

THE STORYTELLER

NEW & REVISED

by

Dean Reding

SMASHWORDS EDITION

* * * * *

PUBLISHED BY:

Reding Enterprises on Smashwords

The Storyteller:

New & Revised

Copyright © 2011 by Dean Reding

Smashwords Edition License Notes

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Unless otherwise indicated, Bible quotations were taken from The King James Bible. Some scriptures are from The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language, Third Edition, Copyright: © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. The Publisher is NavPress in Colorado Springs, Colorado. THE MESSAGE text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio), up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses, without express written permission of the publisher, NavPress Publishing Group, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible and do not account for 25 percent or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted.

The Synoptic parallel Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke as well as other quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The Publisher is National Council of the Churches of Christ in the New York, NY. The NRSV text may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted.

Some Scripture references use The King James Bible, which is in the public domain.

Table of Contents

Book I

Introduction

Chapter 1 – Wise vs Foolish Builder

Chapter 2 – The Parable of the Leaven

Chapter 3 – The Lost Sheep

Chapter 4 – Faithful and Wise Servant

Chapter 5 – The Parable of the Talents

Chapter 6 – Watchful Servants

Book II

Introduction

Chapter 1 – The Lamp Under a Bow

Chapter 2 – New vs Old Cloth & New vs Old Wineskins

Chapter 3 – Sower and the Soils

Chapter 4 – The Mustard Seed

Chapter 5 - Tenants

Chapter 6 – The Fig Tree

Book I

Parables as told in two of the Gospels

Introduction

I have included the first book (The Storyteller) at the end of the work to give those who have not read the first in this series a chance to gain the background for the study.

Book I considers the parables told by Jesus, which two of the Gospel writers included and two did not. A comparison of Matthew and Luke precedes the study of Mark and Luke. If Mark and Matthew have the same parable in their Gospels, then Luke includes it as well. A comparison of the gospels in Matthew and Luke or Mark is not complete unless a discussion of the terms "Kingdom of God" and "Kingdom of Heaven" are included. Some scholars believe there is a difference between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God. However, the difference in the terms is negligible.

In the parables, Matthew uses heaven exclusive of Mark and Luke. Mark and Luke use the phrase Kingdom of God. Some believe Matthew, when writing to the Jews, did not want to use the word for God because he knew the Jews did not like to use or say the word. Although we find the word for God used in Matthew in many places, still Jews were uncomfortable using the word.

Matthew uses the Greek word transliterated ouranos and pronounced oo-ran-os'. We translate this word as heaven. He uses it when speaking about the kingdom. Matthew uses the term "kingdom of God four times in his gospel. Each use occurs in something other than a parable. The four occurrences are:

In 12:28, "But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." Jesus says his presence is evidence of the kingdom's presence.

In 19:24, "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Jesus describes the difficulty of entering the kingdom of God.

In 21:32, Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God..." Jesus uses the kingdom of God as the believer's reward.

In 21:43, "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit." Jesus explains to the Jews that the kingdom of God goes to a nation that produces the fruits of the kingdom.

Matthew uses the term kingdom of heaven 31 times.

Following is the breakdown.

Jesus talks about the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 13:11, He answered and said unto them, "Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given."

Jesus talks about the keys to the kingdom of heaven once. Matthew 16:19 "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Once Jesus describes how the kingdom advances. Matthew 11:12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."

Twice Jesus uses the term in the beatitudes. Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," and 5:10, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Four times Jesus describes who is greatest and least in the kingdom. Matthew 5:19, 11:11, 18:1, 4

Six times Jesus says who does or does not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20, 7:21, 8:11, 18:3, 19:23, and 23:14

Fifteen times Jesus describes what the kingdom of heaven is like. Matthew 3:2, 4:17, 10:7, 13:24, 13:31, 13:33, 13:44, 13:45, 13:47, 13:52, 18:23, 19:14, 20:1, 22:2, and 25:1

Then, there is that description in Matthew 19:12 where Jesus talks about men making themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven sake.

Matthew uses the terms Kingdom of heaven and Kingdom of God interchangeably. He knew his Jewish audience's familiarity with the concept of the afterlife. After all, the Hebrews had a long history of reading and hearing stories of life after death. The following are biblical references that discuss a life after death:

Job 14:7-14 asks the question "If a man dies will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come. You will call and I will answer you; you will long for the creature your hands have made."

In Psalm 16:11 "... at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

In Psalm 49:15 the psalmist writes "But God will redeem my life from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah"

In Isaiah 25:8 we find "he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces..."

In Isaiah 26:19 "But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead."

In Daniel 12:2 we find, "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt."

In Daniel 13:13 we find, "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."

Finally, in Hosea 13:14, Hosea writes, "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are our plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?"

From these verses it is plain to see that the Jews were knowledgeable about heaven and knew that God resided there, and there would be a resurrection to that place eventually.

Luke uses the Greek word transliterated theos and pronounced theh'os. Translated it means God. He uses it in many parables when speaking about the kingdom. Luke, in writing to the Gentiles, knew that they did not share the same concept of heaven or paradise, as did the Jews. They probably based their idea of heaven on the mythology about the underworld ruled by Hades for the Greeks or Pluto in the Roman world. The concept of heaven for the Greek or Roman was limited to discussions regarding Hera and Juno, who were the Greek and Roman queens of heaven respectively. They believed that Prometheus or Titan stole fire from heaven. Uranus was considered the personification of heaven. The Egyptians believed their God, Ra, created heaven and arranged for some humans to live there. It appears that Luke chose to use the phrase "Kingdom of God" to avoid this division of the idea of heaven as other nations conceived of it.

So, we begin a study of parables that appears in two Gospels.

Parables in Matthew and Luke

The Word of the Lord came to two gospel writers to include five stories that Mark did not use in his gospel. They are:

Parable in Matthew and Luke

Wise and foolish builders: Matthew 7:24-27, Mark 6:47-49

The Leaven: Matthew 13:33, Mark 12:20-21

Lost sheep: Matthew 18:12-14, Mark 15:4-7

Faithful and wise servant: Matthew 24:45-51, Mark 12:42-48

Talents (minas): Matthew 25:14-30, Mark 19:12-27

What do Matthew and Luke have to tell us in these five parables?

Chapter 1 - Wise vs. Foolish Builders

Matthew 7:24-27

Luke 6:47-49

Matthew:

7.24 "Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock;

7.25 and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

7.26 And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand;

7.27 and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it."

Luke:

6.47 "Every one who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:

6.48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep, and laid the foundation upon rock; and when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

6.49 But he who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great."

The story of the two men who built houses on different types of soil appears in Matthew and Luke. Just why Mark chose not to include is a mystery. Keep in mind that Mark is the book of action, whereas this seems to be a parable with no individual specifically in mind. This may account for the reason for the omission in Mark's gospel.

Five words used in Matthew differ from the Greek words used in Luke. They are:

Matthew: man, flood, beat upon, sand, and fall.

Luke: man, flood, beat vehemently, earth, and ruin.

First, there is a comparison of the word used for the builder of the house:

In Matthew 7:24 we find, "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man..." The Greek word used for man is transliterated aner and pronounced an'-ayr. It means the male sex or an adult as opposed to a boy. He also says that he is a prudent, or a sagacious man that is discerning, intelligent, or wise. Luke leaves out this description. In Matthew 1:16 "...and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ..." the word used for husband is the same word used here for man. This word describes the husband prepared for the new Jerusalem in Revelation 21:12 "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." In Matthew 12:24 we find the plural form used, "The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here." Matthew, writing to the Jews, uses this word for the male member of the community. It was not a universal term; it meant the man, husband, or fellow of the Jewish people.

In Luke 6:48 we find, "he is like a man..." The Greek word used for man in this verse is transliterated anthrõpos and pronounced anth'-ro-pos. From it, we get the word anthropology, or the study of man. This word has several meanings. It can mean a human being, whether male or female. We use it generically to include all human individuals, and it distinguishes man from other beings such as animals, plants, God, and Christ, and from the angels. This word is the word for man found in  Matthew 4:4 where Jesus answers, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" This word is the word for men found in  Matthew 5:13, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

This parable is about any man or woman on the face of the earth irrespective of race or religion. Luke used a word that represented all men because he wrote his gospel to the Gentiles, and this word means all of humanity.

We employ the same kind of differentiation when we say, "a man went into the store" as opposed to "man is not trustworthy." The first speaks of a particular man and the other speaks of humankind in terms of the human race or anthropology and refers to both genders.

Next, we compare the words used for flood

Matthew used the Greek word transliterated potamos and pronounced pot-am-os'. It means a flooding or torrent stream, or river. This denotes a river out of its banks and rapidly rushing through the countryside smashing everything in its path. Matthew, again writing to the Jews, uses a word depicting a river overflowing because they were more familiar with rivers than with ocean waves. It is the same word used for the River Jordan in  Matthew 3:6, "Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River." It also is the same word Paul uses for rivers in  2 Corinthians 11:26, "I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers."

It is interesting that in the 2 Corinthians reference, the word in the last line translated "sea" is a word that occurs ninety-two times in The New Testament. Used generally to mean the ocean or a large body of water, neither Matthew nor Luke uses this word in their parable of the wise and foolish builder.

Luke uses the Greek word transliterated plemmura and pronounced plame-moo'-rah. It means a flood tide or high water coming from the sea. The picture here is of a man who built his house too close to the sea, and the tide comes in to destroy it. A good analogy would be a tsunami rolling in to destroy homes along the shoreline. At that time, Gentiles lived all around the Mediterranean and were familiar with what waves could do to a structure.

This is the only occurrence of this word in the New Testament. Luke had a specific reason for using it.

Thirdly, let us compare the two words used for beat:

Matthew, in verse 27, chooses to use the words "beat upon" or Greek word transliterated prosékopsan and pronounced pros-ek' opsan. It means to strike against something. Matthew chose to say the wind and rain beat upon the house. It is a picture of a house standing without shelter or a covering, trying to hold back the elements of a raging river as it comes crashing against the structure. Used eight times in The New Testament and translated either made to stumble by a thing or dash against, this is the only time we find this word translated as it is in this parable. Other uses of this word (John 11:9-10, Romans 9:32 and 14:21, and 1 Peter 2:8) refer to the concept of "to stumble," except here in this verse and in the temptation of Christ passages found in the fourth chapter of Matthew (4:6) and Luke (4:22). In the desert temptation, this word signifies the phrase Satan uses in ..."dash thy foot against a stone." In John 11:10, "But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." The word translated "stumbles" is the same word found in the text of this parable. In Romans 9:32 Paul writes, "Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it was, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone." In Romans 14:21 Paul writes, "It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak." In 1 Peter 2:8, Peter writes, "And a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient whereunto also they were appointed." Just as in the case of something causing one to stumble, the river acts upon the house to dash it to pieces.

Luke uses the phrase "beat vehemently." The Greek word he uses is transliterated prosrïgnumi and pronounced pros-rayg'-noo-mee. It means to tear towards or burst upon. The picture here is one where something violent rips into the structure. One after another, brutal assaults made against the structure. It does not stop. The sea pounds viciously with its waves against the house. The word appears twice in the New Testament and both occasions emerge in this parable.

Fourthly, we should compare the two words used for sand and earth:

Matthew uses the word "sand" to describe where the foolish man built his house. He uses the Greek word transliterated ammos and pronounced am'-mos. It means sand, or sandy ground. Often in thinking about this parable, we think that the man built his house on the beach next to the sea. The word actually means where the soil is not solid. Continuing with Matthew's use of the word for flood, the place where he built the building was on the bank of a river or in the flood plain of a river on unstable ground.

Luke uses the word "earth" or "ground" to describe the location used by the foolish man to build his house. The Greek word Luke chooses is transliterated ge and pronounced ghay. It means arable land, or the ground, the earth as a standing place. Luke expresses the idea that a house built on any inferior foundation in not adequately constructed to stand against the storms that may come. His use of the flood or high water from the sea leads us to believe he is talking about any unstable land near the ocean, whether sand, or land too near crashing waves.

Finally, let us compare the two words for the result of the wave actions upon the house, fall and ruin:

In verse 27, Matthew describes the results of building a house on unstable ground. He uses two words; the first of the Greek words is transliterated epesen and pronounced ep e' sen. When he describes the magnitude of the fall he uses the Greek word transliterated ptosis, and pronounced pto'-sis. It means a downfall, or falling. It means not only that it fell, but also it continues to fall. Therefore, no matter how much bracing up on rebuilding takes place it will continue to fall because of an inferior foundation.

Luke describes the destruction of the house as being ruined. He uses the Greek word transliterated rhegma and pronounced hrayg'-mah. It means that which has been broken or rent asunder, a fracture, breach, cleft. It is a picture of final destruction. There is no hope of putting it back together using the proper building blocks. It is the picture of a house destroyed beyond repair. The only thing to do is to find a new place to build and start again. That house is gone for good.

To begin looking at this verse let us first look at the difference between wisdom and foolishness. Many quotes over the ages define the line between the two. Here are some of them with references where available:

"A foolish man tells a woman to stop talking, but a wise man tells her that her mouth is extremely beautiful when her lips are closed"

"The wise are wise only because they love. The fool are fools only because they think they can understand love." Paul Coelho – Brazilian author.

"Wise men profit more from fools than fools from wise men; for the wise men shun the mistakes of fools, but fools do not imitate the successes of the wise."

"Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something." Plato

"A wise man fights to win, but he is twice a fool who has no plan for possible defeat." Louis L'Amour

"A word to the wise ain't necessary, it's the stupid ones who need the advice." Bill Cosby

"Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish." Albert Einstein

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." Proverbs 1:7

"For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness..." 1 Corinthians 3:19

"The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly. Proverbs 15:2

Here, we have a story of how two men built their house. One took advice from his fellow man or learned such things at the foot of his father. The other thought he had all the answers and knew how and where to build a house. Each writer told the story to a specific people.

To tell the story as Matthew told it, we have to begin with Matthew's audience, the Jews. He spoke of a male (head of the household) who built a house upon a rock. The Jewish family was patriarchal so this word for head of household was familiar to them. The patriarchs of the faith inspired the Hebrews, and their idea of the head of the household emanated from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Boys and young men received their schooling in ways that prepared them to serve as head of the household when they grew up. Not only was this man the head of the household, but also he was wise. The word used for "wise" is the Greek word transliterated phonimo and pronounced fro'-ee-mo. It means prudent, sagacious as mentioned a few paragraphs above. When the rains came and the river overflowed, it swept against the house, but the house held fast because he built it on the rock foundation.

The head of the second household built a house upon a sand foundation. He describes this man as foolish, and the Greek word he uses is transliterated moro and pronounced mo-row'. It means dull, stupid, absurd, or a fool. From this word, we can see that we get the word "moron." He built a house on the sand along the beach, and the tide beat against it until it collapsed.

Luke tells the story to the Gentiles this way. He speaks not of head of the household but only a certain man built a house on a rock foundation, which held fast even when the river overflowed and beat vehemently against it. The word he uses for "man," as we said earlier, is the word from which we get anthropology. Another man (the same word meaning human being) built on the soil near a river that overflowed and ruined his house.

We can draw from this parable three things. 1) Everyone builds 2) the foundation is critical and 3) storms assault all buildings.

Everyone builds. It matters not what is your status in life; you build a life, a relationship, a reputation, and a philosophy regarding things eternal. You may not believe this to be the case, but that makes little difference. Just as one breathes, he also builds. For one cannot help but choose to be either a wise builder or a foolish builder. What makes a wise builder?

The proper foundation makes all the difference. Although the parable speaks of building on sand or rock, the analogy is simple. I recently watched a special on the History Channel about building the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge across the Akshi Strait in Japan, just west of Kobe. Its main span is 50 percent longer than that of the Golden Gate. The towers are 923 feet high and constructed on a concrete base that is 262 feet in diameter by 230 feet deep. This massive structure rests on top of the Akashi stratum, which consists of gravel. Long before construction began, soil engineers studied the different soil strata on shore and in the strait to determine what kind of foundation materials were necessary for a safe durable construction. The bridge only stands because of the foundation.

Before even modest homes begin, construction builders concern themselves with what is the proper foundation. Just like the wise builder in the parable, a good builder today knows that the foundation is the key for good, long-lasting construction.

When I first went to work for a major oil company, my assignment was at a construction site for a new unit at one of the refineries. Samples of the earth revealed that the soil at the site was unstable. The engineers determined that the ground on which to build the unit had to be secure, and therefore, they had only one choice as to the way to remove the unstable ground. They brought in bulldozers, dump trucks, and backhoes, as well as earth moving equipment to dig down to find steadfast soil. A massive hole began to appear just behind the office housed in a construction trailer. The deeper they dug the worse the soil became. At one point, they dug into slurry whereupon the bulldozer sank and buried in the mud. The excavation company brought in huge cranes to lift the bulldozer out of the muck. After many hours and numerous attempts, they freed the dozer and the digging continued. They continued to dig until they had removed all the unstable soil, and found excellent ground, or bedrock into which they could drill. Then they felt assured that they could pour the foundations for the various vessels and towers needed for the refining unit.

Storms rage against all structures. Weather is no respecter of persons. It rains on the just and the unjust. The wind blows on the well built home as well as the poorly built home. The difficulties of life rage against the just and unjust, the rich and poor, the old and young, male and female, and the wise and unwise. However, the parable says the wise take heed and prepare for the storms and difficulties by grounding their life upon the rock.

The difficulties of life do not rage only on the unjust. Contrary to the espousal of the feel-good gospel that is so prevalent today (the feel good gospel implies everyone can be rich if you just follow the ministers instructions), good fortune not only happens to the just, but the unjust have good fortune as well. Disease, sickness, financial reversal, marital problems, death, and all sorts of troubles happen to the Christian just as the same kind of trouble happens to unbeliever. The distinction is from where do believers draw strength among all the blessings as well as the misfortunes.

Christ, the solid rock, is the best foundation for life. Just as Peter confessed, "Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God." There is no better foundation for life. In 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, the apostle Paul writes, "Using the gift God gave me as a good architect, I designed blueprints; Apollos is putting up the walls. Let each carpenter who comes on the job take care to build on the foundation! Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ."

Chapter 2 - The Parable of the Leaven

Matthew 13:33

Luke 13:20-21

Matthew:

13.33 He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."

Luke:

13.20 And again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?

13.21 It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."

This is the last story Jesus told that day as he sat by sea (Matthew 13:1). It follows the story of the farmer planting seeds in all kinds of soil (verses 3-9 and 18-23), the story of the men sewing tares among the wheat (verses 24-30), and the parable of the mustard seed growing into a huge tree (verses 31-32). Eugene Peterson's The Message states in verses 35-36, "All Jesus did that day was tell stories—a long storytelling afternoon..."

Matthew 13:33 He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."

In Luke's gospel, this parable occurs after the mustard seed story, which follows the healing of the crippled woman on the Sabbath. The two stories of the mustard seed and the leaven go together in both gospels. One builds upon the other.

Luke 13:20 And again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?

21 It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."

Both writers use the Greek word transliterated zume and pronounced dzoo'may, for leaven. The literal meaning is ferment and probably comes from the Greek word transliterated zeo and pronounced dzeh'-o, which means to be hot or be fervent. The act of fermenting produces energy or heat. It is a natural phenomenon. Leaven is another word for yeast used to ferment dough. We can trace the use of leaven back more than four thousand years to ancient Egyptian civilizations. Leaven or yeast consumes the sugar in the dough and gives off carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide makes bubbles in the dough. These bubbles of gas cause the dough to rise. The Hebrews and the Gentiles were familiar with what yeast did to bread. As they let the dough rise, the yeast worked its way throughout the batch of dough without discoloration.

Leaven was not a bad thing to the Jews. The Law allowed them to make offerings to God with leavened bread.

Leviticus 7:11-15

11 "These are the regulations for the fellowship offering a person may present to the LORD: 12 If he offers it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering he is to offer cakes of bread made without yeast and mixed with oil, wafers made without yeast and spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour well-kneaded and mixed with oil. 13 Along with his fellowship offering of thanksgiving he is to present an offering with cakes of bread made with yeast. 14 He is to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the LORD; it belongs to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the fellowship offerings. 15 The meat of his fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; he must leave none of it till morning.

Leviticus 23:17

17 From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the LORD. (Emphasis mine)

Matthew and Luke write about three measures of flour or the equivalent to the amount used by the Jews for a meal offering. Both writers' message is the same. Each writer wrote his gospel to different groups of people. To find out the meaning, other than the obvious meaning of yeast making dough to rise, we have to determine what did the "The Kingdom of Heaven or God" mean to the Jew, and what did it mean to the Gentile. It did not mean the same thing.

Matthew used the term "Kingdom of Heaven." The actual words in the Greek are "The Kingdom of the heavens." The root word as stated before is heaven. However, every occurrence in Matthew's gospel, the word is in the plural form, therefore, the expression becomes "the kingdom of the heavens." The Jews knew of heaven from their study of the scriptures in the synagogue. The Jews believed that there were several heavens described in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word translated heaven is plural also. A simple concept of multiple heavens is that the sky where the clouds and birds reside is one heaven, where the stars, moon, and sun are is another heaven, and finally there is the heaven where God resides. Later, Jewish writings introduce the idea that there were more than three heavens. Nevertheless, Matthew wrote to the Jews, and when he mentioned "the kingdom of the heavens" they could relate to the concept. Matthew, writing to the Jews, explains that the kingdom of the heavens or all the heavens, even where God resides, had come and was like the leaven in the dough. It worked unseen with a small beginning like the leaven, but makes a great impact on the world just as the yeast affects the whole of the dough.

In the introduction, we determined that the kingdoms of gods were very real to the Gentile world. Members of the first-century community of Rome, Greece, or Mesopotamia had all their life bound up in religion. They were a religious people. A Greek citizen could not enter a trade unless he gave allegiance to Apollo, Aphrodite, or one of the other gods. He could not buy or sell in the market place unless he outwardly showed his allegiance to one of the local deities. He could not participate in the government or bring petitions to the local assembly if he did not show loyalty to the accepted divinity. Therefore, they understood the concept of the kingdom of god. The Romans replaced Greek gods with the emperor as a god. So, the citizens had to pay homage, to Caesar to participate in the society.

Luke took advantage of that understanding to emphasize what the true Kingdom of God was like. The parable of the leaven reveals that the Kingdom of God is not outward in appearance. The "Kingdom" was not something on would display outwardly to obtain status, work, or political advantage. However, it was like the yeast in the dough. The Kingdom of God works in the lives of each Christian unseen just as the leaven permeates the dough. The bread changes due to the performance of the yeast. Change occurs in an individual due to action of The Kingdom of God in his life. The parable of the mustard seed indicated an external change that takes place. The parable of the leaven indicates that change occurs inwardly just as the leaven inwardly went through the dough changing it.

A small act of kindness can do amazing things. We often hear how the bad apple spoils the barrel. Conversely, a good influence effects others," A smile, a kind word, a gesture of benevolence does great good for those struggling to cope with the worries of this world.

For Christians today, this parable brings to light the fact that the gospel works within the believer shaping him in the fullness of Christ. It may manifest itself outwardly, but probably it reveals itself inwardly in the believer's thoughts, prayers, and expressions of Christ in his life. Praying in a restaurant to be seen is not necessarily letting the leaven permeate the Christian's life. Perhaps praying in the car as a family is more significant to the Christian than praying to seek recognition as being "holy" inside the restaurant. Maybe praying in the private of one's home is more Christ-like than praying in church. The leaven leavens the entire loaf. The leaven works unseen outwardly, but inwardly heat, change, and growth takes place.

Chapter 3 - The Lost Sheep

Matthew 18:12-14

Luke 15:4-7

Matthew:

18.12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?

18.13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.

18.14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Luke:

15.4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it?

15.5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

15.6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.'

15.7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

I like to think that I keep up with things, particularly papers. I worked for thirty years with a company whose habit of keeping documents throughout the years was deplorable. In the early part of my career, the branch office where I worked decided to store old documents in seagoing containers. The company leased 50'x8'x8' containers, which we filled with payroll records, employee files, paid bills, and correspondence files dating back many years. All departments volunteered their old documents that we found in various places throughout the building. They thought it would be better if all those papers were together where anyone could find what they were looking for.

A few years later, the company planned a new construction project. It just so happened that site just happened to be the location where the containers holding the old files resided. To expedite the site clearance and preparation, the contractor brought in a "lift and carry" crane. The crane crew attached chains to each of the four corner castings hooking each on the main hook block. The crane lifted the container about ten feet off the ground and one of the chains released from the corner casting tilting the container shaking it violently. After re-rigging the container, the crane moved it to its new location. The next time someone went looking for a document in that container, they discovered that the violent shaking had created a blender effect and all the records, files, and documents were no longer in their cardboard file container, but lay scattered throughout the container. Office personnel could never find anything in the resulting mass of papers. Then the containers leaked, which soaked the cardboard box files until they were mush, thus ruining all of their contents.

It seemed that each office or organization I went to the story was the same. The object, file, or paper that we needed we could not locate. Then the company decided to embark on a new and "better" record retention filing system. No longer would we use the file number system used for ninety years. They forced on the offices a new system based on subject matter. There was one small problem; no two offices filed the same documents under the same heading or subjects. The results, no one could find anything.

I took a lesson from the futile attempts by a multi-million dollar international company; therefore, I was determined not to fall victim in my personal correspondence. However, although I try, I still find myself suffering from the same kind of glitch. I go to great pains to keep up with documents, tax records, letters, receipts, legal documents, and general correspondence. I have two four-drawer file cabinets with files labeled clearly. I have three legal file drawers in my desk clearly labeled. Nevertheless, it never fails when someone asks for something, and I tell them I have it, I cannot find it. It is not where I thought I put it. Things I do not need, I find. I worked several years in Africa. One African saying was, "WAWA," which means "West Africa Wins Again." Another interpretation is if something can get lost, it will get lost just when you need it. I still suffer from that truism ten years after I left Africa.

Never having been a shepherd, I still know how it feels to have misplaced something. With that in mind, let's begin looking at what we can learn from the shepherd who loses one of his sheep.

First, we compare the two words for the missing sheep.

Matthew uses the word stray for the lost dilemma of the sheep. The root word is transliterated planaõ and pronounced plan-ah'-o. It is a verb that means to cause to stray, to lead or go astray, lead aside from the right way, wander or roam about. Metaphorically, it can mean to lead away from the truth, to lead into error, to deceive by leading into error, or be led aside from the path of virtue, or to sever or fall away from the truth and follow the teachings of heretics. It means to be lead away into error and sin.

Luke uses the word or "lose" for the sheep that was lost. The root word is transliterated apollumi and pronounced ap-ol'-loo-mee. It means to destroy or kill, or put away, or render useless. Metaphorically, it can mean to give over to eternal misery in hell, or to perish, be lost, or to be ruined or destroyed.

Next, we compare the two words used for leave.

Matthew uses the Greek word transliterated aphiemi and is pronounced af-ee'-ay-mee. It means to send away or let go, to leave, or go away from one. It can mean to depart one place and go to another, or to go away leaving something behind. It is the same word used by Jesus telling the disciples to ignore or leave the Pharisees alone in Chapter 15:12. It is the same word used in Hebrews in describing the action to take or not to take in putting away a wife as in divorce. It is the same word used in various passages describing the act of forgiveness as in Matthew 18:32 and verse 35.

Luke uses the Greek word transliterated kataleipõ and is pronounced kat-al-i'-po. It means to leave behind as in departing from or to be left. It can mean to bid (one) to remain, or to forsake, leave to one's self a person or thing by ceasing to care for it, to abandon, leave in the lurch, like to be abandoned, or forsaken. Another definition is to cause to be left over, to reserve, or to leave remaining. It is like our "leave behind." It is used of one who is being called away and cannot take another with him; especially of the dying (to leave behind). Finally, the meaning is like our leave, or leave alone, to disregard, as of those who sail past a place without stopping.

Finally, we compare the two locations that the shepherd left the ninety and nine.

Matthew says the shepherd left the sheep on the mountain. It is the Greek word transliterated oros and pronounced or'-os; it means mountain.

Luke says the shepherd left the sheep in the wilderness. It is the Greek word transliterated eremos and pronounced er'-ay-mos. It means a solitary, lonely, desolate, uninhabited place, a desert, a wilderness as in a deserted place, a lonely region, or an uncultivated region unfit for pasturage. When used to describe persons, it means deserted by others, or deprived of the aid and protection of others, especially of friends, acquaintances, or kindred. Sometimes it occurs when referring to the bereft, as in a flock deserted by the shepherd, or of a woman neglected by her husband, from whom the husband withholds himself.

Matthew's story goes like this. A shepherd had a hundred sheep, and one liked to wander and roam about. Eventually, it became too far from the fold and could not find its way back. The shepherd went away, neglected the ninety-nine sheep, and left them on the mountain while he searched for the one that strayed. He brought it back to the sheepfold celebrating with great happiness. He tells this story as part of an answer to the disciple's question of who would get the highest ranking in God's kingdom. Jesus sets a child in the midst of them and begins to tell stories about lost sheep that even a child can understand.

We can say that sometimes we go astray from the truth and fall into error spiritually and physically. Then, our errors not only harm us, but they harm our family or endanger them as well. The Lord, who is the good shepherd, constantly searches for us. When he finds us, he delights in seeing us return to him.

We can take from Matthew's parable the assurance that when we go astray the Lord constantly searches for us in an effort to bring us back to him. He does not forsake us and he does not expect us to perish. It is also the picture of what the church should do when its members fall away. The church should make every effort an encourage the pastor or leaders to bring the one led astray back into the church family even if it means leaving the church family on its own. Then, it must forgive the wayward and guide them to the truth. Great joy, happiness, and elation occur in the church body when this happens.

Matthew, in writing to the Jews, points out to them that though the religious leaders had led them astray, the Great Shepherd actively sought them to return to the sheepfold. Some strayed to the performing of the literal law, some to no law at all. Some strayed in their search for a literal earthly king to crush the Romans. Some got off course by thinking that they would become more Jewish if they persecuted those who professed as the Messiah the one they had recently crucified. The Sadducees strayed from the sheepfold by believing that the law would save them. The Pharisees strayed by believing everyone else had a problem with God. We do the same thing.

Luke tells the story like this. A shepherd had a hundred sheep, and one was useless, good for nothing, as good as dead because it wandered away. It was of no use to the flock, because it was always in a state of eternal misery. It was as if the animal was destroyed or ruined. The shepherd departed from the rest of the sheep and forsook them, leaving the flock abandoned in the wilderness. He searched until he found the lost sheep, and not wanting it to escape before he got it home, hoisted it over his head and placed in on his shoulders for the transport home. When he came to the village, he rushed to tell all his friends that he found the sheep that was lost and thought dead. He insisted that they join in the celebration.

Beside the obvious lesson of this parable, there is one lesson that is not so obvious. The shepherd left the ninety-nine to take care of themselves while he went away from them. He did not get a substitute shepherd. The sheep had to provide for their own needs. This parable tells us that sometimes the church should take care of itself. Members should let the pastor preach and evangelize. Frequently, the church demands that the pastor accomplish what the church members should perform. Those who do not need a helping hand should not insist that the shepherd pay them as much attention as he does to those who really need his guidance and teaching.

A church started a ministry that took much of the pastor's time. The members of the church grew jealous of the pastor spending so much time in the new ministry. They came up with the excuse they needed to see the Pastor in the halls of the church before services rather than his spending more time on Sunday mornings with the new ministry. Luke's story shares an application that the church members should minister to one another. Members should not become jealous when they do not get the attention that they believe they deserve.

When the lost are found and those that went astray are brought back into the church, there is great rejoicing in heaven. There also should be great jubilation in the church.

Chapter 4 - Faithful and Wise Servant

Matthew 24:45-51

Luke 12:42-48

Matthew:

24.45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

24.46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

24.47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

24.48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

24.49 And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

24.50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

24.51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Luke:

12.42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;

46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

Let's look at three words used in Matthew's gospel and compare them to words used by Luke. The words are:

Matthew – Servant, Evil, and Hypocrites

Luke – Steward, No word used, and Unbelievers

Matthew uses the Greek word  transliterated doulos and pronounced "doo'-los" for servant. It means one who is a slave or bondman in servile condition. It can mean one who is devoted to another to the disregard of one's own interests. It can also mean a servant, or attendant. Metaphorically, it means one who gives oneself up to another's will, or those who use their service to Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men.

He also uses the word Greek word  transliterated kakos and pronounced "ka-ko's," for wicked. This word has three meanings. The first is a bad nature or something as it should not be. The second meaning is a mode of thinking, feeling, and acting in a base, wrong, or wicked way. The third means troublesome, or injurious, or pernicious, or destructive, or baneful.

Lastly, in the closing verse he used the Greek word  transliterated hupokrites and pronounced "hoop-ok-ree-tace," for hypocrites. It also has three meanings. The first is one who answers, an interpreter. The second is an actor, stage player. The third is a dissembler, or pretender.

Luke used the Greek word  transliterated oikonomos and pronounced "oy-kon-om'-os," for steward. Steward can have two meanings. The first meaning is the manager of a household or of household affairs. An example could be a steward, a superintendent. He was usually a freed-man or slave, but could freeborn as well. The head of the house instructed the management of his affairs such as the care of receipts and expenditures as well as the duty of dealing out the proper portion to the servants, even the children not yet of age. He could also be the management of a farm or landed estates, something like an overseer. This word also can mean the superintendent for a city or the keeper of the king's treasuries. Metaphorically it means the apostles and other Christian teachers, bishops, and overseers.

Matthew characterizes the servant that is heartless toward the other servants as evil whereas Luke does not. Luke uses the Greek word transliterated apistos, and pronounced "a'-pe-stos,|" for unbelievers. The Greek word means faithless, one who cannot be trusted, unbelieving, and incredulous. Luke places this servant's spiritual state in a worse condition than his actual wickedness. This servant is more than wicked; he is faithless, untrustworthy, and incredulous, or unwilling to believe.

The lesson is one on the topic of people that take advantage of citizens who entrust them with their wealth, life, government, or spiritual well being. People take advantage of a situation entrusted to them for a variety of reasons.

They may feel that they can profit from the generosity of the one who has put their trust in them. When one who entrusts his finances to an accountant, the accountant believes he has the right to benefit from the trust. Therefore, he uses the money for his own benefit. They believe they can get personal gain at the expense of their benefactor. When we see stories and read about such happenings, we know that the trustee is not a faithful servant.

Matthew, in writing to the Jewish community, knew it to be familiar with worship and the synagogue. Matthew defined the wicked servant in terms familiar with them. There is little doubt that in the first century, much like today, the synagogue had its followers, and even some of its leaders did not have the best of intentions. First, there were those who liked to put on a show of religiosity. Jesus taught about the ones who liked to make long prayers, in hopes they would impress those around them (Mark 14:38-40.) Second, the Jewish community had those prone to gossip. Jesus spoke to them also (Mark 5:39.) Third, there were those who enjoyed pointing out the errors of others. Jesus spoke about them (Matthew 7:3.) These types of behavior did not impress Jesus who said severe punishment awaited those men.

Luke declares them unbelievers who knew not God; therefore, they forfeit the opulence they seek at the hands of their employer. Their actions lead only to punishment and loss. The Greek word used for punishment in both passages is transliterated dichotomeõ and pronounced dee-khot-om-eh'-o. It means to cut in pieces. However, the remainder of the passage indicates the ones punished went on living to suffer other consequences; the second meaning of the word, which is to punish by scourging, seems to result. This word appears in both versions of the parable. Nevertheless, a severe form of punishment occurs. So much so that there would be weeping and gnashing or grinding of teeth. Gnashing of teeth means to snarl, growl, and bite as depicted as the punishment experienced in hell. Both gospels indicate the same kind of punishment. Both physical wickedness and spiritual wickedness have the same punishment. There seems to be no recovery from the punishment if the servant does not obey his master's commands.

When any organization strays from it purpose the likelihood of failure increases, and those responsible should suffer. When political leaders stray from the foundations on which a country originates they should suffer punishment, they should be cut in pieces, and scattered from the seat of government. However, specifically he emphasizes the responsibility regarding those who serve over the spiritual needs of the community. When spiritual leaders go astray for their own greed, benefit, or sexual desire, Jesus speaks clearly against them in an unmistakable way. They are to suffer the severest retribution. Cut asunder means to bisect, similar to bisecting a frog. It means to cut into pieces to expose the inner part.

The parable can be a statement directed toward the church. Jesus who told the church to watch until he returns has put the church in the role of the servant. When the church fails to perform its ascribed task, it is wicked according to Matthew and incredulous according to Luke. Therefore, the question becomes, what is the role or task of the servant church. To answer that, maybe we can begin by describing those things that are not the task of the church. The following may be noble and worthwhile, but they are not the task of the church.

It is not the task of the church to build buildings.

It is not the task of the church to elect political leaders.

It is not the task of the church to change a secular government into a theocratic one.

It is not the task of the church to condemn the sinful.

It is not the task of the church to place religious symbols on public property.

It is not the task of the church to vote.

The following are the tasks of the church.

The task of the church is fishing and feeding.

Fishing – Matthew 4:18-22 "18 Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work. 19 Jesus said to them, "Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass." 20 They didn't ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed. 21A short distance down the beach they came upon another pair of brothers, James and John, Zebedee's sons. These two were sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their fishnets. Jesus made the same offer to them, 22and they were just as quick to follow, abandoning boat and father," The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language Third© 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson.)

Feeding – John 21:15-18. 15 "After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?"

"Yes, Master, you know I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

16 He then asked a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?"

"Yes, Master, you know I love you."

Jesus said, "Shepherd my sheep."

17 Then he said it a third time: "Simon, son of John, do you love me?"

Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, "Do you love me?" so he answered, "Master, you know everything there is to know. You've got to know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language Third© 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson.)

The task of the church is the great commission as found in Matthew 38:18-20. 18 "...God authorized and commanded me to commission you: 19 Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 20 Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age." (The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language Third© 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson.)

Acts 1:8 repeats the great commission of the church. 8 What you'll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world." (The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language Third © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson.)

The work of the church is to proclaim the gospel of Christ to those apart from Him and to strengthen the saved.

The task of the church is to interpret the Scripture under guidance of the Holy Spirit sot that the Bible points people to Jesus

The ministry of the church is to take available resources and apply them to the needs of those around us.

The purpose of the church is to praise God for the work he did in Christ.

When sidetracked into things that are not a part of its tasks, the church suffers the same sentence that Luke pronounced on the unkind servant. Just as the servant's fate is being cut asunder (, so the church, and denominations that fail in their tasks given by Jesus, descend into splits and divisions.

Then Luke ends his parable with that famous statement. "... Everyone to whom much is given, of him will much be required...." Let us take inventory of that which is given to us. There is wealth and keys to the kingdom to name only two.

The average income per capita of the world in 2003 was $8,2006 per year or $684.00 monthly. The average income per capita in the United States was $37,500, over 8.5 times greater. Great wealth abides on us. When I worked in Nigeria in the late 1990s, the per capita income for Nigeria was $30.00 a month. The published figure for 2003 was $900.00 a year, or about $75.00 a month. That is less than three dollars a day. Welfare, food stamps, and other free services did not exist there. Most of the world goes to bed hungry. Estimates show that Americans who subsist on food stamps and welfare rolls receive goods and services valued at well over three times the world's average per capita income. "...Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required."

The church holds the keys to the kingdom. In his commentary on Matthew 16:13, Matthew Henry says that the keys are doctrine and discipline (application of doctrine). 7 The key of doctrine is to explain the will of God as to his truth and our duty to it. Discipline is the application of the doctrine. The church has the responsibility to explain God's will and interpret how one goes about following that will. When the church fails in its mission of doctrine and discipline, the keys to the Kingdom are lost or bound. In the King James Bible, Matthew 16:19 reads, "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." The Jewish writings or scriptures were scrolls. When the Jew wanted to reveal something in the scriptures, he would remove the string around the scroll, and this was the act of revealing or loosening. He would loose the scripture. When he finished, he rolled the scroll and tied the string around it, or he bound the scroll. The apostles had a direct command from the Lord to reveal the keys of doctrine. The Jews rejected the message of Christ, but that did not stop the disciples. We read in Acts 13:46 (The Message), "But Paul and Barnabas didn't back down. Standing their ground they said, "It was required that God's Word be spoken first of all to you, the Jews. But seeing that you want no part of it—you've made it quite clear that you have no taste or inclination for eternal life—the door is open to all the outsiders. And we're on our way through it..." It made little difference to the disciples as they untied or loosed the gospel to the rest of the world as that was their command. It is the church's command today. If the church strays from that command, it ceases to be a New Testament Church.

Therefore, the question becomes what does the church do about this and by what means does she accomplish this command. The next parable of the talents lends some insight into that query.

Chapter 5 - The Parable of the Talents

Matthew 25:14-30

Luke 19:12-27

Matthew 25

25.14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

25.15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

25.16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

25.17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.

25.18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

25.19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.

25.20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.

25.21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

25.22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.

25.23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

25.24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:

25.25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

25.26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

25.27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

25.28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

25.29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

25.30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The parable in Matthew is part of the answer to the question found in verse one of the chapter, "What is the kingdom of God like?" It also answers the question, how does the church go about its mission. The first part of the chapter deals with the parable of the ten virgins. Jesus uses this parable for clarification. The parable of the ten virgins is about ten brides that go to meet a bridegroom. As the bridegroom comes to collect his bride, five of the ten prepare their lamps. The five who fail to prepare do not get to go with the bridegroom.

Then, he immediately begins this parable of the talents. He states there were three men who each received a different sum of money. The first received 5 talents or 15,000 shekels. The second received 2 talents or 6,000 shekels. The third received 1 talent or 3,000 shekels.

Three words shed light on this parable in Matthew. They are talent (the thing given to the servants), hard (the nature of the master), and strawed or winnow (action of the master.)

First, our word talent comes from the Greek word transliterated talanton and pronounced tal'-an-ton. The definitions of the Greek word are: weight, varying in different places and times, and a sum of money weighing a talent valued according to the local laws regulating currency. There was the "attic" talent, which equaled 6,000drachmae, pronounced drakh-may. The Greek definition is a coin, usually silver. A drachma's definition is "a handful." In Greek, the derivative of drachma was from the verb transliterated dratto and pronounced dra to. It means to grasp. The ancient Greeks employed the transliterated obol and pronounced o bol, as their currency. About six obols could fit in the average grasp of an adult male. Therefore, six obols equaled one drachma. In addition, one hundred drachmas equaled one mina, and sixty minas equaled one talent. In Israel, a talent of silver weighed about 100 pounds, and gold weighed double that or 200 pounds.

The second word we should look at is the Greek word for hard, which istransliterated skleros and pronounced sklay-ros'. The definition for this Greek word is hard, harsh, rough, or stiff. This has reference to men who are harsh or stern, or things that are violent, rough, offensive, or intolerable.

The third word to examine is the Greek word for strawed or winnow transliterated diaskorpizõ and pronounced dee-as-kor-pid'-zo. It means to scatter abroad, or disperse. To throw the grain a considerable distance as to scatter in sewing seed. It can also mean to throw up into the air, to separate from the chaff. It is a means of gathering the wheat freed from the chaff into a granary. It refers to harvesting grain.

Matthew's gospel reveals that three men received different amounts of money. The first received 5 talents or 15,000 shekels, the second received 2 talents or 6,000 shekels, and the third received 1 talent or 3,000 shekels. The weight or value of a biblical talent is equal to about 100 pounds. Therefore, those who received the talents received the following in amounts of money using the price of silver as the bases for today's dollars.

The man awarded five talents received 375 pounds or about $100,000.00.

The man awarded two talents received 150 pounds or about $40,000.00.

The man awarded one talent received 75 pounds or about $20,000.00.

The term talent was not a denomination but a weight of measurement. A talent of gold was nearly two times heavier than a talent of silver. Today, we measure objects in terms of their density. We define density by how closely an object's atoms pack together. Gold's density is 19.32 g/cm3; the density of silver is 10.5 g/cm3. Therefore, gold is 1.84 times the weight of silver. However, the weight of an object does not necessarily insure that it is more valuable.

This is a story not about value although various valuations occur. This is a story about stewardship. Though the three stewards received different amounts, what they did with the amounts they received is the core of the story, or the art of the deal. Fear was the debilitating force as to why the third steward did not invest or risk the amount given to him. If he had risked the talent and lost it all, the consequences would not have been as great. To have talent and not use it, is far worse than to have talent and fail to use it. Therefore, the steward whose fear prevented him from using the talent given him, in the end, lost the talent to the other stewards who chose risk over safety.

Luke 19

19.12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.

19.13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, 'Occupy till I come.

19.14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.

19.15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.

19.16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.

19.17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.

19.18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.

19.19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.

19.20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:

19.21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.

19.22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:

19.23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?

19.24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.

19.25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)

19.26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.

19.27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

The ten men involved in this story each received 1 pound or 50 shekels. The Greek word for pound is transliterated mna and pronounced mnah. Of Latin origin, a mina in American weight weighs approximately one and one quarter pounds or 0.6 kilograms. Therefore, in today's value of silver, a mina's worth is approximately $23.00. Since each steward received ten pounds, the value of the gift in today's dollars is $230.00.

In verse 21, the Greek word for severe is transliterated austeros and pronounced ow-stay-ros'. This word means one of harsh, rough, or rigid mind or manners. From this word, we get the word austere.

The Greek word for sow in verse 22 is transliterated speirõ and pronounced spi'-ro. It means to sow or scatter seed. This refers to planting.

In Luke, the parable has to do with a much smaller sum of money and each of the participants received the same amount. We can surmise from this that the amount of money received by the servants had little bearing on what Jesus taught in this story. The nobleman in the story depicts Jesus who must go away for a while but plans on returning. The stewards represent the church or individuals in the church waiting for his reappearing. Since all received the same, the monetary amount represents the abundant life given to those who call on the name of the Lord. The various rewards earned by the stewards depict how individuals use the gift that God gives to them through Christ. At the judgment, those who squander their gifts suffer loss.

These two parables point out how far removed our society is from Jesus' teachings. Our society would not take the talent, or the pound, from the man who failed to use it wisely. We do not condemn the foolish tenants. We take from those who wisely invest the gifts given to them, or which they earn, and give it to foolish tenants who risk nothing. In our society, we reward those who make foolish choices and decisions.

Spiritually, this parable makes us aware of what God is like and what his kingdom is like. The spiritual truth of this parable is this - employ the talents (financial, spiritual, gift, and work) that you have in order to glorify God and bring praise to Him. This is not about using talents that you are going to get someday, or will learn in the future; it is about using what you have in the present.

What is talent? The dictionary defines talent as natural aptitude or skill. I think there a number of words that enlighten our understanding of talent. They are: flair, aptitude, touch, technique, forte, skill, expertise, and strength.

Flair is a word that comes from the French word "to smell," which comes from the Latin word that means "smell sweet." In the Old Testament book of Exodus where God gave Moses the law of sacrifices, He uses the term "sweet aroma" to describe the sacrifice burning of a ram (Exodus 29:25.) Your work, whatever it is, happens to please God in such a way that it is a pleasing smell to Him.

Aptitude comes from the Latin root for "apt" that meant fitted. Whatever you choose to do in the Kingdom, it fits you. It fits you better as you continue in the work until it seems made for you and you're comfortable in the endeavor.

Touch is a word when used to express a gift; we say he has the "Midas Touch." Another way to put it is, "God touched me, her, or him." Talent happens when God touches. He usually touches after the work begins, not before.

Technique is a word originated from Latin, and it is where we get our meaning of technical. Technical is somewhat intimidating in that most of us like to say that we are technically challenged. When one knows how to perform a certain task, we say he has a good technique. In football, technique usually refers to the point of reference that a player will employ with a defensive formation. It may mean the approach taken on a play, or it could mean the player level of skill. The technique comes after learning the basics. The Lord wants us doing. He takes care of the technique if we communicate with him.

Forte comes from the French word for the strongest part of a sword blade. We use the word to describe someone's ability to accomplish a task when we say, "That was his forte." On the other hand, we may say to show the negative side of a person's character, "The gift of silence was certainly not his forte." The more one works at a task the better and more comfortable he is in performing the work. It becomes his forte.

Skill is a word that first related to the ability to discern, to separate, or to distinguish. When we separate our lives from the old way of doing things, we perform skillfully. We can discern rightfully, and we distinguish our lives in ways that others will say we have skills to perform for the Lord.

"Expertise" is French in origin and means knowledge or skill in a certain area. An expert is someone who has never done a task, but knows how you should do it. An expert is someone who knows how to perform but cannot. Those humorous definitions lead us to the question, "What is an expert?" Most often an expert worth his salt is someone who discovered a need and then began filling that need the best he could, and in so doing he developed expertise.

Strength is a term we like to say a person possesses. We define strength as the quality or state of being strong. It also means a good or beneficial quality of a person. Just as exercise repetition strengthens muscle, so too, repetition of service builds to a point where it become strength possessed by the individual.

These eight attributes many times do not come naturally but develop with much application.

Does everyone have talent? If the answer to that is yes, then how do I find my talent? Everyone experiences these questions during their lifetime. When believers read the definition of talent they think, "I don't have an aptitude, or skill in anything, so they struggle to find their niche or place in the work of the kingdom. They do studies on spiritual gifts or just study this or that over a length of time thinking at the end they will find their "talent." I tend to believe that most talent is a learned behavior improved by repetition. There are exceptions of course. Child prodigies have natural gifts. For the vast majority, however, talent is a learned behavior. Even celebrities or famous sports figures who we describe as having a great talent, have put untold numbers of hours into improving their skill. They never get to the point where they think they can no longer improve. For the most part, they learned their talent over time.

Thereby, we can take a lesson from them. We only discover that our work is a talent in doing. Find something to do in God's kingdom do it, and do it again, and again, and again. Then you find your talent.

Parable in Mark and Luke

Chapter 6 - Watchful Servants

Mark 13:35-37

Luke 12:35-40

There is one parable found in The Gospel of Mark and The Gospel of Luke. It is the parable of the Watchful Servants. We find it in:

Mark 13:35-37

Luke 12:35-40

Mark:

13.35 Watch therefore--for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning--

13.36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.

13.37 And what I say to you I say to all: Watch."

The first word that we want to define and compare in Mark's story is the Greek word transliterated kurios and pronounced koo'-ree-os. It means a respectful title of honor expressive of respect and reverence. It can mean Master, Lord, God, or Sir.

The second word that we want to define and compare in Mark's story is the Greek word transliterated gregoreite and pronounced gray-gor-ite. It means to watch or keep awake, or be awake.

Luke:

12.35 Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning,

12.36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and knocks.

12.37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at table, and he will come and serve them.

12.38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those servants!

12.39 But know this, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into.

12.40 You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an unexpected hour."

he first words to catch our attention is "their master" or the Greek word transliterated kurion and pronounced koo'-ree-on and is the same root word that we find in Mark's Gospel. The reason it has a different ending is that it agrees with the possessive pronoun their. It has the same meaning as in Mark, but the title is the worker's expressive respect, reverence, and honor.

The second word that is similar to a word in Mark is "awake." It is the Greek word transliterated gregorountas and pronounced gray-goro-utas. It means to watch, or give strict attention, or be cautious. Another way to describe this word is to take heed lest through remission and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one.

The third word found in verse forty is the word translated ready. It is the Greek word transliterated etoimoi and pronounced eto-im-oi; it means to prepare, or be ready within the context of preparation of things or in this case to prepare to receive one who comes.

In Mark's gospel, Jesus had just finished a discourse on his return. He stated that no one knows the hour or day of his return, not heaven's angels, not even the Son, only the Father. He finished that discourse with this parable admonishing the disciples to be ready and keep a sharp lookout.

My first year in college I took a class on public speaking. Throughout the semester, we gave speeches on a wide range of subjects. Each time my turn came, I always felt nervous. One Tuesday during class, he told us that there would be no speech assignment due for the Thursday's class. I felt relieved. When we arrived on Thursday, the professor took a seat in the back of the room and announced that each member of the class must speak on a subject designated by him when each class member arrived in front of the classroom. One by one, we walked to the podium at the front of the class. Once there, with sweat rolling down our backs, and clammy palms and trembling from fright, he gave us a subject to speak on for five minutes. There has never been anything more harrowing than to stand in front of a group of people unprepared to speak and not having any idea what you are about to be asked to speak on.

When I reached the front of the class, I heard the professor say, "Your subject is 'A Saucy Lady'."

I had no idea what that meant. My mind quickly defined that it must mean an irreverent or brazen woman of firm character. Suddenly, the thought of the Titanic popped into my mind, and I began to describe the voyage of the Titanic from England into the cold North Atlantic and the subsequent collision with the iceberg that ultimately led to the sinking of the "ship that couldn't be sunk."

That scares us to be unprepared to speak before a group, however we think very little of getting prepared for the return of Jesus. The consequences are far greater than not having something to say for a speech.

Mark's gospel account seems to be a reminder for the individual to be prepared. At the end, he makes the request all-inclusive. The first word we need to define is the Greek word for master. The transliteration of the word is kurios, and it is pronounced koo'-ree-os. In Greek, the word is the title or honorific expressive of respect and reverence to an individual. In the English language the word master has eleven definitions, six as a noun, three as an adjective, and two as a verb:

Noun form:

Chiefly historical a man who has people working for him, esp. servants or slaves: he acceded to his master's wishes. A person who has dominance or control of something: he was master of the situation. A machine or device directly controlling another: [as adj.] a master cylinder. Compare with slave. Dated a male head of a household: the master of the house. The owner of a dog, horse, or other domesticated animal.

A skilled practitioner of a particular art or activity: I'm a master of disguise. A great artist, esp. one belonging to the accepted canon: the work of the great masters is spread around the art galleries of the world. A very strong chess or bridge player, esp. one who has qualified for the title at international tournaments: a chess master. See also grand master. (Masters) treated as sing. (in some sports) a class for competitors over the usual age for the highest level of competition. A person who holds a second or further degree from a university or other academic institution (only in titles and set expressions): a master's degree a Master of Arts. A man in charge of an organization or group, in particular. Chiefly Brit. A male schoolteacher, esp. at a public or prep school. The head of a college or school. The captain of a merchant ship

Used as a title prefixed to the name of a boy not old enough to be called "Mr.": Master James Williams. Archaic a title for a man of high rank or learning. The title of the heir apparent of a Scottish viscount or baron

An original movie, recording, or document from which copies can be made: [as adj.] the master tape.

Adjective form, Having or showing very great skill or proficiency: a master painter. Denoting a person skilled in a particular trade and able to teach others: a master bricklayer. Main; principal: the master bedroom.

Verb form,

Acquire complete knowledge or skill in (an accomplishment, technique, or art): I never mastered Latin. Gain control of; overcome: I managed to master my fears. Make a master copy of (a movie or record)8

However, in Greek the words are more precise in their meaning. Thus, the Greek word kurios has much fewer meanings. In this case, the word is a noun, which defines the feelings the servants had for their employer. They respected him, admired him, and honored him.

Verse 35 alludes to the four Roman watches of the night. The thought is to be ready throughout the day and night, never going to bed without first getting ready for the coming of the Lord. He ends the passage with the word Watch. It is the Greek word transliterated gregoreuo and pronounced gray-gor-yoo-o. It means "be or keep awake, be on the alert, be watchful, or be alive."

There are different ways we can watch. We can watch out, trying to avoid a calamity or disaster as in watch out for a storm or a dangerous situation. We can watch for something, as in watching for a sale or a hole in the road. We can watch for someone, as in looking for someone you know to join you at a restaurant. It is fun sometimes to sit on a park bench and just watch the people. We can watch a game for entertainment or a show. We can also watch to learn as in training for a job or to learn a skill. But the word used here as "watch" goes beyond those examples. It goes to the heart of what is important and that is to be alive and vigilant, ever mindful that God is going to return. In God's timeframe, that coming is soon.

The advent season typically has meant a time to prepare for the coming of the Christ child. The word advent does not appear in the Bible. Its first written English usage appears to have been around 1742, although it probably was a common word in oral communication before then. It means the coming or arrival of something usually of great importance. What could be more important than the coming of the Lord? Just as we prepare and wait during the advent season today, we should constantly be in the advent season for the return of the Lord.

How do we prepare for the coming of the Lord? When we celebrate the traditional advent season, we sing songs, say prayers, light candles, and tell others about Christmas. In preparing for His return, we should do similar things. We should prepare our lives to be always in the sprit of advent. Our lives should be as songs praising God, and our prayers should look forward to his coming. Our lives should be as candles set on a hill so that others can see the light.

As we turn to this parable in Luke 12:35-40, Jesus had just finished extolling the virtue of not being anxious or worried about the cares of the world. Then he moved into this story about the watchful servants. He seems to be saying that if your treasure is in heaven then you will be on the lookout for the keeper of the treasure. For when the keeper of the treasure comes, he will take you to be with him he takes you to your treasure. Luke used the same word for master as Mark, however Luke uses the possessive form in verse 36 indicating that the servants waited for their master who provided for their needs and met their requests. In verse 37, Luke uses the Greek word for awake. Transliterated from the Greek, it is gregorountas and pronounced gray-gor-youn'-tas. The root word which means to watch or give strict attention to. It can also mean to be cautious or actively take heed for fear that a sudden calamity might overtake one. It is the same word used in Matthew 26:38 where Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, tells Peter, James, and John to watch, and they were unable to do so. They kept falling asleep.

In verse 40, Luke used the Greek word meaning ready. It is transliterated etoimoi, and pronounced het-oy'-moi. It means to prepare, and can be used with respect to persons or things. Here it is used as readying a person or people for an event. It is more than being ready, it means preparing for the event. The word does not mean just waiting for the event to happen, but actively preparing, doing things to get ready to receive the one coming. ,

When we were young, all of us committed some act that we hoped our parents never discovered. Nevertheless, we prepared an explanation just in case they found out about the dastardly deed. We prepared for the event to come when we had to explain our actions. I certainly can relate to that scenario.

When I was quite young, attending first grade, one day I misplaced my lunch money and had to borrow from the school cafeteria to pay for my lunch. Although I knew my dad would demand an explanation, I thought little about it until the subject came up at home that evening.

After I told my dad that I needed extra money for lunch the next day, his first question was why. I did not do well with the answer to the question, "Why!" I still have trouble to this day when someone asks me "why." Maybe this instance with the lunch money haunts me still.

I should have realized that would be the first thing asked when Dad got home from work, but I was young and looking ahead more than two minutes did not present itself as very important. Consequently, I did not prepare anything that remotely referenced a defense. I did not want to tell him I lost it. Therefore, I said that I did not know what happened to it. The interrogation continued what seemed like hours (probably five minutes) whereupon to get the ordeal over with, I lied and said I gave it to Zeke. Zeke was the big kid who lived across the street. My dad's next question was the proverbial "why." I did not have an answer so I said, "I don't know." Dad could see right through my sorry excuse of an explanation. I do not even remember the punishment, but I can guarantee pleasant it was not. I never made up a story to tell dad again. I may have withheld the full truth, but I never again made up a lie to tell my dad. This parable teaches us to be prepared so that when the master comes we will not need excuses or reasons but have ready the only explanation that we were ready when the He came.

Luke's gospel implores us to watch for the coming of the Lord. Be ready for we do not know when he is coming. Authority intimidates me. The sheer awesome majesty of the Lord will overwhelm me. The word intimidate grew out of the Medieval Latin meaning "made timid." I am glad I have an advocate to speak for me when He returns. My advocate knows exactly what to say. An advocate is one pleads the cause of another before a tribunal or judicial court. He is one that defends or maintains a cause or proposal or one that supports or promotes the interests of another. Our advocate is the Holy Spirit. He pleads our case for us. He knows what to say, how to say it, and when to speak for us.

Mark's gospel pleads with us to keep awake and watch for the Lord's return, while Luke's gospel expresses for us to prepare and be ready.

Book II

Parables as told in Three Gospels

Introduction to Storyteller

Parables have been popular over the centuries. We probably do not equate parables to modern times, but most of the stories or anecdotes told either by word of mouth or in books or even on film are parables. The events and characters of the story do not have to be actual people or events. They can be fictitious and yet still fit the definition of a parable. Every week throughout the world ministers, rabbis, and priests of all denominations and religions tell parables to their congregations to emphasize points or topics in their sermons. Some of the stories are humorous, some are inspirational, and some call the parishioners to action.

A discussion of parables should begin with a definition. Webster defines a parable as a comparison, specifically; a short fictitious narrative from which a moral or spiritual truth is drawn.1 A parable is a story told that has two meanings. First, there are the literal facts of the story and the second there is the underlying principle, truth, or lesson that the author had in mind when he told or wrote the story in the first place.

How old are parables? Stories began to circulate soon after man began to speak. The Hebrews passed stories and parables on verbally from generation to generation for thousands of years before anyone began to write them down around 300 BC. The first recorded parables were in the Old Testament. The word parable comes from the Hebrew word transliterated "mashal" {maw-shawl} which is a term denoting a metaphor or a mysterious or perplexing saying or allegory (a representation spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another.)2 We know the Hebrews spoke the stories in the Old Testament hundreds of years before they put them into written form. The book of Job may be a parable. The best-known parables of the Old Testament are:

Judges 9:8-15

2 Samuel 12:1-4, 14:5-7

Psalm 78:2

Proverbs 1:6

Ezekiel 17:2, 20:49, 24:3

Hosea 12:10

In the New Testament the word translated parable is Greek word transliterated parabola. The Greek word literally means a symbol, type, figure, or an illustration. It can be the placing of one thing by the side of another, juxtaposition, as of ships in battle. It can be a comparison of one thing with another, likeness, or similitude. It can be an example by which a doctrine or precept is illustrated. It can also be a narrative, fictitious but agreeable to the laws and usages of human life, by which either the duties of men or the things of God, are figuratively portrayed through the nature and history of God's kingdom. It can be an earthly story with a heavenly meaning or a pithy and instructive saying, involving some likeness or comparison and having perceptive or admonitory force. Jesus used all the above at various times.

Kinds of Parables

A parable can be an allegory (from the Greek allos or other), which is a narrative that figuratively tells a story that has a different meaning than the literal one. Psalms 80:8-17 is a good example.

8.Remember how you brought a young vine from Egypt,

cleared out the brambles and briers and planted your very own vineyard?

9.You prepared the good earth; you planted her roots deep; the vineyard filled the land.

10.Your vine soared high and shaded the mountains,

even dwarfing the giant cedars.

11.Your vine ranged west to the Sea, east to the River.

12.So why do you no longer protect your vine?

Trespassers pick its grapes at will;

13.Wild pigs crash through and crush it, and the mice nibble away at what's left.

14.God of the angel armies, turn our way! Take a good look at what's happened and attend to this vine.

15.Care for what you once tenderly planted—the vine you raised from a shoot.

16.And those who dared to set it on fire—give them a look that will kill!

17.Then take the hand of your once-favorite child, the child you raised to adulthood.

18.We will never turn our back on you; breathe life into our lungs so we can shout your name!

In addition to the apparent meaning one gains from reading the above, there is also a second meaning. An allegorical meaning in verse eight, the vine from Egypt is Israel, in verse nine the phrase "filled the land" refers to the people of God filled the land, and in verse eighteen "breathe life into our lungs" means to make us alive. This reading gives another level of understanding.

Some scholars believe that the Book of Revelation is an allegory.

A parable may also be an analogy. An analogy means that there is some similarity between like features of two things, on which we can base a comparison. Jesus used analogy many times when He referred to "What shall we compare the Kingdom of God to, or "What is the Kingdom of God like."

In addition, a parable may be a metaphor which is a figure of speech used to ascribe the attributes of one thing that we normally would not think applicable to another thing. A number of Jesus' parables involved comparing earthly things with those of the Kingdom of Heaven. For example, in Matthew 13:52, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder...." In Matthew 18:23, "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts...."

The New Testament has more parables than all other religious writings. Jesus used parables to teach His disciples, as well as the throngs of people who followed Him. The parables He spoke passed on by word of mouth to His followers. Someone, we think maybe Peter, began to write them down in Aramaic and Greek in the middle to late first century.

A Good Storyteller

What makes a good storyteller? Jesus certainly was one. Several things go into the making and communicating a good story.

The teller must make the story interesting. Just how does he go about doing that? One must make the story relative to what happening in the world at the time. Certainly, Jesus knew ancient history as well as future events. He chose to use every day occurrences to tell his stories. That's what a good teller of stories does. He does that by connecting the hearers with the characters in the story by setting the tale in terms of the current timeframe. He also made sure that he introduced a parable after he told a truth or described the Kingdom of God as a way of background. Jesus would identify his characters with people of his day. He talked about the rich young ruler, the Samaritan, the father who had two sons, the poor woman, the shepherd, the farmer, and those who made dinner. All those he spoke too could identify with these characters. For sure, the characters in the parables held the same position in society, and the same type of livelihood as many of his hearers. Therefore, the hearers could sympathize with the characters in the story.

If one wishes to tell stories and be good at it, he must have a charismatic personality. One definition of charisma is divinely conferred power of talent. If anyone ever qualified for divine talent, it was Jesus. He had the ability to make people comfortable around him and when he spoke, people responded. He appealed to everyone who saw him. They wanted to be his friend. People sought him out. He drew people toward himself. A magnetic personality produced by Spiritual power and authority that made him attractive to throngs.

The stories he told were concise narratives that did not let the minds of the hearers wander. The key to his communication was to hold the attention of the listener. Jesus did that better than anyone. His stories were to the point, on target, and zeroed in on the important aspect. The scope of his stories ran the gamut of family, enemies, church going men, slaves, to stories regarding nature, wine, light, and darkness. He spoke of weeds, seeds, yeast, treasure, things lost and things found. He kept his stories succinct and to the point. He never wandered away from the purpose of the story. He kept things crisp. Some of the stories he told were only one or two sentences in length. Some were several sentences and paragraph long. They all held the same trait which was they were forcefully expressive, yet so comprehensive that they contained all the elements necessary for the spiritual truth.

Jesus was passionate about the stories he told. He so loved the listeners that he wanted to make them see into the mind of God. At the same time empathized with the people also. Because he shared the same feelings, he knew how to get them involved in the stories. As we look at the parables, they all are quite compelling. They gain our attention and admiration. We find we cannot resist reading them to their conclusion. We find ourselves enthralled as the story develops and the story line binds us in a spell that makes the plot irresistible. He spoke the language of the people, probably Aramaic. This made the listeners hang on every word with intense concentration.

The parables Jesus told came alive to the hearers. His energetic nature was one of his strong suits in getting his stories out. To speak to the throngs of followers without means of amplification meant that he had to have an electric voice that energized his listeners. Yet, at the same time the energy in his stories was such that in quiet moments with his smallest band of followers, the disciples, he still made the stories dynamic, spiriting off the listener to a animated land and determined to bring him back with a forceful point effectively made to his psyche.

The good storyteller commands attention from his listeners. Jesus did this many times, with the phrase "verily, verily, I say unto you." Alternatively, he would begin, "there was a certain man..." On the other hand, he might begin, "How shall I describe the Kingdom of God. If anyone's mind wandered away, a phrase such as I'm going to tell you what the kingdom of God is like, that skillful tactic would bring his or her mind back. Those were effective in making the stories come to life. The stories were forceful and he told them in a spirited dynamic manner.

What was so intriguing about Jesus was the curiosity that surrounded him. He was an interesting character who told interesting stories that made spiritual truth as well as truth for the physical world. Like his story about new wine poured into old wineskins. Everyone knew what that meant then. The mustard seed, the fig tree, the yeast all made fascinating tales. The people who followed him found himself absorbed in the moment when hearing him tell about the lost son, or the lost sheep. They were gripped at the plight of the ten virgins, as well as the rich man and Lazarus. He aroused their curiosity with two men building on sand and rock.

If you want to tell stories, you have to captivate the attention of the audience. Many factors go into capturing an audience. First, the storyteller must have some charm that holds the listeners' attention. He must be interested in the story himself and well as interested in the listeners. It takes a little enchantment, mystery to enthrall, delight, fascinate, or mesmerize the audience.

The one telling the story must have a purpose in mind for telling the story. Surely, Jesus had a purpose not only in his parables but also in everything he said. Jesus purpose was to motivate the religious leaders to work at being, as well as work at learning and teaching. He told the stories to reason with his disciples and those that followed him. He had a plan for his people and was resolved in relating that plan to them. His goal was to bring some light into the minds of people who lived in

.

The Writers

The writers of the gospels wrote their books at different times. We believe Mark was the first writer, followed by Matthew, and last of all Luke. We find eighty percent of Mark's gospel in the other two gospels.

Mark records the events in Jesus' life and tells the story as a youngster excitedly tells a story as if it is happening around him. Scholars believe Mark got most of his anecdotes of Jesus from the preaching of Peter. This may be true, but it might also be true that he witnessed some of the events himself. There is an interesting passage of scripture in Mark 14:51-52. These two verses do not appear in either Matthew or Luke's gospel.

"...A young man was following along. All he had on was a bed sheet. Some of the men grabbed him but he got away, running off naked, leaving them holding the sheet." [Mark 14:51-52].

Some scholars believe this is Mark's way of saying he was in the garden that night and witnessed the events as they unfolded. How else would Mark know what Jesus said in His prayer in the garden? All the disciples slept while Jesus prayed. Maybe Mark stood in the darkness and heard the Lord as He prayed.

If Mark records the events of Jesus, then Matthew records the substance of Jesus teachings. Repeatedly Matthew quotes Jesus whereas Mark quotes Him very little. Matthew wrote his gospel to the Jews but in the end explains that Jesus came to redeem the whole world. Matthew, the only disciple to write a gospel, probably wrote down the many events as they occurred. He was the tax collector and probably the most educated of the disciples. When Jesus called him, he left his tax practice immediately but retained the orderly way of organizing events, as was his practice as a tax collector. Early church historians maintain that Matthew recorded the sayings of Jesus in Hebrew and all three-gospel writers used this as a "source" book in their writing.

Luke wrote his gospel to the Gentiles of which he was one. His emphasis was explaining the way of salvation, Jesus' Messiah-ship, and the mission of Jesus.

The writers of each gospel wrote to a specific region of the known world. Mark was in Rome, Matthew was in Syria, Luke wrote to the Gentiles, and John wrote to the Ephesians. The four gospels did not come together into one canon until the second or third century.

The Stories

According to the writers of the gospels, there are forty-one stories or parables that Jesus told. We find these stories recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Of the forty-one, fifteen appear in Luke and no other gospel. There are eleven recorded in Matthew only. Mark contains one parable not in the other two. Five parables are in Matthew and Luke but not Mark, and one is in Mark and Luke but not Matthew. There are seven parables in all three gospels. John wrote one parable that is not in any of the other three gospels.

Shown below are the parables we find in the New Testament along with the gospel reference applicable to each parable.

Parables in Matthew Mark and Luke

Lamp under a bow: Matthew l5:14-15, Mark 4:21-22, Luke 8:16; 11:33

New cloth on an old coat: Matthew 9:16, Mark 2:21, Luke 5:36

New wine in old wineskins: Matthew 9:17, Mark 2:22, Luke 5:37-38

Sower and the soils: Matthew 13:3-8, 18-23, Mark 4:3-8, 14-20, Luke 8:5-8, 11-15

Mustard seed: Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32, Luke 13:18-19

Tenants: Matthew 21:33-44, Mark 12:1-11, Luke 20:9-18

Fig tree: Matthew 24:32-35, Mark 13:28-29, Luke 21:29-31

Chapter 1 -- The Lamp Under a Bowl

If one wishes to tell stories and be good at it, he must have a charismatic personality. One definition of charisma is divinely conferred power or talent. If anyone ever qualified for divine talent, it was Jesus. He had the ability to make people comfortable around Him and when he spoke, people responded. People sought Him out. He drew people toward himself. He appealed to everyone who saw Him. They wanted to be His friend. A magnetic personality produced by Spiritual power and authority made Him attractive to the throngs.

A good storyteller also must have a purpose in mind for telling the story. Surely, Jesus had a purpose not only in His parables but also in everything he said. Jesus' purpose was to motivate the religious leaders to work at being righteous, as well as work at learning and teaching. He told the stories to reason with His disciples and those that followed Him. He had a plan for His people and was resolved to relate that plan to them. His goal was to bring some light into the minds of people who lived in darkness. The lamp under the bowl is a good example of what Jesus wanted for His followers. See if you can ascertain the purpose behind The Lamp Under the Bowl.

Chapter 1 - The Lamp

Matthew 5:14-15

5.14You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid.

5.15Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.

Mark 4:21-22

4.21 And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not on a stand?

4.22 For there is nothing hid, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light.

Luke 8:16; 11:33

8.16 No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see the light.

11.33 No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a bushel, but on a stand, that those who enter may see the light.

In this parable, Jesus compares the follower's life to that of a candle. This is one of those analogy parables. Most translations use the word light or torch, instead of lamp. They also most often, use the word basket in describing the article used to cover the light, except Eugene Peterson in his translation "The Message" uses the term bucket in Matthew, washtub in Mark, and washtub and drawer in Luke. Each gospel writer tells the parable a little differently.

Matthew 5:14-15 "You are the light (Greek word transliterated "phos" meaning "light to shine") of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light (the Greek word transliterated "kaio" which means "to kindle or consume") a lamp and put it under a bushel (or bucket; as in Eugene Peterson's translation The Message) but on a stand, and it gives light (Greek transliterated "lampe" and means lamp) to all in the house.

Mark 4:21-22 - And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel (washtub, The Message), or under a bed, and not on a stand? For there is nothing hid (Greek transliterated 'krupton' and means hidden), except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light (Greek transliterated 'phaneron' and means to make manifest)."

Luke 8:16 – "No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel (washtub, The Message), or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see the light (Greek transliterated 'phos' – light to shine)"

Luke 11:33 "No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar (in a drawer, The Message) or under a bushel, but on a stand, that those who enter may see the light (Greek transliterated phellos' – brightness, light)."

Why tell this parable four times? I do not believe that this parable is in the gospels four times just because each one of the writers thought it interesting to put in his story. It is there each time for a reason. I think each time it has something different to teach us from the context presented. Should we assume there is more than one meaning to this parable?

Matthew 5:14-15

The first occurrence of this parable is in The Gospel of Matthew 5:14-15. It is part of the Sermon on the Mount just after the Beatitudes where Jesus encourages the multitude by telling them of their worthiness in the Kingdom of God and that they are important to the work of the gospel. Matthew informs the crowd of the significance of each believer who comes to follow Jesus. He is a light unto the world, and their light is a necessary part of the Good News shared around the world.

We find the word light three times in verses fourteen and fifteen. Matthew uses a different Greek word to denote light each time.

The first instance is, "You are the light of the world." The word here used for light is the Greek word "phos" a noun meaning to shine or make manifest. The light emitted by a lamp cannot help but shine when lit. We can also interpret this as a heavenly light that surrounds angels when they appear on earth. Something such as a star emits this kind of light, as does a fire, or a torch. It also simply means brightness.

I remember spending a week in Belize City, Belize. The hotel where I stayed was right on the water's edge of the western Caribbean. One evening while I was getting some exercise walking around the hotel grounds I saw a functioning lighthouse. At night the light shone eastward toward the sea to warn passing ships that dangerous rocks were close by. It was a light (phos) emitting rays for all to see.

God is that kind of light. John wrote, "God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all (I John 1:5)." The light is pure and brilliant and cannot help but shine or manifest itself. The Bible teaches that in heaven there will be no need for electricity or the sun or the stars because God's brightness will light up all of paradise. So this means that believers in Christ are made manifest in God's light. If His light can light up all of heaven then it can shine through those who believe in Him. So how do we let the "light" shine? The children's song says it best.

"This little light of mine.

I'm gonna let it shine..."

We let God's light shine by yielding to Him, in prayer, study, and faithfulness. Matthew goes on to say that our light cannot hide for we are like a city that is set on a hill. When I was young, we would go to see our relatives some three hundred miles from Amarillo. We would leave when my dad got off from work in the evening. After driving through the dark, we arrived at our destination around midnight. As we approached towns along the way, the lights from the city would glow from behind hills, and we could see the lights of the city from a great distance. That is just what lights do. We cannot hide city lights.

The second use of the word light is in verse 15, "Nor do men light (kaio, verb) a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand...." The Greek word "kaio" is a verb, which has two meanings. First, it is to set on fire. Therefore, if we start a fire with a match or another flammable device we perform the action that this verb calls for. When I lived in Los Angeles, we would go down to the beach and spend the afternoon. When evening came and it began to cool off, someone would want to start a fire so that we could keep warm. We would designate two or three to find some kindling and. We would put the kindling on the sand in the middle of a small circle made of stones. Then using a match or butane wand, we would light (kaio) the fire. It would give off a brilliant glow, and the wood or campfire would burn (kaio). That is the meaning of the word used here for light. Once we got the fire burning, we would huddle up close to the fire to stay warm and cook hotdogs or whatever.

It would not have been a good idea to start the fire, let it burn, and then cover it with a bucket. We would not have been able to stay warm or cook our food. I believe the writer means that once we light a fire it is foolish to prevent it from completing its purpose. A believer who denies he is a believer does as much good as a fire under a bucket.

The third time Matthew refers to light is in verse 15 when he writes, "Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house." He uses the Greek word "lampe," a noun, which literally means torch. When we think of a torch we see men carrying a stick above their heads. At the top of the stick is a fire burning by means of some form of petroleum or straw set ablaze. The fire illuminates the area around them making the way visible to walk. That is the picture here.

Peter, when he denied Christ, was like a fire under a bucket; he was shedding no spiritual light, useless. However, after the resurrection removed the bucket from Peter's life, the light of God shone brightly.

Matthew uses three words when describing light. One is source of light, one is kindle, and one is to shine. The interpretation of this parable in Matthew is that once the light of the world, Jesus, is made manifest or kindled in the believer, it shines and never goes out because He is the source for the light.

Mark 4:21-22

Now in this passage from Mark, Jesus had just finished a discourse with the teachers of the law regarding His sanity and their accusation that He taught as one sent from the devil (Chapter 3 of Mark) because He spoke to the crowd in parables. But he continued to teach in parables. The next parable He taught the multitude was The Parable of the Sower (which we will study later). After telling the story, the crowd leaves (mystified because if the disciples did not understand we can rest assured that the crown did not understand either) and a small group, along with the disciples, remained with Him and asked Him to explain the parable of the sower to them. So now speaking to a smaller more intimate group Jesus tells them they are to understand the mystery of the kingdom. Then He interprets the parable apparently meant only for them and juxtaposes the parable light with the parable of the sower, hoping they will understand more clearly.

Mark 4:21-22. And he said to them, "Is a lamp (Greek lucnmn meaning light) brought in to be put under a bushel, (Greek modion meaning corn measure) or under a bed, (Greek klinmn meaning couch) and not on a stand (Greek lucnian meaning lamp stand)? For there is nothing hid (Greek krupton meaning hidden, concealed, or secret), except to be made manifest (Greek famepon meaning to make manifest); nor is anything secret (Greek apokruqon meaning hidden, concealed, or stored up), except to come to light (Greek fameron meaning to make manifest)."

He asks a question in such a manner that there is only one acceptable response. When Jesus says "lamp," He uses a word that has its roots in the word "light" meaning a brilliance radiating from whiteness, or dazzling white. He may not mean light as we sometimes think of it as a lighted candle or flame of fire. He may mean a brilliant substance, an illuminator.

The word used as bushel, here is really the word for a receptacle to measure grain. So another way of saying this would be, "who would bring a white substance into the house and put it into the dirty container used to measure grain." The word for bed is a word that means a small bed or couch, which could be a couch to recline on at meals or it could mean a couch on which to carry a sick man. Who would bring a lamp and put it under a couch, "...and not on a stand." Stand is from the root word lamp, used in the first part of this verse. Sometimes it is interpreted lamp stand, candlestick, or even candelabrum (a holder of several lights or candles.) We can interpret this to mean that this brilliant brightness should be displayed with all the other beautiful things in our homes.

Verse 22 is interesting for it says "... there is nothing hid, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light." The word interpreted "nothing" is from the Greek word "ou" which meant no, or not, and in direct questions expects an affirmative answer. The word "hidden" is from the root word meaning to hide, conceal, to be hid, or to escape notice. Whatever is hidden will eventually come to light. Then Jesus says "nor is anything secret, except to come to light." The word interpreted as "hidden" means to hide, conceal, or private. The word-interpreted as "secret" has two meanings. The first meaning is "hidden" or "secret" and the second meaning is "stored up." Even though "hidden" and "secret (both used as adjectives) have similar meaning, they are different words. A secret is known but not revealed, and to hide means keep from view. The word "light" used at the end of the verse is not the same used in verse twenty-one. This word is an adjective meaning apparent, or manifest or to be plainly recognized or known.

Therefore, since Jesus was the light of the world, Mark might have meant, "who would bring the light of the world to their home and put Him in the room reserved for vegetables, or the root cellar, or hide Him behind the couch where one reclined to eat?" Eventually Jesus' light will be manifested all over the house and will be displayed in the best places throughout. We cannot hide the gospel, and we should not make it open to denominational teachings. We are not telling secrets, and we are not trying to conceal things. We put Jesus and the Gospel prominently in our lives so that we are open to questions and curiosity seekers.

Have you tried to keep secrets? It is very hard to do. Some people can sense when they are not privy to a secret. Governments try to keep secrets all the time. They have the best resources available. Still leaks occur. What the government thought they hid from the public, they find in the headlines of local papers. The church over the years has believed that their denomination has stored up the keys to the kingdom. Jesus tells us that the gospel is not a secret; the door to the storehouse is wide open.

I believe Jesus was telling this group of His closest disciples and followers that they would have no choice but to illuminate the world with His brilliance. Even if the Romans tried to hide Him as they did after His resurrection, the world would know and see His light shining and He would be revealed.

Luke 8:16

Luke chose two occasions in which to mention the parable of the lamp under a bowl, Luke 8:16 and Luke 11:33. In the first occurrence, Jesus has just finished explaining the parable of the Sower to the disciples. Luke records Him speaking to a close-knit intimate group just as occurred in Mark 4:21-22.

Some of the words used by Luke differ from those of Matthew and Mark. The word used for "light" (phos) at the end of this passage is not used in Mark, but it is the same word used for light in the first part of the parable in Matthew 5:14. The word interpreted, "vessel" (skeuos) here, we do not find in Matthew or Mark. However, the word "candlestick" (luchnia) found here is also in all four occasions of this parable in the three gospels.

Luke 8:16 – "No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see the light."

In this verse the action of lighting the lamp and covering it with a vessel or putting it under a bed does not occur. We do not deliberate whether to do that. Rather putting the lamp on a candlestick is the normal occurrence.

It is like a physical law. I am not a scientist but I remember physical laws from school and I remember some experiments proving and trying to disprove them. A physical law is something like gravity. When I was in Nigeria, we traveled one Saturday to a city north of Lagos called Ibadan. The University of Ibadan was located there and we toured the campus. We drove by an area where large trees had fallen. The ingenious faculty and students used the fallen trees as benches. Nailed to the remaining lone tree still standing was a sign that read "Physics Department." I guess they had been conducting experiments. What goes up must come down. Alternatively, the law of kinetic energy, which states a body in motion, will remain in motion until acted on. The law of centrifugal force, which states a body, will continue to go in a straight line until acted on.

Rather than physical law, we could call this verse a spiritual law. A spiritual law is one that we cannot alter. An example of a spiritual law is "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." This spiritual law of Luke 8:16 states when you have a relationship with Jesus who is the light of the world, and you bring that light into your life, His brilliance will manifest itself throughout your life.

Luke 11:33

We find the second occurrence of this parable in Luke's gospel in Luke 11:33. It is the last incidence of this parable in the gospels. Luke 11:33 sounds like a repeat of the passage in chapter eight. However, it is different. Jesus tells the same parable to a different audience. He speaks to the Pharisees and Sadducees who have witnessed miracle after miracle and yet they want to see yet another sign. Luke omits the make up of the crowd which is recorded in Matthew 12:38 instead calls them an "evil generation." He concludes the introductory passage with the thought that the men of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah. Then Jesus says, "One greater than Jonah is here." So speaking to the leaders of the religious community, Jesus calls them evil and blind to the fact that the greatest prophet speaks to them. The eyes of the Sadducees and Pharisees filled with darkness could not let in the light. They could not see the Messiah. They sought for a sign of the coming Messiah. Then he related how Jonah was a sign to Nineveh. Therefore, He says that one greater than Jonah is before them performing miracles and they seek a more miraculous sign.

If we juxtapose Luke 8:16 and 11:33 we find that Luke uses the term "to cover" in chapter eight and "to put" in chapter 11. The word "to put" means to place or to no longer wear, or no longer carries. It also can mean to put forth or to fix or establish or to ordain.

Why would he use a different word in this passage? Within the framework of this discourse, he is trying to make a different point from the one in chapter eight. He uses the word "to put" because later in the passage he is going to compare light and darkness of the body. So He says no one puts a light under a bowl. The result of putting a candle or lamp under a bowl would extinguish the light because of it lack of oxygen. Therefore, a logical choice is to take takes a lamp or light and put it in a place to be seen.

In addition to the above differences, Luke uses three others. He uses a different word when describing where the man places the candle. In this verse, he uses the term secret or secret place. When describing the alternate place where one would not put the candle, Luke uses the word that Mark used in his gospel for a container to measure grain.

Luke also uses a different word for light than he used in chapter eight. Although this word has some of the same meaning of light from a candle, it can also mean light of the moon or sunshine or a beam of light. This becomes clearer as he talks about the lamp of the body in the next verse.

"Take heed that the light in you be not darkness." He says that the eye is the lamp for the body. When the eye is good, (Greek word meaning single or sound or there is nothing complicated or confused) the whole body is full of radiant beams of light. However, when the eye is not sound it is blind, there are no beams of light within and one is full of darkness.

I think we can interpret Luke 11:33 to mean that Jesus was saying He is the light of the world and if you possess Him, you are full of His light and it shines in you.

Chapter 2 -- New Cloth On An Old Coat/New Wine in Old Wineskins

What was so intriguing about Jesus was the curiosity that surrounded Him. He was an interesting character who told interesting stories that revealed spiritual truth as well as truth for the physical world. His story about new wine poured into old wineskins is such a story. Everyone in that day and time knew what the analogy meant. The people who followed Jesus found themselves absorbed in the moment when hearing Him tell about the lost son, or the lost sheep. The plight of the ten virgins gripped those who heard it, as well as the rich man and Lazarus. But, He aroused their interest with the story of two men building on sand and rock and the story of new cloth and new wineskins.

Cloth & Wine

Matthew: 9:16:

9.16 And no one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.

9.17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; if it is, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."

Mark: 2:21:

2.21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; if he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 2.22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but new wine is for fresh skins."

Luke: 5:36:

5.36 He told them a parable also: "No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon an old garment; if he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 5.37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed.

5.38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 5.39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new; for he says, 'The old is good.'

All three-gospel writers used these two parables to teach one lesson. This dialogue occurs right after Jesus has called Levi to be His disciple and went to have dinner with him at his house. The Pharisees asked the disciples to explain why they associated with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus came to the disciples rescue and confronted the Scribes and Pharisees. The Pharisees took the opportunity to contrast the prayers of John's disciples with the eating habits of Jesus' disciples. The Pharisees must have felt smug about this statement, since they felt themselves to be righteous. However, a few sentences later Jesus lets them know that they were just as much in need of a healer as those they believed to be sinners.

In the parable of the cloth, Matthew uses the word "put" as did Luke instead of the word "sew" that Mark used. The word Matthew and Luke use is a verb and can have several meanings. It means to cast upon, or to lie on. It can mean to throw ones self upon, or rush in. It also can mean it belongs to me, or falls to my share. The word Mark uses is a verb that means to sew upon or sew to. We can see the writers did not copy from each other. They wrote from inspiration. Mark's gospel is the gospel of action and gets directly to the point. "No man sews old cloth to new."

Matthew and Mark use the word old "cloth" and Luke uses the word old "garment." "Cloth" is the Greek noun, which means a torn off piece, or a rag. The word "garment" used by Luke is a noun that means the upper garment, the cloak or mantle, but can mean a garment of any sort. In essence, Luke says no one would wear an upper garment with an unfinished patch on it. If it rained, the new garment would shrink and have holes in it exposing the person. All three writers use the same word for garment when referring to sowing a new patch on old cloth.

They all agree that no one should put or sew something new onto something old. Matthew and Mark say it would take away from the old garment or literally carry off or away. Luke uses the word "separate" as in separation of one thing from another or division of a part from the whole. The old would look out of place and damage the new garment.

Luke uses an interesting word in describing the cloth when he says the new would not agree with the old. He uses the word "agree" similar to when making a bargain with someone. Matthew and Mark use the word "rent" when describing the condition of the new garment. From this word, we get the word "schism" which means a division or dissension. This indicates that the writers of the gospels were saying that the new religion Christ brought made divisions and separations and brought dissension when used as a type of Jewish ritualism. The new tears down the old and cast it away.

In the parable of the wineskins, many translations interpret the Greek word transliterated "askos" as bottles. In the Biblical period, there were no bottles, but rather leather bags, in which they stored wine. New wine as it fermented gave off gasses. The old hard leather wineskins would crack and burst when filled with new wine.

The three accounts agree in nearly every root word except Matthew adds the phrase at the end that the new wine put into new wine skins "will preserve the skins." The word "preserves" means to keep from perishing or being lost. It can also mean to conserve from ruin, or mentally to remember and obey. Since Luke wrote his gospel to the Gentiles, he might include this phrase to give them assurance of God's willingness to preserve their salvation just as the new wine would preserve the wineskins.

When I was in elementary school in Amarillo, Texas, my mother would buy my brother and me a pair of blue jeans in the basement of Levine's Department Store every year before school started. We would travel downtown and enter Levine's at the Polk street entrance. Mother would herd us down the stairs to the basement. That was where the boys department was. We, wanting Levis, would look over the blue jeans. She usually bought us some unknown brand, but occasionally she bought us Lee or Levis. In those days new clothes were something to be proud of. We would start to school each year with new clothes and everyone looked neat and clean in their new clothes.

However, halfway through the school year, the knees began showing wear and tear, and sometimes they became so threadbare our knees showed through. My mother would go to the store and find some kind of iron-on knee patch for the Levis. After the next washing, she would iron the dark blue patch onto the faded pants, and that would have to last until time to do the back to school shopping for the next year. I can remember wearing the faded Levis with the dark blue patch on each knee to school. I was not out of place for all the boys wore the same kind of pants with patches during the spring semester. Everyone knew that we wore repaired Levis. The new denim patch was distinguishable from the old denim.

The early church was like those pants. They thought they could incorporate the Jewish faith and law into the faith that Christ brought but the entire world could see it was just an old religion patched together with a new idea. They felt that if they took on the Christian persona, their old faith would be sufficient. However, just like the old pants I used to wear, their religion had holes that needed not patches but a new covenant, not patches.

Wine must age or ferment before it reaches its potential. No one having drank old or aged wine would want new wine. They would say the old is better. Once we discard the old wine, the new wine remains and becomes desirable. If one holds onto his old way of thinking and does not take in the teachings of Christ to permeate his life, he will never reach a peaceful existence with God. The old thoughts fail to let the new life overtake his thoughts.

There is considerable talk these days regarding the separation of church and state. There are many in the church upset over the current trend to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance and off our currency and to remove the Ten Commandments from government buildings. Countless e-mails circulate describing what is written on government buildings in the nation's capital, what religious inscription is on our currency, and congress beginning each day with a prayer. However, like putting a patch on old clothes, patches of words on buildings, money, and in public meetings do not indicate that the building, the money, or the gathering is spiritual. It is like the old cloth or the old wineskin. It is full of defects and threadbare. In truth the true Christian has God on the inside and is a new building. The true Christian carries a new form of treasure in heaven, and speaks to God personally without having someone speak for him.

Christianity is not about governments, institutions, money, or buildings. It is about a personal relationship with Christ. It is not about a social ideology but rather individual commitment and change. Acts 17:24 – 17:25 (NKJV) "God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things." Putting a patch of religion on a building or government institution will never make a secular body religious. It only brings strife.

I worked in Africa several years and the people there are very concerned about their status in the community, and amongst their peers. They all want to look important even if they were no more important than the next person. They would do outlandish things to impress upon their co-workers how important and vital they were to the corporation. Meetings never started on time due to some participant rushing in ten minutes late with an excuse that the executives need his advice. Sometimes team members would instruct their assistants to interrupt during a meeting to give them a fictitious note that summoned them away on an emergency. Actually, these people did very little work, and no one needed them for anything. Nevertheless, they wanted to impress everyone with how important they were.

To follow Christ is not about appearance or what your peers think of you. It is not about having a religious symbol that you may have around your neck or on your lapel or plastered on your shirt or the back window of your pickup. It is about the grace of God in a new creation, fresh with a new existence and a personal relationship with Christ.

The old "wineskin" cannot stand up to the new. The old cloth, old buildings, old traditions, or old religion cannot stand up against the new life in Christ. The Pharisees could not fathom change.

I am a Pharisee

We've had church for thousands of years

Don't tell us how to worship we agree

Our ways are the best methods not yours

I have all the answers. I am a Pharisee

Judge a brother we wouldn't think of it

Jack said, "You at the dance I'll see"

Heads turned old ladies had a hissy fit

You cannot engage in that. I am a Pharisee

The church next door sings from a big screen

To worship you use a hymnal we all agree

Guitars, drums, songs with a beat is obscene

You can't have that noise here. I am a Pharisee

The passage concerning Christ and the elect

It may be true, but doesn't fit my philosophy

The concept of predestination I must reject

There is no room to budge. I am a Pharisee

The wine in the Bible it must be grape juice

Our creed doesn't allow for any alcoholic tea

On this the church does not accept an excuse

We will never weaken on this. I am a Pharisee

A Messiah, the Jew expected a conquering king

They studied the scriptures to the "n"th degree

Hosanna in the highest they would not sing

And cried Crucify Him for I am a Pharisee

Chapter 3 -- Sower And The Soils

The parables Jesus told came alive to the hearers. His energetic nature was one of His strong suits in getting His stories out. To speak to the crowds of followers without means of amplification meant that He had to have an electric voice that energized His listeners. Yet, at the same time the energy in His stories was such that in quiet moments with His smallest band of followers, the disciples, He still made the stories dynamic. They spirited the listener off to an animated land and determined to bring him back with a forceful point effectively made to His psyche. Look at how Jesus makes the story of the sower come alive.

The Sower

Matthew 13:3-8,18-23:

13.1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea 13.2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach. 13.3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. 13.4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 13.5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 13.6 but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. 13.7 Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 13.8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 13.9 He who has ears, let him hear."

The Interpretation of the Sower

13.18"Hear then the parable of the sower. 13.19 When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. 13.20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 13.21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 13.22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 13.23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

Mark 4:3-8, 14-20:

4.1 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 4.2 And he taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 4.3 Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4.4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 4.5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil; 4.6 and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away. 4.7 Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 4.8 And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." 4.9 And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

The Interpretation of the Sower

4.13 And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 4.14 The sower sows the word. 4.15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown; when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them. 4.16 And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 4.17 and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 4.18 And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word, 4.19 but the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 4.20 But those that were sown upon the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."

Luke 8:5-8,11-15:

8.4 And when a great crowd came together and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: 8.5 A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path, and was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 8.6 And some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 8.7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew with it and choked it. 8.8 And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold." As he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

The Interpretation of the Sower

8.11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 8.12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved. 8.13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. 8.14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 8.15 And as for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Matthew and Mark speak about Jesus teaching by the seashore and because the crowd was so great, Jesus got into a boat and taught them. Luke omits this bit of information, probably, because he was writing to the Gentiles who had no reference to the topography of the countryside where the telling of this parable occurred.

Matthew and Mark also precede this passage with the passage of Jesus identifying His true relatives. Again, Luke precedes this passage with the passage identifying the women who ministered to the disciples from their means. Later at the end of the passage, Luke includes the passage about Jesus' real relatives.

It is very interesting that the three gospels each use a different word to describe the one who carries away the seed that fell by the way.

In Matthew 13:19 the word translated "wicked" – poneros is a derivative of ponos, which means (great trouble, intense desire or pain). Matthew expands on Mark's declaration that Satan grabs the seed by using a word that has multiple nuances regarding Satan. The word he uses is the one for deceitful, wicked, depraved, evil, bad, and malignant.

In Mark 4:15 the Greek word used is "satanas" or Satan and means adversary (one who opposes another in purpose or act.)

In Luke 8:12 the Greek word used is "diabolos" or Devil. Even though the Gentiles did not have a history of knowing about Satan, they were familiar with the word devil which is equivalent to the Hebrew word Satan.

So Matthew said the evil one, Mark said Satan, and Luke used devil to describe the gatherer of the seed that fell by the way.

In each gospel we are given a different reason why some never receive the Word of God.

In Matthew, some never receive the gospel because they are so full of labors and annoyances and are so hard of heart that they continually try to bring peril, pain, and trouble to Christians. They have a disease of faith. Just as disease of the eye prevents one from seeing visually, they cannot see, through faith, what God has for them. Instead, they are so full of evil and wickedness that they are blind to the things of God.

In Mark, those that do not receive the gospel are so adversarial that they oppose anything and everything that has to do with God. They incite others to ignore the things of God. They find temporal things to worship. They develop elaborate schemes to defeat religious thought. They are similar to the secularists of today who take an adversarial position against anything having to do with religion, particularly the Christian religion.

In Luke, a practical application of this passage is that some cannot receive the Word of God because they are prone to slander and find fault with all Christians because of the bad things a few have done. Slander is defamation; calumny, or a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report. It is defamation by oral utterance rather than by writing or pictures, etc. Many people who do not come to know Christ slander those who do. Some examples of slander are those who accuse believers of being bigots because a Christian looks at things differently than non-believers. On the other hand, they refer to Christians as being hateful because they do not believe the way the rest of the world wants them to believe.

In this parable, told by all three writers, we have a message that speaks to all people whether they subscribe to the teaching of Jesus or not. Here is explained the reasons why some never experience the Gospel. They allow other things to get in the way. Those things can be the evil one, Satan, or the devil. The cares of the world prohibit some and impede others. Some when questioned about their faith give up and agree with other teachings, rather determining to study to know why they believe as they do.

There is a movement to put down Christian believers as dumb, confused, easily persuaded, and ignorant. Non-believers somehow think they are more intellectual and think themselves wiser than believers. Paul, writing to the Corinthians in his first letter, states the following in chapter one verses 18-20.

"18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.' 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?"3

Jesus used the simple things that even a child could understand. He used the concept of sowing see, which they were all familiar. In essence, he said if you want to see God look around. Regardless of the few differences in the three parables the teaching that we can take away is that at the end even though many seeds fall by the wayside or are chocked out there is going to be an immense harvest. It may seem that much of our effort seems wasted but in the end, God brings about a great harvest.

Chapter 4 -- The Mustard Seed

Because the stories Jesus told were concise narratives that did not let the minds of the hearers wander, he held the attention of the listener. Jesus did that better than anyone. His stories were to the point and zeroed in on what He wanted to teach or emphasize. The scope of his stories ran the gamut of family, enemies, slaves, and church going men to stories regarding nature, wine, light, and darkness. He spoke of weeds, seeds, yeast, treasure, things lost and things found. He kept His stories succinct and to the point and he never wandered from the purpose of the story. He kept things crisp. Some of the stories He told were only one or two sentences in length. Some were several sentences and paragraphs long. They all held the same trait; they were forcefully expressive, yet so comprehensive that they contained all the elements necessary for the spiritual truth. The parable of the coins and the mustard seed are good examples of a concise parable.

The Mustard Seed

Matthew 13:31-32:

13.31Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; 13.32 it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."

Mark 4:30-32:

4.30 And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 4.31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 4.32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."

Luke 13:18-19:

13:18 He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 13.19 It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches."

Each gospel uses a different word to describe where the planter plants the mustard seed. (Field, Earth, Garden)

The parable of the mustard seed found in three gospels, looks the same when you first read them. It is the story of planting a small seed that grows into a large tree where birds come to build their nests and rest. The branches of this tree also give shade to those on the ground. That is what most of us remember about this parable. However, unlike the parable about having faith the size of a mustard seed, this parable is about the "Kingdom of God."

This parable discusses a subject that is bigger than we comprehend. It is a much more important story than the story of a man who started a business in his house or garage and through hard work, perseverance, and determination built it into a gigantic corporation. There are many stories like that. Although one may get some inspiration from them or use this parable to form parallels, it can be used to explain success in worldly terms.

A closer examination of the three occurrences of this parable reveals something unique about each one. It is not that each was written at a different time or place or that they were written by different men. The uniqueness has to do with the word used for the plot of ground where the Sower planted the seed.

Matthew uses the word for field; Mark uses the word for earth; Luke uses the word for garden. These three words cover the extent of where to plant the seed. It was not only planted in a field used by common folks, but throughout the earth for all believers, and even in the individual's own garden. That makes for an interesting interpretation of the parable as a whole. It suggests the three authors wrote for three groups of people or audiences. Matthew wrote for the commune of believers, Mark for all believers and Luke for the individual.

Matthew 13:31-32

Matthew makes the parable communal when he uses the term field ("agros") for where the seed was sown. He could have been referring to a communal field and not a public but a private field for a town or village. A communal field was a piece of land in the country used by farmers or a piece of land used for tillage by neighboring hamlets. So, the parable might read, The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man scattering seeds in his community. When the small seeds germinate and grow, the village is the recipient of the blessing and birds lodge in the branches, and leaves shade the ground for all to enjoy.

Tyler, Texas has a wonderful zoo. It ranks alongside some of the great zoos around the country. It was a gift to the community by a long time resident of the area. The philanthropist who endowed the zoo insisted that there be no entrance fee. It remained so up until her death. She planted and built a gift for the community to enjoy. Even though the gift was not directed to them people from other parts of the country and world can come to Tyler and enjoy the zoo.

Just as the seed grew into a tree trunk, and put forth branches, the Kingdom of Heaven grows from a Word. It grows into the soul of a Christian whose life touches the surrounding members of his family. They in turn, touch others. Soon, the community as a whole benefits. Thus, the community field produces food for the commune, and for other communities. The Kingdom of God spreads from village to village through faith and the sowing of the seed.

Mark 4:30-32

Mark uses a different word for where the farmer sows the seed. He uses the Greek word for earth (transliterated ge and pronounced "ghay"). This word is a noun meaning arable land or the earth as a whole. Could it be that Mark gave us the parable with an evangelistic slant? The Kingdom of God is compared to the mustard seed sown throughout the earth by taking the gospel to the entire world. Some scholars refer to Mark's gospel as the "action" gospel. This could certainly explain his use of the word for earth. After all, he also writes the gospel to the Romans who would relate to the world or earth as being the Kingdom of God as they controlled most of the known world.

Luke 13:18-19

Luke personalizes the parable when he uses the Greek word garden (transliterated kepos and pronounced "kay'-pos") for the place that receives the mustard seed. The connotation of a garden was a personal plot of ground where a family grew its allotment of food for sustaining their lives. Therefore, the Kingdom of God is like a man planting a mustard seed in his back yard or garden and when it grows it becomes a place where visitors can come, lodge, and seek refuge. Just as the mustard tree does not exclude one bird over the other, so the Kingdom of God, does not exclude based upon race or gender.

I am not much of a gardening enthusiast but many people take great pride in their gardens spending many laborious hours in them. I tolerate gardens and do as little as I can to get by and still have them look good. However, this parable leads one to believe that the one who cast the mustard seed in this garden cared very much about it. He watered, weeded, and watched as the mustard plant grew to great heights and widths. He also watched as the birds of the air came to lodge there.

Luke uses the Greek word transliterated ballo and pronounced bal'lo for the verb plant. It is a word, which means to throw or let go of a thing without caring where it falls. We cast The Kingdom of God all around us, and we do not know where it will land. We do not care where it lands for we know wherever it does it will make known Jesus the Christ.

When we were in London several years ago I became intrigued with people who fed the pigeons at the base of the Lord Nelson Column. The tourist bureau preferred that the tourists feed the pigeons birdseed. They made small cups of birdseed available to tourists. I watched as the tourists flung the birdseed toward various groups of pigeons whose heads bobbed around the plaza. The tourists cast the seed without caring where it fell, because they knew that the pigeons would find the seed and eat it. The tourist did not decide which pigeon received food, but made it available to all of them. The tourist, uncertain as to the bird that ate the seed nevertheless, knew it was not wasted for at the end of the day there was no seed on the concrete around the Lord Nelson Column. The same is true of God's Word in this parable. God's Word, scattered about, is never wasted.

That is how Luke perceived the good news of Jesus when He included this parable in his gospel. Uncertain as to who would believe nevertheless knowing that many would come to take refuge in the great branches of the Kingdom.

Chapter 5 -- The Tenants

In order to make the story interesting the teller must make the story relative to what is happening in the world at the time. Certainly, Jesus knew ancient history as well as future events. He chose to use every day occurrences to tell His stories. That is what a good teller of stories does. He connects the hearers with the characters in the story and sets the tale in terms of the current timeframe. Jesus made sure that He introduced a parable after He told a truth or described the Kingdom of God as a way of background. Jesus identified His characters with people of His day. He talked about the rich young ruler, the Samaritan, the father who had two sons, the poor woman, the shepherd, the farmer, and those who made dinner. All of His audiences could identify with these characters. For sure, the characters in the parables held the same position in society and the same type of livelihood as many of His hearers. Therefore, the hearers could empathize with the characters in the story. The story of the tenants is a good example as well.

Tenants

Matthew: 21:33-44:

21.33."Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country

21.34When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; 21.35 and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 21.36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. 21.37 Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 21.38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' 21.39 And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 21.40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" 21.41 They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons" 21.42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? 21.43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it." 21.44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be broken crushed. 21.45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 22.46 But when they tried to arrest him, they feared the multitudes, because they held him to be a prophet.

Mark: 12:1-11:

12.1 And he began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a pit for the wine press, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. 12.2 When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 12.3 And they took him and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 12.4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully. 12.5 And he sent another, and him they killed; and so with many others, some they beat and some they killed. 12.6 He had still one other, a beloved son; finally he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 12.7 But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 12.8 And they took him and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. 12.9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants, and give the vineyard to others. 12.10 Have you not read this scripture: 'The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; 12.11 this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?" 12.12 And they tried to arrest him, but feared the multitude, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them; so they left him and went away.

Luke: 20:9-18:

20.9 And he began to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country for a long while. 20.10 When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, that they should give him some of the fruit of the vineyard; but the tenants beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 20.11 And he sent another servant; him also they beat and treated shamefully, and sent him away empty handed. 20.12 And he sent yet a third; this one they wounded and cast out. 20.13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; it may be they will respect him.' 20.14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.' 20.15 And they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 20.16 He will come and destroy those tenants, and give the vineyard to others." When they heard this, they said, "God forbid!" 20.17 But he looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written: 'The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner'? 20.18 Every one who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but when it falls on any one it will crush him." 20.19 The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on him at that very hour, but they feared the people; for they perceived that he had told this parable against them.

Matthew said "hear," Mark said "He spoke," and Luke said "He told a parable." This parable starts out nearly word for word in all three gospels. "A man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it.

Matthew: 21:33-44

Matthew uses the word for master of the house or householder rather than the word for man. This word immediately brings to mind that the household or owner of the vineyard may represent God. Once knowing that, the reader does not have a hard time interpreting the parable. Later when we read the word "man" in the other two gospels, we have a basis for interpreting the parable as well.

Matthew uses the Greek word transliterated leynos and (pronounced lay'nos) for a tub or trough shaped receptacle, or a vat in which grapes are trodden. Matthew says that the master of the house dug a pit to hold a tub to catch the juice of the grapes. Then the owner of the vineyard built a tower. The tower could have served many purposes. It could have been a place to store the wine or a dwelling for the workers to live in. It could have been a means of security to keep watch over the vineyard and warn of thieves or animals that might do damage to the vineyard. A tower used here usually meant a fortified structure, rising to considerable height, to ward off attacks and enable a watch to see in all directions.

After building the tower, he leased the vineyard to a husbandman. The husbandman, or vinedresser, must have been much like a sharecropper. He worked the land but did not own it. For his work, the husbandman would receive a certain portion of the crop he brought in. The owner of the land was to receive the remaining portion for allowing the husbandman a place to make the wine. Matthew uses two words (time and fruit) to mean the same as Mark's use of one word for season or harvest. Then Matthew says that the householder sent his bondsmen or slaves to gather his share of the agreed upon fruits. He uses the plural form of the noun; Mark and Luke use the singular. The husbandmen did some wicked things to his bondsmen. They beat, killed, and stoned them.

Then, he sent more bondsmen to the vineyard. A greater number of bondsmen went this time as compared to the first time and the husbandmen did the same thing to them.

Finally he sent his son to bring back the share of the crop that rightfully belonged to him. The owner believed the husbandmen would not dare do harm to his son. However, the husbandmen plotted against the son to kill him and seize his inheritance, or more likely, the property the son expected to receive (the harvest). The husbandmen took the son outside the vineyard and killed.

Matthew uses the Greek word transliterated "kurios" for the householder when he addresses the crowd around Him to teach them the lesson of this parable. This word is used for the possessor of something in this case the vineyard.

Jesus asked, "... what will he do unto those husbandmen?" Someone in the crowd said, "He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out (his) vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render to him the fruits in their seasons." The chief priests and Pharisees felt convicted, for they perceived He spoke of them. They chose not to take to heart the message. Rather they wanted to take Jesus just as the husbandmen took the landowner's son in the parable and kill Him.

Mark: 12:1-11

Mark uses the Greek word transliterated anthropos and pronounced anth'-ro-pos for man rather than the word for householder. He also uses the word from which we get anthropology, which means human being male or female.

Mark differs from Matthew when talking about the place the householder dug to catch the juice of the vine. Matthew wrote it was a wine press while Mark said it was a pit to place a wine vat into to catch the juice. It is the same thing, but it is interesting how precise Mark's version is compared to Matthew. Mark is the Gospel of action. He describes things quickly and makes His points precisely. Mark tells this parable in eleven verses. It took Matthew sixteen percent more words to tell this parable than Mark, and Luke took nine percent more words to tell the same story. You can see that Mark is more to the point. Even when Mark describes Jesus asking the question about what shall happen to the husbandman, he answers the question. Matthew simply says that "someone responded." The reaction is the same, but in Mark the action occurs more quickly. The fulfilling of the parable takes place at the crucifixion and later the discarding of Him occurs when they refuse to admit that He is in fact the Messiah.

Luke: 20:9-18

Luke's version of the story is very similar to the other two gospels with one exception. In the fifteenth verse of the twentieth chapter, Luke says that Jesus asked the question, "What should be the fate of the wicked tenants?" When he answers they should be destroyed and the land should be given to others, the people say, "May it never be so," or literally it will never happen.

That leads us to believe that the people understood the underlying meaning of His parable. The Kingdom of God would be for others, as the nation of Israel would reject the Son of God, take Him outside the city, and kill Him. The people said it would never happen, and then Jesus explains that the stone the masons rejected is now the chief cornerstone. God takes the kingdom meant for Israel and hands it to people who can live out a kingdom life. Because religious leaders feared this reality, they sought to arrest Him but were afraid of the people.

Chapter 6 -- The Fig Tree

Jesus was passionate about the stories He told. He so loved the listeners that He wanted to make them see into the mind of God. At the same time He empathized with the people. Because He shared their same feelings, He knew how to get them involved in the stories. As we look at the parables, we find ourselves enthralled as the story develops and the storyline binds us in a spell that makes the plot irresistible. Jesus spoke the language of the people, probably Aramaic, which made the listeners hang on every word. The parable of the rich young ruler is one such parable that captivates our attention.

The good storyteller commands attention from his listeners. Jesus did this many times with the phrase "verily, verily, I say unto you." Alternatively, He would begin, "there was a certain man..." On the other hand, He might begin, "How shall I describe the Kingdom of God." If anyone's mind wandered away, a phrase such as 'I am going to tell you what the kingdom of God is like," would bring his or her mind back. These phrases were effective in making the stories come to life. His stories were forceful and told in a spirited dynamic manner. A good example is the parable of the mustard seed.

In addition to the above factors that go into capturing an audience, the storyteller must have some charm that holds the listeners' attention. He must be interested in the story himself, as well as, interested in his listeners. It takes a little enchantment and mystery to enthrall, delight, fascinate, or mesmerize the audience. The parable of the ten virgins surely was such a story for Jesus' audience.

The parable of the fig tree is another such parable. Look at how Jesus passionately captivates the attention of his audience in this parable.

Fig tree

Matthew: 24:32-35:

This parable is nearly identical in all three gospels. Some scholars believe Matthew and Luke used Mark's gospel for the basis of this parable. All three may have used some other document like the writings of Peter as the basis for their parable. The chronology of events in Matthew is different than in Mark or Luke.

In Matthew, Jesus begins His discourse on the last times just after He weeps over Jerusalem. In Mark and Luke this discourse follows the story of the Widow's mite. However, all three have Jesus in the temple and on His way out when He begins to speak of the last days.

Jesus spoke at length about the last days and end times because the disciples wanted to know about such things. They were just like all men even today. They want to know the schedule.

We have a special needs son. He is thirty-five and a great son. He loves to talk with people at church or anywhere for that matter. One thing he wants to know is his schedule. From the time he gets up until he goes to bed, he wants to know what is going to happen. He plans his television watching and even plans his week's activities. If something happens to his plans or we change the schedule for some reason, he is upset and confused and needs an explanation.

All of us are like that to some degree, and the disciples were no different. They wanted to know when these things that the Messiah described would come to pass. So, Jesus tells them this short parable to satisfy them.

Matthew: 24:32-33

32. "Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer's just around the corner.

33. So it is with you: When you see all these things, you'll know He's at the door.

Mark: 13:28-29

28. "Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer's just around the corner.

29. And so it is with you. When you see all these things, you know He's at the door.

Luke: 21:29-31

29. He told them a story. "Look at a fig tree. Any tree for that matter.

30. When the leaves begin to show, one look tells you that summer is right around the corner.

31. The same here—when you see these things happen, you know God's kingdom is about here.

Some believe that the fig tree is symbolic for Israel. They point to Jeremiah 24, and Hosea 9:10. In Jeremiah 24:1-7 there is the story of the two baskets of figs set before the temple, one containing good figs and one bad. The good figs represent the captives of Judah. Hosea 9:10 states: "I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first ripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved." Hosea likens Israel to the first ripe fruit of the fig tree. Both Hosea and Jeremiah equate Israel and the fig tree.

We have heard it said that the mention of the fig tree budding is Israel coming together as a country because of the United Nations actions in 1948. However, Luke dispels that theory when he says look at any tree. If He is not talking about the coming of Israel as a nation, then what is he talking about? Is he talking about:

Is it the destruction of the temple?

Is it the Day of the Lord?

A fruitful harvest?

Is he speaking of Christ's return?

Is it an individual message?

Let us examine each of the above ideas.

First, the generation in which Luke's gospel came saw the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. by the Romans under Vespasian and his son Titus who brutally put down the Jewish rebellion. Some scholars believe that Luke wrote his gospel in 63 A.D. If that is true then it is plausible to assume he was talking about the destruction of the temple. If as the majority of scholars believe he wrote his gospel in 80 or 100 A.D. then clearly he was not talking about the temple's destruction.

Second, the Jew believed The Day of The Lord meant that through the act of intervention God would bring the nation together again as Moses had brought them out of the wilderness. In other words, the Jews were still looking for the military leader.

Third, because of the analogy of the tree he is talking about the many branches of the gospel throughout the known world and the profusion of fruit that would be harvested. Therefore, he may have meant that the fig tree represented the great harvest to come.

Fourth, was he speaking of Christ's return. The verses leading up to this parable set forth the possibility that because of the many wonders, the calamities of nature, and man that He was warning us to be ready for the coming of the Lord back to earth to set up his thousand-year reign.

Fifth, perhaps Luke meant that each individual should pay attention to signs and wonders and be ready for the coming of the Kingdom of God in ones own life.

Although all of these cases are possible, the most plausible is that the Kingdom of God is at hand and it is an individual message for each of us to be ready to accept it and produce fruit.

The first part of chapter 21 Luke says that some Jews were admiring the how temple was decked out with beautiful stones and Jesus tell them about the destruction of the temple. Immediately the disciples wanted to know when these things he had talked about would occur. Their second question concerns the end of the world. Jesus began telling them of signs and wonders and disasters to come and weaved in and out of the current time to future times.

First, He warned them against being deceived and described the false prophets. We know that following the crucifixion; many false doctrines and prophets arose in the first century. Paul's letter to the churches speaks about many of those false teachings and prophets. He constantly warns the church to be on guard against the Judaizers, and those claiming to be Christ.

Second, He spoke of wars and rumors of wars. The Romans soon would destroy Jerusalem. Thirty-six wars or battles occurred in the century preceding the writing of the gospels. Some of the wars and rumors of wars of the first century were:

The Roman Armenian War Battles:

Teutoburger Wald (9 AD)

Idistaviso (16 AD)

Britain revolts against Rome Battles:

Battle of Medway (43 AD)

Caer Caradock (50 AD)

Battle of Alesia, France (63 AD)

Queen Boudicci of Britain revolt (61 AD)

The Parthians defeat Rome at Rhandeia (62 AD)

The Revolt in Rome (69 AD)

The Battle of Cremona (69 AD)

Vespasian squelches numerous revolts (69 AD)

Britain wars

Masada captured (70 AD)

Nomadic Invaders

The Parthians were defeated in Syria

The Roman campaigns in Scotland (60-90 AD)

The Romans defeat the Caledonians (84 AD)

The Dacians invade Moesia (89 AD)

The Domitian campaign against the Chatti. (German Tribe 9 & 15 AD)

Battle of Kunyang China (24 AD)

Battle of Yiwulu (73 AD)

Battle of Ikh Bayan (89 AD)

Third, He spoke of earthquakes. Within forty years of the words spoken by Jesus, an earthquake leveled Laodicaea, and Vesuvius erupted burying the city of Pompeii in lava. The historian, Tacitus, wrote that in the first century houses fell from numerous earthquakes in and around Rome. There were no doubt rumors, and stories told of the numerous quakes that leveled Megiddo in the past. These stories and rumors of earthquakes gave the first century Christians evidence to the readers of the gospels that the time was drawing nigh.

Jesus first response was to answer their question concerning the timeframe of the destruction of the temple. The wars and rumors of wars, along with the earthquake warning, and the false doctrine teachers were signs that the Kingdom of God was at hand and everyone needed to be ready.

When Jesus spoke of the fig tree putting on branches or any tree putting forth branches as Luke describes, He makes the statement to be ready, as the trees get ready for the approaching season. The teaching still holds true. We are to be ready.

Conclusion

In 2 Timothy 3:15-16 Paul to Timothy writes, "15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. "

Each writer through inspiration wrote his synoptic gospel with a different audience, motive, and purpose in mind.

First God inspired Mark to write his gospel to get the story out to the believers. Mark wastes no time in getting to the action of the gospel. He does not digress from the beginning to the conclusion. He seems to be on a race against time to tell the story. It is though some tremendous pressure surrounds him, pleading with him the necessity that first century readers hear about this extraordinary man called Jesus the Christ. His direct approach startled the populace because they were, no doubt, familiar with the Old Testament writings. When they read the Minor Prophets and then read Mark's gospel, they discovered differences in both style and substance. In the gospel, they found optimism, assurance, and a man that empathized with them. He was one of them. The old covenant was burdensome; the new covenant was positive. The writings the Jews were familiar with offered little hope, but the gospel brought excitement and great expectations. His writing was moving, showing great emotion, which touched the readers where they lived. It reached out with great passion and thrust the reader into an experience that they never had before. But most of all the action of the story caught the reader off guard and thrust him into a life changing experience that he not only read for himself, but also felt pressed to share with those around him. So it was not only a story packed with action, but it led the reader to action as well. The writer of the Gospel of Matthew expanded on Mark's writings. Whereas Mark wrote a gospel of action, Matthew wrote a gospel of substance and passion. It was his purpose to convince the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ. The writer's organizational skills led to the idea that this gospel is the teaching gospel. He has lists, groupings, and accumulations of ideas and topics. As William Barclay describes, "The book itself can be grouped around five sections of Jesus' teachings.

The Sermon on the Mount

The duties of the Leaders and the Kingdom

The Parables of the Kingdom

Greatness and forgiveness in the Kingdom

The Coming of the King4

Matthew arranges things in a systematic, memorable way. This pragmatism, organization, and structure lead to a logical conclusion that this gospel targeted a group of people with a history of tradition, rules, and laws. It also points to the fact that the audience grasped the detail and purpose the writer introduced.

Finally, Luke presents the story of Jesus to a people without knowledge of Jewish history, chance, hope, a counselor, optimism, expectation of a coming messiah, and without a savior. He writes to all those excluded from the Jewish faith. He writes to the gentiles, the outsiders. The gentiles had no experience in the Jewish religion. They did not know about the Jews plight in Egypt, their history of the Promised Land, their traditions, customs, laws, or their expectation of a coming king and savior. The gentiles had their religions and gods, but they were not of a god that Luke described. A personal God that took interest in them, revealed Himself, and sought after them was something new to them. They were familiar with gods particularly Caesar the Roman God. Here, in Luke's gospel, was a story of a man who sought people out for who they were because he loved them. This was all new to the gentiles. Therefore, the stories that Jesus told through Luke meant something different to them.

Just as no two people see the same incident identically, so, too, the people, who are the audiences of the gospel writers, draw diverse views, sometimes-subtle differences from the parables that Jesus told.

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