Jesus bashed hypocritical scribes and Pharisees. They paid tithes but indulged themselves. They did much for show but failed to show mercy. In a parable, Jesus described a man who assigned stewardship of significant wealth to three servants in accordance with their capabilities. Two doubled the amounts entrusted to them, but the third only kept the master’s money safe, instead of doing something productive with it. John the Baptist stood up to Herod, who found John both fascinating and fearsome. Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles, gave thanks in prayer for the Thessalonians’ faith and desire to serve God, and he encouraged even greater holiness. When holding on to our faith seems hard, have we failed to grasp that God—knowing our fears and hopes—wants us to do our best with the talents we have?