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Modern Parables: the Good Samaritan, Part 2

God calls us to be "other-centered" in our lives. As we seek to serve others, we serve God. In seeking out others needs, we seek and find God's Kingdom.

The parable of the Good Samaritan is jam-packed with practical applications of how we are to live God's way. We find that just because we may be religious, and we may be serving Him in "church ministry", we may have forgotten the "spirit of the Law".

In the Good Samaritan, Part 1, we touched on the questions of "how do I inherit eternal life?" and "who is my neighbor?"

Modern Parables: the Good Samaritan, Part 1

The parable of the Good Samaritan goes beyond demonstrating how we should be helping a hurt person.

Jesus uses this parable to answer two life changing questions: First, "how do I inherit eternal life?" and second, "who is my neighbor?"

The first question deals with seeking the Kingdom of God. Seeking our "hidden treasure". What are we willing to give up in order to attain God's Kingdom and all of its attributes?

The second question, I believe addresses what God's treasure is: His creation. You and me. Our family, our co-workers, our friends, our "neighbors".

We have to know who our neighbors are. God calls us to know and understand that. And Jesus directly addresses this issue with this poignant parable.

Modern Parables: Hidden Treasure, Part 2

Hidden Treasure. All of us are looking for something that will change and enrich our lives.

We're all looking for something that will radically change our life for the better. And if we can have our loved ones included, so much the better.

But one thing to keep in mind is that one man's treasure is another man's trash! Just look at all those tag sales.

Back to our parable and the lesson at hand.

Before we get to the application video, let's review what Jesus spoke in Matthew 13:44 - "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."

The Parable of Hidden Treasure may only be 2 English sentences long, but it's a very powerful word picture. Last week, we broke it down and looked at 5 parts of the parable. We're looking at what real treasure is - the Kingdom of Heaven. We're looking for God's idea of treasure - His creation, us.

Modern Parables: Hidden Treasure, Part 1

It seems that we all have different ideas of "treasure."

Sometimes we don't know what it looks like. Sometimes when discovered, it doesn't match our original concept. Sometimes, treasure comes to us unexpectedly - very unexpectedly!

The first parable that we'll look at is this very short parable of "Hidden Treasure", found in Matthew 13:44. This parable strikes me as amazing in brevity yet complexity. It's only two English sentences long but packs volumes of thought and application. This is Jesus at His instructive best!

Modern Parables - a Study

Parables are one of the most important and time honored way to teach people - young or old, educated or uneducated, simple or wise - instructive principles of life and for living.

Parables are often taught within the context of what the audience will understand. Illustrations may include current societal aspects, common jobs or professions and well-known environments. As students, we can sometimes more readily understand a difficult concept if it's explained in parable form. The parable helps put "flesh" on that abstract concept.

For example, it's "easier" to construct a parable about love rather than putting a "definition" together. You could almost say that Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" is a "parable" about love.