Parables of Jesus - Lesson 15

The Parables of Jesus

Lesson 15 

·         Smaller and Shorter Parables of Jesus

o   The Watchful Servants.    (Luke 12: 35 - 40)

§  This parable is found in the Gospel of Luke and it was one of several parables that Jesus used to tell about his seconding coming and the future events.

§  The theme of this parable is the return of Jesus Christ to Earth and that we need to be ready for his return.

§  During Biblical times, servants wore long flowing robes that went down to their feet.  The robe was gathered up, tied, and tucked under their belts so it would not be a hindrance while working and serving their Master.   This is where the phrase ‘Gird your loins’ comes from.   When evening came they would sleep in their robe and untuck it from the belt, so their feet would keep warm during the cold nights. 

§  Jesus also mentions to “keep your lamps burning”.   This was in reference to the Master possibly returning when it would be dark or evening.   The servant would be prepared by not falling asleep and having a light when his Master knocked at the door to be let in.

§  Jesus’s reference to “the thief is comes at an unknown hour” warns us to be ready.  If we fail to be ready we could suffer eternal separation from God.  There is a heaven to gain and a Hell to shun.

§  Jesus’s return at an unexpected time is not a trap or trick by God to catch us off guard.  God has delayed Jesus’s return so more people will have the opportunity to be saved.   God’s will is that none should perish.

§  All our plans for the future should be influenced by our knowledge of Jesus’s unexpected return.   We should live our lives each day as it is our last.  We should be heavenly minded, not earthly minded.

§  Jesus does promise a reward to those who are ready for his return.  “It will be good” translates to “Blessed”.   Jesus will treat us as honored guests by welcoming us into heaven, filling us with everlasting joy, and he will secure our everlasting well-being.

§  Related Readings

·         Matthew 24:42-46, Matthew 25:13, I Thessalonians 5:1-3, 2 Peter 3:8-13, Revelation 3:3, Revelation 16:15, I John 3:2-3 (Live pure and holy lives), Mark 10:45, Matthew 24:37-39

o   The Unfruitful Fig Tree   (Luke 13: 1 - 9)

§  This parable can also be found in the Gospel of Luke and it was told shortly after the parable we just looked at.

§  In the Old Testament a fruitful tree was often used as a symbol of Godly living.

§  The theme of this parable is that God is patient with sinners, but his patience should not be abused.   Jesus is warning that God would not tolerate our lack of productivity forever.

§  Jesus used this parable to correct the people’s thinking about sinning and to emphasize that we are all sinners and we all need to repent.  Jesus used the example of Pilate’s killing of innocent Galileans who were offering sacrifices to illustrate the point he was making.  The crowd assumed the Galileans were killed because of God’s judgment against them for being wicked.   He reminded the crowd that they we are also all sinners as well and that they need to repent of their sin otherwise, they too could perish.   Jesus wanted the crowd to examine their own hearts, not the hearts of others.   God is the ultimate judge of the heart.

§  Repent means to have a change in mind about the wrong we are guilty of.   We need to acknowledge we are sinners, to turn away from our sins, and to turn to God.

§  Jesus also used this parable to challenge the Jews.  The Jews assumed God would forgive them without repentance, as they were God’s chosen people.   Jesus could see in their hearts that there was no evidence that their lives had changed, or they did not love God, or else they were living as they pleased.

§  The fig tree deserved to be cut down as it was not fruitful.  A plea from a man, possibly the gardener, asking the Owner to wait another year for the tree to bear fruit, saved the tree temporarily.  Failure to produce fruit the following year would mean the tree would be cut down.

§  God is represented as the owner of the fig tree.  Jesus is the man who cared for the tree and pleaded for the owner to wait another year.  The fig tree can be represented by either the nation of Israel or an individual person.   The significance of the 3 year period refers to both the time span of John the Baptist’s teaching and the length of time of Jesus’s teaching as well.

§  Can we see from this parable how God is patient with us and he wishes that none shall perish?  We can see that we also have an intercessor between us and God through Jesus Christ.   The delay in God’s judgment and our failure to respond to his waiting leaves no one who fails to do so without any excuse.

§  Related Readings

·         Isaiah 55:6-7, Romans 3:23, Job 4:7, Job 22:5, John 9:2, Acts 17:30, Luke 3:7-9, John 3:1-12.

·         Questions to Ponder/Life Lessons.

o   Borrowed time is not permanent.  God’s patience does have a limit.

o   Are we eagerly awaiting the return of our Master and are we ready for him?

o   Do we understand the return of Jesus could occur at any moment?

o   Are we sincere instead of hypocritical?   Are we ready to witness or are we fearful?   Do we trust or do we worry?   Are we generous or are we greedy?   Are we diligent or are we lazy?

o   Have we judged others without looking at our own lives?  Do we repent of our sins?

o   Have we been enjoying God’s grace without sharing it with others?

Parables of Jesus - Lesson 14

The Parables of Jesus

Lesson 14 

·         Background

o   The first two parables are found in the Gospel of Matthew.   These parables were spoken after Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem and they were part of his teaching on the Mount of Olive where Jesus was teaching about the future and his return.

o   The last parable is found in the Gospel of Mark.  Mark was not one of the 12 apostles, but he was a follower of Paul the apostle.   The parable was spoken after Jesus had selected his 12 apostles.

·         Smaller and Shorter Parables of Jesus

o   The Fig Tree.    (Matthew 24: 32 - 35)

§  Jesus had just left the temple and he was walking with his disciples.   Jesus used this parable and several others to prophesy about the nation of Israel and his return in the future.   He was preparing them for what would take place in the future.   This parable was Jesus’s response to his disciples asking when the end times would occur and what would be the signs of his coming again.

§  To understand this parable better we need to understand the elements involved.

·         The Fig Tree – Representing the nation of Israel

·         The Twigs – Represented all the Jews that would be eventually be scattered around the world.

·         Leaves in Bloom – A representation of the Jews returning to their homeland.

·         This Generation – Talking about a whole multitude of Jews living at the same time.

§  We can see this prophesy fulfilled when the modern nation of Israel was re-established in 1948.

§  We know that the end is coming, but those without a Biblical Worldview will have doubts with some even dismissing this.  We must be reminded that each passing day brings us closer to the End Times.   Do we believe we are closer in time to the End of Times or the beginning of God’s creation?

§  The power of God’s word can be seen in verse 35, ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away”.

§  Related Readings

·         Matthew 24:1-31 (Basis of this Parable), James 5:7-11

o   The Faithful and Wise Servant   (Matthew 24: 45 – 51)

§  This parable looks at two servants, the faithful and wise servant being compared to a foolish and evil servant.

§  The faithful and wise servant represents the person who is truly saved.   This servant served his master by bringing and doing honor to his Master consistently during the Master’s absence by acting righteous in all situations consistently.   This servant was considered wise as he cared for and took care of his Master’s fellow servants.   This servant did not take advantage of his fellow servants as well during the absence of his Master.   When the Master returned he found the servant doing exactly what he had expected the servant to do.

§  The ‘Meat’ referred to in this parable would be a metaphor for ‘Spiritual Food’.

§  Jesus is expecting us to spend the time waiting and taking care of others and doing his work through his command of the Great Commission, ‘Go and make Disciples of others’.   This command would include people both inside and outside of our church.

§  Since we know that Christ’s return will be sudden and unexpected, we should be motivated to always being prepared.  Being prepared includes doing God’s work.

§  This parable also reminds us again that God’s Judgment is real and it will occur.  We can again see the reference to the ‘Gnashing of Teeth and Weeping’.

§  Related Readings

·         Matthew 24:36-44, Luke 12:35-40

o   The Growing Seed   (Mark 4:26-29)

§  This is another parable about the Kingdom of God.   This parable reveals that spiritual growth is a continual and gradual process that will be completed once we have Eternal life in heaven with our Savoir and Creator.   This completion will occur with the Great Harvest or when physical death occurs.   In this parable Jesus is comparing our spiritual growth to the slow but certain growth of a seed.

§  We must realize that the growth of the Kingdom of God can be detected in certain stages.  As in the wheat seed, first the blade of wheat appears, then the ear, then the full grain of the ear, and finally the full stalk of wheat.  Though we cannot see a daily change in our lives, we can look back on our lives and see that something has changed.   We can compare what we have been in the past to what we have become.

§  Related Readings

·         Revelation 14:14-20

·         Questions to Ponder/Life Lessons.

o   Have we been saved?  Do we trust in Jesus Christ as our savior and do we believe in his finished work?   Jesus shed his blood for us during his brutal beatings and while he hung on the cross, as he died on the cross for all of our sins (past, present, and future).   The price we pay is surrendering our life to Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

o   Do we feel compelled to bring others to Christ?   Eternity is real and we never know when one’s time is up.

o   Are we content with our relationship with Jesus?  What else can I learn?   How else can I do God’s work in my life?

o   Do we reach out and make disciples of others?    Do we continue to disciple those whom we have led to Jesus?

o   Are we active in our church or community?  Are we self-absorbed instead?

Parables of Jesus - Lesson 13

The Parables of Jesus

Lesson 13 

·         Background

o   Today’s Parables come from the Gospel of Matthew.  

o   We find Jesus teaching these parables shortly after he was accused of being under Satan’s power, the religious leaders had asked Jesus to perform a miracle, and Jesus had just described who his true family was.  These parables were told shortly after the Kingdom of Heaven parables which we looked at earlier.

·         Smaller and Shorter Parables of Jesus

o   The Mustard Seed.    (Matthew 13: 31 - 32)

§  The mustard seed was one of the smallest seeds that was planted in a herb garden.  Jesus was not comparing this mustard seed to other seeds, as there were smaller seeds then the mustard seed. The Khardal Mustard was typical in biblical times and this particular variety would grow into a bush that could grow 12 to 15 feet tall.

§  This parable is likened to the kingdom of heaven, “a man” is represented by Jesus Christ, “a field” is represented by the world, “the seed” represents the word of God, “growing” refers to the spreading of the church, and the presence of evil is represented by the birds of the air.

§  Jesus was using this parable to make a prediction on how the Gospel would spread.  It first started with Jesus, it then grew to his 12 apostles, it next grew to 120 people hiding in the upper room and receiving the Holy Spirit, it then grew to 3,000 when Peter preached to a crowd, the Gospel then spread throughout the Roman Empire, and the Gospel is now being spread to all the corners of the earth.   The church would start small and will continue to grow.  The church would become a source of food, rest, and shelter for both believers and non-believers that seek to take advantage of what the church offered.  This parable is both a warning and a prediction of the churches growth.

§  Related Readings

·         Matthew 17:20, Luke 17:6, Galatians 1:6-9, 2 Corinthians 11:12-15

o   The Yeast.   (Matthew 13: 33)

§  Typically Jesus would use the word ‘Yeast’ as a symbol of evil in his teachings.  This parable uses a much different meaning and Jesus uses yeast to show the positive growth of the church.   Yeast is the smallest portion of the ingredients used to make a loaf of bread, but yet it permeates (spread throughout) and affects the whole loaf.

§  In some bible versions the yeast is replaced by the word ‘leaven’.   In Jewish homes, a piece of fermented dough was reserved for making leavened bread.   The reserved dough was hidden in the new dough to permeate.  

§  As in the Mustard Seed parable, the kingdom of God would have a small beginning, but it would also continue to increase and grow.   Just as it takes time for the yeast to spread through the dough, the Kingdom of God will take time to grow.   As yeast is placed inside the dough, God also influences his church from the inside by changing our hearts.  Christians then slowly transform their lives and slowly begin to transform the lives of others around them.  The ultimate benefit of the Kingdom of God would to be spread world-wide.   The nature of yeast is to grow and change whatever it contacts.

§  Related Readings

·         Galatians 5:7-10, Luke 17:20-21 (the Kingdom is Spiritual), 2 Corinthians 3:15-18 (Transformed as in Yeast)

o   The Owner of the House   (Matthew 13:52)

§  The Head of a Household is responsible for the family.  It would be his responsibility to ensure that the storeroom contained everything to feed the family.  He would handle serving the old food along with the new food to insure the food was not being wasted.   In the same context, the minister/teacher is to use what he has learned and experienced for the benefit of his spiritual family.   Jesus wanted his ministers to teach carefully by balancing the Old and New Testaments together.

§  The Old Testament reveals the way to the Messiah, Jesus Christ.   Jesus was revealing that the Kingdom of Heaven is the treasure we seek.   Both the Old and New Testaments are guidelines for faith and living in this world.   The religious leaders during Jesus’s time were trapped in the Old testament and blind to Jesus’s teachings of the New Testament.   They were looking for a future kingdom preceded by judgment.   Jesus taught the Kingdom of Heaven is now and judgment was for the future.   The religious leaders failed to acknowledge the Spiritual Kingdom of Jesus.

§  Related Readings

·         Galatians 6:12-16, Matthew 5:17-20, Ephesians 4:7-14, Matthew 10:5-7, Matthew 28:16-20

·         Questions to Ponder/Life Lessons.

o   How can we help to spread the Gospel to others?   Are we being like yeast?

o   If we feel that we have limitations or weakness, do we remember that all things are possible through Jesus Christ?   Do we remember what we can do if we had the faith of a Mustard Seed?

o   Have we passed at opportunities God has clearly shown us as an opportunity to share the Gospel with another?