Parables of Jesus - Lesson 7

The Parables of Jesus

Lesson 7 

·         Background

o   Today’s Parables come from the Gospels of Luke and Matthew.  

o   In the first parable, Jesus was making his journey to Jerusalem to be crucified and he was teaching in parables along the way.   This parable will conclude our parables about salvation.   This parable is the most puzzling when you first hear it as one would first think that Jesus is commending dishonesty and wickedness.

o   The second parable begins our parables about the Christian life.   This parable was spoken after Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem, which is typically called Palm Sunday.  

·         Parables of Wisdom and Folly.

o   A Shrewd Man of the World. (Luke 16: 1 – 18)

§  Definition of Shrewd:   Keen witted, clever, or discerning in practical affairs.  Having or showing clever awareness and resourcefulness.

§  Jesus’s audience was tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees, teachers of the Jewish people, and the disciples of Jesus.   (Luke 15: 1 – 2)

§  The word ‘Steward’ is used in other Bible versions and can be used instead of ‘Manager’ to help convey the meaning of the parable better.

§  The Manager was not a man of integrity and he was dishonest as the Master learned.   The Master demanded the Manager’s records immediately.   The Master later commended or praised the Manager after he lessened the debt of others.

§  A streetwise people are smarter than law abiding citizens because they learn how to take care of themselves.  They are on constant alerts and learn to survive by their wits.   Jesus wants us to be smart in the same respect for what is right.  We should use adversity to stimulate ourselves to survive and concentrate our attention on the bare essentials.

§  Some believe the debtors were being improperly charged by the Manager.   In those days loans were inflated to get around the Judaic prohibition against usery (Deuteronomy 23:19) so the loan appeared to not contain interest.   Others believe the manager eliminated his own commission which was also a custom at that time.   Others believe it could also be a combination of both.  In either case, the Manager was not being cheated but gaining the good grace of the debtors by lessening their debts.   The Master’s image was being impaired because of the loan amount.

§  Jesus is commending the Manager’s motives not his methods.   We see the Manager was planning ahead and preparing for the loss of his job.   By lessening the debt he was hoping others would provide and look after him.   If the wicked can plan ahead for the future, shouldn’t we as Christians do likewise?   The Manager saw what was coming ahead and planned ahead accordingly.

§  Jesus was commending the Manger for shrewdness, as the Manager’s principle was correct (Matthew 10: 16).   Use whatever resources God has blessed us with to benefit others in need, which will lead to rewards in heaven.

§  The Pharisees acted piously to get the praise from others, but God knew and could see what was in their hearts.   The Pharisees considered wealth to be a sign of God’s approval.  We live in an age that measures a person’s worth by their money.  

§  We are being asked to give what belongs to God to others.   We are to use our worldly wealth to gain friends for ourselves and to use our advantages in this world to gain favor for ourselves in heaven. 

§  Related Readings

·         Matthew 19:21, Luke 12:33, Matthew 25:21–23, Luke 19:17, Matthew 6:24, I Samuel 16:7, Revelation 2:23 Proverbs 3:9-10, Matthew 6:19-20.

o   A Tale of Two Sons. (Matthew 21: 28 -32)

§  Jesus had just thrown the money changers out of the Temple.   The religious leaders than began to question Jesus’s authority and asking about the authority of John the Baptist.

§  The Father refers to God where the vineyard is the Church.

§  The tax collectors and harlots are represented by the first son.  They were sinners living in rejection of God’s commands.  

·         Arrogantly defied his Father but later repented.   (Attitude of having fun now and repent later)

·         Sinners who are made righteous through the cleansing of Jesus’s blood through his death and resurrection will enter heaven.   Repentance of the heart is required by the confession of our sins and asking for forgiveness (Matthew 7: 21).   We know we need forgiveness for our sins.

·         Jesus changes us from the inside out.

§  The religious leaders are represented by the second son.   They had a reputation for being God’s servants but at the same time rejected what the prophets foretold about Jesus’s coming.  They were working in ‘their own yard’ and not God’s.   They did not accept what John the Baptist taught or what Jesus was teaching.   They were not willing to repent and they were not willing to do the will of the Father.

§  ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today’

·         There is work to be done

·         The work to be done is God’s work.

·         The need for the work to be done is now.

·         There is a duty to do the Father’s bidding (Ephesians 2:19, Luke 2:49)

§  The ending of the parable offers encouragement to sinners.   Satan will try to deceive us and tell us that we have sinned so deeply to be received by God.  

§  The question asked ‘Which of the two sons did the will of the father?’ refers to believing in Jesus Christ and then living a Christian life.

§  Romans 10:9-10.   This parable addresses a sincere and insincere profession of faith.   Jesus is not against a profession of faith (Some may think - I will not make a profession, I will not make a promise to God).   Confession is linked to an active profession of faith.  We can do everything right, join a church, being active in our church, but yet we can be disobedient to GOD.

§  Related Readings

·         Luke 7:29-30, Luke 7:50, Matthew 3:1-12, Luke 3:12-13, Luke 7:30.

·         Questions to Ponder/Life Lessons.

o   Look and see the issues clearly.  We cannot wish away our problems, instead we must face and confront them.

o   We are all stewards of what God has entrusted us with.   We must not waste those possessions as one day we will be held accountable for them.  A day will come when we will no longer live here on this earth, our possessions will not go with us but remain here, and our living friends will still be here.

o   Do we waver between two opinions?

o   How is our relationship with God?  If it is strained we should move quickly and make provisions for those short comings.

o   Use our resources wisely as they belong to God and not us.   Money and possessions can be used for both good and evil.  Money can have a lot of power so use it carefully and thoughtfully.  Foster faith and obedience with all of our possessions.

o   Is it ever too late to do the right thing?  What does it mean to repent?  Is it ever too late to repent?   By delaying our decision to come to Jesus now does not guarantee that we will be able to come to Jesus later.