Friday, April 19, 2013


IDEA: To understand the teaching of Jesus, it helps to understand His methods.

PURPOSE: To help listeners enter into the parable in Matthew 18:23-35.

Have you ever made up a parable? "Once upon a time," or "a certain man," Are they easy to construct?

I. Jesus taught largely by telling parables. Why?

Do most of His parables depend on their setting in the first century to carry their message?

The parable of the Good Samaritan.

The parable of the Prodigal Son.

You must keep the theology behind the parable if you change the setting because Jesus is teaching truth.

Are there any advantages in bringing the stories Jesus told into the 21st century?

II. Put the first part of the parable in Matthew 18:21-27 into a modern scenario: 


Tell us the rest of the story: "when that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a few dollars, he . . ."

Are there endings that are more satisfying than others? Why?


To understand Jesus' parables, we must understand His methods.