Parable Archives - Christian Questions Bible Podcast: Recent Episodes
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As Christians who are to walk by faith and not by sight, the statements Jesus made about having faith as a mustard seed are sure appealing. In Luke, Jesus says faith like a mustard seed can uproot a tree and toss it into the sea. In Matthew, he said mustard-seed faith can move a mountain and make nothing impossible for us! So, what did Jesus mean? Obviously, he was using picture language, but he was still showing us that mustard-seed faith can dramatically change our lives. Why a mustard seed and how does this work? What do we need to do to have such a strong and foundational faith that the obstacles of our lives will be diminished before us?
The disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith after hearing difficult teachings about forgiveness and accountability. Jesus’ response to their request was the mustard seed analogy. His purpose was not to highlight minimal faith, but rather to illustrate faith’s capacity to grow and overcome great obstacles.
You of little faithIn related teachings, Jesus used the phrase “you of little faith” on four separate occasions. Applying these lessons in the order they were given reveals a progressive development of our mustard seed faith:
Magnitude: In calming the storm (Matthew 8), Jesus showed that mustard seed faith must recognize the vast power of God. The disciples had faith but lacked confidence.
Practicality: In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6), Jesus taught that this kind of faith should relieve anxiety by trusting in God’s provision.
Deliverance: Peter walking on water (Matthew 14) demonstrated that mustard seed faith enables us to step out in trust, even if we falter. Jesus’ rescue of Peter showed compassionate support for growing faith.
Guidance: When the disciples misunderstood Jesus’ warning about leaven (Matthew 16), he corrected them, urging spiritual discernment over physical concerns.
This kind of faith must be nurtured, tested and matured. It begins small but is rooted in the right foundation: God’s truth and Christ’s example. Mustard seed faith is all about transformation, starting small but growing strong through life’s trials and divine guidance.
The post What Does It Mean to Have Faith as a Mustard Seed? appeared first on Christian Questions Bible Podcast.
Jesus said, “Many are called but few are chosen” in Matthew 22:14. For many Christians, these words of Jesus should bring a pause and consider moment. What was Jesus saying here? If we believe “God is love,” and we believe Jesus came as our Savior, do we also believe that everyone outside of Christianity, outside of this call, is lost and gone forever? Is this what Jesus was saying? If so, then how does that square with God being love? Is Jesus saying God is love, but only for the few whom He chooses, and the rest of His human creation are essentially garbage? Isn’t that a massive contradiction? If we are willing to examine this statement by Jesus in the light of Scripture, we will find a completely different answer. What we will find is a logic and a harmony founded upon God’s love AND His justice.
This statement of Jesus appears at the end of the Parable of the Wedding Feast. To properly understand its meaning, we need to connect it with God’s character of love and justice.
Reviewing the Abrahamic Covenant is a good place to start.Initially, Israel was called to be the sole source of the “stars of heaven”—a spiritual seed that would bless the world. However, national rejection of Jesus meant they forfeited this opportunity. Still, they weren’t permanently cast off; they remain essential to God’s plan as the “sand of the seashore,” the natural seed who will bless the world on earth.
The parable illustrates God’s persistent calling to those who could become true disciples of Jesus:
- First invitation: Offered through Jesus’ ministry to Israel.
- Second: Extended at Pentecost by the apostles.
- Third: Went out to the Gentiles, beginning with Cornelius.
This teaches us that discipleship is not based on heritage but on being drawn by God. The “many” called spans time, culture and background, but the chosen are those who respond fully to the invitation.
This call involves great responsibility.Discipleship requires self-denial, daily sacrifice, transformation and leaving behind worldly attachments. Like wedding guests required to wear the provided garment, those called must be “clothed” in Christ’s righteousness. Failing to do so leads to exclusion—not eternal torment, but the sorrow of lost opportunity.
Those who are chosen become part of a “royal priesthood” and “holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9), called to reflect God’s character and ultimately bless all mankind.
Importantly, the rest of humanity is not abandoned. Many scriptures point to a future restoration when all people will have opportunity for salvation. The current calling is simply the first phase of a broader redemptive plan that will ultimately fulfill God’s promise to bless all the families of the earth.
The post Why Are Many Called if Only Few Are Chosen? appeared first on Christian Questions Bible Podcast.
Every Christian will tell you that Jesus is the embodiment of righteousness, compassion and mercy. We all agree that his impact on the world came through his uncompromising actions of selfless love that led to sacrificing himself as a ransom for all of humanity. Couple these actions with his words of encouragement and uplift to any and all who would listen, and you have a model of how God’s love should unfold within humanity. It is with this resume in hand that we need to examine Jesus’ Parable of the Unprofitable Servant. It sounds like the exact opposite of all that Jesus stood for. In this parable, he seems to tell his followers that whatever they do in God’s service is what is expected of them and nothing more. What did Jesus mean? How does this harmonize with the rest of his teachings?
There are a few places in the Gospels we can get a glimpse of Jesus being deeply engaged with crowds of people. In Luke 15, 16 and the first part of 17, Jesus was talking to such a crowd, and it was a very mixed audience. He was addressing the “sinners” and tax collectors, those who were considered undesirables in Jewish society. He was addressing Pharisees and scribes, those who were considered the elite of their society. And right in the middle of these two polarized groups, he was addressing his own disciples.
Jesus took this opportunity and showed them all God’s grand plan of salvation and the roles they would play. How did he do this?
He told stories.The Parable of the Unprofitable Servant would be the sixth and last of a series of stories that would paint a picture of each of these segments of society. For the tax collectors and sinners, his stories would be encouraging, as they would reveal how God loved them. The Pharisees and scribes found his stories offensive, as they were grossly misusing the privileges God had given them. For his disciples, his stories would be humbling, as they gave them a glimpse of the kind of responsibilities they would come to have relating to the gospel.
This Parable of the Unworthy Servant was spoken directly to Jesus’ disciples. At first reading, it seems to come across as downright discouraging. He seems to be saying, “You are servants of God, and He has given you a long list of chores to do. Just do them and don’t expect to be thanked because they are your job!” Is this the message Jesus had for his disciples as he ended this time of teaching?
Absolutely not! Check out our November 11, 2024 podcast, “Did Jesus Teach That We Are All Unprofitable Servants?” for more. We put this parable into its proper context and see how it was the outgrowth of all of Jesus’ other lessons. The lesson here was actually one of great hope and encouragement. Join us and find out what Jesus was really teaching!
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Most people know something about the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The core thought that is well known is the concept of helping a total stranger in a time of their great physical need. Think about it, there are laws in place to protect those who engage in helping strangers in case something goes wrong, called “Good Samaritan laws.” There are organizations in place to promote these kinds of acts of brotherly kindness. There are ministries and hospitals that bear this name. As wonderful as all this is, the message Jesus was giving when he spoke this parable is far deeper. The bottom line is, if we work on understanding and actually applying his true message, we will learn to become not only true neighbors, but we will also grow to be that much closer to the image of Christ.
Nice try, Pharisees.During his ministry, Jesus had many conversations with the scribes, Pharisees and lawyers who were experts on the Mosaic Law. On one occasion, one of these lawyers engaged Jesus about inheriting eternal life, which led to a very piercing question. The lawyer asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” This query was put in place to attempt to trap him into a theological debate as a way of hopefully exposing a weakness in Jesus. The result was the exact opposite. Jesus took the question and told a story that in the end would settle that debate once and for all.
The story was one of Jesus’ more famous parables about a man who is robbed, beaten and left near death along the road. While walking that road at separate times, a priest and a Levite came upon this beaten and dying man. They both avoided him and continued their journeys. Then a Samaritan man saw him and saved his life. The compassion, kindness and selfless giving this Samaritan showed is inspiring.
The power of this story merely begins with travesty of the priest and the Levite ignoring the wounded man. The parable’s true impact is in the hero of the day being a Samaritan man. This would have been surprising and even repulsive to Jesus’ listening audience. Why? The fact is the Jewish people and the Samaritan people were dire enemies. This mutually divisive opposition developed over several hundred years and for a myriad of reasons. It was so bad that one very dramatic insult among the Jews of Jesus’ day was to say to a fellow Jew that they were a Samaritan and had a demon!
Are YOU my neighbor?Jesus chose a Samaritan as the hero of the story for many powerful reasons. Check out our recent podcast, “What Does Being a Good Samaritan Really Mean?” for more. We not only detail the rivalry between these two peoples, we also dive into all of what Jesus was teaching about being a true neighbor. Join us as we uncover the priceless treasures of what being a “neighbor” really means. This is one lesson that we all need to hear and apply!
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One of the great Christian challenges of our day is living a God-honoring life in a world that basically thinks you’re nuts. What role should our differences with the world around us play in how we do or don’t fit in with all that goes on each day of our lives? What specific principles do […]
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Talking about the Day of Judgment can be difficult. The sad truth is that as magnanimous as the love and mercy of God through Jesus are, the opportunity to fail throughout the Day of Judgment will be very real. God created humanity with free will. The Day of Judgment will be about teaching our race […]
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As Christians, we are truly blessed. Having given our lives to Jesus, we are assured that all of our experiences are overruled for our best benefit. This is not to imply we can just coast along as though we were given a ticket for some magical ride to heaven riding on fluffy clouds of comfort. […]
The post What Am I Doing with What God Has Given Me? appeared first on Christian Questions Bible Podcast.
It is a competitive world out there! I need to focus and to stop at nothing to make my mark. I will apply myself to get the job I want, the life I desire and the status I deserve, while engaging in the leisure and entertainment I crave. Wow! While this description can be of […]
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Jesus did a lot of teaching in parables. He chose this method primarily for the purpose of hiding his real meaning from the public in fulfillment of a prophecy in Isaiah. Occasionally, he spoke a parable meant for his disciples. The story of the Wise and Foolish Virgins is such a case. We know the story […]
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We live in volatile times. Justifiable demonstrations about justifiable concerns are overshadowed and even hijacked by those who simply seek anarchy and overthrow. We are descending into a tribal approach to our issues. If you do not agree with my perspective and my group, then you are considered a bigoted outsider who deserves to be shunned […]
The post Do I Treat You as My Neighbor? appeared first on Christian Questions Bible Podcast.
As Christians, we often talk about the necessity of forgiveness. We need to be forgiven and to forgive others. When it comes to talking about mercy, we always seem to focus on God’s mercy. Rightly so. God’s mercy is a resounding theme throughout the entire Bible. His eternal wisdom and plan could not even exist […]
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Jesus was and is evidence of God’s love for humanity. The proof is not just in the fact that he came to ransom us from sin and death. It is also displayed in how he taught us God’s plan. Still, it is admittedly hard to grasp what God’s plan is about especially when he spoke […]
The post Does God Really Love Humanity? (Part II) appeared first on Christian Questions Bible Podcast.
One of the most famous Scripture says, “God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten son” for it. For many, the obvious follow up response is, “Great! Then why is the world more messed up now than ever before?” In truth, God does love humanity. His love is expressed in a profound and […]
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It is so easy to talk about following Jesus. After all, he came as our Savior, voluntarily sacrificed his life and opened up the way to heaven for us. Why wouldn’t you want to align yourself with someone who wipes away your sins and can give you eternity in the process? It’s a no brainer, […]
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A few weeks ago, we began talking about Jesus speaking the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares. This was one of the few parables he actually interpreted for his followers. In that interpretation he revealed it was a prophecy about the difficult future of Christianity. He spoke of false Christians and an entire age […]
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So much of what Jesus taught was about the practical parts of living – learning to love, forgive and encourage one another – and these are the parts of his teachings that seem to garner the most attention. Jesus did, however, spend significant time imparting prophetic teaching as well. He came to earth as a […]
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The world is systematically becoming a dark place. It is not that people are purposely looking to dwell in darkness. It is that people – many people – have come to believe in things that had their origin in darkness and treachery. Wherever you look you can see the subtle creeping in of thinking, philosophies […]
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Jesus loves you! This is a true, simple and potentially life-changing statement. Once we accept what that three-word sentence actually means, it can become a steering mechanism for everyday of our lives, pointing us to righteousness, godliness and self-sacrifice. Jesus loves you. Pointed and refreshing, but what does it really mean? Does Jesus’ love for […]
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Trust is a tricky thing. In some instances it comes to us with ease – as children we typically trust our parents above all others. As we become adolescents we often lose that trust, because we have replaced it with trusting our friends who are obviously much cooler and smarter than our parents. When adults, […]
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Equal pay for equal work. When you hear that statement, you think – who wouldn’t think that is a good idea? Who in their right mind would argue against such a thing? Did Jesus teach us a contrary lesson to this principle of equality? When we read the parable of the workers in the vineyard, […]
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Attitude – it is simply one of those things that we just don’t think much about, but probably should. Your attitude pretty much governs most everything about you… You go to work one day with a lousy attitude and guess what? You have a lousy day! Go to work the next day with a great […]
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Life can be likened to a house. Some houses are spacious and elegant – people tend to notice them when they go by. Some houses are smaller, functional and more basic – people tend to look past them when they go by. When you think about it, whether the house is elegant or basic, the […]
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We all know that Jesus came to save the world from sin and death. We all know that Jesus opened the way to heaven for his truest followers. We all also know that Jesus taught frequently about the “kingdom of heaven.” What we may not know is what he meant by that phrase, because it […]
The post How Did Jesus Describe the Kingdom of Heaven? appeared first on Christian Questions Bible Podcast.
Social media is one oversized voice with a thousand different facets that begs for our attention, our obedience and our loyalty. As a Christian, walking through this hyped up mass of messages and glittering folly is not only a challenge, it is our responsibility for we are supposed to be following only one voice – […]
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For many religions, prayer is a mainstay and a staple of ritual and lifestyle. Whatever the religion, prayer is a lifeline to a higher power, a calming factor in individual experiences and a connector to others who share the same faith. Prayer can and should permeate the life of a Christian. So, if this is […]
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Sometimes change is in order. Sometimes it becomes evident that the path we are currently following is not leading us in the best direction and a decision is required to alter not only our direction, but our thinking as well. This is what we are faced with when we profess Christianity. This profession requires us […]
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Jesus taught us about a lot of things in a lot of different ways, but it seems as though his favorite method was to teach in parables. In the parables of the Pounds and Talents, Jesus is either teaching us that he wants to give us money – or – he is teaching us a […]
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Jesus was a master storyteller. He knew how to keep people’s attention while teaching important and difficult things by using very commonplace subjects like farming, fishing, servants and weddings. Most of the time the majority of his audience did not fully understand his lessons, and Jesus actually wanted it that way. Here we look at […]
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