Parables

This animated short helps start a discussion or teaching on why Jesus spoke in parables. Opening with Matthew 13:13; "This is why I speak to them in parables: 'Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.'" this video takes you through the parables of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32), the Treasure Hidden in a Field (Matthew 13:44), the Pearl of Great Price (Matthew 13:45-46), the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22:1-14, and the Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30). In order to understand Jesus’ penchant for speaking in parables look to “The Matthew Principle” found in Matthew 13, which is perhaps the single most illuminating chapter in all of the Bible concerning parables. In this chapter Jesus tells several parables; two of which I will be focusing on: The Parable of the Sower and The Parable of the Net. Immediately following Jesus’ telling of the Parable of the Sower the disciples come right out and ask what many people since have struggled to answer, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”. To this day people disagree over why Jesus used parables. Some would argue Jesus chose to teach in parables in order to keep His distance from any dialectical confrontations with His opposition, while others might say His creative language was a revelation of God’s inherent creativity. Jesus’ answer to this direct question is apparently too mysterious to satisfy most and so the debate continues. His response has come to be known as “The Matthew Principle” and goes like this: “Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” (Matthew 13:12). This mysterious principle is explored in Jesus’ explanation of the Parable of the Sower. The story is basically a list of different soils and what happens when the good seed of the message of the Kingdom is sown in them. Using the two most extreme cases from the parable: rocky soil has no chance for the seed to take root while good soil yields a massive crop. This parable was so elusive to the disciples when they heard it they requested Jesus explain what He meant. They seemed to be confounded by the apparent determinism found in “The Matthew Principle”; namely, only certain soils will be able to produce a crop once they have been given the seed and those that cannot produce a crop will be the same as if no seed had ever fallen on them. Fast-forward to the end of the chapter and Jesus is sharing with His disciples the Parable of the Net. Unlike the Parable of the Sower, the disciples understand this one. He explains in this parable that at the end of the age angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous. You have to remember the disciples were most likely anticipating Judgment Day would occur during their lifetime. Jesus was the Messiah after all. Immediately following the parable Jesus asks His disciples if they understand and for once they respond with a simple “Yes”. What they didn’t realize was the Messiah’s mission might be radically different from what their culture was anticipating. Once again “The Matthew Principle” was at work. Saint Matthew doesn’t just leave us at the end of Chapter 13 with little more than an eschatological “what if” to ponder and debate. The brilliance of the writing in this chapter is captivating. Saint Matthew begins with the Parable of the Sower and an explanation of “The Matthew Principle” and ends the chapter with Jesus returning to his hometown, where He and His disciples experience “The Matthew Principle” at work. When the people of Jesus’ hometown dismiss Him as the carpenter’s son Jesus responds, “Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor” and then He departs. With this sobering story the quintessential chapter on parables comes to a close and the “The Matthew Principle” rings true yet again. The very thing Jesus’ hometown had, the Messiah, was taken from them. God is limitless, but we are not. Like those in Jesus’ hometown we are restricted to being in one place at one time. So when you are presented with those moments where you must choose between the message of the Kingdom and the weeds of this world remember “The Matthew Principle”: Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. (Matthew 13:12) Written and Produced by Stewart H. Redwine. StewartHRedwine.com

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