Parables: April 23, 2012

TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY APRIL 23, 2012.

PARABLES

DEFINITION:

An earthly story with a heavenly meaning; a story with earthly analogies to illustrate a spiritual truth or a moral truth.

SCRIPTURE:

Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold a sower went out to sow.” Matthew 13:3.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

For the next eight days we are going to look at eight parables, one each day that Jesus taught and is recorded in Matthew.

The question is asked, “Why did Jesus teach in parables?” Jesus wanted to teach the disciples and His audience the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. By mystery Jesus does not mean something mysterious, but rather something unknown and not revealed until this present time.

While Jesus was teaching, the truth of His teachings was not understood. Even His disciples who were with Jesus day after day for close to three years could not understand some of His teachings. It was impossible for them to understand all the mysteries of Jesus teachings because they were not yet revealed.

Because Jesus knew that they were not understanding he said to His disciples, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterword you will understand.” John 13:7. By afterword Jesus meant after His death, resurrection and return to heaven.

The message of what Jesus was teaching the disciples was twofold. Jesus gave a picture of modern day Christianity by saying that within the church there is a mixture of good and bad. It includes professing believers as well as genuine believers; false doctrine as well as true doctrine; false ritual as well as true ritual and professing belief as well as real belief.

Jesus also gave a picture of the world and its priceless value. He said He had come to seek and sacrificially purchase the world. He said that His followers are to laboriously work, seeking to pull men out of the world and into His kingdom. This is the message that Jesus wants us to learn today from these parables.

Parables vividly communicated from the known (earthly) to the unknown or unseen (spiritual). When Jesus disciples asked Him why He spoke in parables, Jesus answered, “This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” Matthew 13:13. Those whose ears had been opened by God would understand His parables and be blessed, while the unbelievers and uninterested would hear but not comprehend.

Today these parables still help our understanding of what is going on in the world, what God is accomplishing and how He is working. We also through these parables see what God will do when Christ returns to set up His earthly kingdom. Each parable that we will look at these next few days are considered to have a rare beauty capable of unending study and new understanding of spiritual truth.

Thus these parables will help us understand how Christ wants us to administer His church and the world during this present age, and how He will judge all upon His return.

LEARNING:

This week we will memorize the eighth of the Ten Commandments as found in Exodus 20:15.

You shall not steal.

PRAYER:

Give me a better understanding of the spiritual truths of Your Word as I study parables that You taught while here on this earth. Show me the mysteries of the Kingdom of God so I can be Your servant to those that I meet from day to day.