Verse 9
Or what man is there of you, who, if his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone; or if he shall ask for a fish, will give him a serpent?
Christ's argument here from the predictable conduct of men has strong overtones teaching the likeness between God and man. Of course, this is inherent in the fact that man was created in God's image (Genesis 1:27), and Jesus' words here show that something of God can be known by observing that which is highest and best in man. The basic kinship between God and man is a broad principle underlying the entire Judeo-Christian revelation. The apparent relation between a loaf and a stone is that of appearance. Some stones resemble ancient "loaves" of bread. The second portion of this passage repeats for the sake of emphasis the essential wisdom of the first part. These expressions are actually a form of Hebrew poetry in which there is a rhyme of thought rather than of syllables. Another example is in Matthew 7:2.
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