The parables of Jesus Christ and their meaning in the Christian world

The parables of Jesus Christ and their meaning in the Christian world
The parables of Jesus Christ and their meaning in the Christian world

Video: The parables of Jesus Christ and their meaning in the Christian world

Video: The parables of Jesus Christ and their meaning in the Christian world
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The parables of Jesus Christ can be found in all the canonical Scriptures, as well as in some apocryphal texts, but most of them are found in the three Synoptic Gospels. They are an important part of Christ's teachings and form approximately one third of the sermons he recorded. Christians attach special importance to these parables because they are the words of Jesus - they are believed to contain the teaching of the Lord himself.

parables of jesus christ
parables of jesus christ

At first glance, the parables of Jesus Christ are simple and memorable stories, often figurative - each of them carries a certain message. Theologians noted that, despite their apparent simplicity, these epistles are deep and are the heart of Christ's sermons. Christian authors consider them not as mere examples that are used to illustrate this or that situation, but as intimate analogies that allow us to see the spiritual world. Although many of Jesus' parables refer to everyday life: for example, the parable "The Good Samaritan" speaks of the consequences of roadside robberies, and in the story "About leaven" a woman bakes bread - allthey deal with religious topics such as establishing the Kingdom of God, the importance of prayer, and the meaning of love.

In Western culture, the parables of Christ were the prototype of the very concept of "parable", and in the modern world, even among those who are familiar with the Bible rather superficially, these stories remain the most famous.

parables of jesus
parables of jesus

In Matthew, the disciples ask Jesus why he uses parables. Jesus answers that it is given to the disciples to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God, but not to the rest: people do not see, do not hear, and cannot understand much. While Mark and Matthew suggest that the parables of Jesus Christ were intended only for the "foolish crowd", and detailed explanation was given personally to the disciples, modern theologians do not agree with this view and believe that Jesus used parables as a method of universal teaching.

There is an opinion that Jesus built his parables on the basis of divine knowledge about how people should be taught. One may come across the assertion that the parables of Jesus Christ are images borrowed from the visible world and accompanied by truth from the spiritual world. Theologian W. Barclay expresses a similar idea, according to which a parable is an earthly story with a sacred meaning. She refers to well-known examples to guide the human mind in the direction of divine concepts. Barclay suggested that Christ's parables were not simply in the form of analogies, but were based on "an intrinsic resemblance between the natural and the spiritual order."

parables of christ
parables of christ

FromMore than 30 parables in the art of the Middle Ages are mainly represented by only four: "The Ten Virgins", "The Rich Man and Lazarus", "The Prodigal Son" and "The Good Samaritan". Illustrations for the parable "About the workers in the vineyard" are also found in the works of artists of the early Middle Ages. Since the Renaissance, the number of parables appearing in works of art has gradually increased, and various scenes from the story of the Prodigal Son have become a favorite theme.

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