The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Today as we continue through Jesus’ parables of grace, we come to the magnificent story of the Good Samaritan, one of Jesus’ most famous parables. But just because we know it well does not mean it has nothing to teach us. So let’s take a closer look. Text The Parable of the Good Samaritan is … Continue reading The Parable of the Good Samaritan

The Parable of the Unjust Steward

I once heard a priest say from the pulpit that she was glad there are three readings every Sunday because it meant she didn’t have to preach on the scary passages. I promised myself in that moment never to shrink away from a hard passage of Scripture. The parable we’ll be looking at today, the … Continue reading The Parable of the Unjust Steward

The Parable of the Merciful Father and His Dutiful Son

Last time we looked at the much beloved parable traditionally known as the Prodigal Son. Today we’re looking at the sequel to that story, which focuses on the elder brother’s response to its events. As always, if you don’t have time or interest in going through the whole study, feel free to skip down to … Continue reading The Parable of the Merciful Father and His Dutiful Son

The Parable of the Merciful Father and His Wasteful Son

Last time, we saw how Jesus responded to a group of religious leaders who didn’t like the crowd he was attracting by telling them a series of parables about the “joy in heaven” at finding the lost. Over the next two posts we’ll look at the third of these parables, traditionally known as the Parable … Continue reading The Parable of the Merciful Father and His Wasteful Son

The Parables of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin

Today we leave Matthew’s parables discourse behind and start another sequence of parables, scattered throughout the middle chapters of Luke. If Matthew’s were “parables of the Kingdom,” we might call these parables in Luke “parables of the lost and found.” And so, appropriately, today we’ll look at the first two of these, the Parables of … Continue reading The Parables of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin