The Priestly Prayer of Jesus. “When Jesus had spoken these things, He lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour is come.’” (John 17:1). The time to complete His self-emptying has arrived. He is ready to give Himself up, for no one can take His life from Him without …
The Pharisee in Me. “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ throne as the authorized interpreters of the Law. So listen and follow what they teach, but don’t do what they do, for they tell you one thing and do another. They tie on …
Praying the High Priestly Blessing. “The LORD Yahweh bless you and keep you; The LORD Yahweh make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD Yahweh lift up His face onto you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26). [Author Note: I imagine that it is acceptable to insert “us” in …
The Parable of the Two Sons. “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second son and said likewise. …
The Parable of the Well-Trained Scribe. “Therefore, every scribe trained and instructed for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings treasure out of his storehouse, things new and old.” (Matthew 13:52). SCRIBE. The Greek word used for scribe in this parable is the source of our word for “grammar,” so scribes were …
The Parables of the Man in the Field and the Pearl of Great Price. “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid, and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is …
Heavenly Fire: Jesus the Firestarter. “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49). Of all the heavenly fires in Scripture, the fire brought by Christ is perhaps the most perplexing. What kind of fire did Jesus want to spread when He came to earth from the …
The Parable of the Wicked Farmers. “But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate, Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him.” (Matthew 21:38-39). Please read this …
Jesus the Storyteller. The imagination is the intellect at play, it is reason listening to a story. Of course Jesus, who invented the human mind, planned the learning process to include the capturing of the imagination. The master teacher, he loved to express his vivid and agile imagination whenever he could. Jesus loved to tell …
The Parable of the Prodigal Son. Please read Luke 15:11-31. “Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near Jesus to listen to him teach. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and even eats with them.’ So Jesus told them these parables…” (Luke 15:1-2). Jesus loved to tell …
The Parable of the Two Debtors. Please read Luke 7:36-50 THE CONTEXT. a. After preaching and teaching in a city, Jesus was invited to a banquet hosted by Simon the Pharisee. The meal was in Simon’s home. As with most dinners at this time, the doors to the home were open, and people could wander …
The Parable of the Friend at Midnight. Please read Luke 11:5-8. THE CONTEXT. The disciples have just finished asking Jesus about prayer, so that is the hot topic during this conversation. The Lord responded with a version of the Lord’s Prayer, and then He told this parable. After offering this homespun story, Jesus continued with …