Eeek! Parables! Matthew 13.

For anyone teaching the life of Jesus, the parables are one of the expected moments of challenge. For some people parables are tricky. Maybe that's true for most people. While they may not understand what Jesus means in a particular parable, they do understand when Jesus says, "You will listen carefully yet will never understand, you will look closely yet will never comprehend." (Matt. 13:14 NET) I should probably change this from third person to first person -- there are parables that I find tricky to understand.

In thinking about why this is the case, I'm aware of several reasons we wrestle with parables. One reason is that we have been taught inconsistent or misleading definitions about what a parable is. A second reason we wrestle is that parables are closely tied to their context -- both the immediate context in which the parable is told, and the more general context of life in first century Palestine. That context is a long way off from us in space and time. A third reason we wrestle is that parables are intended to be wrestled with. When a parable is told to make a point, not to illustrate a point already made, the listeners have to extract the message from the story, and it may be concealed even as Jesus said.

We need to start with a clear understanding of what a parable is and is not. Here are two common definitions which I think are inadequate:

• A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.
• A parable is a short, fictitious story that teaches a moral or religious principle.

One of the problems with those definitions is that in some cases what Jesus calls a parable isn't really a story. A second problem is that we may not be able to narrow down a parable to a single meaning or principle. (I say this, even though in the past I have taught to search for one meaning per parable.)

Let's build a definition of a parable. First there is the definition of the Greek word - parabole - which carries with it the idea of placing things beside one another for the purpose of "comparison". In our language, as well as Greek, the two most common forms of comparison are a simile and a metaphor. In a simile the comparison is explicitly stated while in a metaphor it is implied. By way of example, Shakespeare wrote this metaphor, "All the world's a stage." If he'd written it as a simile it would have been phrased this way, "The world is like a stage." We can string together or expand similes and this form is called a similitude. Stringing together metaphors creates an allegory. We're still just talking about various forms of comparison and their labels. Another term of comparison is analogy, which is probably the best understanding of the Greek use of parabole. As classical Greeks we would have said that a parable is usually an analogy used in an illustrative way.

This is a good starting point, but let's add the Hebrew understanding of parables, since Jesus was a Hebrew. The Old Testament equivalent is the Hebrew word mashal. This word is defined as "to represent" or "to be like" and is usually translated as proverb or parable, and also as riddle, story, and allegory.

We should add to our understanding of parables the idea that they are memorable. The description "good Samaritan" is still understood to this day to mean someone who helps out a stranger, even for people who don't realize that this story and concept comes from Jesus' teaching, let alone that being a Samaritan is not what makes someone good.

Finally, we need to look again at the idea of parables as illustration. Jesus explicitly said that sometimes when He spoke in parables it would have precisely the opposite effect. Therefore, not every parable is an illustration. As I noted earlier, I like to distinguish between a parable when it's told to illustrate something said earlier, and when the parable is told as the actual teaching, which may or may not be explained later. In the latter case, the parable may ultimately be illustrative, but it usually takes some work on the part of the listener to get it, or some further explanation from the speaker. For example, the parable of the sower told in Matthew 13:3-9, is not an illustration as it's told. After Jesus explains it to His disciples (and us), then we are able to see it as an illustration.

With all that in mind, let's take another stab at a fairly loose definition. A parable is a form of teaching that uses one of several forms of comparison to make the teaching memorable, rich, and incisive. These forms of comparison include: proverbs, similes, metaphors, and similitudes, as well as story parables and allegories.

The category of story parables is the one that we typically think of when considering Jesus' parables, and that's the form of the first couple of parables in Matthew 13. The distinction between a story parable and a story allegory is whether every element of the story should be interpreted symbolically or not. Some parables have allegorical elements in them, but there are only one or two parables of Jesus that are (possibly) complete allegories. If the distinction between parable and allegory is unclear, take a look at how Augustine interpreted the parable of The Good Samaritan. He treated the story as an allegory which meant every part of the story had some metaphoric meaning. Thus the man going down to Jericho was interpreted as Adam, the man's wounds were sins, two denarii meant knowledge of the Father and Son, and so forth. Treating the story as having allegorical elements instead of as an actual allegory, means that we recognize that Jesus was making a point by casting the priests and Levites as the bad guys, and the Samaritan as a good guy. These characters are representative or symbolic of the category of people they are, but not a symbol of some metaphoric meaning. (Augustine thought of them as representing, respectively, the Law, the Prophets, and Christ.)

My thinking about parables has changed somewhat over time. Some of the change is due to the fact that I'm not particularly adept or comfortable with this form of teaching, although I do like it quite a bit. Some of the change is due to a broader reading of other teachers about parables. Most of the change is due to the increased amount of experience I have reading and then discussing the parables. If parables are still tricky for you, then just keep at it, it'll get better.

I'll write more about parables in another chapter, but for now, let's take a look at what is a parable of the similitude form, in Matthew 13:31,32. In this extended simile, Jesus compares the kingdom of Heaven to a mustard seed, which is small when planted, but huge as a grown plant. There's nothing particularly trick about this parable except to remember that the comparison isn't between the kingdom of Heaven and a mustard seed. The comparison is to the whole concept -- a small seed planted and growing into a very large, bushy bush. So it is, that the kingdom of Heaven (where Christ reigns) began humbly in Jesus' teaching over 3 years, and the training of the 12. Out of that a mighty realm would be established, which we see in the worldwide church, keeping in mind that the church is all those who are Christians.

Which parable did you like?