Parables 101

Throughout the summer we will be exploring the stories that Jesus told to teach and inspire. Join us for the next 9 weeks as we learn from these stories together! Adam Barnett kicks off our series with an introduction to the topic of parables.

Parables 101

Storyteller | Week 1

May 28, 2017 | Adam Barnett

Discipleship Discussion Questions:

What is something you noticed for the first time?

What questions did you have?

Was there anything that bothered you?

What did you learn about loving God?

What did you learn about loving others?

“The parable is a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt about its precise application to tease it into active thought.”

— Klyne Snodgrass

Jesus used Parables primarily to explain:

The Kingdom of God

The Character of God

Expectations of God

Matthew 13:1-9 (NIV)

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

Matthew 13:10 (NIV)

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

Matthew 13:11-13 (NIV)

He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

Matthew 13:18-23 (NIV)

Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Good Soil:

Hear God’s Word
Believe it is True
Make Necessary Changes
Engage in Discipleship
Bear Fruit