Introduction, parable of the laborers in the vineyard and the parable of the tenants. In each of these the question concerns eternal rewards and placement within the Kingdom. The disciples were curious as to what their reward would be. The laborers in the vineyard answers that question. There were also those who were trying to hijack the Kingdom. The parable of the tenants addresses their 'reward'.
Seeds are information - the seed has all that's needed to build the plant. At the resurrection when the graves are opened, the body that has died is the seed for the new life to come. What information does it have?
Biblical leprosy is regarded as a spiritually caused disease infecting those who's behavior and speech damages the community. Over and over in Scripture one is urged to listen. Listen to God; listen to one's neighbors. On social media today, the art of listening seems largely to have been lost. This is to our harm, both as individuals and as a society.
As different cultures encountered God as described in the Hebrew Bible, they tended to try and understand and relate to Him in terms they were familiar with. Calvin, for example, was a lawyer and tried to fit God into a legal structure. The Catholic Church within the last decade wrote the humans could not understand God and our only access was through Jesus. These are all distortions. In the Bible, God presents Himself to man in very understandable and relatable terms.
In describing those who creep into the congregation and lead others astray, Peter says that one of their lures is the promise of freedom. This has always been the case with sin. In promising freedom from the restrictions of God's law, it holds out the promise of being a law unto oneself. While this is tempting, it eventually leads to ruin and death.
Life on earth is designed to be difficult and we often find ourselves in unpleasant circumstances. The character trait of tranquility is the ability to see purpose in each situation and adjust our emotions accordingly.
After the execution of Haman, the problem of his decree that all Jews be killed remained. Since that edict could not be changed, Esther and Mordecai got the King's permission to send a second decree to the effect that the Jews were allowed to defend themselves. That decree along with Mordecai's prominence effectively took the government bureaucracy out of the picture.
We deal with two concepts of time, cyclical and linear. Cyclical time encompasses the cycles of the day, week, month, year, lifetime. In this view, everything that is will repeat. Linear time embodies progress, the idea that the cycles are moving toward a goal.
During the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests before God, Nadab and Abihu offered profane fire before the altar and were themselves consumed by fire from heaven. Most commentaries focus on speculation about the two men's motivation in doing what was not commanded. Such speculation is completely irrelevant. What matters is what they did, not what they believed.
The fifty days from First Fruits to Shavuot (Pentecost) are symbolic of the transition from slavery to liberty in God's Kingdom. Those 50 days are echoed in the 50 years between Jubilees where liberty is proclaimed "throughout the land." This had special significance for Israel and for the founding fathers of the United States.