THESIS:
To define the use of ‘parable’ in the Scriptures and to explain the purpose of
parables so that we might rightly grasp the parables Christ presents to us and
apply them to our lives.
10But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him
about the parable. 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, 12 so that
‘Seeing they may see and not
perceive,
And hearing they may hear and
not understand;
Lest they should turn,
Introduction – “You might have
noticed I skipped the parable itself. But for us to grasp the idea of the parable, I felt it important to
deal with this as a concept and Mark conveniently gives us material to do so
here. This evening is the 18th time I will be speaking to you on the
Gospel of Mark. We began to study this book just over 2½ years ago! The message tonight is not so much expositional
as it is topical. Many of you may have a title, or a chapter heading in your
Bibles, something to the effect of ‘The Parable of the Sower’. We read that and
think, ‘Ah! Let’s see what this parable is all about. What does Mr. Cox think?’
– All the time not realizing we have a very flat understanding of this term, parable. At the end of this study I
believe you will be far more ready to study the parables as you come across
them in your studies. Next week, Lord willing, we’ll see what the Parable of
the Sower is all about.
Notice that when Christ first
uses the word ‘parable’ is when the Pharisees begin to call Christ’s ministry
demonic (Mark 3:23). The whole concept of parables are just now being
introduced in Mark. The word does not appear before this event in Mark and in
Matthew. But it does occur frequently afterward.
1)
Biblical etymology
a)
The Greek παραβολή parabole is found in the gospels 48
times and 2 other times in the NT. It is a compound word; para –
alongside and ballo–
to throw. It means to throw
alongside as a tool for comparison.
b)
The Hebrew equivalent is מָשָׁל
mā·šāl is found in the OT 39 times;
19 times as ‘proverb’, and 18 times as ‘parable’ in the AV. You see it in Numbers in the
account Balaam, also in Job, Psa., Pro., Eze., and a few other places.
2)
Defining a parable theologically
a)
The Breadth of meaning
i)
A saying - This
could be also called a proverb.
ii) A parable proper
(1)A
similitude – John Butler defines as a comparison
of one thing with another, likeness, similitude[2]. We sometimes think it equivalent to a simile, but this is not a good
comparison. A simile is as simple as, ‘He’s
as stubborn as a Mule; I’m as blind
as a bat.’ A similitude goes a step further. Dr. S. Lewis Johnson says that a similitude
gets at the definition from a functional point of view.[3]
This word is a bit more complex. You will see when we look at the examples later.
(2)A
story - a
narrative…by which either the duties of men or the things of God…are
figuratively portrayed.[4]
iii) Examples
of each, contemporary and biblical: A
saying or proverb –
(1)You get what you paid for; You
snooze, you lose.
(2)Luke 4:23, And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb,
‘“Physician, heal yourself.” What we have
heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’”[5];
iv)
A
similitude –
(1)Contemporary usage is primarily
found in the scientific realm. “Similitude is a
concept used in testing of engineering models…Similitude is defined as
similarity between model and prototype in every respect.”[6] Now let me just elaborate for a brief moment
on that. Engineers are using models in development. Think of it this way – Just
as we know certain properties about the model, and thereby have a reference
point to observe the reality. Folks –
These engineers are really doing a similar thing as our Lord. He is teaching us
Spiritual realities based upon physical ones. Consider the Scriptural example.
Mark
2:19-22, And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding
guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the
bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and
then they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does,
the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine
will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new
wine is for fresh wineskins.” [7]
v)
A story –
(1)An
Aesop’s fable would be a great modern example.
(2)Mark 4:2-9, The Parable of the
Sower.
3)
The reasoning and motives behind Christ’s
use of parables.
a)
What his motives and reasons are not:
i)
Fatalistic
hopelessness. When I
say this I mean to say that our God is not capricious in any way. And we might
get that idea if we read, “to those who are outside,
all things come in parables, so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, And
hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, and their sins
be forgiven them.’” Putting the negative another way, it is not the
Lords intent to deliberately blind those who truly desire to know the truth. James
Brooks comments on the phrase ‘so that’ in verse 12,
“[T]he Greek word hina…(Translated
‘so that’) at the beginning of v. 12 ought to be translated “as a result.”
The
passage would likely read as follows, 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, 12 resulting
in people to whom this is true, ‘Seeing they may see
and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they
should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.
This is a
well-established meaning. Jesus did not speak in parables for the purpose of
withholding truth from anyone; but the result of his parables, the rest of his
teaching, and even his miracles was that most did not understand and respond
positively. He did speak in parables to provoke thought and invite commitment.
Therefore parables are more than mere illustrations.”[8]
Alexander MacLaren
also states,
“The statement of His reason for the use of parables is
startling. It sounds as if those who needed light most were to get least of it,
and as if the parabolic form was deliberately adopted for the express purpose
of hiding the truth…The primary purpose of all revelation is to reveal. If the
only intention were to hide, silence would secure that, and the parable were
needless.”[9]
b)
Christ’s
motives are not to hide the truth
i) William Barclay says that Jesus’
statement is clearer in the parallel passage in Matt 13:13, “Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not
see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”[10]
ii)
The very quote in Isaiah 6:9-12 illustrates this
for us. Isaiah is told to preach to people who would NOT listen.
And He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not
understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ 10 “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut
their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And
understand with their heart, And return and be healed.”
11 Then I said, “Lord, how long?”
And He answered: “Until the cities are laid waste and without
inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate, 12 The Lord has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many
in the midst of the land.
R.
Alan Cole explains,
“In spite of all their
looking and listening, some people will not really see or understand; if they
did, they would turn to God for forgiveness. Isaiah was describing a
hard-hearted people who had turned their back on God and stubbornly refused to
listen to him.[11]
iii) The
Mystery of the Kingdom is not a mystery to everyone. Timothy Geddert puts it this way, “Is Jesus announcing the arrival of God’s kingdom? Not
overtly. Not for those who do not have ears to hear what he is really saying.
Not for those who do not have eyes to see what he is really doing. But if those
around Jesus allow their ears to truly hear and their eyes to truly see, they
will discern in Jesus’ words and deeds the arrival of God’s kingdom.”[12]
c) What those reasons are
and what they teach us about our God
i)
The purpose of teaching in this way was to not only deliver truth
in a unique way, but also to test those who heard it. (Rodney
Cooper)[13]
ii)
John Broadus commenting here, “While illustrating the
truth to those who were spiritual and eager to know, the parables would make it
obscure to those who were unspiritual and unwilling to be taught. Upon such
persons this use of parables was a
judgment. Matthew Henry quaintly says: “A parable, like the pillar of cloud
and fire, turns a dark side toward Egyptians which confounds them, but a light
side toward Israelites which comforts them, and so answers a double intention.””[14]
iii) Another
commentator puts it well, “The parable is not so
much a crutch for limping intellects as a spur to spiritual perception.”[15]
d)
Our Lord
cares about everyone! Even those who rejected Him were presented with
truth they had to reckon with. Last April we studied Mark 3:1-6, the account of
the healing of the man with a withered hand. If you recall we saw that though
Christ knew the thoughts of these Pharisees – he still didn’t begrudge their
attitude. They asked, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?’ a question which betrayed their real motive of
trying to pin our Lord down. Nevertheless, he continued teaching just as though
their motives were genuine.
e)
The
Parable of the Rich man & Lazarus informs us. In
Luke 16:27 and following we read,
27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s
house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they
also come to this place of torment.’
29 Abraham said to him,
‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’
30 And he said, ‘No,
father Abraham; but if one
goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
31 But he said to him,
‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither
will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”
If we
consider what is said here, Christ uses the name of a real man who later was to
die and be risen from the dead – and what was the result? Those disbelieving
not only continued in their disbelief, but now sought to kill Lazarus as well! He who has ears to hear…indeed!
i)
Other Scriptures which have bearing:
(1)At that time Jesus answered
and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden
these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. (Matt. 11:25)[16]
(2)“The natural person does not
accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is
not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (I Cor. 2:14.)[17]
(3)“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall
become like wool.” (Isa. 1:18)[18]
f)
Notable Examples
i)
Parable of Samuel to instruct David (2 Samuel
12:1-7) Thou art the man!
ii)
Parable of the vineyard (Mark 12:1-12; Luke
20:9-19)
iii) Parable of the two debtors
(Luke 7:39-47) 41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed
five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely
forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”
And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.”
44 Then He turned to the woman and said
to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave
Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped
them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My
feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has
anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are
forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”[19]
4)
What’s our take away?
a)
Christ
is a master teacher. His message always demands a response. Do we read the Scriptures with a view to the
fact that not only did Christ speak this parables for the listeners of the 1st
century, but also for the readers of the 21st century and beyond? If our Lord was thoughtful enough to
consider us, ought we not be reasonable enough to ask how do these words apply
to me? Have I been in unintended sin? Do I now feel the pangs of a guilty
conscious having had my sin exposed? Am I ready to do business with the Savior?
b)
We must take very seriously what He says, for
there are eternal ramifications to
all he says! Next week, Lord willing we will investigate the Parable of the
sower. Some of us may be convicted, as we let the Savior reason with us. Let’s
always be ready to let the Word of God have his way with us, since we say we
are people of the Word!
Amen.
[3] http://sljinstitute.net/gospel-of-matthew/the-sermon-on-the-mount/the-similitudes-the-salt-of-the-earth
[4] John G.
Butler, Jesus Christ: His Parables, vol. 3, Studies of the Savior (Clinton, IA:
LBC Publications, 2002), 15–16.
[6] Notes titled,
"Hydraulic Similitude: Dimensional Analysis, Similitude and Model
Analysis." uploaded by Anas Ratth on Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/presentation/368117944/Hydraulic-Similitude
[8] James A.
Brooks, Mark, vol.
23, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers,
1991), 83.
[9]
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy
Scripture: Mark 1–8 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software,
2009), 140,141.
[10] The Gospel of Luke, The Daily
Study Bible Series. -- Rev. Ed. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975), 99.
[11] R. Alan
Cole, “Mark,” in New
Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed.
(Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 958.
[12] Timothy
J. Geddert, Mark,
Believers Church Bible Commentary (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 2001), 95.
[13] Rodney
L. Cooper, Mark, vol. 2,
Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman
Publishers, 2000), 67.
[14] John A. Broadus,
Commentary on the Gospel of
Mark (Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication Society, 1905),
33.
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