Morning Star Christian Fellowship

Introduction

Why did Jesus speak to the people in parables? You may be surprised at His answer ~ I was. The answer may not be what you have thought it to be and it may not be what you have  been told before. It is true that a commonly held definition of Biblical parables has been: “An earthly story having a heavenly meaning.”  But the idea that Jesus used earthly metaphors to enable His listeners to understand what He was getting at ~ well, that is not what He said! The twelve disciples asked the same “why?” question and we can read about it in Matthew’s account of the life of Jesus. Let’s go to Matthew chapter 13  which, by the way, contains the record of seven parables and begins with The Parable of the Sower.

Verse ten reads, “The disciples came to Him and asked, ‘Why do you speak to the people in parables?’” Jesus responds to their puzzled minds by quoting from Isaiah 6:9 & 10. You can read this dialogue also in Mark 4:11 and in Luke 8:9.  Here is Mark’s account:

“The secret of the Kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’ “.

I ask myself, were the parables a type of “audience filter” employed by our Lord? The backdrop for this exchange was while Jesus was sitting in a boat teaching from the boat because the crowds were so large that they filled the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee. We will learn as we go along in this study that the crowds followed Him for different reasons and not all motives were noble. Jesus addresses this fact minutes later when he delivers The Parable of the Weeds. But I will save that for a later chapter.

Finally, in making this point, let us look at Matthew 13:34 & 35:

“Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: ‘I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.’ ”

Jesus’ use of parables fulfilled the ancient prophetic prediction of Asaph drawn from Psalm 78:2.

Timeline Sections

The public ministry of Jesus spanned a period of approximately 3 1/2 years. From Adulation to Betrayal ~ Timeline of 35 Parables is divided into five sections corresponding to five distinct time portions of  His public ministry and I have listed the number of prominent parables declared by Jesus during each division:

1) First Year ~ Inauguration – no parables

2) Second Year ~ Popularity – twelve parables

3) Third Year ~ Opposition – four parables

4) The Final Months ~ Unfolding Strategy - eleven parables

5) The Final week ~ Omega Point - eight parables

Luke’s account of the life of Jesus records the largest number of parables ~ twenty-one in all. Matthew records sixteen and Mark selects only four. John’s Gospel account includes only two ~ The Parable of the Good Shepherd and The Parable of the True Vine. A handful of the parables are recorded in two or more of the Gospel accounts.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John had their own ethnic, educational, geographical, and vocational backgrounds. Matthew and John were among the twelve disciples and eye witnesses of the life of Jesus. Each writer had a particular target audience they writing to. Each was captivated by a perception of the Teacher that influenced their writings. Those impressions were articulated through their choice of words and descriptions of events. Each found “their voice.” Rather than disturbing my trust in the inerrancy of the scriptures, these  four distinctive, but unified, approaches fascinate me. As I study personal background details about Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John I grasp more of their intentions in disseminating the Savior’s message.

Generally, a “brief and amazing” chapter has been dedicated to each of the thirty-five parables. There are two exceptions: 1) the volley of four single-verse parables declared in Matthew 13:31-45;  2) the trilogy of “the lost…” parables in Luke 15:8-32. In my opinion, each parable has a primary theme, and many have a secondary theme also. As the writer, I employ and enjoy author’s privilege in determining what these emphases are. As the reader, you may be nudged to take me to task about one or more of my editorial choices. In those instances, of course, I would love to hear your point of view.

You may want to discuss some others points as well, such as, why I have chosen to quote from the New International Version of the scriptures, why there are no footnotes except two, what my criteria was in designating one passage as a parable and another as “not”, and my decision to include accurate details of the betrayal, arrest, kangaroo court scenes, and killing of Jesus. Some facts may prove to be incinerating. I have thought long and hard about just how to treat this aspect of the final months and days of Jesus’ life. Contact me if you have a problem with it.

For those who are new to reading references to scripture verses, which I pray are many, here is the code:

 Matthew 24:12-14  reads as follows ~ Matthew chapter twenty-four verses twelve through fourteen

How did I describe myself in my Preface? A “counter”? Sounds like I am not the only one among us. Take a look at this excerpt from Matthew chapter 16. The setting was this: Jesus and the Twelve disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee and whoever was in charge of bringing the food for the outing “forgot to take bread.” Jesus made a comment, a discussion arose among them, and then Jesus responded with this question and summary statement regarding  two recent miraculous “food events”:

“Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls (of leftovers) you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?”  Matthew 16:9-10 (italics mine)

Do you, my reader, remember? The answers are “twelve basketfuls” and “seven basketfuls”.

Now, shall we move forward to experience “From Adulation to Betrayal ~ Timeline of 35 Parables?” If so, may you be enriched by the Master’s wisdom and instruction!