Jesus concluded his final discourse with his disciples before his death in John 16:12-33. He developed previous lessons and added that they would have temporary sorrow that would change into lasting joy. In spite of our suffering in this world, Christians can have joy, peace, and courage, because Jesus has overcome the world.
This first parable from Matthew provides the key to understanding all the parables and to entering the kingdom of God.
In three related episodes, Jesus demonstrated his authority to forgive our sins.
As the number of non-Jewish believers in Jesus began to overwhelm the original Jewish Christians, some wanted to make it harder for non-Jews to...