WHY JESUS SPOKE IN PARABLES-Understanding the Lord’s parables is evidence of the indwelling Spirit of God!

Christianity can be condensed into four words: Admit, Submit, Commit and Transmit. -Samuel Wilberforce

WHY JESUS SPOKE IN PARABLES=

Understanding the Lord’s parables is evidence of the indwelling Spirit of God!

  Did you know that there are seventeen parables in the Old Testament?  That’s right; of the forty-nine times the word “parable” appears in Scripture, about a third are found in the Books of Numbers (23:7, 18; 24:3, 15, 20, 21, 23), Job(27:1; 29:1), Psalms (49:4; 78:2), Proverbs (26:7, 9),Ezekiel (17:2; 24:3), Micah (2:4), and Habakkuk (2:6). 

All of the New Testament parables occur in the Gospels: Matthew (13:18, 24, 31, 33, 34, 36; 15:15; 21:33; 24:32),Mark (4:10, 13, 34; 7:17; 12:12; 13:28), Luke (5:36; 6:39; 8:4, 9, 11; 12:16, 41; 13:6; 14:7; 15:3; 18:1, 9; 19:11; 20:9, 19; 21:29), and John (10:6).  This is important because it tells us that, with the exception of the Book of Job, parables were a “Jewish thing”; they were always spoken by Jews, and most often to Jews. 

Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language defines a parable as an allegorical relationship; a comparison of things that are familiar, with things which are spiritual in meaning.  So you would think that Jesus taught using parables in order to make His teaching understandable.  But that is not the case.  Jesus actually taught in parables for a couple of reasons:

1)  Because God had said He would – “All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake He not unto them:  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world” (Mt. 13:34-35; Ps. 78:2).

2)  Because His teaching was meant for those who trusted in Him, and not for those who opposed Him.  Matthew wrote: 

“And the disciples came, and said unto Him, Why speakest Thou unto them in parables?  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.  Therefore speak I to them in parables:  because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall notperceive:  for this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them” (Mt. 13:11-15).

Because Israel would reject Him as their Messiah, Jesus only presented the truth about Himself to His disciples.  They would believe and become born again.  Then with the birth of the Church in Acts 2:1-41, the teaching of the Church moved to win the Gentiles to Christ; no parables were necessary (Acts 11:18; 13:46; 14:27; etc.).  God’s mysteries were revealed to His Church (Rom. 11:25; 16:25; 1 Cor. 2:7; 15:51; Eph. 1:9; 3:3-9; 5:32; 6:19; Col. 1:26-27; 2:2; 4:3; 2 Th. 2:7; 1 Tim. 3:9, 16; etc.)!

Understanding the Lord’s parables is evidence of the indwelling Spirit of God!

REBLOGGED FROM

http://skipslighthouse.blogspot.com/2015/03/why-jesus-spoke-in-parables.html