The Parables of Jesus

Over the next few weeks, I will be covering some of the parables of Jesus and try to explain their meaning as it relates to Christian living. There is a total of 38 parables taught by Jesus in the New Testament as a teaching tool for both the disciples and the people of the time. In order to first understand these parables, we must first understand what a parable is. A parable is a short story that illustrates a moral or spiritual lesson that uses everyday situations to display deeper truths about God's Kingdom, human nature, and divine grace. They are earthly stories with a heavenly meaning.

Why are parables such a good teaching method? First of all, a parable simplifies complex truth or spiritual concept that is not easy to understand or grasp. They tend to provoke reflection. In other words, it invites the one who is listening to think, interpret, or discover the meaning themselves. A parable will either reveal or conceal the truth from those who hear it. In Matthew 13 Jesus tells his disciples they reveal the truth to those with open minds and conceals it for those who are unwilling to listen. Lastly, parables are relevant across time and cultures. They are just as relevant today as they were when Jesus told them.

In Matthew 13:13 Jesus says: "This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing they do not hear or understand." He is quoting from Isaiah 6:9-10 which says: He said: "Go and tell this people; Be ever hearing but never understanding; be ever seeing but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed." Jesus tells his disciples that his parables were giving them the knowledge or the secrets of the kingdom of heaven because they would understand what he was telling them.

One of my favorite parables is the parable of the Sower. It is one of my favorites because it really is timeless. It applies to today's Christian just as much as it did to the early Jews. This parable can be found in Matthew 13:3-9, Mark 4:3-9, and Luke 8: 5-8. This is one of the parables that Jesus explains to his disciples right away when they ask about it. First let's read the parable. Matthew 13 -

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

In verses 18 - 23 Jesus explains his parable to the disciples. His explanation is better than I could ever explain it in my own words.

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

The reason it sticks with me so emphatically is because we live with this situation every day in our Christian lives. We also see it repeat itself over and over again. We see the word being taught today that people don't really understand what they are hearing so it doesn't take root they just continue their lives as they always have. They don't understand the bible when they read it so it is easy for the evil one to intercede and help them just forget about it without a second thought. This is the seed that falls on the path. The next person hears the word and is excited about the message they hear but they soon face trials or troubles and since they haven't really continued in their study they soon forget about the word and go on their original pathway. They didn't let the word sink in and take root in their thoughts and actions. It was a momentary moment of emotion that they felt. This occurs when their decision to follow Christ is only an emotional response and not a heart changing response to the word. The word falling along the thorns really teaches us to not let the worries of our lives take the place of our hope and trust in Christ. We let the world and our lives interfere with our relationship with God. We are so worried about self that we forget about others and bout God completely and then wonder why these things are happening to us. It is during these worries and problems that we need to turn to God the most. He is the only one who is in control of our lives. We have no control ourselves. What we have is from God and all belongs to him.

And of course, the final place is the word that falls onto the good soil. God's word enters our lives, and we may not understand everything we read but we understand that it is the word of God and we long to understand and to be obedient to his words. We understand that our lives are best when we follow His word. The parable of the Sower is timeless. It points to how we hear the word today and how we respond to it is up to us. "Those with ears, let them hear."

When we read the parables of our Lord, we must try and put t hem into our everyday terms and situations. Learn from them what Christ wanted us to learn from them and then follow his teaching.

“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26