Parable Draft #1

In the Parable of the Talents, Jesus says that in order to end oppression, there must be a joint effort by people of all hierarchal standings to stop the exploiter with all the power. According to Gottwald, the system exploiting the peasant farmers in first century Palestine is called a Tributary Mode of Production, or TMP. A TMP consists of the dominant bearing class (exploited) and the dominant imposing class (exploiters). While the peasants worked hard making produce, the dominant imposing class siphoned off surplus to three different groups: foreign powers, the state, and the elites who own the peasant’s land.1 It is an aristocrat of a household who is an antagonist in the parable. Herzog explains the role of the household and the relationships between the elite aristocrat, the retainers, and the peasants. The household was in charge of harvesting, gathering into storage, redistributing or monetizing, and exporting the wealth of the land. This required the handling of large sums of money, often counted in talents. When the elite would travel on business, he would leave this money in the safekeeping of his most trusted servants, or retainers. The retainers were then under an unspoken agreement, as demonstrated in the parable, that once they doubled the wealth in their charge they could keep the rest earned. This lead to the heavy exploitation of the peasant class. The peasant audience that Jesus tells the parable to knows this about the system and the characters.2

The parable’s meaning is straightforward: the elite rewards the retainers who doubled the talents given while he punishes the one who only returns the original amount of wealth entrusted to him. Herzog says that the retainer’s banishment to the status of a day laborer was not only for failing to exploit the peasants, but also for being a "whistle-blower." The third retainer knew that for calling the aristocrat out on his exploitive and unfair doings, he would have a price to pay. But, by acting alone the retainer fails to change anything and also dies alone. This tells the audience that even the higher class people cannot overthrow oppression by themselves.3

This creates a new question for the peasants. If one of the oppressor’s elite cannot stop exploitation by acting alone, and we the exploited cannot act alone, how can we overcome the system? Herzog answers this question by stating that the peasants’ animosity toward the retainers helps the ruling oppressor. The peasants’ hatred for this class of people is shown when the servant is thrown outside into the darkness. Darkness suggests solitude and no sympathy from the peasant class with whom he now lives. The interests of the peasants are tied to the very class of people whom they are shunning in this parable. What could happen if both classes worked together?4

If the exploited and the exploiters worked together, the person at the top of the pyramid of power would be isolated. The exploiters would no longer contribute power to the system from the oppressed, and the oppressed would not allow the oppressor to punish the rebelling exploiters. Unable to obtain any more power with the death of the circle of exploitation, the oppressor would no longer be able to do harm. By teaching the peasants that they must collaborate with their enemies to end exploitation, Jesus also shows us that today the only way to eliminate problems is to create a joint effort of all parties involved. To overcome the enemy, we must work with the enemy.

Norman K. Gottwald, "Social Class as an Analytic and Hermeneutical Category in Biblical Studies," Journal of Biblical Literature 112:1 (1993), 3-22.
Walter Herzog, Parables as Subversive Speech: Jesus as the Pedagogue of the Oppressed (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1994), 156-159.
Ibid., 162-167.
Ibid., 167-168.

Essential Q&A

Q: How do you stop the system of exploitation involving classes?

A: People from 2 different social classes need to see that their interests lie together and that if they work together they will prosper and no longer be able to be exploited by the oppressor. If they work together they can overthrow the oppressor. People need to work together collaboratively to overthrow an oppressor.

Parable Documentation

1. Look at the title and consider its implications, then read and write down all facts to understand surface plot line.
The title "parable of the talents" refers to a form of monetary measurement that was used by the elite during the times of Jesus. A talent was the amount an average worker earned in 15 years. This was the largest way to count money and was used only by the wealthy and the elite.
Details:
Man goes on journey and entrusts property to them.= The man is wealthy because he is travelling while most people stayed close to village. The servants are trusted because he is leaving his property to them

The man gives three servants talents based on their ability= the man is wealthy because his servants have their own hierarchy. This was required to run a powerful household of the elite

The servants with 5 and ten talents go to work at once and double what they have been entrusted with= The servants went to work right away because once they reached the "understanding" of gaining a 100%profit for their master, they could begin to gain money for themselves. Therefore, they must have been exploiting the peasant population profusely.

Man with one talent digs a hole and places his master's money in there= He is keeping the money safe. It also takes the money out of the circle of exploiting the peasants. The money cannot be doubled which would then allow the master to continue to exploit the peasants for more money

After a long time the master comes to settle accounts with the servants= Servants had a long time to exploit the peasants and the master is expecting payment.

Man with five talents tells master he has earned 5 more= he has made a 100 percent profit for his master

Master says "well done good and faithful servant. you have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share in your master's happiness!"= The master is pleased at how able the servant was able to exploit more money. He will be rewarded with more responsibility and a greater chance for him to achieve personal gain. The last statement suggests he is becoming more tied to the aristocrat and distances the servant from the peasants.

Repeat reaction for the man who doubled the 2 talents= sets up the listener to expect the third servant to do the same as the first 2

3rd servant says "you are a hard man"= Servant is a "whistle blower" calling the aristocrat out on his cold immorality

"Harvesting what you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed"= the master exploits the working class to earn money for his own high lifestyle

Man returns the talent he his in the ground= The man is showing the master that he is honorable because he kept the money safe and is returning it to him

You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. = king denounces the integrity of what the servant has just said by calling him wicked and lazy. Does not deny that he exploits the peasants because he sees his lifestyle as acceptable.

The servant is thrown into the darkness to weep and gnash his teeth= the servant is banished to where he is alone because the household and the peasants do not accept him

2. Research to understand the social class/context of characters in first century Palestine.
Household= the basic part of Palestine. It was a place that controlled the harvest and exports of the neighboring workers. The household was run by the elite, who needed servants to help run their large organizations. The more servants, the more powerful and wealthy the aristocrat of the household. Servants often had their own hierarchical rankings to keep order. The servants in the story are more like retainers. They would be in charge of the aristocrat's affairs while he was gone and there was an underlying understanding that they would earn money for their masters in their absence. The peasants knew that the servants exploited their people to earn their own money. A tributary mode of production (TMP) was in place in 1st century Palestine. It consists of the exploiters and the exploited, with the produce centered on land. The exploited had the surplus products, but because of the TMP three main groups exploited the peasant farmers through various means. The state took surplus in forms of taxation and corvee. The elites took produce with interest and rental fees for farminf their land. Finally foreign powers took produce a "tribute" in the form of higher taxes.
3. Find main character and why.
The main character is the third servant because he is a hero. He sees that his class needs to help the peasant class if the peasants are ever going to stop being exploited. He knows he will be punished for "blowing the whistle" on the king, but he can no longer take part in the immoral cycle of profit gain. The audience is surprised by the third retainer's boldness to confront the aristocrat and at the harshness of his punishment.
4. What is the conflict that Jesus is addressing?
Jesus is addressing the conflict of the exploitation of the peasants. He tells them that they must seek and accept the help of the retainers that they hate in order to ever get away from oppression. The heart of class conflict is the exploitation of surplus labor.
5. Interpret every detailed fact in parable and why characters acted the way they did (w/o allegorizing)
See number 1 after =
6. Look before and after in Bible to see immediate context of parable
Before, Jesus talks about his coming crucifixion. After, the process for Jesus' crucifixion takes place. This refers to what the peasants have to do after Jesus is gone in order to achieve the Kingdom of heaven
7. What is Jesus' message about the kingdom of God/life/ WHAT IS CORE VALUE?
Jesus' core massage is that sometimes in order to achieve something one has to work with your "enemies". It teaches that we must work with the "bad people" in order to change bad circumstances. The oppressed class cannot act alone. The parable also raises the consciousness of the peasants and shows that the exploiters are responsible for the destruction of society.
8. Apply to current event.

Research Citation

Northcott, Michael S. "The parable of the talents and the economy of the gift." Theology 107.838 (July-August 2004): 241-9. General OneFile. Gale. St Marys High School (BAISL). 13 Nov. 2007 .

Herzog

I. The Retainers of Great Households (Important because setting of story is in the household of an urban elite)
A. The Place of the Household in the Ancient World
1. Ancient world organized into the household, the city, the kingdom
a. Basic household was made up of people by whom the wealth of the land was controlled
b. Cities were made up of groupings of households, and kingdoms were made up of groupings of cities
B. Household Bureaucracies and Their Retainers
1. System depends on the household, so lead aristocrats needed their own bureaucracies within the household
a. Organized hierarchally, a larger household staff meant more power
b. In a master’s absence, (they had to travel a lot), duties were left up to trusted retainers
I. Relationship was similar to king and court bureaucrat, if retainer kept his head low he could benefit in wealth by doing king’s dirty work
II. The Nobleman and his Retainers
A. The Distribution of Wealth
1. Fact that man is traveling and a presence of staff makes him wealthy
a. Only wealthy could afford to travel at all during the time, most people remained close to villages
b. Staff was ranked in hierarchal fashion, hence phrase "to each according to his ability"
2. The aristocrat is not testing staff
a. 1 talent is 15 years wages of working man, so aristocrat must trust even the man with 1 talent a great deal due to previous tests
b. Does provide an opportunity for each retainer to improve his status
B. The Business Venture
1. The three servants have convertible assets
a. No agreement is made between the master and his retainers except the distribution of talents
I. At time, understanding was that there would be a profit of 100 percent at least
2. Retainers gain "honest graft"
a. First two retainers get to work quickly, because once they double the master’s money they can keep the rest for themselves
b. This benefits master because the retainers do his dirty work and shift anger away from the aristocratic class.
c. Only way for retainers to benefit is by exploiting the peasant people
I. Retainers moved peasants from their plots of land so elites could control crops to earn more money (like with vineyards) without the protests of peasants
C. The Reckoning
1. Two servants prove to be good exploiters
a. Return with the correct profit and please their master
b. Each retainer receives a higher position in the client’s household, thus becoming more dependent on the client
2. The third servant is a "whistle-blower"
a. Calls the client out on being a bad person and an exploiter who lives off the labor of others
b. Third servant makes a comment on the aristocrat’s style of life through "gathering sheaves of wheat and winnowing them"
I. "Gather in" suggests conversion of goods to cash, then winnow means to squander on excessive living
3. The aristocrat punishes third servant, but never denies his statement
a. Master views his lifestyle as honorable
b. Third servant does return the original money to the king to show that he is an honorable person
c. Elite labels servant as "wicked" and "lazy" to dismiss his criticism
d. The talent is given to the most productive retainer and the third servant is banished to the role of a day laborer
III. The Codification of the Good Retainer
1. The third servant realizes that he will pay a price, but he would rather do that than continue exploiting
2. At end of the story, he will die alone because he acted alone and will receive little support from the peasants he has oppressed

Interpretation Methodology

1) As you are reading the parable, write down every detail in the story.
2) What question is Jesus answering? What is the proof of of this statement?
3) Based on question 2, who is the main character of the parable? What is the proof for this statement?
4)What is the story's conflict?
5) What seems to be the most important part of the story?
6) Research the details of the story in a social, political, religious, and economic context.
7) Ask questions of the "gaps" in the parable (like unaccounted details and questions raised in the text) and try to answer them with the knowledge gained from question 4.
8) Based on the answers to the previous questions, what was Jesus telling his audience?
9) Based on the answer to number 8, how does this apply to us today?

TABLE's METHOD:


1. Look at the title and consider its implications, then read and write down all facts to understand surface plot line.
2. Research to understand the social class/context of characters in first century Palestine.
3. Find main character and why.
4. What is the conflict that Jesus is addressing?
5. Interpret every detailed fact in parable and why characters acted the way they did (w/o allegorizing)
6. Look before and after in Bible to see immediate context of parable
7. What is JEsus' message about the kingdom of God/life/ WHAT IS CORE VALUE?
8. Apply to current event.

System Examples

Countrywide does nothing to help the Parkinson’s patient because he is not part of their system. Their system is set up to earn money for the employees of Countrywide Loans, not to take care of their customers. The customers may think they are part of the system, but really it is a corporation whose ultimate goal is to make money. They were not receiving money from Lin, so they cut ties with him even at his expense. Being outside of their system, I would say that they should show mercy for the misunderstanding. They could have been more diligent in getting Lin the information since they knew he spoke limited English based on the letter they sent him. Even if they are unable to get him back his own house, they should get him one at the equal price or provide housing for him until the whole matter is sorted out. I see this issue differently from Countrywide because I am outside of the system and have no personal interest at risk. I don’t need to weigh what I need against what is moral.
The Stanford prison experiment is an example of how absolute power corrupts absolutely. The students playing the prisoners had no power at all over their lives, while the prison guards had complete control over them. The inmates ended up being abused and became depressed because the guards were abusing their powers. The guards saw a system set up in which they could benefit without any risk, and they took full advantage of that. This shows that a system set up where an elite group has all the power, they will use it for self-interests rather than the common good.
The Brower Youth Award recipient that I read about is Carlos Moreno. His goal is to combat youth violence in the city of Boston. His theory is that by creating more youth jobs and programs, people will have an outlet to escape the violence and they will feel more a part of the community, thus in turn wanting to improve it themselves. He accomplishes this goal with the creation of an organization that protests, communicates their wants to city officials, and donates money for the cause. I think Carlos is so successful in working outside the system because he has a passion for his goal. Doing all those things requires a leader who is willing to sacrifice much of their own time and interests, so the leader must truly believe in the goal. He also must believe that this problem can be changed, or else he would have given up a long time ago.

Reason for bad systems

Most systems tend to be self-serving, unethical, and conservative because they are based on power. The client king in the story of the unmerciful servant wanted to maintain his power, but wanted to make a change in his ruling policies. He forgave his servant a huge debt, expecting the servant to do the same as he in the future. When the servant did not follow the kings example, the king saw it as a threat to his power and punished the servant mercilessly in an attempt to keep his power. The king did not want his subjects to see him as a softy. Modern examples also show that any harsh or conservative act by those in power is an attempt to hold onto power.
For example, there had been a time when we could chew gum at Saint Mary’s as long as we made sure to dispose of it afterwards. This kept the campus clean which in turn would make students more likely yo apply here and the school would receive more money. However, when the gum was not being thrown away, the school decided to give anyone caught chewing gum detention. It seems like a harsh punishment for the crime, but it helps discourage gum-chewing and will keep the campus looking clean for the visitors and the alumni considering to donate. Knowing money is considered power in this capitalistic society, this rule was put in place give Saint Mary’s more power. However, the rule does not benefit the students who may concentrate better in school with gum.
Therefore, we must change the system to not be based on power, but something else.
Group Summary: Systems are based on power. They are set up for the elite of the group because the elite and powerful have incentive to keep the system going. They are sure to gain from the system while those at the bottom of the system may not. Systems are conservative because they want to maintain their power and not risk losing it. Systems will also do unethical things to gain power or benefit their own personal wants, therefore they are designed to be self-serving and those outside the system will not benefit or may even be harmed.

The Unforgiving Servant

1) The story is about people who have a choice to forgive others or not. The main character of the story is the high level servant. At the end of the parable, Jesus says, "that is how my Father in heaven will treat every one of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." So, metaphorically, the king is God and the high level servant has the choice to either do as exemplified by his master or to harm his equal. Although the high level servant chooses incorrectly, it is his actions that Jesus wants us to focus on.
2) The King decides to forgive the debt because the high level servant knelt before him and pleaded for him to have patience, knowing that the king was the only one who could help him. The king felt sorry for him and forgave all his debt, knowing that in return the high level servant will love the king even more and be more faithful and loyal to him in the future.
3) The servant does not follow the example of the king because his fellow servant is of the same status as he is. The servant does not see how his fellow servant can benefit him in any way other than to give the high servant what he is owed. He may also feel protected by the king to punish a fellow servant since the king already forgave his debts showing compassion for the high level servant.
4) This parable shows that in the Kingdom of God, everyone is equal. You will be forgiven of your wrongs because God wants love in return. However, if you do not forgive one of your equals, who is of equal value to you in God’s eyes, you will be punished in the same way that you punished your equal. In other words, if we harm our fellow humans and do not give them lenience for their wrongs, we in turn will receive equal harm and our wrongs will not be forgiven.

U.S. Involvement

50) Didn't the UN create Israel? Why didn't they create Palestine?
The UN did create Israel. They came up with a two state plan giving 48% of the land to Israelis who at the time only occupied 7% of the land. They did this as repentance for the Holocaust and because the Jews had no homeland of their own. A state was not created for Palestine because the Palestinians could not agree on the terms for a separate state and they had never been their own state before.
51) Why is Israel criticized when other countries have committed human rights violations?
Israel is criticized because they not only violated UN resolutions, but they also violated the Geneva Connections. The Geneva connections were passed to protect the original occupants in an occupied state. Israel's wrongs were then protected from punishment by the United States.
52) What is the role of the UN in the Middle East these days? Why isn't the UN in charge of the overall peace process?
The UN is held out of the loop in most issues of the Middle East. The United States keeps it this way. The US claims that under the Oslo peace agreement that they fathered between Israel and Palestine the UN's help is unnecessary except in economic and development issues. The US also claims that the UN does not need to help with the negotiations because the parties involved are already sorting things out under the Oslo Peace agreement. Whenever the UN tries to do something in the Middle East, the US opposes it and since the US has a great deal of power in the UN the issue usually remains in deadlock.

NPR section 3-7 Summaries

3) Partition, War, and Independence
Britain is unable to make a political solution to satisfy and is being attacked by Zionist terrorist groups for limiting immigration to Israel during the Holocaust. British give conflict to U.N., who renew the idea of partitioning the territory with 55% going to the Jews who only lived on 7% of the land. General Assembly votes, partition is accepted by 33 states as repayment for the Holocaust and refused by 13 mostly Arab states. Fighting ensued, and it is unclear whether it is the Israeli or Palestinian's fault for the Palestinian refugees who fled and now live in refugee camps.

4) The 1967 Six Day War
Syria was fed false information by the Soviet Union that Israel was planning an invasion of Syria, which was then fed to Egypt. Nasser, the Egyptian leader, closed the Gulf of Aqaba to shipping, cutting off Israeli oil, told U.N. peacekeepers to leave, and sent troops into the Sinai Peninsula. Israel surprises Egypt by attacking first, but only after making it clear to the world that they had exhausted diplomatic options. In defeat, Nasser claims Israel won because of U.S. backing, which was false. Israel gains a lot of land like Jerusalem and Gaza strip which later become central in peace negotiations.

5) From the 1973 Yom Kippur War to Peace With Egypt
October 6, 1973 Egypt and Syria launch a surprise attack on Israel, but gain no land out of it. Israel sees it is not invincible, and U.S. sees it can be a prime negotiator of peace in the Middle East. Yom Kippur showed Palestine that the Arab nations no longer supported them in opposing the existence of Israel, so Palestinian movement adapted policy towards creating a Palestinian state in occupied territories. Egypt and Israel sign a peace agreement lead by Carter.

6) From the First Intifada to the Oslo Peace Agreement
Palestinians did an uprising of stones and words called the Intifada to state their own desire for a homeland. It was an effective way to reach out to Israelis who saw it time to give up the West Bank and Gaza Strip and who supported the beginnings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the absence of PLO. Peace negotiations were begun in Oslo and Rabin (Israel) and Arafat (PLO) agree to a self-government for Palestine. Arafat does not realize the agreement does not give Palestine its own land and it fails when Rabin is shot.

7) The Second Intifada and the Death of Oslo
2nd Intifada broke out with a visit by Israel to the prized Western Wall. Palestine had only gained back 18% of West Bank and Israel had expanded settlements, but Palestine also brought unnecessary military force. Oslo is attempted to be renewed, but Arafat does not like Netanyahu's plan to have Palestinian land to be divided and surrounded by Israeli land. The second Intifada becomes more violent than the first.

Wicked Tenant

In the end of the parable, the chief priests and the Pharisees realize that Jesus is criticizing them. The metaphor that Jesus is using is that the chief priests and the Pharisees are the builders of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, the stone that they rejected as worthless are the peasants and those who were viewed lowly in Jewish society. Jesus says that these people are actually the cornerstone to this whole thing, or the most important aspect. The Kingdom of God will be taken from those who do not produce good things and given to those who do. Jesus wants the peasants and those who were low on the Jewish social ladder to be the ones to take the place of those who are not meeting expectations. They are the most important part of God’s plan. They are the ones who can make the revolt work. Even the Pharisees and chief priests are afraid to arrest Jesus after hearing this because they feared the crowds of people who followed him.

Letter to Senator

22 Kilkenny Court
Alameda, CA 94502

September 29, 2007

Name of Representative
Address
Of
representative

Dear (Name of Representative):

I am writing in support of the Education for All Act of 2007 (S. 1259, H.R. 2092), the Global Child Survival Act (S. 1418, H.R. 2266), the GROWTH Act (H.R. 2965), and the Jubilee Act (H.R. 2634). These four bills, if enacted, will drastically reduce extreme poverty around the world. For example, in Uganda the Christian Children’s fund is teaching children how to monitor public funds coming into the school, and it has already stopped corrupt teachers. Education like this that would be made a major goal in US foreign policy by the Education for All Act would prepare children for the jobs needed so developing countries become more self sustainable and less foreign aide is needed to be contributed on our part. The GROWTH Act also contributes to this by helping poor women secure jobs, access credit, and start new businesses. Whatever contributes to the economies of developing countries will help the global economy. The Global Child Survival Act would provide the simple and inexpensive relief like clean drinking water, vitamin supplements, and immunizations that are most needed. These inexpensive supplies easily save lives in places where the most basic needs are not met. The debt cancellation that would be given to 26 more countries according to the Jubilee Act has been proven to be effective by economist Jeffrey Sachs.

These four bills are simple steps toward meeting the Millennium Development Goals our country agreed to. Even more important is that these bills give the aide directly to the people, reducing the amount of phantom aide given by the United States. As the richest country in the world, we can give so much more than the .07% G.D.P. we are giving now, 86% which does not even hit the ground in developing countries. It is time we rise to the promise we made to the world.

Sincerely,
Julie Andersen

Digital Portfolio 2: The Mustard weed

According to Pliny the Elder, a naturalist during the time of Jesus, the mustard plant was a weed that grew wild, and once it grows it is scarcely possible to get rid of it. Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed. Jesus' audience the peasant farmers hated mustard plants; they ruined their crops and only source of income. Jesus was saying that the Kingdom of God would destroy the farming way of life. It would be dangerous to their way of life, something to be combated. The Kingdom of God was going to takeover the peasants' lives in revolt to the social structure of the time, which was peasant farmers working for a small upper class who took the majority of the wealth.

Executive Summary on Africa

It may seem like we are giving a lot of aide towards Africa, but we are really not doing much at all. Quantitatively, many countries, including the United States, do not meet the quota of .7% set up for the international community. Then, 61% of the international aide given is phantom aide, or aide that does not target the poorest countries due to poor planning and goes to excess administration costs. Our world needs to make reform in our aide policies to ensure that every country is giving what it is required and that the money goes to those who need it most.
Currently the 7 largest economies only give 0.07% of their national income in real aide, the largest offenders being France and the US whose aide is 90% phantom aide. If we want to achieve our goal of relieving world poverty, we must ensure that our net resources flow north (wealthy countries) to south (poor countries). Aide is flowing north to south at $69 billion dollars a year. However, the trade system discriminates against poor countries because the financial flow, trade flow, and ecological debt flow south to north at hundreds of billions of dollars per year. Basically, we are "robbing Peter to pay Peter." This highlights the need for aide reform from the wealthy countries.
The reason for all of this phantom aide is that we are practicing one way accountability. There is a lack of downward accountability, or holding the recipients of the aide responsible to comply. Corrupt officials use the money for salaries or send it to profitable places like the oil-rich Middle East. In order to create a system of mutual accountability, the rich countries need to clear policies in developing countries for accepting aide, make mutual commitments, create national and international forums to review progress, and create new mechanisms to increase volume and predictability of aide. These safeguards would ensure that the countries who are not meeting the quota begin to meet it and that the countries accepting aide use it for the correct things.
As a class, we can help to bring about thee reforms in aide distribution by supporting candidates and organizations that follow mutual accountability. For example, Christian Children's fund is educating children in the APAC district of Uganda how to monitor public funds coming into their school, and they have actually been able to stop corrupt teachers. By supporting organizations such as these that are in it for no monetary gain and who are changing things at the root of the problem, it is very possible for us to eliminate poverty.

Digital Portfolio 2: What Should We Do?

I believe that what we could do as a scriptures class that would be most helpful toward eliminating poverty in Africa is to spread the word and fund raise. We already have 400+ people that we could easily educate about poverty around the world. All it would take is a presentation at one of our school masses. As suggested by "The End of Poverty" article, at one of our masses we could give a multi-media presentation on poverty and the simple things we could do to help. For the sermon, we could use the Good Samaritan Parable and an explanation on it as learned in class. I know that when I go to church I pay more attention when someone other than the priest is giving a sermon because it is always refreshingly different. Then we could follow up the next week with a World Poverty Week, like what we do in October for breast cancer. I've noticed that breast cancer fundraising gets a lot of attention because it hits so close to home here in America, supposedly everyone at some point in their life will either be affected or know someone who is affected. By spreading the word about poverty and Jesus' teaching about helping those who are difficult to identify with, we can help many people.
I like Singer's advice on utilitarianism. By educating our school, the word will naturally spread and our fundraisers will be more successful. It will help more people than simply fundraising or appealing to politicians. Although, being juniors and seniors we will mostly be of voting age in the 2008 elections. It would also be a good idea not to forget what we have learned and keep it in mind when we are voting.

Portfolio 2: Singer on Poverty

1.Is it our duty to help others?
2. What are we after for our world?
3. Should we "give until it hurts?"
4. How much cost should I bear upon myself and my loved ones to help other people?
5. Why should those people be seen as equal to me?
6. Who should get help first?
7. Why should our governments be concerned?
8. Shouldn't we focus on eliminating the damage we've already done in our world economically so the world is free to flourish?
9. Do we want a completely egalitarian society?
10. Should we take a utilitarian view on this issue?

Portfolio 2: Good Samaritan Interpretation

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus talks about what it means to be human. Being human is when someone sympathizes with another person in need, and chooses to help that person. The priest and the Levite were the elite in the society of the time, and they chose not to act. Jesus' story criticized how they had lost their humanity because they had not experienced suffering in their lives. Jesus wants us to come back to our humanity. We cannot be afraid to suffer, because through our own suffering we are more able to help those suffering around us.

John the Baptist assesment

Other people have many prophecies about John. When his father, Zecheriah, hears that his wife Elizabeth will conceive a son, the angel Gabriel proclaims that the son, "will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God." This foreshadows that Jesus will be teaching a whole new radical message. John's job is to bring people back to the basics of God and to bring back people's faith in God so they will be open to a whole new message. When John becomes a baptist, this is exactly what he does. He tells the people to "produce good fruits as a sign of repentance... and every tree who does not produce good fruit will be thrown into the fire." He wants the people to begin doing God's word by helping others and to seek God's forgiveness for their past sins. This way they can all begin on a new slate for Jesus' radical message.
Based on this part of the Bible, Jesus' teaching will be based on coming back to the basics of God's message. Jesus will teach his message to all those who have open hearts to God. If people have faith in God, then they will listen to God's message although it will be a radical and authority-defying one. John states that Jesus will come and baptize the people, "with the holy spirit and fire." Fire is a strong and rebellious image, showing that Jesus message will be very strong and controversial. John the Baptist baptizes with water, suggesting that he is cleansing the people for these new ideas.

Portfolio 1: Jesus as a refugee

Being a refugee is a life-changing experience. It is certain from our knowledge of refugees today that Jesus would have been a different person had he not had to make that journey.
First, Jesus had to endure the flight to Egypt. It would have been hundreds of miles probably on foot with hardly any resources. He would also be being chased by the king's men. Jesus would have lived for awhile without food, possessions, or even a home by no fault of his own. This would allow him to understand more fully the poor and oppressed in his community. Jesus may have also grown up with more radical ideas about his government in Israel. As we have seen today in places like Iraq and Palestine, many refugees have an extreme hate for the governments responsible for their displacement. Perhaps Jesus and his family gained hate for the government in Israel who made them flee and terrorized those families who were still there with infants, which would explain Jesus' radical methods of defying authority figures in order to get his message across.
Jesus also had to live in Egypt for a few years. Like the boy from Sudan in the video clip we saw, Jesus would have had to adapt to the region. Egypt was not a Jewish country. By living with the Egytians, Jesus would have a greater understanding of the Gentiles and be more open to including them in his message about God. Again, in Egypt he would probably be living amongst the poor and accepting charity in order to survive. Jesus would have a first-hand experience on the importance of giving to others and how meaningful it really is.

Portfolio: Who's Your Momma?

I have always viewed Mary as a very good and understanding person. She is a forgiving and graceful woman according to the "Hail Mary." "Blessed are thou among women" suggests that she is a role model for women and that she never did anything wrong. I have always gotten the impression that Mary was a very quiet person, as shown by the statue in the quad. The statue makes Mary appear serene and her open arms show that she is welcoming.

These stories show that Mary is a woman of great faith. Her proclamation of God's goodness shows how much faith she has in that her pregnancy is God's will and that her child will help all mankind. Mary belongs to a lower class family, because lines 48-49 of her magnificat says that she is of "humble state," but that God has given her a blessing. The story from Matthew show that women were not held in high esteem during Jesus' time. Should a woman have an affair during that time, it was grounds for divorce. With this full knowledge, Mary still allowed the pregnancy since she had so much faith in God.

God chose a woman with a lot of faith in him because she would be doing something highly controversial. Someone who loved God but who was also a quiet and meek person would not have the strength to stand up to the criticisms and controversy that was sure to follow her pregnancy. Mary was a strong woman who recognized that god was giving her a blessing, and she never backed out of her agreement even when Joseph was considering divorce. She kept her faith in God and in the end she was rewarded.

Portfolio 1: A Familyof Freedom Fighters

The woman I chose from Jesus' Geneology was Rahab. Rahab's story is found in Joshua 2. She lived in the city of Jericho, a city the Israelites were planning to conquer after their forty year journey thrugh the desert. Joshua, the leader of the Israelites, sent two spies to stake out Jericho before they attacked. rahab, a prostitute, took them into her home and hid them. When the king of Jericho asked if she knew where they were, she sent the kings men off on a fake trail while the spies were really hiding on her roof. After the incident, she told the spies that she would help them if they spared her and her family during the upcoming battle. She told them that she understood that their God was the true God of heaven and earth and that she had heard of his power. The spies agreed to spare her family, as long as she kept the secret plans of the Israelites safe and did exactly as instructed. She agreed, and told the spies to go to the hills and hide there for three days while the king's men looked for them elsewhere. The spies told her to gather her family in her house and keep them there, and to place a scarlet string on her window from which the spies would escape. That way the army would be warned not to attack the house. Her house was part of the city wall, so she let the spies out of her window with a rope, and then immediately tied the scarlet string to it. She kept her promise and told no one of the plans, and three days later Rahab and her family were spared from the slaughter of Jericho.

The inclusion of Rahab in Jesus' geneology tells us a lot about his background. She was a true freedom fighter. Rahab was everything that Jews saw as outside of their religion. She was a woman, a foreigner, and a prostitute. Even in Jericho, the fact that she lived on the city wall and that she was a prostitute estranged her from her own people. Nonetheless, she understood that the Isrealite's God was "the true God," and she was willing to sacrifice everything for him. She risked her life and the lives of her family to help the spies of his chosen country. Rahab showed absolute faith in God and his people. She had no way of knowing if the spies would keep up their end of the bargain and spare her in the mass slaughter she helped to bring about. Rahab did not falter once and kept their secrets safe for three days. In the end, she was rewarded with her life and was even accepted into the Israelite community through her marriage with Joshua. Her story shows that to be accepted by God you must show complete faith in him. It has nothing to do with who you are as a person.

Portfolio 1: What I think I can achieve

I believe that I am capable of earning an A in Parables. I know for ceratin that I can achieve all the B requirements, but an A sounds like a real challenge and having that goal in mind will encourage me to always do my best in this class.

For this semester parables, I make a promise to myself, the class, and Mr. Sutphin that I will put my best effort into completing all of my assignments, actively participating in class, taking the time to learn the material and showing that knowledge, and being respectful to the class through my attendance and behavior.

Portfolio 1: Who is Jesus, Really?

I believe that Jesus taught how to live a simpler and happier life. He contradicted old values, which were mostly influenced by greed and hunger for power. He wanted to bring back the world to God's original message.

Jesus criticized the superficial world we had become. He preached that we must not necessarily live by the word of God's law. He disagreed with the pharisees who took the law to the extreme by enforcing strict rituals and unnecesary laws. Just because we "showed" that we were living God's law, did not mean we believed it. For example, no one could work on the Sabbath, not even if that person was doing God's work. Jesus showed by healing the sick on the Sabbath that God did not intend the law to be interpreted that way. He taught us that we must not complicate our lives with the minute details of God's message, instead we should live by the spirit of his word and aim for "the big picture" of bringing about God's Kingdom.

Another of Jesus' messages is that all humans are equal. He reached out to the poor and opressed when much of the world saw them as disgusting and out of God's favor. He even reached out to the gentiles. He taught us to love our enemies, and to forgive others for wrongs they have done to us. This teaching makes our lives simpler by eliminating hate from our world, which would also remove violence, poverty, and pain.

I believe I am a follower of these teachings, or at least that I try to follow them. In our modern world it is difficult not to get caught up in selfishness. However, I do think that loving everyone, even our enemies, is the key to a happier and simpler life. I have enough to worry about without having to deal with drama and fighting the evils of the world. If we all just looked out for one another, problems would be solved before they were even started.

Portfolio 1: Why We Tell Stories

The story that my friends and family always tell about me is the time I saved my elementary school's volleyball team from losing our first game. It was in the seventh grade against Corpus Christi, our rivals in volleyball. We had a great team at St. Joseph's Elementary. We had never lost a game since we started playing in the fourth grade, including all the games we played in optional tournaments. Corpus Christi really wanted to beat us this year since we were the CYO volleyball champions the year before. Both teams played their best, but at the end of the third game Corpus Christi was up 14-13, meaning one more point and they would win the game. It was our serve, and it was my turn. My mom was the coach, and I was waiting for her to sub me out for one of the people who could do over hand serves, but she never did. I was a decent server, but my serves weren't very strong and occasionally didn't make it.
All the pressure was on me, one miss and our years of being undefeated would be over. I remember I took it one serve at a time, taking a deep breath before each one. The atmosphere was so tense, there wasn't a sound in the gym except some of the girls on my team who were crying, thinking there was no way we could win. Miraculously, all three of my serves went over, all aces. We had one the most difficult game of our volleyball lives.
After the game I asked my mom why she kept me in, there were other players who were much more likely to have made those serves. She told me that although my serves weren't as strong, she knew that I was the best one to handle all that pressure. "There is no other player I would have rather had take that serve." After the game, Saint Joseph fans came up to me and said, "You were so calm! Your deep breaths were the only thing that kept me from bursting from all the tension!" I think my friends and family tell this story about me because it is one of my strongest traits. I can always remain calm and get my job done under pressure. It's one of the things they value most about me, that when everything seems to go wrong I can keep a clear head. This story clearly shows one of my strengths, and I think they tell it so much because they want others to see why they value me so much.