Parable of the Lover
Based on the parable of the soils:A great lover travelled from town to town to court many women. He spoke words of love to all who would listen to him. He wrote notes of love to prudish women who, in their offense, dropped them immediately, and men of the town would pick them up and laugh at them, mocking him.
He spoke tender words to daughters of wealthy businessmen and they swooned and quickly agreed to meet him at night. However, when their fathers found out, they forbid their daughters to go. And because they agreed quickly and didn’t deeply love him, they remained at home.
Other women fell in love with him and promised their heart to him forever, but then they became focused on their families and jobs and so they never had the time to meet with him.
But sometimes his song of love strikes some women’s hearts and they meet with him night after night. And soon the countryside was filled with children of these women in love.
Let me explain to you the parable of the great lover: The lover is the speaker of God’s loving truth to all. When someone hears about God’s utopia, some don’t want to have anything to do with it and are immediately offended by it. Satan then takes God’s word from them and mocks it in their heart. These are the prudish women.
The daughters of businessmen are those who hear God’s truth and are immediately elated by it and accepts it without really considering it—but the word isn’t at the heart of their being. So when difficulties or suffering come to them because of accepting God’s truth, they quickly forget their elation and turn away.
The busy women are those who believe in God’s word with their whole heart, but their daily concerns distract them. Their jobs, their families, and a need for greater wealth and security distract them away from the word. Soon, the word becomes small in their heart and they never actually do what it says, although they had every intention to.
The women in love, though, are those who hear about God’s utopia and embrace the message fully. And then the world is full of the fruit of their love and obedience.
Labels: Jesus, mark 4, matthew 13, Parable, Parable of the Soils, Parable of the Sower
mark 4:1-20-- Parable of the Soils
And again he began to teach by the sea. And a great crowd gathered to him so that he embarked on a boat to sit down in the sea and all the crowd was on the land by the sea. And he was teaching them with many parables and he said to them in his teaching,
"Listen! Behold a planter came out to plant. And as he was sowing, it so happened that some fell by the road and the birds came and ate them. And others fell upon the rocky place where it did not have much earth and it immediately sprouted up because it did not have deep earth. And when the sun had risen it was scorched and because it did not have root, it withered. And another fell in the thorns and the thorns came up and choked it and it gave no fruit. And others fell upon the good earth and coming up and growing, it gave fruit and brought in thirty and sixty and a hundred."
And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
And when he was alone, those about him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, "To you is given the mystery of the kingdom of God. But to those outside everything is in parables, in order that seeing they may see and not see and hearing they hear and do not understand or else they might turn back and they are forgiven."
And he said to them, "Don't you know this parable? Then how will you know all the parables?
“The planter plants the word. And these are those by the road: where the word is sown and when they should hear immediately Satan comes and takes the word which was planted in them. And these are those planted upon the rocky places: who, when they should hear the word immediately they receive it with joy, and having no root in them but are not long, then there is suffering or persecution because of the word, immediately they are scandalized. And others are those planted in the thorn plants: These are those who hearing the word and the concerns of the age and the deception of wealth and the desires concerning other things enter in choke the word and they are without fruit. And those are those planted in the good soil: Who hear the word and receive and bear fruit in thirty and sixty and a hundred.”
SKV 1—
Pay attention now. There was a farmer who planted seed in the spring. Some of the seed was put by the roadside, where the ground was hard and the birds ate up all that seed. Other seed fell on rocky soil where the soil was shallow. Because of that shallow soil, the seed sprouted quickly, but when the heat of the sun beat against the plant, it weakened, and because the plant didn’t have deep roots, it withered and died. Some of the seed fell in the midst of dense weeds, which didn’t allow the seedlings enough water. The seedlings grew, but the lack of water didn’t allow them to become full plants and there was no produce. Other seeds reached good soil and when it grew, the produce multiplied thirty, sixty and a hundred times as much as the original seed. If you have working hears, pay attention!
His disciples and the twelve waited until he was on his own and then they asked, “Could you please explain your parable?”
He looked at them questioningly, “Don’t you understand this parable? If you don’t understand this one, how will you get any of them?
So, the farmer is the preacher, spreading out God’s word of repentance. There are four types of soil and so four kinds of response to God’s word. The seed by the road are those kinds of folks who have the possibility of hearing and doing something about God’s word, but Satan convinces them immediately that the word is wrong. Then there’s the rocky soil. The word is given to some people who accept it and have a positive, immediate, strong emotional reaction to it. But the word never gets deep in their lives, so their reaction is only temporary. So when suffering or negative reactions to the word come against them, then they turn away from the word. Then there’s the soil with weeds. Some people hear the word, and they accept it, but they are focused on their present needs and concerns—wealth, desires and lusts. So they never actually produce repentance. Then, finally, there are those planted in the good soil. They hear the word, accept it fully and then produce a great abundant life of obedience to the word.” Labels: Gospels, Jesus, Mark, Parable of the Soils, Parable of the Sower
Parable of the Virus-- Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43
Translations of Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Another parable he placed to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who planted good seed in his field. But while the man slept, his enemy came and planted weeds in the midst of the wheat and left. So when the plant sprouted and fruit was made, then he saw also the weeds. And the slaves, coming to the landowner, said to him, ‘Lord, didn’t you plant good seed in your field?’ And he said to them, ‘A man of enmity did this.’ And they said to him, ‘Therefore, do you want us, taking up, to seize them?” But he said, “No, don’t seize the weeds, lest you judge them with the wheat. Let them both grow together until the harvest. Then, in the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, “Seize first the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them but the wheat congregate in my barn.”’”
Then, leaving the crowds, he went into the house. And the disciples came to him saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” And he said to them, “The planter of good seed is the Son of Man and the field is the world and the good seed are the sons of the kingdom. And the weeds are the sons of the evil and the enemy who planted them is the devil and the harvest is the end of the age and the reapers are angels. Therefore, just as the weeds are seized and thrown into the fire, so it is a the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will seize from his kingdom all those who cause stumbling and those who do lawless deeds and throw them into the furnace of fire—there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
Jesus told the crowds another story: “God’s utopia is like Bill Gates over Microsoft. He established a whole new version of Windows called ‘Windows Rules!’ which was going to be the premier system operator of all time. However, when Microsoft was closed (the employees DO sleep), Steve Jobs sent some spies in and infected the new operating system with viruses. Then they snuck out, undetected. After a while Windows Rules! went to beta version and all the viruses were discovered—every time the word ‘Windows’ appeared on each line of every text, it was replaced with ‘Apple’. When the Microsoft drones saw this, they went to Bill Gates and said, ‘Great Master, your programming, as always, was without error, was it not?’ Gates responded, ‘Steve Jobs is behind this, I know it!’ They said, ‘Would you like us to re-write every text of the program and take out the name of the accursed Apple?’ Gates said, “No, in my unfathomable wisdom I have discovered that the virus is too insidious—should we erase the “Apples” we will also erase the good text. We have no choice but to wait until the end of the beta test. At that time, I will have my virus hunters create the greatest anti-virus program the universe has ever seen. Then the program will run and every line of virus will be burned in Windows Inferno TM. But the good text will be sent out in Version 2 and they will thrive and make me more money.’”
Having finished his speech, Jesus left the crowds and went to Peter’s house. His private students then asked, “Could you tell us the meaning of your story of the computer virus?” Jesus said, “Certainly. Bill Gates is God’s emperor. The computer is the earth. The Windows Rules text are those who will live in God’s utopia for eternity. The lines of virus are the corrupt who live among God’s people. Steve Jobs is Satan. The beta test is the age we live in now and the final release is the time of God’s utopia. The virus hunters are angels. Just like the virus text is found and eradicated in Windows Inferno TM, so it is at the end of the age. God’s Messiah will send his angels and they will grab every corrupt person in his church—every person who causes God’s people to sin and those who live as if God didn’t tell them how to live. All these will be dragged out of the Emperor’s utopia and thrown to punishment where they will cry out in agony. But the faithful followers of God will thrive in God’s utopia.
Labels: Bill Gates, computer virus, end of the age, Jesus, kingdom of God, matthew 13, Messiah, Parable, Steve Jobs, tares, weeds
