The hope found, even in grief and despair, is the same hope we need this Christmas. We haven’t always lived up to our end of God’s covenant with us, but God is still the ‘potter, and we are the clay.’ Carrying this kind of hope in the midst of the darkness is what we need this Christmas.

To finish out this chapter, Jesus offers yet one more story. This time he draws on apocalyptic imagery that divides the people of the earth into sheep and goats. Hearing the words of this parable read out loud may be the most important spiritual exercise of the year. To be a sheep, we must help, love, and notice the ‘least of these.’ To be a goat, we simply have to overlook the ‘least of these.’ For what we do unto the least of these, we do unto Jesus. This teaching lesson is the last one we get before reading about the Pharisees’ plot to kill Jesus.

Still on the Mount of Olives with the disciples, Jesus follows up last week’s parable with another. It’s equally as concerning. A servant gets thrown into outer darkness because he didn’t make much of the talents (gold) given to him. This story, along with last week’s, is a warning from Jesus to his disciples that they must make something of the time and opportunities given to them.

As the gospel continues to move towards the cross, Jesus retreats with his disciples on the Mount of Olives and teaches them privately. Here, he offers a warning for the disciples to keep their lamps trimmed and burning by telling a parable full of sadness and uncertainty for five bridesmaids.

The tumultuous relationship between the religious authorities and Jesus is getting worse. To open this chapter, Jesus denounces their leadership by calling them, hypocrites. He ends his admonishment by reminding us all in v11-12: “The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Now confronted by the Pharisees (not just the Temple elders and Sadducees), this religious group tries to trap Jesus by asking him what the greatest commandment is. Jesus’ answer has reverberated across centuries and should shape our entire moral lens. All decisions must fit under the framework of Loving God and Loving Others as we Love Ourselves.

Still talking to the chief priests and elders in the Temple, Jesus offers another parable, and it is equally as dark as the first. Much needs to be made about the type of story Jesus tells to the religious leaders. His parables are dark, full of death, and corrupt leadership. Why do you think he speaks in this way? The parable is nuanced and full of imagery. Working our way through it together will not be a light-hearted task.

Verse 43 pretty much says all we need to know about the divisive nature of Jesus’ teachings in Jerusalem. He says to the chief priest and elders in the Temple: “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.” Think about this. Jesus tells the religious authorities that the kingdom of God will not be their reward but rather those who produce the fruits of the kingdom. This parable predicts Jesus’ death as well as indicts the religious sector on wickedness.

Communion is a symbol, not a sign. When we take the bread and drink from the cup, we experience something beyond this world. This meal profoundly connects us to Jesus. Mystically. Mysteriously. Magnificently. It offers us Christ’s, immeasurable love.

We have to be people of joy and gentleness. We have to be. Otherwise we don’t win any competition that moves the world closer to the Divine. Our crowning achievement may just be that we show the world that even in an election year, politics can’t divide us. Something bigger unites us. And that is the peace and love of God.

We don’t press on so we can gain more privilege, prestige, or possessions. We press on to become more like Christ. Whatever we gain in life . . . it’s a cheap imitation to what we are and who we are in Christ.

There’s an idea in theology about two paths to God. The two paths are “Great Love and Great Suffering.” And both of these paths lead to joy which leads to God. It’s as if joy is what proceeds after tapping into the Divine. And we experience the divine through both love and sorrow.

How we operate in the world matters. How we associate with one another (loving our neighbor) should be godly. Paul understands this and delivers an impassioned letter to his friends and church community in Philippi to remind them of what he already knows to be true: “If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” (Phil 2.1-2)

Ecclesiastes reminds us that we shouldn’t be so confident in our understandings. The best we can do is remember that we were created for a season, for a time, and that our creature-ness will eventually come to an end. Seeing life from this angle brings with it certain wisdom that helps us see beyond vanity.

At the end of the book, Job and God mend their divisive and frustrating relationships with humanity and each other. Job wants God to show up and right the illegitimate wrongs. God wants everyone to understand their place within God’s realm. Seeing how these relationships come to an agreeable end is the things from which wisdom is made.