Blog Post #5

1. I learned many valuable lessons from my group's parable.  I learned that no matter what, God will always forgive us.  His love for us never changes, no matter how great our mistakes are.  I also learned that it is better that we forgive others because we would want them to forgive us.  We should always forgive someone for their wrongdoings just as God always forgives us.  One last thing that I learned is that parables teach us what is truly right in God's eyes, even if they might seem odd or wrong to us.  

2.  Although I learned a lot from my own parable, I also learned new things from other groups' projects.  For example, in The Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16), I learned that God treats all of His children the same, no matter what.  Our ideas of fairness differ from God's love for us individually.  However, it is important to know that He will always love us all the same, regardless of any differences between us.  Also, in Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35), I learned that the moral of the story is to always treat others with the same kindness that has been shown to you.  Do not take anything for granted, and when given the opportunity, repay the favor and help someone else.   

3.  The lesson that impacted me the most was The Laborers in the Vineyard.  In our minds, we would think the answer would be the fair choice.  This would be to give to workers who worked longer more money than the workers who worked for a much shorter time.  However, God does not act based on fairness.  He loves all of us the same, and He will never leave anyone behind.  It is difficult for us to understand this because we want to pick the fair choice, however, it is much more simple than that.  God loves us all equally and will help someone struggling just as much as someone who is not.

4. If Jesus was in our society today, most people would believe he was insane or crazy.  His reasoning would seem completely odd to everyone, even if he used references to modern-day situations relating to our daily actions.  At first, he would not have many followers, however with time his message would continue to spread.  Also, since now we have technology and social media, the message would be spread more quickly and more effectively.  With teenagers today, many are more emotionally fragile than they would be if they were born 2000 years ago.  Because of social media, they have become more self-conscious of their every action, and I believe Jesus would help them the most with his parables and lessons.  

I chose this picture because it shows Jesus sharing parables with His apostles. 

Tucciarone, Tracy.  "The Parables of Lord Christ." Fish Eaters, www.fisheaters.com/parables.html.  Accessed 7 November 2017.