Why did Jesus need to be baptized It was a delicate issue for the earliest Christians as one can see in Matthew rsquo s baptism account in which ldquo John would have prevented him saying lsquo I need to be baptized by you and do you come to me rsquo rdquo One of the sensitivities was tha

John the Baptist has not just one of the greatest roles in salvation history but one of the great lines in the Bible The day after John baptized Jesus ldquo he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared lsquo Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world rsquo rdquo The sacrifi

Jesus rsquo love for the weak and marginalized is made manifest in a powerful account in Luke rsquo s Gospel as is the human willingness to label and disenfranchise people we consider less worthy In today rsquo s narrative Jesus suggests that we start to identify who we truly are in relationship

As we ponder Jesus rsquo confrontation with the Sadducees regarding life in the world to come we are compelled to ask ldquo Do I believe in resurrection rdquo How one answers this question orients how we live today It is a question that is not so much answered intellectually though it is not

The question was put to Jesus ldquo Lord will only a few be saved rdquo His answer like many a teacher rsquo s regarding more mundane matters like quizzes and tests is a variation on ldquo study hard rdquo Jesus instructs the questioner and the crowd ldquo Strive to enter through the na

It can be hard to tell the truth Sometimes no one wants to hear it either because people have already determined a path they feel is more advantageous to them or they are more comfortable ignoring it Sometimes we are all those people For those who read Flannery O rsquo Connor the shocking real