In the Word with Bob Radford

In The Parable of the Wedding Feast Jesus uses the invitation of the King (Father God) extended first to the nation of Israel to the marriage of His Son (Jesus). The invitation is rejected and then offered broadly to everyone, whosoever would come. As the wedding all fills with guests the King enters a notices someone is there without a wedding garment. the wedding garment is a picture of the "rob...

This parable contrast humility with pride. Jesus points out the competitive spirit as a manifestation of pride as the guests at a feast compete for the best seats. Jesus encourages taking a lower seat as an act of humility that leaves the opportunity to be offered by the host a higher seat. This parable reveals the working of pride in our hearts. Pride manifests in conflicts in relationships, self...

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant is Jesus' signature teaching on the necessity of forgiveness in our daily living. in the a King demands payment from a servant who owes him an huge sum. The man begs for time to pay and the King has compassion for him and his family and he forgives the debt and sets him free. Then this forgiven servant turns on a fellow servant who owes him a very small sum o...

The Parable of The Leaven follows right after The Parable of the Mustard Seed. Both of these represent something small growing into something greater. They speaks of the 2 dimensions of the kingdom of God. The Mustard Seed is about spreading growth of the church universal in the world over generations. The leaven represents the growth of the kingdom of God within each believer. Like leaven this gr...

The parable of the Pearl of Great Price is similar to The parable of The Hidden Treasure but there is a difference. The difference is the merchant is "seeking" unlike the man that happened to find it treasure suddenly. This is as the sudden experience of Saul on the Damascus Road in Acts 9. Both the Ethiopian Eunuch and the Roman Centurion Cornelius represent "Seekers." The Eth...

The Parable of A Treasure Hidden In A field and its sister parable "The Pearl of Great Price have a similar message. That message is the great value of receiving Christ and His Kingdom. The difference is in the process by which the believer comes to the revelation. In The Parable of The Treasure Hidden In a Field the treasure is found by a sudden revelation as this man is walking through a fi...

MARK 4: 26-29, “ And He said, “The kingdom ofGod is as if a man should scatterseed on the ground, 27 andshould sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow,he himself does not know how. 28 Forthe earth yields crops byitself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 Butwhen the grain ripens, immediately heputs in the sickle, because the harves...

This Parable is one of the Kingdom Parables. Jesus presents this parable that points to the End of the Age and the final separation of the righteous of Jesus' true church (the wheat) and the unbelieving and false prophets and teachers (the tares). Jesus gives clear explanation of this parable so that it is easily understood. Jesus cautions the true church not to become engaged in attempting to...

The Parable of The Unfruitful Fig Tree brings attention for the need for repentance in order to be saved through the mercy and grace of God. The Fig Tree receives a judgement from the owner to be cut down after failing to bare fruit in its third year as it should have. the Vinedresser who is as Jesus intervenes on behalf of the Fig Tree to allow an extension of one more year. Then he digs around t...

The Parable of The Rich Fool also known as Barns and Bigger Barns was given before the large crowd at the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. A man speaks out from the crowd with a personal request for Jesus to speak to his brother about sharing his inheritance with him. Jesus uses this opportunity to share the word on covetousness with the parable of the Rich Fool who builds bigger barns to st...

This parable arises out of a situation Jesus encounters in the home of Simon the pharisee. Jesus is invited into Simon's home but is not offered the normal greeting given to guests. A woman then enters Simon's home and having noted that Jesus has been treated rudely begins to wash His feet with her hair and then breaks open a jar of expensive perfume oil and pours it over Jesus in act of l...

The Parable of The Wise and Foolish Builders is given by Jesus immediately following The Sermon on The Mount. Jesus challenges the people to be not just hearers but doers of his words. This episode explores what it is to be a hearer and doer of the word rather than only a hearer.

The Parable of the Lamp illustrate two things. Firstly, Jesus is the light of the world. Secondly, His message; the gospel is the light of the world. The first spoken words of the Word of God came from Jesus "Let there be light." Light overcomes darkness. The world is in spiritual darkness. Jesus and His message overcomes the darkness. The word of God teaches us to not hide the light of...

The New Wine in Old Wineskins was the second and similar parable to the parable of New Cloth on an Old Garment. Jesus would often give a series of parables on the same subject to reinforce the truth to those who would listen. ( Example: The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin and The Lost Son.)Although they are similar in conveying the message that attaching the new covenant truths to the old covenant would...

This is the first in a series of parables Jesus taught concerning foundational truths of His gospel. The message compares the Old Covenant of the law which Is the covenant Israel is under at the time of Jesus 's ministry with the message of the New Covenant. Jesus is introducing a completely new message and just as new cloth cannot be successfully attached to an old garment like a patch; neith...

Jesus presented His truths concerning the Kingdom in approximately 40 percent of what He taught by using the parable method. This method of teaching was common in the Jewish culture. This introduction gives some insight on the value of parable teaching in creating a relationship between the teacher and the disciple.

The Miphkad Gate is the 10th and final gate in this series on Restoration. The Miphkad Gate is the Gate where tradition says King David welcomed his military officers returning from campaigns against Israel's enemies. Here rewards were given for their service. This a picture of "inspection" and "judgement." Likewise, believers. will be inspected by Jesus at the judgement se...

The East Gate is named for the direction it faces on the eastern wall toward the Mount of Olives. The East Gate is currently walled up and has been for over a 1000 years. The Muslim rulers at that time held Jerusalem and they did this because it is through this gate that Jesus will enter Jerusalem on the Day of The Lord, the day of His return. Many prophecies give details of this day and the great...

The Horse Gate was the gate King David established to muster his troops to go out to battle the surrounding enemy nations and to fulfill the promise given to Abraham that the Kingdom of Israel would possess a territory from the river Euphrates in the east to the river Nile in the west. The people of God are called to spiritual warfare. To take territory for The kingdom of God. Our call is a call t...

The Water Gate was the only gate that was not destroyed in the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar and his army. It testifies to the truth that the Word of God will live and abide forever. The Water Gate also represents the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Nehemiah gathers all the people in the open square that at the Water Gate. A wooden platform was built for Ezra the priest and scrib...

The Fountain Gate was unlike the other gates. It was not a place of business. There was no flow of traffic of products and people. The Fountain Gate was a small passage in the wall on the eastern side of the wall. It allowed a stream of water from the Gihon spring in the Kidron valley to enter the city and supply a source of fresh water at the Pool of Siloam. This stream flowed through a garden Ki...

The Refuse Gate was the gate established for removal of sewage and garbage from the city of Jerusalem. Only one gate was used for this to avoid contamination. it was a one way gate and not used for any other purpose. This gate speaks of the need for daily purging. The removal of those works of the flesh and the sins that so easily come upon us. Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit within...

The Valley Gate was of the lowest elevation of all the Gates of ancient Jerusalem. It speaks of the valleys we pass through in life. Also it speaks of the attitude of Humility. Humility in the world is considered a weakness. But in The Kingdom of God it is considered one of the great attributes of Christ. We are exhorted to put on this this mindset of Humility. Also, this Valley Gate speaks of The...

The Old Gate was simply named that because it predated all the other gates . It speaks of the value of foundational truths in the word of God. If we only study and learn of the New Testament revelation we miss out on the a correct full revelation of God's word. Also we fall short of a correct understanding of the New Covenant. The Bible is a progressive revelation both Old and New. Matt.13: 51...

The Fish Gate is the second gate we come to as we visit the work of restoration of the walls and gates of Jerusalem. The Fish Gate was on the eastern wall of the city as was the sheep gate. The Fish Gate is where fish were brought in for the large market just inside this gate. The fish gate represents outreach and the work of evangelism. Jesus' first followers were the four fishermen Peter, An...