Jesus is speaking to disciples who have witnessed his loving Way. He tells them “I will ask Abba” to “give you” the Spirit, an “Advocate to be with you always.” “I will not leave you orphans… I live and you will live.” In Acts, the disciple Philip keeps Jesus’ loving Spirit alive in an…
The Pharisees were upset about Jesus continually challenging them. They “plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech.” They construed a dilemma, a choosing of sides – or so they thought, between God and Caesar. Rulers like to trap people in conflicts. They like to trap people into taking sides in conflicts. Shall we…
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…