Don’t you just love it when you read something and it lines up perfectly with what you know in your gut is true? And when it’s wrapped up in God-talk and Bible verses, well, that hits different. Right? Sorry. Nope. It doesn’t happen that way…That’s how Jesus’ message has been twisted, watered down, and dragged off...

Lord knows we’re tired, for real. God knows we sick of this mess. We’ve been dealing with this our whole lives. Honestly, it’s way too much.... When we can’t fix it ourselves, we look to God to step in. It’s been a long and dark night of forever waiting for something better to show up.

Most of us know the law isn’t merely a standard of behavior, a rulebook telling people how to act. It’s meant to protect lives, rights, the very core of justice...We like to believe no one is above the law. But let’s be real…We like to believe it…but we know some do live above the law.

So simple and so complex; ultra conservative and super radical; fundamentally true and still upsetting of the status quo. Jesus shook out their brains and turned heads upside down. The Trouble with Jesus is he fights by ducking punches and retaliates with hard slams that can’t be returned. Yet, to begin to sift through what’s been dumped into you all your life, it’s exactly what’s needed.

Honestly? You have to hand it to him. Jesus was king of prime-time. Media today would love how his statements could be pulled for prime time, clipped for just the right ad and purpose, think-pieces, soundbites that slapped.

But tread carefully. Jesus’ stories hit you with stuff you want to hear and stuff you’d rather skip. It’s the difference between reading to feel good and reading for that which challenges perceptions about God and our relations with others. It’s Jesus the all-loving God, and Jesus the dangerous radical.

The world seems to never change, stays on repeat. Jesus saw it then; God watches it now. When Jesus got cornered, he didn’t sugarcoat...But when he made it into a parable? Sit up straight. He meant it then, and he means it even harder now.

You can understand what their problem was. And in the end, everybody has to answer the question of where Jesus got his authority. A choice as to who Jesus was then and now still stands. Who do you say he is? “I don’t know” doesn’t cut it. Jesus won’t concede that.

Admit it. This Jesus-story messes with your head. But this vineyard story? It looks like God favors socialist philosophy, regardless if someone put in the work or not...Is God an L?

Within humankind is a weird kind of desire to make our choice and avoid the consequence. Remorse, regret, sorrow, or repentance for how the choice has impacted others isn’t a factor. Instead, people fear the negative consequence over admitting that harm has been done. Such was the man who begged for mercy...