Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 26 to 50 of 2815 results

26. The Parable of the Ten Minas

Luke 19:11-27

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... is nonsensical. Who are the good servants (vv. 13, 15b–19)? They are just as Jewish as the subjects who opposed the king. Consequently, there is no justification to distinguish Jews from Gentiles (or Christians). The question of race has nothing to do with the parable. 19:11 parable: See note on 5:36 above. near Jerusalem: Jesus is in the vicinity of Jericho (see 19:1 and note on 10:30 above). Jesus still has a long walk ahead of him. kingdom of God: Luke could be suggesting that those who followed Jesus ...

27. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

Matthew 13:44-46

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... he sold everything he owned, not simply the other pearls) and bought the one great pearl. The kingdom of heaven is like that pearl: it is of inestimable value and calls for us to let go of everything else in order to obtain it. Additional Notes 13:44 The parable is also found in the Coptic Gospel of Thomas (109), but in an altered form that tells of a son who sells an inherited field without realizing that his father had hidden a treasure in it. 13:45 Pearls: The Greek margaritēs was a hard, rounded gem ...

28. The Parable of the Net

Matthew 13:47-52

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... 11;) or perhaps simply those that were inedible. Legend (perhaps based on John 21:11) has it that there were 153 different kinds of fish. The Sea of Galilee is said to contain 54 different species. Some writers think that verses 49–50 do not belong to the original parable. In verse 48 the fishermen sit down on the shore and separate the good fish from the bad. In verse 49 the separation is done by angels at the end of the age. It is often mentioned that though bad fish would be thrown back into the water ...

29. The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... 5:2; Testament of Dan 5:3. 10:28 Do this and you will live echoes Lev. 18:5. The one who obeys God’s law will have eternal life. For the Christian this is realized through Christ who fulfilled the law. 10:29–35 This parable, as the other parables, is not to be allegorized. The man leaving Jerusalem does not represent fallen Adam’s exit from Paradise (Gen. 3:22–24); the robbers do not represent Satan and his demons; stripped him does not refer to humanity’s loss of immortality; the priest does not ...

30. Jesus' Most Perplexing Parable

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... Sam and Ruben think that you convinced me to give them the discounts. If I tell Sam and Ruben that you were not authorized to do that, I look bad, not you. Rather than angry, I am just amazed at how clever you have been." Jesus follows the parable with some curious comments. He says to his audience, "I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes" (v. 9). Jesus concludes this discussion with the familiar "No slave can ...

31. The Last Parable

Mark 12:1-12

Sermon

James McCormick

... people understood, and no eye was dry. God loves us like that – a love that loves enough to suffer for us – God’s last best effort to get through to us. I don’t know of any clearer picture of God’s love than that. And, not only love. This parable is also a story of God’s patience. I might have sent a messenger or two, reminding the people of what they owe. But, after that, I would have become angry. I would have called the police, taken them to court. I would have showed them that I wasn’t ...

32. The Parable of the Ten Virgins

Matthew 25:1-13

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... went to the store to purchase oil (on a festive night in a rural village, everyone would be up and about for such a celebration, Schweizer, p. 467), but while they were away the groom came and led the entourage off to the banquet hall. Central to the parable is the point that, once the wedding party was inside, the door was shut (v. 10). When the foolish five returned and found the door closed, they pleaded to be admitted. The bridegroom’s answer was I tell you the truth, I don’t know you. This phrase ...

33. The Parable of the Sower

Luke 8:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... must persevere (8:15). The problem with those who are compared to the rocky soil is that they cannot endure persecution (8:13), and those who are compared to the thorny soil are squelched by the delights and worries of life (8:14). Thus the parable seems to have a twofold lesson: (1) those who hear the proclaimed word need to persevere in obedience, and (2) those who proclaim the word must realize that not everyone will respond positively. Why is this a “secret of the kingdom” (8:10)? Perhaps because ...

34. The Parables About Response

Mark 4:30-34, Mark 4:26-29

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... in Mark 4, Jesus describes positive response in terms of a good farmer patiently planting and nurturing the seeds he plants. Jesus changes metaphors from the Christian as good soil to the Christian as a good farmer with patience. The consistent factors in all three parables of response in Mark 4 are: the word of God is like a seed; God alone can give the growth; and great growth is possible in God's kingdom. The word had to take root in us in a slow-moving process, so it will be a slow-moving process ...

35. The Parable of the Soil

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... with great triumphs, the temptations that come with extreme comfortability — escaping all those “temptations” is the goal of the seed of God’s kingdom that seeks to produce fruit for the future. Here is the most basic — and least acknowledged — truth in the “parable of the soil.” It is not that so many kinds of “soil” will result in no yield whatsoever for the kingdom. Rather it is that Jesus’ disciples, those who offer the very best “soil” for God’s word, will produce results at ...

36. The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast

Luke 13:18-21

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... , though a slightly different aspect of the growth of the kingdom is illustrated. The kingdom of God is like yeast which, when kneaded into dough, spreads throughout all the dough. The action of the yeast (fermentation) is unseen, but its effect is pervasive. This parable suggests that the kingdom of God will come to have significant influence throughout the world (see note below). Additional Notes 13:18 the kingdom of God: See notes and commentary on 4:43 above, and 17:20–21 below. 13:19 The average ...

37. The Parable of the Mustard Seed

Mark 4:30-34

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... . As we have noted before, it is important to understand that Jesus’ whole message and work were centered around the conviction that the future time of divine salvation was already making its appearance in his activities, for those with eyes to see it. These parables have to be read with the excitement and urgency of this idea in view, or else, for modern readers, they can become only quaint little stories with unremarkable moral lessons. In 4:33–34, we have a summary statement on Jesus’ use of ...

38. Charade Parables

Luke 6:37-42

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... : That's it. We win. 1ST PLAYER: That's it? It doesn't mean anything. 2ND PLAYER: Of course it does. It's a parable. All parables are hard to understand. What have we got? JANE: A man building a house (Luke 6:48)! SAM: Went out to sow some seed ( ... one here can help you. We don't understand either. We all want to be in God's Kingdom, too. JANE: What if the parable has a different application to each of us? GEORGE: That sounds reasonable. SAM: That sounds like something God would do. Teach one story and have ...

39. Parables of Responsibility

Matthew 21:28-32, Matthew 21:33-46, Matthew 22:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the first son, the chief priests and elders like the second (21:31–32). According to Jesus, the wayward of Israel enter God’s kingdom ahead of its leaders, because the latter “did not repent and believe [John]” (21:32). This harsh indictment leads into a parable of judgment on the same leaders (21:33–46). Jesus draws on the Old Testament portrayal of Israel as a vineyard (e.g., Isa. 5:1–7) and tells a story of a vineyard entrusted by a landowner to local tenants. When he sends his servants to ...

40. Three Short Parables

Mark 4:21-25, Mark 4:26-29, Mark 4:30-34

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Mark appeals three times in verses 23–24. Those who hear, like the “insiders” of 4:11, will receive the kingdom of God in greater measure, and those who do not will lose it altogether (4:24–25). The final two parables once again liken the kingdom of God to seeds, the first parable (4:26–29) focusing on the process of growth. Who but Jesus would liken the sublime kingdom of God to the mundane subject of slow- growing seeds? A farmer plants a seed and then goes about life as usual. The seed grows ...

41. The Parable of the Tenants

Matthew 21:33-46

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... passage about the stone rejected by the builders that became the capstone (vv. 22–23) and concludes that the kingdom of God is to be taken away from them and given to a people who will produce its fruit. That is the central point of the parable. By rejecting the message of the prophets and finally by rejecting the Son, Israel has demonstrated that it is incapable of producing the kind of conduct and life that are appropriate in God’s kingdom. The kingdom is taken from Israel and given to the Gentiles ...

42. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Luke 18:9-14

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... 11). The point that was made there is similar to the one being made here. The saying is a warning not to exalt one’s self (before others, 14:11; or before God, 18:14b), lest one be humbled. Whereas the saying (and the parable preceding it) was originally addressed to Pharisees as a criticism of their self-righteousness, Luke intends it to be a warning to Christians to be careful how they view themselves, lest they become guilty of the same hypocrisy frequently associated with Pharisees. Additional Notes ...

43. A Parable in a Miracle

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... leper looked at him, listened to him, touched him, felt the sob of that soul the red, raw crucible of emotional agony.” And that’s the way He responds to us. But let’s press for meaning as we see this act of Jesus as a parable — a parable which we as persons and as a church are to enact. Christ’s compassion will go lacking without you. There’s no way for modern lepers to be cleansed without you. No way for Christ’s healing, forgiving, redeeming love to be communicated without you. Imagine that ...

44. The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

Luke 16:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... –12). When Jesus refers to “unrighteous mammon” (so KJV; rightly translated in the NIV as “worldly wealth” [16:9, 11]), he is not saying that money is intrinsically evil, only that it is easily abused and used for evil. The lessons Jesus draws from this parable are as follows: (1) Use your money for kingdom purposes so that in the end your use of wealth will indicate that you are worthy of entering into heaven (16:9). This is not salvation by works, but salvation with works. (2) If one is faithful ...

45. The Parable of the Lost Son

Luke 15:11-32

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... with his wasteful, wayward son, the father is filled with joy and commands that he be dressed in the best robe and that a feast be held. The father cries out, as did the shepherd (v. 6) and the woman (v. 9), “Let’s … celebrate” (v. 23). Had the parable ended with v. 24 it would have been complete. However, with v. 25 a new issue emerges. The older son, who apparently was at work in the field, hears the celebration and so inquires about what is going on. (To ask why the older son was not invited to ...

46. John the Baptist: Parable and Prophet

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... : “One is coming after me those sandals thongs. I’m not worthy to until.” Remember this – If we are clear about our place in relation to Jesus, the chances are we will stay clear about our place in relation to others. II. That’s John the Baptist as a parable. Let’s look at him now as a prophet. Look at verses 2 and 3: As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the ...

47. Jerusalem’s Siege, in Parable and Sign

Ezekiel 24:1-14, Ezekiel 24:15-27

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... Kings used. Of course, whether the date is original or not, Ezekiel says that he delivered this message to the exiles in Babylon on the very day that the siege of Jerusalem began. We may doubt the accuracy of his claim, but the claim itself still stands. 24:3 A parable. The same Heb. word, mashal, occurs in 17:2 for the riddle of the eagle and the vine; see also 12:22–23; 16:44; and 18:2–3, where mashal refers to a proverb. 24:6 The pot now encrusted, whose deposit will not go away. The Heb. word ...

48. The Parable of the Tenants

Mark 12:1-12

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... of the image of the son would not have been felt, but Mark’s readers could not have avoided reading the term in the context of the Christian veneration of Jesus. Additional Notes 12:1 Planted a vineyard.… and rented [it] to some farmers: Jesus’ parable reflects the familiar Galilean experience of the tenant farm, owned by a wealthy landowner and rented out to others who worked the land for a share in its produce. (On the farming background, see “Agriculture,” IDB vol. 1, pp. 56–60) 12:5 He sent ...

49. The Parable of the Tenants

Mark 12:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... depicts the central purpose of Israel’s history as leading to the landowner’s beloved son (12:6), and Israel’s failure to receive the son as grounds for its judgment. The placement of this parable as the final and only parable outside chapter 4 indicates its supreme importance for Mark. Tenant farmers are entrusted with the oversight of a vineyard, but when the owner sends servants to collect his produce, the tenants maltreat some and kill others. In a final act of outrage, the tenants kill the ...

50. The Parable of the Ten Minas

Luke 19:11-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the money the master would demand repayment. The master retorts that the standard of judgment will be the servant’s own words. If he as the master is so harsh and exploitative, then obviously he will harshly judge someone who did nothing. The point of the parable is not that God is harsh and cruel but that he will judge those who waste the resources he has given to them. The bystanders object to the transfer of the third servant’s mina to the first servant, but the transfer intentionally teaches God’s ...

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