The Teachings of Jesus
I wrote this paper for a Christian Education class, but it's mostly about the parables. I hope you enjoy it. I am trying to show my writings are quite varied.
Jesus Christ had many ways of teaching others about how to be good, what to do,
as well as what not to do, what was right and wrong, and what was moral as well
as immoral. The ways he taught included sermons, actions, and parables. Just as
most rabbis in the first century A.D., “Jesus used simple word-pictures… to
help people understand who God is and what his kingdom or reign is like”
(Schwager par. 1).
What is a parable? In basic terms, it is a story that uses vivid imagery to
teach a lesson. In a parable, items are used to represent something or someone.
Similie’s, such as “…like a mustard seed” or “…like yeast” are often used.
There is often a double meaning to Jesus’ parables (Schwager par. 4). There is
always the direct, in your face, significance to his parable. However, there is
also a hidden, beneath the surface, meaning to his stories as well. One must
deliberately contemplate these stories to get the full meaning behind Jesus
Christ’s words.
There is a good way to read, and interpret, the parables of Jesus Christ. Jesus
knew that not everyone would understand his parables. In Luke 8, verse 10 in
the ESV version of the Bible, Jesus says to his disciples “To you it has been
given to know the secrets of the kingdom
of God; but for others
they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not
hear”.
What were His meanings behind those words? Did Jesus want unbelievers not to
comprehend His truth and the stories? Or, did Jesus Christ know that there are
many people who will need guided?
It is likely that Jesus knew there would be people who
needed guidance in understanding or coming to the faith. Jesus was “aware that
some who heard his parables refused to understand them” (Schwager par. 6).
Besides being unwilling to listen, some people have closed their hearts and
minds to the faith, making it impossible to enlighten them or to convert others
to the Christian faith.
For those who understood or came to comprehend Jesus Christ’s parables, they
played an important part in their lives. The parables could impact people’s
lives in ways few things could. Jesus Christ’s parables are a “substantial part of the
recorded preaching of Jesus” (Boucher par. 1). His parables are the closest
documentation of Jesus and his beliefs, ideas. In addition, the parables of
Jesus Christ are the few shreds evidence leading to understanding Jesus’ psyche
(Boucher par. 1).
Jesus Christ did not set out to create a new genre of writing. Preaching and
teaching in parables is a traditional method of teaching morals and ethics. In
fact, throughout the Mediterranean parable writing was used and well known
(Boucher par. 2).
Parables were found both in the New Testament as well as in the Old Testament.
A good example of a parable in the Old Testament, titled simply ‘parable of the
Ewe Lamb’, is in 2 Samuel, chapter 12, verses 1 through 4 of the NAS version of
the Bible, “There were two men…the one rich and the other poor. The rich man
had very many flocks…but the poor man had nothing but one…lamb... Now there
came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own
flocks…but he took the poor man's lamb…”. This parable was told to King David
after he sentenced Bathsheba's husband to death so that he could marry her. What
is this story trying to teach David? The prophet Nathan seems to be trying to
inform David that he should not take from the poor and defenseless, such as
Bathsheba and her husband, so that he may benefit only himself.
Jesus was a great speaker as well as a teacher. He knew what tactics to use so
that the people who wanted to listen would comprehend his message. The
parables, though the meaning is not quite as known as it was during Jesus’
lifetime, are still good teaching tools for this era.
Works Cited
Boucher,
Madeline. “The Parables”. Jesus’ Many Faces. 2 October 2007. Unknown. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/jesus/parables.html
Unknown.
“Jesus Christ Parables”. Jesus Christ Parables. 2 October 2007. Unknown. http://www.web-ministry.com/religious/parables/
Unknown.
“The Parables of Jesus”. www.rc.net. 2 October 2007. Unknown. http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/parables.htm
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