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September 1, 2013 |
| Best of Parables | ||
Many of the concepts that Jesus taught were taught through parables, stories with deeper meanings. 46 parables are recorded in the Bible1 but there were likely others that were not. These stories were intended for people who were ready to hear the gospel message and were open to it. But those who wanted to reject the message would get nothing from the stories. These stories also gave Jesus a way to speak so that he would not be charged with any crime.
In this lesson we will look at some of these parables and search for the deeper meaning.
Mathew 22 – Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar (not really a parable but has deeper meaning)
15Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?"
18But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, 20and he asked them, "Whose image is this? And whose inscription?"
21"Caesar's," they replied.
Then he said to them, "So give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
Consider: What does Caesar want? What does God want? There is no conflict
Luke 12 – Like Servants Watching
35"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."
Be ready always, What is meant by ready? Spiritual readiness. Who is the thief?
Luke 12 – Like Servants Ready (continues immediately after above)
41Peter asked, "Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?"
42The Lord answered, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
47"The servant who knows the master's will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
What is the answer to Peter's question? Unbelievers, unfaithful believers, unready disobedient believers, ready disobedient. (others). Much will be given? What will be given?
Luke 14 – Consider the Cost
25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26"If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30saying, 'This person began to build and wasn't able to finish.'
31"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won't he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
Luke 16 – The Shrewd Manager
1Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2So he called him in and asked him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.'
3"The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg— 4I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.'
5"So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'
6"'Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied.
"The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.'
7"Then he asked the second, 'And how much do you owe?'
"'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied.
"He told him, 'Take your bill and make it eight hundred.'
8"The master [praised] the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
10"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?
Matthew 20 – Workers in the Vineyard
1"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3"About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' 5So they went.
"He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'
7"'Because no one has hired us,' they answered.
"He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.'
8"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.'
9"The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12'These who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'
13"But he answered one of them, 'I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'
16"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
Deathbed confessions, jealousy, murderers in Paradise, grace not works
Luke 18 – The Evil Judge (vindicate – find blameless, get justice)
2 "There was in one city a certain judge who did not worship God and did not honor the children of men." 3 "There was a certain widow in that city, and she was coming to him and saying, 'Vindicate me of my legal adversary.'"
4 "And he would not for long time, but after this, he said to himself, 'Although I do not worship God neither honor people 5 Nevertheless, because this widow wearies me, I shall avenge her, lest she be constantly coming and annoying me.'"
6 And Our Lord said, "Hear what the evil judge said."
Luke 19 – Ten Minas
12He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.'
14"But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.'
15"He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
16"The first one came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.'
17"'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.'
18"The second came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned five more.'
19"His master answered, 'You take charge of five cities.'
20"Then another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.'
22"His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?'
24"Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.'
25"'Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!'
26"He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 27But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.'"
How many servants? How much did each get? How do we invest? Different from the workers parable. Has a man of noble birth, enemies, those who did not obey, those who gained a little, those who gained much
Matthew 21 – The Laborers
33 "Hear another parable: there was a certain man, a landowner, and he had planted a vineyard enclosed by a fence and he had dug a wine press and had built a tower in it, and had given its care to laborers, and he went abroad."
34 "But when the fruit season had arrived, he sent his servants to the laborers so that they would send some of the fruit of the vineyard to him."
35 "And the laborers seized his servants; they beat one and another they stoned and another they killed."
36 "And he sent again more servants than the first time, and they did the same to them."
37 Finally, he sent to them his son as he said, 'Doubtless they will reverence my son.'"
38 "But when the laborers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir, come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'"
39 "And they seized and led him outside of the vineyard and killed him."
40 "When the Lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those laborers?"
41 They said to him, "He will ruthlessly destroy them and he will give the care of the vineyard to other laborers, who will give him the fruits in their season."
What is the vineyard, landowner, first laborers, servants who were sent, son, other laborers. Took Jesus out of vineyard
Wednesday the 4th at sunset begins the fall feasts which mark out the final steps in God's plan of salvation. These are the major feast days and periods:
