Christianity retold
The Ten Budgets is based on Luke 19: 11-27
A priest had to go on a long journey to be appointed Bishop of her local area. She got together ten of her congregation and gave them a budget of ten thousand pounds, telling them to use it to run several church projects until she got back.
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Mushrooms and Toadstools is based on Matthew 13:24-30
Fields and wheat and an enemy coming along to sow weeds – all of this was well known in Jesus’ day. Sowing weeds like darnel was a well-known revenge tactic, one that happened often enough that there were laws against it. This isn’t a parable based on folk-tales, but one based on everyday life – a series of events so familiar that the disciples and the gospel writer include the explanation (Matthew 13: 36-43) to be certain the reader understands that Jesus wasn’t just talking about some village scandal.
[Read more…] about Commentary: Mushrooms and Toadstools: Matthew 13: 24-30Mushrooms and Toadstools is based on Matthew 13:24-30
God’s nation is like a bloke who grew mushrooms in a box. One day he took a nap and his rival came and spread some toadstool spores all over the box. So, when the mushrooms sprouted, the toadstools also started coming up.
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The Tiny Speck and the Giant Tree is an adaptation of Matthew 7.1-5
The first comment to make about this parable is that it really doesn’t need retelling – even after nearly two thousand years, the meaning is still immediately accessible. What can be explored are the translation choices; for example, I replaced ‘plank’ or ‘beam’ with ‘giant oak tree’.
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