Jesus illustrated his teachings
Jesus chacãra dacajnaquéode aja cuchade Ecarai
The teaching stories Jesus used were called ‘parables’:
Long ago Jesus used simple stories to illustrate his teachings for the people of that time. These stories that Jesus told were called parables. But the people didn’t understand the parables. Therefore, they would ask Jesus: “What do your teachings mean? We don’t understand them.”
One day Jesus used a parable that went like this: “A farmer planted seeds. But the birds came and ate up the plants as soon as they came up.” But the people did not understand the significance of the parable. (Matthew 13:14-15)
And so it was that Jesus continued to teach with parables. It was the way Jesus told things so that some would not understand. I don’t know if it was that way, but I believe it was, for Jesus said: “Give them parables, and if they figure them out, they will quickly understand what we are teaching. If they disregard my teachings as nonsense, then we will know that they also think I am not anyone to pay attention to, and from people like that, I will hide the meaning of my messages.”
But Jesus explained the meaning of this parable to his disciples:
He said: “The farmer in the parable represents those who take Dupade’s Word to people all over the world and preach Dupade’s Word to them. But the birds represent Satan and his demons who go after the Word of Dupade that has been planted in the hearts of people –Ayoréode and Cojñone– and devour it. (They don’t really eat it, but they prevent it from taking root.) The seeds represent the Words of Dupade that Satan and his demons pluck out of people’s hearts.”
Jesus went on explaining the parable and said: “You will notice that, in the parable that I gave, a farmer sowed seeds and some of them fell into the weeds, and as the weeds grew, they overcame the plants that came up and they all died. This is like the person that hears the Words of Dupade, but his mind is always on worldly things and so it is that he completely forgets my Word.”
And that is how Satan erases Dupade’s Word from our hearts, whether we be Ayoreode or Cojñone. And when he makes us forget Dupade’s Word, we only think about the things of this world, it is just like what happened to the farmer’s plants – the weeds overcome them and cause them to die.
Jesus wants his Word to find a place in our hearts:
And Jesus said: “I have planted my teachings in the hearts of my believers, and that is why I can now leave them and go back to heaven, knowing that they lack nothing of my Word, and it will be this Word of mine that has found a place in their hearts that will help them when I leave them.”
When Jesus was leaving his Father in heaven long ago to come to earth, I’m sure he was sad. And when he was leaving again for heaven, I’m sure his believers were sad to see him go. But there will be another time of sadness when he comes back again to take his believers with him to heaven, because the unbelievers will see them leaving and be sad because they have been left behind.
Jesus told his believers to take the gospel into all the world:
On the day he would leave them, Jesus told them to be obedient to Dupade’s Word, and to take the news about him into the whole world. And what he told them to do applies to us today. He wants us to preach the good news to people like us everywhere in the world and to let them know that he is going to come back again. We should take advantage of every opportunity to preach Dupade’s Word. I don’t think this means we just teach a few people, here and there, when convenient. It is something we need to do with all our hearts. (Acts 1:8)
And after He had said these things, He was lifted into the air while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going up, two men in white clothing stood beside them. And they said, “You people from Galilee, why are you looking up into heaven? It’s true he has gone back into heaven, but he’s going to come again just like you saw him go.” (Acts 1:10-11)
The Holy Spirit helps us to tell others about Jesus and his Word:
After Jesus left for heaven, they missed him, and could do nothing about it. They gathered inside a house. And they prayed to Dupade. But while they were praying, suddenly Dupade’s Power the Holy Spirit came upon them and they knew how to speak, and they began telling people, even in other languages, about Jesus. And the people were amazed that they could speak in all their different languages, even though they were not their own languages.
When Jesus returns, people who are left behind will be very sad:
Therefore, Jesus might say to us: “When I return I might find some people that are hunting for honey that are sleeping overnight in the jungles. I might find two people traveling in the jungle together when suddenly I’ll take one of them. I might find a married couple sleeping. The young wife believes in me, but her husband doesn’t believe in me. And I will leave the husband behind in his bed, but I’ll take his wife who believes in Dupade.”
It will be a sad time for some people when Jesus returns. If a husband or a wife is left behind, they will be sad because they will be separated eternally. It will also be very sad for those who thought their good works could save them. They will discover that they have deceived themselves, for only Jesus can save people – not their good works. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
What Jesus meant was this: “They had the opportunity to come to me so that I could forgive their sins, but they were too proud and bragged about all the things they had done. They thought they could hide their sins from me and they refused to come to me to forgive them.” That is why Jesus will say to them: “Get away from me, I don’t know you. Your sins are still with you, for you have not asked me to forgive them.”
We know that only the blood of Jesus can take away sin:
Therefore, when people hide their sin, it remains in them. Therefore, Jesus will say to all those who are prideful: “I don’t know you. Go away and leave me, because you are still in your sins.” (Romans 1:18-21)
Some people feel that the things they have done are so evil, Jesus can’t forgive them:
May no person, Ayoré or Cojñoi, ever say this: “I haven’t put my faith in Jesus, and that is because I’m a killer. Jesus says that he will forgive all sins, but I don’t think that includes the types of sins that I have committed – they’re very bad.”
If someone thinks this way, that person is mistaken. Let’s say we owe Dupade a debt for ignoring his commandments. And we are facing punishment. But because Jesus paid the debt that we owed for our sins when he died on the cross for us, Dupade can forgive our debt and we will owe him nothing more. (Romans 3:25-26)
Jesus is all powerful, and has overcome everything in this world:
Jesus has told us that all power has been given to him in heaven and on earth; that is why he has power over the seas. You’ve heard about that, I’m sure, how that he even walked on the water of a great sea. And he used the very power of Dupade when he miraculously travelled across the sea and reached his disciples in their boat. And that’s not all, Jesus even overcame death.
We know that Jesus’ teachings have gone all over the world. So no one can say, ‘We don’t know anything about Dupade nor what he has said. That’s why we haven’t believed in him.’
But these sayings of Jesus aren’t difficult to understand. We are Ayoreos and our words are known. Jesus’ teachings are known to us in our own language. So if anyone of us has not yet believed in Dupade, but now wants to believe, there’s still time for you to say: “I’m coming before you, Jesus, and I want you to take away all my sins and to throw them into the depths of the sea so that when you come back I can go with the rest of the believers.”
The people in hell are worried about their loved ones on earth:
Many times I’ve told you that whether you are an Ayoré, a woman, a Cojñoi, or anyone else, we are all like the rich man who died long ago. He went to jnaropié, the place of the dead. He saw Abraham far off and begged him to save his brothers on earth. He said: “Abraham, tell my brothers what to do so they won’t ever have to go to the lake of fire where I am, because I’ll never be all right again.” He said: “Those of us here in this place who hated Dupade when we were living can’t even pray for our loved ones on earth, because our words are ‘rotten’ to Dupade, so, send one of the believers back to earth to teach my brothers.”
We know that Abraham died many years before this but went on living in the place where believers go when they die. Our forefather Abraham answered the rich man and said to him: “Dupade’s Word is on earth, if anyone wants to accept it and believe it. Your brothers have the writings of Moses, where they’ll find the Words of Dupade to instruct them.”
Let’s say someone reaches Dupade in heaven and he see his friends in jnaropie in the lake of fire, he might say: “Dupade, why don’t you tell them in Tobité about the lake of fire, so they wouldn’t have to go to that place?”
But Dupade would say to that person: “They have my Word in Tobité. If they will listen to it and believe it, they will join us here. I don’t refuse anyone from coming here. In fact, I want everyone to come here. It would be wonderful to have everyone here with us.”
But he would say this to those who are in the lake of fire: “But if people hate me, they will follow you. They will find themselves in the lake of fire. But if they accept what I’ve done for them and put their faith in me, they won’t go where you are.” This is what he would say. “In vain you want people to come to me.” This is what Dupade would say to them.
We know that Dupade’s Son is coming back again. Therefore, if you want your friends to go to heaven, then tell them the news about Jesus coming back for us who believe in Him.
This is all my message
Key:
Dupade – God
Ayoréode – People of the Ayoré tribe
Cojñoi – Person who is not an Ayoré
Cojñone – People who are not Ayoreos
Jnaropié – Place of the dead
Ecarai – Tobité, Bolivia – 1960.
Transcribed and translated to English by: Maxine Morarie.
