Chapter 6. 21
Why Parables
Why did Jesus teach in Parables and deliberately
cloak the message of the Kingdom of God?
Were
some predestined to understand while others by their own Free Will searched it
out?
Allegory
- Analogy – Apologue – Fable – Figure of Speech – Metaphor – Narrative – Simile
First
Word
Parables have been around since
antiquity, long before Jesus made this age old method of presenting truth popular
with the Hebrew people. Parables and
fables borrow from common and obvious ordinary things that normally come up in
everyday conversations. Both parables
and fables were very popular and showed a particular genius which allowed the
facility of “imagination”
to be quicker to understand than the facility of “logic”.
While Jesus did not invent Parables, He
certainly brought originality and a deeper spiritual importance and insights
that had never been known before; He used the visible world to illustrate the
spiritual realm.
When
Jesus began to teach in Parables, it fulfilled prophecy[1]
which said; I will open my mouth in
a PARABLE; I will utter dark
sayings that have been hidden since the foundation of the world.[2]
These Parables produced two questions; 1) Why did He teach
in parables and 2)
Why were only the Twelve Disciples allowed to know the deep meanings
and the others left wondering?
Some Definitions
There were many methods of teaching
utilized in antiquity; “Mental Gymnastics” for the Hebrews were a way of
life, so when Jesus presented the “Kingdom of Heaven”, it was not a Secret
Gospel, it was meant to exercise their imagination. Before we begin I want to
“set the stage” and define a few expressions that Jesus used.
An Allegory is a literary
device or rhetorical device that conveys semi-hidden meanings
through symbolic figures, actions, imagery, or events, which together
create the moral, spiritual, or political meaning the author wishes to convey.
A Analogy is analogical
reasoning which involves two "objects": the SOURCE and
the TARGET. The target is
supposed to be incomplete and in need of using the source for a complete
description.
A Apologue is a brief fable
or allegorical story with pointed or exaggerated details, meant to serve as a
pleasant vehicle for a moral doctrine or to convey a useful lesson without
stating it explicitly.
A Fable employs animals,
plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, whereas parables
have human characters.
A figure of
speech is figurative language in the form of a
single word or phrase. It can be a special repetition,
arrangement or omission of words with literal meaning, or a phrase with a
specialized meaning not based on the literal meaning of the words. Figures of Speech are divided into two main
categories: SCHEMES and TROPES.
1)
Schemes are
figures of speech that change the ordinary expected pattern of words.
2)
Tropes change the
general meaning to irony, or convey the opposite of their usual meaning.
A Metaphor uses concrete,
perceptible phenomena to illustrate abstract ideas. It distinctly affirms that one thing is
another.
A Narrative sketches a
setting, describes an action and shows the results.
A Simile uses a
metaphorical construction in which something is said to be "like something
else”.
A Parable is a
succinct, didactic story, a short tale that illustrates one or more
instructive lessons or principles of a universal truth and often involves a
character who faces a moral dilemma or one who makes a bad decision and
then suffers the unintended consequences. Wikipedia
The Greek word
Parable means "comparison, illustration or analogy."
It is an illustration in the form of a brief fictional narrative. If a personal name is used, it is an actual
event and not a parable such as in the story of the Rich man and the Beggar
named Lazarus.
Sometime scripture tells a story about an
actual event with actual people which have a parable inside the story; such is
the case of the Old Testament Prophet Balaam, when he spoke of a parable about
King Balak.
Parable in the Greek; Strong’s Concordance 3850
means similitude or symbolically FICTITIOUS narrative that
conveys a moral TRUTH.
Proverb in the Greek; Strong’s Concordance 3942
means a FICTITIOUS Illustration,
which is essentially the same as a Parable; therefore the words are
interchangeable.
The Apocrypha groups Parables
and Proverbs
together, and if you read the book of Proverbs, you can certainly see why. In the New Testament, the notion of Parables
and Proverbs are used interchangeably.
I have said all of this to paint a picture of an age old technique; a
method of teaching which was widely accepted where the vivid illustration were
easily REMEMBERED.
Luke 16:19-20 – Actual event; Rich man and
Lazarus
19 There was a rich man
who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously
every day.
20 And at his gate was laid a poor
man named LAZARUS, covered with
sores, (ESV)
Numbers 23:7 – Parables used in the
discourse of Balaam
7 And he took up his PARABLE, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath
brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come,
curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.
(KJV)
Numbers 23:18 – Parables used in the Old
Testament
18 And he took up his PARABLE, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear;
hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:
(KJV)
Apocrypha - Ecclesiasticus 47:17- Mysteries explained by
Parables
17And you explained MYSTERIES by means of PARABLES. Your name became known to far off
islands, and you were beloved for your peace.
Apocrypha - Ecclesiasticus 39:3 – Hidden meanings in
Proverbs
3 He will search for the HIDDEN MEANINGS of PROVERBS, and he will become familiar with the
mysteries of PARABLES.
The
Question
The Disciples came to Jesus and
point blank asked; “WHY DO YOU TEACH IN PARABLES;” and this is exactly what we want to know today. The Disciples were not
asking for themselves, for they knew how to get their questions answered, but
they were asking for the multitude, wanting them to be illuminated with the
deeper spiritual mysteries as they were.
Before Jesus taught exclusively in parables, He used a lot of graphic language; word pictures of common things that
were familiar to everyone such as light, fish, sheep, and bread and salt.
Parables were plain and easy to those that
were willing to be taught, but more difficult and obscure to those who were “willing ignorant” [3]
and were just amused at the stories. Parables required the listener to lean forward
seeking further understanding, which plants the story deeper within their
spirit.[4]
They serve a double purpose; to Reveal and
Conceal.
THEY
REVEAL to the average person who is insensitive to spiritual
things; the superficial understanding to comprehend important “life lessons” while apart from God.
THEY
CONCEAL spiritual things
incomprehensible in their own nature to be understood. The deeper things are received just as a “tale” or temporary
entertainment. Only those
whose minds and hearts have been opened by the Holy Spirit are able to
comprehend God’s profound spiritual truths; the knowledge needed for Salvation.
The Question within the Question: Why did Christ Reveal life truths, yet conceal
the knowledge of Salvation”. Fact; revelation is given to some and withheld
from others.
I’ve just got to say this …. These special
appointed, set aside, predestined Twelve Disciples DIDN’T GET IT; they
didn’t get the parables.[5] Over and over again they had to ask Jesus for the concepts to
be explained to them[6]
and then He would often explain to them using another parable. What’s up with that?
Jesus said that a time was coming when He would PLAINLY show them the Father,[7]
however it would only be after the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the coming
and indwelling of the Holy Spirit that the Predestined Chosen Twelve would finally get the deep
meanings within their own spirits and then would be able to teach it.[8]
Matthew 13:10 - Why do you speak to them in parables?
10 Then the disciples came and said to him,
“WHY DO YOU
SPEAK TO THEM IN PARABLES?”
The Audience
The Hebrew audience was looking for a Messiah as the
prophets had foretold and looked for the restoration of the house of David with
the expectation that it would happen in their lifetime. The message of the Kingdom was not an abstract
idea, it was an expected
reality. As God’s special set-aside nation, they felt
they had the inside track, but Jesus was revealing a deeper understanding of
the Kingdom of God that had never been taught. The
Parables revealed the Hebrew’s own thinking;
whether or not God was calling them.
Setting the stage; when Jesus ministry begin to present
the concept of the “Kingdom of God was at hand”; the Hebrew’s physical needs were crying out LOUDER than their spiritual needs. Their Physical condition
needed to be addressed before He could address their Spiritual condition.
Note; for me I see many worthwhile ministries like foodbanks and
children’s hospitals, but I only support the ministries that address BOTH of the conditions that Jesus did; the Physical AND the Spiritual; not just the physical; the ultimate end must lead to salvation.
God says; what
do you gain if you get everything you want, but lose your very own soul.[9]
Because of the Compassion of Christ, we find that everywhere He turned, He
was either healing people or feeding them.
Saying it another way; He was doing MIRACLES left and right and because of these
miracles, He had a continuously changing audience seeking after Him for
different reasons; therefore He had collected quite a diversity of people following
Him.
Jesus said at least fifteen times; He who has ears, let him HEAR.[10] Jesus
had a mix of followers with different heart conditions;
a)
Some whose hearts were PREDESTINED to
understand the knowledge of salvation and
reflected it in changed lives; specifically the inner circle of The Twelve
Disciples.
b)
Some whose hearts by FREE WILL were
tuned to God and
were genuinely seeking “the kingdom of heaven” and were committed to becoming
more like Jesus.
c)
Some whose hearts and ears by FREE WILL were
blocked to
His teachings like the religious leaders and lawyers who wanted Jesus to be
arrested and thrown in jail in order to get rid of Him. - (NOTE: The
first four letters of the word Heart is HEAR.)
d)
Some whose hearts by FREE WILL didn’t
care one way or the other and just wanted another free meal, or to be entertained
with another miracle.
I place all of these into TWO “Whosoever”
groups: [11]
1)
Whosoever hath faith: Believers,
those that placed immense importance on His teachings and were seeking the
weightier deeper things; they would be given more understanding. Spiritual
principals become stronger with exercise.
2)
Whosoever hath NOT faith: Make Believers, who placed no
value on the teachings; whose faith was unused, and would lose what
understanding that they had. Principals
that are not exercised grow weak through dis-use and eventually expire.
The Parables quietly addresses the self-righteous, disinterested, and un-repentant
listener and divides
them from the true seekers; it
requires them to think and CHOOSE. [12] It either opened their eyes and ears or it
shut them; enlightened or condemned. It separated the
sheep from the goats; the parables produced A DECISION.[13]
Jesus
avoided teaching the truths too plainly in order to keep “excessive
condemnation” of those who did NOT
accept the teachings by those who did accept. The parables were to intrigue and arouse
curiosity and bring about change in their lives. Deeper truths were withheld so as to
NOT be trampled under the feet of the
unbelievers.
Because
Jesus’ teaching were threating the
status quo of the religious establishment of the Pharisees, Sadducees and the
Scribe lawyers; it would be counterproductive to speak plainly, thus His
homespun stories were hardly something that He could be arrested for. [14]
The Pharisees pretty
much figured out that they were the objects of the parables; that their manmade
teaching were like yeast permeating a whole loaf of bread; they
were like whitewashed
tombs; beautiful on the outside, but full of dead unclean things on
the inside.[15] They wanted to arrest Him, but were afraid of
all His followers, and Jesus made sure this would not happen “BEFORE HIS TIME”
and thus began to teach exclusively into cloaked parables.
Jesus said he had so
much to tell them, but they were just unable to bear it.[16]
The Controversial Answer
Based on reading the Book, it
appears at first blush that Jesus had a Secret Gospel that was just for the inner circle of
the Twelve Disciples. There were
hundreds that became followers or disciples whose life had NOT changed, so He chose to NOT heal their spiritual condition until they understood; change was required.
Jesus said it Himself; to THOSE
OUTSIDE
the inner circle, everything was in parables, so that “they may indeed see, but
not perceive, and may indeed hear, but not understand, lest they should turn
and mentally be healed, but not spiritually healed. He is actually quoting prophecy of what was
going on before their very eyes. [17] He is making a distention here between the
inner circle of Predestined Believers who He continued to open their eyes and ears to reveal His
teachings and
the outer circle of Make Believers who still needed to be healed
spiritually.
I
feel a need to address the Inside
followers or Disciples of Jesus Christ and the followers or disciples on the outside. They were both called “Christians”, but only those on
the inside had made
a change in their lives. As a
side note even the Demons acknowledge Jesus Christ, but have made no
change in their life.[18]
We
certainly have the same thing within our church body today; there are those
that are BELIEVERS whose lives have changed and are full of good works and
some who have made no change in their lives; that are MAKE-BELIEVERS; it’s just life as
usual. The Methodist denomination
teaches “METHODS” of
change both in worship and activities that witness the Believer’s daily
life. IT’S
ABOUT CHANGE.
Jesus
did not want to heal them spiritually without a change in their lives. This change happens when we are saved and are
filled with The
Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
would not fall on the FREE WILLIES until
after the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This sounds like only some were PREDESTINED to
be saved. Well, I believe that the
inner circle of twelve were predestined because Jesus said so. Free Will &
Predestination are both taught in the book.
It’s not about choosing one or the other; it’s knowing that both operate
within God’s Sovereignty. Even though
today I am a PREDESTINED Presbyterian, I was first a FREE WILLIE Baptist
who made a choice. Jesus wanted to delay many truths till the PREDESTINED Twelve finally got the parables, then those with FREE WILL could be taught the
concepts and make a choice that included change in their lives. The Book says; many have FREE WILL, but few are PREDESTINED.
Matthew 22:14 –
Many have free will to come; few are predestined
14 FOR MANY ARE CALLED (to come by Free Will),
BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN.”
(Predestined)
(ESV)
John 15:16 - Twelve Disciples PREDESTINED by God
16 YOU DID NOT CHOOSE ME, BUT I
CHOSE YOU and
appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should
abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
(ESV)
Discerning
of Spirits
Jesus did not want ANY disciple to be led into a momentary experience of
forgiveness with NO CHANGE in lifestyle, but into a lifetime of CHANGE and SEARCHING. Those who truly desired the Truth would
continue to FREELY seek Jesus out and gain the knowledge of the depth of the
Parables.
This is where the rubber meets the road; Jesus said
the GIFT OF DISCERNMENT, to understand
the secrets of the kingdom of heaven is not given to everyone, but to those who
hunger for His word.[19]
These twelve men had been the first chosen and Predestined to receive this gift.[20]
Those that possess the gift of the
discerning of spirits have been dispatched by God to be “Holy Spirit Inspectors; with a
special insight to be able to recognize, identify, and expose deceptive and
erroneous doctrine.[21]
They are the “Spirit’s Watchdog”, the “Watchmen on the Wall” who
diligently study the word and ‘PRACTICE” their gift to
protect against perverted cults, false doctrine, deceptive language and wolves
masquerading as lambs promoting their own self-interest. They raise flags to
identify the cleaver counterfeits, to determine the spurious from what is
genuine; they encourage others to test and judge carefully what they read, hear
and experience. THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES THIS GIFT TODAY.
Today the Gospel Message is often preached
in the mega-churches with a mix of philosophy, psychology and self-sufficiency and have become quite popular and often very PROFITABLE.
The Gift of discernment separates the “WHEAT OF TRUTH” that is being
sown along with the “CHAFF OF DECEIT”.
The Take Away
The Pharisees were always learning, but never
arriving at the truth; their hearts had become dull and their eyes had closed
and their ears could barely hear.[22] It was time for the Holy Spirit to fall on all
that were seeking “THE KINGDOM OF GOD”.[23]
PARABLES REVEAL the superficial
understanding that the average person can comprehend important life lessons
apart from God.
PARABLES CONCEAL thoughts that only those whose minds and hearts have been
opened by the Holy Spirit can comprehend; God’s profound spiritual truths; the
knowledge needed for Salvation.
If Jesus had plainly taught and they had
understood Him, they would NOT have crucified
Him on the cross as the FINAL sacrificial lamb
for our sins and we would still need a Savior.
Many
have FREE WILL to choose, but few are PREDESTINED to
be chosen.
1 Corinthians 2:7-8 – If they had known –
No Crucifixion
7 But we impart a secret and
hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our
glory.
8 None of the rulers of this age understood
this, for if they had, THEY WOULD NOT HAVE CRUCIFIED THE LORD OF GLORY.
(ESV)
Matthew 22:14 –
Many come FREE WILL Few are PREDESTINED
14 For many
are called (by Free Will),
but few are chosen (Predestined).
(ESV)
No
Man ever spoke the way this man does[24]
In the multitude of
counselors,
there
is wisdom.
Proverbs 11:14
I am grateful to those that
went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical
information, and scripture
verses. Because of them I can stand on
their shoulders
and see further that I otherwise
ever could have.
*Curse
of Baphomet; The – Jack T. Chick- www.chick.com
*Encyclopedia
of Free Masonry- Albert G. Mackey
*Freemasonry:
Morals and Dogma – Albert Pike
*Freemasonry:
The Invisible cult – Jack Harris
*Masonic
Christian Conflict explained – Keith
Harris
*Should
a Christian be a Mason – E. M. Storms
A
Commentary, Critical, Experimental and Practical – Erdman’s
A Planned Deception – Constance Cumbey
All the Parables of the Bible – Herbert Lockyer
All the Promises of the Bible – Herbert Lockyer
All the Women of the Bible – Edith Deen
Angels A-Z – Lewis Oliver
Angels: Gods Secret Agents – Billy Graham
Another Gospel – Tucker
Antiquity of the Jews – Flavius Josephus Matthias
Apocrypha;
The – Edgar J. Goodspeed
Armageddon-Appointment with Destiny – Grant R. Jeffrey
Baker
Commentary on the Bible – Walter A.
Elwell
Bible
Almanac: The – Packer Tenney White
Bible
Commentary – F. B. Meyer
Bible
Dictionary - Harper
Book of Mormon; The – Latter Day Saints LDS
CARM –
Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry – M .J. Slick
Case for Mid-Tribulationalism – New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Countdown to Armageddon, the 1980’s – Hal Lyndsay
Dake’s
Annotated Reference Bible – Finis Jennings
Dake
Dead
Sea Scrolls Translated; The – Florentino
Garcia Martinez
Dictionary
of Pentecostal/Charismatic Movements – S.
Burgess
Disappointed with God – Philip Yancey
Don’t know much about the Bible – Kenneth C. Davis
Exposition of the Parables – Benjamin Keach
Expositor’s
Bible Commentary; The – Frank E. Gaebelein
Ezekiel – Thru the Bible – J. Vernon McGee
Final Dawn over Jerusalem – John Hagee
Fly Away Doctrine; Shepherd’s Chapel – Dr. Arnold Murray
Forgotten Books of Eden; The - World
From Daniel to Doomsday – John Hagee
Gospel of Judas; The - Wikipedia
Gospels Interwoven; The – Karmit Zarley
Great
Doctrines of the Bible Vol 2 – W. A.
Criswell
Harper’s
Bible Dictionary – Harper and Row
Hidden Danger of the Rainbow – Constance Cumby
Holy Bible; The – New Catholic Edition
Holy Spirit; The – Billy Graham
Illustrated
Bible Dictionary – Nelson’s
Illustrated
Bible Dictionary - Tyndale
Illustrated
Manners and Customs of the Bible –
Packer-Tenny
Influence;
The – A novel – Matthew John Slick
International
Dictionary of the Bible; The new –
Douglas-Tenney
Invisible
War, The – Donald Grey Barnhouse
Islam 6th Edition – Caesar E. Farah
Islam and the Bible – David Goldmann
Islam; Christian Apologetics – Dr. Norman Geisler
Jerusalem Countdown – John Hagee
Josephus;
the Jewish Historian A.D. 37-98
Last Days; The - Moris Farhi
Late Great Planet Earth; The – Hal Lindsey
Layman’s
Overview of the Bible; The – George W. Knight
LGBT
- Wikipedia
Lost
Books of the Bible; The - Bell
Lost
Books of the Bible; The - World
Loud Cry; The – David Curtis
Master Study Bible – KJV
Matthew Henry’s Commentary - Zondervan
Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis
Meredith’s
Book of List; 1&2 –Bethany House
Publishers
Missing
Books of the Bible; The – Halo Press
Mormon
Mirage, the – Latayne Colvett Scott
Mysteries of the Bible – Readers Digest
Mystery Mark of the New Age – Texe Mars
Nag
Hammadi Library; The – James M. Robinson
New
International Dictionary of the Bible; The
– Douglas; Tenney
New
International Version Bible – NIV
New Millennium; The – Pat Robertson
New
World College Dictionary – Webster
Nostradamus
& the Millennium – John Hogue
Other
side of the Good News; The – Larry Dixon
Pictorial
Encyclopedia of the Bible; The –
Zondervan
Present Day Evangelism – Arthur W. Pink
QJV Bible –
Questions.org
Queen James Bible - Wikipedia
Rapture; Pre Tribulation or Post – Daniel’s Timeline
Return; Post Trib - Manna Fest – Perry Stone
Revelation of Jesus Christ; The – Walvoord
Revelation Seminar; The – 1975 - Hilton Sutton
Revelation Study; The - 1973 – Dr. Warren Wiersbe
Revelation; The – verse by verse – Oliver B. Green
Secrets
of the Dead Sea Scrolls – Hugh J.
Schonfield
Shepherd’s Chapel – Arnold Murray
Systematic
Theology – Stanley M. Horton
Systematic Theology – Wayne Grudem
Ten Commandments – John Hagee
Theomatics – Jerry Lucas
Thru the Bible Commentary – J. Vernon McGee
Today’s
Dictionary of the Bible – T.A. Bryant
Unseen Realm; The – Michael S. Heiser
Victor
Journey through the Bible; The – V.
Gilbert Beers
Vincent’s
Word Studies of the NT - Mac Donald
What
the Bible is all about – Henrietta C.
Mears
What
the Bible says about Death - Signs of the
times
Where
to find it in the Bible – Ken Anderson
Who’s
Who in the Bible – Paul D. Gardner
Wikipedia
Encyclopedia
Windows of the soul – Paul Meier – Robert Wise
Wycliffe Bible commentary; The – Charles F. Pfeiffer
Zondervan
Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible; The
– Tenney
[1] Matthew 13:14-15 - The prophecy of
Isaiah is being fulfilled -- Psalm
78:1-2 – Prophecy; I will open my mouth in
parables
[2] Matthew 13:34-35 – Jesus’ parables contained words
hidden since foundation of the world Isaiah 6:9-10 - PROPHECY
they shall SEE not perceive HEAR not understand
[3] Mark 8:21 - Why is it
that you do not understand -- Matthew
13:13-15 – Those on the outside have dull hearts; there spiritual eyes are
closed
[4] Matthew 13:12 – FREE WILLIES that hunger will be given more
[5] Luke 9:45 The saying were at first concealed from the Twelve -- Mark
9:32 – The disciples did not understand; were afraid to ask
[6] Mark 4:10 - The twelve asked Him about the parable
[7] John 16:25 – A time is coming when I will tell you PLAINLY
[8] John 12:16 – The disciples finally understood the parables -- 1
Corinthians 12:8-10 – Spiritual GIFT; To Distinguish between Spirits --
Matthew 13:11 – You have the GIFT of Spiritual Discernment -- Matthew 13:16-17 – You’ve been given the Gift
of Discernment
[9] Matthew 16:26 - What do you benefit if you
gain the whole world but lose your own soul?
[10] Matthew 13:9 - He who has spiritual ears, let him HEAR
[11] Matthew 13:12 – Two groups – The Haths and the Hath nots
[12] Matthew 25:31-32 – Choose; are you a Sheep or a Goat?
[13] Proverbs 2:1-5 – Tune your heart & find the knowledge of God
[14] Luke 11:53-54 – Pharisees begin tricking Jesus so as to arrest Him
[15] Luke 20:19 - The Scribes and Chief Priest figured it out, the Parable was about them -- Matthew
23:27 – Parable; Scribes and Pharisees were
as Whitewashed tombs -- Matthew 16:11-12 – Parable
– Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees
[16] John 16:12 – You are unable to bear all I have to tell you
[17] Matthew 13:14-15 – Isaiah’s PROPHECY; the need was to be Healed Spiritually -- Mark 4:10-12 – Parables are so they will
hear, but NOT understand
[18] James 2:19 - Demons
believe in God, but no change in their life -- Matthew
[19] 1 Corinthians 2:13-14 – The Natural person is not able to understand
Spiritual things
[20] Matthew 13:16-17 – The Disciples were predestined to perceive
[21] 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 – The Gospel is revealed only through the Holy
Spirit
[22] 2 Timothy 3:6-7 – The natural man is
always learning, but never arrive at truth -- 1 Corinthians 2:11 – The Holy Spirit comprehends
and imparts the things of God -- 1
Corinthians 2:14 – Things of God are Spiritually discerned
[23] John 16:13 – The Holy Spirit guides the Believer into all Truth
[24] John 7:46 - The officers answered, "No
man ever spoke like this Man!"
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