The seventh and final parable in Matthew’s thirteenth chapter is the Parable of the Fisherman’s Net.   “The kingdom of heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea. It collected every kind of fish, and when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but threw out the worthless ones” (Matthew 13:47-48).   Peter and Andrew, James and John, were fishermen. They knew their nets were likely to catch big fish and little fish, good f

What is the kingdom of heaven like? Jesus answers this question by telling two parables.   In the first parable, a man stumbled upon a priceless treasure buried in a field. Imagine a weary traveler, kicking up dust as he meanders down a remote pathway. Suddenly, his foot struck the top of an ancient chest. Curious, the traveler stoops to brush away the soil covering the lid. Opening the box, his eyes fell upon great quantities of glistening gold and gleaming gems. Quickly, th

The Parable of the Mustard Seed is recorded in each of the Synoptic Gospels: Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-32; and Luke 13:18-19.   The three renderings of Jesus’ parable are largely identical, except for one notable exception. Matthew’s Gospel begins… “The kingdom of heaven is like…” (Matthew 13:31) whereas Mark and Luke begin… “The kingdom of God is like…” (Mark 4:30; Luke 13:18).   The phrase “kingdom of God” occurs sixty-eight times in ten different New Testament books (f

After telling the story of the Sower, Seeds, and Soils, Jesus gave another parable about farming. His purpose wasn’t to teach farmers how to farm. Rather, Jesus wanted us to know about His kingdom. “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field” (Matthew 13:24).   As Jesus sat before a congregation of seekers, He told a story… “A farmer planted wheat. Later, his enemy snuck into his fields and planted weeds. When the crops began to grow, the

Why did Jesus teach in parables? I suspect there are several reasons. Let’s consider five.   Parables were memorable. In Jesus’ day, and in ours, the story of the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan were forever etched into our memory banks. Jesus told these stories knowing that His followers would meditate upon their truths and share those truths with others.   Parables were relatable. Jesus’ audiences were farmers and fishermen, shepherds and servants, so they understood Hi

“Consider the sower who went out to sow. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly since the soil wasn’t deep. But when the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it. Still other seed fell on good ground and produced fruit: some a hundred, some sixty, an

“No one patches an old garment with unshrunk cloth, because the patch pulls away from the garment and makes the tear worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved” (Matthew 9:16–17).   I’m not an expert on wineskins, but in ages-past wine wasn’t kept in fancy bottles with corks. Grape juice was stored in goat-skin pouches. As the

“Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapse

The Holy Spirit is at work around us and resides within born-again believers (1 Corinthians 3:16). Though Almighty God needs no assistance, He chooses to use created beings to accomplish His mission. He doesn’t need us, but He uses us. And again, though He could do it without their participation, God uses angels. These created beings serve at Divine direction and are engaged at His discretion.   The Bible indicates that there are some angels who are superior to others. For in

“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens” (Ephesians 6:12). There is a battle raging around us. It’s unseen, but it’s real.   Just as the devil attacked Jesus with temptations and tests, the evil one and his demons are waging war against us. But take heart, we are not alone in this struggle. Angels fight on our behalf for right and r