Q) Parables and Teachings of Christ

No 1

(The Prodigal Son)

This is the first of many studies that we will be doing on the parables and teachings of Christ. The first one that we shall talk about is in a very familiar passage in Luke 15 about a lost sheep, a lost coin and a lost son. Jesus was speaking to a group of people consisting of publicans, sinners, Pharisees and scribes (v. 1, 2). Although the main theme of this parable is the joy that is experienced when something is found that was lost, I believe that there is another lesson for us in this parable. In verse 28, we read about the reaction of the elder brother : “And he was angry and would not go in: and therefore came his father out and entreated him”. He was suffering from what I call “Elder Brother’ s Disease” and the symptoms are deadly. These symptoms are a joyless heart, a narrow perspective and a self-righteous attitude. The younger brother’s sins were obvious and he was able to admit to them and repent but the elder brother’s sins were sins of the heart. Jesus was speaking to a crowd whose condition was very similar to these two brothers. A contrast can be made of the younger brother to the sinners and publicans and of the elder brother to the scribes and Pharisees. The younger brother’s sins were exterior but the elder brother’s sins were interior and far more difficult to admit and confess to. Which is why I feel that Jesus wanted to show this crowd the same comparison – the interior and exterior sins that they committed. The former is often more difficult to see than the latter. May we be alert and listen to the Holy Spirit to avoid having Elder Brother’s Disease.

No 2

(The Two Debtors)

This is one of my favourites; the Bible text is in Luke 7:36-50. Jesus was invited to eat in the house of a Pharisee and He is explaining something to His host by using a very familiar method of His: the parable. By definition, a parable is a story about an earthly thing to explain a heavenly thing. During the meal, a harlot came into the house and began to wash and anoint the feet of Jesus. The Pharisee was indignant and thought to himself: “..if He were a prophet, He would have known who this woman is…she is a sinner” (v39). Jesus, knowing the Pharisee’s thoughts, began to tell the story of two debtors – one that owed 500 pence and the other 50 pence to a certain creditor. The creditor forgave both their debts and Jesus asked the Pharisee: “Tell me, which of them will love him the most?” to which the Pharisee answered: “he, to whom he forgave the most”. That was the correct answer. Jesus wanted to explain that the harlot’s sins were many and that she was more thankful than the Pharisee. His sins were not as many as hers, but they were sins of the heart (envy, self-righteousness, etc) and he did not recognize them as such. The Lord came to earth to reconcile us to His Father, regardless of the kind and of the number of sins we have.

No 3

(Abundant Life)

“….I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep” (John 10:10,11). This familiar shepherd-sheep metaphor is one that Jesus often used to describe His relationship with believers and, in these verses, He mentions:“ having life abundantly”. What is “an abundant life?” Well, for real sheep, an abundant life is having sufficient pasture and a good shepherd; just grass and someone to watch over them. For believers, it is almost as simple – because when we really think about it, we don’t need much more than real sheep need. Food, clothing and a roof over our heads are basically all we need; we already have the Good Shepherd. I know a lot of believers who have the abundant life and who are content with what they have. So why do we encounter so many Christians who don’t have the abundant life? It’s not God’s fault, because He wants us to have it. I believe that Christians can have the abundant life by spending much time in God’s word and turning control of their lives over to Him. I don’t mean just snacking but feasting on the Bread of Life. Our life here on earth is temporary and whatever worldly goods we possess will pass on. Didn’t Jesus promise us that: “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2b)? A mansion awaits us in heaven so why worry and squabble about “stuff” here on earth? Of course, there are some believers who are more blessed with possessions than others; praise the Lord – just as long as these possessions don’t take the place of God. I know a lady whose husband was out of work for a long time due to illness but you couldn’t tell because of the smile she always had on her face; she had the abundant life. The abundant life is not of this world; it is God-given.

No 4

(The Four Soils)

As we know, Jesus taught in parables – the parable of the Sower that is found in Matthew 13:3 to 44, in Mark 4:3 to 20 and in Luke 8: 4 to 15 is the best parable on worldwide evangelism. The emphasis in this parable is about the condition of the soil in which the seed is planted; the soil being the heart. Rising from the heart are all the things that matter – Proverbs 4:23 says “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” The message of the Gospel is rejected by most mainly because of the condition of the hearer’s heart; it is not so much the message or the skill of the messenger. The great mandate we received in Matthew 28:19,20 is not about the Gospel nor about the ability of the one spreading the gospel, it is about the condition of the heart. The Bible has many ways of describing the human heart; here are some : The heart is wicked, perverse, evil, of madness, unwashed, deceitful, disloyal, straying, impenitent, blind, unbelieving, deceived, proud, covetous, hard, foolish, idolatrous, rebellious, stubborn, and dull. Actually, these adjectives describe the depth of man’s depravity. Mark 7:21 says “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

Trying to explain the horrible events that occur everyday in our world is an exercise in futility because the human heart is rotten to the core. When Jesus spoke this parable, He addressed a group of people who would’ve understood the analogy of a sower sowing seed because most were farmers. In verse 8 of the text in Luke , Jesus said – “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” as if to say : “Do some of you get it? Do some of you want to have the explanation of the parable?” Only His disciples wanted to know; they cared to know, they were God’s people and in verse 9b they said, “What might this parable be?” From the very large crowd, only a few really wanted to know. The rest of the crowd, that didn’t want to go further are described in the book of Isaiah – “ Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not” (ch 42:20) Jesus explained the parable to His disciples and, by extension, to us that the seed is the Gospel – the concept of seed is brought forth in 1 Peter 1:23 “ Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” The Lord, from that point on hardened their hearts echoing Isaiah’s words. Those who need to hear the Gospel will hear it and Jesus uses ordinary people like you and me to do this.

No 5

(His Answers)

When Jesus was on the earth, the governing religious community – the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Scribes, rejected His teachings. There were several times when they tried to place Jesus in situations where, they thought, they could catch Him by answering difficult questions. But, each time, Jesus answered so wisely and indisputably that they either turned on their heals and left or they stood there with their mouths open, marvelling at Jesus’ answers. Here are some of those occasions: 1) A man sick of the palsy: In Matthew 9:1-8, there is a story about a man who Jesus healed of an illness. Jesus began by saying “Be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee” and then He realized that certain scribes considered this blasphemous. So, He proceeded to say, “But that you may know that the Son of Man hath power to forgive sins, arise and take up thy bed”. They marvelled and glorified God. Not all these stories have such a good ending. 2) What defiles a man: In Matthew 15: 1-20, some Pharisees complained to Jesus that His disciples did not observe the Jewish traditions of washing their hands before eating. Another startling answer came from Jesus when He told them “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man but that which cometh out…for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, false witnesses…these are the things which difileth a man”. 3) The baptism of John: In Matthew 21:23-27, the elders questioned Jesus on what authority He taught in the temple. Jesus proceeded to ask them a question about the baptism of John. Jesus knew their heart and wanted them to realize their sinful condition when He asked, “The baptism of John, whence was it, from heaven or of men?”. 4) The last one we will look at is a classic – tribute to Caesar: In Matthew 22, the Pharisees wanted to trap Jesus by asking “Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?” and to which Jesus answered “Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s”. What an amazing answer!! The Pharisees were no match for the Son of God when it came to wisdom.

No 6

(The Beatitudes, an overview)

In Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount is probably the most venerated of all of Jesus’ teachings because it broke the ground for His three-year earthly ministry. In verses 3 to 10, we read “3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The Jews were expecting a Messiah who would deliver them from the clutches of Rome; instead, they got a shepherd-like individual who preached humility instead of pride; meekness instead of aggressiveness and mercy instead of revenge. Little did they know but they were getting “the King of kings the Lord of lords.” (Rev 19:16). We will see each beatitude in detail later on.

No 7

(The elect)

As we saw in our studies of the TULIP, God teaches us that we are predestined to be His children. Therefore, it is not surprising that Jesus, in His earthy ministry, continued this and referred to us as the elect. Jesus, in John 15:16 said to His disciples “…you have not chosen Me, I have chosen you” There is a wonderful sequence of events in the book of Luke that describes the teaching that we are elected. When Jesus arrived in Nazareth where He grew up, He went to the temple and was asked to read the Scriptures; specifically in the book of Isaiah. After reading, He sat down and said that what He had just read had been accomplished in that day. The people in the temple were amazed and asked themselves “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Jesus answered them in the strangest way “But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land 26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.” (Luke 4: 25 – 27). What kind of an answer is that? What is the connection between this passage and the teaching of the elect? Here Jesus had just proclaimed that God had sent Him to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament and these words describe God’s own choice of whom He saves and whom He heals; God chooses whom He wants!! The reaction of His hearers in the temple was one of hatred v28 “And all they in the synagogue when they heard these things were filled with wrath”. Jesus often taught in parables; this is one of those times. It was after this event that Jesus took to Himself the 12 Apostles and revealed the meanings of the parables to them.

No 8

(The vine and the Branches – John 15)

The metaphor of the vine was used by God in the Old Testament of Israel “Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?” (Jer 2:21); however as the text indicates, Israel was not faithful. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman” (v1). So Jesus also used the vine as a teaching instrument to show believers that “without Me, ye can do nothing” (v5) stressing the need to abide in Him. The true Christian will bear fruit whereas the pseudo-Christian will not bear fruit and will cast into the fire and burned just as in the parabol of the tares and the wheat in Matthew 13. Notice that there are three categories of Christians in John 15: a) Fruit-bearing (v2) b) More fruit-bearing (v2) c) Much fruit-bearing (v5). These appear to correspond to the three types of wheat-bearing Christians in Matthew 13:8, 23 in the parable of the Sower. The purging or pruning obviously refers to the trials that the Lord brings to bear on the true Christian who will glorify God through the trial and thus bear much fruit. The verb abide is used quite frequently in this chapter and Jesus also used it in John 8:31 when He said: “those who abide in Me are My disciples indeed.” Thus, abiding in Christ is not some mystical concept but simply adhering to the Words of Christ; another way of putting it is OBEDIENCE. The true Christian obeys Christ’s Word come what may. Christ only wants what is good for His Children and in this teaching, His desire is “that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11)

No 9

(Leaven)

Leaven or yeast, as it is called in modern days, is actually a one-celled fungus used to ferment carbohydrates. It has been used for centuries in the making of bread, beer or other foods requiring fermentation and it usually spreads itself throughout the entire portion of food. In the Bible it is often symbolic of evil doctrine or practice. However, Jesus in His great wisdom used leaven to teach His followers two very important lessons.

The first lesson is in the Gospel of Matthew: “Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” (Ch 16:11, 12). Jesus warned His followers that, as yeast, the teachings of the Pharisees would permeate their very beings and render them useless for the kingdom of God. The Pharisees were too concerned with outward appearances and not concerned enough with the matters of the heart; Jesus called them hypocrites many, many times..

The second lesson is found in the Gospel of Luke: “And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” (Ch 13:21). This lesson is also found in Matthew 13:33. Just as leaven was used negatively in the first lesson, Jesus used it positively in the second to teach that the Kingdom of Heaven multiplies quietly and permeates all that it contacts. The idea that Jesus taught in both lessons was that leaven is a substance that spreads itself throughout….

No 10

(Leaven II)

Leaven or bread yeast is a type of fungi and it causes bread to rise by releasing carbon dioxide which gets trapped in the dough; this is actually a fermentation, decaying process. In the Bible, leaven is often used to portray false doctrinal teaching but on one occasion, the Lord used it as a demonstration to show how the kingdom of heaven is like. In Matthew 13:33, we read “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” ; there is a similar text in Luke 13:21. The idea here was that the Gospel will spread itself though the world by its piercing, penetrating, and spreading nature. The Gospel reaches the conscience, pierces the heart, enlightens the understanding, informs of judgment, raises and sets our affections on Christ, subdues the will, and brings down all towering thoughts. The spreading of the Gospel is not some mystical manoeuvre that God lets happen without any control. Quite the contrary, God has given the privilege of spreading the Gospel to believers who have experienced the inner peace and joy that it brings to the soul. God is sovereign in His universe and He knows, before the foundation of the world, who will be in the kingdom and who will humble themselves in front of Him upon realizing their lostness; but we don’t know. For this reason our task, while we still have breath, is to spread the Gospel to the lost, regardless of who it is; it could be Aunt Matilda; it could be the postman or it could be the very person we believe would never humble him or herself. The Lord has given some of His saints a gift that Paul encouraged Timothy to practice “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”(2 Timothy 4:5). And although some have this gift, aren’t we all called to be evangelists in one way or another? The Lord’s last words to His Disciples before ascending to heaven were “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15. There is no greater joy, for a Christian, than to see someone come to Jesus through our evangelism efforts. Do you know what the next greatest joy is? Preaching the Gospel to someone we don’t know.

No 11

(His authority)

On this side of the cross, Jesus’ authority is not ever questioned; He is the Son of God and that is enough!! But when He arrived on the scene in Judea, no one knew him – John the Baptist even said in the gospel of John, chapter 1 verse 26 “I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;” Jesus was unknown to most but He revealed Himself to all. Many knew He was coming and they are the ones who recognized Him for who He really was; they never questioned His authority. The group who was most sceptical of His authority was the elite Pharisees with their traditions and when they heard of Jesus, their livelihood was immediately threatened. So they set out to destroy and to discredit Him but their pitiful efforts were defeated every time. We read of many many occasions in the Bible where the religious leaders challenged His authority with traps regarding the payment of taxes or healing on the Sabbath but the strongest defeat the Pharisees were subjected to was about John the Baptist. The account is in Matthew 21: 23-27 and here is the part that Jesus asked them: “The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.” What wisdom, what insight; the Lord knew their hearts.

But let’s not be too hard on those religious leaders back then; how were we when we first heard of Jesus? Jesus’ authority is not very much more considered by the world today than it was during those times. Just the mention of His name today and people react – some react well and become believers whereas others, like the Pharisees react negatively and trample His name as best they can. So why are people so hostile to the name of Jesus? Jesus Himself had the answer “He that hateth me hateth my Father also.” John 15:23.

No 12

(His lessons on love)

When we speak of Jesus’ teachings on love, it would take much more than this sheet of paper. The Apostle John summed it up pretty well when he said “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” John 21:25. So, where to we begin? Well, I suppose a good place would be to speak about how Jesus Himself showed love. The Gospels contain a plethora of verses on the subject but I feel that some of the more definitive explanations are given by the Apostle Paul. In the book of Romans, chapter 5, we read “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (vs7,8). Also in Galatians 1:4, the Bible says “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:” So there is no doubt that the Bible is replete with verses on how Jesus loved.

Now, let us look at how Jesus wants us to love; again, there are many, many teachings so let us narrow them down to how Jesus’ definition of love is contrary to the law. Someone once asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment; to which He said: “29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31. We have all read these verses many times but it is good to see them in the context of how these two commandments are contrary to the law. Here’s how – in Old Testament times, people did not take the name of the Lord in vain because the law said not to; the same applies to matters regarding other people. One did not covet someone else’s goods because the law said not to. Jesus’ teaching on love applies this way – you don’t take the name of the Lord in vain because you love the Lord and you don’t covet your neighbour’s goods because you love him; it is as simple as that. The Lord never made things complicated; everything was always simple to understand and to apply. The really important things in the Bible are very simple to understand.

No 13

(Born Again)

“Ye must be born again.” (John 3:7).

Regeneration is a subject that lies at the very basis of salvation, and we should be very diligent to take heed that we really are “born again,” for there are many who say they are but are not. Make sure that the name of a Christian is not being born in a Christian land or being recognized as professing Christianity, unless there is something more added to the “being born again.” It is a matter so mysterious, that human words cannot describe it. “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8. Nevertheless, it is a change that occurs in us and it is known and it is felt – known by works of holiness and felt by a gracious experience. This great work is supernatural; it is not an operation which a man performs for himself. A new principle is infused, which works in the heart, renews the soul, and affects the entire person. It is not a change of my name but a renewal of my nature so that I am not the person that I used to be, but a new man in Christ Jesus.

To wash and dress a corpse is a far different thing from making it alive; man can do the one, God alone can do the other. If you have then, been “born again,” your acknowledgment will be, “O Lord Jesus, the everlasting Father, thou art my spiritual Parent; unless thy Spirit had breathed into me the breath of a new, holy, and spiritual life, I had been to this day ‘dead in trespasses and sins.’ My heavenly life is wholly derived from thee, to thee I ascribe it. ‘My life is hid with Christ in God.’ It is no longer I who live, but Christ who liveth in me.” May the Lord enable us to be well assured on this vital point, for to be unregenerate is to be unsaved, unpardoned, without God, and without hope. (Drawn from the works of C H Spurgeon).

No 14

(The Hidden treasure and The Pearl of Great Price)

When Jesus taught the crowds in parables, He always gave examples that His hearers could understand and could apply to their lives. Here are two examples “44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field ; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” Matthew 13:44-46.

These two parables have identical meanings. Both describe salvation as something hidden from most people (verse 11 says “…but to them it is not given”) but so valuable that people who have it revealed to them, are willing to give up all they have to possess it.

It is a treasure of indescribable value however; may I submit that when we find this treasure we cannot keep it to ourselves; it must be shared? When we are first saved, our hearts are filled with joy and peace. Our immediate reaction is to share it with others but we quickly realize that not everyone is ready to give up all they have to obtain the treasure that we are so compelled to share with them; only those who have been quickened by the Spirit of God are receptive. So what are we to do? How can we know who has been quickened? We can’t; that is the whole meaning of verse 11 so, it is imperative that we share this treasure with everyone we can because “perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” 2 Timothy 2:25, 26. Only God knows who is able to receive the enlightenment of this treasure.

No 15

(The Unmerciful Slave)

In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 18, we read of a story that Jesus told to His Disciples that begins with the very familiar words “…the kingdom of heaven is like unto…” Jesus tells about a king who pardoned one of his servants for a large sum of money (10,000 talents). A talent was a very large amount and for the servant to owe his master 10,000, it must have been unpaid taxes or something similar; in any event, the servant was totally incapable of repaying his debt. That same servant turned around and demanded that one of his fellow servants pay him back a small amount of money (100 pence) or else he would throw him into prison until he paid his debt. We have all read this story often and the emphasis is mainly on the compassion we should show to others just as Jesus Christ had compassion on us.

Our debts (sins) are just like the amount that the first servant owed; totally beyond our capacity to repay or to atone for. Jesus had to pay the price for our sins because of the utter heinousness God has toward sin. When we begin to realize just how bad our sins are and the price Jesus had to pay, we can begin to understand how we ought to treat our friends and neighbours. The Bible says in Colossians 2:14 we read “…having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;” Paul here likens the forgiveness of our sins as an unpayable debt – the words “handwriting of ordinances” refers to a certificate of debt that existed in Biblical times. Paul uses the metaphor of “nailing it to his cross” as if to say that our debt has been expunged. May we be as forgiving to others as Jesus did by making full payment of our sins (debts).