Prayer and Parables
This section is a mix of teaching and parables. There is so much to talk about, so I’ll focus on how Jesus teaches:
- like a true Jew!
- in parables
6:5-8 sounds just like the prophets: true religion is not about what other people think of us, but Jusus is even more deeply theological. Remember it’s the Bible – it’s about God!
Like all of Jesus teaching this is radical stuff the whole Christian music industry risks being demolished at a stroke, not to mention using crosses as jewellery, and prayers on FaceBook! Or are they? Again like the prophets (e.g. Am 4:4-5 see Genre matters: 1) it’s the motive that matters.
When someone says “parable” today we tend to think stories (perhaps with a “heavenly meaning”) but actually both in Greek parabol? and Hebrew mashal a parable is a comparison. (Two things are put side by side so that one illuminates the other.) In his parables Jesus mixes metaphors like a cocktail barman!
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Tags: Jesus, Matthew, Parable, prayer