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Author Topic:   Parables 101
thewordofgod 
Suspended Member (Idle past 4793 days)
Posts: 31
Joined: 02-12-2011


Message 208 of 229 (604528)
02-12-2011 10:10 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Phat
10-09-2004 3:08 AM


Phat writes:
I propose a thread that allows us to ask each other our interpretations of various parables in the Bible spoken by Jesus.Crashfrog and I had a discussion over a parableHERE.Before I add any more, does anyone have any other comments on the Parable of the Workers? I will repost it to get this thread started, as well as some of the initial responses. Admin: I propose this to be a topic for Faith and Belief. Are you OK with that?
Here was the first parable and some of the discussion connected with it:
NIVMatt 20:1-15 writes:
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. "About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. "He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'"'Because no one has hired us,' they answered. "He said to them,'You also go and work in my vineyard.'
"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.' "The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.
When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' "But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?
What does this parable mean to you?
crashfrog writes:
That the path to heaven is not faith, but works.
Seriously, though, the reason that the employer is wrong is because he's a liar:
quote:
He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.'
But then:
quote:
'I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'
He didn't pay them what was right, he paid them what he wanted to pay them, and tried to claim that that was right.Nobody gets to decide for others what is right and wrong. I see this as a powerful parable of how the employer will try to screw his workforce.
Crashfrog and I did not see this parable the same way. I thought that the offer was fair because the ones hired first got paid what they were promised. To me, it did not matter. Crashfrog asserted that the value per hour was different and thus discriminatory for the early workers. It is interesting, because in my life now, I recently got a job with Safeway. Safeway has many old timers who have worked there for 30 or more years and are making top wage of $15.66 hourly. I was given the same wage because I had prior experience with another unionized chain. Some of the safeway people who are not yet at top wage thought that my promotion to top wage was unfair. It is a provision in the union handbook known as prior experience, however, so they have no argument. From a human perspective, I would agree with them if someone made more than me, but as to the fairness of it, why is it unfair? If we all worked at a grocery store and the janitor stood around for 7 out of 8 hours, (which they do) are we mad that they get paid for doing nothing while we must work to earn our pay? After all, we all make the same wage.
This message has been edited by Phatboy, 10-09-2004 02:37 AM
This parable is about salvation for all God's people despite the jealous religious sinners who thought they should be the only people of the Lord's. Christians think they are the first hired workers and should be treated with higher wages but that won't happen. We all die in the flesh, even the flesh that God used for writing and speaking with. These men were the prophets, Jesus and us saints. Only we saints and Jesus got to experience being the law and commandments of God, called the Word.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Phat, posted 10-09-2004 3:08 AM Phat has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 209 by thewordofgod, posted 02-12-2011 10:16 PM thewordofgod has not replied

  
thewordofgod 
Suspended Member (Idle past 4793 days)
Posts: 31
Joined: 02-12-2011


Message 209 of 229 (604529)
02-12-2011 10:16 PM
Reply to: Message 208 by thewordofgod
02-12-2011 10:10 PM


Here's another parable given by God
A Contract with the Landowner
A landowner rented his land to a farmer named Mr. Wise with a three year contract. After three years, Mr. Wise had lost money so he went to the landowner to renegociate a better contract and get the rent lowered.
The landowner told him if he rents it for more money than the last contract, then he would get a real good deal in the future. Mr. Wise went away discouraged but the idea of a good deal in the future was enough for him to keep farming the land.
Three more years went by but this time the weather wiped out his crops during the last year and cost him a substantial financial loss. Mr. Wise went to the landowner and demanded a better deal along with a loan to pay for his losses.
Instead of helping Mr. Wise out, the landowner told him if he rents the land for three more years at a higher rate than his neighbors contract for, then he would give him the best deal in the world. There was only one added demand to this contract and that was to eradicate every weed on his land.
Mr. Wise went away after agreeing with the new contract but he had no idea why he accepted it. He had to borrow money from his neighbors to make the payments to the landowner so he was getting into some serious financial trouble. However, he continued to farm and risk everything for this best deal in the world.
Not only did he lose money on this contract, he hurt his back by hoeing and pulling weeds for three years in row. He ended up in the hospital to have back surgery. This time the landowner came to him to ask Mr. Wise if he was ready to be a landowner. Mr. Wise was totally confused by this offer but he told him he would go for it.
Then the landowner gave Mr. Wise the title to the land, money to pay for all his financial losses and offered to pay for all hospital expenses for his back surgery. Mr. Wise was stunned by such a good deal because it was way more than he ever dreamed about.
The landowner had additional demands with this deal so after Mr. Wise calmed down, he told him since he was a new landowner that he had to stop farming. He also had to find a farmer to rent his land who was willing to be a landowner like himself one day.
The landowner told him he had plenty of land to make more deals with other farmers who were willing to sacrifice everything they had. All Mr.Wise had to do was to offer high price contracts to anyone who would accept it. No one becomes a landowner without giving up everything for it. Those who expect to get the land for free will have to wait for the big land giveaway in the new world.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 208 by thewordofgod, posted 02-12-2011 10:10 PM thewordofgod has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 210 by Dr Adequate, posted 02-12-2011 10:20 PM thewordofgod has not replied

  
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