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As Jesus neared the end of his journey to Jerusalem, he passed through the prosperous city of Jericho. There, Zacchaeus --a wealthy chief tax-collector who had grown rich by exploiting his neighbors --was determined to see Jesus. Despised by the crowds, he could not get close enough, so he ran ahead and climbed a tree to catch a glimpse of him. Little did he know that Jesus came looking for him! Jesus stopped, called Zacchaeus down, and invited himself into his home. That encounter changed everything. Zacchaeus publicly declared his repentance, promising to give generously to the poor and repay fourfold anyone he had defrauded. Jesus declared that salvation had come to his household. Jesus warned about the difficulty the rich faced to enter God's kingdom; yet, Zacchaeus proves that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace. When Christ saves people, lives are transformed.

It sounds like Bible trivia, but it isn’t. While walking this earth, who was the last person to step onto the road to follow Jesus?

Jesus is nearing the end of his journey to Jerusalem. For the first and only time, he will pass through Jericho. It is the final chance for a life-changing encounter, the chance to become his last disciple. Luke 18-19 offers three candidates: the rich young ruler, the blind beggar Mark names as Bartimaeus, and Zacchaeus, the short, wealthy tax collector.

Ironically, the one Jesus called to follow him declined, while the one who followed was never called at all. He was a volunteer, not a conscript, yet he became Jesus’ last disciple. Their encounters have much to teach us today.

Most of us would hesitate to say that we are great at prayer. In this passage, Jesus addresses three aspects of prayer through two parables. In the first, a persistent widow repeatedly appeals to a judge for justice. Through her example, Jesus calls us to pray continually and never give up, assuring us that God will bring justice to His suffering, chosen people.

The second parable contrasts two people and their approaches to prayer. One is self-righteous and looks down on others, while the other comes before God as a repentant sinner. This parable challenges us because, if we are honest, we may see something of ourselves in both individuals. May these two parables prompt us to examine our own prayers, deepen our dependence on God, and inspire meaningful change in our lives.

When Jesus returns will we be ready, or more importantly, ask yourself, ‘will I be ready?’ One thing that won’t help us be ready is if we merely focus on ‘when’ he will return or what ‘signs’ might precede his return. What he warns his followers of is for them to be watchful & faithful, & to live in this manner in the mundane, ordinary days of life. Prior to Jesus’ return everyone will be eating, drinking, marrying, going to work & school, & planting & building. What are we to be aware of as we do these things? That if we aren’t careful, they can tether us to earth in such a way that we are not ready for his return. So, don’t focus on knowing when Jesus will return, but focus on living today in relationship with him so when he returns you will embrace him & leave all temporary things behind.

Every investor asks the same question: how can today's resources secure tomorrow? Last week's parable told us to invest our present wealth in 'making friends' who'll welcome us in the age-to-come. This week, Jesus shows us a portfolio gone entirely wrong. A rich man spends lavishly on himself — purple linen, daily feasts — while Lazarus, destitute, lies unattended at his gate. At death, accounts are settled: Lazarus is carried to Abraham's side; the rich man finds himself impoverished in torment, separated by a fixed, uncrossable chasm. His failure wasn't extravagance itself — it was a total misallocation. He had the means, the opportunity, and the instruction (the Law and the Prophets) to invest in Lazarus. He committed nothing and got zero return. Death is the ‘market correction’ that exposes every account's true value. So, examine your own portfolio: who is the ‘Lazarus at your gate’? What return are you expecting from relational investments --‘making friends who’ll welcome you in the next age’-- by using your time, attention, and wealth today?

This parable may be one of the most troubling and difficult parables to appreciate. Readers are often puzzled by the actions of the unrighteous manager and, especially, by the fact that he is commended. However, it is not his dishonesty that is praised, but rather the wisdom and shrewdness behind his actions. The manager recognized that his present position was coming to an end, and he acted decisively to prepare for his future.

The central lesson of the parable is that we are to use our wealth and possessions wisely to benefit others. When we use what God has entrusted to us for the good of others and for the advancement of His kingdom, we are investing in eternity. The way we use our money reveals what we value and has eternal significance.

This parable, together with the one that follows, speaks directly about money and how we handle it. It serves both as a warning and an encouragement: a warning not to allow wealth to control us, and an encouragement to use the resources God has entrusted to us wisely, generously, and for the benefit of others and the kingdom of God.

Jesus saw things differently from the religious leaders of his day. They practiced keeping their distance from tax collectors & sinners. They saw that as a way to be right before God. Jesus, on the other hand, had no issue having meals & conversations with the very same people. What’s the difference? Jesus mirrored God’s heart & mission. He came to seek & to save the lost (Lk. 19:10). Because of these differences, the religious leaders openly grumbled & complained when Jesus ate & spoke with ‘outcasts.’ How does he help us to see that our hearts & lives are sometimes out of kilter with God’s heart? He tells 3 parables in Luke 15 around the theme of lost, found & rejoicing. And while his audience was the religious leaders, there is much for us all to learn from these simple stories that ask us to check where our heart is at when it comes to the lost people in our lives.

The whole Bible reveals God’s desire to dwell with humanity. This theme begins in Genesis and finds its fulfillment in Revelation. The tabernacle is a clear expression of God’s desire to live among His people. Soon after the Israelites left Egypt, God instructed Moses to build the tabernacle. When it was completed and erected, the glory of God filled it, signifying His presence among His people.

Even after Israel’s failure in the incident of the golden calf, God remained willing to dwell among them. He did not wait until His people had become holy and fully transformed before coming to live among them. Rather, He came to dwell in their midst in order to transform them. This is true for us as well. God does not wait until we have been transformed before drawing near to us. He comes to us, dwells with us, and by His presence begins the work of changing us.

We have the assurance of Jesus’ promise that He is with us always (Matt. 28:20), and we look forward to the day when this promise will be fully realized: “God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them” (Rev. 21:3). From Genesis to Revelation, the story of Scripture is ultimately the story of God making His dwelling among His people.

Just forty days after Israel heard God's voice at Sinai, they built a golden calf — trading the living God for an image they could control, & plunging the relationship between God and His people to its lowest point in Scripture. God's presence is withdrawn, His anger is real, & the promised Tabernacle is put on hold. How was this crisis resolved? Moses and his (little-known) 'Tent of Meeting' played a major role...

The 10 Commandments are among the most well known things in the Bible. Virtually everyone, whether they’re raised in a Church or Synagogue or not, knows of them, & can probably name a few of them. Are they meant to be taken merely as a check list for us to gauge how we are doing? Now that Jesus has died on the cross, are they simply irrelevant for Christians? They were given to people who’d been rescued from slavery, & were invited by Yahweh, the One who rescued them, to live new lives in community. The new life God envisioned for them is laid out in the 10 Commandments. We can boil them down in this way: Worship Yahweh only & represent him well in all aspects of life. I think we are challenged today to consider carefully if God still has these two principles for us to follow, even though we do not follow the 10 Commandments.

The exodus generation repeatedly failed to trust God despite witnessing His works at Massah and Meribah (Exodus 17). Psalm 95 declares God’s verdict: He was angry with them for 40-years and swore they would never enter His rest. They perished in the desert. Hebrews 3:7–4:13 applies this warning to the church, portraying believers as a new wilderness people. Yet Hebrews reinterprets the 40-years as a season of experiencing God’s works, not enduring wrath. Written roughly 40-years after Pentecost, Hebrews follows an era of blessing—marked by miracles and the Holy Spirit —not punishment. With these resources, believers can avoid Israel’s failures and reach God’s goal. Crucially, Hebrews expands “rest” beyond Canaan to God’s ultimate rest, still open to “today’s” hearers. The application is clear: we’re not under God’s wrath like Israel in the desert, but under grace. With Christ as our greater Moses and High Priest, we can persevere in faith to enter God’s ultimate rest!

The exodus event actually happens in chapters 13-15. The people of Israel leave Egypt, their slavery is over, & they cross the Sea of Reeds to begin a new life with God. That new life has all kinds of unexpected twists & turns to it. Why would God not protect his people from things that threatened their basics of life? They didn’t have enough water. They didn’t have enough food. And as if one time wasn’t enough, they experienced not having enough water a second time. All this occurred as the journeyed through the wilderness. Prof. Carmen Imes calls the wilderness God’s workshop. It’s in that wilderness that Israel gets to know their God, his ability & willingness to provide for them, & for them to trust him. Everything God allowed to come their way was an opportunity for them to realize these things more & more. Slowly but surely their trust in God grew. So why would he allow such things to come upon his people? Well, it’s in God’s workshop that he forms his people into his treasured possession, those he entrusts with the responsibility of making him known to the nations around them. It’s precisely what he asked of Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3). It should be of no surprise that Peter reminded us that that’s exactly what God has called us to also (1 Pet. 2:9)

Exodus 12 presents a striking puzzle. The Passover account repeatedly says the LORD struck Egypt's firstborn, yet Exodus 12:23 says He kept -- the destroyer -- from entering Israelite homes. So, who killed Egypt's firstborn—God or the destroyer? And who is this mysterious figure? Some view the destroyer as God's judgment personified; others identify an angelic or demonic being. The New Testament provides the answer: Hebrews reveals that Jesus defeated the Devil –the destroyer--- who holds the power of death. On the first Passover night, the lamb's blood on the door was God's protective sign as He delivered Israel from Pharaoh's oppression. But Jesus’ blood on the cross does much more. He is the greater Passover Lamb. His blood not only shields God's people from judgment but also conquers the Devil, forever freeing all who trust in Him from Satan's slavery, sin, death, and the fear of death.

Before God called Moses, He had already seen the suffering of His people. He heard the cries of the Israelites, remembered His covenant with Abraham, saw their oppression, and knew their need. In response, God called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. Throughout Moses' first eighty years, God was shaping and preparing him for this task—to deliver Israel from slavery and lead them to the land He had promised.

Moses struggled with God's call, believing he was not qualified for such a responsibility. Yet God assured Moses of His presence, revealed His own character and name, equipped him for the task, and provided Aaron as a companion in the mission. Despite his initial resistance, Moses ultimately obeyed God and returned to Egypt with Aaron to fulfill the calling God had given him.

As Hebrews 11:24–26 reminds us, Moses made a deliberate choice to identify with God's people rather than pursue the fleeting pleasures and privileges of Egypt. As disciples of Jesus, we too are called to make a choice. We must count not only the cost of discipleship, but also the cost of choosing not to follow Christ faithfully.

Exodus is a foundational biblical narrative that shapes our understanding of redemption, deliverance, & God’s covenant relationship with His people. Continuing the story of Genesis, it connects Israel’s sojourn in Egypt with God’s promises to Abraham, portraying the exodus as both the fulfillment of those promises & the defining event of Israel’s identity. It also foreshadows the greater redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

The book unfolds in two parallel movements: Moses’ deliverance & commissioning, followed by Israel’s deliverance from Pharaoh & commissioning through the covenant at Mount Sinai. Throughout, Exodus highlights God’s faithfulness even when He seems absent. Although God appears silent during Israel’s oppression, He works through the courageous actions of women such as Shiphrah, Puah, Jochebed, Miriam, and Pharaoh’s daughter to preserve Moses. Their faithful resistance demonstrates that God is actively accomplishing His purposes, even when His presence is not immediately apparent.

We all make presumptions, educated guesses, in life. But when it comes to a sure fire, rock solid, I know this based upon facts, approach to the Christian life, well, presuming is not the best way forward. In this passage, Jesus pushes back against the way that most Jews thought about ‘how’ God’s Kingdom would come. He also helps them see the conclusion they’d arrived at about ‘who’ would be in God’s Kingdom was also pretty tenuous. We are not Jewish, of course. But are there presumptions, educated guesses we’re making in our Christian lives? And, would we allow Jesus to challenge them?

Jesus’ healing of the bent-over woman is far more than one more miracle. For 18-years she suffered not only physical deformity, but also the stigma of being viewed as under God’s judgment. Yet she worshipped faithfully. Entering the synagogue, Jesus disrupts the status quo: He calls her out of the shadows, frees her from Satan’s bondage, and restores her to stand upright and praise God. The religious leaders condemn the Sabbath healing, yet Jesus defends her and publicly names her a “daughter of Abraham” – acknowledging her membership in the believing community. As the crowd rejoices and the leaders are shamed, Jesus reveals God’s great reversal: the proud are humbled, and those oppressed by sin, sickness, and Satan are freed to worship God. Jesus stands ready to do the same today.

Immediately after speaking the parable of the rich fool who is only concerned with accumulating wealth for himself, Jesus turns to his disciples & says, “You do realize that if your life is all about gathering more & more stuff that you don’t need, that the anxiety that accompanies that mindset will crush you, right?” What a word for us as we live out our discipleship swimming in the waters of Western affluence & the seeming unquenchable thirst to have more & more. Jesus gives us three antidotes to the mind virus that has us all under its influence: Trust God as your good Father to give you what you need, seek his kingdom & he promises to provide what you need, & to sell your possessions & give to those who are truly in need. These words challenge us. But we should always recognise that the one who spoke them is the same one who gives us the way to carry them out.