Dana Owens

Jesus makes the point very clear that the qualities acceptable to heaven are different from what the material world values. In John, he answers Nicodemus by saying, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (3:5-6)

The Sabbath meant more than just taking a day of rest for the Israelites. Keeping Sabbath, according to Moses, meant keeping the tribal identity of the Israelites, which was at the core of bonding the chosen people of the living God.

At times, even when people realize and acknowledge the fact that their habits are destructive to their lives, they still strongly resist changing the habits, because change is perceived as giving up stability and comfort in their lives.

Unlike humans, our animal friends are often “abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,” meaning that their love almost never changes. In a way, our animal friends bring a glimpse of divine presence into our lives.

The Greek word for sin is hamartia, meaning “failing to hit the mark.” Hamartia could easily be translated as a mistake or failure. As we all know, both mistakes and failures are redemptive. In this context, Jesus proclaimed that “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.”