March 21, 2026

The Parables Of Jesus: 16 

The Unforgiving Servant 

In this parable, Jesus mentions a servant who owed his master a lot of money, but the servant wasn't able to pay that debt. So the master threatened to sell him and his family to pay off his debt, but the servant begged for mercy, and the master felt bad for him and forgave his debt. However, a fellow servant owed him a debt he couldn't repay, and when he begged for mercy, he showed no compassion and threw him into prison. When the master found out what he had done, he required his prior debt to be paid and threw him in prison. 

Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? Matthew 18:32-33

When we sin, to whom do we owe a debt? If we borrow from the devil, don't we owe him the debt since he is the master of most sin? God, being the one who created Satan, allows him to collect on that debt. It is a frightening thing to be at the mercy of the enemy; we subject ourselves to his punishment when we don't pay our debt. However, when we don't forgive the debt of others, we are at the mercy of God. It's more frightening to be at the mercy of God than of Satan. Both are tragic, but if you are unforgiving, God will withhold his forgiveness from you. Something I just noticed, which we all need to pay attention to, is that the master withdrew his forgiveness because of the servant's unforgiveness of the other servant and made him pay the full price for his own debt. Look at the following verses and shudder:

And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. Matthew 18:34-35

If you don't forgive, God will revoke His forgiveness. Does that mean we lose our salvation or that we will pay an earthly price? I don't want to deal with either of these scenarios, and I doubt you do either, so make it a point to forgive others. I haven't found any scripture that says you have to be friends with them or continue as if nothing happened, but for your sake, forgive and let it go. However, we must be kind, release bitterness, and hold no grudges.

March 20, 2026

The Parables Of Jesus: 15

The Parable Of The Lost Sheep

For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? Matthew 18:11-12

Though this parable seems simple to understand, the very act of recovering a lost sheep or person can be daunting, especially if they have become entangled with ungodly people. However, you can look at this parable in two ways: one, he may consider a lost sheep someone who has never known him because all souls belong to him, or two, someone who followed him and strayed away by being drawn into worldly matters and falling out of touch with him. We tend to believe that this person, considered a lost sheep, is likely already part of the flock; otherwise, why would Jesus call them sheep? However, in this scene, he had crossed the Jordan and was in the Galilee of the Gentiles, speaking mostly to the Gentiles, who were considered lost. 

When the lost sheep is found, as Christ-followers, we should be grateful to see a lost soul come to know Jesus and, ultimately, be part of the heavenly rejoicing and grateful for their salvation.

This parable gives assurance that Jesus doesn’t sit idly by waiting but goes after the lost souls, which should comfort us, knowing that those we love who are lost are not forgotten by Jesus and that he is actively pursuing them. Keep praying, Jesus hears you.

March 19, 2026

The Parables Of Jesus: 14

What Defiles A Man?

Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Matthew 15:11

Jesus made it very clear that it is not what we eat that defiles us, but it is what comes out of our mouths that spews the truth of what is in our hearts. 

Then he goes on to tell us something that should make everyone shudder:

But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Matthew 15:13-14

Not only will the leaders who teach false lessons be prohibited from entering the New Jerusalem, but also those who hear their lies and believe them! If we refuse to hear and understand the truth of the scriptures, we too will be left out of the kingdom of God. There are so many false teachers who sully the truths of the scriptures that, unless we are prayerful, read them for ourselves with understanding, renew our minds, seek clarity, and stay in tune with the Holy Spirit, we too will be led astray. Will there be any grace for the ignorant? Not according to what Jesus says. We must know the word of God and understand the scriptures so we don't fall for the enemy's lies. He does not stutter when he explains this parable, and he makes it clear what he expects from us. The world is becoming very testy, and it's beginning to look ominous for the worldly people bent on evil, but we are not of this world and have no reason to be fearful; keep your peace, and watch.

March 18, 2026

The Parables Of Jesus: 13 

The Parable of the Net 

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:47-50

Jesus explains this parable himself, so there is no misinterpreting it. It is at the very end of the world that this separation takes place, so wicked people still live among the saints during the millennial kingdom. Though they will not have the devil whispering in their ear, they will still have evil intentions. When Jesus's millennial reign on earth ends, and the devil is released from the bottomless pit, he will once again deceive the nations; that time is called the little season. During this time, he will use every means possible to turn people against God, even those who lived during his earthly reign. Could we be living in that time? Our eyes are slowly being opened to the truth, and we are beginning to notice concrete evidence that the millennial reign may already have passed, like technology that is no longer available and fabulous infrastructure that seems incapable of being built during the time of the horse and buggy. We are told that those buildings were built during the "Dark Ages." Maybe it was disguised as darkness so we wouldn't know the truth. Once we begin to see that possibility, there is no unseeing it, though there is still uncertainty. This is all speculation, and only me sharing my thoughts on this subject. We are living in such a deceptive time, where even those who are saved have questions, because Satan has pulled out all of the stops. We are realizing that everything we have been taught to believe about history is a lie, the timeline is off, and we no longer know who we are. 

What is most important is that you hold on to what you have, and not allow anyone to shake your faith and understand that you are a child of God, and your history and the timeline we are living in is of no concern; it is your future in Christ that you should concentrate on, and not allow the devil to deter you from the truth of who you are in Jesus. 

In this parable, Jesus is talking about the end of the end, judgment, and we might be getting close to that with all the craziness that is going on in the world today. Make sure you are ready, and stay prayed up, because if we are possibly nearing the end of the end, you don't want to be caught off guard.

March 17, 2026

The Parables Of Jesus: 12

The Pearl Of Great Value

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Matthew 13:45-46

This parable is much like the previous one about buying the field with hidden treasure. Jesus doubles down on this lesson to make sure we don't miss his message. When Jesus submitted to come and dwell among us in the flesh, he gave up his elaborate lifestyle as God. Though we are nothing, he saw value in us and was willing to do whatever it took to free us from the enemy's clutches, and he gave his life for us so that we might be saved from everlasting darkness and separated from him. All he asks is for us to believe in him and turn away from wickedness. The enemy draws us into the world of darkness by dangling pretty things in front of us to entice us to go his way, but Jesus, who is the pearl of great value, wants us to treasure him enough to give up all the worldly affairs and our sinfulness for him. What you may not know is that even though the refining process can feel harsh, it's worth every minute of it, and once you've been through it, he will give you rest, including comfort and peace, which is something Satan cannot give you.  

March 16, 2026

The Parables Of Jesus: 11

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Matthew 13:44

What we have in Jesus is more valuable than anything we could or have acquired. We must count our material possessions as nothing in comparison to how precious our salvation is. Every time I hear this parable, it makes me think of a pasture you happened to notice oil bubbling from, and knowing how valuable oil is, you do whatever it takes to buy it, hoping the seller doesn't notice and raise the price. Jesus is that oil! 

We buy the field, pump the oil out of the ground, and begin refining ourselves into the image of Jesus. Jesus doesn't need to be refined, but we do, and though that process can be hard at times, it is worth every minute of processing we are put through to become pure and transformed into the likeness of Jesus. Don't hate the purification process, recognize it for what it is, and remember that Jesus is the reason we bought the field.

March 15, 2026

The Parables Of Jesus: 10

The Good Householder

Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. Matthew 13:52

Jesus calls his disciples scribes because, in that day, scribes were teachers. To be a teacher, you must be willing to be taught and to mix new knowledge with old, as in using the Old and New Testaments to get your point across. A good teacher will recognize when a situation is similar to one described in the Bible and tell a modern-day version of that story to drive home a point about biblical truths. Jesus compares this teaching to the head of the house offering a variety of old and new treasures, like last year’s harvest of dried fruit, as well as some fresh options from this year’s abundance, to entertain his friends. Be observant, consider what you see, and commit it to memory so you can recall it for use in your teaching later.