Was this someone that Jesus knew personally, and if so, when and where did they meet? Surely he was a historical person, because he is mentioned in the Bible, and we know that everything in the Bible really happened.
"Jesus continued: 'There was a man who had two sons.'" -Luke 15:11 (NIV). There is no mention of Jesus saying, "OK, here is a fictional story I'm using to illustrate a point: There was a man..." No, if Jesus said "There was a man..."; then there must have been a man, and he must have had two sons, who behaved exactly as described in Jesus' historical account.
Or is it possible that some stories in the Bible were actually intended as parables; metaphors we could use to help us lead better lives, but not to be taken as literal fact? Since it doesn't say specifically in Luke that the Prodigal Son is a parable, how do you know which other stories weren't also intended as metaphors? Like Genesis, for example.
2006-09-06 10:57:00 · 15 answers · asked by abram.kelly 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Parable = parts of the bible that we now know can't possibly be true. Therefore they had (retroactively) always been intended as just stories. So you see now how the bible is always correct. On a completely unrelated note, have you ever read 1984?
2006-09-06 11:00:40 · answer #1 · answered by The Resurrectionist 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Never. The prodigal son was a metaphorical story designed to teach a lesson.
"Since it doesn't say specifically in Luke that the Prodigal Son is a parable, how do you know which other stories weren't also intended as metaphors?"
I READ the Bible. I don't just read one part or passage. I read the whole thing so I can be sure I have the context right. Also, common sense helps a lot. If you don't use it, it makes things more confusing.
2006-09-06 11:09:42 · answer #2 · answered by mufasa 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To say that everything in the Bible really happened is very misleading. For instance, in this case Jesus is telling a story - the fact that he told the story is true. Whether or not the story is actually true, or if Jesus actually met this family, is not the point.
Have you ever told a joke or a theoretical situation to make a point? Like, "So, there was this guy..." The point is not if the guy actually exists, but that this story makes a truth known. This is what Jesus is doing in this parable.
If you want to go down the slippery slope of, "Then how do we know other stories didn't actually really happen?" you sure can. But I don't think that's really a problem. I like to think that you can stand on a slippery slope. Just take the truth of Jesus' story - that God accepts back even sinners - for what it's worth. It's a great story, and gives great comfort, even if the Prodigal Son never really existed.
2006-09-06 11:04:45 · answer #3 · answered by yt_eisig 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Dont confuse a parable Jesus taught in 6 verses to show the love and forgiveness of God, to the entire book of Genesis. You would be hugely wrong in thinking the entire book is metaphorical. The entire Bible is literal. Jesus literally told the parable of the prodigal son. The Jews literally were captured by Babylon, Egypt and the Roman Empire. The temple was literally destroyed several times. And sooooo many more things. If you think the Bible is not literal you are wrong (literally).
2006-09-06 11:04:29 · answer #4 · answered by blizgamer333 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't think Jesus could have known that this happened in real life personally, or else I think it would've been put in the Bible that way, and then told later by Jesus as a story. In my church, the story is always told as a parable/metaphor. As for the "OK, here is a fictional story I'm using to illustrate a point", Jesus did not work that way. He wanted people to go home and contemplate what he said.
2006-09-06 11:04:50 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
This one is a parable. Jesus often spoke in parables, because this was the easiest way to relate the concepts to people. His parables often started with "there was a ...". As for other stories in the bible, especially in the Old Testament, these were recorded accounts of events, much like a history book, or a daily newspaper, or a captain's log on a book. Genesis was written after the fact in a revelation given to Moses. I am not sure whether God spoke to Moses in ways he would understand and could grasp, or if God spoke to Moses to say this is the exact timing of events that lead up that point. Either way, it says that God is the creator.
2006-09-06 11:02:46 · answer #6 · answered by Steve M 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Jesus himself said: "I speak only in Illustrations (or Parables)." (Matthew 13:34)
This is one of at least 10 Parables he spoke of in Luke. It was his way of teaching, telling a story in way of illustrating a "point." Think of television today where someone is taught a lesson by "being told of a history lesson that points out what they are going through." This answers their question without having to make the same mistake.
2006-09-06 11:03:37 · answer #7 · answered by AdamKadmon 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Prodigal son was a parable in my view. A story with a meaning.
2006-09-06 10:59:52 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
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2016-11-25 01:09:58 · answer #9 · answered by reguant 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jesus gave parable or an illustion which is a story to make it easy to make it to under to understand
2006-09-06 11:05:20 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋