Rev. Daniel E. Pilarczyk

Now that Jesus has treated the Pharisees with public disdain because of their lack of concern for the afflicted man, they want to get rid of Jesus and his claims once and for all.

Jesus says what his followers are doing in picking and eating grain on the Sabbath is acceptable because he himself, the Son of Man and the Lord of the Sabbath, says so.

When Jesus is asked why he and his disciples don’t fast, he answers that there’s no need. God’s kingdom is already here. It’s not hard to see why some people were upset with Jesus.

All of us who share the Christian faith have been called by Christ as Levi was. It’s not because of our virtues, nor because of what we have to offer the Lord. It’s because the Lord loves us and we need him.

Jesus’ action in curing the paralytic elicits negative comments from the scribes who were there. This was the beginning of the tensions that would lead Jesus to death.

Jesus didn’t want false ideas about himself spreading around. Jesus was the messenger of the kingdom–of a new relationship between God and humanity.

Jesus is busy. His mission is important and he doesn’t have time to waste. His message is urgent and he is insistent that it be proclaimed.