Lesson#01

GOSPEL PARABLES
LESSON #01
INTRODUCTION

• THE ORGANIZATION OF OUR STUDY:
• THE GOSPELS OF MATTHEW, MARK, AND LUKE ARE FILLED WITH PARABLE TEACHINGS. OUR STUDY WILL COVER THE PARABLES IN THESE THREE BOOKS.
• THE WORD PARABLE DOES NOT OCCUR IN THE BOOK OF JOHN.
• OUR STUDY WILL COVER THE PARABLES OF JOHN THE BAPTIST AND THE PARABLES OF JESUS IN THE BOOKS OF MATTHEW, MARK, AND LUKE.
• THERE ARE MANY WAYS SCHOLARS DIVIDE THE PARABLES FOR STUDY.
• SOME DIVIDE THEM ACCORDING TO GENERAL TOPICS.
• WE WILL STUDY THE PARABLES IN THE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER IN WHICH THEY OCCUR IN THE BIBLE, STARTING IN MATTHEW.
• BY COVERING THEM CHRONOLOGICALLY, WE CAN BETTER KEEP THEM IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SITUATIONS IN WHICH THEY OCCUR.
• SOME PARABLES ARE FOUND IN MORE THAN ONE GOSPEL. IN THOSE CASES, WE WILL COMPARE ALL THE ACCOUNTS OF THE SAME PARABLE AT THE SAME TIME.

• TYPES AND DEFINITIONS OF FIGURATIVE SPEECH:
• WHAT IS A PARABLE?
• THE WORD, PARABLE, HAS BROAD MEANING OF USES THAT COVERS MANY PHASES OF FIGURATIVE SPEECH SUCH AS:
• SIMILITUDES
• COMPARISONS
• SAYINGS
• PROVERBS
• THE ROOT WORD, PARABLE, MEANS = TO BE LIKE, TO REPRESENT OR STAND FOR SOMETHING, A LIKENESS OR A RESEMBLANCE.
• THE GREEK WORD IMPLIES “BESIDE” OR “TO THROW OR CAST ALONG SIDE”.
• THIS SUGGESTS A NEARNESS FOR THE PURPOSE OF COMPARISON EITHER FOR LIKENESS OR FOR DIFFERENCE.
• A PARABLE IS PUT IN WORDS OF A NATURAL STORY WITH A FORCEFUL APPLICATION. IT IS AN OUTWARD SYMBOL OF AN INWARD REALITY. IT IS BRINGING TWO THINGS TOGETHER SO THAT ONE HELPS TO EXPLAIN AND EMPHASIZE THE OTHER.
• OFTEN THE PHYSICAL WORLD WE LIVE IN AND KNOW WAS USED AS THE BASIS OF THE PARABLE.
• THE JEWS OF JESUS’ DAY LIVED IN AN AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY SO MANY PARABLES REFER TO AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES.
• READ ROM 1:20
• THE PHYSICAL WORLD INSTRUCTS US IN THE MYSTERIES OF FAITH. NATURE BECOMES A WITNESS FOR THE SPIRITUAL WORLD.

• WHAT IS A SIMILITUDE OR A SIMILE?
• THE WORD, SIMILE, MEANS = LIKE OR RESEMBLING.
• READ PSA 1:3,4
• THE WORD LIKE WILL OCCUR IN THE SIMILITUDE.
• A PARABLE IS A SIMILE PUT INTO A STORY FORM.
• A SIMILE IS A COMPARISON BY RESEMBLANCE. THE COMPARISON IS STATED.

• WHAT IS A PROVERB?
• THE WORD, PROVERB, MEANS = DARK PROPHETIC UTTERANCES, ENIGMATIC MAXIMS, WISE WAYSIDE SAYINGS, OR TRITE EXPRESSIONS.
• READ PSA 78:2 AND PRO 1:6
• PROVERBS ARE USUALLY BRIEF AND DO NOT TELL A STORY.

• WHAT IS A METAPHOR?
• THE GREEK WORD, METAPHOR, MEANS = TO CARRY OVER A COMPARISON.
• A METAPHOR AFFIRMS THAT ONE THING IS ANOTHER.
• ONE SUBJECT IS EQUATED WITH ANOTHER.
• WE HAVE MANY IN THE “I AM” STATEMENTS OF JESUS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN.
• READ JOH 6:35 AND PSA 91:2
• A METAPHOR IS A COMPARISON BY REPRESENTATION.
• THE COMPARISON SUBSTITUTES ONE THING FOR ANOTHER.

• WHAT IS AN ALLEGORY?
• THERE IS A FINE LINE BETWEEN AN ALLEGORY AND A PARABLE.
• AN ALLEGORY IS A STATEMENT OF SUPPOSED FACTS THAT CAN BE TAKEN LITERALLY, AND YET THERE IS ALSO AN UNDERLYING FIGURATIVE MEANING.
• ALLEGORIES INTERPRET THEMSELVES WHILE PARABLES DO NOT.
• AN ALLEGORY IS ALWAYS STATED IN THE PAST TENSE, NEVER IN THE FUTURE.
• EVERY POINT IN THE ALLEGORY IS IMPORTANT WHILE THAT IS NOT TRUE IN THE PARABLE.
• THEREFORE, YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO CARRY THE INTERPRETATION OF THE PARABLE TOO FAR, BECAUSE THE GENERAL MESSAGE WILL BREAK DOWN.

• WHAT IS A FABLE?
• A FABLE IS A FICTITIOUS STORY INTENDED TO ILLUSTRATE SOME TRUTH.
• READ JDG 9:8-15
• THE FABLE EXPOSES EVIL AS FOLLY RATHER THAN AS SIN AND IT HOLDS UP FAULTS TO RIDICULE.
• FABLES CAN TAKE GREAT LIBERTY WITH FANCY SO AS NOT TO BE IN REALITY POSSIBLE.
• THEREFORE, THE MESSAGE OF THE FABLE IS LESS LOFTY THAN THE PARABLE.

• WHAT IS A TYPE OR PREFIGURE?
• THE WORD, TYPE, IS USED FOR OBJECTS OR ACTIONS, WHILE THE WORD, PREFIGURE, IS USED FOR PERSONS.
• THE WORD, TYPE, MEANS = TO STAMP OR IMPRESS, OR A PATTERN.
• IT IS AN ILLUSTRATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT OF A NEW TESTAMENT SPIRITUAL TRUTH.
• READ 1COR 10:1-11
• TYPES AND PREFIGURES ARE TO BE OUR EXAMPLES.
• TYPES AND PREFIGURES RUN THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE JUST AS PARABLES DO.

• WHY DID JESUS TEACH IN PARABLES?
• READ MAT 13:10-17, 35
• PARABLES WITHDRAW THE LIGHT FROM THOSE WHO LOVE DARKNESS.
• PARABLES REVEAL THOSE WHO DESIRE TO SEEK AFTER TRUTH. (1COR 2:9-10, 13-14)

• PARABLES ATTRACT PEOPLE WHO ARE DETERMINED TO KNOW TRUTH.
• PARABLES ARE EASILY REMEMBERED.
• PARABLES PROMOTE REASONING FOR THEIR MEANINGS MUST BE STUDIED.
• PARABLES STIR UP AND INCITE AFFECTION.
• PARABLES AWAKEN THE CONSCIENCE.
• PARABLES HOLD ATTENTION.
• PARABLES PRESERVE TRUTH.
• WHAT MEN THINK OUT FOR THEMSELVES, THEY NEVER FORGET.
• PARABLES FULFILL PROPHECY.

• RULES OF INTERPRETATION FOR PARABLES:
• TO INTERPRET A PARABLE ACCURATELY, YOU MUST KEEP THE PARABLE IN THE CONTEXT OF SCRIPTURE.
• FIRST, YOU MUST ASK, “TO WHOM WAS THE PARABLE SPOKEN?”
• THEN, YOU MUST ASK, “WHAT IS THE CONTEXT OF THE SITUATION IN WHICH THE PARABLE OCCURS?”
• THE INTERPRETATION OF THE PARABLE MUST BE REGARDED AS A WHOLE ILLUSTRATING OR EMPHASIZING SOME CENTRAL TRUTH.
• THEREFORE, YOU MUST DETERMINE THE OVERALL MEANING OF THE PARABLE….THE CENTRAL TRUTH.
• THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE PARABLE ONLY SERVE TO POINT UP, DEVELOP, AND REINFORCE THE CENTRAL TRUTH.
• ONCE YOU KNOW THE CENTRAL TRUTH, THEN THE OBJECTS AND ACTIONS IN THE PARABLE ARE GIVEN MEANINGS THAT SUPPORT THE CENTRAL TRUTH.
• SCRIPTURE INSPIRED BY GOD TENDS TO INTERPRET ITSELF. THEREFORE, THE MEANING OF ANY OBJECTS WILL REMAIN CONSISTENT THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE.
• TO INTERPRET PARABLES, YOU MUST AVOID TWO EXTREMES IN INTERPRETATION:
• YOU MUST NOT MAKE TOO MUCH OF TINY DETAILS BECAUSE WHEN THE LIKENESS IS TAKEN TOO FAR, THE DETAILS FAIL TO FIT.
• THE PARABLE IS NOT LIKE COMPARING 2 PERFECT FLAT OBJECTS THAT TOUCH AT ALL POINTS, BUT RATHER IT IS LIKE COMPARING 2 ROUND OBJECTS THAT TOUCH EACH OTHER ONLY AT SOME POINT.
• YOU MUST NOT MAKE TOO LITTLE OF TINY DETAILS SO AS TO AVOID SOME SIGNIFICANT TRUTH.

• SOURCES FOR OUR STUDY:
• ALL THE PARABLES OF THE BIBLE BY HERBERT LOCKEYER
• THE REIGN OF THE SERVANT KINGS BY JOSEPH DILLOW
• THE GOSPELS: MATTHEW BY J. VERNON MC GEE.
• THE GOSPELS: MARK BY J. VERNON MC GEE
• THE GOSPELS: LUKE BY J. VERNON MC GEE
• BIBLE STUDY NOTES BY DR. WILLARD C. PIERCE
• LAYMANS’ BIBLE STUDY NOTEBOOK BY IRVING JENSEN
• THE BIBLE KNOWLEDGE COMMENTARY: NEW TESTAMENT; JOHN F. WALVOORD AND ROY B. ZUCK, EDITORS
• THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE BY RICK WARREN
• MISC. NOTES.

HOMEWORK
PARABLES OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FOR CORRECTION.