Purpose of Parables

Opening Illustration

UN building

Isaiah 2:4. “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

Deleted Isaiah 2:4a: “And He (the Messiah) shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people.”

Universal Truth - Humanity longs for a righteous kingdom.

Events of the last week or a study of history demonstrates

The reign of a righteous king.

The experience of a life under the rule of a good / great leader

war, and struggle, and anguish are eliminated.

Our desire for this experience is strong.

But our understanding of what hinders a kingdom is faulty.

The Kingdom Obstacle is the sinfulness of man.

It has affected our ability to think, our ability to feel, and our ability to do. Everything is jaded by our sinfulness.

This is why Jesus came to rescue us from Sin.

Desire for a Righteous Kingdom will never be satisfied outside of the New Heart and Mind promised by the Lord God.

John 18:33-37

33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

The King is seated.

He is not frantically pacing

He is not anxious or nervous

He is not unsettled or scared

He is seated, steady, secure.

That brings us to Matthew 13

Jesus Public Ministry - 12 chapters, and about 2 years

revealing truth about who He is and about the condition of man.

His teaching is radical. Not in a rebellious or seditious way, but in a personally confronting way.

His supernatural activity cannot be denied

His Kingdom is offered (Matthew 4:17 - The Kingdom of God is at hand)

But the Jewish Leadership rejected Him. Matthew 12:24 - “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”

Climatic moment - guardians of God’s truth - Shepherds of His people

reject Jesus

Reject that jesus miracles are from God; empowered by the devil.

Reject His Kingdom

After hearing and seeing Jesus Christ with their own ears and their own eyes, they reject Him, His Rule, His Kingdom.

With all of their knowledge of Scripture and its expectation of the coming Messiah, they reject Him.

Turning Point.

Matthew 13 - pivotal moment in the ministry of Jesus

Shifts to the Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Questions Answered:

Is God’s Plan defeated?

What Now? What is the experience of mankind who has rejected the King

Answers these questions and more with a series of 8 parables in Matthew 13

Postponed Visible, Earthly Kingdom

Established a Spiritual Kingdom, not physically visible to the world, but very real in the lives of Jesus followers

Nature of that Kingdom, Responses to that Kingdom, Affect of that Kingdom on the Lost World

In an act of control, mercy, grace, Jesus expresses these truths in Parables.

Parable - An everyday story that is used to teach a supernatural reality to those who are willing to hear

Parable… to place alongside… parallel, parabola

The earthly truth is easily understood

Spiritual reality can be missed by those who are not seeking God

One is a Commonplace, earthly narrative

The Other is a Profound, spiritual reality

Jesus and Parables

Approximately one-third of Jesus’ teaching is in parables.

The Greek word parabolē occurs fifty times in the NT

40 parables woven into the gospel record.

Old Testament Example: 2 Samuel 12:1-10 -”took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the [traveling] man”

One of the Shortest: Matthew 15:11 (Matthew 15:15) - “what comes out of the mouth that defiles a person”

One of the Most Famous: Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15

Matthew 13:11 - “Secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven”

Truth revealed by God that had not been revealed in the Old Testament

Secret uncovered

The Statement: Parables are Truth Hidden in Plain Sight”

Jesus’ parables are both works of art and the weapons he used in the conflict with his opponents.

Parables demand interpretation; they point to something else.

They are not merely stories to enjoy.

They hold up one reality to serve as a mirror of another

Avoid allegorizing the parable.

Not looking for secret meanings, but a key thought or concept that is being illustrated

Minor elements of the story are not laden with spiritual meaning

Valuable Tool in Grabbing our Attention

Parables present avenues to understanding, Handles by which one can grasp the kingdom.

The crucial matter is often placed at the end of the parables

Illicit a sudden shock when the meaning is understood

The shocking moment is most often the intended meaning of the parable.

Shocking punchline demands a response

Often the parables require a reversal in one’s thinking.

For Example

The despised Samaritan is a neighbor; Luke 10:37

the tax collector, not the Pharisee, is righteous; Luke 18:13

the good soil produces a 100 fold; Matthew 13:8

Kingdom of Heaven / Kingdom of God - The reality and experience of God’s absolute rule

God’s complete rule

God’s Kingdom Promises Recorded in the Old Testament

Abraham (earthly kingdom, The Promised Land) - Genesis 12

David (righteous leader, The Promised Leader) - 2 Samuel 8

Jeremiah (righteous subjects, The Promised Worshippers) - Jeremiah 31

Rejected by the Jewish Leaders in Matthew 12

Launched a previously unknown to mankind Kingdom of Heaven in the lives of believers

Kingdom of Heaven is Presently in place through His followers being connected with Jesus Christ and His Mission.

Presently limited, because of the results of sin,

the King is physically absent from the earth

the earth is under the rulership of Satan and His system

the Kingdom of Heaven will not be fully realized

This is our Present Circumstance!

Subjects of God’s Kingdom

King has voluntarily waited for his full, earthly enthronement

God is giving his creatures time to respond to his offer of forgiveness

His followers are strategically based on the earth as his represetentatives, His operatives, seeking to bring others to His reign

Wait… For the King to returns to earth,

glorifies His children and all of creation,

reward his followers

physically reign on the earth

Give us the joy of experiencing all that we were designed for in His Kingdom

Eschatological - God’s culmination of His perfect plan for which all followers are longing.

End Times

Culmination; Fulfillment; God’s Planned Completed

Coming, Perfect and Complete Conclusion of God’s Plan

Parables point to the Grace found in God’s Kingdom found as part of His eschatological plan.

Matthew 13:10-17

Miracle of God’s Grace in your Life (vs. 10-11)

Parables are an expression of God’s grace in our lives.

Why? Because He opened our eyes to His Kingship, His Kingdom, His Forgiveness, His Rule, His Love

Grace - “Has been given”

To his followers, knowledge of the Kingdom is an act of grace.

Miracle - Act of God.

All truth is “spiritually discerned” (1 Cor 2:14)

Secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven

“Once Hidden, now revealed”

Sovereignty of God & Responsibility of Man

One of the greatest mysteries of the Bible.

Not in contradiction, but both are equally true

Sovereignty of God

Romans 3:11 (ESV) — No one understands; no one seeks for God.

Ephesians 1:4–5 (ESV) — He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

Freewill and Responsibility of Man

John 3:16 (ESV) — 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 6:37 (ESV) — 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

Accountability of God’s Grace (vs. 12-13)

Two scenarios… Only two.

The One Who Has

person who has responded to God’s Grace

Spiritually discerned God’s truth

God gives them more insight.

They grow in their working knowledge of God’s character and ways

The One Who Has Not

person who has not responded to God’s Grace

Spiritually blind and deaf

God takes it away… no longer have eyes to see; ears to hear

Truth has no affect - Next Week, Parable of the Soils in Matthew 13

Don’t Hear;

Hear and disbelieve;

Believe, but don’t respond;

Respond, but just temporarily.

Knowledge Does not Last.

Mercy of God’s Grace (vs. 14-15)

Quotes from Isaiah 6 - proclaiming that it is being fulfilled in this moment

Isaiah 6 is the calling of Isaiah, Called to preach the Holiness of God to an unrepentant people. Like Isaiah, Jesus continued to call rebellious people to the Lord.

When Isaiah first declared this truth, it was fufilled when the Jewish people rejected God and were taken into captivity

Now, it was about to be experienced again. Rejection of God and then facing the judgment of God for centuries…

Isaiah asked how long should he continue… the answer was until God finished His plan.

One day, the Jewish People would accept the Kingship of Jesus.

But for now, God has raised up new subjects of His Kindgom - the Church!

This is another expression of the Mercy of God.

Resistance to the Message… but Mercy is still shared.

Plan of God’s Grace (vs. 16-17)

Jesus is encouraging His true followers, that this is an answer to Isaiah’s question… How long? Will anyone respond?? Does anyone have eyes to see or ears to hear???

Yes… they do. His followers do.

Don’t grow discouraged - God has worked.

Eyes to see the Truth of God and Man - Aware of the Holiness of God; Aware of Kingdom of God; Aware of the Kingdom of Man; Aware of the obstacle to God’s Rule - Sin; Aware of our Need for Redemption

Ears to Hear the Grace of God’s Kingdom - Hear the Love of God; Hear the coming of Christ; Hear of the Redemption He has offered; Hear the Call to Repent; Hear the call of Faith.

We are Blessed.

Celebration of the Inauguration of the Kingdom of Heaven - Communion.

Luke 22:16-19 - For I tell you I will not eat [the Passover] until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Personally, Celebrate our Birth into that Kingdom

To see what we have seen. To hear what we have heard.

To celebrate God’s grace… His miraculous Grace… with its accountability and mercy… God’s plan in place.