Two are Better Than One

Welcome to Week Twenty-one of our Bible study! This week we will be looking at the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, found in Luke 16:19-31. This story comes on the heals of a contentious exchange between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders. Specifically, Jesus was teaching about the dangers associated with loving money and material possessions, and he drew a stark contrast between actions that glorify the individual and those that spring from a contrite heart. These were words the Pharisees did not want to hear and provide the context for the story of the rich man and Lazarus. As always, we need to place ourselves in the time and culture of the audience and try to understand the meaning of the events that take place. Although I have read this story many times before, when we try to understand the context and thinking of the Jewish leaders during this time, the story comes to life in a new way. So, we will discuss these things and also life after death during our study Sunday nig...

Welcome to Week Twenty of our Bible study! This week we will be looking at the parable of the banquet, found in Luke 14:15-24 and Matthew 22:1-14. Once again, we find Jesus speaking about the end times and who will enter into His kingdom. Obviously, that was a topic of interest to those around Him during that time and it certainly is today as well. Some believe that these two passages are parallel, meaning they are slightly different versions of the same parable by Jesus. The author of the book we are following believes they are separate because the accounts have a few specific differences. I am not inclined to debate either side, rather we will focus on the main idea of both parables, which is who will find their way into the Kingdom of God and who will not. This parable follows the sentiment from last week, which was “enter through the narrow door.” So that is what we will discuss this week. As always, I welcome your participation and look forward to seeing you all Sunday evening at ...