Jesus responded by asking what was written in the law. Jesus then responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan: When a traveling man was attacked by bandits, he was left for dead. Though a priest and a Levite saw him, they passed by without offering assistance. Instead, it was a Samaritan that rescued him, not only bandaging his wounds, but bringing him to an inn and paying for his lodging until he was able to continue on his journey.
The passage concludes:. This passage is significant because at the time, Samaritans and Jews were sworn enemies and typically did not associate with each other. The Jews looked down upon the Samaritans because they believed them to be inferior for their different religious practices and for intermarrying with other nations. How can you ask me for a drink? We are not simply called to serve those whom it is easy or convenient to serve; we are called to love and serve our enemies as well as our friends.
Jesus uses the parable in this context to emphasize to the scholar that his definition of loving his neighbor was insufficient. Similarly, it shows us that, in our own power, we are unable to love perfectly; we need a Savior.
Loving our enemies in such a dramatic way can only be done through the power of Christ in us. Included in all the gospels except John, the parable of sower was told by Jesus as He was preaching to crowds from a boat on the Sea of Galilee.
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Jones October 19, Share Tweet Pin Email. Jones Why did Jesus teach in parables? The reason why Jesus taught in parables was not to explain spiritual truths to the crowds, but to keep spiritual truths from the crowds. Why Did Jesus Teach in Parables? This article investigates these parallel passages to decipher the meaning within their textual context. The argument of this article is that these parallel statements should be read within the context of the parable of the sower to grasp their meaning.
Although each of Jesus' parables is a self-contained story, 1 it is only accessible to modern interpreters through written texts. Gerhardsson warns that 'modern expositors can increase their hermeneutic freedom immensely, when they cut the narrative meshalim out of their frames'.
Though some of these introductions and conclusions may have formed part of an original story, others were added by the evangelists. Such additions determine the interpretation of the story. This article investigates these passages that provide an explanation of why Jesus spoke in a parable s. While it seems that the term parable in this context primarily refers to the parable of the sower, the principle applies to similar stories that meet the requirements of the form-critical definition of a parable.
The broader context indicates that the term also includes other figurative forms of speech that Jesus used. The reason for speaking in parables. The textual setting of Jesus' explanation. The explanation of why Jesus spoke in parables follows the parable of the sower in all three Synoptic Gospels Mt ; Mk ; Lk This parable begins Jesus' ministry of proclaiming the Word. The parable tells the story of how seed is sown in different kinds of soil.
Only the seed that was sown in the good soil comes up, grows and produces a crop. This parable is followed by the question Jesus' followers pose about the parables Mt ; Mk ; Lk Jesus responds by explaining that parables demonstrate why not all people are receptive to his ministry of the Word. Following this answer, Jesus continues by explaining the meaning of the parable of the sower Mt ; Mk ; Lk He tells his followers that the determining factor of the parable is the soil, and not the sower or the seed.
The condition of the soil determines whether the seed would grow or not. The parable signifies that only some people would be receptive to Jesus' words. This explanation sheds light not only on the parable of the sower, but also on Jesus' answer as to why he spoke in parables in general. The parable of the sower can be regarded as the parable about the parables Hooker This is evident from Jesus' opening words when he starts explaining the parable, 'Don't you understand this parable?
How then will you understand any parable? Mark seemingly regards this introductory parable as key to understanding all Jesus' parables. As conclusion to the section on the parables, Mark once again states that Jesus always spoke in parables, a statement that Matthew takes over with some variation. That which is given to insiders and outsiders respectively.
Jesus' answer varies slightly in each of the Gospels. These significant similarities and variations are indicated in the following Table 1. To insiders Jesus spoke of mysteries and to outsiders in parables. According to Mark, those who pose the question are people who gathered around Jesus along with the The reference to 'disciples' in Matthew and Luke could refer to the 12 only, but probably also includes a wider group of disciples.
What is clear from all three accounts, is that those who pose the question are people who are drawn to Jesus' ministry and who have responded by gathering around him. They can be regarded as an inside group. In his response, Jesus then differentiates between the group with him and those on the outside.
While the invitation of Jesus in Mark and to listen, is addressed to everyone: the secret of God's kingdom is only given to those who are prepared to receive it Hooker However, all three the Synoptic Gospels make a distinction between the way Jesus speaks to his disciples and the way he speaks to the others.
This signifies different ways in which one can relate to the kingdom, either as an insider or as an outsider Culpepper It should be noted that the first part of Jesus' answer does not refer to what Jesus does, but to what God does.
God provides the inside group with the ability to comprehend the mysteries of Jesus' teachings, while the rest lack this ability. Although the disciples do not understand everything, they have the privilege of receiving additional explanations from Jesus. Mark explicitly mentions the disciples' lack of understanding. Yet, they can be taught, while the others lack the ability to comprehend. It was common practice in the ancient Mediterranean world for teachers to differentiate between how they treat their inner group and how they treat those on the outside.
They would usually keep teachings to the outsiders obscure Keener Although members of the public in some cases would be welcome to attend, special teachings were provided to the 'insiders' as such Culpepper Matthew and Luke add the ability to know, while this knowledge is assumed in Mark. This group is like the soil that is receptive to the seed. The disciples are in the audience when Jesus speaks in parables, but he provides them with additional explanations of the meaning of the parables when they are together in private.
While Mark refers to a mystery in the singular, Matthew and Luke refer to mysteries in the plural. The term mystery is only used in this place in the Gospels. Some Jewish movements believed that God had entrusted Israel with special 'mysteries' e. Test Lv ; Judah Some spoke of hidden things, like the laws of creation, being concealed from the rest of humankind e. Dt ; 1 Enoch ; ; ; ; ; The righteous would receive teachings about hidden things and mysteries, while these mysteries would remain concealed from the wicked Wis ; 4 Ezr The Qumran community believed that revelation occurred in two stages: God inspired the prophets to write, but they did not fully understand what they had written.
God then revealed interpretation of mysteries to their 'Teacher of Righteousness' e. By following his teachings, they would be able to recognise the real meaning of Scriptures. While the Qumran 'Teacher of Righteousness' was said to interpret the Scriptures, Jesus interpreted his own words, being the revelation of the mystery of the kingdom of God Culpepper Apocalyptic texts often refer to 'mysteries' e.
LXX Dan , , 47; 2 Esdr ; 1 Enoch ; to signify hidden eschatological secrets that can be revealed by God alone Hultgren According to New Testament text, these secrets will be revealed at the end of times, but they have already been disclosed to the inner community Rm ; Eph , 10 as this divine knowledge is revealed in Christ. This emphasises Jesus' role as the revealer of these mysteries.
According to Matthew and , Jesus apparently agrees that, until the end of time cf. Mt , some truths will only be understood by a special group. While the parables reveal the mystery of the kingdom, they also conceal. Mark's statement makes a sharp distinction between the insiders and outsiders, while the distinction is less sharp in Matthew and Luke. Jesus refers to those who are not receptive to his ministry of the Word as regarded as the bad soil that is not receptive to the seed of the sower in the parable.
They are those who reject Jesus such as the scribes and the Pharisees. It was common practice that Jewish leaders would use parables as illustrations to explain what they were teaching Keener However, if they only gave the illustration without providing the point they were referring to, the illustration remained a riddle Test Abr A.
This implies that in the context of Jesus' ministry, only persons who knew him were able to understand his parables. For those who rejected him, such as the Pharisees, the parables remained riddles cf. Mt It seems that parables by nature were enigmatic and required explanation Hultgren Parables need interpretation 2 Esdr ; Sir John also refers to Jesus' figurative speech, which results in his disciples not understanding him Jn According to the gnostic Apocryphon of James , a document from the 2nd century CE, Jesus had to spend 18 days after his resurrection with his disciples to explain his parables.
The Synoptic Gospels are clear about Jesus's disciples not always understanding his parables and needing further explanation. The parable of the sower is told in public, but the disciples receive explanation in private Mk Jesus speaks in parables by way of public speaking, but then explains what he said in private cf.
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