02-13-14
the parables of Jesus
The teaching time of last night’s Youth Group centered on the parables of Jesus. The goal was threefold:
1. To understand what a parable is.
2. To understand why Jesus taught in parables.
3. To understand how to correctly interpret parables.
A parable is a short fictional story told to teach a spiritual truth. The key to understanding parables is to concentrate on the question: “What is the main point?” In a parable, there is always one central theme the story is designed to get across. The details in a parable are important only so long as they help to communicate the main point, and we should not place undue emphasis on them, or assign significant spiritual meaning to the details of every parable. Also, be on the lookout for “self-interpreting parables.” These are parables where the meaning is actually given in the text. For an example of this, see Matthew 13.
So why did Jesus teach in parables instead of speaking to the people plainly? For that you will need to look up Mark 4, and ask your student what they remember from last night!
Good Questions to ask your student(s)
1. What do you think of Jesus’ efforts to hide truth from the hard hearted?
2. Why do you think he might have done that?
3. What characteristics would a hard hearted person have?
4. Which parable(s) do you think speak most powerfully to our times? Why do you think that?
5. How can Christians harness the power of stories to teach and witness for Jesus?
Calendar Concerns
March 8th – Teens Involved
March 14th – Youth Group Dinner and Nerf War at HCCC
March 22nd – Leadership Retreat for 11th and 12th grades (details to come)
April 17-19 – Youth Conference at Faith Baptist Bible College
Poll Results
1. Milk or Juice for breakfast?
75% = Juice
25% = Milk
2. Are you in favor of the death penalty?
85% = Yes
15% = No
3. Is golf a real sport?
59% = Yes
41% = No
4. Are you currently holding a grudge against someone?
45% = Yes
55% = No
5. Should men wear pink?
52% = Yes
48% = No