Fish for thought...

Jesus taught in parables. We know that. Parables are short stories intended to teach a lesson. He used them to appeal to everyone. As a matter-of-fact the poor folks were more likely to understand them than the scholars who over analyzed them (not unlike Shakespeare's writing). They were not intended to be allegorical...meaning that everything in the parable stands for something else that required deep analytical thought. It was a simple, radical approach to life in a society that was very segregated.

Now here is my struggle, as Jesus focused on loving your neighbor as yourself and refraining from judgement of others...but then in the following parable...harsh judgement emerges.

Matthew 13:47-50

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: which when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

I have never understood the differences in tone from parable to parable, particularly this one. A child who takes everything literally can conjure up a horrific vision with this story, as I did. However, if one explores different translations it becomes clearer that Matthew was probably quoting Jesus' parable of the dragnet, but then he applies his commentary or his idea of what the parable meant. My ahah moment came here because as an English teacher, I know first hand how many interpretations can emerge from one story. It always means different things to different people. Scholars feel that Jesus appealed to the masses because he didn't interpret but presented his parables as food for thought leaving people to discover the meaning for themselves.

Anyway, as the retired Baptist and Methodist ministers talked about the oral history and then the recorded history of Jesus before commenting on the cultural differences during Sunday school, I was deeply intrigued. For the first time it started to make sense to me. In my humble biblical knowledge, I had noticed the different tones particularly within the writers of the first four Gospels in the New Testament. The point-of-view is obviously different even to the untrained reader.

Finally, when I just take the parable of pulling in the dragnet of fish and sorting through the good and bad...I could instead look at the good within my life and the things I need to get rid of or change--not harsh judgement that Jesus actually pointedly refrains from as is exemplified in his conversation with the Samarian woman at the well--a vastly different vision emerges, and one that personally works for me. I just really struggle with weeping and gnashing of teeth with a kind, compassionate God.

Thus, I am now interested in exploring the parables anew in different translations and explore how the use of language differs. As one who reads and studies literature, translations have always been problematic for me because I must entrust someone else with an understanding of the original language to interpret the nuances of the meaning for me, as I have been currently encountering in the Greek stories I am reading in different translations.

Ultimately, though, we do not have a script of Jesus' exact words which would be incredibly helpful. The aforementioned parable is in such sharp contrast to some of the others, like the parable of the Good Samaritan that it does make me question where it came from. Was Jesus in a bad mood that day that his tone shifted so? Or that as it was passed down and interpreted it changed a bit? Finally, I have to be careful not to discredit the value within the parables just because they are not told in first person and appear inconsistent to me (as I do not do this with other works of writing). The essence of the parables can still hold value to me if I keep the challenges of translations in perspective rather than dismiss them in frustration.