Parables that Jesus never said -but could have
The following composition might also be called "The Ten Parables."
Compiling and then editing this collection took some serious effort
but it was a pleasure to work on and complete.
Which is said even though I suspect that most people who read
the material really won't "get it" or, at best, will try to force-fit it
into some conventional category of politics or religion. Still, a few
might understand, therefore it is worthwhile to distribute copies.
across the map. Needless to say, you are free to do likewise,
all that I ask is that you give me credit for the composition.
There actually is an 11th parable that might best be cited here,
it originated God-knows-where and I cannot find the source:
That rarest of creatures, a non-partisan and conscientious journalist, had
died and
was allowed to enter Heaven. St Peter met him at the Pearly Gates and took
a
special interest in the man inasmuch as he was such an unusual example of
his
profession; this gave the saint much happiness.
"Is there anything you'd like to see in Heaven? I would be honored to
show
you the sights."
The journalist thought about it for a few minutes and said: "I've wondered
for
a long time about how you deal with prayers from human beings. When I think
about it all, it would seem to me to be an impossible task."
"It almost is," said St Peter, "but we are organized and things go fairly
smoothly,
I will show you, follow me."
"Here is our receiving department," said St Peter. The journalist saw
thousands of angels listening to recordings of prayers made just that
afternoon,
or in some cases reading written prayers. The place where these angels
worked
was vast, larger than any building on Earth."
Next, St Peter took the journalist to the shipping department. "This is
where
prayers are answered after the Lord sorts them out into those that deserve
immediate attention, those that can wait, and those that he thinks
should be denied, at least until the supplicant has a change of heart.
We do what we can to send the human what he or she needs,
which is not necessarily what he or she asks for."
The journalist looked on with amazement at this department also. There were
still more thousands of angels, working in another vast building larger
than
any which exists on Earth.
Finally, St Peter took the journalist to a small room in the back of an
office building
which served the needs of interpreters on the Law. The building was modest
in size and most of it consisted of records that, these days, are rarely
consulted.
"This is our acknowledgements department," said St Peter.
The journalist saw only one angel in the room and the angel was not
very busy, indeed, there was little for her to do except send a reply
now and then to someone on Earth.
"This is where we process 'thank you' messages from people whose
prayers have been answered," said the saint. "As you can see, while it does
happen on occasion, there are very few acknowledgements from anyone.
Regardless, we are happy to answer as many prayers as we have time
and resources, it is who we are."
Billy R.
April 2, 2015
============================================
Parables that Jesus never said -but could have
The Parable of the Hummingbird
The Kingdom of Heaven is like this:
There was a great fire in a forest. The blaze was furious and became larger
with each passing minute. All the animals in the forest were in terror and
fled the woods as fast as they could, running or flying or swimming in
the streams, until they reached a vast open field where no trees grew
and they were safe from harm. Then the animals stopped and looked back
in horror; their homes were being destroyed as were the places they needed
for sustenance. Yet the flames raged, devouring everything in their path.
Then one of the animals noticed something small, in the distance; it was a
hummingbird. The tiny bird was flying into the fire where there were breaks
in the flames; the bird would then return to the meadow. Then the bird
would fly to a creek that flowed through the field, scoop up a beakful
of water, and fly back into the fire. The bird could be seen dropping
the small amount of water in its beak onto the flames. This happened
again and again as the animals looked on.
Then the animals said to the hummingbird, "why are you risking you life
that way? You can never stop the fire with drops of water. What do you
think you are doing?”
The hummingbird replied, “I am doing what I can.”
1. Adapted from an African folktale posted at Seeking Community
----------------------
The Parable of the Boulder
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sees a boulder that has rolled onto
the highway. The large rock is blocking the road and preventing carts and
wagons from proceeding further although it is not difficult to walk around
it.
What the man does not know is that the king has placed the boulder there
as a test to see what his subjects would do.
Some of the king's richest merchants and courtiers came by and simply
walked
around the large rock. Some people loudly blamed the king for not keeping
the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the
way.
Then a poor man came along carrying a load of vegetables.
Unlike the others, he put his burden down and tried to push the
boulder put of the way. For him this was what he should do. The task
was difficult but finally after much exertion the boulder could be rolled
off
of the roadway.
When he did this, underneath the large rock he found a bag of gold coins
of great value. The king had placed it there as a just reward for the man's
labor.
The next day another man also walked upon the highway. Again there was
a boulder that the king had secretly rolled onto the road. While others
did nothing about it despite, as they knew, the problems this would cause
for honest merchants and travelers seeking to visit their families. But a
man
came along and decided he should try to move the boulder. After much effort
he was able to do so.
There was nothing under rock this time. This did not matter to the man,
he looked at what he had done and smiled with satisfaction, it was the
right thing to do and he needed no reward. As the man resumed his
journey a messenger from the king overtook him and asked him to
become the overseer of the king's roads.
On still another day, at a place where the highway winds through the
mountains,
the king had placed several boulders on the road, each about one mile
apart.
Much the same happened as before but this time a man was found who
moved each of the boulders, one after the other. Yes he sometimes
complained
but he continued his efforts until the last boulder had been rolled
to the side of the road. He felt good about what he had done
and expected no plaudits or reward.
When the man reached the end of the highway the king was waiting for him
and awarded him the rulership in the province.
2. Freely adapted from a story that appears on multiple websites, so the
exact
source of the original version of the story is unclear.
----------------------------------------------------------------
The Parable of the Wise Scribe
The Kingdom of Heaven is like this:
There was a school for scribes where one scribe, more than all the others,
understood the spirit of the scriptures. He gave a test to all of his
students
to determine who was ready to become a teacher himself.
The questions were what you might expect in a scribal school, questions
about writing, about scrolls that you should know by heart, and about
the best way to express the meaning of a decree or contract. But then
came the last question, which was the most important of all: What is the
name
of the woman who cleans the classroom?
One of the students asked the scribe if it was true that he could not
become
a scribe himself because he did not know the answer. The scribe said, "yes,
although you will be given another chance in another year. For you see,"
said the scribe, "the woman's help is valuable to all of us, she does her
work
faithfully and we all benefit. She uses what she earns to make life better
for her family, and that, in turn, helps the community of which we all are
a part."
"What the scribe did not say," Jesus then said, "was what he did not need
to
put into words. There are many people in life who contribute to your good
and to the good of people you care about, and yet how many of these men
and women do you take the time to know at least enough about
to show thankfulness?
3. Freely adapted from a modern day business parable entitled "Most
Important Lesson,"
found at ParableSite.com
----------------------------------------
Parable of the Bridge
The Kingdom of Heaven is like two brothers. Although they had always
been friends to each other, one year they disagreed about a matter that
no-one can even remember. At the time, however, the issue became
the most important thing in each brother's life; they were seething in
anger
at each other, day after day, and their anger became worse and worse.
The brothers lived on two farms that adjoined each other. This had allowed
them to share tools and wagons and information that was valuable to know.
They also helped one another with labor as the need arose. Together
they had far more than they would have had if each had worked separately.
But this all had ended and as the weeks passed by there was no end
in sight to the dispute. Then things got much worse when one brother
dug a wide channel between the two properties which filled with rushing
water from a stream in the nearby hills. No longer could the two brothers
even walk onto one another's lands.
Then one morning one of the farmers, the one called Jonathan, heard a knock
on his door. When he opened it there was a man with a carpenter's
toolbox.
The man said that he wanted to work for a few days, to meet his immediate
needs, and then he would be on his way again. "Is there work I can do
for you?" he asked.
Jonathan said, "yes, there is a task that would be very helpful to me. Do
you see
the channel that separates my farm from the farm over there? That is the
farm
of my brother. Until a week ago there was no channel."
Jonathan explained the situation to the stranger and then said: "There is a
large stack of lumber next to the stable, of various lengths and
dimensions.
My brother made the channel to spite me and I intend to show him that
I am just as capable of spite. What I need is a fence that is as high as
the walls of the stable, built along the length of the channel. This way
I will not need to see his face any more or talk to him again.
The carpenter said, "I think I understand the situation. Give me a day
and I'll be able to do a job that pleases you."
Jonathan needed to go to the nearby town that day and so he helped the
carpenter
get the materials ready and then departed until the evening. The carpenter
worked
hard all that day measuring, sawing, and nailing.
Jonathan returned at sunset just as the carpenter was finishing his work.
Jonathan could not believe what he beheld; he was incredulous. There was
no fence there at all. Instead there was a bridge -bridge stretching from
one side of the channel to the other. And it was an excellent piece of
work
with a solid foundation on each bank of the channel.
Jonathan was further astonished to see his brother, Cyrus, walking toward
him, with outstretched arms. "After all I have done to make your life
miserable," said Cyrus, "your character shines through; it is time
for us to start again, as if this was back then, over 35 years ago.
Or, in a sense, 1500 years ago."
The two brothers were standing in the middle of the bridge and then
turned to the carpenter. "Stay with us for a while, there is much more
work for you to." The carpenter replied, "It can only be for a short
while, as I first said, because I have more bridges to build."
4. Adapted from a story at the site:
A Collection of "Modern Day Parables" at webpages.charter.net
-----------------------------------------
The Parable of the Three Frogs
The Kingdom of Heaven is like this:
Once there were three frogs that were sitting on a log floating on
Lake Gennesaret. One of them decided to jump off the log
and into the lake. Can you tell me how many frogs remained
on the log?"
One of the disciples answered, "of course, there were two," he said.
"No, there were still three; one frog had made a decision but had
not acted on it and, like the others, had not moved."
"When he does act upon his decision he will know the goodness
that is in Lake Gennesaret, but not one moment before."
5. Modified from the blog: Parable Site
------------------------------------------
Parable of the Missing Child
The Kingdom of Heaven is like this:
Once there was a young girl who did not return home at the expected time
and her mother became upset. The mother's anxiety grew with the passing
minutes and she was about to leave her house to see if any of her neighbors
had seen her young daughter. But just than the girl walked in the door.
Relieved but angry the mother cried out: "Where have you been?!
I've been so worried!" The child answered that she had been with the
woman
who lived next door, who had very recently lost her husband. "What have
you been doing bothering the poor lady next door?" the mother asked
crossly.
"I haven't been bothering her, I've been comforting her," said the young
girl.
"Comforting her? You're just a child, what could you do to comfort her?"
"I sat in her lap and I cried with her."
6. Source: a collection of modern-day parables from Conservapedia,
in this case only very slightly modified.
---------------------------------------------
Parable of the Lost Lantern
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who could not find his lantern.
He was certain that he knew where he had placed it the day before
but now there was nothing there; it was very disturbing to need to
put together a makeshift lantern from odds and ends in his workshop.
Worse, thinking about what may have happened to his lantern, the man
began to suspect that it had been stolen.
The next day he started to notice the actions of his neighbor's son, and
observed
his demeanor and thought about what the boy was saying, and his various
actions.
And there was also the fact that, indeed, the boy had done some strange
things
in the past and sometimes went too far in his remarks.
The man also looked closely at the boy's expressions and overall
appearance.
The more the man reflected on all of this the more obvious it became that
the boy had stolen his lantern. For now the man said nothing about this
except to his wife and two or three close friends.
Another day passed but as the man was sorting through the garments
he had placed on a table in the back of the house he found the lantern
which, he then remembered, he had taken there to help him
inspect the clothing.
When the saw his neighbor's son again, nothing about the boy's behavior
or appearance suggested that he had stolen the lantern.
7. Based on the Parable of the Lost Axe by Chinese sage Lie Zi.
-------------------------------------
The Parable of the Two Wolves
The Kingdom of Heaven is like this:
One evening an elder of the congregation was talking to his nephew; the boy
had become a young man and was about to start the journey of life.
"I do not wish to give you the wrong impression," said the elder. "It is
not possible
to be perfect in everything even as you seek to do your best and seek
perfection
in your work. Not only that, sometimes the need arises to make a choice
from
among bad alternatives because no really good alternative exists and you
must make a decision for the sake of those who depend upon you. This
happens
often in war and it can happen when the life we live resembles war because
people are imperfect and have desires that are in conflict with each other.
Life is seldom simple."
"However," the elder continued, "beneath everything, behind all of the
complexities,
there is a simple truth you should never forget: Within us all there is a
battle
between two wolves."
"One wolf is made up of all of those things that you know are wrong. Each
person
may have a slightly different list but this is to talk about greed,
deceit, lying to
others or lying to yourself. It includes unjustified anger, needless envy,
unjustified
jealousy, spiteful arrogance, self-pity, feelings of inferiority, and
many other
things. It means following the crowd when you know you should make up
your own mind based on truths you can discover with study. And there is
much more which is evil that anyone who has wisdom should avoid
as if it was a terrible disease."
"The other wolf is the opposite. This is the good wolf inside of us. That
wolf
is made up of kindness, generosity, helpfulness, compassion, forbearance,
desire for truth, a man's love for a woman or a woman's love for a man,
seeking to do your best in all things, and still other excellent
qualities."
The young man gave this some thought and then asked the elder:
"Which wolf wins?"
"The one you feed."
8. Modified from a "Cherokee tale of two wolves"
posted by exzede on March 5, 2008. In follow-up comment there
is a post-script, a simple question: Which wolf are you feeding today?
----------------------
The Parable of Two Frogs
The Kingdom of Heaven is like this:
There were several frogs hopping through the woods on a Spring day.
Then two of the frogs fell into a deep pit. All of the other frogs
gathered
around the pit to see what could be done to help their companions.
When the frogs saw how deep the pit was they agreed among themselves
that things were hopeless for the two who had fallen into the abyss.
The frogs who were safe on the ground above shouted down to the unfortunate
two frogs that they should prepare themselves for their fate, because
rescue
was impossible and they could not get out on their own. Some of the frogs
added
that the two unfortunates would not have fallen into the pit had they been
more
responsible and followed the rules that all frogs need to follow to stay
safe
and live another day.
At first both the frogs below started to jump furiously, perhaps getting
as far
as half the way to the top of the pit. The other frogs shouted down to them
to give up the effort, they were doomed, they should die with dignity
and not look like fools trying to do the impossible.
The two frogs continued jumping as hard as they could, regardless, but
after
several hours of desperate effort they were quite weary. Finally, one of
the frogs
gave up; he took to heart the words of the frogs above and laid down at
then bottom of the pit, completely demoralized, and died. The others
looked on
in helpless grief.
The remaining frog was not about to quit, however. He continued to jump
with
every ounce of energy he had although his body was wracked with pain and
he was completely exhausted. He was getting a little higher with some of
his
jumps, but was still too far from the top for anyone to help. The other
frogs
began anew, calling for him to accept his fate, stop the pain and just
die.
This did not stop the frog in the pit. As weary as he was he gave the
effort
everything he had in him to give and finally, with a burst of energy
no-one
thought was possible, he managed to reach the green grass growing above.
The other frogs were amazed and then gathering around him and asked:
"Why did you continue jumping when we told you it was impossible?"
The frog looked astonished. That was what you were shouting? Now that
he was at the surface and could see clearly he was able to read their
expressions and surmise their words and understand what they were
really saying. You see, I am deaf, and when I looked up and saw you yelling
I took it to mean that you were encouraging me to keep trying."
9. Modified from the blog: Parable Site
--------------------------------------------------------
The Parable of the Ducks
The Kingdom of Heaven is like this:
There is a town where only ducks live. Every Sabbath they waddle from
their houses to the synagogue. Then they listen to the rabbi who reads to
them
from the duck bible. The rabbi then speaks to them with inspiring words:
“Ducks, God has given you wings! With these wings you can fly! With these
wings you can rise up and soar like eagles! No walls can confine you, no
fences
can hold you. You have wings and you can fly through the sky, you can
go anywhere, you can tell other ducks of the wonders you have seen and
the good these examples can bring into their lives by seeing the world and
learning many, many lessons from the experiences of other ducks as well as
from other birds and animals and even people. Your lives can be
transformed.
We can remake our entire nation, and from there we can bring new light
into the world."
All the ducks shouted "Amen."
Then they all waddled home
Except for a very few ducks, almost none, but three or four who actually
thought that the rabbi spoke the truth. "We weren't born to live an
ordinary,
meaningless, average existence," they agreed with each other. "We have
been given gifts, abilities, untapped potential, intelligence, energy,
passion
and dreams so that we can live an extraordinary life."
These few ducks understood that there would be grave risks; some might
lose their lives. In any case they could forget about praises from the
ducks
who never flew, who took the safe course and waddled from place to place
in the town of ducks, gaining recognition from other ducks who also
waddled and never flew.
These few ducks also understood that the time will come when a terrible
storm
will approach, when the only safety will come from flying away and starting
over.
Indeed, their duck bible tells them exactly this, but who pays attention to
a book
filled with duck myths? Hardly any ducks really care all that much about
their
duck bible and never learn much at all of what it says, or, as in many
cases,
all of its talk about flying is taken as metaphor, with meanings like
"waddle
spiritedly," or "don't be unhappy if you can't waddle as far as other
ducks,
be thankful that you can waddle at all."
The few ducks who were able to fathom what was at stake also knew that
they could only find limited wisdom from either the Sadducee or the
Pharisee party. There, were, of course, some rabbis or priests who
were genuinely thoughtful and offered wise advice, but these were
the exception to the rule. Most of the time either party was at least
half wrong even if what one party was wrong about was different
than what the other party was wrong about. Loyalties to either
the Sadducees or Pharisees had limited usefulness. Real wisdom
could best be found elsewhere, and about some questions,
only elsewhere.
The few ducks who understood what was possible, what was expected of them
if they had a conscience, knew what to do. And they did it.
10. Based on a parable of Soren Kierkegaard, much of the story here
consisting of direct quotes, but most of the material created specifically
for this 'new' parable.
You can read the original at betterlifecoachingblog.com
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