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.
When it looked like God had forgotten his people, he remembered his covenant promises.
The opposite results of David’s and Saul’s desperate measures hold lessons about how to live in the world while not being of the world.
The model described in Colossians 4:2-6 of ministry to those outside the church is very simple: pray, walk, and talk.
