Parables: August 18, 2014

TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY AUGUST 18, 2014.

PARABLES

DEFINITION:

An earthly story with a heavenly meaning; a story with earthly analogies to illustrate a spiritual truth or a moral truth; a story that compares something unfamiliar with something familiar.

SCRIPTURE:

Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; He did not say anything to them without using a parable. So it was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open My mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.” Matthew 13:34-35.

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 (all who inhabit the earth) and its priceless value to God. He said He had come to seek and sacrificially purchase the world. He taught that His followers are to laboriously work, seeking to lead men out of the world and into His kingdom. This is the message that Jesus wants us to learn today from these parables.

Jesus was trying to have his disciples understand that He was the most unique person who ever lived because He was the Son of God who had come from the Kingdom of God. H.G. Wells wrote, “Christ is the most unique person of history. No man can write a history of the human race without giving first and foremost place to the penniless teacher from Nazareth.”

Rabbi Steven Wise said that Jesus, the Jew, has influenced the world more than any other man. This person called Jesus lived on the earth for only 33 years. He never traveled more than 100 miles from His home.

Charles Lamb was right in saying that if all the great men of history gathered together at one location and Shakespeare should enter, they would rise to do him honor; but if Jesus Christ should come in, they would fall down and worship Him.

This man Jesus spoke and taught His disciples what God sent Him to communicate to the world that the Kingdom of heaven is more valuable than anything in this world.

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 continually working in our world. 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 be a light to the world during this present age, and how He will judge all upon His return.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 3:5-6.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

PRAYER:

Help me to understand by studying the parables what You taught while here on this earth. Show me the mysteries of the Kingdom of God so I can help others see that the Kingdom of God is the most important thing they can have.