PARABLES FOR THOUGHT Week 34: The More Difficult Parables of Jesus (Selections from the Four Gospels) Between heated confrontations, Jesus continued to teach His disciples quietly concerning the Kingdom of God. He used numerous methods of instruction. He employed hyperbole, warnings, laments, and denunciations. He presents truth through beatitudes, proverbs and dialogue. But of all His methods, perhaps the most interesting and distinctive mode of teaching was His use of parables. And although Jesus said the parables would have the effect of concealing truth (Mark 4), He must have had in mind those hearers whose hearts were closed to His teaching. Because, conversely, in fulfilling His mission statement as found in Luke, He preached to the poor and outcast making most of His lessons fairly simple to understand and especially well-suited for the common person. Simply explained but often practically difficult. There are around forty unique parables (see reverse side to see why it is difficult to discern between the various comparison literary devices) that are recounted in the Gospels. Jesus used parables to draw His listeners in and compel them to respond— either by pressing closer to grasp what Jesus meant or by giving up and walking away. These two types of responses are seen in the gospel accounts. Regarding these more difficult parables to understand, they are noticeably found in the latter half of the gospels as Jesus neared the last few weeks of His earthly life. As confrontation and opposition intensified, Jesus spoke all the more in para- bles and even more forcibly if the religious leaders were in the audience. The content of His parables seemed dependent on who was listening to Him. These difficult parables are interspersed amongst more instructive parables as Jesus headed toward His rejection and death. The crowds were being called to repentance. Those who responded were being instructed in the nature of discipleship. But those who rejected the Messiah were being warned that their rejection of God’s Son was the same as rejecting God Himself. It is vitally important as we read this week’s 7 readings, that we observe all the more closely the surrounding context that provoked Jesus to speak these particular parables. 35% Week Thirty-Four Reading Plan of Jesus’ recorded 1 COMPASSION Matthew 20:1-16 Generous teachings were 1 GRATITUDE Landowner 2 PRAYER PARABLES S Matthew 21:28-46 A Changed Mind & 2 E WEALTH the Vinedresser’s Son L 3 B GOD’S LOVE Matthew 22:1-14 Wrong A Wedding Garment PA R 3 HUMILITY Matthew 25:1-30 Ten Virgins 3 JUSTICE & Investing 4 Mark 4:1-20 Parable of the CHRIST’S RETURN OF GOD OF Sower, Seed and Soil 13 8 OBEDIENCE KINGDOM Luke 16:1-31 Unjust Steward & Rich Man and Lazarus Luke 17:1-10 The Unprofitable Servant Table JESUS’ LAST FEW WEEKS 6 of 11 Description Matthew Mark Luke John Last Few Weeks 30ad Jesus’ Teaching on the Way to Jerusalem -- -- -- -- 13:22-30 -- -- Warning about Herod & Jesus’ Sorrow for Jerusalem -- -- -- -- 13:31-35 -- -- Jesus Heals the Man with Dropsy on the Sabbath -- -- -- -- 14:1-6 -- -- The Parable of Honoring Guests -- -- -- -- 14:7-14 -- -- The Parable of the Great Banquet -- -- -- -- 14:15-24 -- -- The Cost of Following Jesus -- -- -- -- 14:25-35 -- -- The Parable of the Lost Sheep -- -- -- -- 15:1-7 -- -- The Parable of the Lost Coin -- -- -- -- 15:8-10 -- -- The Parable of the Lost Son -- -- -- -- 15:11-32 -- -- The Parable of the Shrewd Manager -- -- -- -- 16:1-9 -- -- Teaching Regarding on Monetary Faithfulness -- -- -- -- 16:10-13 -- -- Exhortation to the Pharisees -- -- -- -- 16:14-17 -- -- Teaching on Divorce 19:1-12 10:1-12 16:18 -- -- The Rich Man and Lazarus -- -- -- -- 16:19-31 -- -- Teachings on Sin, Forgiveness, Faith & Service -- -- -- -- 17:1-10 -- -- Jesus Heals Ten Lepers, Only One Gives Thanks -- -- -- -- 17:11-19 -- -- The Coming of the Kingdom of God -- -- -- -- 17:20-37 -- -- The Parable of the Persistent Widow -- -- -- -- 18:1-8 -- -- The Parable of the Pharisee & the Tax Collector -- -- -- -- 18:9-14 -- -- The Children Come to Jesus 19:13-15 10:13-16 18:15-17 -- -- The Rich and the Kingdom of God 19:16-26 10:17-27 18:18-27 -- -- The Cost of Following Jesus 19:27-30 10:28-31 18:28-30 -- -- The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard 20:1-16 -- -- -- -- -- -- Jesus’ Foretells His Own Death & Resurrection 20:17-19 10:32-34 18:31-34 -- -- The Request of James’ and John’s Mother 20:20-28 10:35-45 -- -- -- -- The Healing of the Blind Men 20:29-34 -- -- 18:35-43 -- -- Zacchaeus the Tax Collector Visited by Jesus -- -- -- -- 19:1-10 -- -- The Parable of the Minas -- -- -- -- 19:11-27 -- -- The Healing of Blind Bartimaeus -- -- 10:46-52 -- -- -- -- The Death of Lazarus -- -- -- -- -- -- 11:1-16 Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus -- -- -- -- -- -- 11:17-37 The Raising Lazarus from the Dead -- -- -- -- -- -- 11:38-46 The Conspiracy to Kill Jesus -- -- -- -- -- -- 11:47-53 The End of Jesus’ Public Ministry -- -- -- -- -- -- 11:54-57 30ad Mary Anoints Jesus 26:6-13 14:3-9 -- -- 12:1-11 Comparative Literary Forms • A simile is a an expressed comparison. It typically uses the words like or as (e.g., “the kingdom of heaven is like...”). • A metaphor is an unexpressed comparison. It does not use the words like or as. The new topic and the common thing with which it is being compared are intertwined (e.g., “I am the vine, you are the branches.”). • Proverbs are concerned with wisdom, a concept that provides the context for all of them (e.g., Mt. 6:22, 24; 7:12). • Parable refers to an extended simile. The comparison is expressed, and the common event or thing explains more fully the spiritual or moral truth, yet still kept separate (e.g., last week’s and this week’s readings). • Allegory can be understood as an extended metaphor. The details of the story are not simply coloring to fill out the story, but are of great importance in themselves and must be interpreted. The comparison is unexpressed, and the truth and the thing compared are intermingled as if one and the same (e.g., Pilgrim’s Progress, Mt. 22:2-14) Similes Metaphors Proverbs Parables Allegories.