The Many and the Few

The many and the few

If you want some insight on some of the thinking I've been doing based on Bunyan and other reformed theology readings take a look at the above link. His thought below has been on my mind.

"Over the past couple of days I’ve found myself pondering the gospel message over and over again and asking myself why it is that this message is so unpopular even in Christian churches and among Christian authors. Why would an author or a pastor seek to soften the message?"

It's a good read and I like the way he expresses the answer:

"I guess there is no great mystery here. Unbelievers hate the gospel message because it insists that things are true about them that they simply do not wish to believe. It insists things are true that they are unable to believe. The gospel message tells us that we are sinners."

One thing we must always keep in mind is moving over the line where Jesus sees the Pharisees. In most cases Jesus identifies the leaven with the bad side of the Pharisees and as Luke 12:1 states "....which is hypocrisy".

I'll tell you more when I finish the 2nd part of Bunyan's:
A Discourse Upon the Pharisee and the Publican

Other passages say much the same...

Luke 13:21

The letters to the early church though expand the impact of leaven to false teaching.

1 Corinthians 5:6-8
Galatians 5:9

If you do a word study of the phrase "little faith" you can quickly see that Jesus points out it doesn't take much.

"Great faith" is rarely mentioned but you can see two sides of it in:

Matthew 15:21-28
As a side point it's obvious that Jesus says he came specifically to the Jews....which explains why Paul makes such a point in his letter explaining the mystery that the Gospel was actually to both the Jews and the Gentiles.

When you read this reflect on Luke 18:9-14 especially the way the tax collector sees himself, how is that like the woman in Matthew 15?
The outcome of this parable is what we would say is what we desire, it's good or positive.

But other examples of "great faith" don't have that same immediate or temporal result:
Case in point continue reading in Hebrews 11:35-40.

Interesting thoughts to ponder here....