#Why did Jesus teach in parables

[take-note-of-this]

Sowing Seeds with Parables

Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash Over the next several posts, I’ll be sharing a series of reflections I wrote for my church from the Gospel of Mark. These devotionals covered passages which would not be preached on in our sermon series. If you would like to listen to sermons from this series, you can find recordings of them here and here. This devotional covers Mark 4:21-34. 21 And he said…

[cinderpresss]

The 30 Parables of Jesus Study Book: A Practical and Easy-to-Understand Perspective

Discover the timeless wisdom and profound teachings of Jesus through His parables with "The 30 Parables of Jesus Study Book: A Practical and Easy-to-Understand Perspective." This study guide is designed for readers of all backgrounds, offering a fresh and accessible approach to understanding the parables that have inspired and guided millions for centuries.

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[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Jesus is asked about the supposed significance of disasters

1-5 It was just at this moment that some people came up to tell him the story of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with that of their own sacrifices. Jesus made this reply to them: “Are you thinking that these Galileans were worse sinners than any other men of Galilee because this happened to them? I assure you that is not so. You will all die just as miserable a death unless your hearts are changed! You remember those eighteen people who were killed at Siloam when the tower collapsed upon them? Are you imagining that they were worse offenders than any of the other people who lived in Jerusalem? I assure you they were not. You will all die as tragically unless your whole outlook is changed!”

And hints at God’s patience with the Jewish nation

6-9 Then he gave them this parable: “Once upon a time a man had a fig-tree growing in his garden, and when he came to look for the figs, he found none at all. So he said to his gardener, ‘Look, I have come expecting fruit on this fig-tree for three years running and never found any. Better cut it down. Why should it use up valuable space?’ And the gardener replied, ‘Master, don’t touch it this year till I have had a chance to dig round it and give it a bit of manure. Then, if it bears after that, it will be all right. But if it doesn’t, then you can cut it down.’”

Jesus reduces the sabbatarians to silence

10-12 It happened that he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day. In the congregation was a woman who for eighteen years had been ill from some psychological cause; she was bent double and was quite unable to straighten herself up. When Jesus noticed her, he called her and said, “You are set free from your illness!”

13-14 And he put his hands upon her, and at once she stood upright and praised God. But the president of the synagogue, in his annoyance at Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath, announced to the congregation, “There are six days in which men may work. Come on one of them and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day!”

15-16 But the Lord answered him, saying, “You hypocrites, every single one of you unties his ox or his ass from the stall on the Sabbath day and leads him away to water! This woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom you all know Satan has kept bound for eighteen years—surely she should be released from such bonds on the Sabbath day!”

17 These words reduced his opponents to shame, but the crowd was thrilled at all the glorious things he did.

18-19 Then he went on, “What is the kingdom of God like? What illustration can I use to make it plain to you? It is like a grain of mustard-seed which a man took and dropped in his own garden. It grew and became a tree and the birds came and nested in its branches.

20-21 Then again he said, “What can I say the kingdom of God is like? It is like the yeast which a woman took and covered up in three measures of flour until the whole lot had risen.”

The kingdom is not entered by drifting but by decision

22-30 So he went on his way through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way towards Jerusalem. Someone remarked, “Lord, are only a few men to be saved?” And Jesus told them, “You must do your utmost to get in through the narrow door, for many, I assure you, will try to do so and will not succeed, once the master of the house has got up and shut the door. Then you may find yourselves standing outside and knocking at the door crying, ‘Lord, please open the door for us.’ He will reply to you, ‘I don’t know who you are or where you come from.’ ‘But …’ you will protest, ‘we have had meals with you, and you taught in our streets!’ Yet he will say to you, ‘I tell you I do not know where you have come from. Be off, you scoundrels!’ At that time there will be tears and bitter regret—to see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets inside the kingdom of God, and you yourselves excluded, outside! Yes, and people will come from the east and the west, and from the north and the south, and take their seats in the kingdom of God. There are some at the back now who will be in the front then, and there are some in front now who will then be far behind.”

The Pharisees warn Jesus of Herod; he replies

31 Just then some Pharisees arrived to tell him, “You must get right away from here, for Herod intends to kill you.”

32-33 “Go and tell that fox,” returned Jesus, “today and tomorrow I am expelling evil spirits and continuing my work of healing, and on the third day my work will be finished. But I must journey on today, tomorrow, and the next day, for it would never do for a prophet to meet his death outside Jerusalem!

34-35 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you murder the prophets and stone the messengers that are sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children round me like a bird gathering her brood together under her wings, but you would never have it. Now, all that is left is yourselves, and your house. For I tell you that you will never see me again till the day when you cry, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’” — Luke 13 | J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS) The New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips copyright © 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Administered by The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England. Cross References: Exodus 20:9; Nehemiah 3:15; Psalm 6:8; Psalm 69:25; Psalm 107:14; Psalm 112:10; Song of Solomon 2:15; Isaiah 5:2; Ezekiel 17:23; Daniel 4:14; Matthew 4:23; Matthew 7:13; Matthew 8:11; Matthew 9:8; Matthew 11:16; Matthew 13:24; Matthew 13:33; Matthew 14:3; Matthew 19:30; Matthew 27:1-2; Mark 6:6; Luke 3:8; Luke 7:3; Luke 14:35; Luke 19:41; Luke 21:28; John 9:2; John 11:9; Titus 2:8

Luke 13 Bible Commentary - Matthew Henry (concise)

[saltoftheearth5x2]

Luke 13

Over the 24 days leading up to Christmas, I'm going to be posting a chapter of Luke every day. I encourage you to read through Luke's gospel and reflect on Jesus's time here on earth. Perhaps you'll find something new.

Masterlist

Luke 13 (NIV)

Repent or Perish

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath

10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”

15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast

18 Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”

20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

The Narrow Door

22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”

He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’

“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.���

26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’

27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’

28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”

Jesus’ Sorrow for Jerusalem

31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”

32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ 33 In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!

34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

....

All of this was taken from the Bible Gateway, which is an online Bible that you can easily search up. For those of you who do not have Bibles of your own, I encourage you to use online resources like Bible Gateway to read God's word.

Happy Holidays!

If you have any questions regarding the Christian faith, please ask me in my ask box. I am not a perfect person, but I will try and answer your questions as best as I can. We all have much more to learn, myself included. So please, do not be shy.

[anastpaul]

One Minute Reflection – 26 February – “The Month of the Blessed Trinity” – St Margaret of Cortona (1247–1297) Penitent – Ferial Day – Sexagesima Week – 2 Corinthians 11:19-33; 12:1-9 – Luke 8:4-15 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/ “But that upon good ground, these are they who, with a right and good heart, having heard the Word, hold it fast and bear fruit in patience.” – Luke 8:15 

 REFLECTION – “Note that Jesus does not say: The careless received some seed and lost it, the rich received other seed and choked it and the superficial received some seed and betrayed it. It is not His intention to rebuke them severely, lest He should cast them into despair. Christ leaves the reproof to the conscience of His hearers. Remember too, in the parable of the net, much was gathered in, which was unprofitable. But He speaks this parable as if to anoint His disciples and to teach them, not to be despondent even though those lost, may be more than those who receive the Word. It was with this same ease that the Lord Himself continued to sow, even He, Who fully foreknew the outcomes! But why would it be reasonable to sow among thorns or on rocks or on the pathway? With regard to the seeds and the earth, it cannot sound very reasonable. But, in the case of human souls and their instructions, it is praiseworthy and greatly to be honoured. For the farmer might be laughed at for doing this, since it is impossible for a rock to bear fruit. It is not likely that the path will become anything but a path or the thorns anything but thorns. But with respect to the rational soul, this is not so predictable. For here, there is such a thing as the rock changing and becoming rich land. Here it is possible, that the wayside might no longer be trampled upon or lie open to all who pass by but that it may become a fertile field. In the case of the soul, the thorns may be destroyed and the seed enjoy full security. For had it been impossible, this Sower would not have sown. And if the reversal did not take place in all, this is no fault of the Sower but of the souls who are unwilling to be changed. He has done His part. If they betrayed what they received of Him, He is blameless, the Exhibitor of such Love to humanity. But mark this carefully – there is more than one road to destruction! There are differing ones and wide apart from one another. For they who are like the wayside are the coarse-minded and indifferent and careless but those on the rock, such as fail, from willed weakness only.” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (The Gospel of Matthew: Homily 44).

(via One Minute Reflection – 26 February – ‘ … Christ leaves the reproof to the conscience of His hearers. …’ – AnaStpaul)

[timeless-fanfic]

Unnoticed Affection: Chapter 3 (End)

The Realization

Word Count: 1135

Philip x Reader

The camp was quiet that evening. The crackle of the fire was soft in the background, and the disciples had settled down for the night, resting after a long day of travel. Philip sat on a nearby rock, trying to keep his mind calm. Jesus’ words from their conversation days earlier echoed in his head—love isn’t a distraction; it’s part of the journey. But as he glanced over at (Y/N), still unaware of how he felt, he wondered if she would ever see him as more than just another disciple.

(Y/N) sat by the fire, speaking quietly with Thomas and Nathanael. She was focused, as usual, her eyes bright with enthusiasm as she shared her thoughts about a parable Jesus had shared earlier that day. Philip admired her dedication, but it only made his feelings more complicated. Every word she spoke made his heart swell, and every moment they spent together pulled him deeper into this silent longing.

Jesus had been right—she still hadn’t noticed. No matter how much time they spent together, no matter how often Philip tried to express his feelings in subtle ways, (Y/N) remained blissfully unaware. She was too focused on their shared mission, too absorbed in the teachings and the journey ahead.

But that night, something was different.

As (Y/N) finished her conversation and stood to stretch her legs, she glanced over at Philip, her expression softening as their eyes met. She smiled—a simple, genuine smile—and walked over to where he sat. For a moment, Philip’s heart raced. He wasn’t sure what to expect. Maybe this would be the moment she finally realized, the moment she saw him in a new light.

“You look deep in thought,” she said, her voice soft as she sat down next to him.

Philip chuckled lightly, trying to mask his nerves. “I’ve just had a lot on my mind lately.”

(Y/N) nodded, her brow furrowing slightly. “I’ve noticed. You’ve been quieter than usual. Is everything okay?”

Philip hesitated. He had been waiting for this moment, for the chance to tell her how he felt, but now that it was here, the words seemed to get stuck in his throat. “It’s… complicated,” he said finally, his voice low.

(Y/N) studied him for a moment, her eyes full of concern. “If you ever want to talk, I’m here. You know that, right?”

Philip nodded, but before he could respond, Jesus appeared, walking over to join them. He gave them both a knowing smile before taking a seat on a nearby log.

“You two seem to be having an important conversation,” Jesus said, his tone light but full of insight.

Philip felt his heart rate quicken. It was as if Jesus had appeared at just the right moment—as He often did. There was a quiet, almost playful wisdom in His eyes, as if He knew exactly what was going on but was waiting for them to realize it themselves.

(Y/N), oblivious to the deeper meaning behind Jesus’ words, smiled at Him. “Philip’s been deep in thought lately. I was just trying to check on him.”

Jesus’ smile widened, and He turned His gaze to Philip. “Sometimes, we miss what’s right in front of us, don’t we?”

Philip swallowed hard, unsure if Jesus was talking to him or to (Y/N)—or maybe both. The silence between them was heavy, and (Y/N) glanced between them, clearly sensing something she didn’t fully understand.

“What do you mean?” (Y/N) asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

Jesus looked at her with the same gentle understanding He always had. “You’re very dedicated, (Y/N). Your heart is in the right place, and your focus on following the Father is admirable.”

(Y/N) nodded, her confusion deepening. “Of course. That’s why we’re all here, right?”

Jesus smiled softly. “Yes. But sometimes, in our dedication, we overlook the gifts the Father has placed along our path.”

Philip’s heart pounded in his chest. He could feel the weight of Jesus’ words sinking in, but (Y/N) still looked uncertain. She tilted her head, as if trying to decipher His meaning.

“I don’t think I understand,” she admitted.

Jesus chuckled softly. “Perhaps the Father has given you something—or someone—that you haven’t yet noticed.”

(Y/N)’s eyes widened slightly as she processed what He was saying. She glanced at Philip, her expression suddenly thoughtful, as if she were seeing him in a different light for the first time.

Philip held his breath, waiting for her to put the pieces together. It was a strange mix of hope and fear, not knowing how she would react once she realized what was happening.

After a long, quiet moment, (Y/N)’s eyes widened even more, and a look of shock crossed her face. She turned fully toward Philip, her mouth slightly open in surprise. “Philip…?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Philip smiled nervously, his heart racing. “Yeah?”

She blinked, still processing. “You… you like me?”

Philip let out a shaky laugh, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I thought I was being pretty subtle about it, but… yeah. I do.”

(Y/N) stared at him, her expression shifting from surprise to something softer, something warmer. For the first time, she seemed to truly see him—not just as another disciple, but as someone who cared for her in a way she hadn’t noticed before.

“I had no idea,” she whispered, her voice filled with awe. “I was so focused on following Jesus, I didn’t even think about… this.”

Philip chuckled softly. “I noticed. But that’s part of why I like you. Your heart is so focused on what’s important.”

(Y/N) smiled, her cheeks flushing slightly. “I don’t know what to say.”

Jesus, still sitting nearby, watched them with a gentle smile. “Sometimes, love is a gift we don’t expect. But it’s always a part of the Father’s plan.”

(Y/N) looked at Philip again, her eyes filled with a new kind of understanding. She still seemed a little overwhelmed, but there was a warmth in her gaze that hadn’t been there before. Slowly, she reached out and took his hand, her touch gentle but sure.

“I guess we’ll have to figure this out together,” she said softly.

Philip smiled, his heart swelling with relief and happiness. “I’d like that.”

Jesus stood, giving them both a final, knowing smile. “The Father’s gifts are always worth cherishing,” He said, before walking away to leave them alone.

As the fire crackled softly in the background, Philip and (Y/N) sat in a comfortable silence, their hands still intertwined. There was a sense of peace between them now, a shared understanding that had been missing before. The journey ahead would still be full of challenges, but now, they would face it together.

[artandthebible]

Why did Jesus Call the Canaanite Woman a Dog?

In Matthew 15:21–28, Jesus encounters a Canaanite (Syrophoenician) woman who begs Him to cure her daughter. Jesus initially refuses her request by saying, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs” (Matthew 15:26). Taken out of context, and especially in English, it’s easy to mistake this for an insult. In the flow of the story, however, it’s clear Jesus is creating a metaphor meant to explain the priorities of His ministry. He is also teaching an important lesson to His disciples.

Jews in Jesus’ day sometimes referred to Gentiles as “dogs.” In Greek, this word is kuon, meaning “wild cur” (Matthew 7:6; Luke 16:21; Philippians 3:2). Non-Jews were considered so unspiritual that even being in their presence could make a person ceremonially unclean (John 18:28). Much of Jesus’ ministry, however, involved turning expectations and prejudices on their heads (Matthew 11:19; John 4:9–10). According to Matthew’s narrative, Jesus left Israel and went into Tyre and Sidon, which was Gentile territory (Matthew 15:21). When the Canaanite woman approached and repeatedly asked for healing, the disciples were annoyed and asked Jesus to send her away (Matthew 15:23).

At this point, Jesus explained His current ministry in a way that both the woman and the watching disciples could understand. At that time, His duty was to the people of Israel, not to the Gentiles (Matthew 15:24). Recklessly taking His attention from Israel, in violation of His mission, would be like a father taking food from his children in order to throw it to their pets (Matthews 15:26). The exact word Jesus used here, in Greek, was kunarion, meaning “small dog” or “pet dog.” This is a completely different word from the term kuon, used to refer to unspiritual people or to an “unclean” animal.

Jesus frequently tested people to prove their intentions, often through response questions or challenges (see John 4:16–18; and 4:50–53). His response to the Canaanite woman is similar. In testing her, Jesus declined her request and explained that she had no legitimate expectation of His help. The woman, however, lived out the principle Jesus Himself taught in the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1–8). Her response proved that she understood fully what Jesus was saying, yet had enough conviction to ask anyway (Matthew 15:27). Jesus acknowledged her faith - calling it “great” - and granted her request (Matthew 15:28).

So, according to both the context and language involved, Jesus wasn’t referring to the Canaanite woman as a “dog,” either directly or indirectly. He wasn’t using an epithet or racial slur but making a point about the priorities He’d been given by God. He was also testing the faith of the woman and teaching an important lesson to His disciples.

[saras-devotionals]

Quiet Time 3/5

What am I feeling today?

Still sick, also lazy. I was very unproductive yesterday and it kinda killed my mood. I need to make a structured plan for today to adhere to so I can get back on track when it comes to work. But excited too! I got accepted to something amazing and I’ll be getting more details and everything today, just feeling really encouraged by that!

Luke 7 NIV

(v. 6-10) “So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.”

My main focus was near the end in which it says Jesus was amazed at him. I just find it really interesting that Jesus can be amazed by us and in the case of this man by his faith.

(v. 13-15)

“When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.”

I like this too because it says that his heart went out to her and I’d like to think the same happens with us. Whenever we experience a painful hardship such as the death of a loved one, his heart goes out to us and brings us comfort.

(v. 23) “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.””

I like this, because the way we avoid stumbling is by abiding heavily to the word and his teaching. I feel that the parallel for this is found in Luke 17:1-2 “Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.”

(v. 26-28) “But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: “ ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.””

I’m curious about the ending, where he says that there’s no greater than John but even the least in the kingdom of God is greater than him. I went to some commentary because I was confused by this and this is what they said:

This seemingly paradoxical statement is resolved by the considerations: (1) that John the Baptist was not in the kingdom of Christ, the same not being set up until after John’s death, and (2) that the term "greater" has reference to privilege, rather than to character.

(v. 40-43)

“Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.”

I like this parable, I feel it’s rather simple and reasonable to understand and I’ll get into the point of it in the next verse:

(v. 47-50)

“Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.””

Although all sin is sin and separates us from God, it’s notable here that there are some that sin more than others (there are times we can compare ourselves in saying “well at least I’m not that bad”, but it’s critical to keep in mind that we are all still sinners!). But also notable here is that Jesus says whoever had been forgiven little loves little. And although it’s no small feat to be forgiven of all your sins, I do understand the point here and wonder if it affects my relationship with him.

[sag-dab-sar]

Our Lady of Sorrows - 3rd Sorrow: Losing Jesus in the Temple

Three or Four Days After Passover

How many days depends on how you calculate the Biblical verses

[Art: The Infant Jesus Found in the Temple by Philippe de Champaigne, 1663.]

The Third Sorrow is when Joseph and Mary travel after Passover, unwittingly leaving Jesus behind in Jerusalem. A parent losing their child would cause intense panic and Joseph and Mary lose their son for multiple days.

"Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."Luke 2:41-52 NIV

This Sorrow is very straight forward as Mary herself says she is anxious. To a young Jesus this seems to be a non-issue, because he is (in Christian belief) God incarnate, thus of course he would be in his temple to teach, he tells his parents. Mary in verse 51 seems to be coming to the conclusion more fully just how important Jesus is as she 'treasured it in her heart.'

As for dating, there is debate about timing. If they leave the day following Passover, realize he is gone, then search for three days, that would mean the date is four days after Passover. However, if the verse about searching for three days includes the day where they are oblivious to having lost him then it is only three days after Passover. As a personal opinion if they are searching for three days it would not include the day they did not know he was missing. Thus the event is the fourth day after Passover.

Losing Jesus in the Temple in the Apocrypha

And when he was twelve years old his parents went according to the custom unto Jerusalem to the feast of the passover with their company: and after the passover they returned to go unto their house. And as they returned the child Jesus went back to Jerusalem; but his parents supposed that he was in their company. And when they had gone a day's journey, they sought him among their kinsfolk, and when they found him not, they were troubled, and returned again to the city seeking him. And after the third day they found him in the temple sitting in the midst of the doctors and hearing and asking them questions. And all men paid heed to him and marvelled how that being a young child he put to silence the elders and teachers of the people, expounding the heads of the law and the parables of the prophets. And his mother Mary came near and said unto him: Child, wherefore hast thou so done unto us? behold we have sought thee sorrowing. And Jesus said unto them: Why seek ye me? know ye not that I must be in my Father's house? But the scribes and Pharisees said: Art thou the mother of this child? and she said: I am. And they said unto her: Blessed art thou among women because God hath blessed the fruit of thy womb. For such glory and such excellence and wisdom we have neither seen nor heard at any time. And Jesus arose and followed his mother and was subject unto his parents: but his mother kept in mind all that came to pass. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and grace. Unto him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. — Infancy Gospel of Thomas Chapter 19

.▪️.

And when He was twelve years old, they took Him to Jerusalem to the feast. And when the feast was finished, they indeed returned; but the Lord Jesus remained in the temple among the teachers and elders and learned men of the sons of Israel, to whom He put various questions upon the sciences, and gave answers in His turn. [...] While they were speaking to each other of these and other things, the Lady Mary came, after having gone about seeking Him for three days along with Joseph. She therefore, seeing Him sitting among the teachers asking them questions, and answering in His turn, said to Him: My son, why have you treated us thus? Behold, your father and I have sought you with great trouble. But He said: Why do you seek me? Do you not know that I ought to occupy myself in my Father's house? But they did not understand the words that He spoke to them. Then those teachers asked Mary whether He were her son; and when she signified that He was, they said: Blessed are you, O Mary, who hast brought forth such a son. And returning with them to Nazareth, He obeyed them in all things. And His mother kept all these words of His in her heart. And the Lord Jesus advanced in stature, and in wisdom, and in favour with God and man. — Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, part of 50, and 53.

[Art: Joseph and Mary Found Jesus in the Temple by John Lawson]

"I grieve for thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in those anxieties which tried thy troubled heart at the loss of thy precious son. Dear Mother, by thy heart so full of anguish, obtain for me the virtue of patience and the gift of knowledge." — Prayer of the Third Sorrow, Short Version

🗡️Notes

• The Seven Sorrows — Link

• I prefer the shorter version of the 7 Sorrows Prayers that I found here — Link

• My Non-Christian Worship of Mary — Link

• Divider by @/firefly-graphics — Link

[steveezekiel]

WHY DOES IT USE UP THE GROUND?

"THEN HE SAID TO THE KEEPER OF HIS VINEYARD, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. CUT IT DOWN; WHY DOES IT USE UP THE GROUND?’ "

Luke 13:7 (NKJV)

Comment: God would not want anyone who professes to be of Him to be barren or be unfruitful (John 15:2,16). Believers are appointed and chosen that we might go and bear fruit and that the fruit should remain or abound (John 15:16). To be unfruitful as a believer is an aberration, an abnormality—It is not normal in the Kingdom of God.

The passage of the Bible, the text of this teaching, is showing us God's attitude and response to the unfruitfulness or unprofitableness of a believer. God detests unfruitfulness of a believer in any form.

The text is extracted from the teaching of Jesus Christ, one of the parables (Luke 13:6-9). It was meant to teach the believers about God's attitude to the unfruitfulness of a believer. The fig tree being talked about in the vineyard of a particular person could be likened to a believer planted in God's vineyard (Luke 13:6).

In the parable, the Man, the owner of the vineyard, came looking for fruit on the fig tree but found none; he did that for three years consecutively (Luke 13:6). In the third year, he instructed the keeper or the dresser of the vineyard to cut the tree down: " . . . WHY DOES IT USE UP THE GROUND?’ (Luke 13:7 NKJV).

Other translations say:

" . . . IT'S JUST TAKING UP SPACE IN THE GARDEN’ (Luke 13:7 NLT)

" . . . WHY CUMBERETH [burdens] IT THE GROUND?" (Luke 13:7 KJV)

" . . . WHY SHOULD IT BE WASTING THE SOIL?’ (Luke 13:7 The New Revised Standard Version).

The application:

Like said earlier, a believer is likened to the fig tree, a type of the fig tree in God's vineyard (John 15:2; 1 Corinthians 3:9).

God expected you to be fruitful in His vineyard, His Kingdom, on the earth. In addition to it, He wanted your fruit to remain or abound—the fruit that will last or endure: "YOU HAVE NOT CHOSEN ME, BUT I HAVE CHOSEN YOU AND I HAVE APPOINTED AND PLACED AND PURPOSEFULLY PLANTED YOU, SO THAT YOU WOULD GO AND BEAR FRUIT AND KEEP ON BEARING, AND THAT YOUR FRUIT WILL REMAIN AND BE LASTING, SO THAT WHATEVER YOU ASK OF THE FATHER IN MY NAME [as My representative] HE MAY GIVE TO YOU" (John 15:16 Amps).

What does it mean to be fruitful in God's vineyard or Kingdom? It does mean when your life becomes a blessing to other people.

What does it mean to be a blessing to others?:

a. When what you are taught, your understanding of God through your walking with Him, is being used to draw other people to God through Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).

b. When what you learned is being practiced and taught to others—other believers—for their edification and steadfastness in God (Ephesians 4:12,13; Philippians 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:2).

God frowns at the unfruitfulness of a believer. The instruction given by the owner of the vineyard, who is likened to God, is that the fig tree should be cut down (Luke 13:7).

Note:

a. God expects your growth as a believer in Christ Jesus.

b. In addition to your growth, He wanted you to bear fruit (John 15:16).

There are some believers who had been in God's vineyard or Kingdom for a number of years but they are not fruitful; such believers are the ones said to be cumbering or embargoing or depriving the land—taking up space in God's vineyard for nothing (Luke 13:7). They are receiving God's grace in vain—for nothing: "WE THEN, AS WORKERS TOGETHER WITH HIM ALSO PLEAD WITH YOU NOT TO RECEIVE THE GRACE OF GOD IN VAIN" (2 Corinthians 6:1 NKJV).

If I may ask you; you have been in the Christian faith for a number of years now, What are your contributions to the growth and expansion of God's Kingdom on earth? Remember, in the parable, the instruction or command given concerning the unfruitful fig tree is that It should be to cut down (Luke 13:7).

Thus, do something now and be part of the building of God's Kingdom on earth.

Lastly, another thing is, the more fruitful you are, the more you would be pruned. Thus, If you are being pruned, under the sharp garden scissors of God, do not be despaired; It is for more fruitfulness (John 15:2).

Peace.

[lilgreeneyes71]

The falling away is happening and many others are going to fall away as well

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

Hebrews 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

Examples of people who have completely departeth from the faith

John W Loftus was a Christian preacher/Christian Apologist who turned atheist completely denying Christ and His teachings and now tries to disprove Christianity and lead other believers astray.

Tim Sledge was a Southern Baptist minister from Texas who turned atheist and he too is leading Christians away from Christianity and towards atheism he wrote several books none which I care to read or mention the names

Dan Barker was a Christian preacher who also turned atheist quote from Dan Barker

"Dan, tell us what caused you to lose your faith." So, I told them I did not lose my faith gave it up purposely the motivation that drove me into the ministry is the same that drove me out.

Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,6.6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

1Timothy 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;4:3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.4:4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:4:5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

Galatians 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you,( whosoever of you are justified by the law); (ye are fallen from grace).

They will find teachers that will teach them exactly what they want to hear to suit their own desires , lusts ,

and interests

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;4.4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Jesus explains why this happens

Luke 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.8:12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

Remember Judas the devil put it into his heart to betray Jesus

John 13:2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;

These fall away when they were tempted because they have no root in them they were not grounded

Luke 8:13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these (have no root), which (for a while believe), (and in time of temptation fall away).

These fall away because they were choked with the cares of this life along with the riches and pleasures

Luke 8:14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.2.17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Hebrews 6:7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:6:8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.2:2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

Paul said he was ready to be offered and was saying his departure was at hand then explains that he fought the good fight and (finished his course)

2 Timothy 4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Hebrews 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, (if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end);

[apenitentialprayer]

I was listening to a brief debate between a Protestant and a Catholic about Mary & whether or not she was sinless. I'm not Catholic myself, but I felt that the Catholic didn't represent his position well. The Protestant said that scripture had evidence of Mary sinning. He cited the passage of the Wedding at Cana in John 2, saying that Mary was wrong to ask Jesus to do a miracle when He did not intend to start his ministry yet. Then he cited Luke 1, talking about how Zachariah was punished for doubting the angel Gabriel when he told him he would have a sin. He argued that Mary sinned in the same way by doubting the angel when he told her she would conceive because she was a virgin. Again, I'm not a Catholic so my church doesn't try to argue scripture teaches Mary was sinless. But I didn't see the Protestant's citations as proof that Mary's sins were recorded in scripture. I think those verses show that Mary is human and not omniscient. What's your take.

Another thing mentioned in the debate was whether or not Mary needed to be conceived without sin in order to have Jesus. The Catholic said Mary could not carry Jesus in sin. The Protestant said that if Mary had to be sinless to conceive the sinless Jesus, then Mary's parents would have to be sinless in order to conceive her. When the Catholic said this didn't apply to Mary, the Protestant replied by saying that in that case, Mary was a greater "god" than Jesus because she could be born sinless from sinful parents. Have you come across this sort of argument in the past?

Hello! Going to answer this kind of quickly, because I would like to go to sleep soon.

I think using John 2 as an example of Mary sinning is an objectively stupid argument, especially in light of Jesus using the Parables of the Persistent Widow and Friend at Midnight in Luke 18 and Luke 11, respectively, in order to say something about the nature of justification and prayer, respectively. Mary continues to plead with her Son, and then tells the servants to "do whatever [God] tells you." If Mary is sinning in this verse, so is every Christian who ever persists in praying for an intention that isn't answered right away.

I think that using Luke 1 is a better potential argument, at least at first glance, because (at first glance) it does in fact seem that Mary is doing just what Zachariah did and was punished for. But, if they are qualitatively similar responses.... why is Zachariah punished, but Mary not? The Church Fathers make their opinion clear; in the words of Maximus of Turin, Zachariah is "unbelieving," and Mary "believing." Zachariah does not believe that it is possible for his wife to get pregnant, while Mary wonders how she will get pregnant when she has not touched a man. It's a difference of scoffing at the miracle vs. wondering how the miracle will be accomplished. This is a view also held by Saints Ambrose, Augustine, Bede, and Justin Martyr.

I think the Catholic commentator made a blunder by trying to defend the (indefensible) claim that Mary needed to be sinless to carry Christ in her womb; I really don't think that you can make an argument for necessity for the Immaculate Conception, but rather an argument for its fittingness. I have seen people argue for its necessity (something not even the Blessed Duns Scotus, champion of the Immaculate Conception belief, did), but I think that it is mostly an attempt to double-down on the doctrine and emphasize its importance rather than a well thought out argument for its truthfulness.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

14th September >> Mass Readings (USA)

Feast of The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

(Liturgical Colour: Red. Year: B(II)

First Reading Numbers 21:4b-9 Whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

With their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!” In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died. Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses, “Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live.” Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 78:1bc-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38

R/ Do not forget the works of the Lord!

Hearken, my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable, I will utter mysteries from of old.

R/ Do not forget the works of the Lord!

While he slew them they sought him and inquired after God again, Remembering that God was their rock and the Most High God, their redeemer.

R/ Do not forget the works of the Lord!

But they flattered him with their mouths and lied to him with their tongues, Though their hearts were not steadfast toward him, nor were they faithful to his covenant.

R/ Do not forget the works of the Lord!

But he, being merciful, forgave their sin and destroyed them not; Often he turned back his anger and let none of his wrath be roused.

R/ Do not forget the works of the Lord!

Second Reading Philippians 2:6-11 He humbled himself; because of this God greatly exalted him.

Brothers and sisters:

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your Cross you have redeemed the world. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel John 3:13-17 So the Son of Man must be lifted up.

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Jesus Teaches in Parables

1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 15 For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Parable of the Sower Explained

18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

The Parable of the Weeds

24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven

31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”

Prophecy and Parables

34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

New and Old Treasures

51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. — Matthew 13 | English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Cross References: Genesis 18:6; Genesis 26:12; Deuteronomy 29:4; 2 Samuel 23:6-7; Psalm 78:2; Psalm 104:12; Psalm 119:70; Ezekiel 17:6; Daniel 3:6; Daniel 12:3; Zephaniah 1:3; Matthew 5:37; Matthew 8:20; Matthew 12:32; Matthew 13:1; Matthew 13:3-4; Matthew 13:44; Matthew 13:49; Matthew 17:20; Matthew 20:1; Mark 3:23; Mark 4:4; Mark 4:6; Mark 4:16; Mark 4:25; Luke 5:3; Luke 8:8-9; Luke 8:11; Luke 10:23; 1 Corinthians 15:42

Why Did Jesus Teach in Parables?

Key Passages in Matthew 13

1. The parable of the sower and the seed; 18. the explanation of it. 24. The parable of the weeds; 31. of the mustard seed; 33. of the leaven; 36. explanation of the parable of the weeds. 44. The parable of the hidden treasure; 45. of the pearl; 47. of the drag net cast into the sea. 53. Jesus is a prophet without honor in his own country.

[tinamaetales]

Heaven-seated, undefeated, highest of names

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved John 3:17

The name of a man that I have been familiar with ever since I was young is Jesus. He is a man with numerous titles: Prince of Peace, Son of God, Son of Man, Emmanuel, Messiah, Bridegroom, Bread of life, Good Shepherd, Lamb of God, True Vine, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Alpha and Omega, the Way, Truth and Life to name a few. I know Him and have heard His name almost all the time. From our house, neighborhood, school, market, grocery, mall, and of course, in churches, Jesus’ name is the name I heard about all the time; He is everywhere. I guess I have learned His name first before I even know the names of my parents or relatives or even my own full government name. Jesus’ name has been a part of my life ever since I was young although I gotta admit that hearing His name is not always because it is being used to praise Him but more of an expression by some. Nonetheless, Jesus has always been a man I am familiar with. As a kid who grew up in a dominantly Catholic society, my first encounter with Jesus is seeing the crucifixion in the Church. And then, I studied in Catholic schools so there is always one subject we are required to take that is dedicated to studying His teachings, especially the parables. As a kid, those stories were fun to me. Those stories are wholesome and filled with lessons. Then as I grew older and gained more life experiences, Jesus became not just a character from the book but someone whom I started forming a relationship with. I developed my faith. Then comes tragedy after tragedy in life that ended up with me running away from Him; like the prodigal son who left his father’s home because I simply know better. What was once a relationship with God through His son Jesus became just a memory from the past as I live my life on my own terms. And then, like the shepherd who left the 99 sheep to find the one lost sheep, Jesus found me at my lowest low. No, I did not find God in Church, He found me at home when my life has lost all its meaning and purpose. It’s as if I was rescued after years of living inside a cave. 

The last quarter of 2023 came with an unexpected plot twist as I discovered this show called “The Chosen” The show became a way for me to come home to God. Long story short, the show helped me find my way back to God and I even bought my own Bible as a Christmas gift to myself. I started my 2024 reading the Bible in a “chronological” order which is something I have never done before. Actually, I feel like I only ever read the New Testament and just know some stories from the Old Testament. Anyway, re-reading the New Testament feels different this time. For now I am reading it for the purpose of getting to know Jesus more instead of it being just a school requirement. The Jesus that I read here is the kind of Jesus that makes you feel at home instead of intimidated and scared. Jesus is truly the way, the truth and the life. I never imagined my relationship with God would ever be fixed if it were not for Jesus. It is through Him that I realized that no one is ever truly far from God or too damaged to be redeemed. After all, He came to this world to bring salvation. He showed us what a real relationship with God is.

The New Testament has 27 books and I would love to discuss all of them but for this blogpost alone, I will only focus on the four books of gospel. I will be sharing some of my reflection through 7 topics:

Fishers of Men (Matthew 4:19, Matthew 9:13, Mark 1:17, Luke 5:8, John 1:35-51)

One of the earliest images/photos of Jesus that I know of was the painting of The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci. In most FIlipino households, that painting is usually displayed at the dining table (up until now, I really do not know why). What makes this painting fascinating to me is the kind of people Jesus was dining with. The painting showed the artist’s own interpretation of the Last Supper which is a significant event in Jesus’s earthly ministry. I have noticed the 12 men or the apostles as they are called and it made me wonder why among all the humans on the planet, Jesus chose those 12 men. Another question I have is why did Jesus even have apostles when He is more than capable of doing things on His own? In schools, there is a ranking system in which the top students who have the highest grades get awards or recognitions. In pageants, there is top 15, top 10, top 3. In the Olympics, the best three athletes get awarded with gold, silver, and bronze. But with Jesus, his chosen 12 are not the best or the most popular among the lot . His chosen 12 were simple human beings - four of them are fishermen, one is a tax collector, and another one is a zealot. 

I raised two questions in the beginning of this topic, and I found the answer to the 2nd one while re-watching The Chosen: Of course, if God wanted to, Jesus can do it alone because He is the Son of God after all. But in choosing the 12 apostles, God is telling us that we are being invited to participate in His kingdom. This is a touching way of telling us that we all have a purpose and such is what I needed to hear especially in times when I feel empty and worthless. With Jesus choosing men from different walks of life is an assurance that everyone is welcome in the Kingdom of God. Come as you are, as the famous saying goes. However, deciding to follow Jesus does not stop there. Like what Jesus said, “Go and sin no more” When we come home to God, we must also surrender our old lives and take up the cross and follow Jesus. Just like how Peter, Andrew, James and John left their jobs as fishermen and followed Jesus. Or, the best example is Matthew the tax collector. He is already living well by having a secured job but when Jesus called him, he left that life behind and entered the life of discipleship. If we look at this in the perspective of today’s generation, it can be difficult to comprehend. But the apostles proved and gave meaning to the words surrender and faith. Those are the very words I also find difficult to live by. And I guess, I found my answer to the first question - God does not call the qualified, but He qualifies the called.

Physician, heal thyself 

In Matthew 11:2-6, John the Baptist sent his followers to Jesus to ask “Are you the One who is to come or should we wait for someone else?” in which Jesus replied with “Go tell John what you hear and see: the blind can see, the crippled can walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who does not take offense at me” When Jesus was doing His earthly ministry, he had done many things, signs and miracles, which have shown that He is the Son of God. He is the “physician” who came to heal the sick. There were many signs and miracles stated in the New Testament but I will only be discussing some of them:

Calming the storm (Matthew 8:23-27)

This is one of my favorite Jesus miracles from the bible because it was short and simple but also direct in showing us that Jesus is both 100% human and 100% divine. Jesus was sleeping in the boat when they encountered a storm at the sea. The disciples were scared so they woke him up. Jesus told the storm to “be still” and nature obeyed Him. This short story showed how Jesus is truly the Son of God for even nature obeys Him. I saw myself in the disciples for I am like that most of the time - in constant fear and panic that I almost forgot  that I have Jesus in my life and if I only allow my faith to be bigger than my fears then I should always remember that my God can calm even the strongest storms.

2. Healing the bleeding woman (Mark 5:25-34)

This is one of the miracles that will always make me emotional because of how much I can relate to the woman who was healed. For someone who has always been sick since I was a child, it is tiring to always be in the hospital. The amount of tests I have to undergo and the amount of medicines I have to take, my body feels exhausted and my mental health is also affected. Being sick is not just physically exhausting but also emotionally and mentally draining. And in the midst of one's battle with illness, a small sign of hope can change you. Just like the woman who has been bleeding for years and immediately found hope when she heard about Jesus, my family, especially my mother, have held onto that hope in Jesus during my sick years. I lost count of the number of “miraculous” churches we have visited and the number of novenas we have prayed for just so I can be healed every time I was admitted to the hospital. The woman who bled for years had the faith that even by just touching Jesus’ cloak she will be healed and that kind of faith she has was so strong that when she reached out to touch the cloak of Jesus, she was instantly healed. Jesus acknowledged her faith as well “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction” (Mark 5:34). This story meant a lot to me because I experienced being hopeless and felt like there is no solution anymore but when I reached out my hand to God, despite me being too far from Him for many years, He answered me. I aspire to always have a strong faith like this woman. Truly, when we feel like we are hanging by a thread, we must make sure it is at the hem of His garment.

3. Ten Lepers (Luke 17:11-19)

This miracle of Jesus showed a lesson as well, this time about gratitude. There were ten lepers who begged for healing and when they were healed, only one came back and thanked Jesus. This showed us that most of the time, the prayer of asking is louder than the prayer of thanksgiving. 

I have lost count of the number of times I asked God to have mercy on me. There are times when my prayers are answered with a “no” which often made me feel bad but there are more times when I received a “yes” to my prayers and I remember how I do not always thank God for it. The thing about me is I am often ungrateful. It is just so hard to be grateful when I feel like I am not getting what I truly deserve so coming across this miracle of Jesus was a great reminder to me to always be grateful. I aspire to be like the Samaritan who took the time to come back to Jesus to thank Him. I hope that in every obstacle I overcome, I am reminded that it was not me but it was through His grace that I came through.

4. Centurion’s Servant (Matthew 8:5-13)

In catholic mass, we often utter the words from Matthew 8:8 “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but only say the word and my servant will be healed” before communion. I resonate a lot with the words “I am not worthy” because just like the centurion, I felt like that most of the time. In fact, one of the reasons why it took me so long to come home to God is because I felt so unworthy of Him. I have done a lot of things that make me feel like I am in no way deserving of God’s grace and mercy but then, who am I to say that? Who am I to decide that? I feel like my pride is the one that holds me back from fixing my relationship with God so the story of the centurion is a great realization for me to act with humility and recognize that God knows what is best. Another thing I admire is the centurion’s faith in believing that even if Jesus is not in his house, he can still heal the servant. Thus, “Only say the word” I aspire to have that kind of faith.

5. Jesus drives out demon (Mark 9:14-29)

Jesus, during His earthly ministry, has casted out demons a lot of times but the one I will be discussing in this blog post is when He casted out the demon from a young boy. Jesus’ ability of casting out demons is a strong indication that He is truly the son of God. Jesus casting out demons just shows that the good will always defeat evil. Another reason why I specifically included this is the verse Mark 9:24 when the boy’s father said “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief” I relate to those words because there are times when I find myself doubting God specially in my most difficult moments. I often find myself telling/begging God to end my misery if He can. I mean, I do believe in Him, I believe that He exists and is real but sometimes I lack the faith to fully trust Him because life is just too much for me to handle. Believing is different from being faithful for the latter includes surrendering and fully allowing and trusting God that He is in control. I often find myself in conflict with my faith in God but through Jesus I am slowly learning how to overcome my unbelief and may He continue to help me work on it.

6. Paralytic from the roof (Luke 5:17-26)

This is one of the famous stories of Jesus healing because this is when He said “Your sins are forgiven” which establishes His authority to forgive sins. While this story’s focus is on Jesus forgiving the paralytic and healing him, it is also important to see how this story presented two different sets of people, the Pharisees and the friends of the paralytic. These two groups are an interesting point of discussion for they present the different views of people when it comes to Jesus, the critics and the believers. The Pharisees came to Jesus with closed hearts and are just waiting for a single move or word that they can accuse of Him while the friends of the paralytic went to Jesus with the faith that He can cure their friend. It would be such a blessing to have people in your life who will pray for you and want you to get closer to God like the friends of the paralytic.

7. Raising Lazarus (John 11:1-45)

For me, out of all the miracles Jesus has done to show His love, mercy and grace to humans, the most grand of it all is the raising of Lazarus from the dead. While it was not the first time and also not the only time He brought back life to the dead, the whole of John 11:1-45 has presented us more than the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. It was told that when Lazarus was severely ill, his sisters sent word to Jesus to inform Him of the situation but instead of immediately going to Bethany to heal Lazarus, he stayed where He was and waited. He came to Bethany four days later when Lazarus was already dead. Despite their grief, both Martha and Mary remained faithful and instead told Jesus that if He was there, Lazarus would have been healed. Although they are hurting, they remained strong in their faith and Jesus grieved with them. That situation showed that sometimes God allows us to experience pain and loss but He is there for us. Sometimes, it is difficult to understand why we need to experience heartbreak. I personally have my moments of getting angry at God for not intervening and just allowing the world to make me suffer. It is difficult to remain with God when you feel like you lost everything, including Him. I often forget that even in pain, God is there. Just like how Jesus grieved with and provided comfort to Martha and Mary, He is also hurting and grieving with me. Sometimes, these heartbreaks happen because God has bigger plans. For Martha and Mary, Jesus showed that resurrection is the gift that can only come from Him. He is the life that overcomes death. In John 11:25-26, Jesus tells us that physical death is of this world but being with Christ means that not even death can defeat us for He has conquered it.

Loaves and Fishes (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:12-17, John 6:1-14)

One of the things in life that always puts me on the edge is not having assurance. I hate not knowing if a certain thing is possible. I hate being unprepared. There were countless times when I experienced being in the dead end and it always sent me to a downward spiral. Everytime I feel “cornered” by challenges, I often find myself asking this question “Have I not had enough?” But looking at it now, I realize that in all those moments of hopelessness or dead end, somehow I always manage to survive; it was as if God always provides, God always saves me. I remember the times when my salary was not enough for us to survive the month, then all of a sudden, a certain incentive was given to us. Or the time when we really need money for my sister’s school requirements then suddenly a generous relative would send money. Or the time I was so hungry but the money I have is only enough for my transportation fare and then a supervisor would randomly treat the entire office to dinner. The most recent one was when my sister and I were feeling down that we cannot attend our favorite band’s concert because we cannot afford the tickets. The day before the concert we ended up winning two VIP tickets. In the moments when I felt like the game was over, God came in clutch and saved/won the game for me. Those moments reminded me of the miracle Jesus performed which was said to be one of the only two miracles to be recorded in all four books of the gospel - The feeding of the 5,000. With only five loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus was able to feed 5,000. This miracle showed that God will always provide no matter the circumstances or the resources. But the story did not only show us that God can do the impossible thing but also showed us the humanity in His apostles, specifically Philip and Andrew. His apostles just came back from their own mission in which they were given authority to do the things Jesus can do such as healing the sick and casting out demons and yet here they are doubting the situation. When Jesus told them to not send the people away and instead feed them, Philip replied “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite” and when Andrew found a boy who offered five barley loaves and two fish he said “But how far will they go among so many?” Those two apostles' worries represent me everytime I face difficulties. Most of the time it is difficult to just leave everything in God’s hands because the human in me finds it hard to understand how one can get out of rock bottom without a solid plan. And I guess that is where I was wrong; I was looking at the situation based on the available or the limited resources I have instead of putting my faith in God and knowing that if I leave it to Him, then He will deliver. Believing in God is one thing and having faith in God is another.

Ears to Hear 

Jesus has said the phrase “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” more than once in the Bible. It was usually said after he told a parable (Parable of the sower) and at first I thought it only meant “those who want to hear something will listen” but I guess it was more than that. The purpose of Jesus’ parables is to provide understanding to those who are willing to be with Him. The parables are a creative way of informing us about God’s kingdom as well as teaching us important life lessons so those who have “ears to hear” will hear God’s words or in short, those who are willing to accept Jesus as the messiah can listen to the parables and understand the message while those who have not accepted Him, cannot seek the truth as these parables will be too difficult to comprehend. When I was in elementary and studying in a Catholic school, I always looked forward to our “parable of the week” discussion because I love how Jesus tells analogy through these stories and it helped me become interested in knowing Him more.  So as I was re-introducing myself to Jesus, these parables also reminded me of the past when I was so invested in knowing Jesus. These parables were a reminder that I was once a little girl who loved Jesus and trusts Him a lot. I just find it a bit saddening that right now I was far from that little girl because of the things I have experienced in my life which left me broken and traumatized. I hope that this era of rediscovering God will be a fruitful one because I do not want to be far from God again. 

I loved all the parables but I will only be discussing some of them:

Workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16)

When I first encountered this parable, my initial reaction was that the owner was unfair that he paid all workers the same wage when they did not work the same amount of hours. But then, I also realized that the workers themselves agreed to the wages. What this parable showed us is God’s mercy is available to all, His love and grace is inclusive; everyone is provided the opportunity to become part of His kingdom regardless of their past which reminded me of what Jesus said that there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10) and also when Jesus showed mercy to the repentant thief at the cross. It is easy for us to judge others, especially those with “dirty” pasts when they suddenly became “one of us.” But then, who are we to gatekeep Jesus? Who are we to decide who we want in our Church? Who are we to act unwelcoming of others? Everyone can be given mercy and forgiveness regardless of who they are or used to be because God’s love is abundant and His grace is available to all.

2. Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37)

The commandment “Love your neighbor as yourself” was a difficult one but Jesus always shows us that it can be done. As a flawed human, it is difficult to actually love my fellow humans because some people are just so difficult to deal with. I guess I’m not the only one who feels some kind of indifference towards others. Ngl, I’m a bit judgy. It’s just that it is hard to be accepting or welcoming of people who are different from you. But Jesus taught us a valuable lesson through this parable. The other people who passed by the injured man could have helped but they did not. It was only when a Samaritan passed by that the man received help. The Samaritan did not only help him with his wounds but also went the extra mile of ensuring that he had a place to stay while recovering; the Samaritan paid for the man’s lodging and even informed the innkeeper that he will pay for any extra cost once he returned. It was not the Samaritan’s duty to help the injured man, but he was compassionate enough to do so. This parable showed us that as children of God, we must aspire to be like Jesus whose love, mercy, grace and compassion is extended to all and that every person we encounter is our neighbor. The parable showed us that our prejudice towards our neighbors are making us divided which in turn makes us dismissive. We should all learn how to move past the differences and remember that we are all the same despite the differences in background, appearance, financial status, or residence. We should not be selective in showing compassion and help.

3. Counting the Cost (Luke 14:28-33)

I know I am not the only Christian who struggle with understanding what Jesus said in Matthew 16:24 when He said “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” After the life changing “coming home to God” I experienced in late 2023, I was faced with the question “What does it take to become a disciple?” and Jesus has an answer to that but it was my own mind who cannot fully comprehend what it means to take up the cross; I don’t know if I’m just not smart enough to easily understand things or it was my pride. I guess I got it wrong before, choosing to walk with Jesus does not mean you will only experience good things. Actually, I feel like the more I try to work on being closer to God, the stronger the evil forces I am dealing with because my 2024 is filled with so many challenges. But just like what Jesus said in this parable, when you intend to do something you must count the cost first. If I really want to make this relationship with God work, I should be more determined in listening and following God’s words and fully understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus. In short, surrender. If being with God means giving up the earthly desires, the desires which lead me to sins, then it means I finally understood His message. The cost of following Jesus means to fully surrender and put all of your faith in Him. 

4. New Cloth and wineskin (Mark 2:21-22)

There are two points made from this short parable - first, Jesus’ new way is the right way and second, Jesus established a new covenant. This parable showed a simple analogy  - you cannot put a new fabric as a way to patch up or fix an old cloth the same way that you cannot use an old wineskin when storing new wine for it will lead to ruin. It was a great analogy to inform us that the old practices or rituals can be left behind in the past for the new covenant has arrived through Jesus. Jesus emphasized that the grace of God is extended to everyone because God is graceful and merciful not because people are religiously practicing rituals. Because Jesus was sent to free us from sin, the Son of Man removed the curtain that separates God and humanity. Therefore, our focus should not be on the perfect practices of various rituals but in living a life that focuses on mercy and compassion. I relate this to the message of Jesus in Matthew 23:23 during His woes to the pharisees, which emphasizes that it is useless to religiously follow rituals when the heart is full of greed.

5. Persistent widow and crooked judge (Luke 18:2-8)

This is one of my favorite parables because Jesus’ analogy of the persistent widow’s actions with the importance of consistent prayer is simple yet effective. Often when I pray and feel like God is not responding, I tend to lose faith and just abandon what I was praying for. It was difficult for me to understand God’s timing because I was so used to living in a world filled with due dates and deadlines. It was so easy for me to make everything have a timeline. But this parable is a reminder to us about the importance of prayer and how God listens to us and He answers us - although sometimes not in the way we want Him to. The crooked judge in the parable only gave in to the widow’s request so that he cannot be bothered anymore but Jesus reminded us in Luke 18:7-8, “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” I hope I can learn to fully trust God with my life and learn how to pray with faith - not just pray when I have time to spare.

6. Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:10-14)

This parable is a great reminder of humility. Comparison, sometimes, is the reason why a person is either miserable or too full of themselves. One of the reasons why I stay away from the Church are the fellow church goers who feel as if they are above everyone else. It sucks being judged by those people because in a way you will feel unworthy of God because you are not like them. Tbh, those overly religious people have turned more people away from God instead of welcoming them to the church (yes, it is my religious trauma speaking). Last year, I found myself in the same position as the tax collector. I found myself being ashamed of who I am and yet I prayed to God. It was a small step but I found myself approaching God and asking for His mercy and did not bring up or dare to compare myself to others - it was just about how sorry I was for being away for so long. It was not an easy road and I still find myself a bit conflicted as I walk with God, but the fact that I found the guts to come back is just proof that God’s grace is abundant as He extended it to me.

7. Rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)

I often find myself questioning God why I seem to be living a life of punishment yet people who are more horrible than me seem to be living a good life. Why are those people living comfortably? Why am I struggling to get by when I committed no crime? Those are my usual questions. But then, there comes this parable which became a reminder that earthly riches, at the end of the day, do not matter to God. It is not about the amount of money you made or the amount of properties you owned or the amount of awards you achieved that matters to God but how you lived your life and what is in your heart. If you spend your life in riches but have not done anything to help the needy and lived a Godly life, then what’s the point? This parable made me remember the verse Mark 8:36 “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Truly, when death comes to us, we cannot bring all the riches of the world. Eternal life is only found in God.

Woe to you, Pharisees (Matthew 23)

I came across this statement while browsing through social media that says “If the Jesus you have met has not changed your life, you have not met Jesus you met religion” and it is crazy how I agreed to that. One of the reasons why I walked away from God aside from my personal struggles are the religious people. I find it ironic that these people are the ones who end up driving people away from God and the Church when they are supposed to bring people closer to God. These overly-religious people who love to see everyone’s fault but cannot see their own have driven more people away from God. It is crazy how Jesus called out the religious leaders during His time on Earth yet these so-called followers of Him in the present are doing the very same things. I, myself, have experienced interacting with these “religious people” and they can get really annoying to deal with. Most of them are my relatives by the way. It was exhausting having to deal with these people, it felt like torment. There are even cases when they decide to kick people out of the Church because of disagreements which are contradictory to what Jesus has preached. If Jesus welcomed the sick and the sinners then why are these so called christians have become more known for their hate instead of love? Hence, the saying “there is no love like Christian hate”

As I was watching The Chosen (sorry, but I will always mention this show), I came across this episode from season 4 in which Jesus confronted the pharisees; the scene was their on-screen adaptation of Matthew chapter 23 or the 7 woes of Jesus. I was unfamiliar  with this event so after I watched the episode, I opened my bible and read it. This ended up being one of my favorite Jesus moments because it showed that standing up to the oppressive rule or to the authorities is something that we should not avoid especially when they are doing too much wrong. Jesus calling them blind guides was meant as a wake up call for them to realize that they are not truly doing God’s works. These same people cannot practice what they preach because they are more concerned about traditions, appearances, tithes and other earthly things while totally neglecting the more important things like justice, mercy, faithfulness and compassion. They have become exclusive instead of inclusive; instead of drawing people closer to God, they are the first ones to close the doors. Jesus was sent to this world to save it so He showed what a real relationship with God is all about and not what religion should be. I just find it disheartening that centuries later, these “christians” are very focused on “religious practices” while allowing their hearts to be filled with hate. How can one claim to be a Christian and fail to practice what Jesus has preached?

Jesus wept (John 11:35)

John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the bible but it is the most comforting verse for me. This verse became a source of comfort because it gave me an assurance that in my times of pain and anguish, God understood because Jesus knew the feeling of it. For someone who was used to bottling up emotions, crying has always been something I try so hard to avoid. I hate it when tears stream down my face so I learned pretty early in life to hold it in and I lived like that for years. I just do not want to confirm that I am weak hence the reluctance to cry. But coming across this verse, and knowing the context, I found a different kind of comfort. If Jesus himself who is 100% God and 100% human acknowledged grief and pain, then I should also allow myself to acknowledge my feelings. With every tear that streams down my face and every pain in the chest that I feel, it is comforting to know that Jesus understands. I also like to correlate this verse with another bible verse that I find so much comfort in which is Matthew 11:28 which says “Come to me you weary and heavy-ladened and I will give you rest”

The bread of life (John 6:35)

Jesus has said “I am” statements 7 times in the bible and one of the statements which became “controversial” is when He said in John 6:35 “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” for it was a strong statement that He is essential and the skeptical people of His time cannot accept it. It was also stated that after His declaration of being the bread of life, many of His disciples have left. If we take this statement literally, then we will really find it difficult to understand what Jesus meant in John 6:53-56 “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.” because that is not what Jesus meant. What he meant was unless we surrender our life to Him and let go of the earthly desires we have, then we will never be close to God. We often have this assumption that being religious means God will always reward us but that is not the case because after all, the kingdom of God is not of this world. I gotta admit I was also guilty of that assumption before. I thought that once you became a part of the church, then you start receiving abundance of blessings and miracles or in short, I made my relationship with God to be “transactional” I described it as transactional because before I made it seem like if I pray a lot or if I always attend mass then God will bless me but that is not the case. I was expecting my relationship with God to be filled with earthly things because I thought that is how it should work so it was not a surprise when I encountered a lot of heart breaks and challenges that I ended up turning away from Him. I had the nerve to get mad and tell God the words “after all the prayers I did and mass I attended, this is how you repay me?” and that was so wrong of me to do. You see, I had it all wrong before so I ran away from God like the prodigal son. But it was God’s mercy and grace that brought me back and it was through His only begotten son Jesus. The way I came home to God in late 2023 is a testament of how Jesus is truly the bread of life. My life felt so meaningless and dark during those times that I was far from God but when Jesus found me at my lowest moment, I felt alive. Now, I am slowly relearning what it means to be a follower of Christ. It was difficult at first but in fully surrendering and opening my heart to the words and teachings of Jesus, I find it to be a meaningful journey. I do not want to be ever separated from Jesus again. He is the only Way to God.

As I mentioned before, the New Testament is not foreign to me unlike the Old Testament but re-reading it now that I am older and have more experience in life (both good and bad alike), I find myself being surprised at how I got some things wrong before. It was one thing to be “faithful” to God when things in your life are doing well but it was a different kind of being “faithful” to God when things are going downward spiral and I realized and understand it now. The true meaning of faith is holding on to God’s promises and remaining in Him despite being thrown in the middle of the storm and Jesus has shown me that through Him, I can handle anything that life throws at me. Jesus is truly the Son of God who was sent to this world to save us. He has shown us signs and miracles as a way of showing us that God’s grace and mercy is available to all, He has invited us to be a part of His ministry, He has told us valuable life lessons through His parables, He has shown us what a real relationship with God should be, and He has acknowledged our pain and grieved with us. I cannot imagine life without Jesus. I hope that as a follower of Jesus, I can be an instrument of showing others that God’s mercy and grace is available to all and we are all welcome in His kingdom. I hope I can be the kind of Christian that can bring more people to God instead of pushing them away. I hope that my faith in God will always be strong. And I hope that this time I finally know what it means to fully surrender and put all my trust in Him.

X,

TinaMae

PS, it took me so long to finish writing this because I have a lot of things going on in my life. This will not be the last time I will be sharing about my thoughts on the bible. I will keep on re-reading the bible and if I have the time to write, I will share my thoughts about them. I hope I can write various articles here like discussion of the books of wisdom and the letters of Paul. 

[bywandandsword]

So I watched Good Omens 2 for the first time the other day (and I'm being very brave and normal about that ending, thank you), and my brain went "Well all of the angel's names end in -'el', which makes sense cause that means 'God', but Lucifer and Satan don't fit into that naming convention, so where did those names come from?"

And turns out, the answer is fascinating.

The name Lucifer is from Roman paganism and was originally the name of the planet Venus and son of the goddess Aurora (goddess of the dawn). He was also called Phosphoros or Heosphoros, and he heralded of the dawn (it's cute that he's job was to announce that is mom was there)

The original mention of "Lucifer" in the Bible was actually a reference to a fallen King of Babylon, but the translation of the word that means "morning star" to Lucifer has since been abandoned by scholars. This is why historical context of Bible verses matters!

The motif of a being striving for prominence in heaven and then being cast down to the underworld originates in the motions of the planet Venus, also known as the morning star. This motif in myth "The fall from heaven motif is also in Canaanite mythology with Attar trying to get the throne of Ba'al and failing

And then, because I know Satan as a figure isn't really a thing in Judaism, I wondered how he got into Christianity

the Hebrew word "satan" just means "accuser" or "adversary" and in the Old Testament is applied to anyone as an antagonist in the narrative, angels and humans alike

In between the writing of the Old and New Testaments, there was a lot of empire building by Persia and Rome, which led to a lot of contact between religions and idea sharing. One of the ideas that was popular at the time was the separation of Good and Evil into rival forces from Zoroastrianism. While good and evil figures exist in all mythologies, this influence seemed to basis for this binary world view in Christianity

In the New Testament, a lot more references to a satan were added, normally referring to any force that opposed early Christianity, and over time they were conflated and attributed to one being/the Evil Side. The way people talked about it went from someone acting as a satan to people acting as agents of Satan

Then! In looking into all this, I found a mosaic that's thought to be the earliest known depiction of Satan from the 6th century depicting the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats and it's very surprising

(image: mosaic depicting three haloed figures on a rocky green field, Jesus in purple is seated the center, a winged angel in red to Jesus' right and a winged angel in blue to Jesus' left. Both angels have their right hands raised with the palm to the viewer. Jesus is gesturing to the three sheep that stand in front of the angel in red. In front of the angel in blue are three goats)

So the angel in blue is supposed to represent Satan, and in this parable Jesus is explaining Judgment, using sheep to represent those going to Heaven and goats to represent those going to Hell. And this got me thinking about how Satan has been depicted and asking "is this why Satan is so strongly associated with goats?" and the answer is yes, but also no

Because Satan is associated with Evil, and Evil is conceived as anything that is not of God or aligns the the Church's teachings, most pagan deities at some point got associated with Evil or conflated with Satan at some point. Because Rome was the origin point for the spread of Christianity, the two main deities that Satan was conflated with were Hades, which is where the pitchfork imagery and Hell originated, and Pan, which is where Satan being horned and hoofed came from

Hell became conflated with Hades (the place) and because it was Evil, became a place of torment/punishment. This conflation also went well with the previously mentioned "fall from Heaven" motifs which all together originated Satan's mythology

Pan also became associated with Satan for a couple of reasons. One reason was because Pan as a god is associated with pastoralism and roads (which is very interesting considering the Devil's associated with road, especially crossroads), but more importantly, Pan is associated with wild spaces, places outside the realm of Society or "Civilized"

If you know anything about ancient Rome, you know there's nothing that makes ancient Romans nervous more than "uncivilized" things (read: places not under Roman control). Therefore it makes sense that Pan would get conflated with Evil

Pan is also associated heavily with sexuality and his fauns are notoriously sex pests in the mythology. With Rome's newfound obsession with chastity and demonization of anything sexual, it also isn't a surprise that Satan became an overtly sexual being

However, through the middle ages, while Satan was depicted as horned and monstrous (hilariously often with a second face in place of his junk), he wasn't super associated with goats until relatively recently

There is the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, and there is the scapegoat tradition that takes place at Yom Kippur, where a goat was given all the sins of the community and then released into the wild, but there was also a goat that was dedicated to God and was sacrificed for the holiday feast, so the strong associated with goats and Evil doesn't really exist in the Bible

There's some association with goats and evil in continental European depictions of witches, but that seems to be just cause they're more ornery than sheep, and their association with shepherdesses, like how witches were associated flying brooms because a lot of breweries were run by women and the symbol of the trade was brooms. Basically, witches and evil were associated with things that women of any societal independence had

However, where the goat symbolism really took off for a couple reasons. The first being Goya's paintings of witch's sabbats in the last 18th century that depict the Devil as a goat. This might be reference to the motif that was popular in Spain at the time of an upright quadruped performing routine human activities as a satire of men's follies. Goya specifically used goats, but other depictions of the Devil at the time also used bulls or any other generic horned figure

The second and BIGGEST reason was the image of Baphomet drawn in 1856 by Éliphas Lévi (Remember, this was the time when interest in the occult was high and things like the Spiritualism movement really started kicking off)

This depiction of Baphomet is really interesting in and of itself because Lévi basically cobbled together a bunch of different things from Victorian occultism

Baphomet is meant to be "symbolization of the equilibrium of opposites...half-human and half-animal, male and female, good and evil, etc. Lévi's intention was to symbolize his concept of balance, with Baphomet representing the goal of perfect social order"

The goat part specifically references the "Goat of Mendes" mentioned by Herodotus, who's favorite thing was being xenophobic as fuck. Herodotus says that the Goat of Medes was worshipped in Mendes (the greek name for the Egyptian city Djedet). He goes on to say some pretty slanderous things about the people there but the deity he's referring to seems to be Banebdjedet

Banebdjedet is an Egyptian ram-headed god (are we really going to take the word of Herodotus seriously when the fucker can't even tell goats and rams apart????) who's associated with creation, pottery, and fertility of the Nile floods

Lévi, and other Victorians, took Herodotus at face value and ran with it in his depiction of Baphomet

Baphomet as a figure on the other hand comes from Crusader days, where allegedly the Templars worshipped Baphomet as a deity

The name Baphomet originates from an account of the siege of Antioch; "As the next day dawned, they [i.e. the inhabitants of Antioch] called loudly upon Baphometh; and we prayed silently in our hearts to God, then we attacked and forced all of them outside the city walls". However, the 'Baphometh' the people of Antioch were calling come from the name 'Bafomet', which French troubadours were using to refer to the prophet Muhammad

The idea that the Templars were worshipping Baphomet come from the fact that, because they lived in a predominately Muslim society, some Templars converted to Islam or adopted Muslim practices in their own worship, and they were vilified as a result. So, like with Herodotus, it just originates with the demonization of other people

Getting back to Satan, Lévi's depiction of Baphomet as the "Sabbatic Goat" really became popular among occultists, being used to represent evil in several practices

The imagery got picked up by the King of Fuckwads and Douche-canoes, Aleister Crowley, who made it a central part of his tradition. Because Aleister Crowley unfortunately had such a strong influence on ceremonial magic traditions of the 20th century, the imagery was merged with other horned/antlered deity imagry and was used to represent the Horned God in British Ceremonial Witchcraft and all the derivatives of it (ie; Wicca, Traditional English Witchcraft, ect.)

A few theistic satanist groups also branched out of these ceremonial magic traditions and used Baphomet. Because of the nature of many of these groups (being loud, dickish, and as inflammatory as possible). Combined with the Satanic Panic of the '80's pushed Baphomet as the representation of Satanism to the broader public, rather than just in the social spheres of occult nerds

This of course influenced later branches of Satanism, like the non-theistic Satanic Temple, and popculture depictions of the devil, such as Black Phillip in Robert Eggers' The VVitch

It's all very fascinating. It's so interesting to see how Satan as a figure came about and evolved over the centuries and how that evolution is so rooted in their historical contexts and the values of the people in those times, and how they view the Other. I didn't even get to how the Protestant Revolution or Paradise Lost or Appalachian/Southern folklore changed the depiction of the Devil in the popular consciousness, but it's all super fascinating