Parables in the New Testament

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Parables in the New Testament

In the New Testament, parables are a very important way that Jesus uses to teach the Pharisees, the disciples, and Christians for all time to come. “The Parable of the Lost Sheep” and “The Parable of the Lost Son” are two examples of the teaching of Jesus Christ.

In “The Parable of the Lost Sheep” Jesus tells a story of a sheep herder who had one hundred sheep and lost one lone sheep. The man in the parable leaves the entire flock in the middle of the desert to go find his one sheep that strayed away. When the man finds his lost sheep he carries it home on his back and, asks his neighbors to join him in a celebration for the return of his sheep to the flock.

In the parable Jesus teaches that God is the same way by those who worship him as the man in the parable was by his flock of sheep. When a Christian strays away from his herd of fellow worshipers God himself, will go out looking for his lone lost sheep. As the man carried his sheep back to safety, God carries the Christian also. I find this story to bears a remarkable resemblance to why Jesus was sent to earth in the first place. Jesus while he was here on earth was continually in the pursuit of lost souls. He was seeking lost men and women, and it was for this reason that he went out among them to perform miracles so that people might see the true power of God. Jesus especially sought those who were lost as a lone sheep in the desert, that he might find them and lead them to eternal salvation. As we can see from the moment a man or woman is born into this world we are a lost sheep wondering through life alone and, it is only in our need for knowledge to know why we are here that people that we first learn about God. I believe that God ...

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...nly thing we have to do is obey his commandments and God will always be with us. As we can see “The Parable of the Lost Son” is Jesus’ way of teaching us how to treat backsliders and welcome them back into God’s kingdom.

The parables that Jesus uses to teach lessons on why Christians reach out to those that are lost can show us much more than just simple charity. One can learn lessons on how to act toward backsliders and how to act toward God himself. But I contend that Jesus’ true intentions are to teach us charity. Jesus does wish upon us peace, love and charity but most of all charity.

Works Cited

The New American Bible .Thomas Nelson Inc. 1987.

http://www.bamcrawfordministries.org.html

http://www.discipleship.net/parable/lostson.htm

http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons.htm

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11460a.htm

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