Parables As Understood By Original Listeners

[JDave]

I read this article on the original meaning of some parables and was curious with people's take on it.  Ignore the horrible title of the piece.  I had a hard time accepting some of the meanings attributed to some of these.

 

It goes over:

1. The 'Parable of the Prodigal Son'

       Don't forget to count the other son

2. The 'Parable of the Good Samaritan'

       Pretty much same meaning, except Samaritan should have been attacking the injured man

3. The 'Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard'

       Lesson in economics and helping the unemployed

4. The 'Parable of the Pearl of Great Price'

       Don't buy a pearl that you don't need

 

[volgadon]

So much faddish baloney.

[mfbukowski]

So much faddish baloney.

Not possible.

It's from that eminent source in biblical theology, CNN.

Seriously,though, you don't like Levine?

Edited October 24, 2014 by mfbukowski

[Silhouette]

Regarding the parable of the Good Samaritan, someone gave a talk on this awhile back, and did point out that the man along the side of the road and the Samaritan were, indeed enemies. I hadn't known that before the talk, and found it interesting. It definitely gave the parable new meaning for me.

[Calm]

So much faddish baloney.

More details please.

[Calm]

"The older brother – remember him? – hears music and dancing. Dad had enough time to hire the band and the caterer, but he never searched for his older son. He had two sons, and he didn’t count."

 

Seems like in the society of the time, it would have been expected the son would find the father, not the other way around,  And don't these people work for him already, it would have taken him a second to dispense with the orders and then his household would prepare it.

 

"(a wholesaler who sells us what we don’t need at a price we cannot afford)"

 

Don't see this definition in the Bible.

 

Remarkable how the story for the originals come out to mean exactly the same thing she wants to teach in this day and age.

Edited October 24, 2014 by calmoriah

[CV75]

I read this article on the original meaning of some parables and was curious with people's take on it.  Ignore the horrible title of the piece.  I had a hard time accepting some of the meanings attributed to some of these.

 

It goes over:

1. The 'Parable of the Prodigal Son'

       Don't forget to count the other son

2. The 'Parable of the Good Samaritan'

       Pretty much same meaning, except Samaritan should have been attacking the injured man

3. The 'Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard'

       Lesson in economics and helping the unemployed

4. The 'Parable of the Pearl of Great Price'

       Don't buy a pearl that you don't need

Matthew 13:

10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

[The Nehor]

Jesus said that he spoke in parables to conceal as well as reveal. Who cares what the original hearers commonly thought? Unless inspired by God they would be wrong.

[Flyonthewall]

Interesting... I know of one interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan that goes into some very intricate detail with what every element of the parable represented. This was an interpretation of what the early Christians understood from it.

Based on it, not sure if the article is very accurate.

https://www.lds.org/liahona/2007/02/the-good-samaritan-forgotten-symbols?lang=eng&query=good+samaritan

[WysteriaBlue]

I saw a show....either Mind Games or WWYD?...that also dealt with the parable of the Good Samaritan...

 

In the show, a "test group" of people were asked to participate in a study about ethics and to come and read the parable and to answer some questions about their understanding of it.. 

Then they were told that in order to get paid for their time and involvement in the study, they needed to go to another building on the campus to pick up their check and to hurry because they would close soon.  Thus getting the participants to go a certain route so as to get them to "participate" in the real point of the study.

 

On the way to the admin building to get the check, the producers "staged" a victim in dire need of assistance..

So how many people would stop and assist this "victim" on their way?

Almost none!!!  It was incredible to believe at first that so many would ignore or evade the "victim"...

The producers changed the gender and race of the "victim" a few times...trying to find the variable that would get the study participants to change behaviour and stop and render aid...nothing seemed to affect the change.

In the end, when told that they had plenty of time to get paid....and took off the need for speed and efficiency....people began to stop and render aid.

 

For me personally, I have not forgotten this lesson...and have noticed the same in myself.   I often carefully stop and offer to help or get help for people stranded on the road, lost dogs etc...but usually just women.  I notice that I do stop more often when not on a deadline etc...  For me, it is a reminder to change priorities and stop even when time is short or put others' needs above my own, or just be more empathetic and compassionate even if they are my "enemies" so to speak.

It is also a great example as the OP says, of how many ways people can learn from parables and how many alternate "take away's" we can get from them.  As elder Nehor stated, they can be used to great effect and affect and "can conceal and reveal" and imo can reveal different things according to what message you are "ready" to "hear"....or need to hear.

 

wb

[volgadon]

More details please.

 

You put it pretty well when you said "Remarkable how the story for the originals come out to mean exactly the same thing she wants to teach in this day and age." Levine's interpretation of the Parable of the Labourers sounds a lot like Herzog's idea of parables as subversive speech. This is the title of his book, which is also subtitled Jesus as Pedagogue of the Oppressed. The basic premise is drawn from Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Opressed, and holds that Jesus was obliquely teaching the poor that they were oppressed. For Levine's reading to work we have to ignore the clearly eschatological language.

[volgadon]

Not possible.

It's from that eminent source in biblical theology, CNN.

Seriously,though, you don't like Levine?

 

I haven't read too much of her's yet, but this isn't promising.