blog#18, Jesus...and parables

blog#18, Jesus...and parables

Recently I mentioned about a pool of Hebrew sayings (parables), numbering near 5,000 and about 800 of them, are called king-parables. The sages drew from them and used them as a teaching tool. Readers of the Christian Bible, also know that Jesus used parables in his teachings quite liberally. But what is a parable, and how does such a tool enhance teaching? First, lets examine the Greek word “parable.”

A Strong’s Concordance with a Hebrew Greek Lexicon, lists the word parable/s, as found in about 62 bible verses (King James Version). The coded Greek number is 3850, and comes to us from “para” and “ballo”(2 Greek words), having these listed meanings; to throw alongside [for comparison], similitude, comparison, adage, figure, proverb. Parables were sometimes a short simple story which communicated a moral or spiritual truth. Some parables used figurative or symbolic language to convey a particular lesson. Jesus was not the first to teach with parables.

We Christians fail to recognize the abundance of parables in our bible. For instance, the book called Proverbs. In Hebrew it reads, Mishlei Shlomoh ven David, melekh Yisrael-It could also read: Parables of Solomon son of David, king of Israel. The Hebrew term rendered Proverbs, could have also been translated “parables.” The particular word “mashal”, and its plural form mishlei, actually has a listed meaning of parable/s under Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon #4912.

When we take the Hebrew word mashal/mishlei, knowing that it means parable/s, suddenly we realize that king Solomon’s so called book of Proverbs, is in truth, a book of Parables. Now we can grasp significant truth, namely, that the 31 chapters of Proverbs, is a book of Parables. And, what shall we say of Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs?

But, we are not overly surprised, since 1Kings 4:32 relates of Solomon: “And he spake three thousand parables: and his songs were a thousand and five.” Long before the man Jesus came along, parables were used by Hebrew thinkers as teaching tools. Jesus was following in a great tradition of teaching. The Talmud expresses parables in many lessons, and I accept that many of them were part of an unwritten oral tradition.

Solomon’s father, king David, was also quite a literary genius with Divine inspiration. Sages say, that king David in composing the Psalms, drew upon the works of ten psalmists-including Moses, who wrote Psalms 90-100. Rashi says, that David incorporated them into Psalms. One view in the Talmud conveyed; David was the author of them all, presumably drawing upon ideas or texts and weaving them into his own compositions.

Even the non Hebraic prophet, Balaam, made use of parables in his prophecy in Numbers 23:7, Numbers 24:3, and Numbers 24:20. He realized that he couldn’t curse Israel. He envisioned the goodliness of Jacob’s tents and tabernacles, and saw that Amalek would perish. God opened his eyes, and allowed His Presence to come upon him, even though Balaam was willing to try and assist Balak. His parables are contained in narratives in the Book of Numbers.

Parables express the wisdom of God as revealed to His sages. Parables also seem to serve a two fold purpose. Matthew chapter thirteen and verse two, reveals about the huge crowds which followed Jesus, saying: “great multitudes were gathered together unto him...and he spake many things unto them in parables.” Jesus also, used the parable as a teaching tool.

Within that thirteenth chapter of Matthew alone, there exists 7 parables. A Parable of the sower, parable of the wheat and tares, parable of the mustard seed, the parable of the hidden leaven, parable of the hidden treasure, a parable of the pearl of great price, and the parable of the cast net and the sea. Jesus links each parable to a movement of God, which he calls, the Kingdom of Heaven.

According to Matthew 13:35, the author felt that Jesus’ use of parables was a fulfillment of prophetic utterance, made by Asaph, [rewritten by king David], and found in Psalm 78:2. “I will open my mouth with parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. I will utter riddles from antiquity, that which we have heard and know, and our fathers told us.” This verse states that parables were passed down from the fathers of Israel to their children from old times, and that the parables themselves are revealing, yet express riddles of ancient history.

Psalm 78 enumerates many details of Israel’s history. According to Rabbi Hirsch (R. Hirsch), ‘the events of Israel’s history are parables-object lessons for all times. The principles demonstrated by these events serve to explain the otherwise inexplicable riddles of subsequent Jewish history.’

Truly, Psalm 78 shows both the successes and failures of some of Israel’s people. One segment of Israel receives the reproof of Psalm 78:37: “For their heart was not right with Him, neither were they stedfast in His covenant.” And another verse wrote: “But they continued more to sin against Him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert ” (Psalm 78:17).

Such comments indicate that Israel’s people and existence itself, is sort of a riddle from ancient times. Why would there exist among a holy people, a population segment whose hearts were not right with God, or those who were not stedfast with Him and His covenant? Fact is, that in any religious tradition, there are folks who do not live up to the “faith,” and there are also folks in any society which are not completely faithful to the cause. But, in Israel’s case, because of the manifold manifestation of God’s mighty miracles, its seems more of a riddle than usual, because they are the biblical holy people, to whom God gave the “oracles” (logia=divine words).

The same chapter in Psalm 78:10, says of an Israeli population segment, “lo shamru berit Elokim, oov torato meianu lalechet.” They did not guard the covenant of God, and His Torah, they refused to follow. The riddle deepens, but we do notice a people within a people, parables as a teaching tool, and the passing down from fathers to children of many sayings and traditions.

Reading farther in Matthew chapter 13:14, Jesus adds another reference from the prophecy of Isaiah, combining it with the Psalm 78:2, and shedding more insight upon the twofold purpose of parable teaching. “By hearing, ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive” (see Isaiah 6:9). Thus, the segment of people within a people, the ones whose hearts are not steadfast with God, the ones who do not keep covenant, those who rebel constantly against the Most High, become unfruitful in understanding because of the parable teaching tool.

At the same time, those whose hearts are fixed on God and love Him, with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might, and observe His teaching; upon hearing the parable, are able to eventually grasp the message which God sends them. Thus, the parable to one is an enigma, but to the other it becomes a blessing.

Why else would Jesus say; “Because to you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given” (Matthew 13:11)? This makes the prophecy of Isaiah so enlightening. For in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “For this peoples heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should repent, and I should heal them.”

In the wisdom of God, the parable is designed to enlighten and assist the understanding of the sincere person who puts trust in God. Conversely, the parable is designed in the wisdom of God, to confuse the non repentant religionist, thus keeping that one on the outer edge of faith, even though that one travels with a believing group. Until they repent, no parable will ever hold true significance for that one.

A popular saying with Jesus was: He that has ears let him hear. The phrase is located in Matthew thirteen, about 4 times. Its found elsewhere too, but in the seven prophetic messages to the seven churches of Asia, its given a total of 7 times by the Holy Spirit to the churches. Yet, the text says that JESUS was actually doing the talking.

You see, to Jesus, hearing was not hearing; unless the words were permitted to sink down into your ears [heart] (see Luke 9:44). Parables should be meditated upon, applying the moral and spiritual truths to ones own life. But parables are not necessarily designed to teach theology, rather they teach principles of the Kingdom of Heaven in this world.