Hyperbole

Personal Illustration:

I had to have a tooth removed last Thursday. It took me FOREVER to get an appointment. Once I got there and got back in the room where they were going to extract my tooth I felt like I was in an operating room not a dentist office. I remember back in the ‘80’s when I got two eye teeth removed they gave me a shot and pulled the teeth and Ibuprofen to take for pain and away I went with one day off work.

I’m laying there with about 3 or 4 people in the room checking my blood pressure and then my sugar level and another person was asking me a MILLION questions. Finally they put this block in my mouth and that was the last thing I remember until they woke me up with this huge hole where my tooth was. It felt like the GRAND CANYON where my tooth use to be.

The title of this message is: Hyperbole.

Hyperbole is over stating something to make a point. To awaken you thought about a subject.

-Did you spot any “Hyperbole” in my story?

---Took FOREVER to get an appointment.

---They were asking me a MILLION questions.

---They left a hole where my tooth was like the GRAND CANON.

I bet if we just listen for Hyperbole we can hear them all over the place. I think it’s something we have grown accustom and we have allowed ourselves to adapt and understand it.

Listen to some of these and maybe you will hear some you have used or heard used before?

(pick out some to use)

ILLUSTRATION:

**He’s running faster than the wind.

1. This bag weighs a ton.

2. That man is as tall as a house.

3. This is the worst day of my life.

4. The shopping cost me a million dollars.

5. My dad will kill me when he comes home.

6. Your skin is softer than silk.

7. She’s as skinny as a toothpick.

8. She was so happy; her smile was a mile wide.

9. The footballer is the best player of all time.

10. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.

11. It’s impossible to complete this puzzle.

12. Next Friday is never going to arrive.

13. I’ve read this book a hundred times.

14. My hand hurts so much it’s going to drop off.

15. My brother is stronger than iron.

16. She’s my guardian angel.

17. Their brain is the size of a pea.

18. I’m so sad that I’m drowning in tears.

19. The leaves are dancing in the breeze.

Some of our Christian friends will say “The Bible says it, I believe it and that settles it.” There's not a problem with that if they mean when properly interpreted.

In a lot of the cases, if not most, we need an understanding of what was going on at the time, the culture difference then and now and a few other things.

When I lived in Italy down in Sicily they had a couple things that I liked when it came to euphemisms.

One was: “they would pull up on both of their shoulder and at the same time say Boop”. It meant they didn't know or they didn't care. I used that a lot when I first got there because I liked it.

They had another one its difficult to interpret but here goes: “That's your cabbages.” what they meant was: “That's your problem.”

Language is very difficult everywhere even if you grew up with it. Here a lot of people call “Tobacco – Backer” or “Tomato some will say Madter or Madder” or what about “It’s just a fer piece down the road.”

One other thing there are no word for word interpretation of any Bible. It’s impossible to do given the many characteristics of languages.

According to our text today Jesus was simply walking down the road. For some reason he just turn to the people and made a startling statement:

Luke 14:25-33 (NLT)

25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.

27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

The word “hate” is accept in many Bible version and in common English usage had the mean of “despise”, “detest” and other words that just means you can't stand the person or thing.

In out text today speaking “Hyperbole” doesn’t mean we have to hate anyone much less the ones we love. What it really means here is that God, His Son Jesus the Christ and the Holy Spirit has to come first before anyone else.