Parables 101

That's not an "obvious question" at all. It's dead wrong.The Samaritan did follow the law. He did love his neighbour as himself, thus demonstrating his love for God. The whole point of the parable is that it is possible to follow the law , by simple actions, and that everybody is your neighbour.

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Exactly. That is what Jesus told us to do - and if you don't do it, you're a goat.

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God will decide. God has the evidence.Did you read the parable at all?

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Luk 10:37 ... Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

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Jesus was not setting an impossible task. He said very plainly that that is what we have to do to inherit eternal life. And that is all we have to do.

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It tell us he was a good neighbour. That's what Jesus requires of us.God alone decides who is a sheep and who is a goat. There is no "secret formula" that you can use - one missed chance and you're a goat. As Jesus said, some of the sheep will be surprized and some of the goats will be surprized.Jesus said "love thy neighbour as thyself. You are not required to be perfect in your treatment of yourself. Neither are you required to be perfect in your treatment of your neighbour.

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You're straying from the parable of the Good Samaritan.Instead of trying to judge my standard of perfection, why don't you address the actual topic?According to Jesus, the Samaritan did treat the robbery victim as he would want to be treated himself. That is not an impossible standard. It is the standard Jesus holds us to.Address what the Samaritan did do, not what more he might have done.

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Loving thy neighbour was the point.The Samaritan did do the right thing, so Jesus certainly was implying that it is possible to do the right thing.Don't project your own shortcomings onto everybody else.

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Sure He did. How many other parables did He tell in which impossible actions occured? None? His parables were everyday events told in such a way as to parallel our relationship with God. Nonsense. It's for God to decide. Another indication that Jesus believed it was possible to obey the law. He didn't even say "Do your best." He flat-out said, "Do it." He knew it could be done. Why don't you believe Him?

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So now you're claiming that it's impossible to inherit the kingdom? Don't be ridiculous.Jesus said what must be done. He was obviously talking about something that is possible. God is not an idiot.

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Even human laws must be "obeyable", or they are worthless. Why do you have a lower opinion of God's laws?A parable, by its very nature, describes events that supposedly did happen - therefore, the events could happen. Jesus specifically chose an unlikely event - helping one's worst enemy - to underline the fact that God's law is obeyable.A parable, by its very nature, also parallels our lives and our relationships with God. By using a parable to make His point, Jesus was demonstrating that we can obey the law.The plain text does plainly refer to the possibility of obeying the law and no amount of hand-waving on your part will make that go away.The plain test does not refer to 100% compliance with the law and no amount of hand-waving on your part will add to the text what is not there.

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I believe that "acknowledgement of the authority of the teacher" and "our need for a savior" are secondary to the message that Jesus brought.He would not have had to use parables at all if His mission here was only to die.Dying is easy. Accomplishing something during One's life is considerably harder. For our part, learning something from His teachings is considerably harder than professing a "belief" in Him.

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In the parable, the Samaritan didn't "do it all". He only did one little thing. It cost him a little time and money, but it was nothing that any other passer-by could not have done.Instead of thinking of God as your "rescuer", think of all the times that you have been rescued by ordinary human "Samaritans". Then go out and be the Samaritan.

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I look at parables as lessons that draw parallels between our relationship with God and our relationships with people.Here, we are God's servants. He tells us that He is not happy with our performance and - in His best imitation of Donald Trump - He says, "You're fired!"In order to cut our losses, we buddy up to the other people who owe Him. Without our employer/employee relationship with God, at least we'll have good old human relationships to fall back on.But strangely enough, He tells us that we've done wisely. Cultivating human relationships - doing unto others - is what God wants us to do.I have always said that God's laws are for our benefit, not His. If we love our neighbours as ourselves, we are loving God.It is better to pray in your own closet than to bray "Lord! Lord!" in public. It is better to give what little you have than to brag about the bags and bags of gold you give - i.e. how valuable you are to God.The parable simply confirms that by making friends with our fellow man, we are doing the work of God.

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I said, "It is better to pray in your own closet...." - I didn't say it is always wrong to pray in public. Jesus, being the Son of God, knew when the occasion was appropriate. You don't know, and you don't need to know. This is not the "Judging Ringo" forum.So, what does any of that have to do with the parable?

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No, that was my way of quoting Jesus:

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Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

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So, what does any of that have to do with the parable?

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On the contrary:

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Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

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Now, the TOPIC here is the parable of "The Shrewd Manager". Removing all extraneous details and speculations from the story, we have:

1. The servant acted in his own self-interest.
2. The master said that the servant had acted wisely.

If the master represents The Master - i.e. God - and the servant represents all of us, then the lesson of the parable is that God wants us to act in our own (collective) self-interest. He wants us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us.Let's continue beyond Phat's reference:

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Luk 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

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If we don't treat each other right, how can we treat God right?

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Luk 16:11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

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Why would God reward us if we don't reward each other?

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Luk 16:12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

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