People were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered them not to do it. But Jesus called for them and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’

“Someone asked him, ‘Lord, will only a few be saved?’ He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.’” (Luke 13)

The narrow door. What is it? Where can I find it? Why is it narrow? Does God purposely make it hard to enter?

Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.”

At the time, it didn’t occur to me to consider how Jesus began his ministry. He invited me to follow him and I accepted, never thinking about his long-range plan or his strategy, or if he even had one.

But now, decades later, I can look back and reflect. And when I do, I can honestly say that it’s a miracle that the ministry of Jesus ever got off the ground.

In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also, for that is what I came out to do.” 

We Jews have long worshiped our YHWH God as the One God, the “God of the Universe.” You surely know that in our century, what you call the first century, other religions worship many gods. In fact, there is a whole panoply of gods, worshiped by Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and more. We Jews are alone in our insistence that there is only one God.

Once when he was in one of the cities, a man covered with a skin disease was there. When he saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Then Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I am willing. Be made clean.” Immediately the skin disease left him. And he ordered him to tell no one.

“Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’”

“Now while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, ‘Why this waste? For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor.’ But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ‘Why do you trouble the woman? She has performed a good service for me.”

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace but a sword.

For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,
and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.”

You’ve heard about Jesus the “divider.” I wrote to you about Him in my first letter.

But since then, things have changed, at least for me they have.

So, listen: Jesus never truly wanted to divide, only unite. But He knew how the world would receive him and that many would oppose His message of love, justice and mercy. He could see into the depths of our hearts, and He knew that some could not abide Him, as He so wanted. Actually, He desperately wanted to unite, not divide.

We’ve all been called to something at one time or another. Maybe it’s nothing more than a call from a friend to join a party or take a trip. Or perhaps it’s something much more serious, like a calling to a lifelong task or career, one that you may (or may not) feel qualified to perform. When the call comes, how do you respond? How do you decide?

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 

Here I am again, the “Anonymous Apostle.” You thought you were through with me, didn’t you? But I am back to tell you another story about Jesus. See what you think.

This tale might well be called the “Interruption of the Interruption.” But of course, I had no idea that Jesus had already been interrupted, by none other than the leader of our synagogue, a man named Jairus. All I was trying to do was keep as much out of sight as possible, drawing no attention to myself.

Here’s the question: “How do I look?” You may wonder about this question, but to me, it was once all-important: “How do I look?” And you may also wonder about why it was so important to me. Read on as I try to answer this question and see what you think.

Parables were a customary style of teaching in our time, the time of Jesus. And Jesus told many parables, quite a few of which have become cornerstones of our Christian faith. Even quoting the titles of some, like the Prodigal Son or the Good Samaritan, instantly produces a visual picture, the scene of a seemingly ordinary story that carries a strong spiritual message. 

Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They answered, “John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.”

Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’  She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’  Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.

“As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.’  Then he shouted, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’  Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he shouted even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’  Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him, and when he came near, he asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ He said, ‘Lord, let me see again.’  Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.’  Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God, and all the people, when they saw it, praised God.” (Luke 18)