A parable is defined as an earthly story with a heavenly message. Jesus frequently used parables as a means of exemplifying insightful, divine truths. The insightful stories are easily remembered, the characters are usually bold, and the representation rich in significance. “A parable is meant to arrest the hearer or reader in such a way that he or she must think of things in a new and unaccustomed manner” (Cunningham & Kelsay, 2013). Jesus used these parables as a harbinger of the apocalypse and incorporated many common situations to induce a thought provoking response to the truths He was trying to teach. However, the truth was not always received with welcome ears. On the other hand, for those who hungered for the word of God, the truth was a blessing and a comfort.
The simple and engaging parable type of story from the gospel of Luke called The Prodigal Son is about a wayward son who squanders his inheritance but returns home to a forgiving father and a scornful older brother. In this parable the father who is an unfaltering and forgiving is a representation of the unfaltering love of God the father. When Jesus told the story in His time, the lost younger son was a representation of the sinners or tax collectors while the older son becomes the self-absorbed Pharisees. I think there are two messages in the parable and one is just as important as the other. There is a joyous conversion of a sinner but there is also a restoration of a believer with a closer fellowship with God.
Throughout this story the father of the two sons remained a giving and loving father with a strong spirit of forgiveness. When the younger son asks for his inheritance, which at that time was his right to do, it was as if he were saying he wante...
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...had been cast in stone, I would try to reach out to those who did not know Jesus as their savior. I would pray with them and speak of His everlasting love and forgiveness. Therefore, I would not live much differently than I do now. If I had to picture that day of reckoning I see the heavens open up with a bright but not blinding light. It would be the warmest comforting feeling of joy with the end of restless anxiety. I see Jesus passing by smiling at me with a touch of His hand I will feel a love that I have never experienced before. He will motion me into heaven into God’s open embrace just as a prodigal daughter coming home.
Works Cited
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Evans, C. Stephen. Critical Dialog in Philosophy of Religion. 1985. Downers Grove, IL. InterVarsity Press. Taken from Philosophy of Religion - Selected Readings, Fourth Edition. 2010. Oxford University Press, NY.
N.T Wright (2008) stated that “When we read the scriptures as Christians, we read it precisely as people of the new covenant and of the new creation” (p.281). In this statement, the author reveals a paradigm of scriptural interpretation that exists for him as a Christian, theologian, and profession and Bishop. When one surveys the entirety of modern Christendom, one finds a variety of methods and perspectives on biblical interpretation, and indeed on the how one defines the meaning in the parables of Jesus. Capon (2002) and Snodgrass (2008) offer differing perspectives on how one should approach the scriptures and how the true sense of meaning should be extracted. This paper will serve as a brief examination of the methodologies presented by these two authors. Let us begin, with an
Smith, Huston. World’s Religions: A Guide to our Wisdom Traditions. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1994.
Oxtopy, W., & Segal, A. (2007). A concise introduction to world religions. (1st ed., p. 258). New York: Oxford University press.
Ludwig, Theodore M. The Sacred Paths: Understanding the Religions of the World (4th Edition). 4 ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2005.
A parable is any image or story taken from everyday life to instruct with hidden meaning. The word for parable came originally from the Hebrew word “Mashal.” When it was translated into Greek, it was written παραβολή (pronounced parabolē). This Greek word meant to “throw beside,” showing that parables throw a story alongside the truth, just using fake figures.
Smart, Ninian. "Blackboard, Religion 100." 6 March 2014. Seven Dimensions of Religion. Electronic Document. 6 March 2014.
Oxtoby, Willard G., and Alan F. Segal. A Concise Introduction to World Religions. Oxford, Canada: Oxford University Press, 2007.
The parable is about second chances, just as the gardener gave the fig tree a second chance, so is God giving us a second chance to join His Kingdom. This is the over-generosity nature of God’s mercy, and it is an important theme in Luke’s Gospel. The fig tree as being symbolic to humans, the fig tree may be given another year to demonstrate its ability to produce fruit, but if it fails to do so, it will be cut down. It has been supposed by some scholars that there is a concealed significance, that the Kingdom of God has still yet to come, and right now it is recruiting those who trust in the Lord and in
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants and enhances Godly characteristics. This parable explains what happens when one is denied over and over again. There is story to this parable, Sin is something that everyone does, but why does one choose to do it over and over again.
The Parables consist of tales that Jesus is said to have been a crowd of people following him and they explained Goods word and moral by using ordinary events. Following each Parable is an interpretation of it –made to state what the parable actually wants to explain to us.
Hopfe, L. M., & Woodward, M. R. (2007). Religions of the World (10th ed.) New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
What are parables of Jesus Christ? The word parable in general may mean the placing of two or more artifacts together to make a comparison or explain an ideology. This same concept could be related to the parables of Jesus Christ the son of God. Some people may choose to define these in various meanings depending on their own understanding. However, in my opinion, a parable is basically an analogy consisting of human circumstances that is accompanied with a spiritual or biblical lesson. Altogether, there are thirty-two parables; which could be found in the books of Mathew, Mark and Luke. Out of all these parables, eighteen of them are found in Luke and ten in Mathew. The eighteen parables found in Luke include, the Lost Coin, the Lost Son, the Unrighteous Steward, the Rich Man and Lazarus, the Unprofitable Servants, the Unrighteous Judge, the Pharisee and Publican, the Pounds, the Two Debtors, the Good Samaritan, the Friend at Midnight, the Rich Fool, the Watchful Servants, the Barren Fig Tree, the Chief Seats, the Great Supper, the Rash Builder, and the Rash King. The ten in Mathew include, the Laborers in the Vineyard, the Two Sons, the Marriage of the King's Son, the Ten Virgins, the Talents, the Tares, the Hidden Treasure, the Pearl of Great Price, the Draw Net, and the Unmerciful Servant. Again, the parables of Jesus Christ could be compared to a class of students with a teacher in the front. Basically Jesus Christ was the teacher and the whole world would be considered as the students. Out of all the parables of Jesus Christ, the main ones I will be talking about will be the parable of the good samaritan, and the parable of the sower.
It is about a son who abandons his family to “squander his wealth in wild living” (New International Version, Luke.15.13). After losing all his wealth he recognizes the importance of family and returns home. His father lovingly welcomes him because he will always love his son, regardless of the incident. God loves all His children; even the ones that abandon Him. All He asks of us is to repent from our sins and seek Him with all our hearts. This parable motivates believers to always repent because God is the most merciful and forgiving. Besides teaching about the good news, Jesus also performed miracles that caused many people to believe in his
Organ, Troy Wilson. Eerdmans' Handbook to The World Religions. Woodbury, NY: Barron's Educational Series, 1974. Print.