In the earlier parables, Jesus left people wondering what he meant. In the latter parables, Jesus was often very direct. For example, in Matthew 21:33-46, Jesus spoke a parable directly against the leaders of the Temple in Jerusalem. They had no problem understanding the parable, but they trapped themselves by their reaction to it. We too need to be careful not to fall into the same trap.
If someone hears a message but does not act upon it, sometimes we say that “it went in one ear and out the other.”...
As was typical in Paul’s letters, he began this one with a greeting, a thanksgiving, and a prayer. In these, he didn’t waste any...
Western society has recently become sensitive to discrimination based on race, nationality, sex, age, appearance, etc. However, discrimination is not new. In fact, James...