Stories Jesus Told Pt 2

I just love hearing stories. Stories allow us to see the world through someone else’s experience or thought process. They awaken our imagination and words turn into pictures in our mind, and emotions can be stirred. Jesus used stories quite often in his teachings. First stories or parables provide a means in which to teach truth to some. Those who are eager to follow God and His principles will see truth and lessons in the parables Jesus uses. Those who’s hearts are hardened and who are opposed to God will be kept from seeing the truth in the parable.

Today I want to outline a few principles and tools for interpreting the parables of Jesus. Fortunately, we have a few thousand years of hindsight in examining the parables Jesus taught and there are many excellent Theologians who have written much about them, but there is something about wrestling with a text on our own.

Looking at how Jesus taught, I think that’s what He wants from us. Certainly He could have told us step-by-step and point by point, but so many times He left information for our own discovery.

Growing up, my uncle Dave was very good at this method of teaching. One time, we were putting a bed together that had been in storage and he had put it together a few times already. He knew what size socket we needed for the bolts and he grabbed them. I saw the ones he grabbed and just knew that they weren’t the right size, so I told him so. Rather than going on a long list of reasons why his arrogant, know-it-all, inexperienced nephew was wrong, he just simply said: “OK, go ahead grab the size you think it is so we don’t have to come back.” He knew we wouldn’t have to come back, but when we got to the room to put the bed together, he let me try my socket first and when it didn’t work he just simply handed me the one he brought and left me to putting the bed together. That was a humbling moment to say the least and that was my uncle’s intention. Gentle humbling.

That’s really the point of the parables…for us to learn a lesson, to discover a truth. Here are some helpful tips as we study the stories Jesus told.

What is the context?

Who, what, when, where?

Who was Jesus talking to? Crowds? Religious leaders? Disciples only? a specific person?

Knowing who Jesus is talking to will help us understand the true meaning.

What happened just before the Jesus spoke? Was there a question? Did someone say something or do something?

When does the parable take place? No specific time? Leading up to an event? After an event? How old are the people in the parable?

Where does the story take place?

An NBA player Charles Barkley is quoted as having said: “I am not a role model.” If that is all you hear, that says one thing - keep your kids away from me, because I am just a bad dude. That is not what he was trying to say. This is what we formulate in our minds when we fill in our own context. Here is the full quote:

“I’m not a role model. When I’m playing basketball, my job is to cause as much chaos for the other team as possible. If you want a role model for your kid, it should be you.” - Charles Barkley

That means something different than keep your kids away from me. He is saying so much more.

We can miss the meaning of parable if we don’t understand the context.

Next tip...

Are the cultural differences/references?

For instance, Jesus told a parable of the 10 virgins waiting on the bride groom and five were prepared with extra oil and five were not. If we don’t understand the cultural practice of the day, we might miss the meaning of the story.

If you don’t understand what it is happening, there may be a cultural disconnect. Another example is the parable of the good Samaritan. If you didn’t know that Samaritans and Jews did not get along, you miss the important lesson that even if you dislike someone, you are to still treat them as your neighbor.

Many study Bibles will help identify these cultural differences and help clarify what is going on.

Are there standard stereotypes?

Anytime there is a master, shepherd, father, king, or judge in the story, this most often is a representative of God. We’ll see this in the parable we read today.

Anytime there is a servant, sheep, child, worker, citizen/subject in the story, this most often is representative of the followers of God.

If we understands these common stereotypes then we’ll better understand who we are in the story.

What details might be important?

There is a parable in Matthew 18 about a king who forgave a man’s debt of millions and then that man tried to collect a debt worth hundreds. This detail of the amounts is important as it shows the great mercy of our God to forgive our many debts and that we should be quick to forgive that which is tiny in comparison.

Finally...

What’s the point of the parable?

It is Jesus always has a point in the parables that he uses. There are often some side lessons to be learned as well, but each parable has one main point. What is the point? What happens at the end? What is really the lesson or truth? What does God want me to know or realize after having read this parable.

It is important to have a time of self reflection after reading God’s Word. I know I’ve at times wanted to just check the box that my reading was done, but I’ve got to remember to just take a moment and reflect on what I’ve read and what God might be trying to say.

Let’s walk through the process of interpreting a parable together. At the end, just like last week, we are going to allow a bit of time to reflect.

Turn with me to Luke 18 and we’ll read starting in verse 1.

Luke 18:1–8 NIV

1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

What is the Context?

Who, what, when, where?

Jesus is speaking to his disciples.

We don’t know where the story is being told or what prompted the story, but it is told right after Jesus taught about being ready for the kingdom of God to come without notice. Jesus is teaching them how to be prepared. This is an important context to understand the end of the parable.

The context we know is that the teaching it to his disciples and Jesus is teaching them to be prepared and what preparation looks like.

Are the cultural differences/references?

Our judicial system looks quite different today than it looked then. Back in the time of Moses, he was getting burned out judging every little thing that the people brought him. His father-in-law gave him some advice that he should appoint leaders to judge and settle disputes. Each judge or leader would be responsible for a certain number of people.

For the culture of the day, this is how disputes were resolved. If Jesus were telling this parable in the context of our current culture, this parable would likely have been told differently. It might include a customer service manager who get’s fed up with the person who is calling every day with a complaint.

Are there standard stereotypes?

Yes, the reluctant judge who takes a long time to react to the pleading of the widow is compared to God who reacts in perfect timing.

The widow represents followers of God who are wronged by the world.

What details might be important?

The judge did not respect God and did not care what people thought.

The woman was a widow and therefore among a class of people who were socially forgotten.

The judge feared the woman might attack him. Part of his motivation was fear. He certainly did not care for the woman.

What’s the point of the parable?

Jesus is telling his disciples to never give up praying. The widow continued to pester the judge even though he kept refusing her. Yet each time she went, she went expecting a different result. She never ceased to believe that she would get the justice she deserved.

The flip side is that we have a just, caring God who listens and will not let the requests go unanswered. Not because He fears us or is annoyed by us, but because He loves and cares for us.

Jesus ends the telling of the parable with this phrase:

Luke 18:8 NIV

8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

In chapter 17, Jesus says that two people would be in bed and one would be taken and the other would remain. Two would be working together in a field and one would go and one would remain.

Jesus is emphasizing that his disciples need to always be prepared. The way we get prepared is to always be in the judge’s chamber pleading with Him like the widow. To have faith and hope like the widow who comes expectant to the unjust judge, but we come to the just judge our God.