Jesus in Context

Weeds Among the Wheat

Agriculture

Jesus describes an enemy sowing weeds among a farmer's wheat and the difficulty of separating the two before harvest.

Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30; Matthew 13:36-43

The Mustard Seed and the Growth of the Kingdom

Agriculture

Jesus uses the proverbial smallness of a mustard seed and the vigorous growth of the plant to picture the surprising expansion of God's kingdom.

Scripture: Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18-19

Leaven Hidden in Flour

Household Life

Jesus pictures a woman working leaven into a large quantity of flour until its influence spreads throughout the dough.

Scripture: Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20-21

Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price

Commerce and Money

Jesus uses buried wealth and a merchant searching for exceptional pearls to portray the incomparable value of the kingdom.

Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46

The Dragnet and Sorting the Catch

Fishing and Maritime Life

Jesus uses the familiar work of hauling in a large fishing net and sorting its mixed catch as an image of final separation.

Scripture: Matthew 13:47-50

Treasures New and Old From the Storeroom

Language and Idiom

Jesus compares a trained scribe of the kingdom to a household master bringing both new and old treasures from his store.

Scripture: Matthew 13:51-52

The Mount of Olives and the Olivet Discourse

Places and Geography

Jesus delivers His major discourse about coming upheaval and watchfulness from the Mount of Olives opposite Jerusalem.

Scripture: Matthew 24:3; Mark 13:3

Wars, Rumors of Wars, and Birth Pains

Language and Idiom

Jesus warns that warfare, upheaval, and other alarming events should not automatically be mistaken for the end, describing them as the beginning of birth pains.

Scripture: Matthew 24:6-8; Mark 13:7-8; Luke 21:9-11

False Messiahs and Claims of a Hidden Christ

Historical/Cultural Context

Jesus warns His disciples against messianic claimants and rumors that the Christ has appeared secretly in remote or hidden locations.

Scripture: Matthew 24:4-5; Matthew 24:23-27; Mark 13:5-6; Mark 13:21-23; Luke 17:23-24; Luke 21:8

The Gospel Preached in the Whole Oikoumene

Language and Idiom

The Greek term oikoumene helps explain what first-century hearers understood when Jesus spoke of the gospel being proclaimed throughout the world.

Scripture: Matthew 24:14

The Abomination of Desolation

Temple

Jesus invokes Daniel's language of a desecrating abomination when warning His disciples about a coming crisis centered on Jerusalem.

Scripture: Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14; Daniel 9:27; Daniel 11:31; Daniel 12:11

Fleeing Judea: The Urgency of Escape

Travel and Roads

Jesus' instructions about mountains, rooftops, clothing, winter, Sabbath travel, and vulnerable families portray the practical realities of sudden flight from danger.

Scripture: Matthew 24:16-20; Mark 13:14-18; Luke 17:31; Luke 21:21-23