Religion Question

[John86]

Hey everyone,
I have an assignment to write a paper on 3 different parables, but im stuck at one part.


What are the similaritys between the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:4-7) and The Rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)?
What are the similaritys between The prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) and the rich man and Lazarus?


In my mind Lost Sheep (Luke 15:4-7) and The Rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) contradict each other. In one God will never stop searching for you, in the other, If you dont believe at first sight, you will be lost forever.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
Hiji

[Alexanderofmacedon]

Gah! Religion! Gah!

[John86]

I hate to bump....
But can anyone give me a hand? :idea2:

[Byzantine Mercenary]

ok, sorry if it is too late for you but here is what i think,

similarities, they both are concerning people who ignore gods message, they both concern the difference in treatment of those who accept and do not accept gods message.

you missunderstand the story of the rich man and lazerus if you think it is judgement if you do not believe at first sight, it is merely saying that no matter what evidence is presented people who do not wan't to believe won't , and it is saying that you should try and help those who are less fortunate in this world as positions will be reversed in the next i don't think abraham would lie, they genuinely would not believe if they didn't wan't to.
btw I don't think that either questions are very easy to anser as they are not realy directly comparable, they concern different issues

[Bar Kochba]

Gah! Religion! Gah!

Gah! new testemant Gah!

[Kommodus]

It's interesting that you should be asked to point out similarities between these parables, because they are about different topics. Perhaps the most significant similarity I can find is that all of them seem (at least partially) intended to correct fallacious assumptions about God in the popular religion of the day.

This religion pictured God as a rather superficial, judgemental figure. It was the same picture many hold today - if you do the right things, God will love you, but if you don't, he'll hate you. It was a bland, man-made "follow this list of rules" religion. The same religion also imagined that God's favor translated into wealth and success in the world. Thus, the society was one in which the poor, the sick, and the less reputable were social outcasts, while the rich, the religious, and those with the outward signs of success were favored. It was into this culture that Jesus crashed like a meteorite.

Jesus tells the parables of the lost sheep and lost son in response to a criticism from the religious leaders - "he associates with 'sinners.'" These parables zero in on God's compassion and fierce, relentless love, particularly to those the world has rejected. He never stops searching for and calling to those he loves, and is always willing to receive any that return, no matter how far they've been. God does not value people according to their outward shows of virtue, as men do - he looks at the heart.

In the same way, God does not value our ability to accumulate wealth, as is pointed out by the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Note that this story closely follows Jesus' response to the Pharisees, who were again scoffing at Jesus because of their love for money. Note his response: "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight."

This story, interestingly enough, is not even identified as a parable. Most simply assume that it is, even though it doesn't bear the characteristics of Jesus' other parables - note that the characters in this story are named. Regardless, it tells the story of a man who willfully and persistently rejects God - this is not a man who simply disbelieves at first sight. He had many opportunities to take a path that would lead him to a relationship with God. It's important to note his motivation for doing so - not reason, but self-interest.

This story points out an interesting truth - that most people who reject God on supposedly rationalistic grounds have a deeper reason to for doing so. They simply don't want to have to answer to any god higher than themselves. They fear that doing so would cost them powers and pleasures in the world - whether wealth (as in this and other cases) or simply habits and ways of life they cherish. In this rather common state, people realistically can't be convinced to believe - they have too much invested in their current worldview.

[John86]

In the same way, God does not value our ability to accumulate wealth, as is pointed out by the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Note that this story closely follows Jesus' response to the Pharisees, who were again scoffing at Jesus because of their love for money. Note his response: "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight."



First off, Thanks for the response, it was really good.
But your point here... Wouldnt that make Abraham, Job, David, and Joseph of Arimathea sinners? It is not the accumulation of money, it is the sinful ways of getting it.

[Kommodus]

I never meant to imply that it is wrong to acquire and to have wealth - I only said that God does not value it. You are right in saying that accumulating money is not wrong, but rather achieving it through unscrupulous means.

However, the real issue is a bit deeper than that. The real danger is that wealth can become a person's god - in fact it is probably the most common idol in all ages. Notice that we aren't told how the rich man in the story accumulated wealth - for all we know he was a straight-up honest businessman. The problem was that he made it his primary focus and the goal of his life, to the point of neglecting the needs of others. In short, money became his god and master.

Why do you think that Jesus, when asked by another rich man what he needed to do to enter God's kingdom, responded that he should sell all he had and give it to the poor? Jesus understood the reality of the man's heart - that his wealth was his god, and that he could never connect with God until he got free of it. Jesus was trying to free him from the wealth that had become his prison.

Whatever we choose to be the consuming focus and primary goal of our lives - whatever we ultimately look to for success and security - that becomes our god. Money is the most popular choice among all of humanity, whatever else we tell ourselves. It is this that drives the selfish and dishonest means sometimes used to gain it.

It's not wrong to have wealth. But it should never be an end unto itself, and it shouldn't be allowed to have a place of supremacy.