Jesus shows love toward those judged sinners. He encounters and befriends a rich tax collector named Zacchaeus who is judged “a sinner.” The man’s wealth is from working for Caesar and the Roman military. From the Gospel and other sources, we know Militarism’s tax collectors have existed from ancient times onward. The job originates…
Feeling humiliated as a piece of property weaves through this Sunday’s readings. The Israelites feel humiliated as slaves in Egypt, owned as property. Unfortunately, these ex-slaves then conquer and humiliate other people as slaves in “the land of Canaan” and own them as property. Jesus highlights the feeling by telling a parable of a…
Trick questions are always…tricky. Some are amusing or thought provoking; What’s another word for Thesaurus? Why doesn’t glue stick to its bottle? A definitive trick question however is drawn from cunning and intends to deceive or trap. It is with that intention that religious rulers who are plotting to kill Jesus ask him a…