Questions tagged [parables]
Relating to the stories told by Jesus in the Gospels to make a theological point.
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How do supporters of the rapture interpret Matthew 24:40-41 in light of Matthew 13:40-43?
Some say that Matt 24:40-41 is referring to a Rapture with the righteous Church removed first. But Jesus said very plainly that in the end time after the tribulations the angels will come and gather ...
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In Matthew 16:24 Jesus tells His disciples to pick up their crosses and follow Him. How would they have understood what He was saying?
In Matt 16:24 Jesus tells His disciples to pick up their crosses and follow Him. How would the apostles have understood what He was saying? He spoke these words before He was crucified, so the mention ...
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Who were the Old Testament's martyred Prophets?
We read in Matthew 22, on the Parable of the Wedding Feast, in Verse 6, the king's servants deputed to bring the invited, are killed by the invitees. That is not something which happens in normal ...
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Are there comparative studies on the parables of Vineyard from Isaiah and Matthew?
The First Reading and the Gospel Reading of Roman Catholic Holy Mass for October 8th have a parable each on the vineyard. The first one is Isaiah 5:1-7 which speaks of wild grapes that grew on good ...
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Did Jesus have the tradition of preserving of leavening agent in mind, while speaking of the Pharisees' Yeast?
We read in Matt 16: 6-12 (NRSVCE):
Jesus said to them, “Watch out, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” They said to one another, “It is because we have brought no bread.” And ...
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If Jews are not allowed to eat pork why in the Bible appear pig farmers?
A question that isn't really that important, however, it comes to my mind every time I read some Scripture verses. If the Mosaic Law forbids the consumption of pork meat, why do we see a pig farmer ...
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How do Protestants who believe in predestination interpret "plant" in Matt 15:13?
How do Protestants who believe in predestination interpret "plant" in Matt 15:13:
He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.
Should the plants be ...
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According to soul sleep adherents, why would God allow people to be massively misled by the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31)?
My question is NOT about how soul sleep advocates interpret Luke 16:19-31 -- that's an exegetical question that has already been asked elsewhere.
Rather, my question is about understanding, from the ...
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Are there any denominations that literally believe rich people cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven?
23Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle ...
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How does the Catholic Church understand Luke 19:17, "Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you shall have authority over ten cities."
Luke 19:17 occurs in the Parable of the Ten Minas (which has strong similarities to the Parable of the Talents).
Jesus says
"His master replied, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been
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How do Christians apply the Parable of the Ten Virgins to their lives?
Matthew 25:1-12 (ESV):
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the ...
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Why do people believe that the 7 kingdom parables and the 7 churches of revelation represent the same things?
Why do some people believe that the 7 kingdom parables (Matt 13:3-52) and the 7 churches of revelation (chapter 2 and 3) represent the same things? What textual support is there for this? And which ...
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What was the origin of the phrase "Abraham's Bosom" as used by Jesus?
We read at Luke 16:22-23 (KJV)
" And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his ...
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How do parables communicate the inspired word of God?
I'm curious as to know how parables can communicate the inspired word of God. Other literary forms in the bible such as myths and psalms are able to somehow communicate it but I want to know how ...
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How does one explain that the Church is the Bride of Christ?
Allow me to explain my view first:
Matthew 9:15
KJV: And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when ...
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Strange take on the Parable of the 10 talents - Kids book
I was recently reading to my children from a Bible storybook, which included the parable of the 10 Talents, specifically Luke 19:11-24 (roughly - it's very paraphrased).
After telling that the third ...
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Does the parable of the Unforgiving Servant have implications re: "once saved, always saved"?
My question is coming from a Protestant / Evangelical perspective.
I've always been taught that once one is saved, nothing and no one can snatch him from the Father's hand. That is to say, one cannot ...
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New Wine and Old Wine
I am curious about the connection Jesus makes between fasting and New Wine. Many people relate it to the idea of appropriateness. It just strikes me as an odd comparison.
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Is there any relationship between Aquinas teaching on the analogical knowledge of God and Christ teaching in parables?
Is there any relationship between Aquinas teaching on the analogical knowledge of God and Christ teaching in parables (ie. via analogies)?
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According to Catholicism, why did the robbers strip the traveler to Jericho?
At Luke 10:30 (NRSVCE) we meet the traveler to Jericho who was saved by the Good Samaritan, in a vivid narrative given by Jesus:
" Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and ...
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Did Jesus act out His parables?
We see in the parables of Jesus, many moments which provide for dramatic presentation, like the scene of the prodigal son envying the well-fed swines, or the father running to the gate to receive ...
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Why did Jesus compare the Kingdom of Heaven to leaven?
The Gospels according to Matthew and Luke mention the parable of the leaven (Mt:16:6 and Lk 13:20) with a positive image . Elsewhere, Jesus uses the euphemism of leaven to expose the hypocrisy of the ...
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From reformed perspective, what does the oil in the foolish virgin's lamp represent?
This question is related to the question: How do "once saved always saved" advocates explain the parable of the wise virgins?
Many of the answers explain that the foolish virgins never had oil, ...
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Meaning of the Parable of the Talents [closed]
I’m wondering what people think of this interpretation of sermon of the Parable of the Fearful Investor.
I’ll provide this one example, but I have others if you'd like. The interpretation I usually ...
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Why did Jesus not share the meanings of the parables? MARK 4:34 [duplicate]
In Mark 4:34 it says:
"He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when He was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything." (NIV)
My question is this: why did Jesus not ...
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What defined the ownership of a treasure in Jesus' time?
Matthew 13:43 reads:
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
One is intrigued ...
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How do "once saved, always saved" advocates explain the Parable about wise virgins?
The Parable Matthew 25:1-13 King James Version (KJV)
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which
took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five ...
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Why did Jesus use parables to teach?
At first, Jesus taught by direct instruction and expounding the scriptures. For example, Luke 2:46-47:
46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in ...
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Has a parable originally used by Jesus been left out of Luke 14? [closed]
(Luke 14:7-11, RSVCE)
Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he marked how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, “When you are invited by any one to a marriage feast, do ...
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From where did Jesus draw the notion of salt losing its saltiness, for his usage "You are the salt of the earth" [closed]
At Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus says :“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and ...
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Why was the prodigal son spoken harshly of by his elder brother?
In the parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus narrates : "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living" (Lk 15:...
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How do "once saved, always saved" advocates explain the Parable of the Sower?
How do advocates of a strict perseverance of the saints doctrine explain the Parable of the Sower? That is, how does someone explain it who believes that once someone is saved they cannot lose that ...
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How do sola fide adherents explain The Parable of the Ten Virgins?
In Matthew 25:1-12 we read about ten young ladies (a bridal party) eagerly awaiting the arrival of the groom. Five of them run out of oil and have to go buy more, missing the groom's arrival and thus ...
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According to Catholicism, why did Jesus not name the rich man in the story of Lazarus and the rich man?
In the story of the rich man and the poor man (Luke 16:19–31), Jesus did not name the rich man. The name Lazarus that Jesus gave to the poor man is said to have originated from a Greek word meaning '...
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Parable of weeds - where did the enemy get seeds from? [closed]
In the Parable of Weeds, the enemy is narrated as sowing the seeds of weed once the farmer had sown good seeds (Mt 13:25). But, Matthew 13:30 suggests that the tares along with their ripe seeds ...
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How can one "buy" oil and "buy" gold, garments, and eye salve if these things can only attained by grace?
From the account of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25, and from the exhortation to the Laodicean Church in Revelation 3:14-22, What is meant by the instruction to "buy" oil, gold, garments and eye salve? ...
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Parable of The Two Sons [Matthew 21:28-31] [closed]
It is a very powerful parable indeed but I am very curious about the first and the second son, their chronology. In many places in the bible, e.g. Romans 2:9-10 I perceive the Jews denoted as the ...
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What does the parable of the "goodman of the house" mean? [closed]
What are some possible explanations or correlations from scripture about the goodman who should not have let the thief break in?
But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what
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What are the meanings of the mote and beam in the parable? [closed]
In the new testament, Christ gives the parable of the mote and beam:
1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge,
ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it ...
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How do these parables explain time in Heaven?
In many of the parables, Jesus speaks of a time span completing some event.
Examples include:
Mark 13:34: For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave ...
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What does the Parable of the Vineyard Workers mean?
Does the Parable of the Vineyard Workers (in Matthew 20) mean that those who die exactly on judgement day will be the first to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?
Does this mean that when people die they ...
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Who are the five brothers mentioned in the story of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:28)? [closed]
Luke 16:27–28 (NIV) reads:
27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family,
28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not
also come to this place of ...
user9485
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What does it mean that the "The Evil One snatches away what was sown in them."
I have always been confused about what this means.
Those who hear the message about the Kingdom but do not understand it are like the seeds that fell along the path. The Evil One comes and ...
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What is the meaning of the parable in Luke 17:7-10? [closed]
In the first verse of Luke 17:5-10, the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith. Here is the full passage, in the New King James Version (NKJV):
5 And the apostles said to the Lord, "...
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What is the proper use of money in Luke 16:1-13? [duplicate]
This is the parable of the dishonest manager, about to sacked for squandering his master's property. (We don't know if used the property for personal gain, or made bad investments, or what have you.) ...
user4798
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What did Jesus think he was? [closed]
What does the biblical Jesus (as opposed to the historical Jesus) think he is?
a rabbi
the son of a carpenter
the child born in the house of David
the king of the Jews, about to be anointed with oil, ...
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What was Jesus trying to convey in the parables of the mustard seed and yeast? [closed]
What message did Jesus Christ tried to give by comparing the Kingdom Of God(Isn't that Heaven?) with the mustard seed and yeast?
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What does Matthew 13:11-12 mean? [closed]
He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of
heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be
given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not ...
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What about the story of the "Rich Man and Lazarus" indicates whether it is a parable or not?
To extend this previous question, what about the text of the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man indicates whether it should be considered a parable or an "actual" account?
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How is the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus interpreted? [closed]
I have always been puzzled by this in Scripture.
Can someone clarify these points:
If Jesus was speaking of reality then 'The End' had technically already come. Is this correct?
From Hell it would ...
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