Barneyisfat

So I have decided to comment on a recent blog I made.

I understand that there are times that the original greek has to be explained. I know in English we only have 1 word for love and in Greek there are 3 distinct words for 3 distinct forms of love. Maybe we should change English so that we have 3 distinct words. Would it be that difficult?

My main point is that Jesus and Paul were using parables and analogies to convey the message of God's love to the heart language of the people. Should we, as Christians, give the same efforts to convey that same message of God's love to in our people's heart language.

People are basically split when it comes to whether a preacher should preach using stories or "from the word." If a pastor tells too many stories people complain that "they aren't being fed" or that they don't come to church to hear a bed time story. If a pastor preaches directly from the Bible and explains in an exegetical fashion all of the parables people become board and want him or her to tell more stories like "what's his name" across the street.

Take the story of the good Samaritan for example. A pastor can stand up and discuss how the Jews hated the Samaritans because they were half-bloods and how a Jewish man wouldn't talk to a Samaritan, and the cultural relevance of the times. He could talk about how there were miles of road in between major cities and how dangerous it was. But, most people would walk away from it going "what a lovely young man that Samaritan was. I'm glad he stopped to help. If I'm ever walking miles and see a man I think I will stop and help"

What if the pastor told the same story. Only this time it was the church treasurer who was beat up and robbed on main street taking the offering to the bank. What if it was a pastor who was afraid, or the mayor, or the organist? What if a gay man, a muslim, or an ex-con stopped and helped the woman? It would be shocking. Pastor David Lake tells of a weekend retreat in the 80s when a drama team did this approach only a Communist stopped to help. An old man stood up and started yelling in the middle of the skit - "these kids need good American role models to look up to." I think a few heads would turn if suddenly the pastor was talking about an honorable gay, muslim, or rapist. The people would also get the point.

People in America don't intrinsically understand the life of a shepherd, fisherman, or "the evil tax collector." I know a tax collector - she's a nice lady. People wouldn't show up for church if the sign read, "this week we are going to study 1st century Israel and it's judaic moral system!" People still lead lives that have much that can be used to relate where the "rubber of Christianity meets the road of life."


We have different court systems, governments, laws, occupations, and lives. When they were wandering in the desert there were no fisherman ... there were also no tales relating life to fishing. The people Jesus was with were fisherman. Is that my or your occupation? Probably not. There are parables to be found between living as a Christian and working as an office.

I'm sure I won't be an excellent sermon deliverer, but I hope to never have to put more than 1 greek word in it's proper context in any sermon by using a translated definition. That's not what Jesus did, and I don't think it's what pastors today should be doing either.