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Matthew 12:41
Jesus' warning to those who demanded a sign: the men of Nineveh, who repented at Jonah's preaching, will condemn "this generation" at the judgment. The verse is often cited as a call to repentance and as a revelation of who Jesus is.
Parable of the Prodigal Son
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a parable of Jesus recorded in Luke 15:11-32. It tells of a father who welcomes home his younger son after the son has squandered his share of the estate. It is also called the "Returning Prodigal."
Drachma
The drachma was an ancient Greek silver coin and monetary unit. In the New Testament it appears in the parable of the lost coin in Luke 15, and it is generally understood to have been worth about a laborer's daily wage.
Sign of Jonah
The sign of Jonah refers to Jesus' reply to those who demanded a sign, that no sign would be given "but the sign of the prophet Jonas." The saying appears in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.
Oral Law
The Oral Law is the body of Jewish interpretations and regulations believed to have been transmitted by word of mouth alongside the written law of the Pentateuch. In the New Testament it appears under the expression "the tradition of the elders."
Phylacteries
Phylacteries are small leather boxes containing parchment inscribed with passages from the Law, together with the straps by which Jews bind them to the forehead and arm during prayer. In the New Testament they are mentioned once, in Matthew 23:5.
Proselyte
Proselyte (Greek prosēlytos) is a New Testament term for a person born a Gentile who came to believe in the God of Israel and formally entered the Jewish community through circumcision and other rites.
Matthew 24
Matthew 24 is the chapter in which Jesus, after foretelling the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, teaches his disciples on the Mount of Olives about the signs of the end, the great tribulation, and the coming of the Son of Man, and urges them to keep watch.
Mark 12
Mark 12 is the chapter in which Jesus, teaching in the temple at Jerusalem, tells the parable of the wicked husbandmen; answers questions about tribute, the resurrection, and the greatest commandment; and commends the poor widow's offering.
Luke 21
Luke 21 contains the account of the poor widow's offering of two mites and Jesus' eschatological discourse (an extended teaching on the end times), which opens with a prediction of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.
Magi
The Magi were men from the East who, at the time of Jesus' birth, saw a star, came to worship the infant Jesus, and presented him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They appear only in Matthew 2.
Parable of the Lost Sheep
The Parable of the Lost Sheep is a parable of Jesus in which a shepherd with a hundred sheep goes in search of the one that has gone astray and rejoices when he finds it. It appears in Luke 15 and Matthew 18.
Pharisees
The Pharisees were a group within Judaism in the New Testament era. They strictly observed the Law of Moses and "the tradition of the elders," and in the Gospels they appear chiefly as opponents who dispute with Jesus.
Hosanna
"Hosanna" is a transliteration of a Hebrew expression meaning "save now." It derives from Psalm 118 and is recorded in the Gospels as the acclamation the crowds shouted when Jesus entered Jerusalem.
Masoretic Text
The Masoretic Text is the standard text of the Hebrew Old Testament, transmitted by medieval Jewish scholars (the Masoretes) who added vowel points and annotations. Most Old Testament translations today use it as their base text.
Sign
A sign (Korean pyojeok, 標蹟) is a token that God displays to reveal His will and power, or the authority of one He has sent. The Gospel of John calls the miracles of Jesus "signs" and records them as evidence intended to lead people to faith.
1 Kings 4
1 Kings 4 records the officials of Solomon's kingdom, the districts assigned to twelve governors, the provisions and horses of the royal court, the kingdom's broad territory and peace, and Solomon's surpassing wisdom.
Mark 9:23
Mark 9:23 is the verse in which Jesus, after the father of a demon-possessed boy pleads "if thou canst do any thing," takes up the father's words and answers that all things are possible to him that believeth. It is often cited in discussions of the power of faith and prayer, and there has been debate over whether it is quoted out of context.
Matthew 15
Matthew 15 recounts the dispute over handwashing and the tradition of the elders, the faith of a Canaanite woman from the region of Tyre and Sidon, healings beside the Sea of Galilee, and the feeding of the four thousand.
Mark 14
Mark 14 covers the events surrounding Jesus' final Passover: the chief priests' plot, the woman who anointed him with ointment at Bethany, the Last Supper, the prayer in Gethsemane, his arrest and examination before the Council, and Peter's threefold denial.