Sermons from St. John the Divine
Sep 27, 2026 · 15 min · 5 segments
Through Jesus’ parable of the two sons, this sermon explores repentance, obedience, and the grace that welcomes us no matter our past. Because Jesus gave His wholehearted “yes” to the Father, we can…
Kira Moolman PettitGuest
It was only yesterday, after all, that he entered Jerusalem to the great acclaim of the crowds.
They waved palms and said, "'Hosanna to the Son of David.'" It was only yesterday that he entered the temple.
flipping tables, getting rid of those who were turning the holy place into a market, a rigged market, a place where people got ripped off on their way to worship.
It was only yesterday that he healed the blind and the lame, and the children praised him, crying, "'Hosanna to the Son of David.'" It was only yesterday that the religious leaders then asked Jesus, do you hear what they are saying to you? And Jesus, with a little bit of sass, quoted the psalm.
Yes, have you never read out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies? You have prepared praise for yourself.
Without apology, Jesus took a psalm about God and made it about himself.
So before his first day in Jerusalem was over, before our reading today, he has already caused quite a stir.
And by the time we do get to our reading today, as I said, things are heated.
Even before breakfast, Jesus curses a fig tree because he's hungry and it doesn't have anything for him.
He tells his disciples that they too can have this kind of power in prayer and faith, power to move mountains.
The religious leaders immediately come up to him and ask, by what authority are you doing these things? Everything that happened yesterday.
And who gave you this authority? You can imagine the disciples watching all of this and kind of elbowing each other.
Remember what he did to the fig tree? But Jesus just gives them an offer.
His question is this, did John's baptism come from heaven or from earth? This question puts the religious leaders in a bind.
If they answer that it came from heaven, Jesus will say, why didn't you believe him? John, as you might remember, John was the one who baptized Jesus, but also the one who said that Jesus should be baptizing him.
And it was during the baptism of Jesus that we saw the dove descending, the dove of the Holy Spirit, that we heard the voice of the Father saying, "'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'" So the religious leaders know that the question of John's authority is no innocent question.
They do not want to acknowledge that John the Baptist has any divine connection because it might mean that Jesus has some too.
But if they answer that John's baptism was just a human thing, they know that the crowds will turn on them.
It was only yesterday, after all, that he entered Jerusalem to the great acclaim of the crowds.
They waved palms and said, "'Hosanna to the Son of David.'" It was only yesterday that he entered the temple.
flipping tables, getting rid of those who were turning the holy place into a market, a rigged market, a place where people got ripped off on their way to worship.
It was only yesterday that he healed the blind and the lame, and the children praised him, crying, "'Hosanna to the Son of David.'" It was only yesterday that the religious leaders then asked Jesus, do you hear what they are saying to you? And Jesus, with a little bit of sass, quoted the psalm.
Yes, have you never read out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies? You have prepared praise for yourself.
Without apology, Jesus took a psalm about God and made it about himself.
So before his first day in Jerusalem was over, before our reading today, he has already caused quite a stir.
And by the time we do get to our reading today, as I said, things are heated.
Even before breakfast, Jesus curses a fig tree because he's hungry and it doesn't have anything for him.
He tells his disciples that they too can have this kind of power in prayer and faith, power to move mountains.
The religious leaders immediately come up to him and ask, by what authority are you doing these things? Everything that happened yesterday.
And who gave you this authority? You can imagine the disciples watching all of this and kind of elbowing each other.
Remember what he did to the fig tree? But Jesus just gives them an offer.
His question is this, did John's baptism come from heaven or from earth? This question puts the religious leaders in a bind.
If they answer that it came from heaven, Jesus will say, why didn't you believe him? John, as you might remember, John was the one who baptized Jesus, but also the one who said that Jesus should be baptizing him.
And it was during the baptism of Jesus that we saw the dove descending, the dove of the Holy Spirit, that we heard the voice of the Father saying, "'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'" So the religious leaders know that the question of John's authority is no innocent question.
They do not want to acknowledge that John the Baptist has any divine connection because it might mean that Jesus has some too.
But if they answer that John's baptism was just a human thing, they know that the crowds will turn on them.
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