Its raining cats and dogs!! More hyperbole…
I am on a quest to list out various instances of intentional exaggeration that is not meant to be taken literally (hyperbole) in the Bible. This post is a continuation, listing various hyperbole found in the Bible. Clicky here, for all my posts detailing what I’ve found. Today’s treats are:
Jesus wants us to hate people?
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. ” Luke 14:26
No, really. Its okay to hate people. Jesus said so!
Everyone is a Christian!
So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” John 12:19
I must not have enough faith. I can’t move trees.
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. Luke 17:5-6
This is one of my favorite hyperboles. Jesus uses it on more than one occasion, so I’m in good company. To figure out what He is talking about you have to read this snippet in context. Here it is:
“If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”
5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
6He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
7“Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ “
The context is forgiveness; painful, repeated forgiveness. The disciples thought the idea of this was so preposperous, they cried they need more faith to obey! But Jesus, doesn’t let them use weak faith as an excuse to disreguard the duty of forgiving someone who has repeatedly wronged them. He gets smart-alecky and tosses out the idea of feeling more faith as the motivation for obedience as riduculous. He tells them the story of the slave who did what his master required regardless of how tired he was, how he felt about obeying, or how hard it was for him. It is a Christian duty to forgive regardless of how much faith we feel.
Hyperbole Rocks!
This post is the beginning of a number of posts listing various hyperbole found in the Bible. Clicky here, for all my posts detailing what I’ve found.
Hyperbole is extravagant exaggeration that is not meant to be taken literally. It is littered all over the Bible. Here are a few examples.
Galatians 5:11-12
Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!
Paul does not mean to literally castrate those who preach another gospel.
Matthew 23:23-25
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
Christ does not literally mean they have large enough mouths to swallow a camel whole.
Matthew 5:29-31
If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
Jesus is not teaching a way to avoid hell is maiming the offending part of your body.
Table Manners Matter, Mom!
Mealtime can be a chore for moms. Picky eaters or kids always on the look out for treats can be a handful. Can you believe the Bible has a few principles that you can discipline mealtime with? I say principles, because these are not “rules.” To ignore them, is not sin. But, they are a guide to right living. You would be wise to implement them.
Jesus says, “Eat what is set before you.”
In Luke 10:5-8, Jesus sends 72 of his followers out on a evangelistic trial-run. Not only does he inspire them with visions of the harvest, but he gives them practical instructions on how to behave when they are visiting others. I find it fascinating that he tells them twice to eat whatever their hosts give them. How often do we tell our kids this? Do we practice this at home?
American children are hardly in the Oliver Twist category of “Please sir, can I have some more.” We have plenty. They will not starve. If my children choose not to eat what I put before them, then they have chosen not to eat.
Don’t stuff yourself in front of others.
When you are invited to eat with the boss, or as Proverbs says, “a ruler,” mind your manners! Don’t gobble up all the good stuff. Eat with discretion and don’t take advantage of his hospitality by devouring the caviar.
Of course with children, the place to start teaching this principle is around your dinner table at home. In my home, juice is the delicacy. We monitor juice intake so that it is slowly consumed throughout the meal. When it is gulped down, it is replaced with water.
Learn to enjoy simple fare.
A simple meal with love is better than a feast where there is hatred.Prov 15:17
Moms, you can make any meal a joyful time for your family, not by spending hours in the kitchen or a fortune at a restaurant, but by investing that time to talk, encourage and love on your children. Doing so, will instill in them the right priorities. The table is for friendship, regardless the fare.
A child’s faith
Two weeks ago
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
This was the Awana Cubbie’s verse for the week. Resurrection is a big word for a four-year-old. But my daughter understands the concept well. Alsan was resurrected. Jesus was resurrected. And this verse holds a special place in my family’s life because it is engraved on my father’s grave in the Amazon jungle. She loves to hear things about her grandpa, so this memory verse was fun for her to say.
Four nights ago
Eleanor and I were watching a reality show about little people last Monday night and one of the men on the show had died. Here’s a synopsis of our conversation:
“But he is coming back, right mom?”
“No, this show is about real people. It isn’t pretend. He died. That means he doesn’t come back.”
“Jesus can bring him back to life. But he is in heaven, right? And then Jesus can resurrect him!”
“I don’t know. It depends on if he asked Jesus to forgive his sins and told him he wanted to be with him in heaven. If he prayed to Jesus before he died and loved Him, then he is!”
“I haven’t prayed that. Let’s pray that tonight.”
“Right now?”
“No, when I pray before bed.”
I let her bring it up on her own when it was bedtime, and she did.
“You do it for me.”
“I can’t. You’ve got to talk to Jesus yourself. I can’t do it for you.”
“What do I say again?”
“Please forgive me for my sins and I trust you to take me to heaven when I die and bring me back to life.”
“Jesus, please forgive me of my sins and I want to go to heaven with you.”
I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. Matthew 11:25-26
Stumble It!
