Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. This parable tells us that we must be persistent in prayer and not give up. The parable compares God to an unjust judge and shows Him to be much more caring. If the unjust and uncaring judge can eventually be persuaded to give justice to the widow, then God, who is both just and loving, will surely give us the things we need. God has promised to answer our prayers and give us everything we need and more Mark But a wise parent will not give a child everything he or she wants.
Similarly, prayer is not a magical trick to get anything we want or a "quick fix" for problems that we should be solving ourselves. God answers prayer requests in His own way in His own time Psalms The answer, when it comes, may be in a form radically different than we expected, and we must be alert to that possibility Deuteronomy 3: Sometimes, the answer must come from within ourselves and persistent prayer will help us find that answer.
We may need a new attitude or a different way of looking at things, or we may need to make amends with somebody. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get. The Pharisees were an influential Jewish sect known for their strict observance of Jewish laws related to ritual purity and tithing. In conventional wisdom, no one would be thought of as more righteous than the Pharisees. Tax collectors were Jews employed by the Roman Empire to collect taxes. Not only did they collect for the hated Roman Empire, they often cheated their own people by collecting more than was due and keeping the extra for themselves.
In conventional wisdom, no one was a more despised sinner than a tax collector. Jesus no doubt shocked His audience when He said the sinful tax collector was justified declared not guilty of his sins by God instead of the Pharisee! But when the Pharisee prayed, he was very confident of his own righteousness. He heaped praise on himself and contempt on the tax collector. He failed to recognize that he, himself, was guilty of the sins of pride, self-righteousness and contempt for a fellow human being. In contrast, the tax collector did not claim any merit of his own.
He fully recognized his own sinfulness and his need for God's mercy. Like the tax collector, we must recognize that we are all imperfect sinners by God's standards Romans 3: Anyone who is self-righteous and looks at other "sinners" with contempt is actually committing a serious sin! To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more.
The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. See, I have gained five more. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.
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So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you. So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The three different sums of money entrusted to the servants in this parable represent the differing wealth and abilities God has entrusted to us. In fact, the English word "talent," meaning a natural ability, comes from the symbolism in this parable.
The first two servants invested the money that had been entrusted to them wisely and earned a return for their master. The master praised them greatly. However, the third servant simply kept the money and did not put it to good use. The master was very angry with this servant for his laziness.
Like the money entrusted to the servants, the gifts we have received are not ours alone. God gave them to us for the purpose of serving Him and serving other people. Like the master in the parable, Jesus has departed from earth and entrusted His work to us. But also like the master in the parable, Jesus will return someday to judge how well we have performed our duties.
The lesson is that Christ will judge us for what we have done or not done with the abilities and wealth we have been given. It is not sufficient for us to merely live without sinning. We must actively use the gifts we have been given to serve God and to serve other people. Each of us must honestly evaluate our gifts and prayerfully decide how they can be put to the best use. Some of us have been given small gifts and some great gifts, but we must all do our best with what we have:. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.
Understanding the Parables of Jesus Christ
Each of us has something to give. We can give our money and our time to charity, be a friend to someone who is sick or lonely, do volunteer work, or be a peacemaker, teacher or minister. We may give unselfishly of our time to our spouse, children or parents. We may choose a service-oriented occupation, or we may just do our everyday jobs with integrity and respect for others.
And he told them this parable: I have no place to store my crops. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry. This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? The rich man was wise and successful by worldly standards.
He had enough wealth to keep him comfortable for many years, and building bigger barns would show everyone how very wealthy he was. However, the rich man was a fool by God's standards. He let himself be blinded by his wealth. He never realized that his wealth was a gift from God to be used in God's service.
He thought of many things to please himself, but he never thought about sharing his abundant harvest with the poor. He prepared for his material well-being, but he never thought about being spiritually prepared for death and eternal life. He had become greedy and his wealth had become his god. The lesson is that we must be rich in spiritual things, which are eternal, as opposed to being rich only in material things, which are temporary.
Money, itself, is not evil. But greed and preoccupation with wealth can blind us to our duties to God and to other people. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
Understanding the Parables of Jesus Christ
When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him. There will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves. Historians say this is a realistic portrayal of a first century Jewish wedding. It could have actually happened.
The wedding procession would come to the bridegroom's home at an unexpected time. Once the wedding party had entered, the doors were locked and no one else would be admitted Barclay, Commentary on Matthew Jesus is sometimes described figuratively as a bridegroom Matthew 9: In this parable, the coming of the bridegroom represents the second coming of Jesus and the Final Judgment of all people.
Product Description
Just as the bridegroom in the parable arrived at an unexpected time, Jesus will return unexpectedly and without warning Matthew The wise bridesmaids represent those people who are always spiritually prepared for judgment. The foolish bridesmaids represent those people who put off preparations until it is too late. The necessary preparations cannot be made at the last minute.
The wedding feast represents the kingdom of God or eternal life.
Understanding the Parables of Jesus Christ by Jay A. Parry
Once Jesus returns, there will be no more opportunities to repent. Those people who are spiritually unprepared will be locked out forever. The lesson is that we must always be spiritually prepared for judgment. When Jesus returns or when we die, there will be no more opportunities to repent. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me. A significant writing on Jesus' parables.
I appreciated the insights, the easy-to-read style, and the scholarship of the authors! I found this to be a fantastic companion to my New Testament study. It really brought a deeper meaning to each parable as I read them. I really enjoyed the "Personal Application" section of each chapter. The insights of modern-day prophets is truly inspirational.
Scriptural Parables for the Jeffrey Marsh , Andrew C. Understanding the Book of R Parry , Donald W. Walking with the Women of t Mandy Jane Williams , Heather Farrell. The parables of Jesus Christ were as much designed to conceal as they were to reveal. The authors of this new commentary examine the layers of meaning in the parables that account for roughly one-third of the Savior's recorded sayings.
Added background, such as historical details, cultural customs, nuances of language, and local geography, adds context useful in clarifying The parables of Jesus Christ were as much designed to conceal as they were to reveal. Added background, such as historical details, cultural customs, nuances of language, and local geography, adds context useful in clarifying the meaning of the thirty-one parables recorded in the New Testament.
Incorporating statements from modern Church leaders, the authors also include a "Personal Application" section highlighting the continued practical relevance of the parables in our day. Crack the code of these deceptively simple parables and derive the full benefit of their precious teachings. Hardcover , pages. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Understanding the Parables of Jesus Christ , please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about Understanding the Parables of Jesus Christ. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Jun 09, Donna rated it really liked it Shelves: A new way of understanding and appreciating the parables of the Savior. Oct 11, Cailean rated it it was amazing Shelves: Amazing book with so much in depth knowledge of the parables that it's hard to take it all in. For those who have a desire to know more about the parables, their background, related stories from apostles, etc. Nov 18, Jana rated it liked it.
I really enjoyed this book and plan to read it again. I've always had a hard time understanding parables. They're kind of like riddles to me. Ugh But this book wa very helpful. Jan 28, Cindy rated it really liked it.