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Parables
A parable is any brief story involving human characters illustrating a lesson. Parables of Jesus are a key part of the teachings of Jesus. Ask and answer here about the parables of various cultures of the world, their origin and interpretation.
545 Questions
What is the holy book of kumina?
The holy book of Kumina is called "The Book of Damballah." It contains teachings, rituals, and traditions of the Kumina spiritual practice, which originated in Jamaica among the Afro-Jamaican community.
Is there a reward for being good?
Well . . . it depends what you call a 'Reward'. If you mean in a Religious view, then it is what you believe in. If you believe in God then it is up to you on how you interpret it. Sometimes you may assume, if you do good deeds, good will bounce back, or that God has your life already planned out. Personally, I do not believe in God, but that does not mean I have my own beliefs.
If you are religious you may believe in Good Deeds, but if you do not then you may have your own ideas. I believe that whatever you do, it will always bounce back one day or another.
So sorry I can not answer this question, no one can. Only you can believe in YOUR answer.
What is the treasure in the Parable of the Hidden Treasure?
The parable of the treasure is found in Matthew 13:44. There are a couple of possible interpretations of this parable but I think this parable is about the nation of Israel.
The field is defined (Matthew 13:38) as the world. Jesus is the buyer, the cost His blood (1Peter 1:18); and Israel, is the treasure; (Exodus 19:5); (Psalm 135:4). The divine Merchantman buys the field (world) for the sake of the treasure .
The parable is sometimes applied to a sinner, giving up all in order to find Christ, the greatest Treasure. But this interpretation violates the doctrine of grace which insists that salvation is without price (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The seeking sinner does not buy, but forsakes, the world to win Christ. Furthermore, the sinner has nothing to sell, nor is Christ for sale, nor is He hidden in a field, and, having found Christ, the sinner does not hide Him again.
How are the themes similar in the ministers black veil and The Crucible by Arthur Miller?
Both "The Minister's Black Veil" and "The Crucible" explore themes of guilt, sin, and judgment in Puritan society. They delve into the consequences of secrets and the impact of social norms on individuals. The stories highlight the complexities of human nature and the consequences of hiding one's true self.
In the prodigal son who might the brother represent?
The Prodigal Son is one of the best known stories about Jesus. It is located in one of the canonical gospels in the New Testament. In past catholic tradition, the story is usually read on the third Sunday of Lent.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son describe the characteristics prodigal son?
The father represents God the Father.
The youngest son represents sinners, outcasts, and gentiles (people from outside the nation of Israel) who were all to be part of the Father's Kingdom.
The oldest son represents the Scribes and the Pharisees. He served his father not out of love, but out of desire for reward: he saw himself in bondage to his father (God the Father). Jesus taught the 2 great Commandments: love God and love your neighbour, but the older son did not love God (the Father), and did not love his younger brother.
The Scribes and Pharisees absolutely hated who and what the younger son represented. They would have known very well that the oldest son represented them.
Luke 15:1-3, 11-->
1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
After all, the Scribes and the Pharisees were the 'bad guys' in many other parables, such as in the parable about the murderous Vineyard tenants:-
Mark 12:12 And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: ...
Luke 20
19 And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.
The Prodigal son represents the exact oppositecharacteristics of the Scribes and Pharisees as above.
A parable is a very short story that illustrates some virtue. For example the parable of the seven wise virgins simply states that it is good to be prepared.
Explain the exposition of the story the ministers black veil?
The exposition of "The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne sets the stage by introducing Mr. Hooper, the minister who suddenly starts wearing a black veil that mystifies the townspeople. The veil creates a sense of mystery and unease in the community and serves as a symbol of secret sin or concealed guilt. This sets up the central conflict of the story, exploring the impact of Mr. Hooper's decision to wear the veil on himself and those around him.
What subject of mr hooper's sermon on the day he first wears the veil?
In Reverend Hooper's sermon on the day he first wears the veil, he speaks about the secret sin and hidden guilt that people carry within themselves. He addresses the congregation's tendency to hide their true selves from each other and reminds them of the importance of confronting their inner darkness.
What is the message behind the parable of the 'dinner guests' in the reading of Luke 14 15-24?
This is a great story where the Guests represent our excuses- One was working new ox, one was looking at new land and one was just married-
The dinner table represents an invitation from our Heavenly Father and His Eternal Kingdom
The Guests refusing the party are our excuses as to why we don't accept Christ-
The key phrase in Luke 14:23 is when He said go into the Highway and the Hedges,
He is asking the servant to go to the poor, riffraff, outcasts, prostitutes, tax collectors and invite them-
The closing note is this-24 'For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.'"
Those that refuse the Gift of Eternal Life will never get to inherit the Kingdom of God.
This parable (like many others) has multiple applications; a broad one (a "lesson for the ages") and a more specific one, tailored not to the gospel reader, but to those who were present at the time Jesus spoke. The great overall lessons of the parable are twofold: (1) that the barriers that would hinder man's approach to God were being taken out of the way by Christ; and (2) that only by accepting His invitation can one attend the Master's "great supper."
Luke 14:15 - Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"
This statement was probably spoken in a smug, self-satisfied manner by one of the dinner guests in the chief Pharisee's home (v.1). His high opinion of himself and the other religious leaders present (made obvious by his assumption that they would "eat bread in the kingdom of God") provided the catalyst for Jesus' teaching.
In the specific application, the elements of the parable (v.16-24) are as follows:
Luke 14:16 - Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many,
The "certain man" represents God.
The "great supper" represents God's kingdom, which was "at hand." ( See Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 10:7)
The invitation represents the gospel.
Verse 17 - and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.'
The "servant" represents Christ.
That "all things are now ready" meant that the time had come for the earthly advent of the kingdom - Christ's church, the establishment of which was imminent (see Colossians 1:13).
Verse 18a - But they all with one accord began to make excuses.
The "excuse-makers" represent the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' day. They were the Jewish religious elite, and the very ones present to hear the parable.
Verse 18b-20 - The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.' Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'
The excuses themselves represent the scribes and Pharisees' refusal to accept Jesus (and John the Baptist before him) as representatives of God's will.
(The exceedingly lame nature of the excuses offered would be darkly humorous if they weren't so sad. If you put them in modern terms, it would be like saying, "I've bought land and I need to go see it," or "I've bought a car and I need to go test-drive it." No one buys land sight unseen, or buys a car without test-driving it first! The third excuse came closest to a legitimate reason, as newly married Jewish men were excused from military service for the first year of their marriage, but this didn't excuse them from social obligations - thus, this third excuse carries with it the idea of bending a commandment to suit ones personal desires (a practice at which the Pharisees were experts). The idea is clear - whatever their excuses were, the simple fact was that they just didn't WANT to attend, because other things were more important to them.)
Verse 21 - So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.'
The "poor, maimed, halt and blind" living in the "streets and lanes of the city" represent the religious outcasts of Jewish society...the everyday Jews with no power or privilege. These "publicans and sinners" were considered beneath notice by the Jewish elite, and were the very people who the Pharisees criticized Jesus for "hanging out" with (Luke 15:2 - And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them.").
It's also significant that, by Mosaic law, any physical deformity - even temporary ones, such as scabs or broken bones - prevented a Levite (a member of the priestly tribe, descended from Aaron) from approaching an altar to offer sacrifices, thus distancing them from a vital element of their worship (see Leviticus 21:18-21). This is one reason that Jesus had such great concern and showed such love and tenderness to those who were thus afflicted. The fact that they were now invited to the supper represents the removal of such a barrier to their approach to God and His kingdom, and is exactly the kind of thing Paul was talking about when he wrote in Colossians 2:14 - having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
Verses 22, 23 - And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.' Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.'
Those along the "highways and hedges" (v.23) represent the nations of the Gentiles, to whom the invitation went out only after all those within the "city" were invited. (Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.)
Verse 24 - 'For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'
"Those men" (now barred from the supper) reflects directly back onto the excuse-makers.
Thus, the conclusion of the teaching as it applied to those in the audience: specifically, that the self-righteous rejection of Jesus by the Jewish elite would result in their exclusion from the kingdom and the extension of the invitation to others. Ultimately, the invitation is extended to ALL - but only those who accept the invitation as offered will "taste the supper" - which is to say, enter into God's kingdom.
The broad lesson to the modern reader is this: there is no good excuse for rejecting the gospel of Christ, and by such a rejection, one is forfeiting the opportunity to inherit eternal life.
Luke 13:28 - There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.
Luke 18:17 - Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.
[All quotes from NKJV]
What is the meaning of the Parable of the Eagle by James Aggrey?
Just like the eagle, people who have learned to think of themselves as something they aren't, can re-decide in favor of their real potential. They can become winners.
What is the meaning of - moral lessons in God sees the truth but waits?
This, I think, means that sometimes, god waits before delivering his justice, not because he wants to hurt you but because the most appropriate punishment that the criminal deserves, and the most appropriate compensation that the victim deserves, can be awarded only after the passage of that time period. Nothing could be more rewarding for Aksionov than the attainment of that highest and most pleasurable state of consciousness in which, the self merges with the cosmos by letting go of its 'ego', and thus becomes omnipotent and omnipresent, and nothing could be more painful a punishment for Makar, than 'flogging' his soul, for the pain he had caused to an innocent fellow being. Any material compensation that god may have given to Aksionov, or any material punishment that he may have given to Makar, would have been 'lesser' than the most optimal ones. Ultimately, Aksionov's interpretation of his 'grey hair' dream comes out to be true, it indeed proves to be the most lucky day of his life.
"He was once wealthy, but he lost it all through prodigal living."
"Prodigal" means, "recklessly wasteful; wildly extravagant."
What are some examples from the Bible where God is indicated and in what situation?
God is indicated in the very beginning (in Genesis), when he comes to visit Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. However, some believe that even before Jesus was born, that anytime he came down to earth to communicate with humans, he came to them as Jesus. It has never been recorded that humans have ever seen the true form of God, because we are unable to comprehend it. He was also present throughout Abraham's quest to spread the religion of God to the Middle East, and with Lot in the continued quest. (this is all in Genesis). He comes in the form of a burning bush, and really, looking through the Old Testament should help you, God appears in almost every story in one form or another.
What bible verse includes the parable about the lost son?
The parable is in the Gospel of Luke chapter 15
Do the parables of the lost sheep lost coin and lost son refer to backsliders or sinners?
This group of three parables - The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin and the Lost Son are about God's love for people who are lost and, in the context of the parables, they refer to God's love for the 'lost' nation of Israel.
For example the parable of the Lost Son (people often say this parable is about sinners repenting) but if you look at the context of the parable you will see Jesus told this parable in reply to the Pharisees and scribes complaining saying ................ "This Man receives sinners and eats with them." Luke 15:2.
The father in the parable represents God. The youngest son represents Israel and the oldest son represents the Pharisees and the scribes.
The parable was told because of the attitudes of two groups of Israelites - the scribes and Pharisees. The Pharisees carefully carried out the rituals of the law while the scribe were the interpreters of the law. Both of these groups were self righteous and rejected Jesus. The oldest son in the parable had a similar attitude towards the youngest son
Jesus primarily came to Israel to call them to repent:
Mat 15:24 But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
The parable is not about sinners repenting because sinners don't start off in a relationship with God and then leave Him. People are born in sin, a broken relationship with God.
The parable could be about backslidden Christians but then, who does the oldest son represent?
Is the father in The Parable of the Prodigal Son being merely foolish and sentimental?
No I don't think so. The parable was told as a rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' time. Jesus came to call the nation of Israel to repent but the scribes and Pharisees thought Jesus should be talking with them the "spiritual leaders" not the common people.
The father in the parable represents God and shows His desire for Israel to repent and turn to Him.
