Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “Parable”
Luke 15:11-16 This amazing symbolic story is an educational illustration of God’s relationship with a rebellious man who leaves God for sin. In the story, the “father” symbolizes God, the “son” the rebellious sinner, and the “brother” the faithful parishioner. Asking his father for his share of the inheritance while he was still alive was like saying: “Father, I wish …
Luke 6:37 What Jesus does not say in this famous statement is that we should unreservedly accept sin, error or immoral behavior. We are to show love to all people, no matter what sin they are struggling with, but we are not to accept, approve or bless sin. If someone confesses to a crime and is convicted in court, he …
Matt 13:31 In interpreting this text, we must take a humble and respectful attitude because, unlike many other parables, Jesus never actually explained these two. But in order to make the best interpretation possible, it is important to understand what the original listeners heard when they listened to Jesus. In these parables, Jesus uses a number of terms that had …
Mark 12:1 Jesus speaks specifically to the chief priests, the scribes and the elders (Mark 11:27). With this parable, Jesus shows that he knew what they were up to and thus gives them a chance to repent. The symbolism of this parable: The “man” is God. The “vineyard” is Israel. The “vineyard workers” are Israel’s leadership. The “servants” are the …
Mark 4:31 The mustard seed is not the smallest seed in the world, but in the world of the time it was considered to be. The mustard seed had also become a proverb to describe something very small. Jesus tries to explain that the kingdom of God will not be big at first, but will start with a few insignificant …
Mark 4:21 Jesus uses a parable to state the obvious: You don’t light a candle in a dark room and then hide it. You don’t receive the message of Jesus and then hide it. Anyone who has heard and received the good news of Jesus has a responsibility to share it with others. A congregation must never be satisfied with …
Mark 4:14 The key to understanding this parable is that the seed is the “word”. If you think that the seed represents “money”, “church activities” or “good deeds”, then you are misunderstanding the parable. One is not saved by doing good deeds but by hearing God’s word, the Bible, explained. When God’s word takes root in good soil in a …
Mark 4:2 Jesus explains difficult things in a simple way. Today it is common for preachers to do the opposite; they explain simple things in a difficult way. Mark 4:11 The “secret” is that the kingdom of God has come to earth through Jesus. Those who follow Jesus have thus become partakers of the kingdom of God. Those who do …