An Introduction to Parables

The following discourse was completed in partial fulfillment of a Doctoral level course.  It is posted here to help those interested in studying the parables to gain a better understanding of the contemporary scholarship surrounding the Parables.  Your comments and questions are always welcome.

1.1  Explain the relationship between use of the Greek parabole and the Hebrew mashal. 

The Greek word parabole is essentially equivalent to the Hebrew word mashal.  The Hebrew word mashal means to be similar.  The Greek word parabole, on the other hand, is very elastic in that it can be used to render any figure of speech and is therefore used to translate the Hebrew word mashal.

Craig Blomberg notes, “In Hebrew the word mashal (often translated as parabolh in the Greek Bible [= English ‘parable’]) is used for all types of figurative speech—proverbs, riddles, taunts, simple comparisons, and complex allegories.”[1]  It refers to speech in the Old Testament that captures the imagination.  Bernard Scott writes, “What is most striking about the Jesus and rabbinic meshalim is that they are short narrative fictions.”[2]  Scott spend some time discussing the mashal, in his study he reveals that a mashal is often defined as a proverb and notes that the word is used in the title of the book of proverbs, “The Proverbs [meshle] of Solomon, Son of David, King of Israel.”  Scott notes,

“In this context mashal clearly means proverbs, the one-line, sentence sayings that encapsulate wisdom.  Mashal is the paradigm of hidden or allusive truth that demands the skill of the wise to interpret . . .The mashal belongs to the connotative aspect of language; it employs nonliteral language, speaking by indirection and suggestion.  It demands interpretation precisely because it is about something else.”[3]   

The Greek word parabole has a different meaning.  Scott writes, “Parabole means literally ‘to set beside,’ ‘to throw beside,’ and so functions as a comparative term, indicating similarity or parallelism.”[4]  Scott also discusses Aristotle’s use of the term parabole and points out that Aristotle classified parables in a fictional illustrative sense.  Therefore, Scott writes, “A parable is a mashal that employs a short narrative fiction to reference a symbol. . . . to call a parable a short narrative fiction allows us to distinguish it from other types of meshalim like proverbs, riddles, words of the wise, and so forth.”[5]

Therefore, a Greek parabole is one type of a Hebrew mashal.  It is distinct in that it is not all types of meshalim, but is a short narrative fiction that references a symbol.  A parable references a symbol in order to make a comparison between a physical and a spiritual reality.  Its design is to reveal the deep things of God by comparing them with a manifested and observable reality.

 

1.2 Explain how you would respond to someone who asks you, "What is a parable? 

There are many wide-ranging views about what a parable is.  These views range from allegories to metaphors, to stories.  Blomberg studies many of these viewpoints and comes to the conclusion, “The Gospel parables, with or without the alleged additions and interpretations of later tradition, are allegories, and they probably teach several lessons apiece.”[6]  On the other hand, David Wenham writes, “Jesus, especially when speaking to the crowds, spoke almost entirely pictorially, explaining his ideas in and through stories, and not just using stories as an aid to illustrate points.”[7]  It is evident that a vast majority of scholars support Wenham’s position and move away from Blomberg’s allegory position, while allowing that some parables contain allegory.

Parables have also been defined as word pictures providing deep spiritual truths under a veil that is available to mankind with some study and scrutiny.  Since the authoritative truths of God are a brilliant light that causes darkened and hardened minds to shriek and retreat, Christ provided these bright and shining truths under the veil of parables that lost men may look at them, and with a slight level of desire discover the spiritual truths within them. G. Campbell Morgan writes,

“The parable is ever the open door to the mystery.  If men will consider the picture, and enquire, He [God] will always answer.  The parables therefore do but illustrate the whole fact of His approach to the human heart. . . . If the truth can be suggested by the story, in the presence of that story men may presently find the depth and wonder of the mystery.”[8] 

Thomas Gutherie adds,

“Occasionally used to conceal for a time the full meaning of the speaker, the chief and common object of a parable is by the story to win attention and maintain it; to give plainness and point, and therefore power, and truth.  By awakening and gratifying the imagination, the truth finds its way more readily to the heart, and makes a deeper impression on the memory.”[9] 

In defining a parable Scott notes, “That parables are hard to understand raises what is for us literates an exceptionally difficult problem. Parables are examples of concrete thought, not abstract thought.”[10]  To move a parable from the concrete to the abstract is a tendency of our modern culture and thought, it was not a tendency of the culture in which Jesus lived and taught.  In interpreting the parables students must avoid the tendency of moving their interpretation into abstract definitions, and instead focus on the concrete.

From this study it can be concluded that a parable is a story having present application, providing one or more meanings that arrest the imagination of the hearer causing them to think about the meaning of the story.  While parables may contain elements of allegory the diligent student is wise not to force allegories into the text unnaturally.  This tendency to force allegories into a text is also called allegorizing.  Parables communicate truth through the use of pictures or colorful stories.

 

1.3  Discuss the difference between western modes of communication and parabolic speech. 

The language that Jesus used in parables is different from that which might be used by a hypothetical westerner.  It is different in that it was: 

1.      Brief.  Jesus simply said, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head”[11] (Matt 8.20).  The hypothetical Westerner might have said, “Bold statements are easy to make, but you have to consider seriously what it will cost you to follow me.  It seems evident that so far you have yet to do so.  I must say to you plainly, that I can offer you no salary or security.  If my point is not clear.  Perhaps, an illustration will help.  For example, I do not even have a bed of my own to sleep on.”[12]  The parables of Jesus were marked by brevity when compared to traditional western thought.

2.      Powerful.  While the long statement of the westerner would be hard to repeat with accuracy, the concise statement of Jesus is immediately etched upon the imagination of the hearer.  Scott implies that Jesus was giving an oral traditional to a largely illiterate culture and sought to make His parables memorable using statements that are easily remembered.  Scott writes,

“An older methodology, as exemplified by the work of Jeremias, sought to reconstruct the very words of Jesus.  Such a method presupposes literacy and imagines that people memorized words.  Memorization of words is only possible when a written archetype exists against which to compare memory.  Because the parable was oral, it passed out of existence as soon as it was spoken.  There is no possibility of ‘having’ or possessing an original parable.  In oral cultures what is remembered is the structure or outline.”[13]

If the transmission of the Bible was oral this may indeed have been the case.  Scott’s statement also reflects the tendency of many to think that the culture of Jesus day was largely illiterate.  However, studies completed by this student in Old Testament History and Biblical Archaeology have proven that literacy permeated the cultures of the ancient near east all the way back to the time frame of the Mari and Nuzi texts.  While it is recognized that the texts of the New Testament were not written for a number years after Jesus spoke them, to say that they are not accurately recorded is to ignore the fact of the divine influence of inspiration upon the penmen that wrote the texts.  This author holds that Scott’s position disregards Almighty-God as the author of the Bible and diminishes the authority and accuracy of the written word.

3.      Truthful and realistic.  While the parables are figurative and illustrative in their presentation, they are also realistic in their practical presentation of unchanging truth.  Often, western language, when figurative in nature, departs from the realistic presentation of the truth.

Since the ancient near eastern culture is so vividly different form our western culture it becomes imperative for the interpreter to take the steps necessary to understand the parables in the light of their cultural setting.  Kenneth Bailey suggests that the parables can only be understood by considering them under the light of three tools.  He writes, “The culture of contemporary conservative peasants must be examined to see what the parables mean in their setting.  Oriental versions need to be studied to see how Oriental churchmen through the centuries have translated the text.  Ancient literature pertinent to the parables must be read with the insights gained from these other two sources.”[14]  It is through the diligent consideration of these sources that an understanding of the meaning of the parables to the culture in which Jesus taught would be developed, and a proper interpretation might be provided. 

1.4    Summarize what you have learned about the distribution of the parables in the Synoptic Gospels. 

In the distribution of the narrative parables as found in the synoptic gospels, we notice that there are significantly more parables in Mathew and Luke than there are in Mark.  It is also noted that, while there are places where the same parables are recorded in more than one gospel, there are many places where one author tells parabolic stories that are not recorded by the others.  Luke included many more parables than either Matthew or Mark and most of his parables are recorded in his journey section of his gospel. This journey section runs from Luke 9 through 18 when Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem until His crucifixion on the cross.  Blumenstien notes that the recognition of these journey parables is critical for their interpretation.[15]

It is important to note that parables are not freestanding stories, but they are imbedded within a context that must be noted and recognized for their proper interpretation.  For instance, Luke’s journey section of his gospel emphasizes Jesus movement toward the cross in the context of the parables recorded.  In a sense, each of the gospels might emphasize this same crucifixion movement in their parabolic record.

Joachim Jeremias emphasizes the need to separate parables that are contextually linked together in the Gospels.  He stresses that these parables were probably presented on different occasions, presenting different meanings and were later placed together in their current context.  This collection of the parables may have the tendency to lead scholars to a different meaning of the parables than what they originally intended.  Jeremias writes, “In endeavoring, then, to discover the meaning of the parables, we shall be well advised not to be guided by the meaning of the adjacent parables.”[16] 

Jeremias develops his position concerning the need to remove the parables from their current context by comparing the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke with the gospel of Thomas; a non-canonical work of antiquity.  It is clear that Jeremias’ position forms on the basis of human intellect and influence over the authorship of scripture.  What appears to be missing in Jeremias’ conclusions is the influence of the Holy Spirit and divine inspiration over the penning of each of the canonical gospels.  If the Holy Spirit guided the penmen to contextually group the parables together in their respective contexts, then the Holy Spirit clearly intended for one parable to influence the next in its literary meaning.  The problem presented by Jeremias’ can only develop if one holds the position that the gospels canonized in our current Bible were not actually written by their identified penmen, but were instead collected by the Church at a later date and then deceptively identified as a unified work.

Therefore, in considering the connection of the parables with one another in their literary context the interpreter is faced with two possible positions.  There is the position of the professor of this course that stresses the literary context of each parable in its gospel setting, for instance the identified journey parables pointing toward Jesus passion and resurrection.  Then, there is the position of Jeremias and those that support his position that focus on the redaction and recollection of the gospels, virtually ignoring the inspiration and preservation the biblical text, choosing to tear apart the literary contexts of the gospels to develop more independent interpretations of the parables, apart from their biblical context.  The choice is a simple one for this author, as the inspiration and preservation of the biblical text are foundational positions for this student.

 

1.5  Discuss what you have learned so far about the subject matter and the purpose of the parables. 

Lloyd Ogilvie, in the preface to his work on the parables, writes, “The parables were all aspects of the autobiography of God being written through His Son, Immanuel, God with us.  Jesus came to reveal who God is and what we were meant to be.  Each parable.  I discovered, contained a basic element of the nature of God and how He works in our lives.”[17]  Finding, understanding, and experiencing God and His lively truths is the heart and purpose of the Gospels.  In finding the truths of the parables, we discover the illuminating light of God’s authoritative truth woven throughout creations and life’s story.  Through understanding the truths of God as presented in the parables, we develop a fuller knowledge of who God is and who He is molding us to be.  By experiencing God through the parables, we are transformed by the vibrancy and reality of His intimate and personal presence.

The purpose of the parables encompass more than mere information.  While they do inform us of the truth, their goal is to effect a transformation in the lives of the hearers.  To receive the information of the parables without experiencing the transformation implied by those truths, is to miss the whole purpose of the parables in their scriptural context.  While it is important to address the passages containing the parables with a proper hermeneutical technique; to follow all of the proper principles without experiencing a conviction that leads to a change of life is to ultimately misunderstand the purpose of the parables.  Therefore, the parables point us to Christ, His crucifixion, and His resurrection for the sake of our transformation.

David Wenham describes the parables as Jesus announcing a great and divine revolution in the establishment of God’s kingdom.  He writes, “In proclaiming the kingdom of God, Jesus was announcing the coming of God’s revolution and of God’s new world, as promised in the Old Testament.  God was at last intervening, Jesus declared, to establish his reign over everything, to bring salvation to his people and renewal and reconciliation to the world.”[18]  Indeed, the parables reveal the nature and progression of the kingdom of God as it builds to the establishment of the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ and ultimately the eternal kingdom that follows.  Therefore, we find revealed in the parables those things that will characterize God’s kingdom throughout the church age.  All of which enlightens and encourages Christians to be spiritually disciplined, to keep their eye on the prize, and to be found faithful.

 

1.6  What do attempts to define the parables have in common?  How do they differ? 

Those who have tried to define the parables almost always attempt to capture the unusual nature of these stories.  Almost everyone agrees that parables are a figurative manner of speech, which inevitably point beyond themselves.  Some of the definitions offered for parables differ in that they may over simplify the nature and purpose of parables.  For instance one might suggest that parables are worldly stories with heavenly meanings, however, this over simplification fails to recognize that many parables have distinctly worldly meanings.

 

1.7 Discuss the roles played by imagination and obedience when encountering the parable. 

Parables use word pictures or stories from commonplace settings to arrest the imagination of the hearers and teach deep spiritual truths through the use of comparisons or metaphors.  Brad Young writes,

“The listener catches a glimpse of the divine character and spiritual realities of life.  Parables use rich imagery of language to catch the listener unaware.  At first all seems so familiar, and then a shift develops in the plot of the story. . . . A consciousness of God and his way of viewing the world enters the commonplace scene to communicate the divine message.  The familiar setting of the parable allows each person to understand God’s will.”[19] 

Once the truth captures the mind, the hearer is captivated by the simple and authoritative nature of the deep spiritual truth developed in the parable.  In pondering the story and the revelation it contains, the hearer finds himself faced with a decision in light of the divine truth understood:  Obey the clear and concise will of God and experience the rewards of such obedience, or rebel against the truth revealed and receive the certain consequences of such disobedience.

Therefore, parables present the truth of God’s divine will through stories that are woven into the fabric of ones ordinary life.  When the truth is viewed in respect to ones life experiences, an understanding develops and a decision is demanded whether it leads to obedience or rebellion.  Under the light of God’s truths revealed through the parables one finds that it is impossible to remain neutral under those manifested truths.  For any decision not to choose is a choice to deny the truth revealed.  Through the simplicity of the parables and their comparison to those familiar elements that permeate our lives, an understanding of God’s nature and will is developed and that understanding demands a personal decision.  These decisions ultimately lead to obedience.

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