Parables as meaning making

Plan is to present a parable and gain responses

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Good Samaritan

Jesus told parables to get his followers to think about an issue. When a lawyer talked with Jesus about how he might inherit eternal life he knows he must follow the Jewish law – love your neighbour as yourself – and so he asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbour?”

Jesus responds with the story of the Good Samaritan:

30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among [b]thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, [c]when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbour to him who fell among the thieves?” 37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Luke 10:30-37 New King James Version https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2010%3A25-37&version=NKJV

How do people today relate to this story? What meaning do they take from it?

Nasreddin Hodja/Mullah Nasreddin

When the Hodja taught his donkey how not to eat

Nasreddin Hodja had a donkey. One day he got it into his head that he could save a lot of money on feed by training the donkey not to eat. He started training his donkey by feeding it a little bit less every day. At first, the animal appeared to just go on as if nothing had changed. Even after its food has been reduced to half, the strong young donkey just soldiered on. Eventually, as the Hodja stopped feeding the donkey altogether, he got weaker and weaker and slower and slower, but Nasreddin was so happy at the money he was saving and its meeker donkey that he didn’t even notice.

Then one day, the poor beast just up and died on him, on the road, right from under his legs.

“Damn,” said Nasreddin, “and just when he had learned not to eat.”

This story is found in different versions in several collections of Hodja's tales, such as this one

The Hodja and the watermelon

Hodja was going to the mountain once, and along the way he got thirsty. He saw a couple of watermelons in a garden, so he jumped off his donkey, cut them open, and tucked in. Unfortunately, the watermelons were white and had no flavour at all, more like raw pumpkins, and Hodja was so annoyed at them that he threw the pieces on the ground and pissed on them.

Later that day, when coming back to his house, he was dying with thirst since he had had no water all day. He passed by the discarded watermelon pieces again and this time he started contemplating them. “This bit I remember," he said, “This one hasn’t been pissed-on”. So he continued picking at it: “This piece also hasn’t been pissed-on”. In the end, he ate it all.

This story comes from Greek oral tradition

Faith moves mountains

The Hodja was boasting about the power of his faith.

"If your faith is so strong, then pray for that mountain to come to you," said a skeptic, pointing to a mountain in the distance.

The Hodja prayed fervently, but the mountain did not move. He prayed more, but the mountain remained unmoved.

Finally the Hodja got up from his knees and began walking toward the mountain. "I am a humble man," he said, "and the faith of Islam is a practical one. If the mountain will not come to the Hodja, then the Hodja will go to the mountain.”

This story is also retold in several collections. The version quoted has been reproduced from this one

Whale Rider (film)

WIll need a review or summary as well as a request to watch the film