Thematic Bible: Illustrated


Thematic Bible










But a Samaritan, while on a journey, came down to him, and when he saw him, his heart was moved with pity for him. Verse ConceptsOpportunities, In LifeOutsidersTravelPeople Showing Mercy


His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your opinion; I no longer deserve to be called your son; just treat me like one of your hired men.' Verse ConceptsGuilt, Human Aspects OfRepentance, Examples OfConviction Of SinAfflicted Saints, Examples OfWe Have SinnedBeing A Good Father

But the tax-collector stood at a distance and would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but continued to beat his breast, and say, 'O God, have mercy on me, a sinner!' Verse ConceptsContritionReconciliation, Of The World To GodRepentance, Examples OfRepentance, Nature OfConviction Of SinBeating OneselfBe Merciful!Far From Heredistancebreastspitytaxes



One day the beggar died and was carried away by the angels to be Abraham's bosom companion, and the rich man too died and was buried. And in Hades he looked up, in constant tortures as he was, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus his bosom companion.

And in Hades he looked up, in constant tortures as he was, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus his bosom companion. So he called and said, 'Father Abraham, take pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool off my tongue, because I am ceaselessly tortured in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'My child, remember that you received in full your blessings in your lifetime, and Lazarus his hardships in his, but now he is continuously comforted here, while you are continuously tortured there. read more.
Besides all this, between you and us there stands fixed a great chasm, so that those who want to cross from this side to you cannot, nor can they cross from your side to us.'





So the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle up his accounts with his slaves, And when he began, a man was brought to him who owed him ten million dollars. And because he could not pay it, his master ordered him to be sold, yea, even his wife and children and all he had, and payment to be made. read more.
So the slave fell down at his feet and pleaded, 'Give me time, and I will pay you every cent of it.' And his master's heart was moved with pity, and he let the slave go free with his debt cancelled. "But that slave went out and found one of his fellow-slaves who owed him twenty dollars, and he caught him by the throat and began to choke him, demanding, 'Pay me what you owe me!' "And his fellow-slave fell down before him and pleaded, 'Give me time, and I will pay you.' But he refused and went out and had him put in jail until he should pay the debt. "When his fellow-slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly troubled, and went and reported all that happened to their master. Then his master called to him, and said, 'I cancelled all that huge debt of yours, because you pleaded with me to do so. Ought you not to have shown mercy to your fellow-slave, as I too had done for you?' And the master was enraged and turned him over to the official torturers, until he should pay the whole debt. This is the way my heavenly Father too will deal with you, if you do not, each one, heartily forgive your brother."

He gave one five thousand dollars, another two thousand, another one thousand, to each in accordance with his ability. Then he started on his long journey. The man who had received the five thousand dollars at once went out and invested it, and made five thousand more. In the same way the man who had received the two thousand made two thousand more. read more.
But the man who had received the one thousand went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money. After a long time the master of those slaves came back and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five thousand dollars came up and brought him five thousand more, saying, 'You turned over to me five thousand dollars; here are five thousand more I made.' His master said to him 'Well done, my good and faithful slave, you have been faithful in the use of a small amount; I will put you in charge of a larger one. Come, share your master's joy!' Then the man who had received the two thousand came up and said, 'Master, you turned over to me two thousand dollars; here are two thousand more I made.' His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful slave, you have been faithful in the use of a small amount; I will put you in charge of a larger one. Come, share your master's joy!' Then the man who had received the one thousand came up and said, 'Master, I knew you were a hard man, who reaped where you had not sown, who gathered where you had not threshed. So I was afraid, and went off and buried your thousand dollars in the ground. Here is your money.' His master answered him, 'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reaped where I had not sown and gathered where I had not threshed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, so that when I came back I could have collected my principal with interest. So take the thousand dollars away from him and give it to him who has ten thousand. For the man who has will have more given to him, even till it overflows, but from the man who has nothing even what he has will be taken away. And throw the good-for-nothing slave out into the darkness on the outside, where he will weep and grind his teeth.'


But Abraham said, 'My child, remember that you received in full your blessings in your lifetime, and Lazarus his hardships in his, but now he is continuously comforted here, while you are continuously tortured there. Verse ConceptsLimitednessRiches, Ungodly Use OfDeath Of The Saints, Results InPainful MemoriesReversalsGiving Good ThingsBad SituationsGod Has ComfortedOvercoming Adversity

Then He told them a story, as follows: "A certain rich man's lands yielded bountifully. So he began to argue with himself, 'What am I to do, because I have nowhere to store my crops?' Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and in them I will store all my grains and my goods. read more.
Then I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Go on taking your ease; continue to eat, drink, and enjoy yourself."' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is to be demanded of you. Then who will have all that you have prepared?'




So He said: "Once upon a time a man of noble birth went off to a distant country to get for himself a kingdom and then return. He called in ten of his slaves and gave them twenty dollars apiece and told them to do business with his money while he was gone. But his citizens continued to hate him, and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We do not want this man to become king over us.'


"A curse on you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, for you are like white-washed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead people's bones and everything that is unclean! So you, too, on the outside seem to people to be upright, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.


But the man who had received the one thousand went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money. Verse ConceptsTalentsExcavationHidden ThingsOne Material ThingHoles In The GroundGifts And TalentsMoney Blessingsinvestinghiding

His master answered him, 'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reaped where I had not sown and gathered where I had not threshed. Verse ConceptsTalentsSlothfulnessNot SowingNot Reaping What You SowKnowing God's Character





take the fattening calf and kill it, and let us feast and celebrate, because this son of mine was dead and has come to life, was lost and has been found!' So they began to celebrate.

I tell you, this man, and not the other, went back home forgiven and accepted by God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Verse ConceptsHumilityPromotionIndividuals going homeHumbling Oneself


If it bears figs in the future, well; but if not, you will have to cut it down.'" Verse ConceptsDivine DelaysFelling TreesBearing FruitOlive Treescutting

Then He told them this story: "A man had a fig tree planted by his vineyard, and he kept going and looking for figs on it, but did not find any. Verse ConceptsMetaphorical VineyardsSeeking For Concrete Things

Omitted Text. "What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillsides, and go and search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I solemnly say to you, he rejoices over it more than he does over the ninety-nine that did not get lost.

He called in ten of his slaves and gave them twenty dollars apiece and told them to do business with his money while he was gone. Verse ConceptsGiving, Of TalentsTradeAppropriationTen PeopleLarge DenominationsSpecific Sums Of MoneyEternal PerspectiveBusinessFinancesTalentsGifts And Talentsinvesting

"For it is just like a man who was going on a long journey from his homeland, who called to him his slaves and turned his property over to them. Verse ConceptsTalentsRich, TheLikeningEntrustingLikening ThingsPropertyGifts And Talentsmathlent

And as they received it, they began to grumble against the owner of the estate, Verse ConceptsGrumbling At People

But he answered his father, 'See! I have served you all these years and have never disobeyed a command of yours, but you have never given me even a kid, so that I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours arrives, who has eaten up your property with immoral women, you have killed for him the fattening calf.'

Since they could not pay him, he graciously canceled the debts for both of them. Now which one of them will love him more?" Verse ConceptsPeople Forgiving OthersUnable To Do Other ThingsDebtLove And Forgiveness

So he got up and went to his father. But, while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and his heart was moved with pity for him, and he ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him affectionately. His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your opinion; I no longer deserve to be called your son; just treat me like one of your hired men.' But his father said to his slaves, 'Bring out at once a robe, yes, the finest one, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet; read more.
take the fattening calf and kill it, and let us feast and celebrate, because this son of mine was dead and has come to life, was lost and has been found!' So they began to celebrate.


"Listen to another story. There was once an owner of an estate who planted a vineyard and built a fence around it, and hewed out a wine-vat in it, and built a tower, and rented it to tenant farmers, and then went abroad. But when the time for gathering grapes was near, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his rent. But the tenants took his slaves and beat the first one, killed the second, and stoned the third. read more.
Again he sent other slaves, and more than at first, and they treated them exactly the same way. At last he sent his son to them, for he said to himself, 'They will surely respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is his heir, come on, let us kill him, and get all that is coming to him!' So they took him and drove him out of the vineyard and murdered him.

Some fell upon rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up at once, because the soil was not deep; Verse ConceptsShallownessSprouting PlantsSuddenlySproutingThings Going Up

but it does not take real root in them, and so they last only a little while; then when trouble or persecution comes on account of the truth, they at once fall by the way. Verse ConceptsAfflictions, In Christian LivingShallownessFor The Sake Of ThingsPersecutionpressure


"The kingdom of heaven is like a pot of gold which was buried in a field, which a man found and buried again; and for joy over it he went and sold all he had and bought that field. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a gem-dealer who was looking for beautiful pearls. One day he found a very costly pearl, and he went and sold all he had and bought it.




But the tax-collector stood at a distance and would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but continued to beat his breast, and say, 'O God, have mercy on me, a sinner!' Verse ConceptsContritionReconciliation, Of The World To GodRepentance, Examples OfRepentance, Nature OfConviction Of SinBeating OneselfBe Merciful!Far From Heredistancebreastspitytaxes

I will get up and go to my father, and say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your opinion; I no longer deserve to be called your son; just treat me like one of your hired men."' So he got up and went to his father. But, while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and his heart was moved with pity for him, and he ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him affectionately. read more.
His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your opinion; I no longer deserve to be called your son; just treat me like one of your hired men.'

only they kept hearing people say, "Our former persecutor is now preaching as good news the faith which once he tried to destroy," Verse ConceptsFaith, As A Body Of Beliefsenemies, of Jesus ChristGospel, Transmission OfPersecution, Forms Of

And he answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. Verse ConceptsPeople Changing Their MindsPeople UnwillingObeying People

Then he came to himself and said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more to eat than they need, and here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your opinion; I no longer deserve to be called your son; just treat me like one of your hired men."'


You foolish man! the seed that you sow never comes to life unless it dies first; and what you sow does not have the body that it is going to have, but is a naked grain, of wheat (it may be) or something else;


Then after he had gotten the appointment as king, he returned and ordered those slaves to whom he had given his money to be called in, that he might find out what business they had done. Verse ConceptsGiving, Of TalentsOthers Summoninginvesting

But at midnight there was a shout, 'Here comes the bridegroom! Go out to meet him!' Verse ConceptsHourMidnightMeeting God


So He said: "Once upon a time a man of noble birth went off to a distant country to get for himself a kingdom and then return. Verse ConceptsHeirsInheritance, SpiritualNoblesRich, TheIndividuals going homeFar From HereGifts And Talents

"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax-collector. The Pharisee stood and said this self-centered prayer, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men, robbers, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. I fast two days in the week. I pay a tithe on everything I get.'








When a strong man well armed keeps guard over his dwelling, his property is secure. But when a man stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he strips him of all his arms on which he relied, and distributes his goods as spoils.



As a skilled architect, in accordance with God's unmerited favor given to me, I laid a foundation, and now another is building upon it. But every builder must be careful how he builds upon it; for no one can lay any other foundation than the one that is laid, that is, Jesus Christ Himself.



You married men must love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, to consecrate her, after cleansing her through His word, as pictured in the water bath, that He might present the church to Himself as a splendid bride without a blot or wrinkle or anything like it, but to be consecrated and faultless. read more.
This is the way married men ought to love their wives, as they do their own bodies. The married man who loves his wife is really loving himself, for no one ever hates his own physical person, but he feeds and fosters it, just as Christ does the church; because we are parts of His body. Therefore, a man must leave his father and mother and so perfectly unite himself to his wife that the two shall be one. This is a great secret; I mean this about Christ and the church.









"You must keep your belts tight and your lamps burning, and be like men waiting for their master when he comes home from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks, they at once may open the door for him.