2022

The Parables: Do You Get the Point?

Craig Broderick
Vivienne
Betancourt-Powell
Mario Burton
Verona
Wilson
Ann Marie Wilson-
Beckford

10/20/2022
INTRODUCTION
There are many famous parables told in the Gospels, from The Good Samaritan to The

Prodigal Son and even the parable of The Sower; but are all these really parables as we have

been traditionally taught? In this report, we will aim to uncover the “mystery” of parables

through assessing their nature, function, their interpretation according to biblical context

(exegesis) and their understanding as well as application to daily context (hermeneutics).

THE PARABLE IN HISTORY

The word parable comes from the Greek παραβολή (parabolē), literally "throwing" (bolē)

"alongside" (para-), by extension meaning "comparison, illustration, analogy." It was the

name given by Greek orators as an illustration in the form of a brief fictional narrative.

According to the Miriam-Webster Dictionary, parable is defined as short fictitious story

that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle. The Greek word parabolē which

underlies our English word “parable” has a broad range of meanings. It can refer to proverbs,

similes, figurative sayings, stories, etc.

While these definitions are correct, the most important element of a parable is that there must

be a comparison. For example, in the parable of the hidden treasure the kingdom of heaven is

likened to a treasure (“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field…” Matt 13:44

KJV).

Parables have been interpreted throughout church history, mainly:

1) In seeing the interpretive missteps commonly taken throughout history. We must try

not to repeat them; and*

2) It can be useful to see the significant shifts in the understanding of parables over time.

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According to Robert Plummer in his article – Parables in the Gospels, History of

Interpretation and Hermeneutical Guidelines, the interpretation of parables is surveyed in five

historical periods:

i. Jesus’ Original Setting and the Writing of the Gospels:

Jesus and the inspired Gospel authors properly understood his parables. Therefore, when

Jesus explains his own parables (Matt 13:36–43 KJV; Mark 4:13–20 KJV), or the Gospel

authors give background hints as to the meaning of the parables (e.g., Luke 10:29 KJV; 15:1–

2 KJV), those interpretations are conclusive. It is important to note that while Jesus used

parables to show truth (Mark 12:12 KJV; Luke 10:36–37 KJV), he also used parables to

conceal truth and increase the guilt of his hard-hearted opponents (Mark 4:10–12 KJV, 33–34

KJV; cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:11–12 KJV).

ii. The Early Church to the Reformation:

Very soon after the completion of the New Testament, early Christians began interpreting the

text allegorically (literally). That is, they proposed many literal meanings unintended by the

biblical authors. For example, every early post-New Testament interpretation of the parable

of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37 KJV) explains the story as an allegorical (literal)

message of salvation, with the Good Samaritan signifying Jesus. In the text, however, Jesus

clearly tells the story to answer a Jewish legal expert’s question, “Who is my neighbour?”

(Luke 10:29 KJV).

iii. The Reformation:

The Protestant Reformers of the 16th century criticized the allegorical extremes of their

ancestors. Referring to Origen’s allegorical interpretations, Martin Luther (1483 -1546) said

his interpretations were silly, absurd and altogether useless. Unfortunately for other reasons,

many Reformers continued to provide allegorical reflection on the parables.

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 iv. The Reformation to the late 19th Century:
The Reformation broke the allegorical control on much of the Bible, but the majority of

Christian writers continued to allegorize the parables. The many mysterious and striking

details in Jesus’ stories were irresistible fodder (useful only for one purpose) to those

interpreters who, due to historical influences, were inclined to see allegorical meaning that

the biblical writers did not intend.

v. The late 19th to Early 21st Century:

Interpreters were admonished during this time to hear the parables as they were heard by

Jesus’ original 1st-century Jewish Palestinian audience. Any interpretation of the parables

which failed to consider this original historical context is doomed to failure.

What is clear here is that Jesus used parables to convey specific, definable truths. The way a

text has been received throughout history) can be quite informative, the text itself must

maintain clear importance over abnormal interpretations. Jesus’ intended as in the story of the

Good Samaritan for the audience (the expert in law to whom the question was directed) to

have a full understanding of human relationships (who is my neighbour) Luke 10: 25-37

KJV. Both the Chief priests and the Pharisees also understood the parable of the tenants in

Matthew 21:45 KJV. It was not the understanding of the parable that challenged them but the

letting the parables alter their behaviour.

THE NATURE OF PARABLES

The Variety of Kinds
It is paramount to identify that not all parables told in the scriptures are of the same kind,

meaning, there are different types of parables (although they aim to relay the same purpose

for their telling). These include:

1. True Parable;

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 2. Similitude;

3. Metaphors and Similes; and

4. Epigram.

A true parable is a story with a beginning and ending. It also includes oftentimes a plot. An

example of a story parable would be The Great Banquet. A similitude seeks to use

illustrations taken from everyday life to drive home a point. An example of a similitude

parable would be The Mustard Seed which uses an illustration of a mustard seed to drive

home the point that although the Kingdom of God started small (on earth), with Jesus and the

disciples, it would grow and spread across the world to unlimited numbers of followers.

Metaphor and Simile sayings like “You are the salt of the earth….” (Matthew 5:13 KJV) are

similar to a similitude but are spoken to multitudes by Jesus for a different reason, mainly

highlighting similarities between two different ideas. Lastly, an epigram speaks to those

sayings that were brief, interesting, memorable, and sometimes surprising or satirical such as

“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?”

(Matthew 7:16 KJV).

How the Parables Function

To adequately understand what a parable is, one must establish their function. The form of

parables are a direct or indirect statement of a fact, or a narrative of either some possible or

real event, that had occurred once or frequently. Unlike most of the parabolic sayings, the

story parables serve as a means of calling forth a response from the hearers. Interpreting a

parable is sometimes like interpreting a joke when everything is explained it does not “catch”

the hearer. It no longer has the same impact. Our main task is to recapture the punch of the

parables in our time and setting. The use of parables in Jesus Christ's teaching was to focus

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the listener on God and his kingdom. The key is to know be able to understand what Jesus

was aiming to impart to His listeners and readers.

THE EXEGESIS OF THE PARABLE

Point of Reference
This speaks to the parts of the story which one can identify when the story is being told.

Similar to a good joke, the hearer being able to relate to the point of reference is what will

evoke a response. In the parable Jesus told in the house of Simon after the woman anointed

His feet with fragrant oil, as recorded in Luke 7:40-42 KJV about the two debtors who owed

money to a money lender. The hearers would have been able to identify with the three main

point of references: the money lender and the two debtors. Simon needed no interpretation

neither did the harlot as the one story would have clearly spoken to the actions of both

individuals.

In the parable of the Prodigal Son there are three main point of references: the father and his

two sons. Individuals may be able to identify with either son depending on how they see

themselves. Those who identify themselves with the son that stayed home may see

themselves as righteous but then the story reveals their unrighteousness if they cannot share

in the joy and rejoicing of the Father. Others may identify with the son who was welcomed

by the father despite his pass actions.

It is to be noted that thought the point of reference is important so that the hearer can identify

with the story this is different from intended point of the story. Simon’s point of reference

was the debtor who owed 50 denarii while the harlot’s point of reference was the debtor who

owed five hundred denarii. Therefore, through this one story they could have grasp kingdom

principles, the judgement for Simon and his friends whilst at the same acceptance for the

harlot. A key factor to understanding the story line is to note the point of reference.

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Identifying the Audience
Parables are a way of conveying moral or spiritual principles using simple story that is

understandable to the hearing audience. Therefore, the story line must be relatable to the

audience. We will notice that there are no parables in the scriptures referring to things such as

cell phones, computers and automobiles as these concepts would not have been relatable to

the audience at that time.

When using parables Jesus would use common things that would be familiar to His audience;

so the meaning would then be clear. We see stories referring to elements of farming and

fishing as this was the common lifestyle. In St. Mark 4:26-29 KJV, Jesus used elements of

farming in His parable by referring to seed, soil, crop and harvest. By doing this, He brought

the story of the Kingdom to the language of their daily lives as these people were agricultural

and could thus understand agricultural terms.

In interpreting parables there are three important point to observe:

1. Listen to the parable – repeatedly;

2. Find the point of references that the original hearers would have identified with; and.

3. Try to understand how the original hearers would have identified with the story.

When understanding parables, the exegetical difficulties will be to understand the culture of

the original audience. Without this understanding you may miss points in the story as the

customs of the day are salient points to giving life to the story.

In the parables taught in St Luke 15 KJV the audience were the Pharisee who has a problem

with Jesus eating with sinners. Jesus used three parables that would speak to them about His

actions. First, He spoke about how one rejoices after finding something that was lost using

stories of sheep and silver coins. Then He spoke to them of the lost son. These were

reference points with which the audience could have identified. Depending on what is going

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on in the mind of the reader today we may clearly see the reference of the lost son but miss

the point about the actions of the son who stayed home.

Jesus didn’t just use parable to make things clearer for His audience but there were times

when He used parables that left them puzzled and confused. There were times when Jesus

used parable but then the interpretation was only given to his disciples. They questioned Him

as to the reason for this and he responded (St Matthew 11:13 KJV) stating that to them it was

given to know the mysteries of the kingdom but to others it was not granted. As mentioned

in book of Isaiah, hearing you will hear and shall not understand. It is therefore very critical

to examine the audience to which the parable was directed when seeking to grasp its

interpretation.

The “Contextless” Parables

What about those parables that are found without their original historical contexts? The

whole idea is to try to determine the points of reference and the original audience. Reading

repeatedly may help bring out the points of reference, thus giving a clue as to the audience.

Let’s take a look at the parable of the Prodigal Son. God is gracious, and the righteous should

not resent God’s generosity. What has happened in its present Matthean context in this

instance, however, is that the same point is now being made to a new audience. In the context

of discipleship it serves as an assurance of God’s generosity, despite the condemnation or

hatred of others.

The Parables of the Kingdom

We need to make sure that our description of the kingdom is compatible with the description

Jesus gave. Jesus often preached about the kingdom of God, but what did he say about it? Did

he describe peace and prosperity, health and wealth, law and order? Did he get into details of

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governmental organization? No, because we do not need to know those things. What we need

to know about the kingdom is how we get there in the first place, and when Jesus described

the kingdom, that is what he talked about. Let’s begin with Matthew 13 KJV, the largest

collection of kingdom parables. Several times Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is like…”

and then he would tell a story. We know many of these parables, but a few details may

surprise us.

For example, let’s break down the Parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-9 KJV). We can

picture a man scattering wheat seeds, and we understand about birds, thorns and sunshine.

But Jesus had a spiritual purpose in this story, and the disciples found it puzzling. So they

asked Jesus, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” (v. 10). Jesus told them that it

was not yet time for people to understand the “secrets of the kingdom of heaven” (v. 11). He

is saying that this parable is actually about the kingdom of God, something we see again in

verse 19. Most of the people in the crowd were not spiritually responsive (vs. 13-15), and so

Jesus was not giving them more than they could handle. But Jesus taught his disciples the

spiritual significance of the story.

When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one

comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

(v. 19). When we preach the gospel, Jesus says, some people do not understand it. That’s just

the way it is in this world. You should not get upset if people think you are talking nonsense.

The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives

it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or

persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away (vs. 20-21). Some people like

the gospel as a novelty. But then they get bored with it, and when it doesn’t solve their

problems, they quit. So when we share the gospel, some of the people who respond will

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eventually fall away. Don’t be surprised; that’s just the way some people are. The seed falling

among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the

deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. (v. 22). People do not have to be

rich to be deceived by riches. All sorts of people can be distracted by the worries of this

world, and some drop out for that reason. They are more worried about this world than they

are about eternity.

But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it.

This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

(v. 23). Jesus wants us to be this kind of person. Seeds don’t have a choice as to what kind of

soil they fall on, but we have a choice as to what kind of soil we will be for the seed. We can

choose to respond to the gospel. When trials come, we can choose to stick with the gospel, or

to fall away. When life gets boring or worrisome, we can choose whether to bear fruit for the

kingdom. That’s the kind of message Jesus gives us.

THE HERMENEUTICAL QUESTION

In the presentation viewed, the parable of the Good Samaritan was depicted. In demonstrating

an understanding and the interpretation of same, this was applied in the Jamaican context. As

we seek to give our interpretation on scripture, there are two key things we need to keep in

mind:

1. Remember the biblical/written context and discover its meaning; and

2. Once the meaning is grasped, our hermeneutical expression must always proclaim the

Kingdom of God.

CONCLUSION

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In understanding the point of parables, the history of parables is required to understand its

purpose and demonstration in the biblical context. Its nature has also been extrapolated to

clearly define the various kinds and how they function within the context. Also, the exegesis

of parables is critical to start the application to real life. Numerous points of reference,

audience focus, views of “contextless” parables as well as parables of the kingdom all come

together to provide a scholarly view of parables in much detail. Finally the hermeneutical

application to parables will be determined based on all the categories identified above in

order to appropriately apply these principles to our everyday lives.

SOURCES
1. Miriam-Webster Dictionary;

2. The Holy Bible: King James Version;

3. How to Read the Bible for All its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart;

4. Article: Parables in the Gospels, History of Interpretation and Hermeneutical

Guidelines by Robert Plummer; and

5. Bible Hub (https://biblehub.com/).

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