Treading Faith

On this podcast episode of Treading Faith Live, co-hosts Yemi and Philia discuss some of their favorite parables from The Power of Parables Season.  We recap:  1. The Parable of the Lamp under a Basket (Episode 1 titled, Lit Seasoning) Mark 4: 21-25 where we discuss being a light in this world, an example of God's goodness. 2. New Wine in Old Wine Skin (Episode 4 titled, New Wine, W...

The Parable of the Growing Seed is found in the book of Mark, chapter 4, verses 26-29. The parable is as follows: And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. Jesus tells of a man who...

The Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector is found in Luke 18:10-14.   Jesus shares this parable to demonstrate the difference between the prideful sinner and the humble sinner. Jesus explains that the person who comes before God humbled and with repentance will be justified over the one who comes before God boastful of his good deeds. For no man is above reproach and we all fal...

The Parable of the Persistent Widow and Unjust Judge is found in the book of Luke, chapter 18 verses 1-8. In the parable of the persistent widow, Jesus teaches his disciples that justice has its source in God. Though many barriers exist in the world that prevent us from receiving or experiencing justice, we get justice by petitioning the one who brings about justice on the earth... 6 And the Lord(...

The Parable of the Master and Servant is found in Luke 17:1-10.  Jesus shares this parable to highlight that doing the right thing, being obedient, kind and forgiving of one another should be the norm. It is the baseline for being a Christian and there are no bragging rights just for doing the right thing. Our God is good and gracious and he expects us to behave in a way that aligns with...

The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Luke 16:19-31 Some people think the Bible says the rich cannot enter Heaven, which is false. It’s just hard for them to enter Heaven. The rich and wealthy might think - I don’t need Jesus, I have money. They could be filled with pride, greed, selfishness, and more which will stop them from entering. Christians can indeed be rich and go to Heaven, but you mu...

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager is found in Luke 16:1-15 .   Jesus shares this parable to highlight that being a person of this world and chasing after the things of the world does not serve God and does not get you eternal life. In the parable the manager stole from his boss and when he got caught, he made deals with his bosses business associates to continue to steal from his...

The Parable of the Prodigal Son. Luke 15: 11-32 NIV 11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.(A) 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’(B) So he divided his property(C) between them. 13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth(D) in wild living. 14 After he had...

Jesus shares the parable of the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10) in connection with other parables on the lost (the lost sheep and the prodigal son). On one hand, the parable illustrates why Jesus chases after the sinner who is willing to repent and on the other hand, the parable is meant to help us identify ourselves as sinners and repent.  Repentance is a Kingdom Key and true repentance means activ...

The Parable of the Cost of Discipleship - Luke 14:25-33 What is the cost of discipleship to Jesus? It is primarily obedience. It is the forsaking of many things but since everything in life has a price, it is a price worth paying, considering that the great promise of the Savior is for peace in this life and eternal life in the life to come. “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to...

The Parable of the Lowest Seat at the Table is found in Luke 14:7-14.  Jesus tells this parable to give us a lesson on humility. He explains that the one who chooses the exalted seat at the table may be embarrassed when told to move for a person of higher stature. He says, instead, pick the lowest seat and then you may be asked to move to a seat of higher stature. He further says that th...

Luke 13:1-9 Parable of the Barren Fig Tree When Jesus told the parable of the fig tree, He was trying to get our attention because He is the master gardener. He always nourishes and protects. He prunes off the dead parts of our lives that won’t serve us. He’s tender to our new vines and branches. He shows up with sturdy gloves and an eye for detail. He shows up wearing old blue jeans, an old white...

The Parable of the Rich Fool is found in Luke 12:13-21.  Jesus offers a life lesson on chasing after the things of the world, specifically money. In this parable a rich man acumulated abundant wealth and when he earned more he built a bigger storage house to store up the surplus for the future. Unfortunately tomorrow is not promised and he was not able to take the surplus when he died. I...

The Parable of the Friend in Need is found in the book of Luke chapter 11:1-13 11:5 "Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children a...

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is found in Luke 10:25-37 and Jesus uses this parable to explain who qualifies as a "neighbor" in the context of the great commandment of loving your neighbor as yourself. Your neighborhood is as wide as Jesus' love and therefore your neighbor is everyone, but do you treat everyone as your neighbor? The Samaritan in the parable is the one who acted selflessly...

The Parable of The Creditor and the Two Debtors is found in Luke 7:36-50 The question that the story poses is: can Simon see differently? Can he see what Jesus sees: a forgiven woman who shows great love? If he can see her this way, then he may perceive Jesus not only as prophet, but also as the agent of God's forgiving love. Meaning of Parable of Creditor & Two Debtors - The purpose and messa...

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats is found in Matthew 25: 31-46. In this parable Jesus makes it clear that those who do the work of the Lord are the ones that will enter the Kingdom at the end times. Jesus is about that action. The Sheep are the ones that follow Jesus not just in words but in action - you fed the hungry, you clothed the poor, you comforted the sick and you visited the impriso...

The Parable of The Ten Bridesmaids is found in Matthew 25:1-13. Jesus sums up the parable's meaning for us clearly, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." The simple message of this parable is one that Jesus touched on again and again: So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him (Matthew 24:44, see also Luke 12:40)...

The Parable of The Wedding Banquet - Matthew 22: 1-14. In this parable Jesus tells us that the invitation to his Kingdom is open to all, but not all will enter. With the gift of free will we have a choice to choose God, to choose Jesus. God calls all of us, but unfortunately not all of us answer the call. Some of us claim to have answered the call but our actions tell otherwise. Our God is a God o...

The Parable of the Two Sons can be found in Matthew 21:28-32. The basic story is of a man with two sons who told them to go work in the vineyard. The first son refused, but later obeyed and went. The second son initially expressed obedience, but actually disobeyed and refused to work in the vineyard. The son who ultimately did the will of his father was the first son because he eventually obeyed....

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard is found in Matthew 20:1-16. In this parable Jesus illustrates that salvation is for everyone who wants it and the measure of salvation is the same for everyone no matter how long you have been saved. There isn't more salvation for those who have been saved longer than others. We cannot apply the earthly principles of seniority or first in line to the Kin...

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant can be found in Matthew 18:21-34. Jesus shares the importance of forgiveness. Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how unforgiving his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful c...

The Parable of the Master of a Household is found in Matthew 13:51-52.  In this parable Jesus explains that a person who has acquired knowledge of the kingdom of heaven is the master of his household that brings out new and old treasures. Meaning that there is so much for this person to offer to the people of their household and their guests. The old treasures may be the experiences you had,...

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and Valuable Pearl are found in Matthew 13:44-46. The parable of the hidden treasure is interpreted as illustrating the great value of the Kingdom of Heaven, and has a similar theme to the parable of the valuable pearl. These parables are only three sentences long, but packed with meaning. Hidden Treasure: The treasure was hidden, meaning it needed to be so...

The Parable of the Wheat and Weeds can be found in Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43. In this parable the seeds of wheat are sown by the farmer and the enemy comes at night to sow seeds of weeds. The weeds are not immediately removed from among the wheat for fear that some wheat will also be removed with the weeds. Instead, at harvest time, wheat and weeds are separated. We learn from Jesus that w...