Dr. William H. Marty - Fascinating Bible Studies on Every Parable: For Personal or Small Group Use

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Introduction

The Trees and the Thornbush King

The Rich Man and the Poor Man

The Nature of the Kingdom

The Coming of the Kingdom

The Sower and the Soils

The Wheat and Weeds

The Seed Growing Secretly

The Leaven

The Mustard Seed

The Children in the Marketplace

Jesus and Beelzebul, the Strong Man, and Good and Bad Trees

The Value of the Kingdom

The Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price

The Consummation of the Kingdom

The Fish Net

The Wise and Foolish Virgins

The Sheep and the Goats

The Ethics of the Kingdom

Discipleship

The Tower Builder and the Warring King

The Shrewd Manager

The Talents

The Unforgiving Servant

The Watchful Servants and the Wise Manager

The Thief

Reversal

The Narrow Door

The Wedding Banquet

The Great Banquet

The Rich Man and Lazarus

The Good Samaritan

Prayer

The Helpless Widow and the Unjust Judge

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

The Friend at Midnight

Grace and Love

The Workers in the Vineyard

The Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin

The Prodigal Son/the Loving Father

The Unworthy Servant

The Sinful Woman and Two Debtors

Judgment

The Wise and Foolish Builders

The Rich Fool

The Wicked Tenants

Fruitfulness

The Barren Fig Tree

The Vine and the Branches

What Does God Expect of Me?

Notes

About the Author

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One of the reasons Jesus is considered a Master Teacher was his extensive use of parables. He used them to teach large and small crowds like his disciples and to debate religious leaders.

Why did Jesus teach in parables? He used parables to draw his audience into the story. Once they identified with the characters, he would make a point, usually with an unexpected development. Though the stories were from everyday life, they were not always understood, even by his disciples. Jesus had to explain. With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything (Mark 4:3334).

While this book is mostly about Jesus parables, I have also included two parables from the Old Testament. The story of the trees and the Shechemites could be considered a fable because inanimate objects (trees) are assigned traits of the living, but it is a parable in that the story focuses on one main point. Also, Nathan used a parable of a rich man and a poor man to rebuke David for his sin with Bathsheba. In addition to parables in the Old Testament, the rabbis of Jesus time taught in parables, so Jesus was using a method that would have been familiar to his audience. But Jesus use of parables was somewhat unique because no one had used parables as extensively as he did in his teaching about the kingdom.

While writing these studies, I occasionally interacted with my brother-in-law about some of the parables. His response was often, I never did understand what Jesus meant. The purpose of this book is to help you understand Jesus parableswhat he intended to teach and the response he expectedand then to suggest how we can apply his parables today.

Each study begins with an introduction followed by information on the historical and cultural setting of the parable. It is important to place each parable within the ministry of Jesus and to understand the cultural aspects of the story. Though it is difficult to categorize Jesus parables because of the different occasions and varieties of the stories, I have attempted to organize them into two broad categories: 1) the nature of the kingdom and 2) the ethics of the kingdom.

The Nature of the Kingdom

When Jesus first began speaking in parables, he called them mysteries. This meant that Jesus was revealing new truths about the kingdomtruths that had not been revealed in the Old Testament. Jesus declared that with his coming, the kingdom had arrived (the inauguration of the kingdom), the kingdom would advance supernaturally, the kingdom was of incomparable value, and the kingdom would be consummated at the end of the age (already but not yet).

The Ethics of the Kingdom

The parables in this category answer the question that the late Francis Schaeffer asked and answered in his book How Should We Then Live? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus introduced a higher calling for subjects of the kingdom when he declared, Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20 NASB ). Parables in this section clarify what it means to be a devoted follower of Christ (discipleship); they introduce the shocking theme of reversal; and they warn of the tragic and irreversible fate of those who reject Jesus. Others give truths about prayer, assuring us that God is a loving Father who will not disappoint. Some, like the workers in the vineyard and the prodigal son, emphasize Gods amazing grace and his unconditional love. The section concludes with a focus on fruitfulness, which includes the parable of the barren fig and Jesus teaching about the vine and the branches. In my opinion, the latter is an extended metaphor, not a parable, but I have included it because of its importance for becoming and remaining a fruitful follower of Christ.

Why Do You Speak to the People in Parables?

When Jesus began teaching in parables, his disciples didnt understand. After the parable of the sower, they asked, Why? His answer is somewhat puzzling. He said,

The secret of the kingdom has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,

They may be ever hearing but never perceiving,

and ever hearing but never understanding;

otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!

Mark 4:1112

It seems as if Jesus taught in parables to deliberately conceal kingdom truths, at least from his detractorsthose he refers to as outsiders. Matthew gives additional information on Jesus response with a longer quote from Isaiah. In Matthew, the failure to understand is due to the hardness of the hearts of the hearers rather than the intention of Jesus to prevent outsiders from understanding. Mark and Matthew give two different perspectives on the purpose of parablesMark gives the divine and Matthew the human. In Matthew, the parable of the sower and six other parables come after Jesus faced vicious opposition and the charge that his power over demons was from Satan. Jesus warned his opponents that their deliberate and stubborn unbelief was an unpardonable sin (Matthew 12:137). The reason outsiders could not understand Jesus parabolic teaching is because they didnt want to understand; they had hardened their hearts. Mark, however, gives Gods perspective. Because Jesus opponents, primarily the religious leaders, had deliberately hardened their hearts, God had hardened their hearts. They couldnt understand Jesus teaching in parables because they didnt want to understand, thus God made it impossible for them to understand. They had committed the unpardonable sin, and put themselves under divine judgment.