when things don’t happen as we hoped and planned. We long for our carefree days in Jerusalem, while trying to adjust to plan B in Babylon. The God of gods is still with us, and this story reveals that there’s a beautiful mystery hidden in plan B. 

The Lords sends us the gift of prayer partners, as a sign of His support in our darkest moments. As we follow Daniel’s example to pray and implore His mercy, God reveals Himself to us through people that He brings into our lives, who are sent for the right support at the right moment. He also uses us right where we are, in plan B, to shine God’s light to others. We learn how our gifts can help others in new ways in Babylon. It becomes a place of new opportunities, and new hope as God is reworking everything for the good of each soul and for His glory. 

Lord, give us the grace to live out our plan B, trusting in the divine purpose you have for us, and help us to shine where we are, and reveal to others your love, peace and joy. Amen

…”as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”

2 Corinthians 6:10 (RSV)

Archeologists fully excavated a magnificent public building which  dates back 2,000 years, during the time of Jesus. A photo is attached that shows the ancient building that was dedicated to the shops where lambs, turtle doves and all things related to temple offerings, were once sold. 

In 2021 this site was open to tourists after being fully excavated. I heard someone who visited this site, share his story, about his Jewish tour guide who told him, “If you are a Christian, you will want to remove your shoes because this is holy ground for you, since your Messiah was brought here 2,000 years ago.”

The building is situated next to the famous western wall, the remains of the great temple in Jerusalem. Archeologists believe that these shops were where Joseph and Mary bought a pair of turtle doves, for the presentation of Jesus in the temple, when He turned forty days old. 

Scripture describes the custom:

“When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,

and to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves.” (Luke 2:22-24)

Mosaic law declares every firstborn male to be brought to the temple on their 40th day of life, where the parents symbolically “buy back” their consecrated son with the offering of either a one year old unblemished lamb, or two turtle doves, depending on what the family could afford.  (Leviticus 12:8) 

Mary and Joseph were too poor to afford a lamb to sacrifice, so instead, they offered a pair of turtledoves, purchased at the shop in the attached photo. They didn’t fully understand yet, that their poverty would make many rich, and while having nothing, they possessed everything, within the bundle of humanity held in their arms. 

When the Lord of the universe gave this law of dedication to Moses on a mountain, it thundered with smoke and lightning. That same Lord was later incarnated as Mary’s infant son, who was brought into His own temple, in fulfillment of His own commandments, on His sacred 40th day of human life. 

Forty days has always been a special number of fulfillment and of God’s intervention. It’s a number repeated throughout scripture, since God is very intentional regarding numbers. Noah and his family were saved while the earth was flooded for forty days. Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai, receiving the commandments in God’s holy presence. Jesus spent forty days fasting and praying in the desert before starting His ministry. 

Today, we enter a forty day period of lent, culminating on resurrection Sunday, where we celebrate the generous offering made by our Father in heaven for us. He bought us back, redeeming us with the precious blood and perfect offering, of Jesus, our unblemished lamb of God. 

As we recall the sacrifice of Jesus, it makes us sorrowful, but it also gives us cause to greatly rejoice. Though He was rich before coming into this world, yet for our sake He became poor, so that by his poverty we might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

God removes our spiritual poverty and adopts us into the family of God. We have been given the riches of salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of His son. 

Lord, in entering these forty days, we are speechless and in awe, standing on the holy ground of your truth. Thank you for offering your very best for us and making us a part of your family forever. Amen

“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?”

”Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it?”

”But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.”

Luke 15:4, 8, 32 (NAB)

The parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost prodigal son, were all told in the same chapter. The Holy Spirit wanted to impact all readers by guiding Luke, the writer of that gospel, to put all three parables into one section.

Jesus repeatedly speaks about something or someone which was lost, but later found. Scripture is truly inexhaustible. Even though I’ve read these parables many times, I keep finding new meaning each time I read it. As we read each parable, we can imagine ourselves or a loved one in each story. 

Jesus teaches us through these stories that it only takes losing “one” of something to stir God’s compassion. The good shepherd in the parable, is protective over his entire flock, and yet every individual sheep is precious to him. He instantly left the ninety nine to run after the one lost sheep, and bring it back.

Jesus, the good shepherd, wants us to know how valuable we or our loved ones are to Him. He seeks out every wandering sheep, even if it takes all the days of their life, until they are returned to the flock. Once he finally finds the one who was lost, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy, and celebrates.

Next, Jesus tells us the parable of the woman who searched her home for one lost coin. That lost coin is a Greek drachma, according to the commentaries and had a value of one week’s wage. It was just a coin, but it had great value to the one who owned it, just as each human soul has great value to the Lord God,  who created them.

The last parable is the prodigal son, who estranged himself from his entire family. Although he once scorned and abandoned his father, and squandered his inheritance in careless living, the father still longed to see his son return. The father of the prodigal loved his son more than his own rules, because it was all about a relationship, not rules. 

So it is with God. Jesus reminds us in this parable, that God is our Heavenly Father, who also loves us more than His rules, and wants every son and daughter to return to Him. 

As Jesus told these three parables, He emphasized the intense joy in heaven over that one that is found. It only takes one, to spark a huge celebration in heaven. 

Last week there was a news story about an Ohio school bus that for some unknown reason, suddenly burst into flames. The bus driver evacuated all fifteen middle school students off the bus safely, while that fire raged. Witnesses heard two loud booms as it exploded. 

I happened to catch an early news interview on TV with that bus driver. In that brief interview, he told the reporter that he prays every morning before going to work, and he was thankful to God for helping him to act quickly, and get each child off the bus. 

Many others were also thankful that the driver’s reflexes led him to react as he did in saving those fifteen students, and the city honored him as a hero. He was like the shepherd of that bus, and those students were the sheep in his caring hands. 

Stories like that bring new relevance to the parables of Jesus. As we continue to hear contemporary versions of good shepherds, or someone finding their lost item of value, or a true story of a prodigal son or daughter returning home, we are reminded that God is the Lord of the lost and found.

Jesus revealed His Father’s heart toward all of us, in describing the father of the prodigal, who stood outside, watching and waiting with hope, looking in the distance for that lost son to one day appear. If God so anticipates the celebration over a prodigal’s return, then we should as well. 

Lord, we lift up in prayer and believe for the repentance and return of every prodigal. Help us to follow your example and see the value in every soul, and to keep praying for all to be found. Amen

“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit.”  

1 Corinthians 12:7-9 (RSV)

Paul lists many amazing gifts given by the Holy Spirit, in his letter to the Corinthians. After mentioning each of those gifts in the 12th chapter, he begins the first sentence in chapter 13, by saying, even if we possess all of these gifts, but do not have love, we are nothing. 

It’s sobering to realize that love and compassion can override all the gifts of the Spirit, which include wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues.

In the 12th chapter, we learn that the spiritual gifts are distributed by the Holy Spirit, to each individual person as He desires. So the gifts of the Spirit are just that-Gifts, given to us according to God’s will.

The gifts are given according to the His choice, but love and compassion are choices we make. The love of God and love of our neighbor, are the two greatest commandments, given to us directly from the mouth of Jesus. He expects us to choose to obey and pursue those two greatest commandments. He doesn’t zap us and instantly turn us into loving, compassionate human beings, but rather it’s something we are meant to pursue and seek after. 

Wisdom, like any other gift of the Spirit, seems to work better when combined with compassion. A gift of wisdom without compassion, comes across as self-righteous or heartless, while compassion without wisdom becomes foolish and naive. To have one without the other can leave a person spiritually undeveloped and immature. The Spirit gives us gifts, but we are expected to abide in the commandments to love, and to add compassion to those gifts. There is no doubt that we would have a much better world if a dose of compassion was added to every gift.

Adding compassion to wisdom transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary. We were all created in God’s image, and born to imitate our Father, in Heaven. His Spirit has given us many gifts, but to follow Jesus’ two greatest commandments, and abide in Him, is something we must choose. Jesus made it clear that we are judged not by how much we know, but by how much we love.

When I find myself struggling to have compassion, the epistle of James encourages me, since he tells us that if we lack something, it might be because we have not asked for it. He tells us to pray and ask God for what we are lacking.  (James 4:2)

Jesus intended for us to combine  compassion with wisdom, saying “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”   (Matthew 10:16)  

He wants us to be wise as a shrewd serpent, but have the compassion of a gentle dove. It seems like a dichotomy to be both, but it’s God’s prescription, which is possible only by the power of His Spirit who dwells in us.

Wisdom is a valuable gift when a dose of compassion is added to it.

It gives us understanding and changes our perspective in how we see problems and people. I always used to pray for wisdom, but I realize how much I need compassion with that wisdom. We only need to look at the anger and division in the present world, to know that we desperately need both. 

When wisdom is partnered with compassion, it enables us to see beyond our differing ideologies or opinions, and to see people from the heart. It leads us to seek what unites us rather than what divides us, and is a pathway to peace. The Spirit’s wisdom diffuses anger in the heart, before it manifests into harsh words. Compassion helps us to speak to one another with healing words. When we combine compassion with wisdom, it changes lives, and changed lives can change the world.

Lord, help us to choose compassion and love to be added to our wisdom, that we might show mercy before we judge, and seek the love that sees others from your perspective, instead of our own. Amen