Jesus begins his public life in thirty years and began his mission among the people. It must proclaim the kingdom of God to the people but it is difficult to proclaim: Jews and people of the time, were real people, and Jesus had to turn them with concrete examples. Furthermore, Jesus had the need to be followed only by those who loved him really well, and not for convenience. So Jesus spoke in parables. Why:
To make concrete an abstract concept such as the Kingdom of God;
Because only those who had faith and followed him to the love of his word, he could understand
But first: what is a parable?
A parable is a fantastic story (not real) that contains in itself a very important teaching for those who listen. The parables were invented by Jesus contextualizing the stories at the time he lived. It is no coincidence, in fact, that many of his parables have as protagonist the earth (the parable of the sower, for example) or sheep (the good shepherd, lost sheep). This is due to the fact that at the time when Jesus lived the economy of the people was based solely on agriculture and livestock. What better way to talk to people?
The parables are in the four Gospels in the Bible. Some dishes have a very deep meaning, and they reflect on their lives as Christians.
Often the parables are not understood even by the apostles of Jesus In many cases it is Peter, on behalf of all his friends , to ask the teacher explanations of the parables. And he often explains with very simple words, making it clear to his disciples that he must speak in parables because not all is given the gift of understanding God's kingdom .
The parable of the lost sheep
From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 15: 4-7)
of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lost one, leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after the lost one until he finds it? And found it, cheerfully puts it on his shoulders, and come home, he calls his friends and neighbors and told them, 'Rejoice with me, because I found my lost sheep. " I tell you, so there is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Before discussing the parable is good to look at the context. Jesus is brought before telling this story. The Pharisees were far from Jesus as he spoke to the crowds. They accused him, for he spoke and ate with tax collectors (who were people who collected taxes, but often they stole, asking more than they were collecting) and sinners (people famous for their state of sin, of moral disorder). Jesus responds to this challenge with a parable, the parable of the lost sheep .
Jesus, this parable wants to give an important sign to the crowd and the Pharisees. We are saying that all are God's children, even those who sin. In the final lines of the parable, in fact, Jesus says that in heaven there is more rejoicing over one repentant sinner that ninety-nine already holy.
The sheep of the parable we are. There are sheep who listen to the boss and does everything he orders: stand in line and do not stray. These sheep are those Christians who have no need of conversion, those who already are good and which should continue to cultivate their friendship with God, continues to listen and do what he wants for our salvation.
There are other sheep that do not listen to the pastor and leave. They walk away thinking to be quite independent to continue their lives without a shepherd. But then here you away so much that you lose. And the pastor? He is not vindictive: it is now ready to close the ninety-nine sheep in the fold and to seek that which is lost, even at the cost of his own life. It will not rest until the have found.
And when will you find it? The rebuke and put in detention? No. put on their shoulders and carry it into the fold. And then he will feast because it is satisfied that the sheep has not been lost but is returned to the fold.
And so from this example is a reference to Heaven, how will God with their souls (the sheep). He is the Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, the one who gave his life for the salvation of many sheep. And his life was given by dying on the cross. In heaven (the fold of the parabola) there will be a big party for any sheep that had strayed from the sheepfold, but then I came back following the teaching of the Master, Jesus' So Jesus was not to be close to those who already know God, and we were in harmony: Jesus came for sinners. The physician of the soul and the doctor there is who is good, but who is sick and needs to be healed.
Jesus told a parable that, in my opinion, it is important to understand that the lost sheep: the parable of the Good Shepherd . We read this Gospel passage:
I am the good shepherd ... My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand (Jn 10:11, 27-28)
In reality, this above is not just a parable, but it is a ' self-definition . Jesus defines Shepherd . Who is the shepherd? The pastor is a person who leads a flock of sheep, and they follow him and trust him. Jesus does not simply say to be a pastor. It is not a pastor any, he is the good shepherd . It is the good shepherd, the one who takes care of us with his teachings. And we, his sheep recognize his voice, like the sheep recognize the voice of their shepherd.
In light of this sentence is easier to understand the parable of the lost sheep with all its meaning full of love for us. We can summarize in a few places the message of the parable:
- The shepherd of the parable is Jesus
- Jesus loves us so much to give his life for us
- We are his flock, his sheep.
- If one of us does not follow Jesus, he is not abandoned. But Jesus as a good shepherd who is the call and will look to the end.
The Parable of the Sower
Jesus in his life did not speak only of sheep. Another parable very beautiful and meaningful for us and our faith is certainly the parable of the sower . We read this part of the Gospel:
Gospel of Matthew (Mt 13, 1-9)
That day Jesus went out and sat on the beach. They began to gather around him a lot of crowd that he got into a boat and there sitteth, when the whole crowd stood on the beach.
He told them many things in parables.
He said: "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside and the birds came and devoured them. Others fell on rocky ground, where there was not much soil, and immediately sprang up, because the soil was not deep. But when the sun was scorched and had no root they withered away. Others fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Who has ears to "
And who better than the teacher can explain his parable? None. Behold, the following verses, when the apostles who did not understand the parable asked the teacher the meaning.
From Gospel of Matthew (13.18 to 23)
Ye therefore the parable of the sower: whenever one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart, this is the seed sown along the road. What was sown on rocky ground is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, but did not root in himself, is fickle, so just a tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away . What was sown among the thorns is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it gives fruit. The seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it indeed bears fruit and yields a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. "
is clear is that the seed of which Jesus speaks is not a bean seed or an apple. No! The seed that Jesus becomes the protagonist in this story is undoubtedly the his word, the word announcing the kingdom of God .
The word of God is a cheerful word. Moreover, God loves us and we may want only the good.
The land however is where the seed is planted. If the seed is the word of God then the ground are the people who hear the word of God in the parable shows various types of terrain:
- Road : A seed that falls on the street has no chance to take root and thus to bear fruit. When the seed falls on the street is trampled by people walking, or eaten by birds that pass. This soil represents those who hear the word of God but do not understand. On them is the same effect as an elastic ball is on the road. You bounce up without remain. And the word of God makes the same journey. Touches but does not enter the heart and therefore does not bear fruit.
- The Stones: The seed that falls on the stones just buds. However he has no root and when the sun is a bit 'warmer happen that the plant will be burned. What kind of land is this? What people represent? Represents those people who just hear the word of God and understand it immediately set to work (just because the plant grows). However, the first difficulty that this person will meet in practicing this speech, will be discouraged and their faith will burn as it is burned by the sun map without roots.
- Plugs: Plugs are there to represent the difficulties of our lives. A plant that grows among the thorns, sooner or later they will be stifled, and the plant dry out. The word of God comes to us and we immediately set to work because we are excited about this message. However, the thought that people do to us (for example, when our friends tell us what are you going to put it? Click here to play with us which is more interesting), the concerns that these words can lead us and suffocate cause the death of the seed that is in us.
- The good soil : The seed that falls to the ground is a good thing? Germinates and grows a plant that will give many fruits. This land are those who hear the word of God, do it and make it bear fruit in daily life. Do not suffocate from the worries, no fear of losing anything, because the Lord that we may want only good as ever. He loves us, and certainly does not want to hurt us.
Numbers also have meaning. The 100, 60, 30. Have meaning, especially in the context of this parable. Are percentages. Indicate the percentages of the crop sown. The 100 indicates clearly the fullness, the fullness is reached only by following the teachings of Jesus always, even when it may seem difficult for us. The 60 refers not to the fullness, but something still sufficient, while 30 indicates something of little (a yield of 30% of a crop is not the best yield).
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