Latest Commentaries

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats: "The Closing Remark." Jesus concludes His teaching about the Judgments regarding the Sheep and the Goats with a short summary statement. He explains that the goats will go into the eternal fire while the sheep will go into eternal life. This also concludes His teachings about the end of the age and His return in the Olivet Discourse.

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats: "The Life Choices of the Accursed." The King will explain how their punishment was for the way they did not serve Him when He was destitute during their lives on earth. The accursed will ask when they ever refused to serve Him. The King will reply that to the extent they did not serve others, it was counted as if they did not serve Him.

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats: "The Third Judgment: The Banishment of the Accursed" Jesus says that the King will address the accursed goats who were sorted to His left. This judgment will happen after the King rewarded the sheep. He will call them "accursed ones" and banish them into the eternal fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels. This is the third of three judgments the parable describes.

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats: "The Life Choices of the Righteous." The King will explain how the inheritance for the sheep was based on the way they treated Him through various acts of kindness and mercy during their lives on earth. The righteous will ask when they ever served Him. The King will reply that to the extent they served others, it was counted as if they served Him.

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats: "The Second Judgment: The Reward of the Righteous." Jesus says that the King will address the righteous sheep after they have been sorted to His right. He will call them "blessed of My Father" and invite them to inherit the kingdom that was prepared from them from the foundation of the world. This is the second of three judgments the parable describes.

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats: “The First Judgment: Sorting the Sheep from the Goats” Jesus uses the metaphor of a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats to describe what will happen during the first of three judgments to occur. This image establishes the tone for the entire teaching that follows.

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats: “The Opening Remark” Jesus begins His teaching of “the Sheep and the Goats” by saying that when the Son of Man comes in His glory He will sit on His glorious throne.

Parable of the Talents: Jesus tells another parable about the kingdom of heaven and His return, likening them to a man who entrusts his estate to his servants while he is away on a long journey. He respectively entrusts five, two, and one talent(s) to three servants according to their abilities. The first two servants use this money to double his investment. The single talent servant digs a hole and buries the money entrusted to him. When the master returns, he settles the accounts with each of his servants. He rewards the first two servants for their faithfulness by giving them greater responsibilities and invites them to enter into the joy of their master. But he reprimands and demotes the third servant for his wicked laziness.

Jesus tells an extended parable about the kingdom of heaven and His return, likening them to a bridegroom coming for His bride late at night. As ten bridesmaids wait for his coming they fall asleep. Five of them were wise and brought extra oil for their lamps. Five were foolish and did not. When the bridesmaids wake up, the wise ones were able to participate in the procession and wedding feast, while the foolish ones missed this opportunity. The bridegroom did not approve of them when they returned. Jesus warns the disciples to be alert for His return.

In societies with multiple ethnic groups living together it is easy for those societies to become fractured into tribes that hate each other, and with the majority treating the minority with disdain. God, however, wants His people to treat non—Israelites with fairness and love just as they would treat a fellow Israelite.

God gives several very specific instructions to the Israelites

God now begins to illustrate how individuals can be self-governing and servant-minded, which will produce a blessed society that lives in harmony with God and each other.

Instructions surrounding the sacrifice of peace offerings are given. This builds upon a similar discussion in Leviticus 7:11-18.

Leviticus 19 begins with God commanding the Israelites to be holy as He is holy. God highlights three of the ten commandments that will be key to this task.

Jesus tells His disciples the Parable of the Unrighteous Steward. It is about a manager of a rich man’s estate who is fired for bad stewardship. Unsure of how he’ll live, he comes up with a shrewd plan. He summons his former employer’s debtors and ingratiates himself to them by greatly reducing their debts. Because they will have a social obligation to repay him, his future is secure. The master commends him for the way he cleverly used the master’s wealth to benefit himself. This ends the parable, highlighting that the point is to "be shrewd". Jesus then makes the observation that the sons of this age are more shrewd in using reciprocity to advance their temporal ambitions than the sons of light are in regard to their eternal ambitions. He exhorts the disciples to be shrewd by using their stewardship of earthly assets to make eternal friends.

David asks God to examine him and his character, identifying the sin so that God can show him the way to eternal life.

David expresses his hope that the wicked will suffer for their disobedience, renouncing them from his life. He instead focuses on his own pursuit of righteousness.

God’s thoughts are innumerable and valuable. It is impossible to know or understand them all. However, they do not prevent Him from always being with David.

God had a direct hand in David’s creation, putting every part of him together in his mother’s womb. Thus, David knows that his existence is very valuable. Nothing about him is unknown to God; not what he has done, is doing, or will do.

David realizes he cannot hide his evildoing from God in the darkness. God can see clearly through the dark, because He is in control of all things.