An excellent pedagogue teaches unfamiliar things using familiar examples, as demonstrated through a story of teaching math using cats and money.

Teaching Unfamiliar Things with Familiar Things

The challenge of teaching teamwork using an unfamiliar sport, and the successful switch to a familiar sport, soccer, to convey the message.

Teaching Teamwork with Hockey

The use of familiar examples from nature and everyday life to teach unfamiliar spiritual concepts, as exemplified by the teachings of Jesus.

Teaching Using Familiar Examples

An in-depth exploration of the meaning and significance of parables, including their historical context and usage in the Old Testament.

Understanding Parables

Nine principles for interpreting parables, including the importance of context, main characters, and the central big idea.

Interpreting Parables

An analysis of the parable of the Good Samaritan, exploring the context and broader implications of the story.

Parable of the Good Samaritan

The context of the parable and the main characters are introduced.

Introduction to the Context

The significance of compassion and the Greek word for compassion are discussed.

The Importance of Compassion

The speaker shares a personal anecdote about experiencing compassion.

Personal Anecdote on Compassion

The despised Samaritans and their act of compassion are highlighted.

The Samaritans and Compassion

The Samaritan's generosity and care for the injured person are emphasized.

Generosity of the Samaritan

Explanation of details and a caution against allegorical interpretations.

Details and Allegory

The surprising ending and the lesson of the parable are discussed.

Surprising Ending and Lesson

The main idea of the parable and its conclusion are presented.

The Big Idea and Conclusion

- The speaker discusses the importance of teaching unfamiliar concepts using familiar examples
- He shares examples of how he used familiar concepts to teach unfamiliar ideas, such as using hockey to teach teamwork in the Congo
- The speaker also discusses the use of parables in the Bible and their significance in teaching spiritual lessons

- The piece discusses the use of parables in the Gospels, particularly in the Gospel of Matthew.
- It emphasizes the importance of context in interpreting parables and warns against looking for allegorical meanings in every detail.
- The use of parables is explained as a way for Jesus to hide the truth from those who rejected him, while also demonstrating God's mercy and patience.

- The speaker discusses the parable of the Good Samaritan from the book of Luke
- The parable is used to illustrate the principles of context, interpretation, and application
- The speaker also reflects on the question of who our neighbor is and how to help those in need
- The broader context of the parable is the judgment of God's people and the comparison to Sodom and Gomorrah

- The video discusses the parable of the Good Samaritan in the context of the religious leaders lacking compassion
- The Samaritan is portrayed as a better person than the religious leaders, surprising the audience
- The main idea is that outward obedience can hide a disobedient and hard heart
- The video warns against refusing to listen to God, as it can lead to judgment and God stopping to speak to us

The speaker talks about the importance of God looking at our hearts and motivations, and invites the audience to open their hearts to the Lord. They pray for compassion and discernment, and for obedience to God's word. The speaker ends with a prayer for the audience to listen and obey.

- Importance of teaching unfamiliar concepts using familiar examples
- Examples of using familiar concepts to teach unfamiliar ideas
- Use of parables in the Bible, particularly in the Gospel of Matthew
- Emphasis on the importance of context in interpreting parables
- Explanation of the use of parables to hide the truth from those who reject, while demonstrating mercy and patience
- Reflection on the parable of the Good Samaritan and its principles
- Warning against refusing to listen to God and the consequences
- Importance of God looking at our hearts and motivations
- Invitation to open hearts to the Lord and pray for compassion, discernment, and obedience to God's word.

An excellent pedagogue, a great teacher, teaches unfamiliar things by using familiar things.

My son's 3 grandchildren, my granddaughters were home-schooled.

And sometimes when things were difficult, their mother would say, call Grampy.

The second 1 called me 1 time and said, Grampy, I've got this problem.

I, I'm good in math, I can count, I can calculate.

She had this problem where there were 10 cats and 1 ran away and 2 were sold and 3 got lost and how many cats were lost, something like that.

Now I know that Michaela, that was her name, that's her name, She could count money.

If I gave a toony to the 3 girls, 2 of them would spend it quickly.

She had every cent and every toony she ever had.

So I said, Michaela, pretend those cats are toonies.

Pretend they're dollars and calculate it.

She had the answer in 30 seconds Teaching unfamiliar things with familiar things 1 time I didn't do that very well.

I was in the Congo in the eastern part of the country, in the jungle, actually, in an area where the missionaries had done a wonderful work.

Literally hundreds of assemblies in that area.

And the missionaries there asked me to teach on teamwork.

Apparently there were some leaders that were not very good at teamwork, were trying to dominate, not listen to others.

So I teach in teamwork and I decided to take as an illustration hockey.

I'm old enough to remember when Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup every year.

Cornoyer, La Mer, Lafleur, Savard, Robinson, do you remember those people?

They weren't the best players in the league, But they were a team.

And I looked up, and you have to understand that there were 300 people sitting there.

Some of them had walked 300 miles through the jungle to get there.

So here I was standing there and I had lost them.

I was trying to explain something that was unfamiliar by something that was even more unfamiliar.

Fortunately, I remembered that the night before, the national team of Congo, foot, the foot that they say in that country What we would call soccer had won against the team national team of Kenya and in that village there's only 1 radio 1 of the people who had a store or something had some money They had a generator and a radio and I think the whole village was outside this house and had a speaker outside listening to this soccer foot game and Congo won and they were also excited they Celebrated half the night and so I quickly I know nothing about soccer never played it don't understand it but I switched my illustration to talk about the teamwork the wonderful teamwork that the Congolese team had used to win that game I don't know this to frankly but I got their tension back again you understand saying I started to explain something that was unknown by something they understood teamwork our Lord Jesus Christ used birds and flowers We just did a series on the Sermon on the Mount.

He realized that Palestine is the road which birds use to get from Africa to Europe and back during the migration.

To the west of Palestine is the Mediterranean Ocean.

They don't, birds don't like going through the ocean to migrate.

And so all these billions of birds probably go through Congo and they stop on these mountains.

And so our Lord as he was speaking looked around and it was full of birds that was known to them.

And he talked about how the Lord supplied the needs of birds and so that he would there supplied the needs of the people Flowers I've been on some of those mountains and Israel and they're always full of beautiful flowers, especially in the spring He spoke about things that were familiar to them.

When he wanted to speak about the necessity of being a good influence in the world, he talked about 2 things which were very familiar to those people.

Salt, which is essential for their and the word salary comes from salt.

Our Lord talked about sheep, vineyards, farmers, weddings, employees, employers, hidden treasures.

In a time where there are no banks, people would hide their treasures in the ground.

Leaven, winescreens, buildings, fishing, fig trees, all things that were familiar to them and he used them as a way of teaching unfamiliar things using familiar things.

The The word parable comes from 2 Greek words, para, which is a preposition, which means alongside, and bole, which means to throw.

So it's something that is alongside, throwing, throwing alongside we throw something alongside or teaching so can we understand better now perhaps you don't read Greek but you know the word para if you ever fall out of an airplane it would be useful to have a parachute should French word for fall if you're falling over an airplane you'll be nice have a parachute alongside you wouldn't it a paramedical 1 time I was driving along and some drunk idiot went screws the expression went through a stop sign and smashed into me and I ended up, my car was upside down in the ditch and wasn't feeling very well and an ambulance came along and a pair of medical people looked after me.

They're not doctors, they were very competent, They took good care of me.

So Along with that parable is something that goes along with our teaching.

It's an illustration in the form of a fictional narrative It is a simple story which is used to illustrate a spiritual lesson simple word pictures with profound spiritual lessons And we must remember that especially in the book of Matthew the parables were used to explain the kingdom of God Matthew is a lot about the kingdom of God parables explain the kingdom of God now how many parables were there and I did a lot of reading as I studied to prepare this message.

And I think I found experts who said there are 30 parables and others who said there are 50.

It was hard to know exactly because parables are not all the same and what exactly is a parable.

Certainly parables were used in the Old Testament.

Our Lord didn't invent that type of teaching.

In Judges chapter 9, there's the parable of the brambles.

Perhaps the parable you'll remember the best is Nathan's juice of a parable to point out David's sin with Bathsheba.

He was going to tell that king, you've committed a serious sin.

Back in those days when you did that to a king you're risking your head, right?

He talked about a sheep and how this man has stolen someone else's sheep.

It was very, very effective to touch David's conscience.

Now the word parable, or parabole, is used 50 times in 48 different verses in the New Testament.

It's used twice in the book of Hebrews where it's used in a sense which is different from the parables as we often think of them.

In Hebrews chapter 9 we read, by this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet open as long as the first section is still standing which is symbolic.

That's parabole in the Greek for the present age.

So there's used as something that's perhaps symbolic.

In Hebrews chapter 11 verse 19 we read that Isaac, Abraham, Abraham considered that God was able to raise Isaac from the dead which Figuratively speaking and that's parable in the Greek.

So when the Lord at the last minute told Abraham not to sacrifice his son and provided an animal for the sacrifice, it was a symbol of resurrection, parable, it was used that way.

Now, we find this word 48 times in the Gospels.

Now, the Gospel of John is the last of the Gospels we've written, perhaps 60 years, 70 years after the death of our Lord, written probably to a community which is much less Jewish, and parables are very much a Jewish expression, way of teaching, used only 6 times in the Gospel of Mark, used most often in Matthew and Luke.

There are between 30 and 50 parables in the Gospels.

Mark contains 8 parables, 2 which are unique.

So over the next 10 weeks, we will study 13 different parables, all from the Gospel of Matthew.

And let's remember they were spoken to a Jewish people from an agrarian society, a society of farmers, where farming was very important.

Most of the parables were spoken in the north, in Galilee, where farming was very important.

And when Jesus went to Jerusalem, to this great city, it doesn't appear that he used parables as much in his teaching.

That's also after ourselves, as we study the parables the next week.

Weeks, what do these parables teach us about Jesus?

It's important to realize that he started to teach in parables when the religious leaders as well as many of the people rejected him and rejected his teaching.

The style of Jesus' teaching changed as people's reaction to him became negative.

He used parables to illustrate, to clarify truth to those who wished to hear.

And that demonstrates God's mercy and his yearning to save.

The Old Testament history is full of people who invented gods.

And you look at the gods that people invented and you see a reflection of their character.

They invented gods who resembled what they were but our God is the only true God and different from the gods Of all peoples our God is merciful and he yearns To save and Jesus used parables because of that But Jesus also taught in parables to hide the truth For those who did not exercise the discipline or have the desire to understand his teaching.

That's a very solemn truth, but it's true.

You'll find that as Jesus speaks in parables, he said, I'm speaking this way so you can understand, but those who don't want to learn they won't be able to understand.

And this is not only God's judgment on those who reject Him.

We need to realize that it's also His mercy so they don't pile up even more judgment on themselves.

You know there's a principle which is the following, that God judges us according to the light which we've received.

God spoke in parables to these disobedient, rebellious, often leaders, Jewish leaders, these people who wouldn't listen, and he used parables to hide the truth from them so that they weren't piling up on more judgment because they didn't receive more light.

You need to realize that God is patient, but that when we continually reject his truth and his commandments, we will pay the price.

Just to confirm what I'm saying, here's Matthew 13, 10 to 5, 10.

Then the disciples came and said to him, why do you speak to them in parables?

And he answered them, to you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.

For to the 1 who has the more will be given and he will have an abundance.

But from the 1 who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

Indeed, in their case, the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says, you will hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive, for this people's heart has grown dull and with their ears they can barely hear and their ears they have closed lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn and I would heal them.

May the Lord in His grace not allow that anybody sitting here would be described by those words.

That God is stopping to speak to you because you don't want to learn.

Now the big question I think that we need to answer this morning is how do we interpret the parables?

And I've set out here 9 principles that I think will help us to understand parables as we seek to understand them, to interpret them.

Read the circumstances under which the Lord spoke this parable.

The second principle is look at the context.

And the third comp, and the third peril, the third principle is what?

Number of years ago, I had a young student who today is so far beyond me.

He always liked to look at the etymology of words.

He figured that if you could find out what the original words mean, meant in Greek or Hebrew, whatever, Latin.

And he would study that and he would figure you could tell the meaning of a word by looking at the original word from which it came.

And I remember banging into his head for 2 years, no.

To understanding the meaning of word, etymology is interesting, that's 20%.

The first rule when you look at a word is context, the second rule is context, The third rule is context.

And today, 30 years later, he'll joke about that with me.

The other details are there just to fill the story out.

Don't look for meaning in every little detail.

I've been reading for the last couple of weeks A commentary which I don't like very much, but I read it anyway.

He was telling us that the husks, you know the parable of the young man who ran away from home and asked his father for his inheritance and wasted it.

And at the end of the story, he was trying to eat the husks that the pigs were eating.

And this book told me that the husks were a symbol of sin.

A few years ago I was, took some time off and I was visiting some, some assemblies and I remember saying in assembly at the Lord's table, someone stood up and read the story of Orchaliath and he told us that the 5 stones that that David picked up were truth Mercy obedience Okay, as another church 2 weeks later And someone stood up and said the 5 stones were reading the Bible and praying.

And I thought to myself, well, they're just giving any meaning that comes with their head.

Don't do that to the parables So avoid allegory Eighth look carefully at the ending that that's very important if you want to understand a parable almost every time look at the ending and so very often the ending is a surprise.

Absolutely blows your mind it's a surprise.

And I've, after you've done all that, attempt to determine the central big idea.

Now what we're going to do is that we're going to look at a parable, a parable that's not in the book of Matthew.

So it's not 1 of the parables that we'll be looking at over the next 10 weeks.

And we're going to look at a parable in the book of Luke that's only in the book of Luke and we're going to try to apply these principles of application to that parable.

It's a parable which most of us are very familiar so we'll read it.

A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and we must remember that Jerusalem is quite high up Jericho is quite low down So you're going down down down down You go down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and it's kind of a dangerous area.

It's in the wilderness, and he fell among robbers who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.

Now by chance, a priest was going down that road.

And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

So likewise, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, He passed by on the other side.

So likewise, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, he passed by on the other side.

But a Samaritan, as he juried, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.

He went to him and bound up his wounds pouring on oil and wine.

Then he sat him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

And the next day he took out 2 denarii and gave it to the innkeeper saying, take care of him, and whatever more you spend I will repay you when I come back.

Which of these 3 do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?

He an expert in the law This man who was speaking to Jesus said the 1 who showed him mercy Jesus said, you go and do likewise.

I'm going to take the time to read the context.

Just before the parable, we have what happened, which motivated our Lord to give the story.

Behold, a lawyer stood up and put him to the test.

He stood up, he asked a question because he wanted information.

He's trying to make him, He's trying to ask a question for which there is no answer, perhaps, to make Jesus lose his authority.

So he said, Teach me what shall I do to inherit life?

He, Jesus, said to him what is written in the law how do you read it and this lawyer expert of the law he said You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.

And this lawyer, and Jesus said to him, You have answered correctly.

But he, this lawyer, desiring to justify himself said to Jesus and who is my neighbor Wow what a question Interesting here that this man who knew the law, who knew God's commandments, and he's quoting Deuteronomy 6 here, 1 of the most important verses in the Old Testament for Jews.

You may know that Jews put a box on their head, phylacteries they called them, sometimes they put them on their hip or their legs, and in that box, this is the verse that was in it.

This is what was so important that they put this verse in a box they carried on their head, on their hip.

But like us all, sometimes, we look at God's commandments but look for way out okay but and he's saying oh cat I'm out of my neighbor but who is my neighbor And it's very clear for this person, his neighbor was another Jewish person.

In 3 rivers we have homeless people during the summer.

So the place where they hang out is the local super-sea.

I can actually take my bike when I go there, but I've stopped taking my bike for different reasons My wife was tired of putting band-aids on my head and my legs when I fell down but There are usually between 2 and 6 or 8 people asking for money as we go into super C and there's a dollar store there There's my favorite restaurant.

Anyway They have great french fries Health food.

Oh, I have Toonies and Loonies in my cigarette drawer in my car.

And whenever I get a Toonie or Loonie, I put it there.

And I look out and I look at them and there there are there are some time older people who obviously better rough life And I'm always happy to give them something and my wife has the car well prepared She has New Testaments and tracks and we try to give them a something for that sometimes We will say to somebody let me take you in and buy you some groceries and you get an interesting reaction sometimes will say I don't want groceries I want money that's a sign something going on you know maybe you want the money for something else And sometimes there's young people there that appear to be in great health.

And maybe it's easier for them to get money begging than it is to get a job.

I don't want to judge every 1 of them, but I ask that question.

I can't travel to the Congo anymore, but when I used to go to the Congo every year, I always took $201 American bills with me.

And as you walk through the streets in the Congo, especially in the big cities like Kinshasa, it's full of children begging.

And an American dollar will pay for a lot of food for those people.

And The whole problem is that I could take 10, 000 1 dollar bills that wouldn't be enough.

And then the rest of the other 2 weeks that I'm there I don't have them anymore.

Our Lord said you'll always have the poor with you, and that's the case, isn't it?

I admit that sometimes I look at them and I get annoyed.

I feel like saying to some of these young people who look to be in better health than I am, you know, there are signs all over McDonald's and Tim Horton is looking for employees.

You know, I don't do that, but I think that sometimes.

So this problem of who is our neighbor is a problem we all deal with, isn't it?

If we look at the wider context, and we say context, there's always the broad context, and there's the very exact, the close context.

The close context is this man asking who is our neighbor, trying to get out of obeying the law by looking for an objection.

The brighter context is our Lord is basically saying that he is going to judge the people in Jerusalem, the Jewish people who are God's people, he's going to judge them more severely, then he will judge Sodom and Gomorrah.

Just remember that Sodom and Gomorrah were horrible cities, were homosexuality, all types of immorality, were practiced openly and with pride.

And God destroyed those cities with fire from heaven.

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Parables of Jesus