The Helping Style of the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, the giver of life, the ultimate helper, has a certain style. The Holy Spirit is that Person of wisdom and power mutually shared by the Father and the Son. The prophet Isaiah hinted at this style in 11:2-3: “The Spirit of Yahweh will rest on …
Thoughts on the parable of the Barren Tree- Please read Luke 13:6-9. THE CONTEXT. a. The early parts of this chapter in Luke refer to Jesus’ call for national repentance. This parable, more allegorical than most of his parables, continues that theme of repentance, only the story is directed toward the Jewish leadership, the pious ones, …
Thoughts on the parable of the Rich Fool – Please read Luke 12:13-21. THE CONTEXT. a. There was a crowd of people surrounding Jesus, and a man in the crowd tried to recruit Jesus to issue a ruling in an inheritance squabble. This man demands that Jesus be the judge that carries out his wishes. …
Thoughts on the parable of the Gracious Landowner – Please read Matthew 20:1-16. THE CONTEXT. Jesus is here addressing questions about the character of God and the nature of salvation, about the last being first and the first being last. The parable is an illustration of what that idea looks like in the kingdom of …
Thoughts on the parable of the Great Feast – Please read Luke 14:15-24. THE CONTEXT. a. Jesus is reclining at a supper hosted by a Pharisee. As usual, they are grumbling, putting Jesus under their microscope. They didn’t like it when he healed a man right there at supper, on the Sabbath! And they didn’t …
Thoughts on the parable of the Obedient Servant – Please read Luke 17:7-10. THE CONTEXT. In chapter 17 of Luke, Jesus is talking to the disciples, and then his apostles, about a number of topics related to discipleship… the perils of being a bad influence; ongoing forgiveness; the quality not quantity of faith; and then obedient …
The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus – Please read Luke 16:19-31. THE CONTEXT. Jesus was in the middle of a conversation with an audience that included some of his disciples and some Pharisees and Sadducees. Among other things, Jesus told them all that one could not serve both God and money. He said …
Thoughts on the parable of the Longsuffering Vineyard Owner – Please read Matthew 21:33-43 (also Luke 20:9-18). THE CONTEXT. Jesus had just completed two Big Events in his life: the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem and the Cleansing of the Temple. Both were audacious, unprecedented, and greatly offended the religious leaders. And both events seemed to make …
Thoughts on the parable of the Two Builders – Please read Matthew 7: 21-29 and/or Luke 6:46-49. PRELUDE. The opening words of the section in Matthew are actually scary good, and I do mean scary. Evidently one can have a powerful ministry, even prophecy and exorcism, and still not be known by God. Apparently, one can do …
Thoughts on the parable of the Judge and the Widow – Please read Luke 18:1-8. THE CONTEXT. Jesus told this parable immediately after conversations with both the Pharisees and his disciples about the coming Kingdom of God. His comment and parable are about prayer, both for present needs and for the 2nd Coming of the …
Thoughts on the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector -Please read Luke 18:9-14. THE CONTEXT. a. After concluding his parable about prayer in Luke 18:1-8, the story of the persistent widow, Jesus dives into this, another parable on prayer. It’s not clear if this story is told to his disciples separately, or to …
Thoughts on the Parable of the Shrewd Manager – Please read Luke 16:1-9. THE CONTEXT. a. The disciples were the primary audience, as it states in verse 1. But there were also a number of Pharisees mixed into the crowd, since Jesus had just told a parable with them in mind, the Prodigal Son, and …