Bill Hao

Prepare your heart    “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. (Isaiah 40:1)” – The time and place of this proclamation was near the end of the long captivity of the Judean exiles in Babylon. The exhortation to comfort the people was directed to the priests and prophets; they are to console the people with an assurance that better times were ahead. This proclamation of good news gave the exiles renewed hope to start over and rebuild their…

Stay Awake    The Book of Isaiah chapter 63 talks about an event which took place around 500 B.C.; this event was the return of the Israelites from exile in Babylon. It expressed hope that despite the people’s sinfulness and neglect, God will not forsake them. It says: “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down… no ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but you doing such deeds for those who wait for Him…

The Least of My Brothers   The conclusion of chapter 25 in the Gospel of Matthew portrays the Final Judgment that will accompany the Second Coming of Christ. At that time, the criterion of judgment will be the deeds of mercy that have been done for “the least of Jesus’ brothers”. An important question to ask is: Who are these least of Jesus’ brothers? Are they all the people who suffer hunger, thirst, etc.? Or are they a different group…

The Parable of the Talents has commonly been interpreted as a teaching for people to make use of the talents which God had given them. Stated differently, those who have certain talents should not waste them by not using them. Therefore, those who have artistic talents should engage in the arts, those who are good in math and science should also use their talents.  Faithful use of one’s talents will lead to participation in the kingdom of heaven, while lazy…

Ten Virgins    It is undeniable that the Parable of the Ten Virgins is about being prepared for when the bridegroom comes. That message is so relevant to us today, not only because we are fast approaching the Season of Advent, during which we await the coming of the baby Jesus at Christmas, but also because we know not the day nor the hour, either when we will either be called from this life and come face to face with…

Blessed Persons   In the Old Testament, the “poor” are lowly and humble people; they have little or no material possessions, and they put their hopes on God (see Isaiah 61:1 and Zephaniah 2:3). In the first Beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven,” the Gospel of Matthew added the words “in spirit” in order to extend the Beatitude to everyone, regardless of social status. Thus, even the rich and well-to-do can be…

Listen!   What is love? Love means different things to different people. For many people, love is that warm, fuzzy feeling that a person feels; whether this is with a spouse, a friend or even a pet. Once that warm, fuzzy feeling is gone, they feel that they are no longer in love, which leads to estrangement, abandonment, separation or divorce. Some people love God in much the same way, thinking that having a warm, fuzzy feeling with God is…

Belonging to God The Pharisees and the Herodians plotted to entrap Jesus in speech. They formulated a question which, in their minds, will force Jesus to take a side on the issue of paying the census tax. The question was: “What is your opinion: Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” (Matthew 22:17) If Jesus said “yes”, then the Pharisees, who were against the census tax, would accuse Him of being a collaborator with the…

Heaven’s Wedding Feast Why is the Kingdom of God like a wedding feast? The Book of Isaiah tells us about the messianic banquet (see Isaiah 25:6-10). In the Old Testament, the messianic banquet is the great celebration of Yahweh’s victory over the enemies of Israel. It is an eschatological event, which means that it will happen in the end times. At that time, peace and righteousness will be established, and there will be no more suffering and death. There will…