When we read the parables that Jesus related to the people of His age, its easy to imagine the

Master Storyteller pointing to a farmer sowing seeds in the nearby hills, or to fishermen throwing out their nets into Lake Tiberias. And it makes me wonder, if Jesus were walking among us today, what kind of parables would He tell? What physical images would He use to help us understand spiritual concepts? Perhaps some of them would go like the following: Quando lemos as parbolas que Jesus contou naquela poca facial imaginar o Mestre Contador de Histrias falando de um lavrador semeando as colinas prximas, ou pecadores jogando as redes no Lago Tiberades. O que me faz pensar, se Jesus estivesse conosco hoje, que tipo de parbolas Ele contaria? Que alegorias, que ilustraes usaria para nos ajudar a entender princpios espirituais? Algumas possibilidades:

The parable of the mobile phone The kingdom of heaven is like two men who took their mobile phones with them everywhere they went. One of them was wise and the other one was foolish. The foolish man did not recharge his phone, so when an important message came in, no ring was heard. Because the caller could not get through, he stopped calling and an important business deal was lost. The wise man always made sure his phone was fully charged when he left the house. So, when the caller called, he heard the ring and the vital business deal was made. Great was that mans reward because of his faithfulness to recharge his phone. A parbola do telefone celular O reino dos cus comparado a dois homens, um sbio e um insensato, que levam seus aparelhos de celular consigo aonde vo. O insensato no recarregou o seu aparelho, por isso no foi notificado de uma importante mensagem. A outra pessoa no conseguiu se comunicar, parou de ligar e o insensato perdeu um importante negcio. O sbio, antes de sair de casa, sempre se certificava que o telefone estava recarregado. Certo dia, recebeu uma ligao e pode fechar um timo negcio. Grande foi a sua recompensa devido fidelidade em recarregar o celular.

The parable of the computer virus Now learn the parable of the computer virus. When a computer is unsecured and exposed to the Internet, it can pick up a virus, Trojan, or worm. Virus makers continually upgrade their attacks and often disguise these computer viruses as pretty pictures or interesting programs. If youre not careful or aware, you may end up infecting your computer. In like manner, the Devil is always seeking to destroy your lines of communication with Me and others, and to invade your defenses and destroy your usefulness. A parbola do vrus de computador E ensinou-lhes a parbola do vrus de computador. Quando a mquina est desprotegida qualquer vrus, cavalo de Troia ou worm pode infect-la. Os criadores de vrus atualizam constantemente suas tticas e muitas vezes utilizam fotos bonitas ou programas interessantes para disfarar o ataque com os vrus. Se no estiver atento ou ciente, pode acabar com um computador infectado. Da mesma forma, o Diabo est sempre procurando destruir a sua comunicao Comigo e outros, tentando invadir suas defesas e inutiliz-lo.

In order to keep yourself free from his attacks, you should upgrade your spiritual defenses. Just as a wise man frequently updates his virus scanner, so can you ask Me for current methods to fight the Enemy of your soul who tries to find ways to infect you without you realizing it.

preciso atualizar suas defesas espirituais para estar protegido. Assim como o homem sbio regularmente faz um scan do computador para se prevenir de vrus, voc tambm pode Me pedir mtodos atuais para combater o inimigo da sua alma que vive procurando maneiras de infect-lo sem voc perceber.

The parable of the Wi-Fi Every believer that receives instructions about the kingdom of God is like a computer with a wireless connection that can send and receive messages through space. Because it has been programmed to the correct configuration, it can transmit and receive a great flow of information by invisible waves. And although the computer only has a little power in itself, because it is firmly connected to the main source of information, it can accomplish much and run smoothly. When glitches occur or when the connection is broken, pick up the phone and call the Technician. Hell quickly to correct the problem and the messages will flow freely once more.

A parbola da conexo sem fio Todo aquele que cr recebe instrues sobre o reino de Deus como um computador com conexo sem fio que envia e recebe mensagens. A sua configurao lhe permite transmitir e receber um grande fluxo de informaes sobre ondas invisveis. E apesar do computador em si no ter tanto poder, a sua firme conexo fonte principal lhe permite realizar muita coisa e funcionar bem. No caso de pequenos problemas ou queda na conexo, ligue para o Tcnico. Ele se deslocar ao local rapidamente para resolver o problema e permitir o fluxo desimpedido das mensagens.

The parable of the cross-country rally The kingdom of heaven is like a car racing team made up of many members. Some are the mechanics, some make up the support team, and some are the drivers, yet all work together to keep the car in peak performance for the race. Even though the race car is custom built to endure the long journey through rugged terrain, it needs to stop to change its tires, transmission fluid, oil, and fill up on gas. A parbola do rally cross-country

O reino dos cus como uma equipe de corrida automobilstica. So muitos os membros mecnicos, staff, pilotos trabalhando juntos para garantir um desempenho espetacular do veculo durante a competio. Apesar do carro de corrida ser fabricado especificamente para a longa jornada em terreno acidentado, preciso parar para trocar pneus, o leo da transmisso, e abastecer.

Though its gears strain to hug the road up and down steep hills, and though the driver may take a wrong turn and get lost, there is still a chance for him to find the right road again. If he follows the GPS that the Leader of the rally gave him, and runs with perseverance the race marked out for him, he has a chance to reach the finish line and win the great prize that awaits him and his team. The Leader of the rally will then say, Well done! Enter into the winners bay and have a blast! Im not joking when I tell you that in that day there will be a victory celebration so glorious, it will never be forgotten. Apesar do desgaste nas marchas devido a tantos aclives e declives acentuados, e mesmo que o piloto saia da rota e fique perdido, ainda existe a possibilidade de encontrar e voltar ao caminho certo. Se ele seguir o GPS instalado pelo Lder do rally e correr com pacincia o percurso pr-determinado,[8] ter oportunidade de alcanar a linha de chegada e ganhar o primeiro prmio que est disponvel para ele e sua equipe. O Lder do rally dir, Bem est! Voc dirigiu bem por muitos quilmetros de estradas poeirentas e perigosas. Entre no camarote dos vitoriosos e se esbalde! Estou falando srio quando digo que naquele dia haver uma gloriosa e inesquecvel comemorao da vitria!

The parable of the hard drive Now learn the parable of the hard drive. As the hard drive stores information, so have I stored data deep within you of all that you have spoken and done in your life. Someday it will be accessed again, after you pass through the tunnel of light and the book of your life is opened to you. In that day, I will judge all that you have done in your life. So be mindful of the things you do and say, for each keystroke is being recorded and stored in your hard drive. To ensure that your information is something you wont be ashamed of, live for the things that will endure forever. A parbola do disco rgido Aprenda agora a parbola do disco rgido. Eu armazenei em voc, semelhana do que ocorre com o disco rgido, todo o tipo de informaes, tudo o que disse e fez at hoje. Um dia, aps passar pelo tnel de luz e o livro da vida lhe ser aberto, poder acessar toda essa informao. Nesse dia, Eu julgarei todos os seus atos registrados no livro da vida. Portanto, esteja atento ao que faz e diz, pois cada tecla digitada est sendo registrada e a informao armazenada no seu disco rgido. Para garantir que no vai se envergonhar da informao a seu respeito, viva por aquilo que durar eternamente.

There are a number of things that can be used in a parableeven modern appliances and new technology can relate timeless truths. All we need to do is to take the time to be aware that Jesus still speaks and stop to listen to the stories that He would like to tell us.

Diversas coisas podem ser usadas em uma parbola. At eletrodomsticos e nova tecnologia podem ser relacionados a verdades atemporais. Precisamos apenas estar atentos ao fato de que Jesus ainda fala, e pararmos para ouvir as histrias que Ele quer nos contar.

Footnotes 1. See Matthew 25 (The Parable of the Mobile Phone) 2. Hebrews 12:1 NIV (The Parable of the Cross Country Rally) 3. Revelation 20:12 (The Parable of the Hard Drive)

Notas de rodap

1. Veja Mateus 25. (A parbola do telefone celular) 2. Hebreus 12:1 (A parbola do rally crosscountry) 3. Apocalipse 20:12 (A parbola do disco rgido)

Histrias bilnge para crianas www.freekidstories.org

Text courtesy of Just1Thing; http://just1thing.com/podcast/2012/10/16/modern-day-parables.html . Art by Zeb and Jeremy Spencer.