About the Word "Parable"
Jesus reveals nine parables described in Matthew 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8 that describe the nature and purpose of the Kingdom of Heaven. "Parable" comes from the Greek "parabolé" which means to "throw down beside" something in order to compare its size (or to measure it). Jesus uses commonly known objects and relationships that people of that culture understood and "threw them down beside" a spiritual truth. In its simplest form, a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Jesus exhorts us repeated to "hear" these parables, which means we are to have a receptive heart to the spiritual message.
After His rejection by the Jewish leadership in Matthew 12, Jesus would only communicate the spiritual truths about the Kingdom of Heaven in the form of parables.
Mark 4:11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables.... NKJV
This was to fulfill Isaiah's prophecy concerning Israel:
Isaiah 6:9-10 Go! Say to these people: Keep listening, but do not understand; keep looking, but do not perceive. Dull the minds of these people; deafen their ears and blind their eyes; otherwise, they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be healed. HCSB
The Rejection of the Messiah
This rejection of Jesus as the Messiah by the Jewish leadership (described in Matthew 12) was basis for Jesus only teaching in parables from that point forward in His ministry. The "unpardonable sin" that Israel committed as a nation. Their punishment was the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and the diaspora of the Jews and their persecution for nearly 2000 years. We are individually accountable for our own sins and judged accordingly, and when we call on the name of the Lord as our savior we are saved and forgiven of all our sins. But the "unpardonable" sin was committed by the nation of Israel when the Sanhedrin attributed the miracles of Jesus to Beelzebub instead of the Holy Spirit.Therefore, the parables were spoken and taught specifically over the period after the rejection of Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah. The failure of the Jewish people (in general) to accept their Messiah is what led to their reproach that was prophesied in Psalm 79 and Psalm 80. However, the Jewish remnant comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus as their Messiah prophesied by Zechariah 12 and 13, Joel 2, and Isaiah 64.
Paul exposits on this process of national hardening of the hearts of the Jews to reconcile the Gentile world to God and then the Jews' subsequent national repentance in Romans 9, 10 and 11. The key parts of that process are summarized here:
Romans 11:25-27 So that you will not be conceited, brothers, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery: A partial hardening has come to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
'The Liberator will come from Zion; He will turn away godlessness from Jacob.
And this will be My covenant with them (Isaiah 59:20-21)
when I take away their sins.' (Jeremiah:31-31-34) HCSB
The time and place of the Kingdom of Heaven
- The Kingdom's citizens are the Church and the Tribulation Saints (both Gentile and Jewish)
- The Kingdom began with the preaching of John the Baptist, Jesus, and HIs disciples.
- The Kingdom will replace the kingdom of the world and cast out its leader Satan.
- The Kingdom of Heaven will never end. It is invisible now but will become fully visible upon the return of Jesus Christ following a 75-day interval at which time Christ will set up the Earthly Millennial Kingdom that He will rule from Jerusalem.
The key to understanding the spiritual lesson of parables is to properly decode the symbols. Parables typically have multiple layers of meaning, but the Bible ultimately defines the meanings of the symbols used. When symbolic interpretation is applied correctly, parables with "commonly known" interpretations can actually take on a significantly different meaning.
Parable of the Secretly Growing Seed
Mark 4:26-29 "And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” NKJVThis parable is an extension of the Parable of the Sower designed to teach the hearer that the seed (the Word of God) will spring to life of its own accord, for it has the power of life:
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart. HCSB
Other than bearing fruit through their own testimony, it is not the responsibility of the Sowers to create fruit in others. The Sower (the Christian disciple) is responsible to spread the word to fulfill the great commission, but God will cause the seed to take root through the Holy Spirit Who convicts the hearts of hearers. God will bring the growth and produce the fruit of holiness and praise.
Isaiah 55:10-11 For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do. HCSB
Our response is to apply the Word to our lives and allow it to take root in our hearts. It (the Word) will grow and transform our lives and produce in us the fruit of righteousness and praise for God. To allow the seed to grow we must be hearers of the Word and allow it to transform us:
John 12: 24-25 “I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop. The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." HCSB
Parable of the Sower and the Seeds
This could also be considered the "Parable of the Soils". (See also Mark 4:3-9 and Matthew 13:3-9)
Luke 8:5-8 “A sower went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky ate it up. Other seed fell on the rock; when it sprang up, it withered, since it lacked moisture. Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. Still other seed fell on good ground; when it sprang up, it produced a crop: 100 times what was sown.” As He said this, He called out, “Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!” HCSBThis parable is actually named later by Jesus as the "Parable of the Sower" in verse 18 of Matthew's account. According to Jesus Himself, this parable establishes the interpretation for the other 8 parables:
Mark 4:13 Then He said to them: “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any of the parables? HCSB
The Kingdom will be characterized by the sowing of seed (the Word of God), and as several parables suggest, the Word of God will be resisted both externally by evil spiritual forces, and internally in the hearts of fallen men and women who reject its message. Throughout the Kingdom period there will be different groups of people who will be prepared to hear the Gospel, and those who will reject it.
Jesus' Interpretation of the Parable
Matthew 13:18-23 “You, then, listen to the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word [logos] about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path. And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself but is short-lived. When pressure or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the seduction[d] of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does bear fruit and yields: some 100, some 60, some 30 times what was sown.” HCSB
The fruit from the good soil is righteousness and praise as described by Isaiah:
Isaiah 61:11 For as the earth produces its growth, and as a garden enables what is sown to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. HCSB
While those who rejected the message of the Kingdom of Heaven would have their hearts closed to what little insight they held, and their understanding would be taken away from them. The lesson for us is that over time, if you continue to reject the message of Christ and the salvation He offers, it gets easier to ignore the prompting of the Spirit. Eventually the heart becomes totally hardened and will not accept the Gospel message.
The Jews had the oracles of God, thousands of teachers of the law, and hundreds of years to prepare and make straight the way of the Lord - but they fell into legalism and ceremonies and lost the power of the Word of God. Even though they were the holders of the Truth, they repeatedly rejected the personification of Truth when it was among them -- and the truth was hidden from their eyes.
Parable of the Householder's Treasure
This is quite the ambiguous parable:This is a very interesting and apt interpretation of this verse.Matthew 13:52 “Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”
Augustine is credited with the phrase "in the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and in the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed." Both Old and New Testament are part of a coherent, single message -- a love letter written across the centuries by One Author. What may not make sense to our eyes in the Old Testament, especially without Levitical training, is revealed in the practical teaching given to us in the Gospels and Epistles.Which is better, the old or the new? The parable of the householder's treasure is similar to the parable of the patch and the wine skins (Matthew 9:16f.). Are we to throw away the old for the sake of the new? Or renounce the new, because we prefer the old? The "scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven" is certainly privileged. A scribe in Jesus' time was noted for his learning of the Jewish scriptures (the Old Covenant). He was a teacher of God's law and wisdom. The scribe (and disciple) who recognizes the new teaching and law which Jesus brings, does not need to abandon everything he learned. He can now use it in a new light which Christ reveals to those who listen. The words "old" and "new" are often used in the New Testament to refer to the Law of the Old Covenant and to the Gospel. So, a scribe or disciple who is trained by Christ understands and teaches both the Law and the Gospel. Consider how impoverished we would be if we only had the Old Testament or the New Testament, rather than both. www.dailyscripture.net Copyright © 2014 Don Schwager
The life Jesus lived serves as an example to each of us as the fulfillment of all the scriptures.
Matthew 5:17-18 “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. NKJVJesus gives us a fascinating glimpse into the future (from the perspective of His disciples) that reveal the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. It will overcome the kingdoms of the Earth, but first we who are still here in the world must spread the gospel, which will secretly take root and grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Further reading on this subject:
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Scripture citations are from: Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) © 2009 Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville TN or New King James Version®. (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson
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