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.
PREPARATION FOR LUK 3:4-6 AND ISA 40:3-5
READ THE PROPHECY IN ISA 40:3-5
FOR THE CONTEXT OF THE PARABLE, READ LUK 3:4-14
WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE MESSAGE? (LUK 3:4-6)
TO WHOM WAS THE PARABLE SPOKEN?
WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST’S MINISTRY?
ON WHAT DID JOHN’S HEARERS BASE THEIR SALVATION? (LUK 3:8)
WHO IS THE "ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS"? (LUK 3:4)
WHAT IS THE "WAY OF THE LORD"? (LUK 3:4)
WHAT DOES "HIS PATHS STRAIGHT" MEAN? (LUK 3:4)
WHAT DOES IT MEAN, "EVERY VALLEY SHALL BE FILLED"? (LUK 3:5)
WHAT DOES IT MEAN "EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL SHALL BE BROUGHT LOW"? (LUK 3:5)
WHAT DOES IT MEAN "THE CROOKED SHALL BE MADE STRIGHT"? (LUK 3:5)
WHAT DOES IT MEAN "THE ROUGH WAYS SHALL BE MADE SMOOTH"? (LUK 3:5)