Submitted Christian Writings
~~~ Parables for Modern Academia ~~~
New Revised Academic Version (NRAV)
- By Deborah and Loren Haarsma
If Jesus taught on the campus today,
what might His parables say?
Matthew 18:23-35
The kingdom of heaven is like a department chair checking on the progress of the
graduate students. She came to a graduate student who was supposed to turn in his thesis
that week, but had procrastinated and hadn't started to analyze data yet. The department
chair reminded him that there was no more funding for him after this term. The grad
student pleaded with her. "Be patient with me," he begged, "and I will
finish the thesis by the deadline." The department chair took pity on him, and told
him she would let him re-enroll and would find money somewhere for another term. But when
the graduate student went out, he ran into one of the undergraduates in the course he was
grading. He yelled at the student, "Where is your homework? It's a day late!"
The undergraduate begged him, "Be patient with me, and I will turn it in
tomorrow." But the grad student refused and said, "No. I'm giving you a zero and
you're failing the course!" When the other students saw what had happened, they were
greatly distressed and went and told the department chair everything that had happened.
Then the chair called the graduate student in. "You wicked student," she said,
"I forgave you for procrastinating on your thesis because you begged me. Shouldn't
you have had mercy on the undergraduate just as I had on you?" In anger the chair
expelled him from the department, to find a job until he could finish his thesis. This is
how the heavenly Father will treat each of us unless we forgive our brothers from the
heart. (Matthew 18:23-35)
- Copyright 1996 Deborah and Loren Haarsma. May be freely distributed electronically in
whole or in part with this notice attached and the text unaltered.
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