He saith unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left the nets, and followed him.—Matthew 4:19,20, ASV

Len Griehs

Metaphor comes from two Greek words meaning “to carry over.” Metaphor shows how two things that are not alike in most ways are similar in one important way. Notice how Jesus spoke of catching people instead of fish when he called Simon and Andrew. Jesus used the power of metaphor to paint the big picture and help them grasp the essence of evangelism. And it worked!

Jesus wasn’t the only one to teach with metaphor in the Bible. Metaphors are scattered throughout the sacred text. In Scripture, metaphor takes a familiar object with particular properties and carries it over to a spiritual object to illustrate a spiritual truth. Metaphor engages the mind and helps one better see the spiritual meaning of the truth taught. Consider two examples of David’s use of metaphor to express his spiritual understanding of Jehovah:

w    “The Lord God is a sun and shield” (Psalm 84:11).

w    “He is my refuge and my fortress”
(Psalm 91:2).

Everything suggested by the sun, shield, refuge, and fortress is carried over to describe God in terms the listeners would know. The sun is the source of light, heat, and power; all life on earth depends upon these properties. Therefore, in the metaphor, God, like the sun, is the source of all life.

Metaphors open the beauty of the Scriptures by bringing them to life with imagery in our mind’s eye, a picture forged from words. The prophet Jeremiah used this principle: “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16). When Jeremiah said he was “eating” the word of God, he illustrated how he “internalized” God’s messages in Scripture. Jeremiah spoke of how God’s words touched his spiritual senses and resonated in his heart. In today’s world, a similar concept is expressed in the popular quote, “You are what you eat.” Flamingos, in the animal world, are a great illustration of this maxim. Flamingos eat algae and brine shrimp that contain pigments called carotenoids. Flamingos may therefore be pink, orange, or white depending upon what they eat. People eat foods that contain carotenoids too, such as the beta-carotene in carrots. However, most people do not eat enough of these compounds to change the color of their skin. Babies, however, if fed a steady diet of pureed carrots, will take on an orange color. Using Jeremiah’s illustration as inspiration for us, we are taught that the more we read and meditate on the word of God, the more we take on its characteristics. Just as food gives our body daily sustenance, by daily absorbing God’s words we get spiritual sustenance. This is the secret power of metaphor. It helps us comprehend the path for being transformed in the spiritual world by a concept that we are familiar with in the physical world.

Jesus illustrated this same principle in the prayer he shared with his disciples: “Give us each day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3, NIV). Jesus wasn’t asking God for literal bread. He was asking God for the spiritual food that would activate and sustain the spiritual lives of his disciples. By using the metaphor of daily bread, his disciples were able to understand that their spiritual vitality required daily nourishment from God.

Metaphor is also used in Scripture to illustrate bad things: “For all the tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so there is no place clean” (Isaiah 28:8, ASV). Isaiah lamented Israel’s rebelliousness in his day and described our day prophetically when false doctrine would prevail in churches that claim to be God’s mouthpiece. Further, in the book of Revelation, our risen Lord urged God’s people to seek spiritual food elsewhere (Revelation 18:4).

Christians as Salt

In one of Jesus’ metaphors, he said: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men” (Matthew 5:13, NKJV). Je­sus used this metaphor to help us internalize his message. Through salt, Jesus presents us with a clear path for life with a simple and clear purpose. While salt sprinkled on tainted meat will not make it pure, it will help deter decomposition and mask the effect of corruption. Thus, Jesus illustrated that one who follows his teachings can have a positive influence on a corrupt world by doing good.

Throughout the Gospel age, this purifying effect has been a special purpose of the church both collectively and individually. Indeed, Christianity as a whole has had a preserving influence on the world by drawing out mankind’s good qualities and slowing its degrading tendencies. In Under The Influence: How Christianity Transformed Civilization, author Alvin J. Schmidt de­tails how different and dark our world would be if Jesus had never lived. Besides preaching an uplifting message, Jesus’ followers instituted ideas and institutions that were aimed at improving the quality of life. Among those concepts instituted through devotion to Christianity was humane treatment of all people, equality under the law, higher education, hospitals, scientific research, and charitable giving. Schmidt documents how Christianity dramatically improved our world across twenty centuries. But this level of engagement, while good, is elementary. The higher power of a life of “salt” in Christ is exemplified through individuals who, by living a sanctified life, rise to their highest level of effectiveness through the authority of the Abrahamic Promise (Galatians 3:28,29). With the metaphor of salt Jesus illustrated a principle in the spiritual world that we are able to confirm by a known principle in the physical world. By teaching with metaphor, Jesus articulated his truths with amazing sharpness and clarity.

It is not the church’s commission to cure the world now of its corruption. God will use the church to do that in Christ’s kingdom. Salvation will indeed come from the church but through the church as the glorified “salt of the earth” during the millennial reign of Christ. This fact is beautifully illustrated in another story of salt that in­volved the prophet Elisha, whose life after the death of Elijah illustrates the work of the millennial kingdom: “The men of the city said to Elisha, Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive. Bring me a new bowl, he said, and put salt in it. So they brought it to him. Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, This is what the LORD says: I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive. And the water has remained wholesome to this day according to the word Elisha had spoken.” (2 Kings 2:19-22, NIV). The use of salt by Elisha to cure the undrinkable water at Jericho illustrated how God will dispense truth in Christ’s kingdom. This truth, dispensed by the glorified Christ and channeled through the ancient worthies to Israel and then to all mankind, will cleanse the world of error and sin and teach the people righteousness (Isaiah 2:3).

Connecting this Old Testament event with Jesus’ metaphor “you are the salt of the earth” surely resonated with the disciples and brought the Old Testament to life in ways the Pharisees never could. Jesus used metaphor as a teaching technique to enhance the meaning of the disciples’ present day experiences and teach great lessons. A metaphor from Jesus inspired them and inspires us with determination to remain engaged at the highest spiritual level with the promise of learning the deep things of God. Metaphor re­veals un­seen wisdom to the Gospel age church.

John’s Seven “I am” Metaphors

John’s gospel differs from the other three in that it focuses mainly on the last week of Jesus’ life. Even so, John records more of the spoken words of Jesus than any other gospel writer, and he includes many powerful metaphors Jesus used to teach his disciples. In particular Jesus used seven metaphors to paint a big picture, but all of them go well beyond basic truths to spur us toward that higher principle of engagement. In this way, our understanding of the metaphor grows in our mind with our own spiritual maturity. Jesus used metaphor as a time-release teaching technique to feed each stage of the church throughout the Gospel age with new richness and meaning as increased light was due.

“Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

While we must have food and water to sustain human life, we must also have the words of Jesus to sustain spiritual life. When David likened the sun to God, it was because of its life-giving qualities. Here through metaphor Jesus provides us with the big picture essentials for eternal life. When the Samaritan woman offered Jesus water from the well (John 4), Jesus said he would give her living water, a metaphor for truth. That living water is what we get when we become a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). God’s truth satisfies our spiritual thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6).

Bethlehem, Jesus’ birthplace, means “house of bread” in Aramaic. Breads were the ancients’ primary food, the main source of nutrition. Finding Jesus as the source of life is more than just recognizing him as a good teacher. We see him as the source of life and we get the benefit of his great redeeming work. Jesus gave himself a ransom for all (1 Timothy 2:6) and by that sacrifice he will be the Bread of Life for the world, which he bought with the price of his own life. Prospective members of his church now partake of the merit of his ransom sacrifice and become members of his body so they may become part of the heavenly class that will feed truth to the multitudes of earth. Only Jesus can provide this sustenance for eternal life. Whoever mentally accepts the benefit of Jesus’ sacrifice feeds upon it in their spiritual heart. They will never again hunger for God’s truth, righteousness, and a purpose in life.

Jesus compounded this simple metaphor with another more difficult one to filter out all but his most devoted followers. When Jesus added the metaphor to “eat his flesh,” it was so counterin­tuitive to the social norms and mores of the Jewish culture that it was rejected by the masses, and many left him because of it (John 6:51-66). Even so today, many are attracted to Jesus as a teacher and go on to develop a partial knowledge of his teachings. Some of the “salt” effect even helps them to become better people. Although they may consider his death as a way to remove their sin, they do not necessarily comprehend the way of sacrifice (Matthew 16:24), or his call to be baptized into his death (Romans 6:3; Mark 10:38), or why his followers need to share in his sacrifice and suffering before being glorified together with him (Colossians 1:24; Matthew 19:27-29). They leave Jesus at the cross and never see the awesome power of his resurrection as the reward for his sacrifice and the benefits it will bring all mankind.

Thus his metaphor to “eat his flesh” indicated a much larger truth. It indicated that Jesus’ followers must eat and appropriate to themselves his words and his example to spiritually grow up into their head, even Jesus (Ephesians 4:13,15). Most could not find that truth since they were not ready to make the necessary sacrifice to find this higher level of understanding and relationship that Jesus was pointing to in the spiritual world.

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Jesus used this majestic metaphor in the courtyard of the temple where the disciples would have seen four golden blazing candelabra during the Feast of Tabernacles. Lighted torches were held high during traditional dances, a physical reminder of God’s presence as a pillar of fire during their nation’s sojourn in the wilderness. This ceremony also reminded them of the promise that even during the dark night of Gentile suppression, the temple was their link to God’s presence (Nehemiah 9:19).

The Greek word used here for “light” is phos which means “to shine, in order to make manifest.” The Septuagint (the Old Testament in Greek) used this word in the description of creation: “God said, Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). That light showed everywhere! Today Jesus is the spiritual light of the world, but only a few recognize that light. The rest of the world has been blinded by the superstitions, deceptions, and darkness originating from the Adversary (2 Corinthians 4:4). Eventually, Jesus will bind the Adversary so he can no longer deceive the nations; then he will “light every man that cometh into the world” (Revelation 20:3; John 1:9).

In applying this metaphor to his disciples, Jesus used this same Greek word to describe the light that would shine from Jesus’ followers (Matthew 5:14-16). “So that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Philippians 2:15, NIV). Jesus was showing his disciples that the path to shine like the stars was through the enlightenment and transformation of the gospel. What a prospect! If we let our light shine now, we will be part of that great “Sun of Righteousness” (Malachi 4:2) during the thousand-year kingdom of Christ.

Similarly Jesus taught us to let our light shine and not hide it under a bushel. In his day, oil lamps were used for both “working” and “walking.” It is not enough to simply accept Jesus as a master teacher. His disciples must go much further and show commitment by engaging in his service. Neglecting prayer, study, or fellowship will cause our light to grow dim. If we fail to sacrifice, the darkness of the world may extinguish our light altogether. What a powerful concept is taught and released through this metaphor.

“I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture … I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:9,11, ASV).

This comforting metaphor explains Jesus’ ­purpose with amazing clarity and depth. A door serves a double purpose: it lets people in and keeps others out. When the “door was shut” in the parable of the marriage feast (Matthew 25:10), the five virgins with oil in their lamps went inside but the five foolish virgins were kept out of the feast.

The door associated with shepherding is not a door with hinges. It is an opening into a walled enclosure where sheep came together for the night so the shepherd could protect them. The shepherd himself became the door by lying across the threshold after all the sheep were inside. No wolf could attack the sheep without first encountering the shepherd. It is likely that David used this shepherding technique to protect the flock from predators seeking to steal his sheep, (see 1 Samuel 17:33-35).

George Adam Smith wrote poetically about the Eastern shepherd: “On some high moor, across which at night the hyenas howl, when you meet him, sleepless, far-sighted, weather-beaten, leaning on his staff, and looking out over his scattered sheep, every one of them on his heart, you understand why the shepherd of Judea sprang to the front in his people’s history; why they gave his name to their king, and made him the symbol of providence; why Christ used him as the type of self-sacrifice.”

William Barclay, in The Gospel of John, also wrote about the Eastern shepherd: “His life was very hard. No flock ever grazed without a shepherd, and he was never off duty. There being little grass, the sheep were bound to wander, and since there were no protecting walls, the sheep required constant watching for their own protection. On either side of the narrow plateau the ground dipped sharply down to the craggy deserts and the sheep were always liable to stray away and get lost. The shepherd’s task was both constant and dangerous since he not only guarded the flock against wild animals, especially against wolves, but he also protected them against thieves and robbers who were ready to steal the sheep.”

The sheep were critically dependent on the shepherd for sustenance: “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young” (Isaiah 40:11). During the day, the shepherd would lead his sheep to rich pastures. Jesus not only protects his followers from harm but he leads them to refreshing truth (Psalm 23:2,5). By putting himself in harm’s way, the shepherd gives his life to the sheep and gives his life metaphorically for the sheep. Jesus actually laid down his life for us (John 10:15,17,18).

By using this metaphor, Jesus not only clearly associated himself with a well-known, benevolent example of his day, he opened up new worlds of understanding and comfort to those who were diligent enough in their spiritual study and development to become familiar with the Old Testament promises and pair them with his beautiful teaching in this metaphor.

“Jesus said unto her [Martha], I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:25,26).

Jesus used this metaphor not only to comfort and sustain Mary and Martha, but also to teach a profound spiritual truth: the resurrection of the dead was only possible through him. Then Jesus illustrated this truth by the miracle of resurrecting their beloved brother Lazarus. John records eight miracles of Jesus (see 2:1-11; 4:46-54; 5:1-47; 6:1-14; 6:15-21; 9:1-41; 11:1-44; 21:1-14). Those miracles were proof of the power by which Jesus’ great work of the future would be accomplished. John said: “This beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested [before the time—the Millennial age] his glory” (John 2:11, ASV). Thus did Jesus preach the coming kingdom by word and through example. It would mean freedom from disease and death —“liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” (Isaiah 61:1). Jesus’ ministry was one of life and light (John 1:4). These miracles were not just a preview of what would happen in God’s kingdom on earth, they were also meant to convince his followers and Israel that he was the Anointed, the Christ.

Today those who follow Jesus are promised a heavenly reward (John 14:3). But what of those who do not know Jesus? What will happen to them? Rotherham answered this question by adding an important word in his translation of John 11:26: “And no one who liveth again and believeth on me shall in anywise die unto times age-abiding.” That one word “again” contains a great promise that rising to life occurs prior to when one is expected to learn of Jesus and believe in him as the source of life. Indeed, the promise of a resurrection for all who have ever lived is one of the greatest promises in the Bible. But it is hidden in metaphor for those closest to Jesus to discover.

Death is an overwhelming and seemingly permanent tragedy. But when temporary tragedies strike, there remains hope that things can get better. If poverty comes, one works harder and hopes for better times. When sickness occurs, there is hope that health will return. But death is the supreme tragedy, for man has no power to escape its clutches. Death seems hopeless, final, the end of everything. Loved ones are beyond rescue, beyond help, beyond reach. The tender ties of a whole lifetime are broken seemingly forever.

Jesus gave his perfect human life as a ransom (a legal payment) so that all who die will regain their lives: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction” (Hosea 13:14). Jesus came to earth as a perfect man, physically an exact equivalent of Adam before Adam sinned. Unlike Adam, Jesus was obedient to God and he sacrificed his perfect life, giving it as a corresponding price (a ransom) to take the place of Adam under the condemnation of death. This free gift legally cancels the death penalty for not only Adam, but for all of Adam’s descendants (the entire human race) since they were condemned through him (Romans 5:12,18,19). This doctrine of the ransom, the most meaningful doctrine taught in the Bible, is the basis of the only true hope of a future life for the dead. The doctrine of the ransom promises a return of the dead to life as well as the joyful reunion of families parted by death, and their living forever in health and happiness upon the earth (1 Timothy 2:5,6; Psalm 37:11,29).

Jesus made sure he arrived in Bethany after Lazarus had died. In fact, Jesus told his disciples “I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless, let us go unto him” (John 11:15). “For your sakes” is an important and often overlooked phrase. It reveals that Jesus saw this tragedy as an opportunity to demonstrate the comforting power of God. Through this experience, we gain the insight that even when tragedy strikes, we can rest assured that the Lord permitted it for our sakes—to develop our character and to help us look to him for help. “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15). Lazarus’ death, even though it proved to be temporary, helped Jesus’ followers develop heart reliance on the Lord and an un­shakable faith that he would help them be strong enough to survive Jesus’ coming death. Jesus knew he must suffer and die on the cross, but it is almost certain that his disciples did not realize it. While they claimed they were ready to accompany Jesus to the death (John 11:16), they later forsook him and fled.

Jesus arrived at the tomb of Lazarus, and after the stone was rolled away, “He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth! And he that was dead came forth” (John 11:43,44). Imagine Mary and Martha’s joy when their brother Lazarus walked out of the tomb alive! Their tears of sorrow became tears of joy. Thus it will be in the millennial earthly kingdom: “Verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live” (John 5:25).

In August of 2010, an event in the country of Chile beautifully illustrated the ineffable joy implied in this promise. Thirty-three Chilean miners were trapped in a coal mine for nearly two months and all were eventually rescued as a worldwide audience watched in amazement. If that powerful salvation from certain death caused a global audience to pay such attention, imagine what will occur when every person who has ever died emerges from the grave and comes back to a perfect life on earth! The Scriptures promise that they will be reunited with their loved ones in Christ’s kingdom where nothing will hurt nor destroy and life will continue forever (Isaiah 11:9; Revelation 21:4). The power over death that Jesus demonstrated when he raised Lazarus guarantees this promised resurrection of the dead. It also proves that Jesus will have the power to teach the world of mankind to know God.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

God is to be revered. If we seek an audience with God in prayer, we must pay him respect and deference in our daily lives. Jesus provided the way to do just that, and it is the central point of this lovely metaphor. The Pharisees and scribes of Jesus’ day believed they could stand righteously before God by at­tempting to keep all the details of the law. They did not understand the deeper, spiritual concept, that there was a “spirit of the law.” Jesus taught that the spirit of the law was more important than the letter of the law. Because the Pharisees and scribes failed to keep the spirit of the law, they failed to keep the law itself (James 2:10). This metaphor pointed the way to understanding the spirit of the law.

Adam’s disobedience resulted in condemnation to death (Genesis 2:17). His progeny could not escape that condemnation, since it was passed to them through inheritance. Therefore, none could be reconciled to God, even through obedience to the law. Redemption could only be secured through Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection. The purpose of the Gospel age is to call out from sinful humanity those who see Jesus as the ransom for Adam and who willingly consecrate and sacrifice their life to God in his name (Matthew 16:24). Through their faith in Jesus as that ransom, Jesus applies the merit of his sacrifice to their earthly life, justifying them, and thus God can accept each as though they had no sin. They then enter into the same covenant of sacrifice as Jesus entered: to follow God’s will until they die. Paul declared that those who enter into this covenant must sacrifice their wills as Jesus taught in the phrase, “I am happy in my sufferings for you.” There are things that Christ must still suffer through his body members, the church: “I am accepting, in my body, my part of these things that must be suffered” (Colossians 1:24, New Century Version).

With faith in Jesus as the redeemer, all believers in Jesus Christ whose consecration has been accepted are begotten by God’s holy spirit and now have access to God and fellowship with him as spiritual sons. They do not need a mediator because God through Jesus covers their fleshly imperfections through the merit (or robe) of Christ’s righteousness and deals with them as spiritual sons, new creatures in Christ Jesus (Isaiah 61:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 5:18). In Christ’s kingdom Jesus will be the mediator for the world and will bring every willing member of the race under his divine supervision back to perfection and harmony with God (Acts 4:12).

Jesus is the “way,” in that only through his sacrifice, the giving of his merit to sinners, can they be made acceptable to the Father and be received back again into fellowship with him. He is the “truth,” in that only through his instructions and guidance can any know the path—either now or in the future—to come into harmony with God. He is the “life-giver,” in that the entire race was dead, under divine sentence, and could not regain life except through him, through the life which he gave.

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Jesus used this metaphor as he made his way to the Garden of Gethsemane from the upper room on the night of his betrayal and arrest. As he walked with those closest to him through the vineyards of Kidron, burning fires were perhaps consuming the waste of its many fruit-covered vines. His mind perhaps flashed to the plaintive testimony of the prophet Isaiah: “My well-be­loved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: and he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. … And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: and I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry” (Isaiah 5:1,2,5-7).

God planted the nation of Israel as his own vineyard. God gave it rich promises of the Messianic kingdom and the blessing through it of all the families of the earth. He put a hedge around it with the law and the prophets, and in all the arrangements made for that holy nation. He looked for fruitage but was disappointed. The vineyard produced mostly sour grapes.

God healed and preserved Israel through every part of its sojourn to and in the promised land. When the nation rejected his son, the hedges of protection were removed and the land was laid waste. As a result, the beasts of the field, the Gentile nations, ravaged the people. There was no more rain of divine blessing, no more comfort, and no more deliverance from oppression until Israel’s time of disfavor was over. Jesus became a vine to the remnant of Israel that followed him and to those of the Gentile nations who would respond to the call that would emanate from his messengers. These are vitally connected to the vine. They receive the life-giving sap as long as they are in the vine, the teachings and spirit of our Lord is in them, and they live in harmony with other branches that produce bountiful fruit (Galatians 5:22,23).

Jesus Gives Meaning to Life

Living according to the principles of Jesus produces holiness (Romans 6:22). It also generates a purpose in life and a meaning for death (Philippians 1:21). Man’s philosophy of life is summed up eloquently by Shakespeare in Mac­beth: “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage … signifying nothing.” The apostle John, in recording the detail of Jesus’ spoken metaphors, helps us to understand that the true mean­ing of life is shown in one person, Jesus, and not in any human philosophy: “In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4).

Jesus knew his disciples could not understand everything he said. The apostle Paul confirmed this by explaining that the natural man cannot see the deep things of God because those things are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14). When the holy spirit came upon the disciples at Pentecost, they would finally remember and understand the things Jesus both said and did (John 12:16). Through metaphors, parables and miracles, Jesus provided testimony to those disciples, and to every spirit-begotten follower that came after them. Jesus’ words and deeds have inspired followers throughout the Gospel age to a life of sacrifice in the hope of sharing his work and glory (John 2:11). Indeed, some of Jesus’ illustrations were meant exclusively for us at this end of the age to help us discern the time of his return and the imminence of the kingdom.

Lastly, consider the following metaphor inside a parable which Jesus used to enclose truth that would be revealed at a later time: “Learn a parable of the fig tree; when her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: so ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors” (Mark 13:28,29). The fig is a metaphor of the Jewish nation (Jeremiah 24:1-10). That nation had a blight upon it. At the end of his ministry, Jesus stood overlooking Jerusalem and said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” (Luke 13:34,35). A short time later, the fig tree—Israel—completely lost its leaves, which was a picture of its imminent loss of identity as a nation. Since 1878, Israel has not only put forth leaves, it has become established as a flourishing nation proving Jesus has returned and God’s kingdom is near (see Isaiah 11:10-12). Jesus used the metaphor of the fig tree to package truth that could not be fully understood until the end of the Gospel age.

Just as beautiful paintings in an artist’s gallery reveal the artist’s purpose and point of view, the metaphors of Jesus paint complete pictures in our mind’s eye. They clearly articulate the plan of God. We may not understand them at first, but their meaning and their power to change our life grows as we struggle to understand these masterpieces. Let us carefully consider the metaphors of Jesus and diligently seek the higher level of understanding and engagement that he promises to all of his disciples. After all, Jesus is calling us to be fishers of men. Additionally, we would do well to harness the power of Jesus’ metaphors as we introduce Jesus, the master teacher, to his future disciples. Jesus’ word-pictures speak not merely to those listening to him, but to the entire church from that time even until now. Praise be to God!