Parables

Sermon notes from Sunday, July 13, 2008

Why are stories so compelling?

• Eustace: dragon scales removed at baptism.
• Aslan: Christological sacrifice.
  

Greek vs. Jewish response

• Greeks loved argument for argument’s sake.
• Jews wanted to reach a conclusion and apply it to their lives. [Barclay, p. 12]
  

Luke 16:15 “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”

Parable: “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.”

• God uses the visible to make known the invisible.
• Jesus used parables as a way to force people to be objective about issues to which they were blind and then to compel them to see themselves in the parable. This is what Nathan did to David with the parable of the ewe lamb. [Barclay, P.13]
• Parables were produced spontaneously by Jesus to apply to the current situation.
  
• “parables are not carefully composed works of art, but sudden, lovely improvisations in the dust and heat of conflict.” [Barclay, p. 15]
  

Romans 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Matthew emphasized the “kingdom of heaven” a euphamism for the “kingdom of G0d” because he was writing to Jews. Kingdom of God = the reign of God.

Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children"

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

These parables continue to answer the questions of why some rejected God, as in chapters 11 and 12: Cities around Galilee and “who are my brothers and sisters?”