Jesus mainly taught through parables. Through them, he was able to illustrate divine and insightful truth. Notably, the parables had deeper meanings that were meant to help people understand the Gospel, revolutionize the way they perceived issues, understand the mysterious nature of heaven, and as weaponry for spiritual combat. Each of the parables has a specific lesson for humankind, it has a certain level of applicability today, and related to my personal experience as a member of the swim team back in school.
The parable of Good Samaritan
Through this parable, Jesus meant to teach people that they should love God and one another ideally. They should be ready to attend to their God and also attend to each other’s needs. The lesson in this particular parable is relevant in the present-day world. Disobedient of the Ten Commandments is rampant, and hatred is on the highest level. People ought to love God and embrace peace. They can love their God by being obedient to the Ten Commandments and following His teachings. On the other hand, they can show kindness, compassion, and mercy to those that need it in society. In our swimming team back at school, I witnessed one of our team members being attacked by an opponent while in the pool. He was severely injured, fainted, and drowned. Luckily, an expert diver than myself was in the vicinity. He dived into the pool and saved his life. He went ahead and took him to the nearby clinic for medical attention. Just like in the parable of the Good Samaritan, the diver did not have anything to do with our team, but out of love, he rescued one of us.
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The House built on the Rock of sand
In this particular parable, Jesus meant to teach humankind on the essence of building their lives on biblical teachings. In this case, their life would be stable even amidst challenges. The teachings enable them to counter the ups and downs of life. On the other hand, if one fails to build their life on teaching, they are likely to experience hardships and collapse if challenges strike. The contemporary world is full of challenges, such as hunger, war, diseases, disasters, and economic difficulties. This makes the parable wholly relevant. Humankind can go through all these problems and lead a better life if they build their life on biblical teachings. In our swimming team, we had rules that could guarantee exemplary performance. They entailed practicing daily, being devoted, working as a team, and loving each other. These were like "teachings” in the parable that guaranteed us victory at any level. At one point, I witnessed success when we choose to follow the rules as a team.
The parable of the prodigal son
Jesus used this particular parable to teach people that God's love is greater than the sins committed by man. Mainly, one can be forgiven regardless of the sin they commit if they repent and turn back to God. In this day and era, people have become more negligent of the word and are now indulged in sin. Cases of murder, rape, robbery, occult, adultery, corruption are rampant in all parts of the world. The parable is quite relevant since it reminds humankind that there is always a chance in the God Kingdom. It is necessary since the day of the Coming Messiah is closer. In our team, we had players would opted out and talk ill about our coach and other players. They would even collaborate with our opponents to outdo us. However, I would witness them being forgave them if they came back, repented, and promise to be good players. We handled them as "prodigal sons" that realized their mistakes and came back to the team.
The parable of the talent
In this particular parable, Jesus was teaching humankind that God expects us to prosper using whatever He has given us. People should fully utilize their abilities, resources, and time to gro live better lives and serve others. The parable is relevant in the present world. Challenges such as hunger and economics hardships are hitting almost every part of the world. People in every society in the world need to take advantage of resources, time, and abilities they have to address these challenges and lead better lives. In our swimming team, we had a huge swimming pool with the facilities at school. We took advantage of these facilities and practiced hard. As a result, I witnessed the team becoming better and won more trophies and tournaments. Eventually, the team was able to acquire new facilities that were even better and effective.
The parable of the Rich Fool
Through this parable, Jesus teaches humankind that wealth cannot secure a good life. In this case, people should be covetous of worldly things. The parable is wholly relevant in the world today since an abundance of possessions is widely valued in every society. People are recognized by what they own, and thus, they desire and strive to have those things. The parable is instrumental since it reminds people to focus on teachings and the kingdom of God rather than on worldly possessions. Back in school, our swimming was provided with every facility to improve performance. However, no remarkable improvement was registered. It was then realized that something more than the facilities was required. Players within the team needed intrinsic motivation. This could be accomplished by learning about their goals, objectives, and why it was necessary to perform well. “Abundance of possessions” alone could not help the tea to improve. I witnessed improvement when the team embarked on developing motivation.
The parable of the marriage feast
Through this parable, Jesus teaches humankind that they should not reject the gospel. He equates the Gospel to an invitation by the king. People are expected to go through the invitation and attend the "wedding." The parable is wholly relevant in the current world since it is full of distractions that hinder the successful delivery of the gospel. People should value the gospel, seek it with all their strength and resources since it is the only way they would be saved, and enter the kingdom of God. In our swimming team back at school, our coach consistently reminded us of the rules of the game. In many occasions, we could ignore or be distracted to adhere to the rules. It was through the rules that we could win and prosper as a team. The rule, in this case, can be equated to the gospel, a valuable asset that guarantees success and prosperity.
The parable of the unmerciful slave
Jesus uses this parable to remind humankind that they need to forgive others. The king forgives the servant. The servant was also expected to forgive others. The parable is wholly relevant in the world today. People often harm others and have debts. There is a need for forgiveness. Thus, the parable emphasizes the fact that people ought to forgive each other since God forgives us regardless of the magnitude of our sins. In the world today, individual have turned against individuals, nations, communities against communities, and nations against nations. Thus, the parable comes in handy to teach people, communities and nations to forgive each other since God has always forgiven them. In my swimming team back in school, the coach always forgave us. This was regardless of what one had done. As a result, it enhanced oneness, peace and collaboration among team members. I witnessed excellent performance in the teams as a result of forgiveness.
The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector
Through this parable, Jesus teaches humankind that it is only through the righteousness that they will enter the kingdom of heaven. Righteousness would enable them to understand his mission in the world and, thus, adhere to his teaching and be saved. The world today is full of distractions that include massive volumes of literature concerning the gospel, spirituality, and heaven. However, the parable can be instrumental in arguing people to focus on the mission of Christ in the world. They should understand his teaching and, thus, be saved. In our swimming team, I at first ignored teaching offered by the coach. As a result, I failed terribly. After sometime, I decided to seek guidance from the coach. I applied all that I was taught and my performance started improving. I believe, the gospel, just the teaching given to be by coach can guarantee prosperity and excellence.
Conclusion
The parables; The House built on the Rock of sand, the Good Samaritan, the prodigal son, the talent, the Rich Fool, the marriage feast, the unmerciful slave, and Pharisee and the tax collector have specific lessons. Besides, they are all relevant in the present world. They encourage people to adhere to the Ten Commandments, understand Christ and heaven. This could significantly improve the quality of life and secure a place for them in heaven. In our swimming team back at school, the concept of these parables was evident.
