Paid in Parables

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? 

He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, 

while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered 

over to the hands of sinners, be crucified 

and on the third day be raised again.’” 

Then they remembered his words.

~Luke 24:5-8~

WAKE UP!

It's time to receive the gift! God's gift of salvation; Jesus' conquer over death. And in mulling it over, I go back to what He not only gave us with His 'death', but what he gave during His life. I'm talking about what Jesus taught us when He spoke parables.

Jesus said a lot in his time. A most famous example is His sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7) but He especially spoke to His followers in parables. I don't profess to all of them... many are retold and overlap across the four gospels and there's some debate over where how 'parable' is defined as opposed to (or parallel with) 'allegory'. But I know that only due to last minute research.

I care to focus on what Jesus was giving us when He spoke these:

Messages of redemption and rejoicing (Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Lost Son,      Luke 15)

Messages about kindness and compassion (Parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37)

Messages about persistence (Parable of the Persistent Widow, Luke 18) and humility (Parable of the    Tax Collector, also Luke 18)

And many with a message about the power of one's faith in God (Parable of the Mustard Seed and Yeast, Matthew 13:31-34 and Mark 4:30-34)

Jesus was good at telling a story; a story with a POINT! He was encompassing how He wished His children to live in the world. Jesus knew that He had only a little time with His disciples and there were many important things He wanted them to remember. And they have surely stood the test of time, nestled in our Bibles to always remind us of God's teachings. And- most importantly- that He is indeed risen!

HAPPY EASTER!