As Jesus continues his walk to Jerusalem, he continues to share wisdom and insights to those who will listen. Now the crowd isn’t filled with just one group of people, here we read about the tension brought on by the religious leaders because of who Jesus welcomes. Why is this such a big deal? Would we expect Jesus to do anything different? Who would church folks grumble about today if Jesus welcomed them? 

Who is the “them” that Jesus shares these parables with? My first thought is the grumblers but maybe the “them” are those who are drawn to Jesus. Regardless, both groups hear what is shared. I think both groups hear Jesus’ words very differently. The sinners are excited to hear that they have value and that there is joy and rejoicing when they return, but I’m also thinking the religious folks aren’t connecting with what Jesus has to say. Out of their wealth they probably cant connect with someone who would care about one sheep or a woman who turns her house upside down for one coin. Jesus paints a very different picture of how Jesus approaches the world than they do. What can we learn from these parables?

The “grumbling” stands out to me for some reason. There are days when it seems like we are surrounded by grumbling and I struggle to find much “good” in grumbling. What causes us to grumble? How do we avoid grumbling? What can be the fallout if we allow grumbling to fester longer than it should?