Jesus! Even now, the very thought of His name makes my heart tremble. Many people—Pharisees, Sadducees, and others—are desperate to trap Him, but they’re all making a fuss, knowing nothing about Him. Have they ever truly listened to the words He taught? They will never grasp how easily His teachings, spoken through parables, reach people’s hearts, or how much profound truth is contained within them. They try to find fault in His words to protect their own authority, but in doing so, they miss the essential message.
But I am different. I have collected the words He has taught and have endeavored to understand them. I have even spoken with those who heard Him directly, and with some former disciples. Of course, my understanding may not be perfect, but I am confident to a certain extent.
He explained many things in parables. Regarding the Kingdom of Heaven, He said:
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, until it was all leavened.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls, who having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet, that was cast into the sea, and gathered some fish of every kind, which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach. They sat down, and gathered the good into containers, but the bad they threw away. So will it be in the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked from among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Every scribe who has been made a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a householder, who brings out of his treasure new and old things.”
What He means about the Kingdom of Heaven is that it starts small and insignificant, but grows into a great tree that provides rest for the weary. It is also like yeast that, when mixed into flour, causes the dough to rise and become the bread of life, feeding many. Yet, He warned that not all yeast is good—He cautioned against the yeast of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herod. This refers to their teachings and hypocrisy, implying that people should be nourished by the teachings of the Kingdom, not by theirs.
The parables about the hidden treasure and the fine pearl show that the Kingdom of Heaven is worth giving up all former things for, just as one sells everything to obtain something of ultimate value. Finally, the parable of the net teaches plainly that the wicked will not enter the Kingdom, but the righteous will.
Next, He taught about the attitude one should have when asking God for something:
“Which of you, if you go to a friend at midnight, and tell him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him,’ and he from within will answer and say, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give it to you’? I tell you, although he will not rise and give it to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as many as he needs. I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
Here, He tells us that if we persistently ask God, we will receive what we need. Those who ask will receive; those who seek will find; those who knock will have the door opened. He encourages us to cling to God. Of course, the greatest gift God gives is the Holy Spirit, and He will give the Spirit to those who ask. But I also believe that in other areas of life, if what we ask for is good and not harmful in God’s eyes, He will grant it.
There is also the parable of the rich man and the beggar.
“Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day. A certain beggar, named Lazarus, was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
The beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom.
He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.’
But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But now here he is comforted and you are in anguish. Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’
He said, ‘I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house—for I have five brothers—that he may testify to them, so they won’t also come into this place of torment.’
But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’
He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’”
This message pierced me—a warning to those who live in luxury yet neglect the poor around them. Perhaps it was a parable about people like the Sadducees today, who do not believe in the resurrection and would refuse to believe even if someone rose from the dead.
There is also a practical teaching:
“When you are invited by anyone to a marriage feast, don’t sit in the best seat, since perhaps someone more honorable than you might be invited by him, and he who invited both of you would come and tell you, ‘Make room for this person.’ Then you would begin, with shame, to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes, he may tell you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
“When you make a dinner or a supper, don’t call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your kinsmen, nor rich neighbors, or perhaps they might also return the favor, and pay you back. But when you make a feast, ask the poor, the maimed, the lame, or the blind; and you will be blessed, because they don’t have the resources to repay you. For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous.”
After hearing these words, I tried not to exalt myself and even hosted dinners for the poor. At first, these actions felt awkward, but over time I realized how much joy these practices brought me, and I was amazed once again by the power of His words.
There is also the parable of the faithful steward:
“Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the right times? Blessed is that servant whom his lord will find doing so when he comes. Truly I tell you that he will set him over all that he has.
But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My lord delays his coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken, then the lord of that servant will come in a day when he isn’t expecting him, and in an hour that he doesn’t know, and will cut him in two, and place his portion with the unfaithful. That servant, who knew his lord’s will, and didn’t prepare, nor do what he wanted, will be beaten with many stripes, but he who didn’t know, and did things worthy of stripes, will be beaten with few stripes. To whomever much is given, of him will much be required; and to whom much was entrusted, of him more will be asked.”
I do not fully understand this teaching yet, but I think it means that God expects more from those who have received, or will be entrusted with, greater responsibilities.
Next is the parable about those who refuse the invitation to a banquet:
“A certain man made a great supper, and he invited many people. He sent out his servant at supper time to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, for everything is ready now.’
They all as one began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please have me excused.’
Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go try them out. Please have me excused.’
Another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I can’t come.’
That servant came, and told his lord these things. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.’
The servant said, ‘Lord, it is done as you commanded, and there is still room.’
The lord said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you that none of those men who were invited will taste of my supper.’”
In this parable, those invited to the great feast all make excuses not to come, even though they were invited in advance. The master, angered by their attitude, commands his servant to bring in the poor, the disabled, the blind, and even people from the highways and hedges, compelling them to fill the house. I believe this relates to the Kingdom of Heaven He speaks of. Those who are invited to His feast but refuse—the ones who reject His teachings—are likely the Jewish people who had more knowledge of the Scriptures and had received many blessings but still refused the invitation to the Kingdom of Heaven for various reasons.
Finally, there is His teaching about becoming His disciple:
“If anyone comes to me, and doesn’t hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he can’t be my disciple. Whoever doesn’t bear his own cross and come after me, can’t be my disciple.
For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an envoy and asks for conditions of peace. So therefore whoever of you who doesn’t renounce all that he has, he can’t be my disciple.”
He says that to become His disciple, one must give up all their possessions. While this could be understood literally, I believe it is meant for those called to follow Him directly. Many who help Him do so without giving up all their possessions, supporting His ministry with what they have. So I think this teaching is directed at those with a specific calling.
I have wondered if I could follow this teaching literally. Honestly, I think it would be very difficult. How could I give up all the wealth I have? I just can’t. For this reason, I like Him, but I don’t think I am ready to be His disciple. I want to follow Him by supporting Him financially. I am not a great man, but as someone who is a leader among the people, perhaps even a small contribution from me could be of use to His ministry.
In any case, it is with this mindset that I am now going to Him. Since He left Judea, He has been traveling around preaching, and now He is going up to Jerusalem to observe the upcoming Passover. There are many evil leaders there who want to kill Him, so I don’t know what will happen when He goes. Before that happens, I want to meet Him in person and talk with Him. I want to know what more I must do to attain the eternal life He speaks of.
* * *
A man knelt before Jesus, who was about to set out on His journey, and asked,
“Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? What good thing should I do to receive it?”
This man was a leader of the people and also a wealthy young man.
“Why do you call me good? No one is good except one—God. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
“Which ones?”
“You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and your mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“Teacher, I have observed all these things from my youth. What do I still lack?”
Just as his answer indicated, he had lived his whole life faithfully keeping all the laws God had given, a man without a trace of falsehood. Jesus looked at him intently and loved him. With a gentle smile, Jesus spoke again.
“You still lack one thing. If you want to be perfect, go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Just as Jesus said that much is required from those entrusted with much, He demanded a great decision from the young man to entrust him with the solemn mission of proclaiming the kingdom of God. To give all he had to the poor was the cross he had to bear, torn between his wealth and God. Jesus even said, “Follow me,” a call that some longed for but were not permitted to hear, inviting him to the role of a disciple. Yet, the young man who had lived righteously all his life stumbled over his vast possessions and refused the great mission and the overflowing grace offered to him. He left, sorrowful and troubled.
Seeing him depart, Jesus said to His disciples:
“Children, Truly I say to you, how hard it is for those who have riches to enter into the Kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.”
The disciples were astonished at His words. If even a man who so faithfully kept the law and loved his neighbor found it difficult to enter the kingdom of God, then who could possibly enter?
They asked Jesus,
“Then who can be saved?”
“With men it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God.”
Salvation was not by human effort but by God’s choice. Whether rich or poor, those chosen by God would surely enter His kingdom. Jesus spoke these words to His disciples.
Peter then asked,
“Behold, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?”
Jesus said to them,
“Most certainly I tell you, in the regeneration when the Son of Man sits on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Everyone who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or parents, or lands, for my name’s sake, for my sake, for the sake of the Good News, or for the Kingdom of God’s sake, will receive many times more now in this time—houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
The passages from Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52, 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31, Luke 11:5-13, 12:42-48, 14:8-33, 16:19-31, 18:18-30 quoted in this narrative are taken directly from the World English Bible (WEB) translation. Of the parallel passages, I have combined them into a single version that includes all the content.
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