EXPLORING THE PARABLES OF JESUS

ORIGINAL LINK INTRODUCTION Mon peuple, there were so many things coming out of Sierra Leone that I had forgotten about this one, my telephone. It is very significant for a number of reasons. The telephone was purchased at a cost of SLL300,000 from Africell. I was told by one of the young ladies who worked in the company that the ownership is out of Lebanon. After I realised how I had been deceived I wanted a refund of my money. It is also then I realised why Orange, which is the firm out of France, was not taking me on. Anyway the telephone was given to me without Google or any social media platform. When I enquired about this I had SLL 5,000. The Agents used my money on the phone to buy data to upload Google. Eventually, I was speaking to a little young lady who informed me that she did not have a telephone. I promised her when I was leaving that I would give her the phone she should try to call me near my departure date which would have been around the 18th or 19th of November. Unfortunately, in all of the unpleasantness which took place all I know is that the telephone was stolen. The reason I purchased the phone was to keep in touch with the Canadian Consulate, Sierra Leone and I wanted to try out the Afripurse - getting money by telephone. Having said that, we now move to my arrival in Canada. One long fool fool flight with Air Canada. I wondered why I had to pass through Montreal. Since they wanted to push me around in a wheelchair. I indulged them at Montreal Airport. The whiteman’s way of trying to get a message over to me that as far as they are concerned I am an old woman and they want me in a wheelchair. Well that is it for my domestic challenges. I now need to give you my hospital visitation in Ottawa. I noticed when I returned that when I went into the bus terminals at night that there was a certain scent. I used to wonder what it was. Backup when I left Sierra Leone I left with a cough. I used to cough terribly. It was a most irritating dry cough that almost killed me on the plane. Some honey and lime got rid of that. I suspect that I had some serious nocturnal visitations at the Guest House in Sierra Leone. I also noticed that I was being closely monitored by the Transit Constables and the Police. I am convinced that they were told what to expect. Anyway I fainted and the Special Constable called the Paramedics since I was having problems focusing and standing up I decided to surrender my control to the medical people again. I should have secured my clothes before because my socks, old bruk T-Shirt and panty went. For the whole time in hospital I had no panties. It is very liberating. While I was in the hospital they said I had Malaria. I really do not know where I picked up this Malaria. I suppose it is the easiest one they could put on me. Things got interesting in the hospital with people wanting to give me blood transfusion. I said what? All I remembered was that the life of the flesh is in the blood Leviticus 17 verse 11. I wondered why these people wanted to touch my blood? After valiant attempts to try and convince me to give them a blood transfusion to no avail. They decided to transfer me to the mental section. I had this doctor trying to get me to agree with him and his theoretical findings. My first words when I went down there was ‘What kind of confusion is this?’ People were all over the place. The place was operating in a very disorganised manner. I thought this until the day I left. Or it is just the fact that what was to happen to me people were not in agreement with. The next thing I had to do was go by the front office and sit on a bed which was outside and said I am staying right there until the temperature in the room was adjusted. They put me in a room that was freezing.with a confusing Indian or Pakistani girl who was always on the telephone. I am wondering what type of mental facility this is, it looked to me like somewhere people came and cooled out until the winter was over. It also looked like a retirement home with the number of old people who were in their right mind who were there. Of course you had this Indian or Pakistani who did not leave me for one minute. He was always on my heels. Then one black fellow looking like an Ethiopian came and was pretending to be mad. All I said was you need two good licks. Obviously, your parents did not discipline you. Then another one came, I had asked for a large comb for my kink. He was walking around with a comb tied to his pyjama pants. I just looked at him. The major part was that they were trying to get me to do a blood transfusion. I allowed them to withdraw my blood once but they wanted more. They carried a gentleman who worked in the ICU with a machine to find my veins. After this I said, ‘No way. I was wondering what I was doing to myself. My right hand was so bruised from the other Section that a Nurse had to ask me how my hand was so bruised. Seemed like while I slept in the other section they were searching for my veins to extract blood. Since I was not flogged as a child I bruise very easily. Then I was introduced to one Dr. Chen. I thought to myself if he is not in the Chinese mafia then my name is not Raphleta. He acted very shady and had a sidekick who asked all the questions. Then they tried to give me medication I did not need. I asked what was the reason for that medication? They could not tell me why I was to take this medication. I ran them and their medication. I just took the Folic Acid and Potassium tablets they said they were giving me. We have a saying if it nuh bruk nuh fix it (if it is not broken do not fix it). I am very glad to have escaped that place. I am sure the reason I was not given some bad injection was because there was no consensus among the partners. They had no reason to keep me any longer because I was not pretending like everybody else. I still do not know the significance of blood transfusion but I am glad I know the scriptures. They have already destroyed my right knee. I have never seen people so evil. Then the Social Worker who assisted me of course introduced me to ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program). You get $40,000 per year when you are on ODSP. I said I am not sick. I tell you this is a harsh country, you should see the face of the people because they did not get their way with me. I could not leave quickly enough for them. I was released from the hospital to a shelter. That is another serious matter. It was at the Huron Community Centre. I went to sleep one night on the bed they gave me. When I woke up they almost cut off my fingers and they went with most of my hair. The place had quite a few little boys who said they were in transition. REFLECTIONS Just continuing my education in the scriptures I keep writing down blog topics and losing them. The Chinese have stolen a number of books with my titles. I also need to do an intense clean up of my Blog. They have been diligent in messing up all my posts. I now keep a loose outline of the topics in my head. All my skills of organisation I have to abandon. Going forward we will be sticking around in the New Testament with our perfect example the Lord Jesus Christ. There is something else I have been meaning to share with you. You know we walk this journey together. There were all these Gospel programmes in Jamaica and the Pastors from the traditional churches like the Methodist, Lutheran and Anglican used to be talking about the Synoptic Gospels. I keep hearing this particular Pastor in my head. I really do not remember his name but if he came on a programme I would immediately recognize his voice. As Pastor Adeboye would say even though we would like to go to Bible School we were not given the chance. These are not terms which are used in the Charismatic Circles we seem to have thrown out the Baby with the bathwater. However, we want to know our subject matter so that we can flow in any situation. Are you ready for it? The Synoptic Gospels refer to the first three gospels Sts. Matthew, Mark and Luke. They are very similar and recounted the stories of Jesus, his life and his miracles. The Gospel of St. John is very different. John was after the precepts of God as Dr Myles Munroe would say. Like Moses and King David before him, he wanted to know the original thought behind what God was doing. Sts. Matthew and Mark just jumped straight into the subject matter. St. Luke set the stage with the Priest Zacharias. The Gospel of John said “In the beginning was the Word St. John 1 verse 1.’ Compare that to the Book of Genesis, “In the beginning God Genesis 1 verse 1.’ I tell you the Bible is a beautiful book. The next time we look at the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God. CRITICAL DEFINITIONS We will be extending our Critical Definitions to look at some other words that are closely related to Parables. The other words are Allegory, Analogy and Aphorism. Exploring - We have looked at this word on previous occasions. To travel in or through (unfamiliar country or area) in order to learn about or familiarise oneself with it. Parable - A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels. Allegory - A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. It tends to be longer than a parable. Analogy - A comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification. There can be a correspondence or partial similarity or a thing which is comparable to something else in significant respects. Aphorism - A pithy (concise and forceful) observation that contains a general truth, such as “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” So you have the allegory which is longer and the shorter statement called aphorism. The Parable seems to be in the middle there along with analogy. PARABLES OF JESUS 1 - 10 I am looking at a teaching which gives forty six Parables. One of the recommendations of most authors is that one does not over analyse the Parables stick to the main theme. The Parables are to be found in the three Synoptic Gospels. However, there are a growing number of people who have found Parables in the Gospel of John, such as the little stories of the Good Shepherd St. John 10 verses 1 - 5 or the childbearing woman St. John 16 verse 21. Otherwise John includes allegories but no parables. The Gospel of Luke contains both the largest total number of parables twenty four, and eighteen unique parables; the Gospel of Matthew contains twenty three parables of which eleven are unique. The Gospel of Mark contains eight parables of which two are unique. The ten parables we will be looking at for this lesson are as follows: Parable 1 - New Cloth on an Old Coat Parable 2 - New Wine in Old Wineskins Parable 3 - Lamp on a Stand Parable 4 - Wise and Foolish Builders Parable 5 - Moneylender Forgives Unequal Debts Parable 6 - Lamp on a Stand (II) Parable 7 - Rich Man Foolishly Builds Bigger Barns Parable 8 - Servants must Remain Watchful Parable 9 - Wise and Foolish Servants Parable 10 - Unfruitful Fig tree ANALYSIS OF PARABLES Parable 1 - New Cloth on an Old Coat St. Matthew 9 vs 16, St Mark 2 verse 21 and St. Luke 5 verse 36 Matthew 9:16 King James Version 16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. The context here is that Jesus had just completed His first sermon: The Sermon on the Mount, from He came off the mount in Chapter 8 He has not stopped ministering. Fast forward to Chapter 9 He took a boat ride. Healed a man of Palsy and was challenged by the Pharisees. He called the disciple Matthew and went and had supper with Matthew’s friends who were Publicans and sinners. His Disciples were challenged by the Pharisees again. Then the Disciples of John, the one we all call a Baptist but he is not came and asked Him how everybody else is fasting and He and His Disciples are not St. John 9 verse 14. The meaning of this parable is that you cannot package new things the old way. Let me stop here and caution people about the new packaging. The new packaging has to be based on the tried and true principles of God. In this new packaging we cannot throw away the baby with the bath water. Jesus the perfect example you will note that he had a Biblical explanation for all He did. All Jesus gave the Pharisees as He did Satan was the it is written. There was also the historical significance of people looking for the Messiah to come in a particular way and do some particular things with physical weapons. They did not grasp that this King was like no other. Parable 2 - New Wine in Old Wineskins St. Matthew 9 vs 17, St Mark 2 verse 22 and St. Luke 5 verses 37-38 Luke 5:37-38 King James Version 37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. 38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. It is more of the same thing again regarding the right type of packaging. This time He used wineskins instead of cloth. Wineskins are made of leather. In the Middle East people might still do this but in Europe like France with their mass production of wine. I think they use vats, not wineskins. They are too small. The Gospel is powerful in and of itself. The major concern is how we package it for dissemination. Coming on home, in this twenty-first century there is so much noise and dissonance we have to be very deliberate about how we do our business. The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic is a very good example. Churches had to be closed but a lot of us got very creative in the ways we presented the Gospel. The Pandemic also highlighted a lot of learning gaps in the Church because people had to sit and pay attention. Just to advise, I was never locked down in the pandemic. I did some of my best pieces then. I was illegally incarcerated in Sweden from March 11 to June 11, 2020 and I repeat illegally. I returned to Canada and by September 2021 I was off to Africa. The reason I took so long is that I was trying to get my Jamaican Passport. I did not want to travel to Africa on a passport from a Caucasian country. Then the rest is history because the plan of the Whiteman is to stop me in my tracks. Listen to this tape from John Eckhardt about what they have started in #Africa. Most of you Black Pastors have not even moved. There is a lot of work in Africa and it is going to have be done by the Black man. That is why people do not want me in Africa. They notice I do not wear makeup. Parable 3 - Lamp on a Stand St Matthew 5 verses 14 - 15 Matthew 5:14-15 King James Version 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. This Parable has been taken directly from the Sermon on the Mount. Let us look at context, pretext and posttext. This is the Sermon on the Mount Jesus at the top and people for miles around. I tell you some start small but Jesus started out as He meant to continue. Then of course his teachings were very revolutionary but relatable. You have heard that it has been said but I say… Full Of authority! The little that you know people ensure that you know it well. I was reading that some of the cities in Judah are built on a hill so it was easy to see them from afar. Freetown, Sierra Leone would be a good example of this. Hence people could relate to a city set on a hill which cannot be hidden. In Jamaica it would be like Red Hills or Stony Hill. You see them before you reach them. In terms of us being the light of the world, light dispels darkness. Once light has turned up darkness flees automatically. Are you being a light in your part of the world? In terms of the light under a bushel. Who remembers Home Sweet Home lamps? One of the things you have to do every night is clean the lampshade. If you do not it becomes black with soot and the light is of no effect. The lamp in Jesus’ days seems to be more like our kitchen bitch, a container with oil and a wick. Our kitchen bitch is made of metal more than likely theirs was made of clay or ceramics and was more fancy. The fact of the matter is if you put either under a basket or cover them in any way all you are going to get is smoke and no light. Conclusion here there is no undercover Child of God you must be doing something to glorify God in your actions or speech. Parable 4 - Wise and Foolish Builders St. Matthew 7 verses 24 - 27and St. Luke 6 verses 47 - 49 Matthew 7:24-27 King James Version 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. This parable was actually Jesus’ final words in the Sermon on the mount. Having heard all I have said, if you adhere to my teachings irrespective of the situation you will be wise and be able to withstand all the adversities of life. Jesus being the Solid Rock. Let us listen to Solid Rock by Ron Kenoly.

If you do not then you are building on sand and sand is very unstable. Most of the beaches around the world are eroding under Climate Change. They are built on sand. If you build on sand you are not going to last. Jesus said when the adversities come with a shifty foundation you are going to suffer monumental failure (great was the fall of it). Parable 5 - Moneylender Forgives Unequal Debts St. Luke 7 verses 41 - 43 Luke 7:41-43 King James Version 41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? 43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. Jesus was invited to dinner by a Pharisee. While He was there a sinner lady came and began to cry and wash his feet with her tears, wipe them with her hair and kiss his feet. Simon, the Pharisee questioned Jesus’ identity because he thought Jesus did not know the lady. Jesus picked up on his thoughts and was answering Simon with the parable. Satan has not changed his rule book; it is the same sin from the Garden of Eden questioning your identity Genesis 3 verse 5. Jesus told Simon the parable and asked him who he thought would love the most. Simon answered, ‘He who has been forgiven the most.’ Father, we thank you for such great salvation. Let us listen to Cece Winans Alabaster box

and continue to pour out our all on the Lord Jesus Christ. Parable 6 - Lamp on a Stand (II) St. Mark 4 verses 21 - 22, St Luke 8 verses 16-17, 11 verse 33 Mark 4:21-22 King James Version 21 And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? 22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. It is basically the same parable as in one but Jesus seems to be addressing a number of different audiences in these scriptures in St Mark 4 verses 21 - 22 he was addressing the multitude by the seas shore. In St Luke 8 vs 16 -17 he was actually speaking to his disciples in private after interpreting the Parable of the sower. Then in St. Luke 11 verse 33 He was again addressing the multitude. This speaks to the significance of our Spiritual walk. It cannot be overemphasised we have to be people who show light. The second part of the parable speaks to the omniscient nature of God. One has to live their life knowing that they are always under a microscope Kingdom of Light or the Kingdom of Darkness. Parable 7 - Rich Man Foolishly Builds Bigger Barns St Luke 12 verses 16 - 21 Luke 12:16-21 King James Version 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Jesus was speaking to the multitudes in this parable his audience was so packed that they were walking on each other. Pastors you want relevance? Start preaching the Kingdom of God. However, the incident that generated the parable was a member of Jesus’ congregation asking him to intervene in an inheritance dispute between he and his brother. Just goes to show where his mind was while Jesus was teaching. Take control of your minds in church, people. Jesus told him one has to be careful of covetousness and then spake this parable St. Luke 12 verse 15. Okay let us clear up a few points before all your imaginations start running away with you. Jesus did not condemn the man for being rich. I see some of you wiping your brows. The man’s riches was not the point. It is good to be blessed. There was nothing wrong in building bigger barns to store up his blessings. The problem you will notice is when he was speaking to his soul, now that he is rich he was going to be a little KIng Solomon eat and drink and be merry. There was no place in any of that for God. When the death angel passed through he was gone and all that he had would go to others. The end of the matter is that God has to be featured big in your plans or you are a fool. Father let the fools in Canada leave me alone! This parable is ultimately about your relationship with God! Parable 8 - Servants must Remain Watchful St. Luke 12 verses 35 - 40 Luke 12:35-40 King James Version 35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; 36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. 37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. 38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. 40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. This is another parable illustrating the Kingdom of God that Jesus was sharing with the multitudes. It speaks to the fact that one cannot let down their guard; one has to be prepared at all times. We do not know the hour or the day or the time but we must be prepared. I have heard it being said this way: live as if God is coming tomorrow but plan for the long term. The part about the goodman and the robber even though like the goodman we do not know when Jesus is coming back we are still expected to be ready. We should not go to sleep. Parable 9 - Wise and Foolish Servants St. Luke 12 verses 42 - 48 Luke 12:42-48 King James Version 42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? 43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. 45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. I tell you Jesus is on a roll. This was just a fantastic teaching session. In this parable with the wise and foolish servants Jesus was using the behaviour of human beings to illustrate the fundamental truth of holding steady and staying the course. This is not a microwave session. The faithful steward holds on to the promises of Jesus and looks neither to the right nor the left but stays focused. That is us Kingdom Citizens we have to continue to believe in God irrespective of circumstances. The unfaithful servant on the other hand takes advantage of the situation, abuses the servants and lives in debauchery. Reminds me of a friend of mine and myself we said we would do our sinning outside of Church. Use your imagination people. You notice I use my life as an example to people not yours. Daddy knows me! Too late to tell lies, I pray you will be able to share your own. Conclusion In the final days the Saviour will come with your reward according to your service. The person who has given much will be required to return much. Time to stop sitting around church and get up and occupy. Go run for a political office! Parable 10 - Unfruitful Fig tree St. Luke 13 verses 6 - 9 Luke 13:6-9 King James Version 6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. 7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? 8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. The context Jesus had just finished speaking to the multitude in St. Luke 12. Here it is now some persons had spoken to him about Galileans whom Herod had killed, it seems in a ghastly manner. Just in case they were being self righteous Jesus advised them that those persons were no more sinners than anyone else. He also cited another example about the Tower of Siloam falling on eighteen persons. The conclusion being no one was excepted. Then he gave the parable about the unfruitful fig tree. However, my research shows that it takes three to five years for a fig tree to bring forth fruit so the master was premature. However, if one looks at the context of God being the owner and Jesus the Vinedresser then God is very gracious and patient with us. He is not quick to throw us in the fire even after pampering us for three years. CONCLUSION These are some exciting times we are going to be getting some deeper teachings on the Kingdom of God even as we follow in Jesus’ footsteps. Trust you will enjoy these first ten Parables. My prayer for all of us is that we become as nimble in our thinking as it was with our perfect example, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is Raphleta, Lillene’s baby girl coming to you from Toronto, Canada. À bientôt REFERENCES Parables of Jesus - Wikipedia A Complete List of Jesus’ Parables in the New Testament