One of the most difficult concepts in Scripture is introduced and developed in the beginning verses of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Understanding the word “predestine” creates a challenge. The passage (Ephesians 1: 4-12 NIV) tells us that God chose us from before the creation of the world, and that He predestined (προορίσας, PRO-OR-IH-SAS) us…
More Than I Deserve – Step Six
We are continuing in our study Enormous Lessons from Small Parables. Before we make application for today from a passage, it is important to determine if the Bible has other teaching on the subject. While an immediate context which includes the historical setting helps us determine meaning, we must remember that the best interpreter for…
More Than I Deserve – Step Seven
The study of Enormous Lessons from Small Parables has been teaching us how to build the context for a passage of Scripture. Our final step in the process of determining a sound, biblical interpretation of the parable is to understand, “How does this speak today?” Based upon the historical setting, the lessons will be consistent…
More Than I Deserve – Step Five
The study Enormous Lessons from Small Parables continues building the interpretation of our parable. After the immediate context of a passage is determined, the main teaching or comparison established, and the audience identified, the student of Scripture will examine the parable to notice the surprising details. While our purpose is not to get bogged down…
More Than I Deserve – Step Four
Our study of a handful of the parables of Jesus has begun to teach us Enormous Lessons from Small Parables. In addition to reconstructing the immediate context of a passage and the main comparison in the parable, it is important to decide, “Who is Jesus teaching?” in the parable. The more we understand about the…
More Than I Deserve – Step Three
The study of a portion of the stories of Jesus is labeled Enormous Lessons from Small Parables. In addition to reconstructing the immediate context of a passage, it is important to decide what is the main point of comparison in the parable. This comparison becomes the theme or main teaching of the passage. Let’s look…
More Than I Deserve – Step Two
We are looking at Enormous Lessons from Small Parables. Our next step in determining the meaning of our parable is to reconstruct the immediate context. Let’s think for a moment about our process. The branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation of texts, especially religious texts, is called hermeneutics. Within this scope of study, there…
Small Parables 03 | More Than I Deserve
We want to set the stage for our parable for the week in the study Enormous Lessons from Small Parables. The passage starts this way: For the kingdom of heaven is like … Here is the parable as recorded in Matthew 20:1-16 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early…
Small Parables 01 | Studying A Well-told Tale
We are looking at enormous lessons that we can learn from the smaller, lesser-known parables of Jesus. The first lesson in the series is titled, “A Well-told Tale.” Today’s parable is often called “The Parable of the Leaven.” In the short words of the parable, you can see the masterful way Jesus presents a well-told…
Enormous Lessons from Small Parables
“Tell me a story!” What parent hasn’t heard that request from a child? From the time we are small, we love stories. Fantasy. Intrigue. Adventure. Romance. Stories convey information in a way that establishes an emotional connection. When we hear a story, we not only learn the information in the story but we learn about…