Lesson for August 30, 2020
The Parables of Jesus
Lesson 1
A parable is a saying or narrative that relates a story regarding an earthly event, a human circumstance or nature with a spiritual lesson. As we study the parables of Jesus, we must careful to interpret the meaning in light of the whole realm of accurate Bible doctrine found in God’s Word. We must also keep in mind that not every detail of the parable has a spiritual connotation. The lesson of the parable is important for the hearer not all the details of the story. Jesus was the Master of the parable while He was in Hypostatic Union on earth.
Jesus began some of His parables with the phrase, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” Other parables did not use this opening statement. Therefore, when interpreting a parable, we must understand to whom the parable is addressed and which dispensation it refers to. It is also of utmost importance to distinguish between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God.
The Bible makes many references to both the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. Is there a difference in the two, and if so, what are those differences? An examination of Scripture and the various passages where these two terms appear should help us determine their meanings.
The Kingdom of God is God’s eternal kingdom to which every believer belongs from all dispensations, perhaps even angels. It is God’s spiritual kingdom, which is entered only through salvation by faith alone in Christ alone. (Matthew 6:33; Luke 13:28-29; John 3:3-7; Hebrews 12:22-23) Within that kingdom there is the Kingdom of Heaven or the kingdom of the heavens.
The Kingdom of Heaven is only part of the entire Kingdom of God and normally refers to the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth. Remember that when Jesus appeared the first time, He offered to the nation of Israel the millennial kingdom, but they rejected it and they rejected Him as their Messiah. Since the Kingdom of Heaven is a part of the Kingdom of God, they are sometimes used interchangeably.
It is this earthly kingdom that was announced by John the Baptist and offered to Israel by Jesus Christ and rejected by the Jewish nation. Since it was rejected and the Messiah crucified, the Kingdom of Heaven was postponed until after the Tribulation. Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven and the Millennium are the same period of time. This period will be the time when David’s greater Son, Jesus Christ, will rule on earth. It is a time when all the covenants to Israel will be fulfilled. It is a time of peace and prosperity. (Matthew 3:1-3; Luke 1:31-33; Zechariah 12:8; II Samuel 7:7-10)
When John announced that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand, it simply meant that the Messianic ruler, Jesus Christ, was on the scene and ready to set up His kingdom on earth. Even the disciples of Jesus thought that the Kingdom of Heaven was going to be set up at that time. (Acts 1:6) In Matthew 13 Jesus teaches the multitudes about the Kingdom of Heaven in parables meaning that the King was on earth. In the end, the nation of Israel rejected Jesus as Messiah and with the assistance of the Romans fulfilled prophecy by crucifying the Savior. (Matthew 27) Therefore, we see that there is a difference between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. The first is a spiritual kingdom and the second is an earthly kingdom. Both, of course, are God’s kingdoms.
Fishers of Men
Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17 and Luke 5:10 relate the first parable used by Jesus. It is a seemingly simple one but has a great spiritual lesson to be learned. In this story there are four men who Jesus approaches as they were fishing, which was their trade. Jesus used an analogy from nature to teach a spiritual lesson. Luke gives a more detailed account of the story. Jesus had begun His earthly ministry and was passing by the Sea of Galilee where Peter, Andrew, his brother and their partners in the fishing business, two brothers James and John, were fishing but had caught nothing. Luke tells us that Jesus had Peter launch out into the lake where he cast his nets and they became so full that he had to call for help from his partners. When they had returned to shore, Jesus simply said to them all, “Follow me and I’ll make you fishers of men” or as Luke says, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.”
The spiritual lesson of this parable is that we are to be witnesses (fishers) for Jesus Christ. Believers witness by sharing a clear Gospel message to others. In this sense, we are spiritual fishermen trying to catch the unbeliever for Christ. The task of sharing the Gospel is part of our responsibility as ambassadors for Jesus Christ and is analogous to a fisherman casting his net. However, we must always remember that it is God the Holy Spirit Who wins a person to Christ just as Jesus did when He filled the fishermen’s net. Therefore, the information that we share must always be accurate without a hint of coercion or gimmicks. Simply sharing the good news of the Gospel clearly is our job as Christ’s ambassadors. One of the ministries of God the Holy Spirit to draw men and women to Christ.
The Gospel message that God has entrusted with us to share is that Jesus Christ died on the Cross to pay the penalty for the sins of the world and that by a simple act of faith, apart from any human works or deeds, a person can have eternal life. Therefore, sin is not the issue with regard to salvation because Christ paid for them. Salvation is a term used to describe what happens when a person believes in Christ because it means to be delivered. Delivered means a person has been delivered from eternity in the Lake of Fire (Hell) and delivered to eternal life in Heaven. The only issue for a person who does not know Christ as Savior is whether or not they will believe in Him as Savior. When a person believes in Jesus Christ as their Savior, God does at least 40 things for that person. Eternal life is just one of these 40 things that we call spiritual assets.
Salt of the Earth
This parable is found in Matthew 5:13; Mark 9:50 and Luke 14:34-35. Salt in ancient times was used for preservation of foods and for bringing out the flavor of foods. We still use salt today as condiment to bring out the flavor in foods, but with refrigeration we no longer use salt as a preservative of foods. The lesson that Jesus is teaching is that believers are to be the preservative of their nation by the consistent study and application of Bible doctrine. This is not a lesson on morality but rather a lesson on spirituality. The second lesson that Jesus is teaching is that believers have the opportunity to be an influence in their world by being credible witnesses for Jesus Christ. This influence is not by trying to change the devil’s world through some form of Christian activism but by being a testimony through our spiritual lives and sharing the good news of the Gospel. Failure to execute the Protocol Plan of God results in a believer becoming “tasteless” and being “throw out and trampled underfoot,” which is analogous to divine discipline from God.
Light of the World
In this parable found in Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus continues to teach the lesson of the responsibility of believers in Satan’s cosmic system. Jesus is the Light of the World and as His ambassadors, believers are to reflect that light to the world.
Philippians 2:14-16 says, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing;so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.” These verses are teaching the same lesson that Jesus taught in His parable. Being blameless and innocent means having a good testimony before the world you live in. Believers who are holding fast the word of life appear as lights in the world. The Greek word for holding fast is “epecho,” which means to direct towards, to give attention to or to take heed. It is a reference to living your spiritual life before the world in a manner that will reflect the light of Christ. The Greek word for word is “logos” and is the same word used for Jesus Christ in John 1:1-5,9. The word of life therefore is directing the light of Christ toward the world in which we live. We do this as advancing believers through our manner of living and sharing the Gospel with others.
Jesus continued by exhorting believers to let their light shine bright as if they were a city on top of a hill so that all could see their reflection. When a believer is advancing in the Christian Way of Life through the study and application of accurate Bible doctrine, they will produce good of intrinsic value which is divine production (they may see your good works) and it glorifies God. Those who fail in this regard are hiding their light from the world because of they are out of fellowship with God and in a state of reversionism (putting your light under a basket). (John 3:19-21; 8:12; 12:35-36, 46)
Treasure in Heaven
This parable is found in Matthew 6:19-21. The word treasure refers to earthly materialistic possessions like fine clothing, automobiles or any other item of value. Jesus pointed out that these things are temporal in nature. Moths destroy any clothing even fine clothing, rust attacks anything made of metal like automobiles or anything else can be stolen form you at any time, like your wealth. But the treasure that is stored in Heaven is not subject to decay because it is spiritual in nature. Spiritual treasures are analogous to divine production done under the filling of the Holy Spirit and are rewardable in Heaven. Material possessions are not eternal and human good is not rewardable. Accumulating material wealth is only valuable in this life and Jesus is not saying that wealth is bad thing. It becomes a bad or evil thing when striving for it replaces a believer’s advance to spiritual maturity.
Where your treasure is there will be your heart also means that what you concentrate on and put first in your life as a believer is what you treasure the most. If God and His Word (Bible doctrine) are first in your life, then that is what you treasure the most. If “things” are the first in your life, then that is what you treasure the most.
The Eye is the Light of the Body
This parable is found in Matthew 6:22-23. In this parable the eye as part of the body is used to illustrate singleness of purpose. One of the sins that God is said to hate is the lust of the eye where lust means wrong desire. Once again, we have a contrast between our desires in life. When our desires are controlled by our sin natures then those desires do not line up with the desires of God for us. If, on the other hand, our desires line up with God’s desires for us then we are being controlled by (filled with) God the Holy Spirit.
The result of being single-minded toward God and His protocol plan for believers is that you are walking in the Light. The result of being doubleminded toward God and His plan is that you are walking in spiritual darkness. James 1:8 says that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Jesus summarizes these two above parables from Matthew 6 in verse 24 when He states, “No one can serve two masters; for he will hate the one and love the other or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” If you are not living your spiritual life by studying and applying the Word of God to your life and advancing in the Christian Way of Life, you are by default retreating into reversionism.
God’s Care of Nature
In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus related a parable that illustrates a relaxed mental attitude toward life. In this illustration of nature, Jesus points out that God takes care of the birds, the flowers and even the grass so why would He not take care of you, His child. This is perhaps a passage that we should read on a daily basis before we go out to face the world system in which we live. We know that worry or anxiety is mental attitude sin and keeps us out of fellowship with God. (Philippians 4:6) The opposite of worry and anxiety is faith, which refers to the Faith-Rest Technique. Claiming God’s promises is illustrated by these three things is nature. God feeds the birds of the air, “clothes” the flowers and sends water to the grass. These things in nature do not work or toil in order to receive these blessings form God which perfectly illustrates God’s matchless grace. How much more then will he provide for His family – believers in Christ.
By seeking God and His righteousness means to live our lives as unto the Lord. It means practical righteousness or experiential sanctification where a believer makes his Christian life align with who he or she is as Royal Family of God by means of the power and guidance of God the Holy Spirit. There is already plenty of trouble and distractions in Satan’s world system, so don’t add trouble by worrying about anything. God is working all things together for good for those who are advancing in the spiritual life. (Romans 8:28)