Here we read about the great commandments, given to us by Jesus Christ himself. Of the many commandments that the Pharisees had learned, Jesus was able to sum them up. “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and also, “love your neighbor as yourself”. If we do not do these two things, how can we follow God? It may be daunting, because as broken and imperfect people, we are incapable of loving perfectly. At times, we may not even love ourselves. But that is the beauty of it. In our brokenness we learn to forgive ourselves and allow ourselves the grace that has been given to us. In turn, we can forgive one another and allow each other grace. Through this action and a complete surrender of heart, soul and mind to God, we can serve Him and follow his commandments.

Joshua Vasquez

In this passage, we see Jesus cast out a demon. The same demon that His disciples failed to expel from the body of a young boy. Then when questioned, He explained to his disciples that it was due to a lack of faith. He goes on to tell them of the great power they would possess if they just had faith the size of a mustard seed. What is great here is that we see the disciples reliance upon Jesus’s ability. They recognized that their authority came from God alone. Rather than having faith in our own abilities or the abilities of those around us, we should recognize that all authority and power comes from God. When we rely on Him, even with faith the size of a mustard seed, we can accomplish great things in the name of Jesus.

Joshua Vasquez

In today’s passage, the Pharisees ask Jesus why his disciples break the traditions of the elders. Jesus doesn’t immediately answer this question, though he does in tomorrow’s passage, instead, he asks why these traditions are given so much authority. The Pharisees had begun to replace God’s law with these traditions. Jesus isn’t arguing against tradition. God’s law was meant to be a tradition to the people. But the Pharisees had replaced the old tradition with a new one. Before Jesus gives any explanation as to why his disciples are eating with unwashed hands, he makes it clear that these laws are not God’s but man’s, and that to elevate them to the status of God’s laws is a fatal mistake.

Michael Riggins

In today’s passage, we will read about four parables about the weeds, hidden treasures and judgement at the end of the age. Here, we see how Jesus describes how He values the souls of this world, the kingdom, and how much He was willing to pay for our salvation. He loved us so much that He sacrificed all that He had for us. He left His place in heaven, gave up His comfort and His life for us, so that we could be with Him forever. In the Parable of the Weeds, we see how God is the ultimate judge and will separate the true believers from the sons of the evil one. Let us dive into this passage together, find the worth in ourselves that Jesus sees in us and live lives that glorify Him.

Joshua Vasquez