DIVERS

A good number of Jesus' sayings are used in contemporary English and continue to add flavour and depth to what people say.We've selected a few of the best known modern sayings and included some notes on what they mean and where they can be found in the accounts of Jesus' life.

Select a saying from the list below.
(Include a template that could scroll down the list)There are many reasons why the words of Jesus continue to be popular in modern speech, but a key reason has to be the way Jesus used it in speech. He was a great narrator, giving his teachings in parables which were easy to remember. His parable of the prodigal son, for example, paints an unforgettable picture of God loving us in the same way that a father generously welcomes his difficult son back home.Jesus also used exaggerated and colourful language which is sometimes shocking, and sometimes funny. The words of Jesus still have the power to shock and surprise us.The sayings we've selected include both directs words of Jesus and also moments and people from his life - such as the crown of thorns he was made to wear before his crucifixion, and "Doubting Thomas", one of his disciples, and "give to Caesar what is Caesar's", -   have made it into everyday speech.

SALT OF THE EARTH

"He's the salt of the earth," as the saying goes. It's like saying that someone is good, reliable and absolutely genuine.

Jesus paid this compliment to his disciples. Since salt was used at the time to purify food and bring out its flavour, he seems to be saying that his followers do something invaluable in the world they live in. Here's how he put it...

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men".

Matthew 5:13

BAPTISM OF FIRE:
Someone is said to go through "a baptism of fire" if they're launched into a new job or a new situation in a very abrupt way. To change the metaphor, they're thrown in at the deep end. So where does the original baptism of fire come from?

John the Baptist was a fiery preacher who was active right at the start of Jesus' public ministry. He baptized people in the River Jordan, and famously predicted that someone even fierier than him was about to arrive on the scene...

"I am just baptizing with water. But someone more powerful is going to come, and I am not good enough even to untie his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."

Luke 3:16

THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND:

"It's like the blind leading the blind..." is a rather politically incorrect comment about receiving guidance that lacks expertise than you were hoping for. Like the teacher who can't spell. Or the parachute course instructor who suffers from vertigo.

Jesus made this saying famous when he rather bitingly attacked the Pharisees, a religious group of his time which Jesus characterised as keeping the letter of the law, but not its spirit...

"Stay away from those Pharisees! They are like blind people leading other blind people, and all of them will fall into a ditch."

Matthew 15:14

A GOOD SAMARITAN

Your car is broken down by the roadside and someone kindly stops to help fix it. Or you're at the supermarket checkout and find you're just short of having the right money, and the person behind offers to make it up to the right amount. They're both good Samaritans, people who help out and maybe even rescue you, when you're having a hard time.

The phrase goes back to a story Jesus told about a Jewish man who was robbed and beaten up, and then helped by a passing Samaritan. The story was shocking, because for Jewish people of the time, Samaritans were foreigners who were mistrusted and loathed. In Jesus' story, the people you think would be bound to help don't, and it's the despised foreigner who comes to the rescue...

A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. "Look after him," he said, "and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have."

Luke 10:30-35

HAVING A CROSS TO BEAR

An illness that won't go away... losing a succession of jobs... when things just keep going wrong, one after another... you might call it bad luck, or you might call it "the cross you have to bear". Where does this phrase come from?

After he had been condemned to death, Jesus was cruelly made to carry his own cross to the place of execution. But he also told his disciples, long before he was crucified, that they would need to carry their own cross in life and be prepared to suffer for his sake. Here are his words...

"If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me and for the good news, you will save it".

Mark 8:34-35

KILLING THE FATTED CALF

If you're having a party and say that you're going to "kill the fatted calf", it's the same as saying that no expense is being spared.

The phrase goes back to a parable of Jesus, where a wayward son comes home after a long time away, and his father is so overjoyed to have him back that he throws a lavish party, fatted calf and all. It seems that killing the fatted calf was the first-century equivalent of cracking open the bubbly...

The father said to his servants, "Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."

Luke 15:22-24