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The Parables
In addition to the Sermon on the Mount, our understanding of the mind of Jesus can be enhanced if we have a good knowledge of his parables--among them, "The Laborers in the Vineyard" (Matthew 20:1-16) that illustrates the compassion of God; "The Good Samaritan" (Luke 28:25-37) that outlaws racial prejudice; "The Lost Sheep" (Matthew 18:12-14) that tells of God's care for sinners; and "The Sheep and the Goats," given below, that illustrates the loving and serving nature of divinity:
To Do
And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats:
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was a hungry, and you gave me meat; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in:
I was naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to comfort me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, and fed you or thirsty, and gave you drink?
When did we meet you as a stranger, and took you in; or see you naked, and clothed you?
Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and came unto you?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.
Or Not to Do
Then shall he say to those on his left hand, Depart from me. For I was a hungry, and you gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and you visited me not.
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to you?
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as you did it not to the least of these, you did it not to me.
Also there are three short verses in the "Sermon on the Mount" that merit parable status:
For what man is there of you who, if his son asks for bread, would he give him a stone?
Or, if he asked for a fish would he give him a serpent?
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give good things to those who ask?
These simple verses are among the most important in the whole of the New Testament--for they provide the sincere individual with the means to gain personal insight into mind of God.
For any problem confronting us that needs a moral or ethical yes or no judgment, we can ask ourselves how the finest and most loving earthly father conceivable by us would respond. And whether our answer be yes or no, we would have little cause for doubt that God, who is perfect love and compassion, would respond likewise.
The beauty of the parables of Jesus is that they provide simple but deeply meaningful answers to so many extremely difficult ethical problems.
Even though constituted of only a few scraps from the totality of the teaching of Jesus, nevertheless this combination of teachings is sufficient to provide a foundation from which, in cooperation with the indwelling Divine Spirit, any genuine seeker can gain a saving knowledge of the mind of Jesus, hence of his revelation of the nature of God. And, over two millennia, it has been the guiding source for a multitude of dedicated Christians to achieve that end.
However, what must be avoided at all costs is that we convert any of this foundation material into rules, commandments, or creeds.
All matters moral, ethical, or spiritual are situational and relative. Therefore they cannot be generalized. Each such occasion of experience is unique and cannot occur in exactly the same way again. But once converted to rules and creeds, they can take on an absolute and rigid status
In reality, such matters are unique for the individual. Hence judgment and decision making belongs uniquely to the individual and the Spirit of the Father who indwells each one of us.
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