"The Lord is my shepherd"
This is one of the most famous metaphors to be found in the Bible and a foundation of Christianity. God is here compared to a shepherd tending to and protecting his flock.
“The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”
A simile comparing the day of reckoning and everything those who have not set things right with God stand to lose to the unexpected appearance of thief who shocks his victims out of a lack of consciousness at their most vulnerable moment.
"I am the bread of life."
In comparing himself to the fundamental source of nutritional nourishment at the time, Jesus creates a metaphor for His role as the provider of fundamental nourishment for the soul.
“I am the way and the truth and the light.”
Jesus takes on various roles through metaphor. He becomes the embodiment of all truth, the only path available to that truth and the illumination of that path so one can follow it.
"You are the salt of the earth."
The “you” that are transformed through metaphor into salt are the followers of Christ. Thus, they become endowed with the purpose to season the earth by spreading the word of Jesus. Seasoning without flavor serves no purpose and therefore is no longer needed.
