First of all, I’ve got to give a big shoutout to Peter (#RYNOTTS), who came to me with this question and really helped me to think about it from a different perspective.
With that out of the way, you ever tune in to a sermon and start taking notes and it isn’t until you get maybe 20 or 30 minutes in that they decide to check in with the word and open the Bible?
-Then what were you listening to for the first 20 minutes?-
Stories and analogies. Now, before I get myself in trouble, I’m a fan of analogies but I do recognise there needs to be a balance with these things. Sometimes, I’m spending more time trying to understand this complex analogy, than the spiritual meaning behind it.
-Are you suggesting that there isn’t a place for analogies and stories in sermons?-
Of course not.
I think a massive argument in favour for stories and analogies is the fact that Jesus so often spoke in parables.
Parable of The Good Samaritan. Parable of the Talents. Parable of the lost coin…sheep…son.
-Yeah, okay, there were a lot of lost things-
-If the main reason why we are so high on analogies and stories is Jesus, let’s dial it all the way back.-
So let’s talk this out…why did Jesus speak in parables?
Before I start, I’m sure you don’t want to read just my thoughts and opinions all the time, so I thought it’d be good to get some others…
Once again, shoutout to Peter for the question and to everyone who gave me their opinion on it over the week. We got a lot of interesting points and ideas out, even the ones which didn’t make this post.
Also, get you some friends who you can just discuss the word and your faith with, ’cause it’ll be a real gamechanger on your journey.
So, I messaged some of my friends and even threw the question out into a couple GC’s (I’m hoping I don’t have to explain what a GC is).
Prompt: Why do you think Jesus Spoke in Parables?
“Blunt answer…people are stupid. Majority of the parables occurred after Jesus said a truth about the Kingdom of God. People be looking confused…He explained the morals/teaching through a story that used familiar terms and culturally accurate examples to have people gain a better understanding.” – D
“In the world we live in most people are using only their physical senses, they cannot comprehend the deepness of what Christ is saying without it being related in a physical way e.g. in parables.” “God works beyond our human logic so people who use their human senses to try and understand God cannot truly get to the level that we are meant to be at.” – V
-Alright so far it is looking like the general consensus is that Jesus spoke in parables largely because people couldn’t understand God’s word and will in its purest form so He put it in parables, which were relatable so everyone can understand?-
Let me be real, this was my initial opinion. I always thought that Jesus spoke in parables to make the things of God easier for the masses to understand.
“I think to me its more like an Earthly story with a Divine meaning so it’s a lot easier for people to understand and the parables are mostly common to what humans may face, so more likely to be remembered.” – N. I feel like this summarised my initial thoughts perfectly.
-So that’s it right? It’s pretty obvious?-
Ah, nah.
I’ve got to thank Peter and Nifemi, who brought Matthew 13:10-15 into the picture, which pretty much flipped the conversation.
“Commonly it is thought to be the case that Jesus spoke in parables for people to understand. But if you read Matthew 13 where the disciples ask why He does, funnily enough, He spoke in parables, so people won’t understand. It sounds mad but lemme find the verse I’m talking about.” – P
I was intrigued, yet still, apprehensive, but this is why it’s so key to have people around you who can push you and make you really deep things.
-So what does the passage say?-
10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
-Alright, so what does this all mean?-
We can spend a long time just on breaking this down but…you lot won’t read it, so let’s just carry on.
– Are you allowed to say that?-
Of course. I mean, erm, I think so? Anywho…
“Parables aren’t for everyone, only for those that have the heart to go deeper, some people would’ve just taken it at face value like a normal story” – F
And honestly, I think that’s key. There would be those who are unwilling to understand, but willing to hear. These parables were probably a form of entertainment for some of the people listening. The fact that they heard these stories almost gave them hope for the future. I remember being taught about Jesus’ parables as a kid. They were fun, entertaining and memorable, to this day. It wasn’t only until later though that I came back to God and He revealed the true meaning of them.
P also made a strong point about this. 1 Corinthians 2:11-14 suggests that it’s only the Spirit of God that can reveal the things of God. Jeremiah 29:13 would also point us in this direction saying: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Maybe, just maybe, Jesus speaking in parables wasn’t about everyone understanding Him. If it was, He could’ve followed up with a “the moral of this parable is…” to help them truly understand, instead of leaving it to the Spirit to reveal the deeper meaning to us.
The passage says: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding”
-So was God trying to hide the truth from them?-
Nah, I think Apostle Paul puts it best in 1 Corinthians 2:12 & 14
“12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us”
“14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”
Like F said:
“Parables are more effective for those ‘with ears to hear’. Unlike a normal teaching or instruction, parables require you to dwell on them to fully understand and get the meaning that Jesus was trying to portray. The more you dwell on something, the more likely it is to reach your heart and really stay with you unlike if you were just told the lesson straight up.”
Note; Thanks for reading. I wanted to experiment with this format and see whether it’d still be useful and entertaining for everyone reading.
This was a pretty tame discussion and as the questions and topics change, we’ll probably get more controversial opinions…and if I’m being real, I’m here for it. The more we ask and get the chance to put our thoughts out there, the sooner we can discover flaws in our own thinking and improve on our past selves.
God Bless!
My Sunday Skl 