UNIT VII.

JESUS, THE TEACHER:

THE PARABLES OF JESUS

The Parables of Jesus

Of all the teaching methods used by Jesus, the most effective and most popular was the parable. The
parable is a short story and everyone loves a story whether it is a little child or an adult. To teach in parables is
to teach in word-pictures. The parable describes a familiar situation, but point to some spiritual truth. It is not
always easy to teach some abstract spiritual truth like God’s love for example, but if you tell a story of a
wayward son whose father receives and welcomes him with great joy when he returns home, here you
understand the forgiving love of God for the sinner.

Jesus’ parables have their roots in the riddles, analogies, vivid comparisons and pithy sayings in the
Old Testament. More than anything else they owe their existence to the illuminating figures of speech that were
so characteristic of the language of the Hebrew people of Jesus’ day. These gave rise to comparisons and
analogies that went beyond single words to word-pictures and illuminating stories.

Locating the Parables in the New Testament

The term “parable” is applied to many different portions of the Bible by the writers of the New
Testament. Sometimes it is applied to “proverbial sayings as in Mark 7:15, “There is nothing outside a man
which by going into him can defile him…” Closely related to this and hard to distinguish from parables are
“proverbs”. A proverb is an observation from human experience, often using concrete analogies to convey its
message. The sentence, “Physician, heal yourself” [Lk. 4:23] is referred to as a proverb in the Scriptures.

The most important use of the word parable grows out of the use of metaphors and similes in concrete
speech. A metaphor or simile involves a single word or a small group of words for comparison. A familiar
example is “You are the salt of the earth…, “You are the light of the world…” [Matt. 5:13-14].

A parable is usually narrative or an incident in which there is some comparison. The comparison is
drawn from nature or daily life which is designed to illuminate some spiritual truth. That is why the parables of
Jesus often begin with the words: “The Kingdom of God is like…” this is the common understanding of the
word parable today.

Because of the variety of meaning attached to the term parable, scholars differ on the number of
passages of the Scriptures that are called parables.

At the close of this unit is a list of more familiar parables of Jesus recorded in the first three gospels.
The gospel of John contains no parables. Instead, in the fourth gospel, the teaching of Jesus are given in the
form of long discourses which elaborate Jesus’ sayings, for example the discourses on “I am the bread of life”
[John 6: 35-65]or the discourses on “I am the good shepherd” [John 10:11-18], etc.

The Nature of the Parables

Our understanding of the parables is enhanced of we bear in mind that they were originally a form of
oral communication. Though they come to us in written form, Jesus told them informally to various audiences.

When Jesus told us true-to-life stories, as a master storyteller, he used technique of oral
communication. These techniques include the following:
 1. The use of repetition to help us remember the story. Examples are the parables of the two houses
and of the talents.

2. Use of contrast to make vivid a decisive point. The Good Samaritan is contrasted with the priest and
Levite, the prodigal son with the older brother.

3. The use of the rule of three to help memory and heighten the dramatic effect. Examples are the three
kinds of soil in the Sower, the three servants in the Talents. [This is similar to the rule of three in
children’s stories like “The Three Bears” and “The Three Little Pigs”.]

4. The use of the device of end-stress, emphases on the final act of the story. Stress falls on the Good
Samaritan, and on the man who bruises his talent.

5. Economy of words. The parables vary in length but no matter what their length, they do not spin out
the story in so many descriptive words. Someone has said that the parables have “bare narrative
quality”. The stories are action in words.

The Values and Purpose of the Parables

The parables appear to our insight and demand our understanding and response. The Old Testament
illustrates that parables are a means of involving us and of driving home their meaning when we might not even
expect it. a very good example of this is the parable of Nathan, the prophet told David after he had Uriah killed
so he could marry Bathsheba [see 2 Sam. 12: 1-42]. The story Nathan told is of a wealthy man who takes away
the pet lamb of a poor man to serve it to his guests. When David hears Nathan’s story, he is very angry and
says, “The man who has done this deserves to die!” When Nathan says to David, “You are the man”, David right
away recognizes the enormity of the sin he had committed.

Parables judge us by revealing us to ourselves. The purpose of Jesus’ parables is to impart the Word of
God to man so that he responds. The parables must not be thought of as mere sermon illustrations stating in
pictures form some general truths. They are the Word of God, quick and powerful, piercing and penetrating.
Their effectiveness is not in their illustration. It is our responsiveness.

Guiding Principles in Interpreting the Parables

1. The parable has only one essential point. It should not be interpreted as an allegory where every
character or part of the story has meaning. The parables teach only one main lesson.

2. A survey of what proceeds or follows the parables in the text often gives a clue to the meaning
intended by Jesus. Search the surrounding verses to discover the context or the situation in which Jesus told the
story. Why did Jesus tell the story? For example, when we study the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:
11-32, we discover that at the beginning of the chapter, Luke 15: 1-2, the Pharisees and Scribes criticize Jesus
for associating with tax collectors and sinners. It is in response to the criticism that Jesus tells this story. In the
second part of the Prodigal Son parable were we read of the older son’s reaction to the return of his brother, we
can see illustrated the self-righteous attitude of the Pharisees to the tax collectors gathering around Jesus. In this
story, Jesus tells the Pharisees, there is great joy and welcome in the Father’s home when a sinner returns and
repent. The Pharisees, like the older son, is too self-righteous and has no joy and forgiveness in his heart. He is
even more lost from his Father’s home than the brother who went away.

3. A third principle is to discover what the parable originally meant to its first hearers before applying
the lesson to our lives today. Was it intended for the disciples? If so, what did Jesus try to teach them in their
situations at the time? or was it addressed to the opponents of Jesus? If we ignore the context of the parable, we
run the danger of reading our own ideas into the Bible instead of letting the Bible speak to us.

4. Another guideline to remember is to look for the spiritual lesson instead of simply moralizing the
story. Jesus’ teachings centered on one’s relationship to God, what it means to live in His Kingdom, what it
means to live under His rule. For example, the Good Samaritan story is not just a story of good neighborliness
and showing kindness to a man in need. It points to the “meaning” of “true religion”. The lawyer, an expert on
Jewish laws and tradition taught to trap Jesus by asking a question on eternal life [see Luke 10: 25-37]. He was
not really interested in Jesus’ answer. He believed that he knew what is required to inherit eternal life [ or to be
right with God]. The story of the Good Samaritan shows us the picture of the two “religious Jews”: the priest
and the Levite who pass by and do not help the injured man. Concern for ceremonial purity may have prevented
them from stopping to help. According to Jewish laws, the priest and the Levite must be ceremonially clean to
perform their duties in the Temple. Touching a dead bode would make them unclean [see Lev. 21:11 and Num.
8:14-16]. If the injured man was already dead they would be disqualified to attend the Temple duties. The
Samaritan whose concern for his fellowmen was not limited by religious ceremonies stopped to help. Thus the
parable spoke to the lawyer of what it really meant to be right with God. The need of one’s fellow man should
be more important than concern for rituals and religious ceremonies.

Classifying the Parables [Adapted from Elwood and Magdamo, Christ in the Philippine
Context, pp. 166-180]

One approach to the study of the parables of Jesus is to use the main theme of Jesus’ teaching: The
Kingdom of God, and see how the parables help illustrate what Jesus meant to teach about God’s rule in our
lives.

The following arrangement of the Parables indicates the general subject under which a parable may be
studied. The subheadings give some idea of what the parable is trying to teach:

Topical Arrangement of the Parables Suggested for this Study

I. The Good News of the Kingdom of God

A. The teaching of the Words of God is like the Sowing of Seeds [The Sower] in Mark 4: 1-20
B. The Kingdom of God is like
1. A Growing Seed [Mark 4: 26-29]
2. The Mustard Seed [Mark 4: 30-32]
C. Hearing and obeying the Word of God is building strong foundations [The Two Builders] in Luke
6: 46-49 or in Matthew 7: 24-27

II. The Children of the Kingdom of God [or what it means to be Christ’s disciples]
A. Mark of Discipleship
1. Forgiven and forgiving
The Two Debtors [Lk. 7: 36-50]
2. True Religion
The Good Samaritan [Lk. 10: 25-38]
3. True values in life of true riches
The Rich Fool [Lk. 12: 13-21]

4. The Rich and the Poor [or the Sin of Omission]

Lazarus and the Rich Man [Lk. 16: 19-31]
5. Humility Before God
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector [Lk. 18: 9-14]

B. The Love of God

1. God Answers Prayer
 The Friends at Midnight [Lk. 11: 5-13]
2. God Seeks the Lost
The Lost Sheep [Lk. 15: 1-7]
The Lost Coin [Lk. 15: 8-10]
3. God is a Forgiving Father
The Prodigal Son [Lk. 15: 11-31]
4. God loves lavishly and generously
The Laborers in the Vineyard [Matt. 20: 1-15]

III. The Kingdom of God as Judgment

A. Preparedness for Christ; Situation in Life
The Wise and Foolish Builders [Matt. 25: 1-13]
B. Preparedness in terms of responsibility for entrusted gifts
1. The Talents [Matt. 25: 14-30]
2. The Sheep and the Goats [Matt. 25: 31-46]

Brief Explanation of the Parables

The three parables in Mark 4[1-20; 26-29; 30-32] all related to farming, are regarded as parables told to
encourage the disciples in their work of preaching the Word of God.

The first one of The Sower describes four different kinds of hearers of the Words of God. Although the
first three groups hear, they do not obey the Words of God; the fourth group who hears will bear much fruit,
thirty-fold, sixty-fold or hundred-fold. This parable should encourage the disciples in their work.

The second parable of the Growing Seed is found only in Mark. It likens the Kingdom of the seed
which grows in a mysterious way, “he knows not how” [Mk. 4:27]. It reminds the disciples that as long as they
plant the seeds, God will make them grow. [See I Cor. 3:6 where St. Paul says: “I planted, Apollos watered, but
God gave the growth”.]

The third parable on The Mustard Seed compares the Kingdom to the mustard seed. The emphasis is
on the significant beginning and the tremendous ending.

The Parable of the Two Builder or the Two Foundations [Matt. 7: 24-27] concludes the Sermon on the
Mount. Life can be built on two different foundations. This is particularly relevant to young people who are at
the stage of laying foundations for their lives. Are they building on sand or on solid rock?

The Parable on Marks of Discipleship. The setting of the parable of the Two Debtors [Lk. 7: 36-50]
must first be carefully read and understood in order to appreciate Jesus’ teaching in this very short parable [Lk.
7: 41-42]. In response to his host’s criticism for allowing a sinful woman to touch him, Jesus tells Simon his
host this parable. It is about being forgiven and forgiving. Simon who is Pharisee has not felt the need for God’s
forgiveness and therefore does not look to God in lone. In fact in this story, Simon’s called-hearted attitude
towards Jesus is indicated by his neglect to extend to Jesus who is his guest, the unusual acts of hospitality in a
Jewish home [7:44-45]. But the woman, aware of her sinfulness and of how much has forgiven her, expresses
lavishly her love and gratitude. The Pharisees claims to love God but it is really the woman who loves most
because she knows the depths of her sinfulness and how much she has been forgiven.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan [Lk. 10: 25-38] is Jesus’ answer to the arrogant lawyer who
thought he knew all the answers to the question of what is true religion. His question: “What shall I do to
inherit eternal life?” may also be expressed, “What must I do to be right with God?” The religious Jew thought
that by careful obedience to the letter of the Law, and observing all requirements of ceremonial purity, etc., he
was doing what God required. In the parable, Jesus revealed to him that it is acts of compassion and love more
than careful observance of Jewish Law that one is right with God. The answer of the lawyer to his own
question, “You shall love the Lord your God… and your neighbor as yourself,” [Lk. 10:27] has to be lived. The
scribes loved to debate the intricate questions of the Law and to test one another by their discussions. Jesus
gave a call to action and to life. the Priest and the Levite who share the idea that right religion means avoiding
contact with the impure, unclean people, are contrasted with the Samaritan, the outsider, who is unacceptable to
the Jews. The Samaritan breaks through the hostility between Jews and Samaritans and extends the help which
is needed. The action of the Samaritan is worth more than all the pious talk of the lawyer who ask the question
of true religion. Remember that the lawyers and scribes were experts of the Hebrew Law.

The Rich Fool [Lk. 12: 13-21] is in response to a man in the crowd who it seems interrupts Jesus’
teachings to request his help in regard to his inheritance. Perhaps all this time he could only think of his problem
of the inheritance which his brother refused to share with him. The story of the Rich Fool reminds us that man
can become so anxious and concerned with material goods he wants to posses, that he forgets anything else.
“Beware of all covetousness…” [Lk. 12:15] is the teaching the parable illustrates. Covetousness is greed, a
strong desire to posses and acquire what one wants.

The teaching of the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man [Lk. 16: 10-31] may be found in the verses
preceding the story. [See Luke 16: 13-15]. Again, it has to do with the way we handle riches. It is not correct to
treat this story as if it is a description of life beyond death in heaven and hell. Neither is it correct to conclude
that in the after life the rich are condemned to suffer and poor are compensated for their hardship on earth. This
is not point of the story. A parable has only one point to make and in this case it is a warning that a rich man
who makes money his God and cares nothing for those less fortunate than himself, will feel the judgment of
God in the life to come. Lazarus is in happier state, not because he was a poor man, but because he was a good
man. [The meaning of his name – “God is his help” – implies this.] The five brothers of the rich man are
introduced at the end of the parable to emphasize our Lord’s teaching that the wealthy have had already enough
warning. [Note: The Latin word for “rich” was dives. This is why the word is often used as if it is the name of
the rich man.]

The Parables of the Pharisees and the Tax Collector in Luke 18:9-14 is introduced in these words: “He
also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and condemned others”. It is
told against the Pharisees and has the force of an example. The Pharisee does not see his life relation to God
and in dependence upon him, but rather compares himself with other men. He is no longer conscious of his
dependence upon God. Rather he is conscious of his superiority as he compares himself with other men. He
separates himself from humanity and thereby his very goodness became his downfall. So he thanks God for his
own goodness. Not only prayers of petition can be turned into selfish acts: this can be done even with our
prayers of thanksgiving. This is a danger very close to us and we must guard against it.

The Parable of the Friend at Midnight [Lk, 11:5-8] follows the teaching of the Lord’s Prayer in Luke
11:1-4. It is an illustration of the words which follow, on the need fro constant conversation with God [Lk.
11:9-13].

The story Jesus gave begins with a question as to who in need would go to a friend asking to borrow
some bread and would be told by the friend not to bother him. The listeners to Jesus’ story would be shocked.
What kind of a friend would answer by saying, “Don’t bother me?” No one has a friend like that. The story
goes on to point out that even such inconceivable friend would get up and grant the request. Palestinian
hospitality demanded the feeding of a guest who arrived on a journey. But here the host is caught with nothing
on hand and goes to his neighbor for food. The friend does not like to inconvenience himself but when the host
persists, the friend gets up and gives him the food in order to be able to go back to sleep. Now if such a
disgusting person would grant the request of one who asks him, how much more will God, who is in no way like
this friend, hear those who cry to him?

The whole message is given in the passage in Luke 11:11-13.

Our whole relation to God is one of humble dependence. We are taught through this parable that we
must ask, seek, and knock upon the Father’s door. Prayer is opening yourself to God and acknowledging that
you need him. The promise of the Father who knows how to give good gifts to those who ask, does not suggest
that you get whatever you ask. God gives the gift which is in line with his purpose, and a wise father gives his
child what is good.

In Luke 15, we read three parables illustrating God’s boundless love. The parable answers the
Pharisees’ criticism expressed in Luke 15:1-2.

God is like a shepherd who searches for the last sheep till he finds it. The poor woman sweeps away
every corner till she finds the last coin. These parables answer the criticism, “This man receives sinners and eats
with them” [Lk. 15:2]. This is how God is. The parable presents no example of repentance; rather they affirm
the loving nature of God is a shock to the Pharisees. God searches for the lost and rejoice when they are found.

In the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32, the issue again is not of repentance. The climax
of the story is the joy of the Father not the repentance of the son. When the Father sees the prodigal son, he runs
to him and kisses him, embraces him compassionately before the son can utter his repentance. While the son
declares his unworthiness, the father restores him as his son [“put on him the best robe, a ring on his hand, shoes
on his feet”] and prepares a feast to celebrate his return.

The story of the Prodigal Son is the gospel in story form. The elder brother was undoubtedly originally
meant to represent the pious Jews [the Scribes and Pharisees] who resented our Lord’s care for the outcasts of
society, but the story is timeless. None of us dare assume the role of the elder brother for we are all prodigal
sons, stumbling back when we come to ourselves, into the arm of Our Father who comes running to meet us.
[Note: Prodigal means “wasteful”. It is a term applied to the younger son because he not only wasted his father’s
money, but also his love.]

The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard sometimes called The Laborers and the Hours in Matthew 20:1-6 is
found only in gospel. The point of the parable is that nothing that we can ever do gives us any right to expect
preferential treatment from God. Such good works as we are able to perform are done by God through us, and
the glory is his, not ours. The arresting thing in the story is the unusual method of paying the workers. All
receive the same wage regardless of when they were employed. This leads to grumbling on the part of the
laborers and in this reaction lies the realism of the story. So the parable really contains a rebuke for those who
begrudge God’s generous and lavish giving. God chooses to give His gifts freely even to the undeserving, but
we resent such gifts bestowed on those who do not deserve it – unless perhaps we are the recipients of such
gifts. The business point of view of the laborers and their offense portray vividly that God’s relations to man are
no based on business calculations. The jealousy of the workers who labored during the heat of the day parallels
closely the jealousy of the elder brother when the father kills the fatted calf for the prodigal son. The parable
stressed God’s generous and free-giving of what belongs to him, and rebukes the grudging attitude of those who
resent God’s goodness as it is shown to the undeserving. [Note: The parable does not teach that it is never too
late to repent. The laborers are not symbols of repentant people. Furthermore, the parable does not teach that it
is never too late to begin to work. The laborers are the recipients of an action, not the initiator of it. Verse 16 of
Matthew 20 obviously is a case where a well-known saying of Jesus had been added here. The parable does not
try to say the last hired are paid first. It is only a device in the story, setting the stage for the disgust of those
who worked all day. Actually this verse fits other situations more acceptably. [See Matthew 19:30 and Luke
13:30].

While the fact that the Kingdom of God is a gift makes clear that it is good news of salvation, the Kingdom of
God also comes with cry of warning and as an announcement of judgment. The parable of crises informs us that
since the Kingdom of God come at a time of his choosing rather than ours, and often in a mysterious manner, we
must always be prepared for the unexpected.

One of the parables concerning preparedness is the parable of the Ten Maidens in Matthew 25:1-13. The
highlight of this parable is the readiness of the wise and the folly of the unprepared. The bridegroom comes at
an unexpected hour, so also the Kingdom of God [His Rule] comes unexpectedly. “Watch therefore”. The
Kingdom is about to break in. if we are not prepared for it, we will find ourselves shut out. In this parable we
are taught that we cannot rely on the good works of others, but that each of us must be responsible for himself
and must always be prepared for Christ’s coming.

The Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30 and found also in Luke, is a lesson in the same vein of God’s
demand upon us to give our best, to use to the full the gifts that God bestows on us in the service of His
children.

As a magnificent climax to his theme of judgment when the king comes into his own and divides his people.
The sublime simplicity and humanity of Christian service are nowhere in the gospel more splendidly evident
than here. Doubtless in Matthew’s mind it is charity towards hungry, thirsty, naked, and imprisoned Christians
by the world at large that receives our Lord’s blessing. To serve others in the name of Christ is to serve him and
be with him forever which is “life eternal”. To refuse is to separate ourselves from him, which is “everlasting
punishment”.