Heavenly Meanings - The Parables of Jesus
By Hayes Press
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About this ebook
Jesus is widely acknowledged, even by those who do not believe He is God, to have been a brilliant teacher - his parables (sometimes called earthly stories with a heavenly meaning) are one of the reasons for this. This concise book reviews the purpose of the parables, the key imagery that is used and the main lessons for us today.
CHAPTER ONE: AN INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER TWO: A THREE-FOLD PARABLE
CHAPTER THREE: THE GOOD SAMARITAN
CHAPTER FOUR: THE SOWER
CHAPTER FIVE: PRINCIPLES OF FORGIVENESS
CHAPTER SIX: PARABLES ABOUT PRAYER
CHAPTER SEVEN: PERISHABLE RICHES
CHAPTER EIGHT: FAITHFUL AND UNFAITHFUL SERVANTS
CHAPTER NINE: TALENTS AND POUNDS
CHAPTER TEN: THE VINEYARD AND THE FIG TREE
CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE MARRIAGE FEAST AND THE GREAT SUPPER
CHAPTER TWELVE: THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
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Heavenly Meanings - The Parables of Jesus - Hayes Press
HEAVENLY MEANINGS: THE PARABLES OF JESUS
COMPILED BY HAYES PRESS
Copyright © Hayes Press 2015
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, without the written permission of Hayes Press.
Published by:
HAYES PRESS Publisher, Resources & Media,
The Barn, Flaxlands
Royal Wootton Bassett
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United Kingdom
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the HOLY BIBLE, the New King James Version® (NKJV®). Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked NIV are from New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scriptures marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
MUCH TEACHING IN THE Scriptures, both in the Old Testament and in the New, is presented to us in figurative and symbolic forms. Eastern languages lend themselves readily to figurative forms of speech, so we find much use being made of types, similitudes, proverbs, allegories and parables.
The use of appropriate illustrations is a valuable aid in the teaching process. Good illustrations act like windows, letting in light to illuminate the mind. Apt illustrations remain imprinted in the memory long after they have been heard, and they are readily recalled. The use of parable, therefore, constitutes a valuable and enduring form of instruction. The effectiveness of the use of a parable to impart a message to the hearer is well illustrated by the parable Nathan told to David to convict him of his great sin (2 Samuel 12:1-15). David was quick to pronounce judgement on the man depicted in the parable, and when it was brought home to him that he was the man portrayed in the narrative he could not but confess, I have sinned against the LORD
.
Solomon, in his day, made extensive use of proverbs and parables in his teaching, and men and women came from far and near to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart. The books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes give us some of that distilled wisdom. He drew his illustrations from the whole field of nature and delighted his audiences with the choice words that he used in his teaching (1 Kings 4:32,33; Ecclesiastes 12:9,10), but when the Lord Jesus was here on earth a greater than Solomon was here among men (Matthew 12:42).
The Lord Jesus was a matchless teacher. The multitudes were astonished at His teaching for He taught them as One having authority
(Matthew 7:28,29). His fellow countrymen asked. Whence hath this Man this wisdom?
(Matthew 13:54), and men sent to arrest Him were disarmed by His teaching and exclaimed, Never man so spake
(John 7:46). However, they failed to appreciate that He was more than Man and that in Him were all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden (Colossians 2:3).
Early in His ministry the Lord gave plain direct teaching, but as it became evident that His teaching was unacceptable to the leaders of the nation, He began to teach by parables, and in so doing He fulfilled the prophecies of Isaiah 6:10 and Psalm 78:2 (see John 12:39-41; Matthew 13:34,35). His disciples asked Him why He was speaking in parables. His answer revealed that He was doing so to hide from His hearers the knowledge of truths that they were not in a condition to receive, but they were also spoken to instruct those whose attitude of heart would enable them to profit from His teaching (Matthew 13:10-16).
The word parable
(Greek: ‘parabole’) signifies a placing of one thing beside another with a view to comparison (W.E. Vine). It is generally used of a short descriptive narrative drawn from nature or human circumstances for the purpose of illustrating and setting forth spiritual truth. In the synoptic gospels the word is also used in relation to a short saying or proverb (e.g. Matthew 15:11,15; Luke 4:23;6:39). The parable differs from the fable in that it never transgresses the natural order of things by attributing reason and speech to trees, birds and beasts. It may also be distinguished from the allegory, which is a more elaborate form of illustration in which a comparison is to be found in all or most of the details given.
The Lord Jesus never used fables in His teaching; the use of fables would not have been in keeping with the lofty and authoritative standard of His teaching. The many parables that He told dealt with matters of fact, with common everyday events or with the operation of the laws of nature, and who better than He who is the Creator to show the harmony that there is between the laws of nature and spiritual truths.
The Lord narrated His parables in such a way that His audiences were enthralled; they appreciated the beauty of the stories and the moral teaching that lay on the surface, but the deeper spiritual truths underlying them were hidden from them. What we have in our Bibles are sometimes synopses of the accounts that were given to the multitudes, yet the beauty of the narratives comes through even in our English translations. The interpretations of the parables were given in private sessions to the disciples (Mark 4:10,34; Matthew 13:36), but even so there was much that they did not understand. The Lord gave them such instruction as they were able to bear while He was with them (John 16:12). After His resurrection in those private teaching sessions He had with them He was able to tell them more (Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:3), but for a fuller enlightenment they had to await the coming of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13-16). The Holy Spirit subsequently brought to their remembrance the Lord's words and