Top Highlights

• Nicodemus when he came to Jesus under cover of darkness in John 3.
• In Leviticus 19:2, God Himself says, “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” God’s own perfect holiness therefore establishes the legal standard and the moral requirement for a right standing with God. Jesus reiterates that same standard in the New Testament, this time with language clearly designed to stress the sheer impossibility o...
• While the parables illustrate and clarify truth for those with “ears to hear”—a phrase Jesus often repeats in His narratives—they have the opposite effect on those who oppose and reject Christ. The symbolism hides the truth from anyone without the discipline or desire to seek out Christ’s meaning.
• This is one of the reasons why Jesus adopted this style of teaching. It was a divine judgment against those who met His teaching with scorn, unbelief, or apathy.
• Yet the parables don’t just reflect God’s judgment; they also show His mercy.