Jesus told a parable about the need to pray all the time, and never give up. "Once in a certain town there was a judge," he said, "who did not fear God or respect men. In the same town lived a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, 'I want justice from you against my enemy!' For a long time he would not do anything, but at last he said to himself, 'Maybe I do not fear God or respect men, but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights, or she will keep on coming and worry me to death."
"If it is this way with the judge who did not fear God or respect men, do you think God will not see justice done to those He loves who cry to Him day and night, even when He does not help them right away? I promise you, He will see justice done to them, and done speedily."
+ + + The Kingdom of Heaven + + +
Jesus often taught his disciples about the Kingdom of Heaven with such parables.
"The Kingdom of Heaven" He said, "is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it."
Here are more of the parables He told about the Kingdom of heaven:
"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man going out in the morning to hire men to work in his fields. He agreed on a certain wage with the workers and sent them to his fields. He went out later at mid-morning. He saw others doing nothing in the town, and hired them also. And so on through the day. Finally, at the eleventh hour, when the day was almost done, he went out again. He found still more just standing around, and asked them, 'Why have you been here doing nothing all day? 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered. He said to them, 'You go into my fields, too.' In the evening, the owner told his servant to call the workers and pay them. He told them to start with the ones who came last and end with the ones who came first.
Those who came in the evening, at the eleventh hour, got their pay. Those who came first got the same pay. They grumbled, 'Those who came last worked only for an hour. We did a heavy day's work in all the heat, yet they get the same pay.' The owner answered, 'My friend, I am not being unjust to you. Did you not get the wage you agreed on with me? Take your money and go. I choose to pay those who came last as much as you. Don't I have the right to do what I like with my own? Or are you jealous because I am generous?' So the last will be first, and the first last."
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"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed-good seed in his field. In the night, his enemy came, sowed weeds all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the weeds appeared as well. The owner's servants went to him and said, 'Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where do all the weeds come from? ' Some enemy has done this,' he answered. And the servants said, 'Do you want us to go and pull the weeds out? But he said, 'No, because when you pull out the weeds, you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow until the harvest. At harvest time I will say to the reapers: First collect the weeds and tie them into bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn."'
Jesus spoke to the crowds only in parables. But sometimes He explained the parables to His disciples. After they had left the crowd and come into the house, His disciples asked Him about the parable of the weeds.
"The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man," He explained, "the field is the world, the good seed is those who are of the Kingdom, the weeds those who are of the evil kingdom, the enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the weeds are gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send His angels and will gather out of His Kingdom all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the good ones will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!"
+ + + The Last Judgment + + +
Jesus told what the Last Judgment will be like: "When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and He will place the sheep at His right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the King will say to those at His right hand, 'Come, 0 blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' Then He will say to those at His left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to Me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
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