Parables, Part 1: The Teacher, the Teaching, the Taught

Matt. 13:1-9 teaches that those who hear Jesus' teaching need His wisdom to understand it. In this passage we see something about the Teacher in vv. 1-2; something about His Teaching in vv. 3-8; and something about the response of those Taught in v. 9. 

1. The Teacher...initiating and engaging. Jesus, on the same day as the blasphemous accusations and the visit of His mother and brothers, went and sat by the sea. Large crowds gathered, He got in a boat and sat down, the crowd stood on the beach. Sitting was the posture of a teacher. It was an invitation to come and learn from Him. He initiated, they engaged. The crowd stood, showing respect for the Teacher.

2. The Teaching...mysterious to some & clear to others. He spoke many things to them in parables. Besides His authority, the most distinctive style of Jesus’ teaching was His use of parables. The word Parable comes from two words: to throw, & by the side of. It is a form of teaching in which one thing is thrown beside another to make a comparison. There are 8 parables in ch. 13: the Sower, Weeds, Mustard Seed, Leaven, Treasure, Pearl, Net, & Householder – all have to do with the Kingdom of God. The 1st sets the tone.
 
The parable of the Sower (Jesus explains it in Matt. 13:18-23), is about a man who sowed seeds in a field and the results of the seeds landing on different soils. The 4 kinds of soil on which the seed fell reflected the common experience of farmers back then, they did not place seed in a single place or a long furrow dug out - they practiced broadcast sowing— scattering seeds in all directions by hand as they walked up and down the stony paths that divided their fields. Some seed falls on “good soil”, it germinates, matures and yields a crop ranging from 100, 60 or 30 times what was sown, a good harvest blessed by God, like Isaac in Gen. 26:12, he planted crops and reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed Him.
 
Parables are...
One of the ways Jesus taught. Not the only way as some suggest but a very engaging way He often taught. 1/3 of His teaching in Matt, Mark and Luke was done using parables.
Stories from daily life designed to teach a spiritual truth. Jesus used parables to teach some powerful lesson about God and His will for our lives. Earthly stories with heavenly meanings.
A way to both hide and reveal truth.  Hide it from those who reject Jesus and cannot handle further revelation, and reveal deeper truths to the believing. To one group a very clear illustration, to another a frustrating puzzle.
 
3. The Taught...some would understand, some would misunderstand. Jesus tells this parable with no explanation, just a word of challenge at the end: “He who has ears, let him hear.” He says, if you can understand it, understand it. He is challenging them to find the spiritual meaning in it. I see it as an invitation to seek Him and ask Him what it meant, if they dared.
 
What are the implications for us?
1. Jesus as Teacher is all-authoritative and we need to listen to Him. Failure to hear or acknowledge or respond favorably to what God says results in judgment. We need to submit rather than argue with what He has to say. That applies to everything in His Word. We are to reject man’s opinions, no matter how persuasive, and accept God’s verdicts on life and death, heaven and hell, marriage, family, singleness, business, pleasure and everything else.
2. Some things about the teaching are hard to understand and we need Christ’s wisdom even more. Each parable communicates one main point; everything in it serves that point. We need to engage in careful interpretation or we may miss or twist what He is saying. Parables may illustrate some point of theology, but don't build your theology from parables. When we come to the Book together, with our households, or alone, we submit ourselves to what it says.
3. Sometimes it is merciful for those taught that things are unexplained. Jesus veiling the truth from unbelievers showed both judgment & mercy. Judgment because it kept them in darkness they loved (John 3:19); mercy because for all who reject Jesus, exposure to more truth will only increase their guilt before a holy God. Those who hear Jesus' teaching need His wisdom to understand it. Only those who believe have Jesus' wisdom (1 Cor. 2:1-16). The key to understanding the parables (and making sense out of life) is knowing Jesus, which means being saved by grace, through faith in Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria