After feeding the four thousand, Jesus got into a boat with his disciples and ‘went to the region of Dalmanutha’ (Mark 8:10) – a region probably to the north west of the Sea of Galillee. However, he is tracked down by a group of Pharisees who began to question him and ask him for a sign, ‘To test him’ (Mark 8:11). The attitude of the Pharisees did not impress Jesus and after a sharp confrontation, and probably in an attempt to get away from them, Jesus got back into the boat and ‘crossed to the other side’ (Mark 8:13). The conversation that followed between Jesus and his disciples is an intriguing one.

Someone recently asked me about the ‘watchfulness’ parables of Luke 12, and their meaning. Undoubtedly, they represent some of the less palatable and more challenging parables of Jesus and, as such, demand careful consideration. The parables cannot be read nonchalantly, and taken together, raise some serious theological questions concerning judgement, reward, salvation and damnation.