On Parables

If one grew up in the Christian church, the parables of Jesus are part of the tapestry of Christian religion.  But if we look at the gospels with fresh eyes, as a newcomer to these letters, we are struck by how much storytelling Jesus does and by his constant "hiding" of the main message.

At every turn, Jesus sheathes his message in a story, a "parable".  Indeed, "parables" now are often synonymous with "the teachings of Jesus."

Why does Jesus do this? Why the steady stream of stories?

Jesus answers this question in, of course, a parable.  The "parable of the sower" (Matthew 13, Luke 8, Mark 4) is a parable about parables! Jesus tells of a farmer spreading seeds and of the differing responses, depending upon the ground on which the seeds fall. When questioned about the parable by his disciples, Jesus says (essentially) that the parables are to keep out the calloused, that is, those who are not really interested and only pretend to be listening.

There are other Biblical instances of stories being created to carry a message. In the Old Testament passage, II Samuel 12, the Jewish prophet Nathan rebukes King David.  It is dangerous to rebuke a king, especially about murder, deceit and adultery, but Nathan wants to get under David's defensiveness to reach the true David, that king who had once been concerned about justice.  And so Nathan tells a story.  At the end of the story, when David is incensed at the rich man who abused a poor man and killed the poor man's pet, Nathan points a bony finger at David and says, "You are that man!"  The story achieved its goal.  Similarly, in II Samuel 14, David's commander, Joab, communicates to the king by way of a contrived story.

Communication by stories and parables is not unique to the Bible, of course.  An ancient example is the fables of Aesop, which date from 500 years before Christ.

As a teacher in the twenty-first century, Jesus's use of parable resonates with me.  Good teaching methods go beyond mere transformation of facts.  Whether it is the "Socratic method" or "Inquiry Based Learning" or some other currently popular technique, educators recognize that students must actively engage in the learning process, if that process is to mean anything.  If that process is to lead to true learning and understanding, the student needs to put energy into integrating the knowledge and concepts.  Jesus forces this in his use of parables; the information he provides is not low-hanging fruit that is easy to pluck -- and then forget.

If we link the parable of the sower with the proverb in Matthew 7:6 about "not casting pearls before swine", there is an additional message, a message about matching the appropriate message to the audience.

Too often, in American Christianity, the emphasis is on giving as simple a message as possible, on the presentation of a simplistic candy-coated Jesus, a message suitable for young children but patronizing to adults.  Joining the Kingdom of Heaven should be a thoughtful and careful process.  An adult should not lightly make a decision to be a disciple of Christ. Jesus himself warns people of this; in some cases, he warns people away.  The effect of Jesus's parables is to ask the listener, "Are you sure you really want to go down this path?"

I'd have more to say about the importance of thinking deeply on the gospel -- and not being distracted by silly trivialities -- but googling "pearls before swine" led me to this comic strip and I've been reading the comic strip instead of thinking about parables....

Matthew 17, The Transfiguration

Matthew has told us that there is to be a future "revealing" of the Son of Man.  In this chapter, we turn a corner.  Jesus's preaching ministry is near an end and he will soon make one last trip to Jerusalem, there to die.

Matt 17:1-3
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.  There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

This occurs just after Jesus has promised the disciples that they will see the Son of Man coming in glory.

I wonder what Moses, Elijah and Jesus talk about....

Matt 17:4-8
Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If  you wish, I will put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.

But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't  be afraid." When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

Peter always speaks his mind.  He is eager to create a place the three heroes can rest.  But he needs to be listening.

Matt 17:9-13
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed  them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

The disciples asked him, "Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"

Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished.  In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them  about John the Baptist.

So part of the Old Testament prophecy, to their understanding, has been fulfilled by John the Baptist.

Matt 17:14-18
When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him."

"O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.

Was it a demon?  Or something else?  How would our medical profession view this?

Jesus is clearly frustrated with his disciples.  They apparently still have a long way to go in their training.

Matt 17:19-20
Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, `Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Verse 21 (in old texts) is questionable (not appearing in early Greek copies of Matthew) and has been removed by the NIV.  A translation of it would be "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

Matt 17:22-23
When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life." And the disciples were filled with grief.

This is a depressing statement to the disciples.  There is lots of evil in the world and it often seems to be winning.

Matt 17:24-27
After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?"

"Yes, he does," he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he  asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and  taxes--from their own sons or from others?"

"From others," Peter answered. 

"Then the sons are exempt,"  Jesus said to him. "But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."

The "temple tax" is a translation of Greek for "the two drachmas".

Jesus clearly does not seek confrontation with the political system, although he continues to confront religious hypocrisy.