Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Technology Jesus Parables Jesus Parables In the New Testament, parables are a very important way that Jesus uses to teach the Pharisees, the disciples, and Christians for all time to come. “The Parable of the Lost Sheep” and “The Parable of the Lost Son” are two examples of the teaching of Jesus Christ. In “The Parable of the Lost Sheep” Jesus tells a story of a sheep herder who had one hundred sheep and lost one lone sheep. The man in the parable leaves the entire flock in the middle of the desert to go find his one sheep that strayed away. When the man finds his lost sheep he carries it home on his back and, asks his neighbors to join him in a celebration for the return of his sheep to the flock. In the parable Jesus teaches that God is the same way by those who worship him as the man in the parable was by his flock of sheep. When a Christian strays away from his herd of fellow worshipers God himself, will go out looking for his lone lost sheep. As the man carried his sheep back to safety, God carries the Christian also. I find this story to bears a remarkable resemblance to why Jesus was sent to earth in the first place. Jesus while he was here on earth was continually in the pursuit of lost souls. He was seeking lost men and women, and it was for this reason that he went out among them to perform miracles so that people might see the true power of God. Jesus especially sought those who were lost as a lone sheep in the desert, that he might find them and lead them to eternal salvation. As we can see from the moment a man or woman is born into this world we are a lost sheep wondering through life alone and, it is only in our need for knowledge to know why we are here that people that we first learn about God. I believe that God truly finds us and show us his path to glory that he wishes us to take. First by watching over us like a sheep herder does his flock making sure we do not go wonder away from our flock of fellow Christians. However if we do go awry God carries us on his back to we are once again able to stand on our own feet again free from the life of sin we backslid into. In Jeremiah 3:22 God says, "I am married unto you the backslider." This verse shows us that God will in fact come searching for us when we do stray away. This parable show us that God watches over us and shows us the way of righteousness by keeping Christians together in flocks, also known as congregations. “The Parable of The Lost Son” is about a father that has two sons. One day the younger of the man two sons came to him and asked his father to give him half of his inheritance so that he may go out and make his own way. The man divided his belongings betwixt his two sons. Soon after the man gave the younger son his inheritance he set off for a distant land, where he squandered all of his money on prostitutes and other sinful things. Soon after the prodigal son squandered all of his money a famine struck the land in which he was presiding. The prodigal son then got a job feeding swine and longed to eat the food that he had to feed the swine. The prodigal son began to think if he went back to his father, not as a son but as a worker. He then decides to return to his father’s home. Upon returning his father sees him in the distance and runs to the prodigal son to embrace him. The son then tries to tell his father to treat him as a worker and not a son. The father then orders his servants to go get the finest robe, a ring, and sandals for his son that has come back to life. The father the slaughtered the fattest calf and through a celebrations for his sons return. When the oldest son that has been working the field since the other son had left, returned to his house as asked a servant what was going on. The servant told him that his brother had returned and that his father was celebrating. The son become angered and refused to go into the house. His father came outside and begged him to come inside. He asked his father why that all the years he served him that he never even slaughtered a goat for him and his friends. The father turned to his son and said everything I own is yours, however your brother has been dead but not he is alive again. While the word “prodigal” never appears in the text of this parable, it does show us how being wasteful is as being dead to God. However, if one can realize the error of his ways and return to our father he will be forgiven and be returned to his rightful spot beside his father. This point is resounded through out the bible. 1 John 2:1-3 states that if we forget that we have a covenant relationship with God that god will forgive us and forget our sins and ultimately celebrate our return home as the father did his son. This parable shows us most of the same things that “The Parable of the Lost Sheep” does on the surface of this story told by Jesus. However if we delve into the underling meaning of this parable we can see that it is truly about the older son. In this parable Jesus is showing us how to act when someone that has backslid rejoins the family of Christians. Jesus teaches us through this parable not to despise the treatment that our brother gets from our heavenly father upon his return. Also Jesus shows us that God is still with us and that the kingdom of heaven is ours because we have been with God. In Matthew 28:20 God says the only thing we have to do is obey his commandments and God will always be with us. As we can see “The Parable of the Lost Son” is Jesus’ way of teaching us how to treat backsliders and welcome them back into God’s kingdom. The parables that Jesus uses to teach lessons on why Christians reach out to those that are lost can show us much more than just simple charity. One can learn lessons on how to act toward backsliders and how to act toward God himself. But I contend that Jesus’ true intentions are to teach us charity. Jesus does wish upon us peace, love and charity but most of all charity. The New American Bible .Thomas Nelson Inc. 1987. http://www.bamcrawfordministries.org.html http://www.discipleship.net/parable/lostson.htm http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11460a.htm Bibliography: Word Count: 1170
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