20. Mt. 25: 31-40

Mt. 25: 31-40: The purpose of the passage is to tell us what we must do in order to be saved. The passage is as much a parable of separation (the sheep and the goats) like the wheat and the weeds in 13: 24-30 or the net and the fish in 13: 47-50. It is also a description of judgment.

19. Mt. 24: 29-36

Mt. 24: 29-36: These two possibilities of the second coming of Jesus contradict each other. The first speaks that we can know the signs of the second coming of Jesus just like we know the coming of summer by looking at the figs and its sprouting of new leaves. The second possibility is that no one knows – not even the angels, the son of God but it is known only by God the Father. A total submission by us is needed before the son of God comes

18. Mt. 23: 29-36

Mt. 23: 29-36: The history of Jews was history of murder from Abel to Zacharias. It is a history of rejection and often the slaughter of the men of God. It makes us think when the history judges us, will its verdict be that we were the hinderers or the helpers of God! It is a question that every individual, nation must ask themselves

17. Mt. 5: 43-48

   Mt. 5: 43-48: The antitheses of the Sermon on the Mount reach their climax in the last one dealing with the scope of our love. “You must be perfect”(v.48) which means  that God loves his people with a mind of universality and single-mindedness. God loves all of us and each one of us totally.

16. Mt 4: 12-17

Mt 4: 12-17: Nothing happens to Jesus that is not provisioned by God. If Bethlehem is the place of his birth (2:6), Nazareth is the place of his upbringing (2:23) and Capernaum is his place of Mission (4:15f). The definitive salvation is announced by Jesus comes to us by a change of heart - a conversion to a new life-style based on God’s love and working of Spirit within us

15. Lk. 15: 1-7

Lk. 15: 1-7: Jews regarded the tax collectors as sinners and thereby ‘untouchables’. Jesus does not write off them as outcasts but wants them to be saved. The God proclaimed by Jesus is not the ‘just judge’ of the pharasees who rewards and punishes strictly according to our action, but the loving father (Lk 15: 11-31) who forgives us even before we have sinned. We do not need to earn God’s forgiveness but need to turn to god and accept it

14. Lk. 24: 13-27

Lk. 24: 13-27: Every ‘breaking of the word’ leads one finally to the Eucharist ie. ‘Breaking of the bread’ where one finds and acknowledges Jesus, as we see in the journey of two disciples to Emmaus. This is the way every Christian to discover Jesus, who is the way to life. They go away from Jerusalem. Jesus meets them on their way and puts them back on track

13. Lk. 21: 34-36

Lk. 21: 34-36: Jesus stresses the need to be upon the watch. A Christian should not think that he lives in a world, which is settled in situations but rather he must think that he lives in a permanent state of expectations. He must live in the shadow of eternity, in the certainty that he is fitting or unfitting himself to appear in the presence of God. So the Christian life must be a thrilling one

12. Lk. 21: 25-33

Lk. 21: 25-33: Jesus speaks about his second coming. We are advised not to have argument about it as to when it comes and what it would be like. Our conception of history must be that it is moving towards a goal – a goal in which Jesus will be recognized by all as LORD. That is all we know and all we need to know. He uses the parable of the fig tree to know this principle

11. Lk 6: 27-36

Lk 6: 27-36: Love your enemies in v.27 apply first to his persecutors of Christians in his communities. Jesus doesn’t ask for a mere tolerance but active love. More specifically the above verse 27 applies to the possessors of his community. They are not to show a mere reciprocity but to be uncalculating in their giving. In any society, the rich, the middle class, the poor and the poorest need conversion to Jesus’ words though in different degrees, manners and terms

9. Mt. 13: 24-30

Mt. 13: 24-30: The passage teaches us that there is a hostile power that works against all that is good. Often this power cannot be distinguished in the beginning or we should not indulge in hasty judgments. We are told to accept them as in the field – a mixture of good and evil (wheat and weeds) as a whole. The one who is perfect –‘God’ himself has the power to judge correctly at the end of the world –at the maturity of time

8. Mt. 1: 1-16

Mt. 1: 1-16: While giving the genealogy of Joseph, the last verse shifts to focus on Mother Mary and the birth of Jesus. The shift to focus on Mary is with a purpose to show that she is chosen by God Himself to be the mother of God. Thus royalty of kingship gained, the tragedy of freedom lost, the glory of liberty restored. It is the mercy of God that is the story of mankind and of each individual man

7. Lk. 13: 6-9

Lk. 13: 6-9: Just as the fig tree is given a final chance, a period of grace, to bear fruit, so people are given time to repent and reform. There is no space for self-complacency. Spiritual collapse is more death-dealing then physical death because its implications are eternal. We can direct ourselves to God or to sin. In either case we are responsible for what we will have become

5. Mt. 7: 1-6

Mt. 7: 1-6: We are forbidden to condemn people because good or evil is a matter not of external behavior but of the intention of the heart which only God can see (Mt. 5: 21-48) and since all of us are sinners, none of us has the right to condemn, for it makes us unease with ourselves. We discuss the teachings of Jesus among those who can understand the subtlety of what is being expressed

4. Jn. 16: 20-24

Jn. 16: 20-24: The world’s careless joy will turn to sorrow; and the christian’s apparent sorrow will change into joy. Faith is the foundation of this joy. It will never be taken away and it will be complete. So in Christian joy the pain which went before is forgotten.

3. Mt. 19: 27-30

Mt. 19: 27-30: He who stands with Christ in his suffering, will surely rise with him in eternity. A Christian will receive far more than ever he has to give up – a divine human fellowship. God’s standards of judgments are not men’s. The new world he enters into will be a surprise for him. There is eternity to adjust the misjudgments off time.

2. Mt. 13: 1-9, 18-23

       Mt. 13: 1-9, 18-23: The seed grows where there is openness to the Word (FAITH), trust in its power (HOPE) and a readiness to go out of oneself (LOVE). Seeds fell on footpath are the disinterested people with their own interest clashing. The superficial ones receive the seed of faith like that fell on rocky grounds and soon discouraged and burnt and dry away. Those sown among thorns are believers but the fruits to be harvested along the difficult path seem not to satisfy them.

1. Mt 13: 44-51

Mt 13: 44-51: If we really understand the worth of the kingdom, we shall do this with great joy because we are aware that what we are getting (the treasure, the pearl) is what our deepest self really wants and is worth far more than anything we can give up for it. The parable of the net tells us about the scandals existing in the church and one should not tolerate them passively. The separation is needed and is permanent for the kingdom and will become definitive on that very day because love is the law of the kingdom of heaven.