Martha confirmed her belief in Jesus as the Son of God before the Lord raised Lazarus, her brother, from the dead. Goodness and evil in the world will get sorted out, like wheat and weeds growing together until harvesttime, or like saleable and scrawny fish caught in the same net. Desiring heaven entails giving our all. Jesus compared the mindset to a merchant who sells everything to buy one rare pearl. In Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth, people knew Him as the son of Mary and the local carpenter. They remained skeptical, despite miraculous works

Mary Magdalene mistook the Risen Lord for a gardener until He exclaimed her name. Jesus counts anyone who does the Father’s will as family and knows us by name. Teaching from a boat for people on shore, the Lord told a parable of seed scattered on all kinds of ground. The story teaches the importance of receptiveness to His Word. When the mother of James and John wanted Jesus’ assurance that her sons would sit beside Him as King, the Lord told all Twelve of the Disciples that servants rank highest in heaven. Why do we set ourselves apart, w