We know this parable as "The Parable of the Sower." But it could also be called "The Parable of the Soils." As Jesus interprets the parable in verses 18-23, he emphasizes the different...
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Jesus lived in a culture that prized family above just about everything else. Some Jewish teachers even claimed that honoring one's father and mother was the most important of the Ten Commandments....
Jesus used a familiar agricultural image to explain how the character of our life will produce either good or bad results. If we are a good "tree," then so will be our "fruit."...
For contemporary American and European readers of the Gospels, Jesus' encounters with demons can seem strange, otherworldly, and downright unsettling. We don't tend to think of our world as filled...
Jews in the time of Jesus were divided on the question of exactly what sort of activity should be permitted on the Sabbath. Among the Pharisees, some allowed for healing on the Sabbath...
In the early 80's, my wife and I became rather hooked on British sit-coms, which were shown on PBS back in those days before we had cable or DVD. One of our favorites...
Marcus here. Happy Fourth of July! I really shouldn't be posting today, but I couldn't resist linking to this great interview on Sam Van Eman's blog New Breed of Advertisers. Especially since the...
Jesus offered rest to those who were carrying "heavy burdens." This spoke especially to the Pharisees and those under their influence, who had "improved upon" God's law by making it much stricter...
In the context of Matthew 11, "these things" that God has hidden from the "wise and clever" and revealed to "the childlike"...
Al Weiss’ official title is president of worldwide operations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. According to Disney public relations, “He is...
My dad said work built character, especially hard word, and most especially hard, unpleasant work. And he was probably right. Most people need the experience of having to work hard to earn their...
At first, Jesus praises John the Baptist by calling him the greatest person ever. Yet Jesus adds that even the "least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!" Jesus...
In 2007, Rome Hartman was hired by the British Broadcasting Company to develop and serve as executive producer of a new one-hour...
Sam Van Eman works for CCO Campus Ministry and blogs about faith in the discipline of advertisting at New Breed of Advertisers...
The Gospel of Matthew honestly records the doubts of John the Baptist concerning Jesus. John had clearly proclaimed Jesus as the coming Messiah and had witnessed the miraculous events of Jesus'...
When I was a kid in the early 1960s, we often lost our TV network signal. The screen would suddenly go blank...
There is a cost in following Jesus. Discipleship requires giving up our life for him and his kingdom. Of course, we are not called to human sacrifice in the way of some pagan...
At first glance, we might recoil from this statement of Jesus. Isn't he the Prince of Peace? Hasn't he come to bring peace on earth? Didn't Jesus instruct his followers to eschew violence...
As Jesus sent the twelve disciples out into the world to do the ministry of the kingdom of God, he warned them that they would not always be well received. Even as he...
