The Messiah Teaches with Parables

1
The Messiah Teaches with Parables

• Matthew 131-23

2
The Busy Day
Matthew 121-1352

• Training the twelve and teaching others
• Healing all who were brought to Him
• Confronting skeptical enemies
• Rebuking unbelief
• Teaching the multitudes in parables
• Teaching His disciples about parables

3
Preaching the Gospel

• Sermons
• Visual aids
• Questions
• Illustrations
• By example
• With parables

Jesus, the Master Teacher
4
Parable

• parabole lit., denotes a placing beside
• akin to paraballo, to throw or lay beside
• Placing of one thing beside another with a view
  to comparison (Vine)

Narrative from life
A spiritual lesson
5
Parables are not

• Fables
• Animals and trees dont talk (Jug. 97-15)
• Parables are true to life
• Myths
• Based on actual, daily happenings
• Proverbs
• Narrative without regard to length

6
Jesus and Parables

• Jesus was not the first to use parables
  (2 Sam. 121-4)
• Jesus is the only one recorded using parables in
  the New Testament
• His parables excel in wisdom, understanding and
  instruction (Matthew 133)

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Why did Jesus Use Parables?
Matthew 1310-17

• To teach (reveal) spiritual lessons
• Jesus did not use parables to intentionally hide
  truth from people
• Used them to reveal truth, Matt. 139-11, 34-35
  (Psa. 781-4)
• The Word who is Truth, John 114-17
• The Light of the world, John 812

8
Why did Jesus Use Parables?
Matthew 1311-15

• What does Jesus mean, to them it is not given?
  (1311)
• Some will not understand because they do not have
  ears to hear (139)
• Those with ears to hear understand the
  parables

9
Why did Jesus Use Parables?
Matthew 1311-15

• Who does not have ears to hear?
• Them (1310-13)
• Seeing (see not) and hearing (hear not)
• Do not desire truthrefuse itbecause they
  believe they already have the truth! (1314-15)
  Jno. 939-41 Matt. 1125
• Incapable of learning truth (Rom. 86-7)
• Hard heart will not learn (Jno. 843)

10
Why did Jesus Use Parables?
Matthew 1316-17

• Who has ears to hear?
• Open minds and honest hearts
• Can and will learn the truth of the gospel (Jno.
  714-17)
• Since hearts can be changed, Jesus used parables
  in an effort to open hearts to the gospel!

11
Understanding the Parables
Matthew 1315-23

• Condition of heart determines whether the word of
  the kingdom is received, 1315-17 (Mark 411-12)
• Spiritual state of Israel, Isaiah 69-10
• Parable of the Sower is the key to understanding
  all the parables, Mk. 413
• Because it describes how hearts react to the
  word of God, Mark 414

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Understanding the Parables
Matthew 1315-23

• Jesus explains the parable, 1318-23
• HEAR (akouo) Understand, perceive, attend to the
  parable
• Principles of parable interpretation (McGarvey)
• When Jesus gives the meaning it must be
  accepted as final and exhaustive (Luke 811)
• Only those points in the mind of the author have
  a place in the interpretation

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Hear the Parable of the Sower
Matthew 1318-23

• Sower sows the word (Mk. 414)
• Soil is the heart (Matt. 1319)
• Wayside Hard, closed heart
• Stony Shallow, emotional heart
• Thorny Over-crowded heart
• Good Honest and good heart (hears,
  understands and bears fruit)

14
Do You have Ears to Hear?
He who has ears to hear, let him hear! (Matthew
139, 18)
What kind of heart do you have?