Parables

Cage said:
Matthew 13:4546

45. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46. Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.


Whats this mean to you juantoo?


Much Love,
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May I interject?
 
Cage said:
Are you going to give an interpretation, Quaham? That's what this thread is for. I want to know how other people view the parables. :)


Much Love,
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"And Niclolas approached the Lord, and said, "How can I follow you?" Jesus said, "Sell all you own, give the proceeds to the poor, and come follow me." And the rich man's face fell, for he had amassed a great deal of wealth, then Jesus said" it is harder for a rich man to enter the gates of heaven than it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle." "

But for the merchant that found the great pearl of price, selling all he owned was nothing, for the pearl of great price was heaven. None of the earthly riches meant anything to him, compared to that perfect, eternal prize.

Ya ever notice that when you part with something you think is important, for the benefit of another or go out of your way for another, the look on their face makes it all worth while? And the years of good feelings towards one another, just reinforces that sense of satisfaction?

Besides the person you "helped", you feel "right with God" for some reason...and what you gave up, doesn't mean the much to you, after all...that is the 'pearl of great price'.
 
I feel right with God, but I don't know that I have helped anyone. I can do nothing aside from sharing what God put in my heart. The Love of God is a wonderful thing, and my burden, or rather my priviledge, is to share that Love with others.

The pearl is something each person must find themselves; it is between the individual and God. No one can make a person see if they are not willing, yes? A relationship with God can only be started when a person is introduced to Gods Love, yet the relationship can only happen, when that Love is 'embraced' by that person. The pearl is the Love of God, [when embraced] and the kingdom therein is heaven...

My view, anyway...


I enjoyed your view, btw. :)


Much Love,
 
Dondi said:
The Sower parable is one of the few that Jesus actually interprets, perhaps the only one. But I have a feeling that this is for example, a key in how to approach the other parables:
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I think so too, Dondi...


The question is, Who is the Sower? Is it God, or is it us as believers?

I tend to think it is God working through man. God has always used people to convey His Message:

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;" - Hebrews 1:1-2

All through biblical history, God has proclaimed His Word through the prophets. But now we receive from the Word of God, that is Christ, who is the visual representation of God in the flesh, another human that God uses to convey His message. And with the 12 apostles, spreads the word to the multitudes and beyond.
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I agree again, Dondi...


But Paul also makes the caveat "unless you have believed in vain". It supplies the incite to the types of soil the seed is sown.

When we come to the subject of the various types of ground in which the seed is sown, we are now speaking of those who receive the word. They soil represents the human hearts of those who hear the word.

Those with a receptive ear are those who not only receive the word, but act diligently upon it. They do not believe in vain, rather have put their whole heart into the matter. Therefore, they will flourish and be productive in their growth, in their love for others, in their relationship with God. They are doers of the word.
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I agree again, lol! :D

We can kinda combine the other soils as examples where the word is received in vain. These are people who have NOT put their whole heart into the matter and while they like the idea of believing in God and have some form of worship, there are things in their lives that prevent them from experiencing the FULNESS of God in their lives. There is a casualness to their hearing, choosing only what they want to hear and disregard the rest (as the song goes). They like what they hear, but are they willing to obey it? Their minds are not geared to spiritual things. They have a form of godliness, but ignore the Power. They are choked up in the material things of the world. They are wrapped up in certain relationships. They have hobbies and pleasures that dim the sense of the spiritual. So many things, so much to do, so much to see, they haven't stopped to count the cost of their actions. They haven't taken heed to good council of God's Word. They haven't lost their life so that they can gain it.

They is us sometimes. They is me many times.
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I think the word comes in seasons; at times we are doers, and become fruitful. At other times we allow ourselves to be choked by our ambitions, and worries of life. In these times we are much less fruitful then when we are doers. I think most everyone is subject to all the ground described, but when it is heard [The word] and understood, and embraced, and cherised, the doer mentality takes over, and the things of the world become dull...


Much Love,

Dondi, thank you so much for a great post...
 
Kindest Regards, Cage!

My apologies, I managed to overlook this thread until today. It was not intentional.
Cage said:
Matthew 13:4546

45. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46. Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

Whats this mean to you juantoo?
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Good question. On a surface level, it would seem to hold merit as a simple logical and shrewd manner of investment...a worthwhile lesson unto itself.

On a deeper level, one might ask "what are the pearls, what is a pearl to me?"

What of the pearls cast before swine? (that we are adjured not to do?) Any association with the term "pearls of wisdom?"

Whether or not this is the absolute correct definition, it is the general direction I find myself pointed in. Taking Solomon's advice to seek wisdom as for hidden treasure (Proverbs 2), I find it easy to equate wisdom with treasure, gems and pearls. Paul brought forth a further understanding regarding wisdom in Romans, verses like 2:12 (as many as have sinned without the law die outside the law, as many as have sinned in the law are judged by the law) and 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (prove all things, hold fast that which is good).

I have laid out elsewhere my take on matters as far as who G-d deems worthy in His sight (as opposed to my personal judgement), that He is able to do good works in and through even non-Christians, exemplified by the parable of the Good Samaritan. Wisdom and love are universal, and it is by these we all know to be moral. We all, Christian and not, have the wisdom of the Heavenly Father written on our hearts in the form of the Golden Rule; "Do unto others what you would have done unto yourself."

So, while it seems I may have gone around my elbow to get to my tail to get to my explanation, the truth is that so much is intertwined, and only makes sense in context. In context, I see the pearl of great price as the ultimate wisdom. Not the wisdom of men, not the wisdom of esoteric mystery, not the wisdom of tradition...the wisdom of coming to the Father as trusting and openly loving as a child.

What one knows is not what will determine who gets into heaven so much as what one does with what one knows. There are brilliant intellects whose cunning and shrewdness will cost them a spot in heaven even though they attend church every weekend and give alms to the poor. And there will be the simple minded souls who haven't anything to give but their love, that will earn high estate in G-d's kingdom. Most of us fall somewhere in between, still searching for that pearl of great price, all the while gathering those pearls of wisdom that speak to us, in the hope of one day exchanging the collected lot for one simple and elegant wisdom...

That is what this parable means to me.
 
juantoo3 said:
Kindest Regards, Cage!

My apologies, I managed to overlook this thread until today. It was not intentional.

Good question. On a surface level, it would seem to hold merit as a simple logical and shrewd manner of investment...a worthwhile lesson unto itself.

On a deeper level, one might ask "what are the pearls, what is a pearl to me?"

What of the pearls cast before swine? (that we are adjured not to do?) Any association with the term "pearls of wisdom?"

Whether or not this is the absolute correct definition, it is the general direction I find myself pointed in. Taking Solomon's advice to seek wisdom as for hidden treasure (Proverbs 2), I find it easy to equate wisdom with treasure, gems and pearls. Paul brought forth a further understanding regarding wisdom in Romans, verses like 2:12 (as many as have sinned without the law die outside the law, as many as have sinned in the law are judged by the law) and 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (prove all things, hold fast that which is good).

I have laid out elsewhere my take on matters as far as who G-d deems worthy in His sight (as opposed to my personal judgement), that He is able to do good works in and through even non-Christians, exemplified by the parable of the Good Samaritan. Wisdom and love are universal, and it is by these we all know to be moral. We all, Christian and not, have the wisdom of the Heavenly Father written on our hearts in the form of the Golden Rule; "Do unto others what you would have done unto yourself."

So, while it seems I may have gone around my elbow to get to my tail to get to my explanation, the truth is that so much is intertwined, and only makes sense in context. In context, I see the pearl of great price as the ultimate wisdom. Not the wisdom of men, not the wisdom of esoteric mystery, not the wisdom of tradition...the wisdom of coming to the Father as trusting and openly loving as a child.

What one knows is not what will determine who gets into heaven so much as what one does with what one knows. There are brilliant intellects whose cunning and shrewdness will cost them a spot in heaven even though they attend church every weekend and give alms to the poor. And there will be the simple minded souls who haven't anything to give but their love, that will earn high estate in G-d's kingdom. Most of us fall somewhere in between, still searching for that pearl of great price, all the while gathering those pearls of wisdom that speak to us, in the hope of one day exchanging the collected lot for one simple and elegant wisdom...

That is what this parable means to me.
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juantoo, that was beautiful...

I've been reading proverbs over the last few nights, and it speaks to my heart, yet I tend to let my tongue speak and my lips move. A wise man will hold his tongue, and I sometimes have problems with that. Its a flaw that I shall work on...


Sometimes I get confused about the best course of action. ..


Love and Learning in Christ...


Much Love
 
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