Kingdom Parables: Their Purpose and Point of Each

Every parable has a main point and sometimes in digging deep we over-complicate things and end up missing the main point. As they say we can miss the forest for the trees.

So today is more of a bird’s eye view: The Kingdom Parables: Their Purpose and Point of Each.

The Purpose of Parables

Why did Jesus use parables? Why did He tell stories?

Common but Inaccurate/insufficient answer:

The most common answer is: Like every good preacher, Jesus used illustrations.

I hear it all the time: "Illustrations are easier to remember and understand. So when you preach you must tell stories. Thats why Jesus always told stories."

Not against the use of illustrations. But thats not why Jesus preached in parables.

First of all when Jesus spoke in parables nobody understood what He was talking about. Even the disciples had to ask him: "Eh what did you mean? Explain." ()

Secondly. In the disciples actually asked him, very directly: "Why do you speak to them {the people] in parables?" That already implies they didn't think it was effective.

Jesus' answer is not: "Oh because all good sermons need illustrations." No. Listen to what He says in (HCSB). The reason I preach in parables is :

The reason I preach in parables is :

"Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them."

Wait what?

Biblical answer:

Let me first give the conclusion and then elaborate: Jesus preached in parables because:

Parables reveal and conceal truths.

It has a double function. Parables shows truths to some, yes, but it also hides truths from others.

First notice there are two groups of people. There's "you" (the disciples) and there's "them" (the rest of the people).

This is:

because there are two kinds of people.

Notice in the passage there's "you" (the disciples) and there's "them" (the rest of the crowd).

Second thing to notice is that Jesus told the stories to everyone but he didn’t give them any explanation. It is only when He is alone with His disciples that He explains the meaning to them (, , ).

But why? Without the explanation the parables are meaningless. Or worse people will draw wrong meanings from them.

So why only give the explanation to the disciples and not to everyone?

Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for [the disciples] to know but it has not been given to [the rest].

Lets continue to read .

“For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. For this reason I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand.”

Remember at this point the disciples did not yet have a complete picture of who Jesus is and what He came to do. Not yet. They still had no concept of a crucified Christ. For them it was impossible for the Messiah to be shamefully executed as a criminal.

But they still followed Jesus everywhere. So there’s still a little light in them: some desire, some understanding, some faith etc. And so to those who have some, more will given to them. They are given the meaning of the parables so that they can grow in their knowledge of the Kingdom of God.

Generally speaking the Jewish people as a whole were unrepentant.

Back in , John the Baptist preached “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near”. But the people didn’t change.

When Jesus came, their hearts didn’t really turn to Him.

He was there but they weren’t seeing, they weren’t listening, they weren’t understanding.

In fact Jesus says that they are like the people during Isaiah’s time. See .

Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: “You will listen and listen, yet never understand” etc.

“You will listen and listen, yet never understand” etc.

Thats a quotation from where Isaiah is sent “Here I am send me” to preach to a people who are not going to listen. In fact, the message Isaiah is bringing to them will harden their hearts even more.

You will listen and listen, yet never understand; and you will look and look and never perceive.

Now if you were Isaiah what would you do?

You will listen and listen, yet never understand; and you will look and look and never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown callous (hardened), their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn back - and I would cure them.

It says this is a prophecy from Isaiah but again if includes a quotation from .

Now if you’ve ever heard a message on that passage it usually ends there. Will you be like Isaiah? Will you say: Here I am. Send me!”? They never tell you what happens next. God tells Isaiah: Go and preach but I’m not sending you to start a revival. Nobody is going to listen to your message. In fact your message is going to harden their hearts. But thats what I’m sending you to do.

is a familiar chapter to many. Isaiah sees a glorious vision of the Lord. The Lord speaks: “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Then Isaiah says “Here am I. Send me!”. Now if you’ve ever heard a message on that passage it usually ends there. Will you be like Isaiah? Will you say: Here I am. Send me!”? They never tell you what happens next. God tells Isaiah: Go and preach but I’m not sending you to start a revival. Nobody is going to listen to your message. In fact your message is going to harden their hearts. But thats what I’m sending you to do.

Sometimes the people are so bad that preaching the truth actually hardens them.

I’m sure you know friends or neighbours who when you just try to explain to them: “we are sinners” they shut off. They hate that.

Or “Jesus is the only way” they get very upset. It makes them hate Christianity even more.

is fulfilled in them.

Thats the same situation here.

I tried to imagine if God called me to preach to a church.

You cannot judge. You are wrong to judge. They end up judging those who judge. Its ironic.

So Jesus, speaks to them in parables. Parables contain the mysteries of the kingdom but without the explanations they will keep looking without truly seeing, keep listening without truly hearing.

So Jesus, speaks to them in parables. So that even more they don’t understand. So that they will keep looking without truly seeing, keep listening without truly hearing.

But parables don’t just conceal, they also reveal.

“Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

Are you like the crowd?

Its similar to what Jesus said earlier In :

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs”.

Because they won’t appreciate it. Giving the secrets of the kingdom to this people is like throwing pearls to pigs.

But to the disciples, Jesus says ():

But the parables don’t just conceal, they also reveal ().

To the disciples Jesus says ():

“But your eyes are blessed because they do see, and your ears because they do hear!"

Its not that the disciples had a complete picture of who Christ is and what He is doing. Half the time they have no idea what is going on.

Yet they followed Jesus. There was still some understanding, some desire, some faith.

So the secrets of the kingdom of heaven are given to them.

“Whoever has [some], more will be given to [them]”.

For whoever has, more will be given to them.

The secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for [the disciples] to know. For whoever has, more will be given to him.

For whoever has, more will be given to them.

Parables conceal but they also reveal.

Thats why the meaning of the parables, the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven have been given to [the disciples]. But not to the rest.

So are you like the crowd? Are you going to keep on hardening your heart?

To those who have,

Or are you humble followers of Christ?

Parables conceal but they also reveal.

For whoever has, more will be given to them.

The very same parables conceal but they also reveal. It all depends on the condition of your heart.

This ties in with first parable in . which Jesus explains in .

For whoever has, more will be given to them.

Its called the Parable of the Sower but actually the key thing in the story is not the sower.

We call it the Parable of the Sower but actually the key thing in the story is not the sower or his seed.

And now lets turn to what these parables reveal.

The same person scatters the same seed everywhere. Its the type of ground that makes all the difference. It is only in good soil that the seed bears fruit.

From we know that the seed is “the word about the kingdom”.

The point is:

Preaching the kingdom message yields different results, depending on the condition of the heart of the listener.

Preacher’s have a huge responsibility to ensure that their message is clear, relevant and faithful. Which is not easy.

Its easy to be clear and relevant without being Biblically faithful. And its easy to be faithful, without being clear or relevant.

So pray for preachers to be clear, relevant and faithful.

But the emphasis here is not on the preacher, its on the listener. And that is an aspect that is neglected.

You know there are so many books on preaching.

e.g. How to preach from the OT for all its worth. How to preach Christ from all the Scriptures. There’s even a book titled Saving Eutychus. The title is inspired from the story in . The apostle Paul was preaching but he went on and on. In fact he was so long-winded that a guy named Eutychus who was sitting next to the window fell asleep and fell three stories down. Thankfully Paul could miraculously heal him.

The premise of the book Saving Eutychus is: Unless you are the apostle Paul who can heal, then you need to save Eutychus in another way. You need to preach sermons that keep people awake.

But its okay, we got no windows here. And this is ground floor. Fall asleep also nevermind.

So there are plenty of books on how to be a good preacher. But when’s the last time you saw a book on how to be a good listener? How to listen to a sermon?

See we just show up on Sunday service and if we feel blessed then we think: the preacher today was good. The sermon was good.

If we go away feeling nothing then we think today the sermon not so good.

See we just show up on Sunday service and if we feel blessed then we think: the preacher today was good. The sermon was good.

If we go away feeling nothing then we think today the sermon not so good.

That maybe true but you should first examine yourself.

What have you been feeding yourself with throughout the week? What has been your focus everyday? Are there are any sinful behaviors you are still indulging in?

That maybe true but you should first examine yourselves.

Yes yes the preacher must preach well and the Holy Spirit must do His supernatural work. But this parable emphasizes the responsibility of the hearers.

What have you been doing throughout the week. Are there any sins you have been indulging in? Have you been preparing yourself to receive His word. In other words what is the condition of your heart.

Yes yes the preacher must preach well and the Holy Spirit must do His supernatural work. But this parable emphasizes the responsibility of the hearers.

Yes yes the preacher must preach well and the Holy Spirit must do His supernatural work. But why only last minute depend on the Holy Spirit to work on Sunday service and not throughout the week?

This parable emphasizes the responsibility of the hearers.

The same seed produced four different results. Three of them are negative.

The fault is not in the message but in the audience.

The same seed produced four different results.

Some seeds fall onto the path. The ground is hard and the seeds can’t penetrate it. The birds easily come and eat up the seeds there.

According to , this represents those who hear the message of the kingdom but do not understand it. So the devil can easily snatch it away.

Please note the importance of “understanding”.

We often say its not about the head, its about the heart. But its both. Yes its possible to have head knowledge without affecting the heart. But any true change must come through the head to the heart. If not its just sentimental feelings that can easily disappear.

This describes those that don’t understand the gospel, they just don’t get it, and never want to step in to church. But I think it includes some church-goers too. I’m thinking especially of those who grew up in a Christian family.

From young they follow their parents to church and make friends with other children and participate in church activities together. Then one day they grow up, leave the church and never come back.

Then they grow up and leave home, and leave the church and never come back.

Yes they may have all kinds of excuses. Church is full of hypocrites etc etc.

But deep down inside its because they had no personal understanding of sin and salvation. No real grasp of who Jesus is and what He did for them.

Its not either the head or the heart. Its both. Yes its possible to have head knowledge without affecting the heart. But any true change of the heart comes through the head. If not its just sentimental feelings that can easily disappear.

These are the seeds that fall on the path.

Yes its possible to have head knowledge without affecting the heart. But any true change of the heart comes through the head. If not its just sentimental feelings that can easily disappear.

Other seeds fall on rocky ground, and at first because the soil is shallow, they spring up the fastest. But there aren’t any roots, so they die under the hot sun.

But there aren’t any roots, so they die under the hot sun.

the same kingdom message yields different results.

Jesus explains (), this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived. When pressure or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

These are the ones who response to the good news superficially.

At first they are the most promising of the crop. The most exciting of the converts. Maybe they are the ones who first join the church and join everything. They appear to be on fire for Jesus.

But its five-minute hot only. The moment the wind of trouble comes, their candle is blown out.

The moment the winds of trouble comes, their candle is blown out.

They responded quickly and gave up just as quickly.

Probably the reason they responded so easily and so happily is because they focused only on receiving the benefits of being a Christian. They didn’t take into account the problems that come with being a Christian.

Just in case you didn’t know, Christians will face many problems in this world.

Don’t think that oh Jesus loves me, I no need to suffer. I won’t fall sick. Don’t think oh Jesus loves me, everybody else will also love me. No, the world hated Jesus. They will hate you also.

Don’t think oh Jesus loves me, everybody else will also love me. No, the world hated Jesus. They will hate you also.

You need to count the cost of following Christ if not you’ll be like the seed that fell on rocky ground. You won’t last.

The third one is the seed that is sown among thorns.

Compared with the previous one i.e. the seed on the rocky ground, persecution comes, he immediately stumbles. Thats a quick death. This is slow death. You won’t realise it.

What have you been feeding yourself with throughout the week? What has been your focus everyday?

The “worries of life” the “deceitfulness of wealth” steal all the nutrients from the word of God so that it has no real effect on you.

What have you been feeding yourself with throughout the week? What has been your focus everyday?

The “worries of this age/life” are not necessarily wicked things. They could be family. They could be career or business to feed your family. They could be studies. Those aren’t evil.

But when they become the main thing you care about, that becomes a problem.

See we just show up on Sunday service and if we feel blessed then we think: the preacher today was good. The sermon was good.

If we go away feeling nothing then we think today the sermon not so good.

When you are deceived into thinking that since everything needs money, that means money is everything, then you’re in danger.

when you are deceived into thinking that money is everything, and as long as I have lots of money my life will be good,

That maybe true but you should first examine yourselves.

When you are deceived into thinking that money is everything, and as long as I have lots of money my life will be good,

What have you been feeding yourself with throughout the week? What has been your focus everyday?

Yes yes the preacher must preach well and the Holy Spirit must do His supernatural work. But this parable emphasizes the responsibility of the hearers.

Have you allowed these thorns to grow unchecked in your life?

The last one is the seed that falls on good soil ().

Jesus sa

But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty what was sown.

See again the importance of understanding.

Some produce more and some produce less, but all true Christians bear fruit.

Notice again the importance of understanding.

They understand that being a Christian is not just happy clappy and no more pain. They understand that the good news is not I can be a Christian and still chase after all the things the non-believers chase after.

It says here its they bear fruit because they hear the word and really understand it.

So its also crucial for us to understand what the kingdom of heaven is like.

So its really crucial to rightly understand what the kingdom of heaven is like.

Thats really what the rest of the parables in are about.

Thats why they bear fruit. Some bear more and some bear less, but all true Christians bear fruit.

Every Christian will bear different amounts of

Not every Christian will be exactly the same.

The point of each parable

Introduction

Depending on how you classify a parable, there are about 7-8 parables in this chapter.

But this is not just a Jewish problem. All of us

Obviously I don’t have time to dig deep into each of these parables and I probably don’t need to.

Every parable has a main point and sometimes in digging deep we over-complicate things and end up missing the main point. As they say we can miss the forest for the trees.

This is because they misread the OT.

So today is more of a bird’s eye view: The Kingdom Parables: Their Purpose and Point of Each.

Its really critical to understand what the kingdom of heaven is like. Thats the point of the rest of the parables here.

The rest of the kingdom parables here are designed to correct the misconceptions the Jews had about the kingdom.

Now they believed all this because thats what is written in many OT passages. The problem is there are other OT passages that hinted at something else. And they didn’t put the two together.

You have to understand that the Jews of Jesus’ time were anxiously waiting for God to send them the Messiah. For them the Messiah is the King who will save them from their enemies. In this case the Romans and every other pagan.

They believed that when the Messiah came, it will be so obvious. His kingdom will be start with a big bang. It will be glorious. The present world as they knew it would end. All the wicked will be punished and all the righteous will be rewarded.

Now they believed all this because thats what is written in many OT passages. The problem is there are other OT passages that hinted at something else. And they didn’t put the two together.

Its not just a Jewish problem by the way. Many of us can still share similar misconceptions.

Wrong expectations and wrong understandings lead

Having the right expectations is very important.

If you think that the church camp hotel is as good as Palace of the Golden Horses you are going to be disappointed. You won’t enjoy the camp.

Or since election is coming if you believe that the only problem with Malaysia is our elected government, that as long as we can change our government in the next election all our problems will be solved. You’re going to be disappointed.

I’m not saying don’t vote for the opposition. I’m not saying vote for the opposition.

My point is its very important not to have the wrong expectations.

In this case wrong expectations of the kingdom caused many Jews to fail to recognise Jesus as their Promised King. Even today.

Peace and justice will reign.

Its not just a Jewish problem by the way. As you shall see, many of us still share their misconceptions.

Thankfully we have these kingdom parables in to correct our wrong expectations.

They have outlined them into 4 points:

I’m aware that we are not Jewish. But I’ve noticed that many of us today still share many of the misconceptions they had.

I’ve outlined the messages of the parables into 4 points:

I’ve outlined these corrections into 4 points:

The kingdom will not be accepted by all

The same message produces different responses - based on the condition of the heart

so much emphasis (rightly) on the good preaching. But the listener is responsible too. When’s the last time you saw a book on How to Listen to A Sermon.

Is your heart ready? Thats why John the Baptist preached repent for the kingdom of God is near. It is in the right condition for God’s kingdom, to be established in your life?

The kingdom starts subtly.

May even be despised.

The kingdom does not yet immediately end all evil and suffering yet.

if you don’t understand that then like the seed that fell on the rocky ground, you will fall away during trouble or persecution.

Even today if you talk to some Jews, that Jesus is the Messiah they’ll say: No He can’t be. Because when the Messiah comes, He will establish peace and justice. Look at the world, its still in a mess.

The Bible does not go into all the philosophical arguments about free will etc. It only clearly teaches that even in the midst of great evil and suffering God is absolutely in control. He has wise purposes for everything that has happens. And one day He will put an end to all evil and suffering in the world.

The kingdom is worth every sacrifice.

if you don’t understand this

These misconceptions are not just a 1st century Jewish problems. A lot of people, even Christians have wrong ideas about the kingdom.

The Person the parables point to

See how hardened they are. .

In fact the end of , when Jesus returns to his hometown and teaches, the people there are offended. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?”.

Kingdom Parables: Their Purpose and Point of Each

The Purpose of Parables

The Purpose of Parables

Common but Inaccurate/insufficient answer:

Biblical answer:

The point of each parable

Introduction

The kingdom will not be accepted by all

The kingdom starts subtly.

The kingdom does not yet immediately end all evil and suffering yet.

The kingdom is worth every sacrifice.

The Person the parables point to

Misconceptions about the Messianic kingdom