We are on part 4 of our series on Matthew and these chapters include ministry stories of Jesus and parables. Something we keep talking about is context. And it is so important to reiterate that context really matters to the richness and density of these texts, that this message was written to a community who were trying to learn how to live under empire. So the world coming to an end, apocalyptic references, and final judgment are understandable when the audience was a marginalized and oppressed people! This message is just as important today when talking about standing up for justice and truth, fighting back, and paying attention to the spaces and places that are oppressive under empire now.