30 September 2025 - fire fault

Today's Readings
(Audio) 

"Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?"

When Sodom and Gomorrah failed to show due hospitality to angelic messengers they were wiped off of the map. Elijah had called down fire to destroy his enemies. And so, when a Samaritan village failed to welcome Jesus, James and John thought that the one whom John the Baptist had said would baptize with fire ought not to stand for it. Jesus had moved into the final period of his journey, having set his face toward the final conflict in Jerusalem. Surely, if he was going to unleash his heavenly arsenal against his opposition this would have been an appropriate time to start.

Jesus turned and rebuked them,
and they journeyed to another village.

The disciples had failed to understand Jesus, when by then they should have known better. Jesus didn't respond with a complex explanation, but rather with a short rebuke that implied they could figure out the rest themselves. He had come on a mission of mercy, to spread healing and forgiveness. That mission was to culminate, not in his enemies destruction, but rather his own self-offering. Jesus was the one who had taught them to love their enemies and to pray for those who persecuted them. It proved easy to acknowledge and approve of those teachings, but harder to live. Yet Jesus himself lived them perfectly.

As he intensified his singular focus on the goal of the cross he did not become more aggressive toward those who did not yet understand or accept him. He did not let himself be distracted by such apparent insults to his honor. He could allow himself to become thus preoccupied, since he was heading, not first to victory, but to apparent defeat. He wasn't going to achieve his goal by persuasion, much less by violence. If the Samaritans failed to welcome him it was only a symptom of the larger problem that would finally result in the moment when he was rejected by his own people, and, implicitly, all of humanity. He could have mobilized his angelic forces to prevent such an occurrence. But had he done so we would not have been saved.

There would indeed come a time when those who were not gathered together in the wheat of the harvest would be burned with unquenchable fire. But this judgment was reserved for those who had obstinately rejected what Jesus had done for them to the last moment of their lives. This was a very different condition than that of the Samaritans who merely saw Jesus as part of the Jewish system of theology with which they differed, among other things, about where true worship ought to be offered. The rejection of the fully understood offer of salvation from Jesus was something quite different from a squabble about theological understanding.

What of us? How do we handle it when we experience a lack of hospitality and and acceptance? What do we think to be appropriate treatment for those who disagree with us on theology, politics, or ethics? Do we see them as enemies deserving of destruction? Or do we see them, as indeed we should see ourselves, as fallen people in need of salvation? It seems like there isn't much public discourse or conversation on social media that has any goal aside from demonizing and finally destroying those with whom we disagree. One would think this would be better in the Christian sphere but  the vitriol often seems all the more passionate since it surrounds deeply cherished beliefs. One would think it would be better in our own hearts, we who have heard the call to mercy and should know better. But we still seem to believe that any minute now Jesus will change modes and go on the offensive, and that we ought to encourage him to do so. We too need to hear the rebuke spoken to James and John, and constantly remember that Jesus came not to condemn, but to save. We ought never to be eager to see the fires of judgment burn, even if they one day must burn. We must instead fill our own hearts with the desire for mercy that fills the heart of Jesus, and to do all we can to bring that mercy to others, following the example Jesus himself gave us.

We The Kingdom - God So Loved

29 September 2025 - dragon dropped

Today's Readings
(Audio) 

"Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him."

Nathanael might have been suspicious that Jesus was trying to win him over with flattery. But Jesus never praised anyone unless there was a solid basis for doing so. Nathanael probably wanted to believe that what was said of him was true, that his commitments and resolve were all for the sake of Israel. He didn't want there to be any duplicity between God's concern and plan for the people of Israel and his own priorities. But, though he wanted it, it was difficult to be so focused, and to have such absolute integrity. He was no doubt aware of the struggle against conflicting priorities within him. He was probably always aware of the fact that he might at any time choose an easier path and knew himself to be capable of doing so. Thus, when Jesus affirmed the deepest sense of who he himself desired to be, he wanted to believe it, but could not do so entirely.

Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?"
Jesus answered and said to him,
"Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."

Jesus saw in Nathanael someone who had vested his entire life and future hope on the coming of the messiah and the age when "they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree" (see Micah 4:4). Jesus was able to affirm the deepest hopes of Nathanael because he himself had come to fulfill them. Because he had come, Nathanael would be able to become the person he most desired to be. Nathanael realized that Jesus understood him at an even deeper level than he understood himself. Jesus comprehended all of his hopes and fears, and affirmed that in him he could find true fulfillment. Nathanael found in Jesus the answer to the question of his life's meaning and purpose.

You will see greater things than this."
And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened
and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.

Nathanael had come to understand that Jesus was the promised messiah. But he did not as yet understand all that was entailed in that fact. Jesus was more than the one who would save Israel from its enemies. He was in himself the place where heaven met earth, the one who would rebuild the bridge between God and man that sin had shattered. Even in the time of Jacob there was some interpenetration of the earthly and heavenly realms. But in Jesus the doors would be blown wide open. It is for this reason that we are now able to be close, not only to Jesus, but to his angels and his saints. It is for this reason that we celebrate the feast of the archangels, since we see that Jesus himself is the ladder that is a nexus for their activity, and it is in order to minister to him that they act for our sakes on earth.

The huge dragon, the ancient serpent,
who is called the Devil and Satan,
who deceived the whole world,
was thrown down to earth,
and its angels were thrown down with it.

We see in the book of Revelation that God sometimes chooses to act through angels as intermediaries. Even the defeat of the Devil was something he brought about through Michael, though we might have expected him to reserve the privilege to himself. But that he did so both affirms the greatness of the role of the angels shows us how the Devil was never in competition with him to begin with. It is a reminder of who is ultimately in charge. But it is also an implicit suggestion of where we ought to turn for help when we fight our own battles "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (see Ephesians 6:12). Michael may once have told the armies of Israel that he was not on the side of anyone but that of the Lord (see Joshua 5:13-15). But that means that he is on the side of Jesus, and so, provided we are as well, on our side too. 

In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.

We one day hope to join the angels around the throne in singing the praises of the Lord. But really, we needn't wait. This describes the reality that happens at every mass. May we realize it and join in with our whole hearts.

Graham Kendrick - For This Purpose

28 September 2025 - at our door

Today's Readings
(Audio)

And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man's table.

As fallen people we are capable of egregious blind spots and shocking lack of sympathy. We tend to try to justify ourselves with knowledge that the problem of poverty, of sickness, and of oppression, is intractable, too large to ever be solved. Didn't Jesus himself tell us that we would always have the poor with us? Yet, although we not be accountable for all poverty, or for ending suffering for all times, we will be judged by what we did for those who were lying at our door. The rich man lived in such proximity to Lazarus that he had to all but step over him to continue to pursue his life of indulgence. It wasn't so much his fine clothes or sumptuous food that were problems in themselves. It was the fact that these things were chosen while Lazarus was still neglected and suffering. He was not necessarily being called to divest himself of all of his wealth for the sake of the poor. It was for his lack of actively expressed compassion for Lazarus in particular that he was judged. We can easily imagine that if he had made even a moderate effort to tend to Lazarus, one which he no doubt could have made while continuing to enjoy his standard of living, that Lazarus would have become an advocate for him in the hereafter, quick to help to ease the burden of whatever fires of purgation he faced.

When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.

Jesus often spoke of a great reversal of fortunes between those who chose to selfishly enjoy the things of this world, as though they could provide ultimate happiness, who made idols of wealth, pleasure, and power, and those who were deprived during this earthly life. Those who practiced oppression could only do so for the short years of their temporal existence, before finding the power dynamics reversed and the tables turned completely. Those who used abundant wealth to pursue their own pleasure would one day, not to far hence,  find that wealth to fail. On the other hand there were who did not wield wealth in a primarily self-interested way during this life. They may have been deprived of wealth by systems of oppression or even by a choice to pursue better things. But whatever the case, the imbalance would be addressed. They seemed in this life to be the unfortunate ones. But in the scheme of eternity they would be the ones who were truly rich. 

The more we can intentionally learn to live for the love of others the more we invest in treasure we can keep, wealth that will not fail, and in coming out on the positive side of the scales when the imbalances of this world are addressed. We really want to learn to trust in God to provide for our ultimate happiness. Lazarus had no choice, really, but to hope in this. But we have many apparent alternatives we may mistakenly choose, none of which can truly satisfy. Hence we must be attentive to this warning.

Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.

Concern for the poor was not something new in the Christian revelation. It was always a primary concern of God throughout the Scriptures. He sent prophets again and again to call people to care for the lowest and the least of these. A miracle might help one to come to faith, but it wouldn't necessarily provide long-term motivation for the commitment God required. If they were willing to ignore his voice speaking through the prophets of the past then they would find that they would even be able to ignore him speaking through his Son. In other words, if we're waiting for a miracle to prove to us we need to take care of for the poor seriously, it happened. If we're waiting for a word from God, he has already spoken. The time now is for us to do what Paul enjoined Timothy, to "Fight the good fight of the faith". Let us learn to imitate the Lord whom the psalmist describes as the greatest advocate for those in need:

The LORD gives sight to the blind;
the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just;
the LORD protects strangers.

Matt Maher - Your Love Defends Me

27 September 2025 - its meaning was hidden from them

Today's Readings
(Audio) 

While they were all amazed at his every deed,
Jesus said to his disciples,
"Pay attention to what I am telling you.
The Son of Man is to be handed over to men."

Precisely while they were basking in amazement Jesus told them a second time about his impending suffering. They might have thought he was a buzz kill to do so right when they were riding high from wonder at his deeds, especially so for Peter, James, and John, who had only recently seen him transfigured and glorious. 

But they did not understand this saying

The disciples couldn't make the transition from amazement at Jesus to his prediction of the cross. They were so overwhelmed by his apparently limitless power that they couldn't even process it when they were told about the passion. They heard the words, but did not understand them. Yet it was not entirely in one ear and out the other. They knew there was something they missed, but were afraid to ask him. Somewhere deep inside they instinctively rebelled against the idea that Jesus would encounter difficulty. They had hitched the wagons of their egos to Jesus and, apparently, to the idea that he could solve all of their problems. They therefore took it personally when this hope of eternal comfort and earthly glory was put at risk. They preferred to look the other way. 

its meaning was hidden from them
so that they should not understand it

It was not merely their own failings that prevented them from understanding. Jesus would not have been a very impressive teacher if such had been the case. Rather, he allowed mistakes and misunderstandings so that, when they learned, they could learn as they were meant to learn. For instance, there was the possibility that if they had fully realized what Jesus had meant then and there they would have concluded that they ought no longer to follow him, because who would follow a messiah doomed to experience such apparent failure? They needed the gift of the Holy Spirit, not poured forth until Jesus himself experienced the cross, in order to hold in dynamic tension both the suffering and the glory of the messiah. Without the Spirit the human mind would always insist that the one could have no relation to the other. And from this perspective suffering was always proof positive that the glory was only an illusion. 

The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.

Apparent failures of understanding actually served as preparation, as pieces of what would eventually fall into place to make sense of the whole. They would eventually remember these words, even though they hardly heard them at the time, and grasp something important about the suffering of Jesus. This prediction would help them to realize that suffering was not merely something that happened to Jesus against his will, but that it was a part of his plan from the beginning, which is why he alluded to the passage from Isaiah about the suffering servant who was handed over for the sins of the people. It was not for nothing that he would suffer, not because he couldn't avoid it if he desired, but for the sake of the world's salvation. When the disciples experienced the dark night of the passion, and each in their own way failed to act as a friend to Jesus, they could look back on these words and remember that, for Jesus, this was a part of the plan. It didn't make him love them any less for knowing it. So perhaps there was hope that even after the cross they could again somehow be restored to his friendship. The reality would far exceed anything they dared to hope. It was precisely through the cross that the unshakable joy hinted at by Zechariah would finally be realized.

Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion!
See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.
Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day,
and they shall be his people and he will dwell among you.

This means that for us the Lord is meant to be "an encircling wall of fire" and the glory in our midst. But perhaps we struggle to believe this. We may know it in our minds but still need a deeper revelation of it in our hearts. If this is so, let us remember that it is from the Spirit poured forth upon the cross that this promise is made available. We drink of it through the resurrection, but never apart from the fact that Jesus handed himself over for us. A resurrection that ignored that fact would be of no profit to us. But when the love that Jesus did in fact demonstrate manages to penetrate our egos it is then that we will truly be open to the realization of all he has done, and open to all he still desires to do through us.

Newsboys - Lead Me To The Cross

26 September 2025 - deep calls to deep

Today's Readings
(Audio) 

“Who do the crowds say that I am?”

The only reason Jesus asked his disciples about the opinion of the crowds was so that he could ask them to move beyond it. By recognizing that popular opinion only ever got at part of the truth they would be driven to look within, reflecting on their time with Jesus, in order to find answers themselves. They needed to move beyond what other people said, and even, to a certain extent, what appearances indicated. After all, being the son of a carpenter from Nazareth, apparently human in appearance, was a lot of baggage to get past to understand who he truly was. Even the signs and wonders he performed and the words of authority with which he spoke and taught were such that they could only lead one so far. Perhaps such things could also have been done by John, Elijah, or one of the other prophets. On the one hand, they seemed to imply the unique divine identity of Jesus. But on the other, how could that be? There was after all only one God. That was the non-negotiable fundamental basis of the belief of the people of Israel. For reasons like this, people could only be brought to the edge of belief by what they had seen, but were still free to answer in the negative. There was nothing so overwhelming as to force them to acknowledge him if they did not desire to do so. 

Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”

Peter did not make the assertion that Jesus was the messiah merely on the basis of his intellect, or because he had seen something about Jesus everyone else had failed to notice. What made Peter unique was that in that moment his heart was uniquely open to the revelation of the Father about his Son by the Spirit. It did not come from his flesh and blood. It would have been a problem if he insisted on using his flesh and blood to figure it out. Only the Father could reveal the Son (see Matthew 11:27). And Peter, who knew there was more to Jesus than he was qualified to answer himself, was open to that revelation. 

Jesus being the messiah meant that he was one uniquely anointed by the Holy Spirit. It was thus that no one could say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit (see First Corinthians 12:3). It was therefore necessary to be open to the movement of the Spirit inside oneself in order to have the fullness of his identity revealed. This, perhaps, is what is meant by "deep calling on deep" (see Psalm 42:7).

He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

Immediately following the confession of Peter we see why human reason would be insufficient to answer the question of the identity of Jesus. Even if we managed to guess at his exulted status, we would certainly never imagine that the same Jesus would somehow face suffering and death. But this was in fact necessary from the point of view of the divine plan. Similarly, we need the Holy Spirit to help us continue to recognize the messianic identity of Jesus even in a world marked by darkness and suffering. We clearly do not live in a world where all evil is prevented or immediately corrected. But we do live in a world where even death can now lead to new life and resurrection. The spiritual temple in which we now worship may seem shabby from the perspective of earth. But its glory will one day be revealed as magnificent.

Greater will be the future glory of this house
than the former, says the LORD of hosts;
And in this place I will give you peace,
says the LORD of hosts!

Newsboys - It Is You

25 September 2025 - he was greatly perplexed

Today's Readings
(Audio) 

Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening

Herod heard the same possibilities about Jesus as the disciples of Jesus quoted when Jesus asked them who they said he was. It was proof that the masses were interested in Jesus, and sensed that he was no ordinary individual. But it was also proof that one could not determine the identity of Jesus through hearsay. There was something accurate about all of these answers. But there was a greater part that was still missing. It was predicted that Elijah would appear again at the time of the messiah. In his ministry John the Baptist pointed his own disciples to Jesus, whom he called the lamb of God. Moses himself predicted that a prophet like himself would one day rise to govern the people, and that they would either listen to that prophet or be cut off from the people.

Herod was not satisfied with the answers he heard. He was unable to discern the connection between Jesus and John because he still had, probably, unresolved guilt about having John beheaded. The suggestion that John had been raised from the dead in the person of Jesus made it seem as though Jesus had come specifically to haunt him for this heinous act. But there had to be more to it than a repeat of John the Baptist. Even Herod could sense that much. Yet his mixture of guilt and curiosity was insufficient to understand Jesus, just as his curiosity was insufficient to understand John when he had him imprisoned yet liked to hear him speak. 

People in our own day generally do not have a complete picture of Jesus either. They may think his existence needs to be explained somehow, just as people did in his own day. But they may be content to call him a moral teacher, or an advocate for the poor, or a spiritual leader. All of those things are true of Jesus but miss the main point of his mission. One problem is that people still tend to approach Jesus with curiosity mixed with guilt. They are curious, because they seek distraction from the condition of the world and from the condition of their hearts. They are guilty because they have a sense that Jesus came in order to condemn them for their sins, even though this is the opposite of the reason he came. But how much of this confusion about Jesus is the fault of his own disciples, past and present? Aren't they curious about him because we present him more as one who is interesting, without expressing the vital necessity of his coming for our salvation? He did work miracles and teach people how to pray. But more than that, he died for sinners like ourselves. And do people around us not feel guilty precisely because we are the ones who come against them with condemnation? Rather than being generous with the merciful abundance of God's salvation we focus on criticizing all of their faults, as if they would need to fix each of them before they could find favor in the eyes of Jesus.

And he kept trying to see him.

One blessing we can't take for granted is that even our own imperfect answers about Jesus won't satisfy other people. That means it will remain an open question, a question that requires an answer that they get, not from others, but from within themselves. Obviously there will be fewer obstacles for that if we ourselves do a better job of presenting Jesus as a merciful king and savior rather than merely the one at the top of the scale of interesting and appealing options, different from others only in degree, and not also in kind.

Is it time for you to dwell in your own paneled houses,
while this house lies in ruins?

Perhaps we are presenting Jesus in limited ways because we ourselves are more preoccupied with other things. It is hard to tell others that he is Lord when he is clearly not the Lord of our own lives. We are supposed to be temples of his Spirit. But these temples often lie in ruins while we pursue other, lesser things. If this describes us (and it describes all of us to some degree) let us head the word of the Lord to the prophet Haggai:

Thus says the LORD of hosts:
Consider your ways!
Go up into the hill country;
bring timber, and build the house
That I may take pleasure in it
and receive my glory, says the LORD.

Songs In His Presence - The House Of God

24 September 2025 - he gave them power and authority

Today's Readings
(Audio) 

Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority

The Kingdom of God was manifested wherever the power and authority of Jesus was present. He therefore empowered his disciples to have a share in the power and authority that properly belonged to him. This was needed so that they could do what he had first done, proclaiming the Kingdom and healing the sick.

Take nothing for the journey

If they took anything with them there was a risk that they would attribute any success they experienced to the resources they used. Since they took nothing they were forced to rely on providence. Doing so meant they were less likely to assume it was their own talents or treasures that were essential and made them more likely to give the glory to God. Even then, of course, it wouldn't be automatic. But it would help. They were, in a way, mirroring Jesus himself, who did not bring anything with him in the incarnation, but rather emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, and coming in human likeness. Self emptying was the secret at the beginning of the mission of Jesus and would be so for his disciples as well. 

Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.

They were instructed not to overthink things by always searching for slightly better circumstances, even if doing so could theoretically be advantageous for their mission. So too they were not to be distracted by too much concern for their own comfort. It was essential for them to find some base of operation with people who welcomed them. But trying to find perfect circumstances, whether or not their reasons for wanting them were ultimately self-interested, would tend to be the enemy the good, circumstances sufficient for what they required.

And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.

They were told to not worry too much about whether or not they would be rejected. Rather, they were instructed to plan on rejection, and resolve their minds in advance to handle it without being too upset by it. 

There is perhaps a great disconnect between what was asked of the Twelve and what we feel comfortable claiming as our own roles in the Kingdom. And there is a significant difference between them and their successors and we of the laity. And yet, as baptized Christians we have been anointed as priests, prophets, and kings. We too, in some measure, share in the power and authority of Jesus. We too are called to proclaim the Kingdom in word and in deed. And this means we are called to learn the same lessons that the Twelve learned first.  

We will not be effective in our own mission if we rely too much on ourselves. Really, when we try to do so, we may either begin with naive optimism that is quickly crushed, or else never begin at all out of fear at our lack of capability. We, even we of the laity, need to rely on supernatural providence in order to succeed. It is especially the case for us that we have a wide variety of possible distractions to tempt us, particularly since missionary work isn't our profession. It's fine to have a variety of hobbies and interests providing they don't keep us from doing that to which we know we are being called by God. However, even if we get all of this right, trusting in providence and avoiding distraction, we will still sometimes encounter rejection. The proof of this is to be found in Jesus himself, who obviously never faltered from walking in the will of God, and yet experienced rejection like no other. God can bring glory even out of such rejection, as the resurrection made clear. Our part is to go and get to work, trusting God, proclaiming the word in season and out of season (see Second Timothy 4:2), regardless of the reception we receive. 

Hillsong - This Kingdom

23 September 2025 - we are family

Today's Readings
(Audio)

He said to them in reply, "My mother and my brothers
are those who hear the word of God and act on it."

We know that this was no slight to Mary, who was the model of perfect obedience to the divine word. She was the one who responded to the archangel with her fiat, and who made a practice of treasuring her encounters with the word of God in her heart. She was chosen to become the mother of Jesus. But the grace given to her for the sake of this choice, the fullness of grace in which she was herself was conceived, was what allowed her to be so open to the word of God as to conceive the word of God in her womb. She was, therefore, doubly God's mother, a mother in both the biological and spiritual sense.

What would it mean to act on the word of God so as to become related to Jesus like a mother? Fortunately we were given Mary precisely to be an example of how this should look, and the difference it can make in our own lives and in the world. Without an example of someone so perfectly open to the word, who let it completely alter the course of her life, and who did so without reservation, we probably would have assumed this metaphor was more about trite sentimentality than anything practical. At best we would have thought Jesus meant something like hearing and acted the word of God allowed us to have a close relationship with himself. And it does mean exactly that. But in Mary we can see the dense reality and implications it entails, above and beyond the initial burst of sentimentality it engenders. She possessed a closeness to her son that was second only to his closeness he had through his Spirit with the Father. Her connection to him had such concrete reality that not even the cross could cause her to recoil or run. This level of closeness could not be guaranteed by biology. But it was realized by the power of her response to the grace she had been given. 

It is in Mary's spiritual motherhood that we are invited to share, allowing God's word to transform us, so that we too can become bearers of Jesus to the world. In addition, we are also invited to become his younger brothers and sisters, learning from him the paradigmatic example of how to live in a way pleasing to our Father in heaven. Let us learn to build our lives on the foundation of the word of God. May his worship take the central place within us, shaping our priorities, just as it did for the returning exiles about whom we read this morning.

The children of Israel–priests, Levites,
and the other returned exiles–
celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.

Songs In His Presence - Psalm 122: Let Us Go Rejoicing

22 September 2025 - can we stand it?

Today's Readings
(Audio)

For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.

Sometimes we might prefer not to be exposed as Christians. There are perceptions people have of Christianity, both accurate and inaccurate, that cause them to think negatively of its members. Christians are believed to be credulous, willing to believe anything for the sake of comfort. They are sometimes thought to ignore the problems of this world because they know they will spend eternity in heaven. Because they accept the teachings of natural law and of the Church on issues like marriage and gender identity they are believed to be bigoted, hateful people. After all, was this not the same religious that opposed scientific progress and endorsed slavery in past eras, and was primarily famous for a crisis of sexual abuse in our own? Obviously there are many misconceptions entailed in these views of Christianity, though they all also contain some truth. The first and greatest misconception, though, is that Christianity itself was naturally disposed to cause such issues. Rather, it was typically people failing to live up to the demands of Christianity who tarnished its reputation. If Christianity was God's desired vehicle by which to give salvation to the earth is it any wonder that the devil would delight to sling mud upon it? But we are not thereby absolved or let off the hook. It is definitely a messy business. Easier, we think, just to focus on humanism, on essentials about which everyone, religious and non-religious, can agree. But to shun the shadow in this case is also to shun the light. All that is left when nothing is on the lampstand is a pale half-light that isn't enough to help people to see.

No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.

Perhaps we're reluctant to put the lamp on the lampstand because we believe that we ourselves must be the light, and, if anything, shine too inconsistently ourselves to be valuable in that role. Yes, the disciples of Jesus are meant to be lights for the world. But only secondarily, as reflections of the light that is present in Jesus himself. We can, and thank God, be imperfect, and yet still serve as lampstands from which the light of Christ can shine. And we must, both for the sakes of others, but also for our own. If we refuse to be people who bear the light of Christ to the world we will eventually find ourselves without it. If we refuse to show the mercy of Jesus to others mercy will ultimately be ineffective even in our own souls. It has been said often enough that we might be desensitized the the idea, but we can only possess this grace of God to the degree that we give it away. We can choose between being exposed as imperfect and yet committed to Jesus and his Kingdom now, or instead, on the last day, be exposed as those who did not acknowledge him.

So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven (see Matthew 10:32-33).

It is not an easy calling which Christians have received. It is almost certain to bring many negative consequences if we embrace it seriously. But it is only when Christians do so that Christianity can bear fruit and be what it is meant to be for the world. We can be testimony that it is not finally about us or our limitations, but Jesus, and his infinite love and mercy. When we put ourselves out there with this message it is possible that even very unlikely people may take notice and be transformed, just as Cyrus, the pagan king realized he was meant to contribute to the reconstruction of the temple in Jerusalem. There are plenty of political leaders around us whom we probably consider to be beyond the possible reach of the Gospel. But in actuality, no one is beyond that reach. Imagine what they might do if God actually touched their hearts. So let's not be afraid to let the light shine, in hopes, among other things, that they might catch a glimpse.

Newsboys - Shine 

21 September 2025 - dear prudence

Today's Readings
(Audio) 

Prepare a full account of your stewardship,
because you can no longer be my steward.'

Someday the term of our stewardship will end and we too will be required to prepare a full account of what we have done with this life God has given us, which we have from him on loan, as stewards. What shall we do or say on that day? Once God reclaims what is rightly his we will no longer have any means by which to merit an eternal dwelling. Without his grace neither strength nor begging will suffice. 

The dishonest steward recognized the urgency of his predicament. Had he been planning to maintain the stewardship forever, and acted with that as his goal, he would not have taken the steps he did, specifically, reducing the dependency of his master's debtors on the master, much less leaving the master without what was rightly his. But he understood that he needed to do everything possible in order to provide for his life after stewardship. Jesus does not recommend to us the fact that he was dishonest. But he does commend him for thinking clearly enough to take action for the sake of a future that was in peril. 

The children of this world are often prudent enough to recognize when they are in danger and do whatever is necessary to provide a future for themselves. But the children of the Kingdom are often naive, content to leave lives as mediocre stewards. We don't often apply prudence to our decisions such that our actions in the short term are ordered to our long term purpose and goals. 

We want to be welcomed into eternal dwellings one day. And we know we can never dig enough to buy our way in, nor plead our case if we have spent our lives focused on ourselves and not the one with whom we claim to hope to spend eternity. Our words then will ring hollow, as they will be inconsistent with our lives to that point. We may imagine that we will want to be finally sincere then, when all is clear and everything is on the line. But it will be hard to be sincere after all the years of squandered life. 

He called in his master's debtors one by one.
To the first he said,
'How much do you owe my master?'
He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.'

We can do what the steward did, but without dishonesty. This is because all that appears to be our own is actually not ours, but our master's. This wealth is meant to be used to do what our master wants, which is actually to set debtors at liberty. In a way, all of the wealth we have beyond what we need for life and a modicum of comfort already belongs to the poor. It is true that there are limits to how much we can give of material things. But with the Gospel there are no such limits, and we are not made poorer by giving it away, but rather are enriched by doing so. Making the Gospel known by word and example helps to set people free from the truly pernicious debt of sin. This is what our master truly desires above all, that everyone "be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth". Jesus is the one mediator who truly unites man to God and enables them to reconcile this debt before they face the judge (see Matthew 5:25). But we too act as mediators when we help people to know and avail themselves of the freedom found in Jesus.

I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,
so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

In the final analysis it is only God himself who can welcome us into eternal dwellings, into the mansions Jesus himself went to prepare for us (see John 14:12). But it seems that those for whom we act as mediators for the grace of God during this life may also intercede as mediators on our behalf on the day of judgment. What better can we do with all that we have and all that we are than to make such friends? Then we and they together can hope to live together with God, and his mediator, our ransom, Christ Jesus.

Phil Wickham - House Of The Lord

20 September 2025 - scattered and sown

Today's Readings
(Audio) 

Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God
has been granted to you;
but to the rest, they are made known through parables
so that they may look but not see, and hear but not understand.

The parables are a specific instance of the word of God, meaning that different people will respond to them differently. Just as Jesus himself came to bring not peace but division so too did his parables produce different results in some than in others. The parable of the sower was thus a meta parable, describing how it, the other parables, and the rest of the teaching of Jesus could be received by his hearers. The thing that separated the good soil from the bad and defined it was thus also a description of those who would believe and be saved. They were the ones who, when they heard the word, that is, when they heard Jesus, they embraced it with a generous and good heart. That is they embraced Jesus himself, and the entire paradigm of discipleship that he taught. 

But as for the seed that fell on rich soil,
they are the ones who, when they have heard the word,
embrace it with a generous and good heart,
and bear fruit through perseverance.

The seed that fell on the path was not embraced at all. The seed that fell on rocky ground was not embraced with perseverance. That which fell among the thorns was not embraced by a generous heart, but rather one compromised by anxieties and riches and pleasures of life. This was as opposed to the seed that fell on good soil. It described the disciples and those like them. They were the ones who stuck with him in his time of trial (see Luke 22:28), rather than crowds who merely regarded him as a spectacle worthy of passing interest. It was also different from the Pharisees, in whom his word found no place. Many of them didn't even take pause to consider the things he said might be true, but condemned him before really hearing him out. It was also opposed to those like Herod who were too consumed with wealth and pleasure to give the word the serious consideration it deserved. There was another group with fewer famous examples in the Gospels that was described by this parable. These were the ones who lacked perseverance. We can think of all of those who had been following Jesus until he told them they would need to eat his Flesh and drink his Blood in order to receive eternal life, and who, having heard it, stopped following him. In the book of Revelation the Church at Ephesus was praised for their endurance, and yet they were also warned: "you have lost the love you had at first" (see Revelation 2:4), as though they had stood firm but were now at risk of falling. Perseverance that is not undergirded by love is always going to be at risk of collapse, because the sheer force of will we use to maintain it will eventually not seem worth exerting. We will eventually wonder why we had been putting in so much effort in the first place and simply stop. 

Are we destined to be one kind of soil or the other? Are our hearts already fixed as generous or selfish? Is it predetermined whether or not we will persevere, or is it rather something we can influence or decide? Experience seems to dictate that we have all of these soil conditions within our souls, and that sometimes one or the other seems to predominate. Yet it seems clear that if we lean into selfish hedonism we tend to become more and more selfish. If we lean into generosity, actively embrace the word, and commit to continuing through the long haul, we become increasingly able to do so. Yet what we can do in response is predicated on the basis of the abundant availability of the word. Wherever turn we find it there, ready for us to embrace or ignore. We can't create a response of love to Jesus in our hearts. But the fact of his sowing the word so extravagantly proves that he himself knows he can do so. The real risk is that we will choose any of the patterns of rejection rather than the one pattern of effective embrace. We know all too well that we can misuse such freedom as we have to do so. Let us instead be among those who welcome the word with all that we have and all that we are.

 

Matt Maher - Your Love Is Extravagant

19 September 2025 - truth-seekers vs truth-hobbyists

Today's Readings
(Audio) 

Whoever teaches something different
and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ
and the religious teaching
is conceited, understanding nothing,
and has a morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes.

Argumentation can be a strategy to arrive at the truth. But when it is turned against the teaching of the one who is himself the Truth what can we call it but conceited? How can one hope to understand when he places himself in a position of judgment over the source of his own understanding? In order for human reason to function it must not protest the only foundation on which it may hope to stand. If a computer decided its instructions meant something other than what the designer intended, what connection to reality would remain? Another common pitfall is what happens if our discourse is more of a hobby for entertainment than a strategy for seeking the truth in which we may finally rest. It then becomes no more than a distraction from that which really matters.

From these come envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions,
and mutual friction among people with corrupted minds,
who are deprived of the truth,
supposing religion to be a means of gain.

Anywhere that the truth is said to be a priority we also find the situation Paul describes, where truth hobbyists are more interested in what they can get out of it, whether it be self-image, or wealth, or something else. When these conditions obtain we see envy, rivalry, and vitriol, rather than cooperation. Since it has become about the people and their egos and not about the truth it is natural that everyone approaches discourse as if it is a battlefield, if not a war zone. The risk is especially present when we consider the religious sphere. People with any kind of a professional interest in religious will be tempted to pursue sordid gain rather allowing themselves to be content to receive the benefits common to all. This is simply to say that when someone has a particular interest in something it is often in that area that they will experience particular temptation. There is often a decision to make about whether to monetize any hobby, gaining more than the mere pleasure of the thing itself. This isn't always immoral, but does necessary entail increased stress and potential temptation. And yet, though we may not be among those trying to profit by religion, it doesn't say anything especially good about us if we are indifferent to the truth either. Because of this we need to be careful to care about it by leaning into the contentment that comes from Jesus alone, and from taking him at his word.

What is the right posture for us as disciples, by which we may care deeply about our faith, and yet avoid the perils that come with being deeply invested in it? We can take the advice Paul offered to Timothy:

But you, man of God, avoid all this.
Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion,
faith, love, patience, and gentleness.
Compete well for the faith.
Lay hold of eternal life,
to which you were called when you made the noble confession
in the presence of many witnesses.

Additionally, we can take the example of the women who accompanied Jesus. They didn't fill the pages of Scriptures with their exploits, but were rather content to remain on the margins and in the shadows as long as they remain near to Jesus and did what they could within their own means, with their time, talent, and treasure, to provide for him and his disciples.

Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza,
Susanna, and many others
who provided for them out of their resources.

Newsboys - Reality

18 September 2025 - hence, she has shown great love

Today's Readings
(Audio) 

Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.

Wouldn't many of us be sympathetic to the response of the Pharisee to this seeming gratuitous display of excessive sentimentality? Sometimes we do see people who seem to go a little above and beyond the liturgical norms in their prayers. Perhaps it is by taking up a majority of the floor space in an adoration chapel by laying flat before the Lord. Perhaps it is by striking one's breast at times and frequencies greater than the rubrics prescribe. We may wonder if those people really are weeping, as they seem to be, after receiving Holy Communion. All of this can seem like uncomfortable excess when we ourselves aren't feeling it. And this can be true even if we have previously felt such heightened affection for Jesus to some degree. The contrast of others experiencing it when we are at a normal level, or even in a period of dryness, can be hard to accept. It may tempt us to take offense at the person making a scene. We may make inferences about his character, wondering how he managed to work himself up into such a state. Obviously he must be different from our eminently rational and reasonable selves. And probably he is, but not in the way we imagine.

Which of them will love him more?"
Simon said in reply,
"The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven."

With our rational minds we know, because we have been told, that we have been forgiven a debt that was incalculably large, utterly beyond our means to repay. But to this we respond as though it were altogether unsurprising and matter of fact. Of course God would do this. He is God, after all. We are seldom surprised by the sheer and unexpected magnitude of the grace we have been given. But it is really something that we could never have expected, since we did not deserve it, since God did not owe it. Even our creation was nothing but sheer grace. Having squandered that grace, why would we assume we would automatically receive forgiveness, especially considering what that forgiveness entailed? Yet even knowing all this is not enough to make us feel anything. Head knowledge and heart knowledge are worlds apart. It is inadvisable to try work ourselves up to experience such things. Doing so tends to lead to the false sentimentality of which we are rightly critical. But it is nevertheless good and desirable to experience a true revelation of the reality of grace, one thick enough to fill both our hearts and our minds. It is not something which we can produce. But it is something which we may sometimes receive as a gift, if we are open to it. A good preliminary step in openness is not to judge others whom we see receiving it before our eyes.

When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,
...
You did not give me a kiss,
...
You did not anoint my head with oil

One tricky thing is that the woman's level of affection for Jesus must have made it hard for her to take the lack of common courtesy shown by the Pharisee. She must have been moved to make up for his omission by going above and beyond. So for this reason as well, because it highlighted his failure as a host, it caused him to feel agitation and to lash out at both Jesus, whom he had invited, and the woman, who received his countenance. Sometimes when we feel agitated by others it may be because they are making us pay attention to our own faults or failings or deficiencies. These are actually opportunities to learn things about ourselves that are otherwise hidden or hard to see. Really, this Pharisee learned so much from this encounter that he ought to have thanked the woman profusely and asked Jesus how he might come to know what she clearly knew.

So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven;
hence, she has shown great love.

The woman was not forgiven on account of her impressive display of love. Rather, that demonstration was the result of knowing the power of forgiveness in her life. Knowing this power is meant to motivate us as well. It may not always result in affectionate feelings. But it can always motivate us to to do our best to show Jesus love by how we treat both him and our brothers and sisters, the people whom he loves.

Rend Collective - Alabaster

17 September 2025 - hard to please

Today's Readings
(Audio) 

To what shall I compare the people of this generation?

The people to whom Jesus referred rejected John the Baptist for what they considered to be his excessive austerity and asceticism. Fair enough, extremes are difficult to reconcile with daily life. But then would they not have accepted Jesus who apparently took a more laid back approach? Yet they criticized Jesus for precisely this, calling him a glutton and a drunkard. When one prophet who spoke the truth promoted fasting they condemned him on that basis. When one who spoke the truth promoted feasting it was that to which they objected. One could easily infer that it was impossible to make such people happy.

'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance.
We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.'

The contemporaries of Jesus revealed their bias against him by the way it was impossible to satisfy them. The Church has had a similar history. In ages of excess the Church is condemned for her repressive doctrines. In ages of puritanism the Church is condemned for her excess. But precisely this gives us confidence that she is indeed, as Paul wrote, the "pillar and foundation of truth". Something Chesterton wrote helps explain:

We do not really want a religion that is right where we are right. What we want is a religion that is right where we are wrong. 

- GK Chesterton

Did the fact that John took one approach and Jesus another reveal some kind of contradiction between them? Of course it could not. They were doctrines appropriate to what each teacher was trying to accomplish, which were for different stages of the same journey. Fasting made sense to prepare for a feast. And one day fasting would again become a regular part of the rhythm of religious life. It was all relative to the proximity of the bridegroom. 

In his analogy about the children in the market we can hear what we perceive to be genuine disappoint from Jesus that the people did not respond to the heavenly melodies both John and himself came to play. There was a real sense that he felt that they had tried everything there was to try but that the people simply refused to respond.

There is, however, another hope for the stubbornness of the hearts of the Pharisees, since "wisdom is vindicated by all her children". Therefore, let us pray to be true children of wisdom who shine as lights in the world, calling all people to make ready for the music of the heavenly dance at a banquet that will never end.

David Ruis - We Will Dance

16 September 2025 - the only son of his mother

Today's Readings
(Audio) 

As he drew near to the gate of the city,
a man who had died was being carried out,
the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.

Jesus would have had particularly acute sympathy for the widowed mother's loss of her only son. It was an all too specific reminder of the sorrow that awaited his own mother. Jesus couldn't help but be moved with pity for this woman and her grief. In saying "Do not weep", he said it not only to her, but also to all who ever suffered loss, and in particular, to his own mother. It was, in a way, his profound love for his mother that overflowed to the rest of the world, to this woman, and to all who faced suffering and sorrow. As a consequence the widow received her son back from the dead. The mother of Jesus received a foreshadowing of the fact that her own son would not remain forever in death, but, like this child, would also rise. The sorrow of Mary was comforted along with the sorrow of the world. Ultimately it was the same sorrow, at sin, and at the consequences of sin, even for the innocent. And the salve that could cure that sorrow was the same blessing, found in the resurrection, first of Jesus himself, and then all those who were united with him.

He stepped forward and touched the coffin;
at this the bearers halted,
and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!”

We may not remember the exact moment, but most of us have had an experience that was analogous to the resurrection of this child. We were all buried with Christ in baptism and made to walk in newness of life by the power of his Spirit. Yet there are others in our world who do not yet know this new life. There are many for whom Mary and mother Church still weep, and for whom they still intercede with Jesus to work this miracle of resurrection once more. We must do our part as members of the Church to help to ease the sorrow of loss in our world with the only thing that can truly be its remedy: new life in Christ. The world may mourn. But only we know the true depth of the sadness. Yet we also know the one who holds the power to cure it. Let us too spread the word that "God has visited his people".

Ike Ndolo - Awake, O Sleeper

15 September 2025 - when sorrow gives life

Today's Readings
(Audio) 

Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
and you yourself a sword will pierce
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

Mary was always a part of the plan, not only of the incarnation, but also of the Passion. We note a certain similarity between the two which might not be immediately evident. For, in conceiving the Son of God, Mary played a passive role yet was nevertheless asked to assent to that it be done unto her according to the word of the archangel. And in bearing witness to the cross of her son her role was to watch and bear witness. Yet, in her presence there at the cross she manifested an active assent to the will of God. Not only that, but both events were ultimately life-giving, first to her son on Christmas, then to his Body the Church on Good Friday. 

Her assent to the will of God always meant a sharing in the suffering of her Son. This began from even before he was born with the journey for the census, the lack of housing, the somewhat ignoble birth to which shepherds were the first to bear witness. It accelerated with the persecution of Herod and the flight into Egypt. No doubt it continued through his ministry when others opposed him. And it culminated at the cross were it was for the mother as though the pains of her son were her own pains. The lance that pierced the side of Jesus also pierced the heart of Mary. But from this single wound flowed streams of life-giving water. This water was a sign of the gift of the Holy Spirit, who was the one who would bring about the new life of the baptized by his presence in them. Yet for the Spirit to come to dwell in human hearts it was necessary that their thoughts be revealed to them so that they could truly reject even the sins that self-deception made them ignore. Thus the promised Spirit would "convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment" (see John 16:8). In a particular way the Spirit would do this through people's response to the sorrow of the cross of Christ, which was the sorrow of both son and mother. 

Do we appreciate the gift of the sorrow of the mother of the Son of God? Do we recognize in it the power to reveal us more deeply to ourselves? It can be for us another stream from which the life-giving water the flows constantly from the heart of Christ can be received by us. The secret isn't so different from that which was always Mary's secret, which was always, presence, assent, bearing witness, and treasuring in her heart. It was this treasuring that made everything that belonged to Jesus also her own. And this is not a privilege exclusive to her, provided we follow her example.

 

Damascus Worship Featuring Seph Schlueter - Hail O Queen

14 September 2025 - when I am lifted up

Today's Readings
(Audio) 

With their patience worn out by the journey,
the people complained against God and Moses,
"Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert,
where there is no food or water?
We are disgusted with this wretched food!"

The people didn't realize how toxic their culture of complaining actual was until the Lord allowed them to experience its consequences. Even once they began to experience them they didn't fully get it. They wanted to be free of those consequences without ever truly facing up to their individual complicity. Ultimately, they would have settled for a situation where they continued unleashing the saraph serpents by their actions as long as someone was there to remove them before they could do too much harm. Or at least, this is what seems to be indicated when we consider what was necessary for a cure.

So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses,
"Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,
and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live."

Somehow, the consequences of their sin had been transformed to become their salvation. But it was given without cognitive dissonance and discomfort for those who received its benefits. It was through beholding the ugliness of what they had done that they were able to become free of it. Once they came to terms with the fact that it was killing them they were finally in a position to be free of it.

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

Like the bronze serpent, the cross of Jesus exposed the ugliness of sin. Sin harmed not only the guilty, but also the innocent. It harmed not only those who were complicit, nor even those who were indifferent, but even those who came to offer help. The ugliness of sin was never so apparent as when the sinless one who came to save was made to suffer. It would go so far is to slaughter the spotless lamb of God, simply to avoid the feelings of guilt that true innocence can engender. 

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.

There was more revealed in the cross of Christ than in the bronze serpent. The serpent was lifted up to repulse the people from their sinful ways. But when Jesus was lifted up he drew all people to himself (see John 12:32). It wasn't just the ugliness, else we would never have come to love the cross as we do. It was the revelation of the love that was unwavering in spite of our ugliness that drew us to love the cross. It became a constant reminder, yes, of the fact we killed God. But it was also at the same time a reminder that he came for our sake in spite of knowing this. It was precisely through it that he revealed the unstoppable force of his love. There was nothing we could do to one another that his love was not great enough to forgive and to heal. There was nothing we could do even to him that he would not forgive, provided we came to him humbled and contrite.

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn (see Zechariah 12:10).

The cross is also always an implicit celebration of the resurrection since without that it could not truly be a sign of victory or triumph. Without the resurrection the cross would have been like a bronze serpent that could not cure the venom of their sin. Since the wages of sin is death (see Romans 6:23), only the new life of the resurrection could completely conquer it. It is for this reason that the cross is more than a sad reminder of our human failings. It is a reason for constant, unshakable and unwavering hope in God, that his love for us will never fail, and that what he did for Jesus he desires to do also for us, who are united with him, through baptism, in a death like his (see Romans 6:5).

Jim Cowan - At The Name Of Jesus

13 September 2025 - by their fruit

Today's Readings
(Audio) 

Jesus had previously warned of blind guides. There was the risk of teachers who were not capable or qualified to teach the way that led to life, but who nonetheless taught it with full confidence and assurance. There were people who spoke who spoke in ignorance, those who spoke convenient fictions, and those who lied maliciously. Many of these spoke so persuasively as to seem prophetic. But how to sort out the false prophets from those who spoke the word of God accurately? 

A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,
nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.

The way they could be known was by watching for the results they produced. It wouldn't be enough to assess their own curriculum vitae however. Many would be skilled enough in dissembling and deception to conceal the sickness within that causing them to rot away. Better, if possible, to see how their teaching affected their disciples. Did it make them more committed to loving God and neighbor? Or did it serve to provide them with convenient excuses to pursue their own base desires and self-interest? Since one wouldn't have direct access into the minds and hearts of others they would need to infer much from how they spoke, since "from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks". But all of this would still be liable to both misunderstanding and deception. The real final analysis was how the teachings of another affected oneself. Did they empower him to increasingly bear good fruit? Or did they seem to be the initial stages of an inner sickness sapping his spiritual life? The important idea was to not take the promises of a teacher at face value, or on the basis of his persuasiveness or his rhetorical skill, but to be on the watch for the results, and to make sure those results were aligned with one's own higher priorities.

I will show you what someone is like who comes to me,
listens to my words, and acts on them.
That one is like a man building a house,
who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock;
when the flood came, the river burst against that house
but could not shake it because it had been well built.

How do we explain the fact that there are so many disciples of the one who is the teacher par excellence, and who nevertheless bear bad fruit? After all, if we judged Jesus exclusives on the merits of his modern disciples we would at best have an assessment that was mixed. But the disciples of Jesus are never in the wrong for their adherence to the teachings of Jesus. They are, however, often at fault for failing to live up to them. Even their failures are evidence for the veracity of teachings they should have taken more seriously. 

We ourselves can avoid the risk of false teachers and self-deception by rooting ourselves in Jesus, and building our lives upon him as upon a rock foundation. It is not enough to hear. We connect ourselves to him only to the degree that we build our lives on him.

Even if we have succumbed to deception and false promises, or even if we ourselves have taught inaccurately or falsely, it is not too late to begin building upon Jesus as our one foundation. After all, Paul was persuaded of things that were antithetical to the Gospel. But this did not stand in the way of him receiving mercy. In fact, it only served to make him among the greatest examples of the greatness of God's love.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
Of these I am the foremost.
But for that reason I was mercifully treated,
so that in me, as the foremost,
Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example
for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life.

Pat Barrett Featuring Chris Tomlin - Build My Life