Hermeneutics: Interpreting Scripture

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Jul 31, 2013
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No need to repeat for me, of course. And to be clear, by judicial all I'm intending is that the people are culpable, and God in response has determined it just to do what He does for His purposes.

I'm not sure if it's been discussed, but Jesus did not begin teaching in parables until well into His second year of ministry and thus well after He had been rejected in His proclamations, teachings, and signs done. I recall some teachings from a Messianic Jewish professor who took us through the signs Jesus did and as I recall showed us how they were signs that only Messiah was to be able to do. The signs John speaks of were all intended to prove Jesus is the Christ the Son of God.
Arnold Fruchtenbaum, maybe.



but yes, there was a turning point, and that in itself had a judicial context - evidence had been presented, and a certain population representing the nation had testified of their rejection - hence the prophesied judgement which included a spirit of stupor, and of seeing but not perceiving.

i don't think this is at issue, but i think you can probably see that some object to the idea God would hide knowledge from anyone, ever, under any circumstances. that view is clearly incorrect; Christ told us it is part and parcel of His reason for speaking in parables. His explanation is being weirdly rejected here, and crazy attempts to circularly explain away His explicit words are being made.

i haven't concerned myself with why He did this so much as the fact that He did, because that very fact is being rejected. it needs to be accepted as true before we can think about why
 
Jul 31, 2013
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we should remember how Paul told us, that unless branches had been broken off, Gentiles could not be grafted in. IMO this is part of why Christ rejoiced and thanked the Father that certain things had been hidden from the wise and revealed to babes.
 
Oct 19, 2024
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I believe the Parable of the Bags of Gold in MT 25:14-30 is the last teaching of Jesus in MT that is labelled as a parable, unless I have overlooked one.

A rich man going on a journey called three servants and entrusted them with different amounts of gold. One servant received five bags of gold, which he invested and made five bags more. Another servant received two bags and he made an additional two bags. The third servant received one bag, which he hid in a hole he dug in the ground. After awhile the servants' master returned and ordered an accounting. The first servant brought him the ten bags of gold, whereupon the master said, "Well done, good and faithful servant... Come and share your master's happiness. The second servant brought the four bags of gold and likewise was commended. Then the third servant brought the one bag of gold, saying, "...here is what belongs to you", and his master replied, "You wicked, lazy servant!... Take that bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags... And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

The remainder of MT 25 is a sort of semi-parable about sheep and goats, because it lacks the typical introduction saying "The kingdom of heaven is like...", and the conclusion has the sheep going to eternal life and the goats going to eternal punishment, but without including the phrase about "weeping and gnashing of teeth".

Anyway, now that we have listened to GW on the subject of parables, we can discuss our interpretations or what we have learned without proof-texting.