Parable of the Talents – Updated

When Jesus told stories he did not have to explain the background, because he used every day objects and customs.  We who live in the 21st Century sometimes need help with understanding sheep, grapes and ancient business practices.  For this reason I re-wrote the parable in a contemporary format.  This might be something you could use for your own benefit – the process of translating the story to a current format will help you observe the original more closely. 

It is not possible to preserve everything of the original and we don’t want to replace it, or even compete with it.  The point is to create a bridge from here to there.  Once you travel the bridge, you don’t need it any longer.

Click here to read: ACME

About Matthew 15:24

What does Matthew 15:24 mean?

 Matthew 15:24

    He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

The question we received was why was the seeker turned away (temporarily) and why did Jesus say he was “only” seeking the “lost sheep of Israel.”  Did he not care for the others?  There is an earlier related passage. 

   Matthew 10:5-6

    These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, [6] but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

 I.   R. T. France, Matthew, P. 177,178

            Re: Mt 10:5,6:

            “This startling restriction of the disciples’ mission to Israel is found only in Matthew, where it is matched by an equally restricted statement of Jesus’ own mission (15:24).  Yet this same Gospel not only recognizes a deliberate mission to Gentiles at a later period, after the resurrection (28:19-10; 24:14), but also includes sayings of Jesus which include other nations in God’s plan of salvation (8:11,2; 21:43; 25:32), and we have seen in the early chapters a clear interest in the significance of Jesus for the Gentiles (2:1-12; 4:14-16, 24-25).  Matthew cannot then be accused of anti-Gentile bias.  Rather this saying reflects the historic fact that with very few exceptions (8:5-13 deals with a Gentile in Jewish territory; 15:21-28 is clearly presented as exceptional) the mission of both Jesus and his disciples before the resurrection was in fact limited to Israel;  the time for the Gentile mission was later.  The emphasis of the saying lies not primarily in the prohibition of a wider mission, but on the primary focus of Jesus’ ministry; the call was urgent and demanded total concentration (cf. 10:23).  They were lost sheep, a common Old Testament metaphor (Jer 50:6; Ezk 34:1-16; Is 53:6)…”  

 II. Other notes.

The original Greek reads something like

“I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”

 “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  King James Version

             That puts the emphasis on Jesus following his calling to Israel.  See Mark 1:35-39 for the sense that Jesus ministry was directed by the Father; John 2:4 for the importance of timing, and John 17:4 for the importance of Jesus doing what the Father directed.

Luke 1:26-38 Syntactically

I wish I had been taught more about syntactical patterns in narratives in school.  However, even past the 50 year mark one can learn.  I created an outline which can be found here.   Luke1.26to39.syntactical

 This demonstrates to me that the center point of the narrative at the Annunciation is Mary’s question in verse 34 – “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”  (ESV). 

One can not bypass the miraculous claim of the passage.  This miracle is presented as the central point of the story.  Note the emphasis on virgin (v. 27 twice, v. 34 “i have not been with a man”) and the clarity that it is the Most High who has conceived the child.

My analysis had

A-A’  v. 2617; v. 38 – Mary betrothed/servant, Gabriel

B-B’ v. 28-29; 36-37 – Favored Women

C – C’  v. 30-33; 35 – Who/How; Son

D – v. 24  How?

So the D is the central point of the narrative, as I see it.  I know Thomas Jefferson actually cut out all the miraculous from his edition of the New Testament, to find his rationalistic Jesus.  the one presented in the text is not easily trimmed without doing damage to the central parts of the text.

Have a Merry Christmas fellow readers.

Lords Prayer in the Sermon on the Mount

U. Luz, in the Dictionary of Jesus and the Bible, is cited as saying that the Sermon on the Mount has been built around the Lord’s Prayer as its centerpiece.  Not having his work, this week our intrepid adult class will use the text, some scissors and tape to attempt to correlate sections of the Sermon to the 7 phrases of the Prayer.

Do you want to play? 

The phrases of the Prayer: 1.  Our Father in heaven 2.  hallowed be your name 3. your kingdom come  4.  your will be done… 5. give us ….bread 6.  Forgive us…as we forgive 7.  Lead us not…but deliver.

The units, based on NIV divisions:

(5:1-12; 5:13-16; 5:17-20; 5:21-26; 5:27-30; 5:31-32; 5:33-37; 5:38-42; 5:43-48; 6:1-4; 6:5-8; 6:9-15; 6:16-18; 6:19-24; 6:25-34; 7:1-6; 7:7-12; 7:13-14; 7:15-23; 7:24-29)

Have fun, I will post my results next week.