Jesus First

Some People Aren't Chosen

How in the world do the people who are in the best position to know and follow Jesus end up being the people who neither know nor follow him? Well, Jesus says it's because they might look the part, but they were never chosen. What we're seeing today? It's all in Matthew 22.

Remove the Fruitless Mountain — Matthew 21:18-46

Have you ever heard people talk about having the kind of faith that moves mountains? Well, would you like to know that the interpretation you've heard before is almost certainly wrong. Jesus definitely wasn't promising that God would remove your mountain. On the contrary, he was warning us that even a mountain can be removed if it isn't fruitful.

Jesus Hates Nationalism - Matthew 21:1-14

The story of Jesus cleansing the temple is one of the most dangerous to get wrong. If you misunderstand what's going on in the story, you can easily slide off the rails into wildly incorrect thinking. No, the story isn't an argument for violent masculinity. It's not an argument for why you sometimes need to break some rules and maybe break some noses. It's not even an argument for why churches shouldn't sell coffee in the lobby! The story of Jesus cleansing the temple is way different, and way better.

Jesus Isn't Fair

The Kingdom of Jesus isn't based on the same principles we find at work in the world around us. The world around us demands fairness (sometimes), but the Kingdom of Jesus doesn't hold fairness as a virtue. The Kingdom and the King are better than that, better than fair. The virtue of the Kingdom isn't fairness, it's generosity, otherwise known as grace.

The Upside-Down Kingdom

The Kingdom of Jesus operates on principles exactly the opposite of what we would expect, exactly the opposite of what we would want. In the Kingdom of Jesus, you gain by giving. You profit from loss. In this kingdom, you get ahead by serving. The last will be first.