|
The Parables Lessons for Hearing Ears Listen, O my people, to my instruction; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old.—Psalm 78:1,2 All Scriptural quotations are from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted. Cory Kalgeth
Parables
also served another purpose. Jesus explained that, “To you it has been granted
to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables,
in order that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand”
(Luke 8:10). The parables acted as a spiritual filter. Those to whom the good
news was directed would understand; others would not. How privileged we are
then, to be counted worthy by our Lord to understand the divine teaching hidden
in his parables. Luke records
eleven parables not found in the other gospels (see list on the right). These
were spoken within a common historical context and share a common theme. The
end of the Jewish age was rapidly approaching, to be supplanted by the
Gospel age. The self-righteous religious leaders had abused their trust from
God, and Jesus was warning them of impending judgment. He contrasted their
hypocrisy and hard-heartedness with the merciful love of God. He predicted that
repentant, lowly cast-offs from Jewish society would receive God’s blessings
ahead of them. The Gospel age would be inaugurated with a complete reversal of
spiritual conditions: Israel would be abandoned and God would turn to the
people of all nations. The first (at least in their own estimation) would be
last and the last first (Luke 13:30). These
parables teach a series of important lessons, not just for those who heard
them, but for all Christians.
Spiritual
Needs Knowing
one’s spiritual need, followed by true, heartfelt repentance is the beginning
of the Christian walk. In Luke
chapter 7 Jesus was dining with the Pharisee Simon when a woman, a known
sinner, entered the house. She washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, dried them
with her hair, and anointed them with perfumed oil. Simon’s reaction was
disgust. How could Jesus allow such a sinful person to touch him? He reasons to
himself that if Jesus were really a prophet, he would discern who this woman
was. Jesus tries to correct Simon’s thinking, first by exposing his inner
reasoning as wrong, and then by an illustration we know as the parable of the
“Two Debtors”: “A certain moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred
denarii, and the other fifty. When they were unable to repay, he graciously
forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him more? Simon answered
and said, I suppose the one whom he forgave more. And he said to him, You have
judged correctly.”— Luke 7:41-43 Jesus then
points out that Simon had not displayed the usual courtesies shown to guests in
that culture: “You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with
her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss; but she, since the
time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my
head with oil, but she anointed my feet with perfume.” Jesus exposes Simon’s
self-righteous arrogance, and demonstrates that the woman’s self-awareness of
her sin and her turning away from it and toward God has saved her. “For this
reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she
loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Simon the
Pharisee had little awareness of his own spiritual need. Consequently, he
showed little love, especially toward those he considered beneath him. The
woman had a deep, cutting consciousness of her sins. She was truly repentant
from the heart. The evidence of her being forgiven, Jesus asserts, is shown by
her deep love. To confirm this he says, “Your sins have been forgiven” and
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Unfortunately this lesson is lost on
the dinner guests. They are outraged that Jesus would presume to forgive sins. The truth is
that no one is without sin. Whether we perceive ourselves in debt “fifty
denarii” or “five hundred,” we are all sinners and fall short of God’s
righteous requirements. It is not possible to pay back any of this debt through
our own works. It is only through heartfelt repentance, and the sin-atoning
sacrifice of Jesus Christ, that we can have a righteous standing imputed to us
by God. The parable
of the “Pharisee and the Tax Collector” teaches a similar lesson.
Treasures in
Heaven In the
parable of the “Unrighteous Steward” (Luke 16:1-8), Jesus demonstrates the
importance of using our resources wisely to store up treasures in heaven:
“There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and this steward was reported
to him as squandering his possessions. And he called him and said to him, What
is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no
longer be steward.” The steward
is not strong enough to work with his hands and ashamed to beg, so he devises a
plan. Knowing his employment is about to end soon, he works quickly to reduce
the amount owed to the master by two of his debtors. He hopes to call in the
favors from them when he is unemployed. His master, a businessman, appreciates
his clever strategy, and commends him for it, but does not change his mind
about terminating his position. Jesus then explains the meaning: “And I say to
you, make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon
of unrighteousness, that when it fails, they will receive you into the
eternal dwellings. He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also
in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous in
much. If therefore you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous mammon,
who will entrust the true riches to you?” Jesus
teaches that we should use our resources wisely in God’s service. In effect, he
is saying that if the sons of this age demonstrate shrewdness in the use of
money for their own gain, how much more should those who consider themselves to
be sons of light—specifically the scribes and Pharisees in his audience
when he gave the parable—use their resources wisely in God’s service?
Conversely, if any squander resources and opportunities in this age, how can
they be trusted with greater responsibilities in the next? We prove
ourselves true disciples of our master Jesus Christ by giving our time, money,
and everything we have to help others in their Christian walk, or to bring
relief to those in need (John 21:15-17). Jesus gave up all things, even his
very life, to serve others, and so should we if we are following his footsteps.
If we do this, we will be “making friends” for ourselves with the
“mammon of unrighteousness.” When it fails, that is when this current age ends,
the resources of this world will have no value. Only then can the “friends” we
have made receive us into the eternal dwellings, the kingdom of heaven,
where the Lord will reward us with greater responsibilities (Luke 22:28). Jesus
himself said, “You are my friends, if you do what I command you” (John 15:14). The Jewish age
was about to end, and the Gospel age was just beginning. The unrighteous
steward represented the Jewish religious leaders who had squandered God’s trust
and were about to be dismissed. They had treated the people who were put in
their trust harshly: “They tie up heavy loads and lay them on men’s shoulders,
but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger”
(Matthew 23:4). If they had possessed true wisdom, they would have worked
quickly to lighten the loads of the people in anticipation of the new
dispensation. This would have met the Lord’s approval. Instead, they continued
to put their trust in worldly shrewdness and the “mammon of unrighteousness.”
For this foolishness they were to forfeit all. The parables of the “Rich Fool” and the “Rich
Man and Lazarus” teach similar lessons.
The
Importance of Works Seventy
disciples had just returned from a preaching assignment and were reporting
their experiences to the Lord (Luke 10:17-24). Jesus is overjoyed, he praises
his heavenly father, and then, turning to his disciples, he says “Blessed are
the eyes which see the things you see.” In the midst of this joyful revelry, a
lawyer, asks how to inherit eternal life and is told to love his neighbor as
himself. He then asks who is his neighbor. Jesus responds with the parable of
the “Good Samaritan” (Luke 10:30-37). A man was attacked by robbers while
traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. A priest and a Levite both pass by,
offering no help, leaving him to die. However, a Samaritan stops and helps the
man at considerable personal time and expense, bandaging his wounds and
carrying him to an inn. Jesus asks, “Which of these three do you think proved
to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” And the lawyer
replied, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and
do the same.” The lawyer
had asked, “Who is my neighbor [Greek: plesion, Strongs 4139]?”
According to Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon plesion can mean any other
person, or it can mean a friend. The lawyer wanted to know to whom
he should direct his love. In effect, Jesus tells him that the question
should not be “Who is my neighbor?” but rather “How can I be a friend to those
who are in need?” The answer is simple: provide help irrespective of race or
background. Jesus
teaches that actions speak louder than appearances. The priest and Levite, who
appeared righteous and God-fearing, revealed their hypocrisy through their
inaction. Only the Samaritan, an outcast from Jewish society, acted as a real
neighbor. Works alone
cannot save anyone (Romans 9:30-33). However, good works naturally follow if
there is faith in the heart. “You have faith and I have works; show me your
faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James
2:18). Good works prove that we are “sons of [our] Father who is in heaven; for
he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the
righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45). The parable
of the “Barren Fig Tree” teaches a similar lesson, highlighting the nearness of
Israel’s judgment for its lack of spiritual fruitage.
The
Importance of Mercy The tax
collectors and sinners had drawn close to Jesus to hear him teach. But the
Pharisees and scribes “began grumbling, saying, Why do you eat and drink with
the tax gatherers and sinners?” (Luke 5:30). They did not
perceive that God, through Jesus, was reaching out to sinners. They failed to
realize that in God’s eyes, a repentant sinner is of great value; a cause for
joy. Jesus tried to teach this lesson with a series of parables, including the
“Lost Piece of Silver” (Luke 15:8-10) and the “Lost Son” (Luke 15:11-32). In
the “Lost Piece of Silver,” a woman with ten silver coins loses one. She searches
with a lamp, and sweeps her entire house until she finds it. Then she invites
her neighbors to celebrate her good fortune with her. And so it is with God. He
searches the earth for lost humans—those who are estranged from him—and shows
mercy to those who return (1 Peter 3:10-12). In the “Lost
Son,” the younger of two sons requested an inheritance from his father in
advance, and proceeded to squander it in loose living in a foreign land. When
his situation became desperate, “he went and attached himself to one of the
citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.” He
had reached the depths of misery and humiliation —swine were an unclean and
disgusting animal to Jews. “And he was longing to fill his stomach with the
pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him.” Finally he
came to his senses: “I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him,
Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy
to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.” His father saw his
lost son walking toward him in the distance and “felt compassion for him, and
ran and embraced him and kissed him.” He forgave his son and was filled with
great joy. “Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring
on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and
let us eat and be merry; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life
again; he was lost and has been found.” His father accepted him back into the
family with all the privileges of a true son. The older
son, however, was not joyful. He was jealous of the attention paid to his
younger brother, who he felt was unworthy. He refused to enter the house and
join the celebration, so the compassionate father went outside to speak with
him. His father tried in vain to show his older son that a great tragedy had
been averted: “This brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was
lost and has been found.” Jesus
explained the point earlier: “I tell you that in the same way, there will be
more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine
righteous persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:4-7). The Pharisees should
have imitated God’s mercy. Instead, they “[tied] up heavy burdens and lay them
on men’s shoulders, but they themselves [were] unwilling to move them with so
much as a finger” (Matthew 23:4). Like the older son in the parable, they felt
they should be the exclusive recipients of God’s blessings. They did not
understand that God was merciful and kind toward all, that he reached out to
sinners who repented. Christians
should imitate God’s mercy. We should respect and appreciate all those whom God
draws to himself, whatever their backgrounds might be. We should forgive, from
our hearts, repentant sinners (Matthew 18:21,22). Not only should we forgive,
we should forget. If we do, God will show mercy toward us.
Pray Always Jesus “was
telling them a parable, [the “Unjust Judge”], to show that at all times they
ought to pray and not to lose heart. … There was a widow in that city, and she
kept coming to him [the judge], saying, Give me legal protection from my
opponent. For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, Even
though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I
will give her legal protection, lest by continually coming she will wear me
out.”—Luke 18:1-5 This widow,
by her persistence, was able to extract justice from this unmerciful judge.
Jesus concludes: “Shall not God bring about justice for his elect who cry to
him day and night, and will he delay long over them? I tell you that he will
bring about justice for them speedily.” How much
more loving and just is God than a worldly judge! During times of trial we
should never give up and never stop praying. We should have the faith that God
both hears and answers our prayers (Hebrews 11:6). The parable
of the “Importunate Friend” teaches a similar lesson.
The Parables
Are for Us We can see
that the negative aspects of these parables apply to the corrupt religious
leaders of Israel, but if this is all we see, we may be missing the point. The
counsel in these parables is also meant for Christians during the Gospel age.
The scribes and Pharisees are no longer with us, but we do have their modern-day
counterparts. May we never be found among them or be corrupted by their
teachings (Luke 12:1). Instead, let us recognize our spiritual need and take
the lessons of these parables to heart, asking God for his holy spirit (Luke
11:13). Let us store
up treasure in heaven, not on earth. Let us prove our faith by our works, and
demonstrate Godly mercy. Let us pray incessantly, having faith that our God,
the hearer of prayer, will answer (Psalm 65:2). And let us follow our Lord
Jesus Christ wherever he leads us while we wait patiently, with endurance,
for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. |