Teaching the Lord’s Prayer: Thy Kingdom Come

Chapter 3

Thy kingdom come…

(Understanding God’s Will)

With the second line of The Lord’s Prayer, we arrive at the heart of the matter: God’s kingdom. To understand how Jesus views his Father’s kingdom, we first need to do some–thing that will seem strange. We must take all discussion of “Heaven” off the table. There will be no talk about heaven with a capital “H,” the place we think we’ll go to (if lucky) when we die. We’re just not going to go there.

Why? Because as soon as we see heaven and hell as proper names, as specific places where rewards and punishments are meted out, the acceptance of Christ and all associated good works become petty acts of bribery. The afterlife must remain unknown, because the quality and strength of our faith, as well as the morality of our actions, depends on the mystery. For this reason, Jesus calls us to attend not to the dead¹ (who are beyond our reach) but to those who are living and can feel our touch.

It is by nurturing the living God in ourselves and others that we make the Father’s kingdom come.² But what exactly is this kingdom if it is not what we normally take for heaven? The Gospels provide us with plenty of clues. But also many false leads. We need to be careful when applying our winnowing fans.

We should remember that the tribes who handed down the story of Jesus believed that a final day of judgment would occur during their own generation.³ That is why the apostles are so despondent after Jesus’s death. They thought he was going to physically deliver Jerusalem from Roman authority, and then rule over an earthly kingdom.⁴ But Jesus had something different in mind. He wanted his disciples to view the Lord not as a King on High but as a secret spirit living in us all,⁵ with the power to reveal a kingdom already here.⁶

Therefore, we must sidestep any reference to the end–time theologies⁷ that were prevalent during Jesus’s day, and which today have made best–selling authors of those who exploit fears of being left behind. After all, how is it that we will find ourselves raptured into the sky or see Jesus surfing down from the clouds,⁸ when God’s kingdom, we are told, cannot be witnessed by the eye because it lives within us?⁹ The answer is, we can’t, and won’t. The gates of heaven are unlocked when our hearts and minds work in unison to discover God’s Word,¹⁰ which is alive all around us.

That is why Jesus insists on talking in parables when describing the kingdom: because parables make us think. They don’t dictate hard and fast answers. Jesus, like the river guide, leads us upstream to where the fish are, but insists that we make our own catch. The problem though is that we often feel stranded upriver without a pole!

But Jesus doesn’t actually leave us…

The Lord’s Prayer. To continue reading, click on page 2 at the bottom.

1. “Leave the dead to bury their dead; but go yourself and carry far and wide the gospel of the kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:60 [↩]
2. By that in the good ground are meant those who, with a good and honest heart, keep the message and patiently bring forth its fruit. – Luke 8:15 [↩]
3. I tell you that even the present generation will not pass away, until all these things have taken place. – Mark 13:30 [↩]
4. But we were hoping that he was the destined deliverer of Israel. – Luke 24:21 [↩]
5. I tell you, as often as you did it to one these my brothers and sisters, however lowly, you did it to me. – Matthew 25:40 [↩]
6. If it is by the help of the spirit of God that I drive out devils, then the kingdom of God must already be upon you. – Matthew 12:28 [↩]
7. Tell us when this will be, and what will be the sign of your coming, and of the close of the age. – Matthew 24:3 [↩]
8. Then will be seen the ‘Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. – Mark 13:26 [↩]
9. The kingdom of God does not come in a way that admits of observation, 21 Nor will people say ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ for the kingdom of God is within you! – Luke 17:20-21 [↩]
10. In the Beginning the Word was; and the Word was with God; and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God; 3 Through him all things came into being, and nothing came into being apart from him. – John 1:1-4 [↩]

The Meaning of Lord’s Prayer: Thy Will Be Done

Chapter 4

Thy will be done…

(Understanding God’s Will)

In the Book of Luke, there is a curious statement about God. Luke quotes the prophet Isaiah as saying that through Christ (the Lord) all mankind shall see the “salvation of God”.¹ Considering the ham–fisted way that Jesus’s twelve apostles (not to mention the Pharisees and Sadducees) often handled Old Testament scripture, we might be tempted just to pass over this comment from Isaiah. But that would be a mistake.

Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, has been inspiring prophets since the beginning of the world. ² Jewish scripture, like all holy scripture, is capable of profound revelation, and this quote by Isaiah is a jewel of an example—albeit one that is rarely talked about. Our silence surrounds the disturbing question: From what exactly does an all powerful God need to be saved? For mankind, “salvation” means being rescued from the wages of sin, but is God a sinner too?

Some would argue that Jehovah certainly is no saint, considering the peevish, jealous, and wrathful behavior he exhibits in the Old Testament. But when Isaiah refers to God’s salvation, he isn’t talking about liberating Jehovah from his penchant for tormenting servants like Job just to win bets with Satan. He is talking about the justification of God’s will, and the choices he’s made. To illustrate God’s situation, Jesus tells the story of the prodigal son. ³

In this parable, a father has two sons. The youngest, anxious to experience the world, asks for his inheritance right away. The father abides by this request and grants him his share, which the boy then dutifully squanders on wine, women, and song in a far off land. The young man eventually crawls back home utterly destitute. Rather than chastise his fallen boy, the father welcomes him back with open arms, kills the fatted calf, and throws a big party.

All the merry–making upsets the older son, who stews over the fact that his father never gave him even a young foal to butcher and barbecue for his friends. The father gently rebukes his eldest, stating that everything he owns has always been available to him.

When this parable is taught today, the emphasis is usually on the prodigal son’s welcome home party. The celebration is used to demonstrate that we shouldn’t be afraid of God’s punishment, if we want to return to his fold after years of dissolute living. The beginning of the parable though is just as important, for it reveals the position in which God has placed himself.

The father in Jesus’s story did not have to advance his son his inheritance. He could have just as easily said: “No way, get out there and work the fields with your brother.” He chose to give the money to his son. And we expect he handed it over knowing full well that his boy wasn’t going to invest it in sheep futures.

Not many fathers today would let their child blow such a fortune. Why does this one? Because this father’s ultimate concern is not for his estate but for respecting his son’s independence. By granting his son the means to live on his own, the father hopes he will make the mistakes he needs to make; learn the lessons he needs to learn; and, when all is said and done, return home realizing that a boundless treasure lay within the bosom of family.

God, in granting us free will, also has given us our…

The Lord’s Prayer. To continue reading, click on page 2 at the bottom.

1. Every chasm shall be filled, every mountain and hill shall be leveled; the winding ways shall be straightened; the rough roads made smooth, 6 And all mankind shall see the salvation of God. – Luke 3:5-6 [↩]
2. “You are not fifty years old yet,” the Jews exclaimed, “and have you seen Abraham?” 58 “In truth I tell you,” replied Jesus, “before Abraham was, I am.” – John 8:57-58 [↩]
3. A man had two sons; 12 And the younger of them said to his father: ‘Father, give me my share of the inheritance.’ So the father divided the property between them. 13 A few days later the younger son got together all that he had, and went away into a distant land; and there he squandered his inheritance by leading a dissolute life. 14 After he has spent all that he had, there was a severe famine through all that country, and he began to be in actual want.” 15 “So he went and hired himself out to one of the people of that country, who sent him into his fields to tend pigs. 16 He longed to satisfy his hunger with even the bean-pods on which the pigs were feeding; and no one gave him anything.” 17 “But, when he came to himself, he said: ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more bread than they can eat, while here am I starving to death! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and say to him: ‘Father, I sinned against heaven and against you; 19 I am no longer fit to be called your son; make me one of your hired servants.’” 20 “And he got up and went to his father. But, while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was deeply moved; he ran and threw his arms round his neck and kissed him. 21 ‘Father,’ the son said, ‘I sinned against heaven and against you; I am no longer fit to be called your son; make me one of your hired servants.’” 22 “But the father turned to his servants and said: ‘Be quick and fetch a robe—the very best—and put it on him; give him a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet; 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; 24 For here is my son who was dead, and is alive again, was lost, and is found.’ So they began making merry.” 25 “Meanwhile the elder son was out in the fields; but, on coming home, when he got near the house, he heard music and dancing, 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what it all meant. 27 ‘Your brother has come back,’ the servant told him, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28 This made him angry, and he would not go in. But his father came out and begged him to do so.” 29 “‘No,’ he said to his father, ‘look at all the years I have been serving you, without ever once disobeying you, and yet you have never given me even a kid, so that I might have a party with my friends. 30 But, no sooner has this son of yours come, who has eaten up your property in the company of prostitutes, than you have killed the fattened calf for him.’” 31 “‘Child,’ the father answered, ‘you are always with me, and everything that I have is yours. 32 How could we do anything else but make merry and rejoice, for here is your brother who was dead, and is alive; who was lost, and is found.” – Luke 15:11–32 [↩]

The Lord’s Prayer: On Earth As It Is In Heaven

Chapter 5

On earth as it is in heaven…

(Understanding God’s Divide)

In the last two chapters on the Lord’s Prayer, we’ve established that our entrance into the kingdom of heaven depends on our sense of wonder; our ability to think and love; our patience; and our acceptance of will as a matter of choice—a choice shared equally with God, the Father. We’ve also learned that the kingdom is filled with potential, and with treasures that can be experienced today and every day. Unfortunately, we often lose sight of this. Even those who have dedicated their lives to preaching the Word of God often remain just outside the kingdom’s doorway.

Take for example the story of Jesus and the scribe in the Book of Mark. In this story a teacher of Mosaic law asks Jesus which commandment supersedes all others. Jesus replies that it is the first of the ten: “The Lord our God is the one Lord; And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.” He then adds that the second most important commandment is: “Thou shall love thy neighbor as thou dost love thyself.” The scribe heartily agrees and congratulates Jesus on being so wise. Jesus, in turn, acknowledges the scribe’s own wisdom, telling him that he is “not far from the kingdom of God.”¹

This story shows once again that Jesus did not view heaven as a celestial mansion in the sky or a Garden of Eden revisited. Instead, he saw God’s kingdom as a hidden reality waiting to be brought into the light.² Much more than a state of mind, it is a state of being wherein the heart, soul, and mind work as one—and which find their perfect stride in Christ. Hitting that stride takes more than having one’s heart in the right place or possessing wisdom (such as the scribe had), it means tapping the latent power of the Holy Spirit to bring harmony to our divided house, and likewise to God’s.

When Jesus says that with the coming of the kingdom of heaven and the Son of Man two shall be found and then one taken and the other left,³ he is talking about our divided selves. He is not saying, as we discussed before, that there is going to be a rapture, where the faithful are whisked up into the sky while the sinners are left to stew in their juices.

As the story of Jesus got passed down, the term Son of Man⁴ became interchangeable with Son of God.6 But for Jesus, these appellations were not the same. The Son of Man refers to our ego’s currently limited perception of our selves. And while this perception is necessary because (as symbolized by John the Baptist) it bears witness to Christ and the Word of God,⁵ it also ultimately must be beheaded⁶ (i.e., crucified)⁷ to make way for the Son of God and our expanding Christ consciousness—wherein which we treat our neighbors as ourselves because we recognize them as true reflections of ourselves.

Each one of us is born into a kingdom divided. And in this kingdom, we find both Christ and Satan competing for our attention—one using the Holy Spirit as his emissary and the other using the Ego. Yet it is a kingdom which cannot stand,⁸ for it causes us to love one master and hate the other.⁹ Or rather we go through life flipping allegiances between the two. When praying The Lord’s Prayer, we therefore must think deeply on the ways we are divided against our better selves, divided against our consciences, divided against Christ—for these divisions prevent us from manifesting the kingdom of heaven within and recognizing its fruits around us.

Consider Martha’s behavior in the…

The Lord’s Prayer. To continue reading, click on page 2 at the bottom.

1. Then came up one of the teachers of the law who had heard their discussions. Knowing that Jesus had answered them wisely, he asked him this question: “What is the first of all the commandments?” 29 “The first,” answered Jesus, “is: ‘Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is the one Lord; 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thou dost love thyself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” 32 “Wisely answered, teacher!” exclaimed the teacher of the law. “It is true, as you say, that ‘there is one God,’ and that ‘there is no other besides him’; 33 And to ‘love him with all one’s heart, and with all one’s understanding, and with all one’s strength,’ and to ‘love one’s neighbor as one loves oneself’ is far beyond all ‘burnt-offerings and sacrifices.’” 34 Seeing that he had answered with discernment, Jesus said to him: “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one ventured to question him further. – Mark 12:28–34 [↩]
2. Nothing is hidden unless some day it comes to light, nor was anything ever kept hidden but that it should some day come into the light of day. – Mark 4:22 [↩]
3. Whoever is eager to get the most out of his life will lose it; but whoever will lose it shall preserve it. 34 On that night, I tell you, there shall be two in one bed, the one will be taken and the other left; 35 Two shall be grinding together, one will be taken and the other left. 36 Two shall be in the field, the one taken and the other left. – Luke 17:33-36 [↩]
4. “Foxes have holes,” answered Jesus, “and wild birds their roosting-places, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” – Matthew 8:20 [↩]
5. There appeared a man sent from God, whose name was John; 7 He came as a witness: to bear witness to the light that through him all men might believe. 8 He was not the Light, but he came to bear witness to the Light. – John 1:6 [↩]
6. He immediately dispatched one of his bodyguards, with orders to bring John’s head. The man went and beheaded John in the prison. – Mark 6:27 [↩]
7. The Son of Man is to be given up to be crucified. – Matthew 26:2 [↩]
8. When a kingdom is divided against itself, it cannot last. 25 And when a household is divided against itself, it will not be able to last. – Mark 3:24-25 [↩]
9. No servant can serve two masters, for, either he will hate one and love the other, or else he will attach himself to one and despise the other. – Luke 16:13 [↩]

Lord’s Prayer: And Forgive Us Our Trespasses

Chapter 8

And forgive us our trespasses…

(Removing Our Hindrances Part II)

We’ve just described our journey toward a life in Christ as a rising. But the act of “rising” (such as rising above petty arguments and concerns) can sometimes get us into trouble, especially we Christians. The reason is that when we rise toward our divinity, we often look down on others with a misguided sense of superiority.¹ Jesus condones none of that. He knocks us off our pedestals by insisting that we wash the feet of others if we are to have any part of him.²

To keep us grounded Jesus also teaches that our rebirth in Christ is owed to both spirit and water.³ This lesson is one that’s largely been forgotten. Most Christians today see water simply as an accoutrement to the ritual of baptism, forgetting that the performance of rituals was something that Jesus only grudgingly accepted—for he knew how often they become codified into new forms of idolatry.

We can see such idolatry in the way the Pharisees rigidly held to their laws of the Sabbath.⁴ When it came to baptism, Jesus saw it as something which needed to be done for the sake of the community, rather than for himself—telling John the Baptist they must suffer the task so as to “satisfy every claim of religion.”⁵ In other words, Jesus allowed himself to be baptized to fulfill the religious expectations of Israel, so that their minds would remain open to receiving the gospel of Christ.

That the heavens are said to have literally opened up during Jesus’s baptism, with the Holy Spirit descending on his head like a dove,⁶ does not mean that we are magically turned into Christians during this ritual. Instead, these metaphors are used to illustrate water’s essential role in our spiritual transformation.

To understand why Jesus says that our rebirth in Christ is owed to water, we must look at water as a parable, or character in a story. Water’s narrative is that it likes to follow the path of least resistance. Likewise, the Holy Spirit seeks the path of least resistance as we remove the hindrances⁷ that block Christ from entering our lives.

Throughout Christendom this teaching has been driven under ground by a litany of ignoble wars, fire and brimstone preachers, and overzealous missionaries. But no person has ever been led to Christ through violence, threats, or intimidation, only by experiencing the Holy Spirit as it flows effortlessly from the souls of others.

How easily we forget Jesus’s admonition to turn the other cheek; to not resist wrongs; to give our possessions to those who want to sue us; and walk two miles with those who compel us to go but one.⁸ In other words, to pass through this life like water.

Rather than accept the path of least resistance, we often strike out on the course of greatest resistance, confusing the lesser path with one of weakness. What we fail to recognize (but what Jesus was well aware of) is that water has another defining characteristic. It has the dammed up potential to flow forward with great force, when its hindrances are pulled away, forever altering the landscape below the break. Likewise, the Holy Spirit has tremendous power to transform lives, to create a holy current that will carry along others and make us true “fishers of men,” As Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew—casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 “Come and follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 The two men left their nets at once and followed him.⁹ if we but remove the obstacles in its path.

When we pray “forgive us our trespasses” we are beginning…

The Lord’s Prayer. To continue reading, click on page 2 at the bottom.

1. Speaking to people who were satisfied that they were religious, and who regarded everyone else with scorn, Jesus told this parable. – Luke 18:9 [↩]
2. If I, then—‘the Master’ and ‘the Teacher’—have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet; 15 For I have given you an example, so that you may do just as I have done to you. – John 13:14-15 [↩]
3. “In truth I tell you,” answered Jesus, “unless you owe your birth to water and spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of God. – John 3:5 [↩]
4. Jesus walked through the corn-fields one Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and began to pick some ears of wheat and eat them. 2 But, when the Pharisees saw this, they said: “Look! your disciples are doing what it is not allowable to do on a Sabbath!” 3 “Have not you read,” replied Jesus, “what David did, when he and his companions were hungry. 4 How he went into the house of God, and how they ate the consecrated bread, though it was not allowable for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests? 5 And have not you read in the law that, on the Sabbath, the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are not guilty? 6 Here, however, I tell you, there is something greater than the temple! 7 And had you learned the meaning of the words: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned those who are not guilty. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:1–8 [↩]
5. Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to see John and be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to prevent him. “It is I,” he said, “who need to be baptized by you; and yet you come to me?” 15 “Suffer it be so for the present,” Jesus answered, “since it is fitting for us thus to satisfy every claim of religion.” – Mark 3:1315 [↩]
6. Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens rent apart, and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. – Mark 1:9-10 [↩]
7. Blessed are those who find no hindrance in me. – Luke 7:23 [↩]
8. I, however, say to you that you must not resist wrongs; but, if others should strike you on the right cheek, turn the other to them also; 40 And, when people want to go to law with you to take your coat, let them have your cloak as well; 41 And, if anyone compels you to go one mile, go two miles with them. – Matthew 5:39–41 [↩]
9. Matthew 4:18-20 [↩]

Lord’s Prayer: But Deliver Us from Evil

Chapter 11

But deliver us from evil…

(Overcoming Our Egos)

When pride is overcome, we cure a symptom of our separation from God not its root cause. We are like the frog born at the bottom of the well, who is unaware of the larger world that exists beyond the walls of his home. These walls are what psychologists have come to call the ego, and the well itself what Jesus (lacking our modern lingo) called the pit, where the fire (i.e. our desire) is never quenched.¹ It is what some have called our “original sin”. Yet “sin” is the wrong word. For sins are connected to choices. And we did not choose to be placed in the well—although it is our choice whether or not we remain there.

The well is better described as our original condition. And Jesus’s entire ministry was about teaching others to overcome it. Asking us to abandon our egos though is a tough sell. Because while we know that egoism leads to pride, hate, violence, theft, adultery and every evil under the sun,² we also believe that our egos define who we are. We think that if we lose our ego, we will lose our identity; and we are offended by those who suggest otherwise.

This offense that we take is registered in the Gospel of John during the story of the Last Supper—the last fellowship for Jesus before he crucifies his ego, abandons the well, and experiences full consciousness in Christ. At the dinner table, the disciples cry out against the “harsh doctrine” they are being taught.³ Their shock is not over the eating of the flesh and blood of the Son of Man (as those are just metaphors), but that in becoming “united” with Christ that they will lose their sense of self.

We, like the disciples, consider our egos as being solid and permanent. That is the devilish illusion. For if we look back upon our lives, we find that the person we identify as “me” changes as we grow. The middle–aged man or woman often looks with strange fascination toward the person they were at eighteen, just as the senior does toward their middle–aged self. Sometimes we cannot even believe the person we were yesterday!

These changes are all evidence of the Holy Spirit at work, as it pushes us to recognize the vast kingdom that exists outside the well in which we live. When we overcome the well, we don’t lose ourselves, but expand our realities of place and self to include joys and experiences that were beyond our imagination. We leave our ego identity behind to discover our soul’s identity,⁴ which is ever growing and limitless.

Our journey out of the well is symbolized by Jesus’s teaching of the cross, and the Gospel writers’ depiction of Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection. Whether Jesus was actually crucified or not is a matter that can be left to personal belief. What is to be recognized is that even if Jesus were not crucified by the Romans, we would have had to do it ourselves for the sake of the gospel story. Because in order to understand the profound depth of Jesus’s renunciation of the ego, we need a crucifixion parable to guide us.

Parables are able to provoke that “aha” experience we get when…

The Lord’s Prayer. To continue reading, click on page 2 at the bottom.

1. It would be better for you to enter the kingdom of God with only one eye, than to have both eyes and be thrown into the pit: 48 Where the worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. – Mark 9:47-48 [↩]
2. For it is from within, out of the hearts of men, that there come evil thoughts: unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, 22 Greed, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, haughtiness, folly; 23 All these wicked things come from within, and do defile a man.” – Mark 7:21–23 [↩]
3. On hearing it, many of his disciples said: “This is harsh doctrine! Who can bear to listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, aware that his disciples were murmuring about it, said to them: 62 “Does this offend you?” – John 6:60–62 [↩]
4. He must become greater, and I less. 31 He who comes from above is above all others; but a child of earth is earthly, and his teaching is earthly, too. He who comes from heaven is above all others. – John 3:30–31 [↩]

Al Franken & Daily Affirmations

Back in the late 1980s, the comedian (now U.S. Senator) Al Franken created the memorable character of Stuart Smalley, a mock self-help guru with a show called Daily Affirmations. Franken lampooned the self-help craze and affirmation trend of the ’80s and early ’90s with such classic lines as “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.”

The problem that Franken saw with affirmations was that they are, in a sense, a kind of brainwashing. It just may be that right now you are not smart enough, or good enough, or likable enough to achieve your goals. That doesn’t mean you can’t be good enough (or aren’t), just that you currently might not be. In addition, the goal you are trying to manifest with your affirmations might not truly be the right one for you. Assessing and developing your capabilities in the right direction requires reflection, perseverance, and work–much more work than simply saying an affirmation.

Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said: Sow a thought, and you reap an act; Sow an act, and you reap a habit; Sow a habit, and you reap a character; Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.

But he did not mean “sow” as a synonym for simply planting. A planted seed might very well wither and die or get plucked up and eaten by a crow, as Jesus well teaches in the parable of the sower¹.

Emerson meant that the person we are and want to be is defined by a process of cultivation that begins with our thoughts. With daily affirmations we often forget the process part and think we can just leap ahead to the finish line, minus the hard sweat. When reflecting on Emerson’s passage let’s imagine instead that he wrote it this way: Sew a thought, and you reap an act; Sew an act, and you reap a habit; Sew a habit, and you reap a character; Sew a character, and you reap a destiny.

Sewing is a process of creation. It is only by creation that we are truly transformed.

——

Gain fresh insight into the Lord’s Prayer. Read our free online book The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life. The prayer’s hidden teachings will enrich and inspire you. Click the following link to begin reading the Living Hour book now: The Lord’s Prayer.

1. When anyone hears the message of the kingdom without understanding it, evil comes and snatches away what has been sown in their minds. By the seed which was sown on rocky places is meant the receivers who hear the message and at once accept it joyfully; but they stand for only a short time because they have no roots. By the seed which was sown among the brambles is meant the receivers who hear the message, but the cares of life and the glamour of wealth completely choke the message. – Matthew 19-22 [↩]

Den of Thieves

Gospel of Matthew 21

When they had almost reached Jerusalem, having come as far as Bethphage, on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent on two disciples. 2 “Go to the village facing you,” he said, “and you will immediately find a donkey tethered, with a foal by her side; untie her, and lead her here for me. 3 And, if anyone says anything to you, you are to say this: ‘The Master wants them’; and he will send them at once.” 4 This happened in fulfillment of these words by the prophet: 5 ‘Say to the daughter of Zion: Behold, thy King is coming to thee, Gentle, and riding on an ass, and on the foal of a beast of burden.’”

6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They led the ass and the foal back, and, when they had put their cloaks on them, he seated himself upon them. 8 The immense crowd of people spread their cloaks in the road, while some cut branches off the trees, and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that led the way, as well as those that followed behind, kept shouting: “God save the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! God save him from on high!”

10 When he had entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred, and asked: 11 “Who is this?”, to which the crowd replied: “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.” 12 Jesus went into the temple courts, and drove out all those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of the pigeon-dealers, 13 And said to them: “Scripture says: ‘My House shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it ‘a den of thieves.’”

14 While he was still in the temple courts, some blind and some lame people came up to him, and he cured them. 15 But, when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things that Jesus did, and the boys who were calling out in the temple courts, “God save the Son of David!”, they were indignant, 16 And said to him: “Do you hear what these boys are saying?” “Yes,” answered Jesus; “but did you never read the words: ‘Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou has called forth perfect praise’?”

17 Then he left them, and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there. 18 The next morning, in returning to the city, Jesus became hungry; 19 And, noticing a solitary fig tree by the road-side; he went up to it, but found nothing on it but leaves. So he said to it: “Never again shall fruit be gathered off you.” And suddenly the fruit tree withered up.

20 When the disciples saw this, they exclaimed in astonishment: “How suddenly the fig tree withered up!” 21 “I tell you,” replied Jesus, “if you have faith, without ever a doubt, you will do what not only has been done to the fig tree, but, even if you should say to this hill: ‘Be lifted up and hurled into the sea!’ it would be done. 22 And whatever you ask for in your prayers will, if you have faith, be granted you.” 23 After Jesus had come into the temple courts, the chief priests and the councilors of the nation came up to him as he was teaching, and said: “What authority have you to do these things? Who gave you this authority?”

24 “I, too,” said Jesus in reply, “will ask you one question; if you will give me an answer to it, then I, also, will tell you what authority I have to act as I do. 25 It is about John’s baptism. What was its origin? Divine or human?” But they began arguing among themselves: “If we say, ‘divine,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did not you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘human’, we are afraid of the people, for everyone regards John as a prophet.” 27 So the answer they gave Jesus was: “We do not know.”

Investigating the Lord’s Prayer

To continue reading Chapter 21 of the Gospel of Matthew please click on page 2 below.

Luke – Gospel 18 – Kingdom Belongs to the Childlike

Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and never despair. 2 “There was,” he said, “in a certain town a judge, who had no fear of God nor regard for man. 3 In the same town there was a widow who went to him again and again, and said: ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ 4 For a time the judge refused, but afterwards he said to himself, ‘Although I am without fear of God or regard for man, 5 Yet, as this widow is so troublesome, I will grant her justice, to stop her from plaguing me with her endless visits.’”

6 Then the Master added: “Listen to what this iniquitous judge says! 7 And God—will not he see that his own people, who cry to him night and day, have justice done though he holds his hand? 8 He will, I tell you, have justice done them, and that soon! Yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

9 Another time, speaking to people who were satisfied that they were religious, and who regarded everyone else with scorn, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up into the temple courts to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax-gatherer. 11 The Pharisee stood forward and began praying to himself in this way: ‘O God, I thank thee that I am not like other men—thieves, rogues, adulterers—or even like this tax-gatherer. 12 I fast twice a week, and give a tenth of everything I get to God.’”

13 Meanwhile the tax-gatherer stood at a distance, not venturing even ‘to raise his eyes to heaven’; but he kept striking his breast and saying, ‘O God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 This man, I tell you, went home pardoned, rather than the other; for everyone who exalts themselves will be humbled, while everyone who humbles themselves shall be exalted.”

15 Some of the people were bringing even their babies to Jesus, for him to touch them; but, when the disciples saw it, they began to find fault with those who had brought them. 16 Jesus, however, called the little children to him. “Let the little children come to me,” he said, “and do not hinder them; for it is to the childlike that the kingdom of God belongs. 17 I tell you, unless you receive the kingdom of God like a child, you will not enter it at all.”

18 And one of the Presidents asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what must I do if I am to gain Immortal Life?” 19 “Why do you call me good?” answered Jesus. “No one is good but God. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not say what is false about others, Honor thy father and thy mother.’”

21 “I have observed all these,” he replied, “from childhood.” 22 Hearing this, Jesus said to him: “There is one thing still lacking in you; sell everything that you have, and distribute to the poor, and you shall have wealth in heaven; then come and follow me.” 23 But the man became greatly distressed on hearing this, for he was extremely rich.

24 Seeing this, Jesus said to his disciples: “How hard it is for men of wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier, indeed, for a camel to get through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God!” 26 “Then who can be saved?” asked those who heard this. 27 But Jesus said: “What is impossible for people is possible with God.”
28 “But we,” said Peter, “we left what belonged to us and followed you.” 29 “I tell you,” he answered, “that there is no one who has left house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children, on account of the kingdom of God, 30 Who will not receive many times as much in the present and in the age to come, life everlasting.”

31 Gathering the twelve round him, Jesus said to them: “Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem; and there everything that is written in the prophets will be done to the Son of Man. 32 For he will be given up to the Gentiles, mocked, insulted and spat upon; 33 They will scourge him, and then put him to death; and on the third day he will rise again.” 34 The apostles did not comprehend any of this; his meaning was lost to them, they did not understand what he was saying.

35 As Jesus was getting near Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road-side, begging. 36 Hearing a crowd going by, the man asked what was the matter; 37 And, when people told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing, 38 He shouted out: “Jesus, Son of David, take pity on me!” 39 Those who were in front kept telling him to be quiet, but he continued to call out the louder: “Son of David, take pity on me!”

40 Then Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. And, when he had come close up to him, Jesus asked him: 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” “Master,” he said, “I want to recover my sight.” 42 And Jesus said: “Recover your sight, your faith has delivered you.” 43 Instantly he recovered his sight, and began to follow Jesus, praising God. And all the people, on seeing it, gave glory to God.

To read the next chapter of the Book of Luke, please go to The Gospel of Luke – 19.

This Online New Testament Gospel of Luke is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

Luke – Gospel 19 – House of Prayer & Den of Thieves

Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there, known by the name of Zacchaeus, who was a commissioner of taxes and a rich man. 3 He tried to see what Jesus was like; but, being short, he was unable to do so because of the crowd. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed into a mulberry tree, to see Jesus, for he knew that he must pass that way.

5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him: “Zacchaeus, be quick and come down, for I must stop at your house today.” 6 So Zacchaeus got down quickly, and joyfully welcomed him.

7 On seeing this, everyone began to complain: “He has gone to stay with a man who is a sinner.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood forward and said to the Master: “Listen, Master! I will give half my property to the poor, and, if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give him back four times as much.” 9 “Salvation has come to this house today,” answered Jesus, “for even this man is a son of Abraham. 10 The Son of Man has come to ‘search for those who are lost’ and to save them.”

As the people were listening to this, Jesus went on to tell them a parable. He did so because he was near Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God was going to be proclaimed at once. 12 He said: “A nobleman once went to a distant country to receive an appointment to become king and then to return. 13 He called ten of his servants and gave them ten pounds each, and told them to trade with it until his return. 14 But his subjects hated him and sent envoys after him to say, ‘We will not have this man be our king.’ 15 On his return, after having been crowned king, he directed that the servants to whom he had given his money be summoned, so that he might learn what amount of trade they had done.”

16 “The first came up, and said: ‘Sir, your ten pounds have made a hundred.’ 17 ‘Well done, good servant!’ exclaimed the master. ‘As you have proved trustworthy in a very small matter, I appoint you governor over ten towns.’ 18 When the second came, he said: ‘Your ten pounds, sir, have produced fifty.’ 19 So the master said to him: ‘And you I appoint over five towns.’ 20 Another servant also came and said: ‘Sir, here are your ten pounds; I have kept them put away in a handkerchief. 21 For I was afraid of you, because you are a stern man. You take what you have not planted, and reap what you have not sown.’ ”

22 “The master answered, ‘Out of your own mouth I judge you, you worthless servant. You knew that I am a stern man, that I take what I have not planted, and reap what I have not sown? 23 Then why did not you put my money into a bank? And I, on my return, could have claimed it with interest. 24 Take away from him the ten pounds,’ he said to those standing by, ‘and give them to the one who has the hundred.’” 25 ‘But, Sir,’ they interposed, ‘he has a hundred pounds already!’

26 ‘I tell you,’ he answered, ‘that, to him who has, more will be given, but, from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But as for my enemies, these men who would not have me as their king, bring them here and put them to death in my presence.’” 28 After saying this, Jesus went on in front, going up to Jerusalem.
29 It was when Jesus had almost reached Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, that he sent on two of the disciples. 30 “Go to the village facing us,” he said, “and, when you get there, you will find a colt tied, which no one has yet ridden; untie it and lead it here. 31 And, if anybody asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you are to say this: ‘The Master wants it.’”

32 So the two who were sent went and found it as Jesus had told them. 33 While they were untying the foal, the owners asked them: “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And the two disciples answered: “The Master wants it.” 35 Then they led it back to Jesus, and threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus upon it. 36 As he went along, the people kept spreading their cloaks in the road.

37 When he had almost reached the place where the road led down the Mount of Olives, every one of the many disciples began in their joy to praise God loudly for all the miracles that they had seen: 38 “Blessed is He who comes—Our King—in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.”

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him: “Teacher, reprove your disciples.” 40 But Jesus answered: “I tell you that if these men are silent, the very stones will call out.”

41 When he drew near, on seeing the city, he wept over it, and said: 42 “Would that you had known, while yet there was time—even you—the things that make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your sight. 43 For a time is coming upon you when your enemies will surround you with earthworks, and encircle you, and hem you in on all sides; 44 They will trample you down and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know ‘the time of your visitation.’”

45 Jesus went into the temple courts and began to drive out those who were selling, 46 Saying as he did so: “Scripture says, ‘My House shall be a House of Prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of thieves.’”

47 Jesus continued to teach each day in the temple courts; but the chief priests and teachers of the law were eager to take his life, and so also were the leading men. 48 Yet they could not see what to do, for the people all hung upon his words.

To read the next chapter of the Book of Luke, please go to The Gospel of Luke – 20.

This Online New Testament Gospel of Luke is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

Jesus & The Wiz

On reading that Broadway was reproducing the classic 1970s musical The Wiz, we were reminded of one of its most memorable songs, Ease on Down the Road, sung by a spirited Diana Ross (Dorothy) and Michael Jackson (Scarecrow) while on their way to see The Wiz (Richard Pryor).

The song tells us don’t you carry nothing that might be a load, come on, ease on down, ease on down the road.

For Progressive Christians called by Jesus to repeatedly lay down our lives for others¹, this is good advice. We are not asked to carry the burdens of others, but to lift up the fallen. Jesus teaches this in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The charitable man from Samaria doesn’t fret over the fate and circumstances of his fallen brethren but lifts him up from the road, does what he can to tend to the man’s needs, then eases on down, eases on down the road..

When we Christians feel compelled to carry the burdens of others, more often than not, it reveals a compulsion to martyrdom: a strong desire to identify ourselves with Jesus on the Cross. But it was through life and joy that Jesus sought to teach us about the kingdom of God (The Wiz), not through suffering and death.

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The Living Hour’s SBNR (Spiritual But Not Religious) motivational series combines history, literature, philosophy, religion, and popular culture to help bring about new perspectives for Progressive Christians and anyone who seeks a better understanding of “God” and life’s purpose. Sign up to have these progressive Motivationals delivered to your e-mail box three times a week.

1. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life to receive it again. No one took it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to receive it again. This is the command which I received from my Father. – John 10:17-18 [↩]

Jesus, Dostoevsky & The Grand Inquisitor

In Fyodor Dostoevsky’s parable of The Grand Inquisitor, Jesus reappears on Earth during the time of the Spanish Inquisition. Although the crowds adore him, he is promptly thrown in prison and sentenced to death. While in his cell, Jesus is visited by the Grand Inquisitor who says that he must kill him, even though he knows that he is truly Jesus Christ. The Inquisitor defends Jesus’s death sentence because:

Instead of giving a firm foundation for setting the conscience of people at rest for ever, you chose all that is exceptional, vague and enigmatic; you chose what was utterly beyond the strength of others, acting as though you did not love them at all; you who came to give your life for them! Instead of taking possession of people’s freedom, you increased it, and burdened the spiritual kingdom of mankind with its sufferings for ever.

The Inquisitor says that the Church, by giving people strict rules and telling them exactly what to believe in, is saving them from suffering the burden of making choices and doing them a greater service than Jesus ever did.

Instead of debating with the Inquisitor, Jesus remains silent and at the end simply kisses the old man on his “bloodless” lips. Shocked, the Inquisitor releases him from the cell and sends him away, telling him never to come back into the world.

That Jesus chooses not to argue or debate with the Inquisitor is perhaps the most important part of this parable. In the Gospels, Jesus is conspicuous for never getting into tit-for-tat theological debates or arguments. Instead, he simply speaks his mind when confronted with hypocrisy¹ and answers the questions asked of him by his disciples, the scribes, and others.²

Why was Jesus against arguing? Because he realized that the “winner” of an argument is a momentary champion. When it comes to personal beliefs, lasting changes of heart never come not from persuasive rhetoric. They only arise from inner awakenings.

Please subscribe to The Living Hour’s free Daily SBNR Motivationals by entering your email address into the “Opening the Small Gate” box in the right corner of this web page. This Progressive Christianity series is written for Unitarians, Agnostics, and all who seek a richer life.

To read about M. Scott Peck, Buddha, and The Road Less Traveled, please go to: Life is NOT Difficult.

1. “Hypocrites! It was well said by Isaiah when he prophesied about you: ‘This is a people that honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far removed from me; But vainly do they worship me, for they teach but the precepts of men.’” Matt 15:7-9 [↩]
2. “Teacher, are we right in paying tribute to Caesar or not?” Seeing through their deceitfulness, Jesus said to them: “Show me a coin. Whose head and title are on it?” “The Emperor’s,” they said; and Jesus replied: “Well then, pay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.” Luke 20:21-25 [↩]

John – Gospel 10 – You are Gods

“In truth I tell you, whoever does not go into the sheepfold through the door, but climbs up at some other place, that person is a thief and a robber; 2 But the person who goes in through the door is shepherd to the sheep. 3 For him the watchman opens the door; and the sheep listen to his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. 4 When he has brought them all out, he walks in front of them, and his sheep follow him, because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but will run away from him; because they do not know a stranger’s voice.”

6 This was the parable that Jesus told them, but they did not understand of what he was speaking. 7 So he continued: “In truth I tell you, I am the door for the sheep. 8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door; you who go in through me will be safe, and you will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal, to kill, and to destroy; I have come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly.”

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. 12 The hired man who is not a shepherd, and who does not own the sheep, when he sees a wolf coming, leaves them and runs away; then the wolf seizes them, and scatters the flock. 3 He does this because he is only a hired man and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know my sheep, and my sheep know me; 15 Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

16 “I have other sheep besides, which do not belong to this fold; I must lead them also, and they will listen to my voice; and they shall become one flock under one shepherd.’ 17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life—to receive it again. 18 No one took it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to receive it again. This is the command which I received from my Father.”

19 In consequence of these words a difference of opinion again arose among the Jews. 20 Many of them said: “He is possessed by a demon and is mad; why do you listen to him?” 21 Others said: “This is not the teaching of one who is possessed by a demon. Can a demon give sight to the blind?”

22 Soon after this the festival of the dedication was held at Jerusalem. 23 It was winter; and Jesus was walking in the temple courts, in the Colonnade of Solomon, 24 When the Jews gathered round him, and said: “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us so frankly.”

25 “I have told you so,” replied Jesus, “and you do not believe me. The work that I am doing in my Father’s name bears testimony to me. 26 But you do not believe me, because you are not of my flock. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me; 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall not be lost; nor shall anyone snatch them out of my hands. 29 What my Father has entrusted to me is more than all else; and no one can snatch anything out of the Father’s hands. 30 The Father and I are one.”

31 The Jews again brought stones to throw at him; 32 And seeing this, Jesus said: “I have done before your eyes many good actions, inspired by the Father; for which of them would you stone me?” 33 “It is not for any good action that we would stone you,” answered the Jews, “but for blasphemy; and because you, who are only a man, make yourself out to be God.”

34 “Are there not,” replied Jesus, “these words in your law: ‘I said “Ye are gods”‘? 35 If those to whom God’s word were addressed were said to be ‘gods’—and scripture cannot be set aside—36 Do you say of one whom the Father has consecrated and sent as his messenger to the world: ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said ‘I am the Son of God’?”

37 “If I am not doing the work that my Father is doing, do not believe me; 38 If I am doing it, even though you do not believe me, believe what that work shows; so that you may understand, and understand more and more clearly, that the Father is in union with me, and I with the Father.” 39 Upon this the Jews again sought to arrest him; but he escaped their hands.”

40 Then Jesus again crossed the Jordan to the place where John used to baptize at first, and stayed there some time, during which many people came to see him. 41 “John gave no sign of his mission,” they said; “but everything that he said about this man was true.” 42 And many learned to believe in Jesus there.

To read the next chapter of the Book of John, please go to The Gospel of John – 11.

This Online New Testament Gospel of John is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

Luke – Gospel 20 – Give to Ceasar What Is Ceasar’s

On one of these days, when Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, joined by the councilors, confronted him, 2 And addressing him, said: “Tell us what authority you have to do these things. Who is it that has given you this authority?”

3 “I, too,” said Jesus in reply, “will ask you one question. Give me an answer to it. 4 It is about John’s baptism—was it of divine or of human origin?”

5 But they began arguing together: “If we say ‘divine,’ he will say ‘Why did not you believe him?’ 6 But, if we say ‘human,’ the people will all stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know its origin. 8 “Then I,” said Jesus, “refuse to tell you what authority I have to do these things.”

9 Then Jesus began to tell the people this parable; “A man once planted a vineyard, and then rented it out to tenants, and went abroad for a long while. 10 At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants, that they should give him a share of the produce of the vineyard. The tenants, however, beat him and sent him away empty-handed.”

11 “The owner afterwards sent another servant; but the tenants beat and insulted this man too, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 He sent a third; but they wounded this man also, and threw him outside. 13 ‘What shall I do?’ said the owner of the vineyard. ‘I will send my son, who is very dear to me. Perhaps they will respect him.’”

14 “But, on seeing him, the tenants consulted with one another. ‘Here is the heir!’ they said. ‘Let us kill him, and then the inheritance will become ours.’ 15 So they threw him outside the vineyard and killed him. Now what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and put those tenants to death, and will rent the vineyard to others.”

“Heaven forbid!” they exclaimed when they heard it. 17 But Jesus looked at them and said: “What then is the meaning of this passage: ‘The very stone which the builders despised has now itself become the corner-stone.’ 18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be dashed to pieces, while anyone on whom it falls—it will scatter them like dust.”

19 After this, the teachers of the law and the chief priest were eager to lay hands on Jesus then and there, but they were afraid of the people; for they saw that it was at them that he had aimed this parable. 20 Having watched their opportunity, they afterwards sent some spies, who pretended to be good men, to catch Jesus in the course of conversation, and so enable them to give him up to the governor’s jurisdiction and authority.

21 These men asked Jesus a question. They said: “Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and that you do not take any account of a man’s position, but teach the way of God honestly; 22 Are we right in paying tribute to Caesar or not?”

23 Seeing through their deceitfulness, Jesus said to them: 24 “Show me a coin. Whose head and title are on it?” 25 “The Emperor’s,” they said; and Jesus replied: “Well then, pay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.” 26 They could not lay hold of this answer before the people; and, in their wonder at his reply, they held their tongues.

27 Presently there came up some Sadducees, who maintained that there is no resurrection. Their question was this: 28 “Teacher, Moses laid down for us in his writings that: ‘Should a man’s married brother die, and should he be childless, the man should take the widow as his wife, and raise up a family for his brother.’”

29 “Well, there were once seven brothers; of whom the eldest, after taking a wife, died childless. 30 The second and third brothers both took her as their wife; 31 And so, too, did all seven—dying without children. 32 The woman herself was the last to die. 33 About the woman, then—at the resurrection, whose wife is she to be, all seven brothers having had her as their wife?”

34 “The men and women of this world,” said Jesus, “marry and are given in marriage; 35 But, for those who are thought worthy to attain to that other world and the resurrection from the dead, there is no marrying or being married, 36 Nor indeed can they die again, for they are like angels and, having shared in the resurrection, they are children of God.”

37 “As to the fact that the dead rise, even Moses indicated that, in the passage about the bush, when he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 Now he is not God of dead men, but of living. For all live unto him.”

39 “Well said, Teacher!” exclaimed some of the teachers of the law, 40 For they did not venture to question him any further. 41 But Jesus said to them: “How is it that people say that the Christ is to be David’s son? 42 For David, in the Book of Psalms, says himself: ‘The Lord said to my lord: “Sit at my right hand, 43 Until I put thy enemies as a stool for thy feet.”‘ 44 David, then, calls him ‘lord,’ so how is he David’s son?”

45 While all the people were listening, Jesus said to the disciples: 46 “Be on your guard against the teachers of the law, who delight to walk about in long robes, and like to be greeted in the streets with respect, and to have the best seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at dinner. 47 These are the men who rob widows of their houses, and make a pretense of saying long prayers. Their sentence will be all the heavier.”

To read the next chapter of the Book of Luke, please go to The Gospel of Luke – 21.

This Online New Testament Gospel of Luke is excerpted from the book The Living Hour: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life (with New Century Gospels). Including over 200 bookmarked citations from the canonical Gospels, this Progressive Christian book appeals to the Unitarian spirit at the heart of all faiths.

Challenge your perceptions on the Gospel of Christ, Jesus’s parables, and the Kingdom of God by purchasing The Lord’s Prayer book today. Produced by LivingHour.org, a Thailand-based small press dedicated to publishing unique Learning Easy Thai Language Books, as well as works on progressive spirituality.

Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids

Gospel of Matthew 25

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps, but took no oil with them; 4 While the prudent ones, besides taking their lamps, took oil in their jars. 5 As the bridegroom was late in coming, they all became drowsy, and slept. 6 But at midnight a shout was raised: ‘The Bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!’

7 Then all the bridesmaids awoke and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the prudent: ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the prudent ones answered: ‘No, for fear that there will not be enough for you and for us. Go instead to those who sell it, and buy for yourselves.’10 But while they were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom came; and the bridesmaids who were ready went in with him to the banquet, and the door was shut. 11 Afterwards the other bridesmaids came. ‘Sir, Sir,’ they said, ‘open the door to us!’12 But the bridegroom answered ‘I tell you, I do not know you.’

13 Therefore watch, since you know neither the day nor the hour. 14 For it is as though a man, going on his travels, called his servants, and gave his property into their charge. 15 He gave three thousand pounds to one, twelve hundred to another, and six hundred to a third, in proportion to the ability of each. Then he set out on his travels. 16 The man who had received the three thousand pounds went at once and traded with it, and made another three thousand. 17 So, too, the man who had received the twelve hundred pounds made another twelve hundred. 18 But the servant who had received the six hundred went and dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

19 After a long time the master of those servants returned, and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the three thousand pounds came up and brought three thousand more. ‘Sir,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with three thousand pounds; look, I have made another three thousand!’ 21 ‘Well done, good, trustworthy servant!’ said his master. ‘You have been trustworthy with a small sum; now I will place a large one in your hands; come and share your master’s joy!’

22 Then the one who had received the twelve hundred pounds came up and said ‘Sir, you entrusted me with twelve hundred pounds; look, I have made another twelve hundred!’ 23 ‘Well done, good, trustworthy servant!’ said his master. ‘You have been trustworthy with a small sum; now I will place a large one in your hands; come and share your master’s joy!’

Discover the Lord’s Prayer

To continue reading Chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew, please click on page 2 below.