Chreia Traditions And The Rhetorical Form Of Jesus’ Sayings
Jesus asked rhetorical questions of his followers in many of his teachings. He used Chreia traditions to encourage them to think about how the Holy Spirit could work through them if they put their trust in God, instead of attempting to solve their problems themselves. When they put their trust in Jesus, they could feel the power of the Holy Spirit working through them.
Jesus often lllustrated his teachings based on his audience. He used imagery and left the people to ponder his stories. An example of how Jesus used Chreia traditions was “The Sermon on the Mount.” He used 62 different figures of speech to elaborate on his message.
In Mathew, Jesus draws analogies to the Holy Spirit working through him when feeding the five thousand (Mathew 14: 13-18). He knows the people will be fed but the disciples are skeptical. He tells them to feed the people. They complain that they have five loaves and two fish. He takes the loaves and fish, looks toward heaven, and asks for God’s blessing. The disciples distributed the food among the people and there were twelve baskets of leftovers. By using the loaves and fish as imagery, he showed the people that God was indeed caring for them and always does if they just put their trust in Him.