Blog Response 4

What specific things did you learn from your group's parable? What specific things did you learn from the parables that were presented by the other groups? Which moral/lessons impacted you the most and why? What do you think it would be like if Jesus were in our society today?

By: J Wilson19

After doing the parable project with my group, I learned the meaning behind the Parable of the Sower. At first, it was a confusing story and hard to relate it into our life, but after my classmates and I carefully broke it down and interpreted it. I learned how to understand complicated parables and stories by trying to relate it to simple situations today. We related our parable to three students and an upcoming test. The students represented the seeds and the results on how they did on the test represented how they grew at the end of the parable. A teacher announced an upcoming history test to her class. Two of the students planned to got to a party and watch Netflix, while the other student was focused on studying all night and getting a good grade on the test. The next day, the two students who decided not to study did not receive a good grade on the test and the student who studied, exceeded, and got an A on the test. The two students represent the seeds that were not placed in good soil. They grew very withered and scorched and did not establish a root. The student who took the time to study represents the seeds that produced many rich crops and it established a root because it grew in rich soil. By relating this to a scenario that is easier to understand, I learned/found out that it was so much easier to understand.

After listening and watching the other groups' presentations, I learned that all the four parables have to do with being grateful, being happy for each other, and forgiving others even if they caused so much harm to you. The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus' lesson is to always be grateful, the lesson for the Parable of the Prodigal Son is to forgive others and to be happy for each other, and the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard's lesson is also to be grateful for what you get. All of these parables showed that it can be hard at times to be positive in hard scenarios, but we need to learn how to overcome it. The parables gave me a wider perspective on how I should improve my life and attitude. It also showed that we can get through it if we support ourselves.

The parable that impacted me the most was The Parable of the Prodigal Son. This parable is the most relatable than the other stories because we all have felt a little jealousy when we feel that we deserve all the attention or reward. The parable is about two sons and a father. The father gives each of his sons money for the future. One son decides to leave and spend all his money, while the other son was obedient and stays at home with his father. When the other son came home to his father to ask for forgiveness, the father wants to celebrate and have a feast. The obedient son is jealous and does not understand why they are celebrating for the other son. He thinks he should be the one being celebrated for because he has worked for his father and helped him the whole time. The lesson of the story is to always be happy for others and to celebrate the good things in life. We all get a little jealous of other and sometimes we need to learn to be happy for them and to celebrate the good things in life.

If Jesus was in our society today, He would be somewhat disappointed, but other times proud of all of his work. If Jesus saw all the hatred and violence today he would not be pleased because He would want us all to live a good life and live by the lessons in the parables. Jesus would also help try to improve our behavior and attitude by telling stories that relate to today and can be more relatable to us. All of his stories would help us improve our lifestyles and actions toward each other.

Pictures
Thunder, By. "New Illustration – Parable of the Sower." Catjugglingcom. N.p., 05 Oct. 2016. Web. 13 Nov. 2016. <http://catjuggling.com/new-illustration-parable-of-the-sower/>.
Thehappyhapablog. "Thehappyhapablog." JENNIFER´S JOURNEY. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2016. <http://thehappyhapablog.tumblr.com/post/128777026134/day-10-what-if-today-we-were-just-grateful-for>.
"The Prodigal Son." By PrisonerOnEarth on DeviantArt. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2016. <http://prisoneronearth.deviantart.com/art/The-Prodigal-Son-528632670>.