Introduction to the Parables

1. Jesus is the Ultimate Communicator - Words and Actions

  • John 7:46 “No one ever spoke like this man!” (ESV)

  • John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (ESV)

2. Jesus Teaches with Authority as Creator

  • Matthew 7:28–29 “And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, [29] for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.” (ESV)

  • John 14:9–11 “Jesus said to him … “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. … The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.” (ESV)

3. True Believers See & Hear Jesus As God through the Miracles & Teachings

  • Matthew 13:16–17 “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. [17] For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (ESV)

4. Jesus Wants Us to Understand His Teachings - His Grace in Parables

  • Matthew 13:36 “Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.’” (ESV)

  • Mark 4:10–20 “And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. [11] And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God”

  • Mark 4:33–34 “With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. [34] He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.” (ESV)

  • Para = “alongside”, ballo = “throw” - Parables throw us spiritual truth alongside an earthly story/illustration. They use a comparison story to communicate one main point for us to learn communicated with a surprising twist and the power of God.

  • “Ingeniously simple word pictures with profound spiritual lessons” - John MacArthur (xxvi)

5. God Gives Us His Holy Spirit to Understand His Truth - His Helper & Teacher to Us

  • John 16:13–14 “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. [14] He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

  • John 14:17 “even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” (ESV)

  • John 14:16 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever”

  • Isaiah 11:2 “And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him … the Spirit of wisdom and understanding”

  • 1 Corinthians 2:12–14 “ Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. [13] And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.”

6. God Gives Us Pastors & Teachers to Help Us

  • Ephesians 4:11–14 “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, [12] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, [14] so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” (ESV)

  • Titus 2:1 “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.”

7. God Hides Some Of His Revelation from Unbelievers As Part of His Condemnation

  • Matthew 21:45–46 “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. [46] And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.”

  • Mark 4:11–12 “for those outside everything is in parables, so that ‘‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’”

  • 1 Corinthians 2:14 “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

  • Matthew 13:11 “And he answered them, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.’”

Mark 4:10–20 “And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. [11] And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, [12] so that “‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’” [13] And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? [14] The sower sows the word. [15] And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. [16] And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. [17] And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. [18] And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, [19] but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. [20] But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” (ESV)

WATCH R.C. Sproul’s “Introduction to the Parables” : https://app.rightnowmedia.org/en/player/video/608?session=4603

Questions to Consider:

  • Who do you know that is a good story-teller? What makes them so good? Why do we like stories?

  • What do you like about the parables of Jesus? Why do you think he used them?

  • What challenges have you faced when studying the parables of Jesus?

  • What is your favorite parable? Why?

  • If someone asked you what a parable is, how would you respond?

  • Did you realize that 35% of the entire content of Matthew, Mark, & Luke are parables? (Mohler, XVII) What does this tell us? Why do you think Jesus taught this way so often?

  • What was something new you learned tonight? Or something you reheard & needed to remember?

  • Who is “able to hear” the Word of God (Mark 4:33)? Who does not have “ears to hear”? Who enables us to understand God’s Holy Word according to John 14:17 & 16:13-14?

  • Read 1 Corinthians 2:12-14. What is one of the main reasons God gives us the Holy Spirit?

  • Why is it important to pray to God to give us understanding when studying His Word? (Psalm 119:34, 73, 125, 144, 169)?

  • Why did the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes attack Jesus so often? Why did Jesus use parables to respond to their attacks?

  • Read Mark 4:10-12. Why would God use parables as a tool to hide the spiritual meaning?

  • What kinds of beliefs and responses do people have to the Bible? How does our approach to and beliefs about the Bible affect our hearing of parables?

  • What are the different types of hearing? How is listening to, receiving, & obeying the Word different?

  • When you try to teach, correct, or encourage your child, how does their response reveal their heart? How is this similar to our response to the parables?

  • Knowing what Jesus is doing through the parables, what should our response be to the parables?

Helpful Resources: