Parables

Unintended consequences plague Elder Michael Ivey’s division of the Olivet Discourse. After Jesus foretold the temple’s fall, the disciples asked two questions: when would it happen and what signs would precede it (Matt 24:1–3). The Lord answered by giving the signs (Matt 24:4–31) and their timeframe (Matt 24:32–36). He then…

Matthew 22 continues showing what Jesus did on the Tuesday of Passion Week. Here, the Lord again teaches about the kingdom of heaven. He uses a story about a wedding feast to do so. Here is his parable: And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The…

A previous post (here) showed Jesus’s first-last parable (Matt 20:1–15) was about kingdom transfer. The exchange happened at the end of the Mosaic age and the beginning of the messianic age. In Matthew 21, Jesus reinforced that message in five ways—by three symbolic actions (Matt 21:1–22) and two parables (Matt…

The timing of this week’s post on Matthew 21 is fitting. This passage describes events that occurred on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday in the week of Jesus’s crucifixion. The anniversary of this (Palm) Sunday will occur on April 14, 2019. So, this post is about events that happened almost exactly 1,989…

In Matthew 20:1–15, Jesus told about a group of workers. Some worked all day, others only one hour. Yet their employer paid them the same. The Lord placed this story inside bookend statements. Before the parable, he said, “many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be…

We are using our prophetic model (inmillennialism) to interpret selected passages in Matthew. We have come to a passage (Matt 13:46–52) that contains two sayings of Jesus. The setting is important. Jesus gave them in the “last days” (Heb 1:2) of the Mosaic age. He was about to take the…

Our last post (here) discussed Jesus’s parables of the “treasure” and the “pearl of great price” (Matt 13:44–46). Our view of them agrees with the majority view on a key point. In these stories, “Jesus is comparing the kingdom of God to the treasure and to the pearl.” We disagree,…

The usual view of the parables of the “treasure” and the “pearl of great price” (Matt 13:44–46) is glorious. Christians must “abandon anything that would stand in the way of wholehearted allegiance to Christ and the priorities of the kingdom.” Scripture supports this teaching. We should place a high value…

“Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.” — Prov 29:18 (ESV) Prophecy leads God’s people to obey their Lord. But, several ingredients must be present. First, God must give us a vision. When Samuel was young, “the word…

This post will appear during Thanksgiving week. Our forefathers in the United States established a tradition of thanking God for the year’s harvest. We continue that practice and here acknowledge our Father’s blessings this year. A harvest of a different kind is the subject of our blog this week. We…