Humor

HUMOR ME AND HAVE FUN WITH PARABLES

by Jeff Van Hatten
01/01/22
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Definition of a Parable
parable In the Hebrew: H4912 מָשָׁל mashal or in the Greek: G3850 παραβολή parabole
• A simple story illustrating a moral or religious lesson.
• A pithy maxim, usually of metaphorical nature.
• A comparison, illustration, analogy; a simile.
• An allegorical relation or representation from which a moral is drawn for instruction.

A common description of a parable is that it is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. The word “parable” comes from the Hebrew mashal (H4912 מָשָׁל] and/or Greek parabolē [G3850 παραβολή], meaning “comparison, illustration, analogy”. Later it came to mean a fictitious narrative, presented in a short story, typically with a moral lesson at the end.

Parables use elements from everyday life to relate to the audience and often incorporate elements of surprise and exaggeration and usually contain a surprise twist to engage the audience. They are taught in such an interesting and compelling manner that the listener cannot escape the truth in it.

Parables and Humor
Here are three humorous “triplet” parables that always bring a smile to myself and others:

The Three Legged Lamb
A city boy driving through the country happened to see a lamb who only had three legs and a wooden leg where the fourth was missing. The boy stopped to watch the lamb for a while. Curiosity got the best of him and the sign on the gate said “Welcome” so the boy carefully drove up the driveway, approached the farmhouse, knocked on the door, and asked about the three legged lamb.

The farmer said “That there lamb is a family pet and he’s really smart. We’ve taught him all kinds of tricks, like ‘Roll Over,’ ‘Sit’ and ‘Fetch.’ When the weekly newspaper comes, we tell the lamb to ‘Fetch’ and he goes gets the paper and brings it to us. But that’s not all, the farmer continued, We had a fire and the lamb woke everybody up and then went back and brought the dog out.”

“Another time my son was playing on the ice and it broke and he fell in and the lamb ran to the barn and got a rope and saved him. Just 2 months ago, I was working on my tractor and the jack fell and the tractor was crushing me. I yelled for help and the lamb rushed to my rescue, dug me out and pulled me out of harm’s way.”

The farmer then asked the boy if he’d like to stay for dinner and the boy accepted. To the amazement of the boy, the lamb set the table and began serving the meal. “Wow!” exclaimed the boy. “That lamb sure is smart, but that still doesn’t explain the missing leg!”

“Well,” said the farmer, “a lamb that valuable you don’t want to eat him all in one sitting!”

Three Legged Chickens
A newspaper reporter was driving down a country road, when he happened to look down at the road next to him, saw a chicken, and the chicken was matching his speed. So the reporter drove a bit faster – and the chicken kept pace. Seeing it turn into a small farm, the man followed it. To his astonishment, he realized that the chicken had three legs, and looking around the small farm, he noticed that all of the chickens had three legs.

The reporter goes up to the farmer and asks “What’s with the three-legged chickens?” The farmer replied, “Yep. I breed ‘em that way because I love drumsticks.”
The reporter was curious, so asked, “How does a three-legged chicken taste?” to which the farmer replied: “Dunno. Haven’t been able to catch one yet.”

Three Biblical World Records
Matthew 8:28-34, Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:26-33 – Story of the Gerasenes demoniac and the herd of swine.
All three accounts mention the territory of the Gerasenes, demon possessed individuals, and a herd of swine. Matthew mentions there were two demonized men, while Mark and Luke focus on the worst of the pair who speaks and claims to have a legion of demons controlling his behavior. Mark tells us there were 2000 swine. The demoniac(s) want to know “What do you want with me, Yeshua, Son of Yahweh Ha‘Elyon?” According to their calculations, Yeshua has come before the appointed time.

Here’s where it gets interesting and even a bit humorous:
A large herd of 2000 swine was feeding there on the hillside when Yeshua approached the demoniac. The demons, called Legion, begged Yeshua to let them go into the swine, and He gave them permission to do so. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the swine, rushed down the steep bank into the lake, and were drowned. Herein in this account we have a World Book of Records triple event, which some would say is a triple groaner:
• We have the first mention of Deviled Ham.
• We have the first mention of a Swine-Dive.
• And we have the first mention of Sooie-cide.

Conclusions
Parables do not have to be serious to convey a message. Sometimes they can be downright humorous, even when expounding upon Biblical events!

Final Thought for 2021
The prophetic signs are burgeoning and not abating. We do well to keep a sense of humor while prophecy unfolds. Time is incredibly short – Yeshua Ha’Mashiach is coming soon – so be of great cheer, keep looking up, and keep maintaining an attitude of gratitude. Be sure you are believing The Truth, not The Lie. Be sure Yeshua is your Redeemer, King, and High Priest, and your sins are forgiven.