Parables Flashcards
What is it?
Type of teaching
Roughly a 3rd of Jesus’ teaching was by Parables
Common way of teaching at that time
Means comparison in Greek ‘Parabole’
Conveys the truth in a challenging way - need to work it out for yourself
Has one main point of a general moral nature
Good Samaritan
Someone in Law asked Jesus who his neighbour was
Jesus said:
A Jewish man was walking down a road form Jerusalem to Jericho where robbers took his clothes, beat him, and left him on the road half dead
A Priest was going down that road, and passed the man without helping him - didn’t help even though expected to , because if he touched a man who he thought was dead, he would be un-pure to perform his duties
A Levite (temple helper) did the same - same reason as the Priest
Samaritan helped him - not expected to because Jews and Samaritans weren’t friends
He bandaged his wounds, poured oil and wine on him, and put him on his donkey to take to an inn
He gave the innkeeper 2 silver coins and said that he’d return with any other money needed, if he’d look after him
Jesus then asked the man in Law who he thought the neighbour was
He replied with : the Levite
NEIGHBOUR = SOMEONE WHO IS IN NEED
Lost Son
Man had two sons
Younger son asked for his share of the estate
Father divided the estate between the two sons
Younger son set off to a distant country and spent all his wealth quickly and without thinking
Soon there was a huge famine in that country
He then had to work for a citizen there to feed pigs
No one would give him anything
He thought about the people working for his father, and how they have lots of food to spare
He planned to apologising to him for sinning against him, and ask for a job
When he was still a long way away, his father saw him
The father ran and hugged him and kissed him
The younger son apologised, but the father wouldn’t let him
He told his servants to put the best robe onto his son, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet, and to kill the fattened calf for a feast.
His son was ‘dead, and now alive again’
They celebrated
The older son was in the field when he found out what had happened
He got angry, and told his father that all the years he had been loyal, worked for his father, and never disobeyed him. The father never gave him anything, but now that the other son was home, he is giving him a fattened calf!
The father replied that they had to celebrate, because his brother was dead, and now alive … was lost, and now was found
