Elizabeth Kuruvilla

Only a Good Shephards heart breaks over Lost Sheep. Every single sheep matters to Him He doesn't cut his losses and move on. He is the Good Shephard who has given His Life with every single Sheep in mind. He died for every single human being . So it grieves Him to see them taken advantage off, mistreated , uncared for, battered by those who were meant to protect them. Lost sheep are anyone who doesn't know Jesus as their Saviour and those shunned within the church and have left their first love because they are not established in the truth of the New Covenant and hence fall prey to the fiery darts of the wicked one.

Jesus called out Matthew to be His disciple and dealt with the disapproving, nit-picking Pharisees. They disapproved of Jesus hobnobbing with “sinners”. Jesus pointed out to them that the sick needed a doctor, sinners needed a Saviour. Jesus reminded them that God had told His people that He desired that His people be those who show mercy & grace, much more than He desired sacrifice and empty-hearted, dutiful Law compliance. Fear of punishment lay at the heart of Pharisaic compliance to the Law. Instead of understanding God’s heart in formulating a particular Law, they set about interpreting it and created their own understanding of what it meant to fulfill a Law. As sons of Adam, we were like that paralysed man and the man with the withered arm. Our spiritual muscles were atrophied and lacked the ability to fulfill their function. BUT… as Jesus teaches and commands … His Word supplies us what we need to obey _(live out the word)_ *as we open our hearts and _receive_ it.* _And as we receive it,_ He creates “spiritual muscles” to enable us to “work out” His command. Those who receive well can give well. To receive well, we need to recognise our poverty of spirit & soul. Jesus saw sinners as sheep without a shephard and he was moved with compassion on seeing their condition so far removed from the original design for man . We ought to remember we are Also Sinners saved by Grace and extend Grace ( hesed ) to sinners and those in the Kingdom who fall.

A true shephard is not like a hired hand. The wellbeing of the sheep is his priority. The hired hand only cares for his wages. If there is a risk to life the hired hand will run away, not a shephard. Jesus is the Good shephard , who leaves the 99 for the 1 prodigal sheep and he has laid down his life , not just to redeem us from Eternal death but to give us Eternal Life which is Abundant. Many martyrs have laid down their life , and borne much fruit in a harvest of souls. Many ministers have left creature comforts to be missionaries. Many pastors and leaders have paid a great price to steward the flock of God.

Sheep can go astray for several reasons: 1. Distractions 2. Curiosity 3. Lack of Leadership 4. Fear 5. Disorientation In unfamiliar terrain or bad weather 6. Lack of Boundaries Same for us , Abba has for us well trodden paths of Righteousness, green pastures and still water. Sometimes as his sheep we may think we know a better path or for the reasons above we may stray. But our Good Shephard comes after us , Calling our name. If we know his voice we can respond and be saved or not stray in the first place. His voice , His heart , His ways are in the word for us to see. We just need to keep recalibering our hearing in tune with the frequency in which he speaks to us.

The new wine represents the new covenant of grace, while the old wineskin represents the old covenant of law. Old wineskins are brittle, hard, and inflexible. That’s the law. It is inflexible. And when you pour the new wine of grace into the old wineskin of the law, you will lose both because the wineskin will be ruined and the wine will be spilled. The virtues of both the old and the new covenants will be cancelled out and lost. The phrase "The old wine is better" reflects the human tendency to cling to familiar traditions and resist change. People often prefer the comfort of what they know, even if it hinders the work of the Holy Spirit. When traditions become more important than the Gospel message itself, they can impede the growth and the Move of the Holyspirit.

Growth from Humble Beginnings: The Mustard Seed parable illustrates that even though the Kingdom of God may start small, it has the potential to grow into something significant and influential. Influence and Transformation: The Yeast or Leaven parable symbolizes the transformative power of the Kingdom of God. Like yeast permeates and leavens the whole batch of dough, the Kingdom has the potential to influence and transform the world, even if it starts quietly and subtly. We think bigger is better. We see the outward appearances while god sees the heart transformation. Little in the hands of the Lord multiplies. As colabourers in the Kingdom let us with patience , faith and obedience do what he asks us to do. In His Time, He will bring it to fruition.

In Luke 11:17-22, the strong man represents the devil or Satan, who holds power and authority over those who are under his influence. Jesus, as the stronger warrior, represents the power of God. The passage illustrates that Jesus has the power to bind the strong man (Satan) and to plunder his house, which refers to freeing people from the bondage of sin and demonic oppression. This concept explains Jesus' power to cast out demons by demonstrating that he has authority over the spiritual forces of evil. By binding the strong man (Satan), Jesus can liberate individuals from demonic possession and oppression, setting them free from the influence of darkness. It signifies that through faith in Jesus and his redemptive work, anyone can be freed from the power of sin and darkness , experiencing spiritual liberation and Salvation

Two items are used in the Holy Communion—the bread which represents Jesus’ body that was scourged and broken before and during His crucifixion, and the cup which represents His shed blood. When Jesus walked on earth, He was vibrant, and His body was full of life and health. He was never sick. But before Jesus went to the cross, He was badly scourged by the Roman soldiers, and His body was torn as He hung on the cross. At the cross, God also took all our sicknesses and diseases and put them on Jesus’ originally perfect and healthy body, so that we can walk in divine health. That is why the Bible says by His stripes, we are healed (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24). In Luke 22:20, Jesus tells us that the cup is the “new covenant in My blood”, and the apostle Paul tells us that the blood of Jesus brings forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14, Ephesians 1:7) Jesus loving instruction is that we are to remember Him as we partake of the Holy Communion. Jesus wanted us conscious of how His body was broken for our wholeness, and His blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. And whenever we partake in this consciousness, we “proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). Today, when we partake of the bread, we are declaring that Jesus’ health and divine life flows in our mortal bodies. And when we partake of the cup, we are declaring that we are forgiven and have been made righteous. Jesus’ blood gives us right standing before God, and we can go boldly into God’s presence (Hebrews 4:16). When we pray, we can be sure that God hears us!

The Flesh likes to boast in its works, hence it likes to distort Jesus saying to make it seem like certain actions/ good deeds can set us up for salvation. Salvation is impossible for humans because we don't have the ability to turn our Stony hearts to hearts of flesh. Keeping the law doesn't justify us Coz no man can fully keep the law, outwardly maybe but not in our thought life where we covet and worry and fear and are angry. Even if we break one law we are guilty of All. We have no hope in and of ourselves that's why God sent His Son as man to fulfill the Law fully and set it to our account , die in our place so we may no longer be married to the law and raised us together with him that we might live forever with living waters bubbling up on the inside of us! The best way to make Christs death vain is to attempt to be justified by the law. Hence Jesus choice of statement to get the point Across, salvation is impossible to achieve by human effort. The Rich young ruler who outwardly kept the law asked for what to do to be saved and Jesus gave Him the law and he couldn't muster a shekel. Jesus gave grace to the overt sinner zacheus, no laws , just grace and he was willing to give all away.

Flowing water or Living waters r are where the Jews would go for ritual cleansing . Today the Holy Spirit in us bubbles up daily as a stream of Living water constantly cleansing us and leading us from within until we lay hold of Eternal Life . He creates the thirst He fulfils it He gives us seeing eyes , hearing ears and a heart of flesh that understands the things of God . That we may ask Jesus to be our Lord and Savior in thought, word and deed. The Spirit goes to work as He indwells the believer transforming us from the inside out .

New Birth and our birth into this word is similar 1 In both births we grow from darkness to light ... In the first birth it is physical darkness of the womb to the physical brightness of the outside world. The Second birth has to do with Spiritual Enlightening that we may know the Hope of our calling. 2. In the natural birth we recieve a natural family and a natural inheritance, now in the 2nd birth we are born into God's family as Coheirs with Jesus. 3.In both births we have a fresh lease on life, in the 2nd birth we are New creations , with a fresh start, leaving behind our old man which was a slave to sin in order to be slaves of Right standing with God... Both the wind and the Holyspirit are 1 Unseen but its Powerful effects are seen 2. Life giving, bringing life and renewal 3. Unpredictable in the manner of operation

God's Generosity: This parable illustrates that God is exceedingly generous in His dealings with humanity. In the parable, workers who were hired at different times of the day all receive the same wage, regardless of the hours they worked. This demonstrates God's willingness to bestow His blessings and grace abundantly, even to those who come to Him later in life. Grace: The parable highlights the concept of grace, where God's rewards are not based on merit or human effort alone. Instead, God freely gives His blessings and salvation to all who come to Him, regardless of their past or how "deserving" they may appear in human terms. If it is not merited, it is a Gift , to be recieved with Thanks. Those who worked the whole day agreed on the pay and hence the payment was not unfair to them , the other workers who came in late trusted in the Goodness of the Landowner and recieved an Unfairly Good , opulent salary because they did not lean on their own understanding to negotiate their salary but rather trusted the landowners Goodness. As Sinners who fall short , we deserve nothing, not even life itself , much less our family / friends or carrier. This knowing will make us Grateful , all the more so when our Saviour took our place that we might take His place. The workers problem came because they took their eyes of the Landowner and put it on fellow workers and compared themselves with the other workers. Pride is the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one's own importance. As believers our boast is to be in Christ alone , for in and of ourselves there is nothing good in us. Grateful and humble hearts that are quick to hear is what is needed. Even the First Temptation stemmed from Focussing on Apparent Lack and disregarding Obvious Abundance....same old same old today.

In both parables: 1. There is a gathering of a mixed group: Implying God blesses the just and the unjust and let's them thrive until judgement time, giving them enough opportunities to repent and seek Him 2. There is a sorting or separation at the end of the age. 3. Judgment is pronounced: The Longsuffering of God has a terminus point. There is then a rewarding of the Overcomers and a punishment of the stubbornly wicked. These parables are meant to counter the belief that there will be no ultimate judgment or consequences for one's actions. A belief in the ultimate triumph of righteousness encourages Christians by offering hope and assurance that, in the end, God will make everything right. It provides motivation for living a righteous life despite the presence of evil and challenges in the world. It reinforces the idea that faithfulness to God will lead to eternal rewards, which can be a source of comfort and strength in times of difficulty and persecution. It helps the believer in knowing , He is a Rewarder to those who diligently seek Him, in this world and the world that is to come.

The "sheep" are complimented for their acts of compassion in feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, and visiting those in prison. They are essentially commended for their acts of love and mercy/ hesed The "goats" are condemned for their failure to perform these acts of hesed just like the Rich man in the previous parable. This parable is not teaching salvation by works alone. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of genuine faith being demonstrated through actions, because their faith led them to care for those in need. Faith and works are intertwined; true faith should produce good works as a natural outpouring of love for others. He that loveth not, knoweth not God for God is Love. 1 John 4:8 Jesus identifies himself with "the least of these my brothers" to emphasize that when we serve and show love to those in need, we are doing it for Him. If we cannot love people we " see" how can we presume to love a God we " don't see". Modern-day disciples can learn from this parable the importance of: 1. Compassion 2. Taking action to help the less fortunate. 3. Recognizing that our deeds are a reflection of our faith. 4. Viewing service to others as service to Christ Himself. We Love God because He First Loved us. And When we Love God , we are Led to Love on fellow man made in the image of God.

His primary sin appears to be his indifference and neglect of Lazarus, the poor beggar at his gate. He enjoyed a life of luxury while ignoring Lazarus' suffering. In hell, the Rich Man's attitude towards Lazarus is one of regret and a desire for relief from his torment. He asks for Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool his tongue, showing some acknowledgment of Lazarus but still only as someone who can serve him. The main point of this parable is to highlight the importance of compassion and caring for the less fortunate during one's lifetime. It warns against the dangers of materialism and indifference to the suffering of others, emphasizing that one's actions in this life have consequences. All the Laws and instructions from God in the ot are rooted in The chesed of God. Even Pharisees missed the point ...they outwardly kept the law and inwardly missed the point by far , they tithed herbs but devoured widows houses, preying on the poor. As easy as it is to ignore the poor, if we do so we are not representing Him well. We are to be led by the Spirit of God , Pursue Love , and be His Hands and feet. Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.Prov 19:17 Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. Is 1:17 Whatever we do , we do it as Unto the Lord , for the Audience of One , Following His Lead. He recieves it As Worship.