MacArthur - Parables Workbook The Mysteries of Gods Kingdom Revealed Through the Stories Jesus Told

Parables Workbook

Copyright 2016 John MacArthur

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All Scripture references, unless otherwise indicated, are from The New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960. 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Quotations marked Parables taken from John MacArthur, Parables: The Mysteries of Gods Kingdom Revealed Through the Stories Jesus Told (Nashville, TN: Nelson Books, 2015).

Quotations marked MacArthur Bible Commentary taken from John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2005).

Quotations marked The Prodigal Son taken from John MacArthur, The Prodigal Son: As Astonishing Study of the Parable Jesus Told to Unveil Gods Grace for You (Nashville, TN: Nelson Books, 2008).

Quotations marked Merriam-Webster taken from The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 2015), beta. merriam-webster.com.

ISBN 978-0-310-68642-2

ISBN 978-0-310-68643-9 (eBook)

First Printing December 2015

CONTENTS

In this ebook edition, please use your devices note-taking function to record your thoughts wherever you see the bracketed instructions [Your Notes] or [Your Response]. Use your devices highlighting function to record your response whenever you are asked to checkmark, circle, underline, or otherwise indicate your answer(s).

J esus parables were ingeniously simple word pictures with profound spiritual lessons. His teaching was full of everyday stories. Some of them were no more than fleeting remarks about commonplace incidents, objects, or persons. In fact, the most compact of all Jesus short stories does not even fill a complete verse of Scripture. Jesus was the master storyteller, and there was not a truism so familiar or doctrine so complex that He could not give it new depth and insight through the telling of a simple story. These narratives epitomize the simple yet powerful profundity of His message and teaching style.

While the parables illustrate and clarify truth for those with ears to heara phrase Jesus often repeats in His narrativesthey have the opposite effect on those who oppose and reject Christ. The symbolism hides the truth from anyone without the discipline or desire to seek out Christs meaning. This is one of the reasons why Jesus adopted this style of teaching. It was a divine judgment against those who met His teaching with scorn, unbelief, or apathy.

Yet the parables dont just reflect Gods judgment; they also show His mercy. Like any good illustration, Jesus parables naturally aroused interest and attention in the minds of those who were not necessarily hard-set against the truth but simply lacked aptitude of spiritual matters or had no taste for hearing doctrine expounded in more dogmatic language. No doubt the parables had the effect of awakening the minds of many such people who were struck by the simplicity of Jesus stories and became eager to discover the underlying meanings. For othersincluding, surely, some whose first exposure to the truth provoked skepticism, indifference, or even rejectionthe graphic imagery of the parables helped keep truth rooted in their memories until it sprang forth in faith and understanding.

In short, Jesus parables had a twofold purpose. On the one hand, they hid the truth from those self-righteous or self-satisfied people who had no discipline or desire to seek out Christs true meaning. On the other hand, they revealed truth to those eager souls with childlike faith who were hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Jesus thanked His Father for both results: I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight (Matthew 11:2526).

Before looking at specific parables, it would be good to consider the genre. What is a parable, and how does it differ from other illustrative formsmetaphors, similes, fables, allegories, and the like? A parable is not merely a simple analogy. Its an elongated simile or metaphor with a distinctly spiritual lesson contained in the analogy. Short figures of speech like as strong as a horse or as quick as a rabbit are plain similessimple and straightforward enough not to require an explanation. A parable extends the comparison into a longer story or more complex metaphor, and the meaning (always a point of spiritual truth) is not necessarily obvious. Most of Jesus parables demanded some kind of explanation. The important component of every parable is the central lesson. In cases where the symbolism is complex (such as the parable of the soils), Jesus almost always explains the symbolism.

In this study, we will look at the context that motivated Jesus to teach in parables and then take a tour of twenty-one parables in the Gospels to see what they teach.

THE PARABLES OF JESUS