The Parables of Christ

A promise that is described through parables is revealed to those
who seek the kingdom and is hidden from the Pharisees because of
the darkness of their hearts. A parable is a literary device used to
teach by means of transference. To teach the truth of an unknown
subject using something familiar transfers the known to the unknown.
A simple figure is used as a metaphor, such as “I am the bread of
life.” Or the known may be used as a simile, such as “Be as shrewd as
snakes and as innocent as doves.” The description could also be more
complex with a principal point of parallelism and other incidental
parallels. Sometimes there are many parallelisms, such as in an
allegory. Jesus used parables quite often and only rarely used
allegories. Transference is used in ideas for allegories where
transference in parables is based on reality. It is an amazing thing
what daily Bible study and prayer (DBS&P) does to the human mind.
It allows a believer to understand the principles of a parable, whereas
an unbeliever will be blinded from the truth. DBS&P is the key to
Biblical knowledge, and from the basics of this knowledge we can
learn more.

Through parables, Christ shared the secrets of the upcoming
kingdom. Here He is not referring to any of the promises made
through the previous covenants, nor is He referring to the Millennial
Kingdom, but to the kingdom of God that is within all of us who
believe. One of the great mysteries of the Bible is the church because
it was not revealed in the Old Testament where there would be an
entire age between the offering of the kingdom by the Messiah and
Israel’s reception of the kingdom and all its blessings. With this
information in mind, we see that the period of time covered by the
parables extends from Israel’s rejection until the future return and
adoption of their Messiah. This period goes from Pentecost to the
rapture, the age of grace whereby one can have their sins forgiven
through repentance.

One-third of what Jesus taught was in parables and gave His
interpretations of the parables as a guide for others to follow. As an
example, we have the Parable of the Sower, where the seed represents
the message of the kingdom and the field represents the heart of the
listener. We see where each person responds differently to what they
hear and only a few believe and receive the word of God. What is the
tell-tale sign of a Christ follower? They bear fruit. In one form or
another they minister the word of God to others.

In the book of Mark, we have another parable where the fruit
depends not on the sower but on the seed itself where we have tares
intermingled with the wheat. There is a false sowing that takes place
after the good seeds were sown. I believe it goes beyond false
doctrine. I believe it is a false race of people that was placed here to
influence those of us who believe the word of God, people who go
about this life creating every possible animosity there is to hinder
God’s people. Their influence is what we see on television news
stories every day, committing horrible crimes against humanity.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed shows that this glorious kingdom
of God will have a very small beginning only to grow and blossom
throughout the world. The Parable of Leaven teaches that the
kingdom would be established by internal means because no external
force would be used to create the kingdom. It would be a personal
choice of every believer to accept the word of God. All other
kingdoms on earth were created by armies and brute force. Here the
kingdom would be created by the Holy Spirit and the exercise of our
free will.

In the Parable of Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price,
Israel is God’s treasured possession with the field representing the
world and Israel scattered throughout it. This came to fruition in 70
AD when Titus destroyed the temple and all of Jerusalem. We have
Christ making the ultimate sacrifice, paying the price with His death
on the cross. He paid not only for our sins but for the sins of the entire
world. And in the Pearl of Great Price, we find that God will obtain a
treasure—not only of Israel but of us as well. There is great
symbolism where a pearl comes out of the sea and the sea in the Bible
represents multitudes of people, nations, and tongues.
The Parable of the Dragnet is where a net will be cast into the sea
of multitudes of people, then returned to shore, and the good will be
separated from the bad, where the kingdom will conclude in a
judgment in which the righteous are separated from the unrighteous.
Here the kingdom will end in judgment, and righteousness will be the
prerequisite to enter the kingdom. The Parable of the Householder
shows that some features of the kingdom are new while others are
identical to the old kingdom, and in no way does the new kingdom
cancel out the promises God has made to the Israelites.

Christ shared the parables of the Wineskins and the Patched
Garment to show that He had not come to build on the existing church
and the doctrines of the Pharisees. He came to offer a kingdom that
was completely different and had no relationship with the concept the
Pharisees offered at the time. Christ wanted to prove to the people that
He had come just like the prophesies of the Old Testament had
predicted. He spoke of the Parable of the Shepherd and His Sheep, the
Parable of the Searching Shepherd, The Searching Housewife, and the
Welcoming Father to demonstrate the diligent search by the owners
and that what was lost has been found. Then He stressed the joy the
owners received when the lost was restored to them. He also
portrayed that even though the son wasn’t worthy of the Father,
nonetheless the son’s return was welcome so that whosoever will
return shall be accepted.

In the Parable of the King who Prepared a Wedding Banquet for
His Son, Christ offered an invitation to all to enter the covenant
program. The original invitation had been offered to friends and
family, but they rejected it, so it was offered to everyone. Considering
His offering, He extends this invitation: “Enter by the narrow gate; for
wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and
there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and
difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find
it.”1

In the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders, He warns us to
build our faith on a strong foundation that will weather all the storms
of life. Christ compared the teachings of the Pharisees to sand and
when the storm came their foundation would not stand. The Israelites
had to choose between the words of Christ and the words of the
Pharisees. In a number of the parables, Christ indicated that the nation
would reject His offer and in the Parable of the Physician (who was
called on to heal himself), Christ saw the unbelief that no one would
consult a physician that could not heal. They wanted proof that He
was the Messiah.

As we are today, so were the Israelites—the world has us
preoccupied to the point where we ignore the invitation to the
wedding banquet, and as in the Parable of the Great Banquet we make
excuses not to come. The rejection of the kingdom was further
revealed in the Parable of the Landowner Who Planted the Vineyard.
The owner of the land sent servants to collect the fruit only to be
beaten, stoned, and killed. This revealed the attitude of the people
when Christ counseled them to repent and receive the Davidic
kingdom.

The Millennial Kingdom is to be the fulfillment of the promises
that God made to Israel. The area which is occupied by Israel as a
nation today is only a small part of the kingdom promised by God. In
the future kingdom, all of Israel’s land and rights will be restored. In
the Parable of the Ten Minas,2 Christ teaches that the kingdom offer is
being withdrawn from the generation of people that have rejected His
throne. A nobleman went to a distant country to have himself
appointed king and to return. Because he was of noble birth, he had
the right to rule; however, the people did not want him ruling over
them. His absence did not remove his noble birthright to rule so when
he returns from his journey, he would exercise the rights that belong
to him. This Parable reflects Israel’s rejection of their Messiah.
Christ showed the same facts with the Parable of the Watchman at
the Door.3 It is like a man going to a country far away who left the
servants in charge of his house. He tells them to do their jobs
accordingly and to watch because they do not know when the master
returns. Christ further teaches this truth in the Parable of the
Landowner Who Planted the Vineyard.4 The people he had placed in
the vineyard didn’t produce any fruit, so he gave it to someone else.
In doing so, Christ showed that the kingdom of God will be taken
away and given to a people who will produce fruit.

In the Parable of the Cleansed Household,5 Christ shows that the
nation Israel has undergone a cleansing through the ministry of John
the Baptist, but it was not permanent and the unclean spirit that left
the house returned with seven other spirits more wicked than himself.
So even though the house had been cleansed, its final condition was
worse than the first. By rejecting Christ, Israel now faces the
consequences of their actions.

These parables reveal to all what the King expects of His subjects.
He anticipates our obedience and that it is a test of sonship whereby
we receive adoption into the kingdom. Christ demonstrates
compassion for the poor, the sick, and the downtrodden. We are
expected to show the same compassion that He does because these are
the subjects of the kingdom. We are to forgive one another and to
help those who are unable to help themselves. We learn that mercy is
a manifestation of love to be demonstrated to all we meet. We also
learn that to fulfil the requirements to enter the kingdom we must
abide by the law.

We learn that prayer is the primary form of worship where we
submit to the authority of God. We are taught to be humble when we
enter communication with Him and be persistent so that our prayers
may be heard. We also learn that our works are useless before the
Lord—that only humility and repentance will bring us into His
presence, that believing is receiving and without belief we will not
receive the truth. It will be hidden from us. Finally, Jesus taught that a
righteous person will not misuse his stewardship selfishly. If we have
not been faithful with the money God has entrusted to us, how can we
be trusted with true riches? No person can serve two masters; we
either serve God or we serve money.

1.) Matthew 7:13-14
2.) Luke 19:11-27
3.) Mark 13:34-37
4.) Matthew 21:33-34
5.) Matthew 21:43-45