Are Parables A Blessing and A Curse?

Early on in Christ’s public ministry, Jesus mainly taught plainly such that common people could understand that Jesus was presenting a radically different perception of God than they had been taught by the Pharisees. Knowledge of Jesus spread by word of mouth, and crowds gathered when He taught. But at a certain point in His ministry, rather than teach plainly, Jesus started to present His truths in the form of parables that raised questions and caused the hearers to wonder as to the meaning and to the application in their own lives.

The Greek word translated “parable” means to toss or cast alongside. The idea being that Jesus presented a story consistent with the culture of the times, such that the story made sense and presented some understandable cause and effect circumstance. Then privately Jesus would cast alongside the spiritual truth illustrated by the story. In summary, a parable is an illustration of a moral or spiritual truth, using a material circumstance familiar to the hearers. Parables are more elaborate than a simple simile, but because they usually present one truth, they are not as elaborate as an allegory conveying multiple truths. However, some “parables” contain details with allegorical significance, so the distinction between these types of illustrations is general in nature, with the text providing numerous exceptions.

The question that arises from the observation of the onset of a differing teaching style by Jesus is “Why?” Was it simply a ploy to teach by implication and thus avoid the snares set by the Pharisees? Nope. Was it simply to fulfill scripture, to put a check mark in a box, to bolster Christ’s reputation as an instrument of God? Nope. Well then, what was the reason? When all else fails, we might try looking at scripture to see if God revealed the answer!

As Chapter 13 of Matthew opens, we see that a large crowd has gathered around Him, and so He uses a boat and perhaps a rising shoreline to create an amphitheater effect such that His presentation of God’s truth can be seen by the large crowd. Next we see that Jesus sat down in the boat, while the crowds stand on the beach. Whether His sitting has significance the text does not say, perhaps the boat was unstable and He sat merely to avoid the hazard of falling out of the boat, but perhaps by sitting Jesus was signaling that He was going to teach disciples, because when Jewish Teachers taught disciples they sat down. See Matthew 5:1. So let me set before you the possibility that Jesus was not making an effort to preach to the whole crowd, but rather to reach and teach those within the crowd who were “of My sheep” i.e. His disciples.

Now after Jesus presented “many things in parables” (Matthew 13:3) the disciples came to Him (verse 10) and asked, “Why do You speak in parables?” And what was Christ’s reply? To you (disciples) it has been given or granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to “them” (non-disciples whoever they are) it has not been granted. So it seems that once a crowd of the lost had been drawn by preaching, then Jesus sought to teach those within the crowd who had been granted at that time to know the mysteries.

Matthew 13:12 presents us with great insight into the work of God in our lives. So lets camp here and consider the verse with great care. Jesus tells us, “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” In the parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus uses very much the same words to describe the slave who did not use what he had been entrusted with, and therefore even that small amount was taken away. See verse Matthew 25:29. From Mark 4:21-25 we can also infer that the “item” that the person has in either a large or small amount is the light of God’s revelation, for it was given to be used, and therefore if we bury it, our understanding will diminish, but if we use it and grow we will be given more light! Luke expounds the idea in very much the same way, we are to take care in “how we listen” such that we hear God’s word and apply it to our lives (Luke 8:16-21). In summary what people have or have not to make them “of My sheep” is receptivity to God’s revelation for they not only hear it, but seek to apply it to their lives. Thus when a “disciple” hears a parable, they ponder its spiritual meaning and prayerfully seek to apply the truth to their lives, whereas the “non disciple” hears the parable and may or may not understand the spiritual implication, but in any case does not seek to apply it to their lives. So as they hear God’s revelation, their knowledge might increase, but they do not grow, their life does not change. For whoever has a willingness to follow Christ, to him more will be given, and he will have in abundance; but whoever does not have a willingness to follow Christ, even what he has will be taken away.

Thus the shift in teaching style results in impacting his audience in a significantly different way. Rather than being spoon fed, the audience must actually engage in an effort to grasp the truth, and to those who are willing to do so, more light will be given. His students must exercise their “spiritual muscles” but those who are unwilling head down the path of “spiritual atrophy” perhaps starting in a place of good soil, walking through the thorns, over the rocky soil and end up beside the road.. “But whoever does not have, even what he has will to taken away.”

And finally Jesus completes his explanation for the reason he was teaching in parable with this final insight, verse Matthew 13:16-17, that the faithful in times past had desired to grasp the light provided by Christ’s life and parables, but those who now have the revelation and desire to grasp it are blessed. And as Jesus taught in parable, He would call out “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

 

Lets see, (1) Van does not understand, and (2) Van is vainly trying to pervert.

Matthew 23:13 teaches men who have not been regenerated with irresistible grace were entering heaven. Thus they had receptivity, and the claim that all fallen men unaltered by irresistible grace do not is simply unbiblical. So it is Calvinism that perverts God's word.


Did you note where Jesus said our ability receive the light will be taken away. Thus natural fallen men start out with the receptivity, but some loose it as illustrated by the four soils of Matthew 13.

It is true no one can put their trust in Christ unless God allows it, so if He hardens a person's heart, then they cannot even understand the gospel. And again, Matthew 23:13 demonstrates the Calvinist interpretation of John 6:44 is bogus, because the men were entering heaven, thus God had allowed them to trust in Him.

Let him who has ears to hear, listen to what Jesus actually says, and do not let yourselves be blocked by the clever stories of men.

 

So the men were entering heaven, thus seeking God and trusting to some degree in Christ. But they were blocked by false teaching. If they had been regenerated by "irresistible grace" to enable them to seek heaven, they could not have been blocked because the grace is irresistible. Therefore "Matthew 23:13 teaches men who have not been regenerated with irresistible grace were entering heaven."

And once again, a Calvinist has simply denied the teachings of Jesus.

Let him who has ears to hear, listen to what Jesus actually says, and do not let yourselves be blocked by the clever stories of men.

 

Note the effort to change the subject. Unregenerate men seeking God is taught by Jesus, but Calvinism says to ignore Jesus and believe in the clever stories of men.

God is sovereign, which means He either causes or allows whatsoever comes to pass. Calvinism irrationally teaches God causes whatsoever comes to pass, yet somehow mysteriously is therefore the cause of sin but not the author of sin.

Finally the Calvinist claims the men were not actually entering heaven, again saying ignore Jesus and believe in the Calvinist rewrite.

 

More effort to change the subject and run from the truth. Unregenerate men were actually entering heaven. Thus the Calvinist doctrine of total spiritual inability is mistaken and unbiblical. This is the subject.

Calvinism and exhaustive determinism claim false teachers do not matter, no one will respond to the gospel unless God alters them with irresistible grace. This too is mistaken and unbiblical.

The Calvinist claims, irrationally, that the men were entering heaven through the wide gate. But the wide gate does not lead to heaven.
On and on they post, one absurdity after another.

Listen to the words of Christ. He says if we do not strive to understand and apply the light of God, our ability to respond, our receptivity will be taken away. Ask yourself this, if everyone suffers from total spiritual inability, why did Jesus teach in parables. He would not need to. Calvinism turns the whole of scripture on its head.

Did Jesus or anyone else say we must believe to be "of My sheep?" Nope, yet the Calvinist drags yet another nonsensical notion across the discussion of parables.

 

The Calvinist would have you think Jesus did not say the "nor do you let those who are entering to go in." Jesus did not say they were potentially entering. Jesus did not say they were thinking about entering.

Therefore, Calvinism denies the very words of Christ. But perhaps I translation shopped and other translations say something different?

The question you have got to ask yourself, why would anyone pay any attention to Calvinism's misrepresentation of Jesus, in passage after passage, including Matthew 23:13-14.

Listen to the words of Christ. He says if we do not strive to understand and apply the light of God, our ability to respond, our receptivity will be taken away. Ask yourself this, if everyone suffers from total spiritual inability, why did Jesus teach in parables. He would not need to. Calvinism turns the whole of scripture on its head.