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Tell Him That the Lord Needs Them

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On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem in a way that defied people’s expectations. Rather than arriving as a powerful, triumphant king on a mighty horse, He rode in on a humble donkey, signaling a new kind of kingdom built on love rather than force. The crowds waved palm branches in welcome, yet this moment was just the beginning of a path leading to the cross – a bitter, sorrowful journey involving betrayal, the last supper, the arrest in Gethsemane, and eventually crucifixion. Even so, at the heart of all this sorrow was a deep love for sinners that cannot be overlooked.

Jesus’ unassuming entry reveals how God often works in ways we do not anticipate. The Messiah the people expected was meant to defeat enemies and restore Israel’s earthly power, but Jesus brought the power of the cross instead. Where the world exalts pride and might, Christ came with humility and sacrificial love – a paradox that continues to challenge our assumptions about what true strength and salvation look like. Only through this unexpected road of suffering did Jesus provide resurrection and new life, turning what seemed foolish into the ultimate display of divine wisdom.

This paradox shapes our own faith journey. Just as many in Jerusalem didn’t recognize the King riding on a donkey, we too can miss God’s transforming presence when we impose our preconceived ideas of how He should act. Far from intellectual proof or political maneuvering, the cross represents God’s simple yet profound call for our hearts – to trust Him in humility and love. When we lay aside our pride and let the unexpected grace of the cross touch us personally, we experience a resurrection of our own heart. Through faith in this humble Savior, we participate in a kingdom far greater than any worldly force, living a life that points to the power of God’s love even in the face of sorrow and suffering.

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The Parable of the Tenants

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Gratia Church held a graceful Sunday service on March 30, filled with worship and praise. Pastor Walker delivered a message based on Matthew 21:33-46, and below is a summary of that message.

Jesus tells the parable of a vineyard owner whose tenants refuse to give him the harvest, even resorting to beating and killing his servants – a reflection of Israel’s repeated rejection of God’s prophets. Through this story, Jesus exposes the power lust and hatred of the religious establishment of His time, who viewed themselves as the rightful heirs of God’s Kingdom. Rather than humbly stewarding God’s vineyard in love, they hardened their hearts, ultimately plotting the murder of God’s very own Son. This parable reveals that the cross was no mere accident but an act of violent rejection by those drunk with authority.

Yet, the heart of the Father was never for His Son to be murdered – the parable highlights God’s patient hope that His people would honor His Son and repent. God does not cause evil, but even though He foresaw the tenants’ hostility, He sent His Son out of love, giving the Jewish leaders every chance to turn back to Him. However, their stubbornness entrenched them deeper in sin, and the tragic consequence was the crucifixion of Jesus. Through this very act of rejection, however, grace extended beyond the confines of Israel’s religious system to Gentiles and sinners everywhere – those willing to produce the fruit of genuine love.

Ultimately, the parable points to both judgment and hope: the tenants forfeited the Kingdom due to their violence, but a door of blessing was opened wide to the spiritually lowly and contrite. Even though Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross appeared wretched and humiliating, it overturned sin through the power of perfect love. When we accept His death and resurrection in our hearts, we witness this rejected Stone becoming the cornerstone of our salvation. Through the cross, God’s grand new world has been unveiled to all, urging us to live by grace rather than being bound by the corrupt power structures of this world. 

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Looking Unto Jesus

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Even though we live in the tension of the “already but not yet” – where we have experienced salvation through Christ yet await its ultimate fulfillment – we are encouraged to press on by drawing strength from His example. By looking to Jesus, who endured the cross and scorned its shame, we find a model for enduring hardships and temptations with unwavering perseverance. Instead of being weighed down by the past or distracted by worldly enticements, we are inspired to throw off every hindrance and stay focused on the One who leads us forward in faith.

This perspective on Christ shapes how we live for the Kingdom of God here and now. While the full restoration of creation awaits a future completion, the power of Jesus’ victory is already accessible in our daily lives. Fixing our gaze on Him reminds us that our ultimate purpose extends beyond temporary earthly goals. Rather than being overwhelmed by this life’s pressures or lured by self-centered ambitions, our eyes remain on Jesus, guiding our decisions and energizing us to serve others for His glory. The “already but not yet” reality compels us to live out Kingdom values-love, grace, and justice-even as we anticipate the day when all is brought under Christ’s lordship. By running with perseverance and fixing our eyes on Jesus, we not only endure the race but also experience the joy of participating in God’s ongoing redemptive work.

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Unless I See His Wounds

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In John 20:24-31, Thomas famously declares he will not believe in the resurrection of Jesus unless he can see and touch the nail marks for himself. This episode vividly portrays the opposition between faith and doubt, challenging us to consider which force dominates our hearts. Faith, at its core, involves trust in truths and realities we cannot fully see or grasp, whereas doubt often arises when fear and skepticism overshadow our willingness to believe. Thomas’ insistence on physical evidence highlights a closed heart, one that can miss the profound reality unfolding before it simply because it demands certainty on its own terms.

Yet, Jesus responds with both patience and grace, inviting Thomas to place his hands in the wounds. This moment offers a picture of what happens when a once-closed heart becomes open to divine truth: doubt is dispelled, and faith flourishes. The heart that shifts from stubborn skepticism to humble trust experiences transformation and deeper intimacy with Christ. Thus, Thomas’ journey reminds us that while faith and doubt may be polar opposites, Jesus stands ready to guide us toward belief. When we open our hearts and allow Christ to meet us in our hesitations, we discover that faith grows not by having all the answers, but by resting in the One who truly is the answer.

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Be Set Free on the Sabbath

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In the passage, Jesus encounters a woman who has been crippled for eighteen years, a stark image of the burdens and constraints we face in our fallen world. Much like her bent-over condition, the stresses of money, family, or school can keep us bowed low, unable to stand upright or move freely. However, when Jesus sees her affliction, He calls her forward and heals her on the spot, demonstrating that He can untangle the knots that confine us. This miracle reminds us that no matter how long we’ve been stuck, Christ’s power and compassion are sufficient to straighten what has been bent for years.

Despite this amazing act of mercy, the synagogue leaders object to healing on the Sabbath, illustrating a legalistic mindset that values rules over people. Jesus responds by highlighting God’s true intention for the Sabbath: setting His beloved children free rather than burdening them with more constraints. Just as He refused to let the letter of the Law overshadow the dignity of the crippled woman, He also calls us to recognize when our own rule-keeping or perfectionism blinds us to God’s grace.

Ultimately, Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath, and genuine rest is found in embracing His victory, not in exhaustively meeting a checklist of demands. By healing on the Sabbath, Jesus reveals that rest in God is about freedom-physically, spiritually, and relationally. The heart of the Sabbath is a celebration of God’s completed work, dating back to Creation when He set aside a day of true peace and renewal for humanity.

As we approach Lent and look toward Easter, we’re reminded that Christ came to release us from every crippling power of sin and the world’s oppressive structures. When we allow Him to loosen our bonds, we step into a new realm of freedom where His grace supports us, lifting our heads and enabling us to live uprightly as part of His Kingdom.

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What Good Thing Must I Do to Gain Eternal Life

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Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”

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Whoever Wants to Become Great Must Serve

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Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

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Get up! Pick up Your Mat and Walk

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Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.

One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

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Remember the Lord

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When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”

Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

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