Parables as meaning monthly list

The Parable of the Sower

13 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Nasreddin Hodja/Mullah Nasreddin

When the Hodja taught his donkey how not to eat

Nasreddin Hodja had a donkey. One day he got it into his head that he could save a lot of money on feed by training the donkey not to eat. He started training his donkey by feeding it a little bit less every day. At first, the animal appeared to just go on as if nothing had changed. Even after its food has been reduced to half, the strong young donkey just soldiered on. Eventually, as the Hodja stopped feeding the donkey altogether, he got weaker and weaker and slower and slower, but Nasreddin was so happy at the money he was saving and its meeker donkey that he didn’t even notice.

Then one day, the poor beast just up and died on him, on the road, right from under his legs.

“Damn,” said Nasreddin, “and just when he had learned not to eat.”

This story is found in different versions in several collections of Hodja's tales, such as this one

The Hodja and the watermelon

Hodja was going to the mountain once, and along the way he got thirsty. He saw a couple of watermelons in a garden, so he jumped off his donkey, cut them open, and tucked in. Unfortunately, the watermelons were white and had no flavour at all, more like raw pumpkins, and Hodja was so annoyed at them that he threw the pieces on the ground and pissed on them.

Later that day, when coming back to his house, he was dying with thirst since he had had no water all day. He passed by the discarded watermelon pieces again and this time he started contemplating them. “This bit I remember," he said, “This one hasn’t been pissed-on”. So he continued picking at it: “This piece also hasn’t been pissed-on”. In the end, he ate it all.

This story comes from Greek oral tradition

Faith moves mountains

The Hodja was boasting about the power of his faith.

"If your faith is so strong, then pray for that mountain to come to you," said a skeptic, pointing to a mountain in the distance.

The Hodja prayed fervently, but the mountain did not move. He prayed more, but the mountain remained unmoved.

Finally the Hodja got up from his knees and began walking toward the mountain. "I am a humble man," he said, "and the faith of Islam is a practical one. If the mountain will not come to the Hodja, then the Hodja will go to the mountain.”

This story is also retold in several collections. The version quoted has been reproduced from this one

Whale Rider (film)

WIll need a review or summary as well as a request to watch the film