Tag: Parables

Jesus stood there in front of the Pharisees and the religious rulers of the day knowing full well that if he had taught anything other than parables, the consequences would have been quite severe.  Specifically, for this message. The love that Jesus had for His people went beyond religious rules and adherence to produce salvation. Instead, Jesus cared for the people of God and provided a path for them when they strayed from God’s plan and His best for them.  This included correcting the religious leaders of the day who sought to lord their power over the people and, in doing so, abandoned their role to the world. 

Jesus stood there in front of the Pharisees and the religious rulers of the day knowing full well that if he had taught anything other than parables, the consequences would have been quite severe.  Specifically, for this message. The love that Jesus had for His people went beyond religious rules and adherence to produce salvation. Instead, Jesus cared for the people of God and provided a path for them when they strayed from God’s plan and His best for them.  This included correcting the religious leaders of the day who sought to lord their power over the people and, in doing so, abandoned their role to the world. 

At the end of Mark 9, Jesus tells this brief parable: “Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” (Mark 9:49-50, NIV).  At first glance, verses 49 and 50 are only thematically related, in that they both refer to salt.  Context, though, paints a different picture of the parable of the salt told in Mark’s Gospel.  Directly preceding these verses are a dire warning against teaching falsehood and preserving oneself from the ravages of sin. 

The Pharisees highly valued strict adherence to the law.  For the Pharisees, faith was expressed through obedience to the word of God, an idea they initially embraced with a good heart. Yet, as their religious rule continued, the leaders continually added to the law.  They heaped more and more requirements on the people beyond what they could endure.  The belief persisted that each person should be judged by the actions he displayed on the outside.  Jesus, however, having a greater understanding of the intended purpose of the law, gave a different interpretation.

In Mark 4 Jesus tells four parables back to back.  Within each parable, there are themes woven throughout the fabric, tying them all together.  First is the imagery of the Kingdom of God which most would understand to be an infinitely powerful Kingdom.  Even in our day, we read through the biblical imagery and see the vastness and superior nature of the Kingdom of God.  Yet, where our own preconceived notions fall short is in the nature of what brings about the Kingdom of God.  For example, we would not expect that the Kingdom is brought about by something that would at first seem so inconsequential—a mustard seed.

Jesus continued to speak to the people in parables.  He compared the truth to the light of a lamp, explaining that the measure we use to judge others will be used for us. We often take for granted the concept of electricity.  The simple flip of a switch or verbal command to Google will illuminate our homes and other buildings. During the first century, people filled lamps with oil to light up the house.  When a lamp was put under a bed or under a bowl, it ceased to function in its intended manner.  When the goal is to provide light to the world around you, blocking or concealing that light opposes the true function of the lamp’s intended purpose.

The nature of truth is not something that should be concealed. The truths of God are designed to be displayed brightly and outwardly.  Jesus spoke in parables so that the people would be able to understand the complex intricacies of an infinite and eternal God.  Yet, some still were unable to understand the message of Jesus Christ.  Thus, you see Jesus frequently referring to “those who have ears to hear, let them hear.”

For a largely agrarian society, a message of sowing and reaping seed would be immediately understood.  As Jesus taught the people while he stood on the lake, he spoke to them the profound mysteries of an eternal and brilliant Kingdom.  Yet he did so with the language that the people would understand.  The mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven were being revealed to mankind and the word of God was spreading far and wide.  This message became the focal point for what Jesus was intending to communicate. 

From all accounts of scripture, Jesus had just cast out demons from a man with multiple ailments.  The man had been blind and unable to speak and had been healed by Jesus miraculously.  After all, Jesus is a God who came to heal people and bring them to restoration. Most people would view this as a good thing for a man to have physical ailments be brought to restoration. Others, for whatever reason, viewed this as a threat to themselves and what they were doing.

Throughout the Gospels Jesus employed parables, or stories, to communicate the complex truths of the nature of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, and what faith looks like expressed in the world.  The parables allowed the complex, unfathomable truths of God to be simplified and understood by all people to bring them closer to God.  In understanding the truth, the people could apply it to their lives and grow in their faith.  In Mark’s Gospel, many of these parables are recorded as a part of the Gospel record.