THE PARABLES OF JESUS
NOTE: After each section there
will be a reflection based on some Islamic (The Koran) readings. It is there to
challenge our prejudices against any group of people. These notes are not
direct quotes from the Koran but they are portrayed through our culture to see
what their culture believes about Christ and Christians. Amazingly they have a
lot of respect for us because we are a people of the book. I believe that in
every person, every culture and in every religion there are seeds of God. Let
us keep an open mind concerning how they see and experience our beliefs during
the time that their religion was being formed.
(THE LESSONS OF THE PARABLES)
The Parables of Jesus take us through a journey of holiness. They take us from ourselves to God, from our beginning to our end, from our God seed (the Alpha) to the end and the resurrected that we are to meet one day (the Omega) - Rev. 21:5-7). This journey is our holiness path to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. Come to the feast (let us come to the feast of heaven and earth - let us come to the table of plenty):
(PREPARING FOR THE WEDDING)
. The church, us, is the bride of Christ
Through God’s holiness, we place our beliefs on a solid foundation with deep roots to hold us firm to Christ. “The Parable of the Sower” demonstrates our need for deep roots (MT. 13: 1-9). Also “The Parable of the Two House Buildings” (LK. 6:48-49) tells us that our beliefs are to be built on the rock of Jesus
.
Through God’s holiness, we evaluate the cost of discipleship
and deny our selfishness (see LM. 14:15-27). ”The Parable of the Builder and
the Tower” (LK. 14:28-30) and “The Parable of the General with Ten Thousand
Men” (LK. 14:31-33) demonstrates that our discipleship will cost us in worldly
terms but a love from and to God is our benefit.
Through God’s holiness, we have humility (see MT. 18:4). “The Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector” (LK. 18:9-14) and “The Parable about the Lowest Seat at the Banquet” (LK. 14:7-11) are examples of how we are to be filled with humility.
Through God’s holiness, we show forgiveness. “The Parable of the Shrewd Manager” (LK. 16:1-8) and “The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant” (MT. 18:21-35) are examples of how we are to forgive
Through God’s holiness, we have no greedy desires, “The Parable of the Foolish Rich Man with Plenty of Food” (LK. 12: 16:21) and “The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus” (LK. 16:19-26) show us how greed can destroy the soul.
Through God’s holiness we free ourselves of known evils. “The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds” MT. 13:24-30) and “The Parable of the Good Fish and the Bad Fish: MT. 13:47:50) show us what evil can do if we do not eliminate the sins that separate us from God.
Through God’s holiness we are to be the light of the world. “The Parable about the Lamp under the Bowl” (MK. 4:21-33) and “The Parable about the Light of the Body” (LK.11:33-36) show us how God’s Spirit (within us) lights a path for ourselves and others.
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NOTE: I believe that we should communicate through love as
we identify with these parables (these “Seeds of God”) given to us by Jesus. Hopefully,
these seeds can germinate into a faith with reasoning someday. We can share
God’s love (by example) through the Holy Spirit and recognize the “Seeds of
God” within others. We are ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20) so we should
not judge (see MT. 7:1)
NOTE: Let us be God’s servants for God gave us His gospel and ordained us with His truth and blessed us wherever we would go into the world. Let us pray our most sincere prayers to help the needy, to purge our vanity and to bring peace upon the world. (Ref. Islamic Scriptures about Jesus - Koran - Surah 19:30 and rephrased to apply to us Christians today. Is this us?)
(WALKING DOWN THE WEDDING AISLE)
. We, the church, as the bride of
Christ is walking to Jesus.
Through God’s holiness, we are whole hearted and we allow our faith to expand within us. “The Parable of the New Cloth on the Old Garment” (MK. 2:21) and “The Parable of the New Wine in the Old Wineskins” (MK. 22:22) are examples of how we can expand to satisfy an ever-growing faith. For example, when washed, a new cloth patch will shrink and tear old clothing and new wine will expand to burst old wineskins. The patch or the wine is our faith; therefore, we stretch with our faith into new existence in Christ.
Through God’s holiness we are persistent in our faith and we have a dependency on Christ. “The Parable of the Friend at Midnight” (LK. 11:5-8) and “The Parable of the Widow and the Hard Judge” (LK. 18:1-8)) demonstrate how we are to persistent on depending on Christ.
Through God’s holiness we put God first in our lives. “The Parable of Treasure in the Field” (MT. 13:45-46) are examples of how God is to have top priority.
Through God’s holiness, we look for NO worldly rewards in my Christian service. “The Parable of the Servants that do not Seek Praise” (LK. 17:7-10) and “The Parable of the Servants that should not Quarrel Over Wages” (MT. 20:1-16) show what the attitude of servants of Christ are to be (also see LK.10:2-12).
Through God’s holiness, we become salt (MT. 5:13 & MK.
9:49-50). Salt is symbolic of a preservative or the standard of our faith - too
much salt and we kill life around us (we become too self-righteous or
judgmental) but not enough salt (or faith) we cannot preserve our Christian
ways.
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NOTE: Let us forgive those who sin against us and allow
their mistakes to be removed, so we all can be God’s loving servants. Let us be
what God promised through His word and let us not cast guilt upon any hearts.
(Ref. Islamic Scripture about Christians - Koran - Surah 3:194>. Is this
us?)
Sometimes we avoid things that are good for us and we are
attracted to things that are bad for us. However, God knows what we do not know
and God loves what we have not noticed (like our good intentions within our
hearts to honor God). (REF .Islamic Scripture - Koran - Surah 2:216>. Can
this be like us?)
(GETTING MARRIED
TO CHRIST)
. Jesus’ bride, the church, becomes the priesthood of believers.
Through God’s holiness, we should not place a lot of attention on worldly values. “The parable of the Riches in Heaven or Earth” (LK. 12:32-34), and “The Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard” (LK. 20:9-16) tell us to emphasize the values in God’s Kingdom and not this world (also see LK. 17:31-35).
Through God’s holiness, we experience God’s kingdom that has no time or space limitations. “The Parable about the Kingdom as neither There nor Here” (LK. 17:20) and “The Parable of Treasures New and Old” (MT. 13:52) show us that the kingdom of God is within us and that it is also timeless (beyond us - as old and new, as past and future).
Through God’s holiness, we know that God wants all people to change and enter His kingdom. “The Parable of the Mustard Seed” (MT. 13:31-32) and The Parable of the Yeast” (MT. 13:33) tells how God wants my faith to cause others to live in Him. But most of all the Kingdom of God is in our minds, in our hearts, in our mouths and in our feet (with God’s love living in our thoughts, compassions, our words and our actions).
Through God’s holiness, we become fruitful (see LK. 13:6-9). “The Parable of the Gold Coins” (LK. 19:12-27) and “The Parable of the Servants Investing Money” (MT. 25:14-30) show us that Jesus wants us to be fruitful through our Christian deeds or faithful in our works (our faith in action).
Through God’s holiness, we become accepting of those who are
different than us. Our faith breaks all barriers of class, race, and creed. We
love the stranger (MT. 25:35). “The Parable of the Prodigal Son” (LK. 15:11-32)
and “The Good Samaritan Parable” demonstrate this to us.
Through God’s holiness, we become like Christ (see 1 Pet.
2:21) and “The Parable of the Lost Coin” (LK. 15:8-10) reflect our feelings to
bring home Jesus’ lost ones.
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NOTE: God knows us in our times of self-centeredness and
pride, can we believe there is no one with power over us? God gave us two eyes,
a tongue, and two ears, He guided us along on two paths (right and wrong). God
said, to show our faith we must choose: to free the man with oppression, and to
feed the man with need. Let us be one of God’s servants, people who believe in
Him: to help others to be merciful, and to be companions of His right hand.
(Ref. Islamic Scriptures - Koran - Surah 90:1>. Can this be like us?)
(THE WEDDING FEAST OF THE LAMB)
. We are the bride of Christ having communion.
Through God’s holiness, there is to be a Wedding Feast with
Jesus (see MT. 9:15 & MT. 22:1-14). However, we do not have to die to
experience it. It is there in our churches when we are open to it. We believe,
we adore, and we trust to love Jesus - with our whole hearts, souls, and minds.
For the Spirit of God is alive in us.
NOTE: God will send His Holy Spirit down with the truth to reassure our faithful and to guide us with “Good News”. For those who give themselves to God are blessed. (Based on Islamic Scriptures beliefs about us - Koran - (Surah 16:102>)
(CONCLUSION)
There is an old middle-eastern parable that is associated
with the Islamic faith. It states that there are two types of water: FRESH
water and SALT water (representing spiritual thirst and worldly thirst in
life). You can eat fish from both and continue to exist but you can ONLY drink
from one to truly live. Let us choose the fresh waters of God’s salvational
ways. Let us walk a holy path (my friend) and drink the eternal life that we
identify as our faith in God. Let us live a spiritual life forever through our
beliefs.
We can find some common ground between mainline Christians and mainline Muslims. We can discover some common “Seeds of God” between us both, like: obedience to beliefs, a submission to God’s will, thanksgiving, worshiping the same God, charity, and dedicating time for prayer. Personally, I could never be a Muslim because of the Christian concepts of the trinity, forgiveness, etc. however, I challenge you to be obedient to our ways of Christian truth through love and to be continuously confessing, repenting, forgiving, praying and being Christ to others. D. Crone
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