Harvest Community Church of Huntersville Unknown

The immediately preceding passage, Luke 10-1-24, was about Jesus sending 72 out to do mission in the world, while this one is about -another kind of sending--i.e., how to love and meet needs as we are sent out into daily life.

The immediately preceding parable that opened Matthew 25 stressed always being ready for the return of Christ, while this one emphasizes what believers are to do right now to be ready for that return and final judgment. very

In the previous chapter -24-, Jesus stated that since nobody knows the timing of the return of the Son of Man, his followers should watch and do what the master wants even if there is a long delay. Matthew 25 opens with a parable that gives a graphic picture of that.

In Matthew 19, Peter asked Jesus a question about rewards for those who had sacrificed for him. Jesus then discussed rewards and noted that the values of God's kingdom are opposite those of the world, which leads right into this parable in Matthew 20.

Jesus began teaching through parables in Matthew 13 by sitting in a boat so the crowds could hear him. As we look at his final parable in this chapter, Jesus closes with a fitting parable of fishermen sorting fish on the shore.

Jesus used these two short parables to continue shedding light on the nature of the kingdom of God.