I mentioned the other week that I was feeling the weekly 'What's Lighting Me Up' post had run its course, but I still wanted to engage with pop culture in an intentional way. So today I'm introducing a new format to do a quick roundup of what I've been listening to, reading, and watching lately … Continue reading Culture Roundup (August 9, 2025): Initial Thoughts on the Booker Long List
Over the last two posts, we’ve used the two versions of the Parable of the Great Banquet to transition from Luke’s parables of grace to Matthew’s parables of judgment. But today, we’ll rewind a bit in Matthew’s Gospel and look at a parable that balances these two themes: the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant from … Continue reading The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
Last time we looked at the Parable of the Great Banquet as recorded by Luke. It was a beautiful story of God’s willingness to do anything to ensure the Kingdom is as full as possible. Matthew tells a very similar story, but with a few details changed so that it has a very different impact, … Continue reading The Parable of the Great Banquet in Matthew
Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been looking at the parables found throughout Luke’s Gospel, which shared themes of grace and lostness and foundness. Today will be the last of this part of the series, the Parable of the Banquet. It’s a fascinating example because it’s the only parable that both Luke and Matthew … Continue reading The Parable of the Great Banquet in Luke
Our tour through the parables of the lost and found continues today in a deceptively simple one, the Parable of the Tax-Collector (or Publican) and the Pharisee. But watch out: It’s a trap! Text Today’s text is found only in Luke 18.9-14: [18.9] And [Jesus] also said to some who were convinced that they were … Continue reading The Parable of the Tax-Collector and the Pharisee
Matthew Root 