Parables -
Understanding What God Says
A Swiss guy, looking for directions, pulls up at a bus stop where two Englishmen are waiting.
"Entschuldigung, koennen Sie Deutsch sprechen?" he says. The two Englishmen just stare at him.
"Excusez-moi, parlez vous Francais?" The two continue to stare.
"Parlare Italiano?" No response.
"Hablan ustedes Espanol?" Still nothing.
The Swiss guy drives off, extremely disgusted.
The first Englishman turns to the second and says, "Y'know, maybe we should learn a foreign language...."
"Why?" says the other, "That fellow knew four languages, and it didn't do him any good."
It's true. Knowing a lot of languages is no guarantee that you can communicate with someone (though it may increase your chances!). Even Jesus, the great communicator, found that there were people who couldn't understand what he was saying.
"Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand...." —Matthew 13:13
Why? It wasn't a problem of languages; it was a problem of the heart.
"For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them." —Matthew 13:15
The parables comprise more than one-third of the recorded teachings of Jesus. While they contain some of the most profound lessons taught by Him, at the same time they comprise some of His simplest, most easily understood lessons.
The writers of the New Testament, while using allegories and similitudes, do not use the story parable as Jesus did though it is found occasionally in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, though, its use seemed to be unique to Jesus which was a fulfillment of prophecy (Compare Matthew 13:34-35 with Psalm 78:2 and Matthew 13:13-14 with Isaiah 6:9-10).
By the time of His ministry which is recorded in Matthew 12 and 13, Jesus’ form of public instruction had become principally parabolic.
Why? Their leaders and the people as a whole had hardened their hearts against Him and His message because they were filled with prejudice, moral hardness, blindness, and willful ignorance. As opposition to Him grew in intensity, so did His parables in their force, soberness, and frequency. His purpose in them reflected the conditions which prompted Him to teach in such a way.
Parable Defined
A. Many people define a parable as “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning,” but such a definition is not broad enough to include all the parables.
1. Luke 4:23, by the above definition, would have to be called a proverb.
2. Mark 7:15-17, by the above definition, would be a kind of riddle that would prompt the hearer to ask, “What is there that comes out of me that is more important than what I take in?”
B. “Literally denotes a placing beside, (akin to paraballo, to throw or lay beside, to compare). It signifies a placing of one thing beside another with a view to comparison.” (W.E. Vine, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, p. 840)
C. It is derived from the Greek word “parabole” that comes from two other Greek words.
1. “Ballo” (verb): “to throw or cast.”
2. “Para” (preposition): “alongside of.”
3. “That which is thrown alongside of,” thus resulting in a comparison.
D. Generally speaking, a parable is a comparison or analogy drawn from nature or human circumstances, the object of which is to set forth a spiritual lesson. In the parables of Jesus there are comparisons of spiritual realities and natural occurrences.
The Purposes of Parables
A. While the New Testament does not state, in so many words, the exact purpose of the parabolic teaching of Jesus, it implies it in Matthew 13:10-13: “And the disciples came and said to Him, ‘Why do You speak to them in parables?’ He answered and said to them, ‘Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” (New King James Version)
B. The four goals of parables.
1. The revelation of truth.
a. Parables often reveal more truth than a plain statement would.
b. Those who, with a proper attitude, were seeking truth would be able to understand more (Matthew 13:11-12) because they had seeing eyes and hearing ears. (Matthew 13:16)
c. Christ revealed deep spiritual truths in a way easy for His disciples to understand.
2. The concealment of truth. (Matthew 13:11-14)
a. The use of parables did not make Jesus’ teaching plain to all who heard it because, having no appreciation for it, some of His hearers would not seek to understand it for they loved darkness more than light. (John 3:19-21)
b. The concealment of truth is not inconsistent with God. Consider Romans 1:28 and 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12.
3. The preservation of truth.
a. Parables are set forth in a vivid, striking form which commands attention and impresses the memory thus making them easy to recall.
b. Their use is especially beneficial to those who are just beginning to study spiritual things because it enables them to feed upon simpler things and to retain the stories more easily than just plain facts.
4. The stimulant of truth from those otherwise reluctant to acknowledge it.
a. Nathan’s parable to David caused David to condemn himself. (2 Samuel 12:1-7)
b. The parable of the wicked husbandmen spoken by Jesus to the Jews caused the Jews, in effect, to admit that God would be just in destroying them for their wickedness. (Matthew 21:23-46)
Understanding Parables
A. It is impossible to lay down strict rules for understanding parables.
1. For example, in some parables small details have significance while in others details are not important.
2. “The primary lesson or lessons of a parable must be grasped but not each and every detail is always to be forced to yield a distinct lesson. Parables are like pictures, in that they require details to make up the general picture but without each detail having of necessity a special and separate lesson. It may or may not be so.” (G.H. Lang, The Parabolic Teaching of Scripture, p. 17)
B. In general, a parable has one central meaning.
1. In most cases, the details or incidents of the parable are merely “drapery,” i.e., they serve as the background for the main thought or lesson.
2. Some incidents, though, have meanings which are given by Jesus Himself.
C. “In understanding the parables of Jesus, there are at least six points that we need to remember.
(1) The material of parables may be real or fictitious.
(2) The material of parables may be borrowed from nature or from human life.
(3) The purely fanciful details of a parable may correspond accurately to the men who are instructed, and to their doings.
(4) Parts or the whole of a parable may be prophecy.
(5) The essential lesson taught is the main matter; details may or may not have separate significance.
(6) Application of details not explained must be on the lines of explanations given; then they will be sober and valuable, not fanciful or idle. Then also they will harmonize naturally with the whole picture, will add to its completeness, heighten its effect, and will not be foreign to it or irrelevant to the main lesson.
Conclusion
A very careful reading and study of the parables of Jesus will prove to be a great blessing to you. Giving serious consideration to their lessons will allow you to gain much knowledge and wisdom.
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https://kevinskomment.blogspot.com/
Then search for one of these parables.
Parables of Jesus Table
Parable
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Text
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Date
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Matthew 13:45-46
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4-12-17
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Matthew 13:44
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4-12-17
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Luke 15:11-32
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4-19-17
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Matthew 21:28-32
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4-26-17
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Matthew 20:1-16
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5-3-17
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Matthew 18:21-35
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5-10-17
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Luke 11:5-13
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5-24-17
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Luke 18:1-8
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5-24-17
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Luke 18:9-14
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5-24-17
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Luke 16:1-13
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5-31-17
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Luke 10:25-37
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5-17-17
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Matthew 25:14-30
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6-7-17
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Luke 16:19-31
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6-14-17
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Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23
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6-21-17
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Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
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6-21-17
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Mark 4:26-29
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6-21-17
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Matthew 13:31-33
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6-28-17
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Ten Virgins
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Matthew 25:1-13
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7-5-17
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Watchful Servants
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Mark 13:32-37
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7-5-17
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Matthew 22:1-14
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7-12-17
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Matthew 21:33-46
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7-26-17
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Luke 12:13-21
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8-2-17
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Luke 7:36-50
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8-9-17
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The Parables of Jesus
The word parable means “a casting alongside.” In His teaching Jesus compared one thing with another to communicate truth. He picked up incidents from everyday life and compared them with a deeper, more abstract truth to help His audience understand spiritual realities.
For example, in this parable of the sower Jesus described a Palestinian farmer who sowed seed in a field. The people who were listening got the picture immediately. But the various soils upon which the seed fell—representing different reactions to the gospel or the word of God—was the spiritual point of the story.
The advantage of such stories is that they arrest the listeners’ attention with a vivid, memorable picture of the truth. But this does not mean that Jesus’ parables were always easy to understand. Even Jesus’ disciples were sometimes puzzled about the meaning of His parables, as they were about the parable of the wheat and the weeds (Matt. 13:36). Jesus patiently explained the meaning of the parable to them because they were open-minded and teachable. But His parables sometimes concealed the truth from those who were stubborn and disobedient, especially the Pharisees (Luke 8:9–10).
Knight, G. W. (2001). A simplified harmony of the Gospels (Lk 8:8). Holman Bible Publishers.
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