The Parables of Jesus

By Tim Ware

"The Parables of Jesus" is the first offering in the new series ”Bible Study That Matters." This series was developed especially for those who are dissatisfied with the type of Bible study normally found in Sunday Schools, Bible study groups, and devotional guides. It's for those who want more than a few feel-good platitudes and want to dive in to the biblical text and see what's really there. Written in a clear, conversational style, "The Parables of Jesus" gives a close-up view of the major parables of Jesus. Helps you explore the parables and examine them from various angles. Common sense analysis encourages you to think and ponder. Explains and illustrates essential tools that will aid you not only in your study of parables, but in your study of the entire Bible. Focuses on what the Bible actually says, and what it does not say. This study does not spoon-feed you other peoples' opinions. It helps you ask the hard questions and consider the hard issues so that you can develop your own interpretations. If you want to understand the parables, instead of just read about them, then this study's for you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tim Ware
• Release date: Oct 8, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301417889

Tim Ware

Tim Ware has been active in churches of various denominations for 40 years. He graduated from seminary with a Master of Divinity degree in 2011. Having become dissatisfied within denominational confines and more than a little disillusioned with the institutional church, God called him to withdraw from the institutional church and pursue an independent ministry. He founded and pastors The Chapel of Christ in Shelby, North Carolina, a non-affiliated alternative to the institutional church. Noticing the scarcity of genuine and worthwhile Bible study resources for the general public, he decided to offer the "Bible Study That Matters" series. He lives with his wife on a 5th generation family farm in western North Carolina where he raises blueberries, vegetables, and tobacco.

Book preview

The Parables of Jesus

Published by Tim Ware at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Tim Ware

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Getting Started

Chapter 2 - Introduction to Parables

Chapter 3 - The Pharisee and the Publican

Chapter 4 - The Good Samaritan

Chapter 5 - The Workers in the Vineyard

Chapter 6 - Harsh and Disturbing Parables

Chapter 7 - Parables about Wealth

Chapter 8 - The Sheep, the Coin, and the Son

Chapter 9 - Servants and Managers

Chapter 10 - The Sower

Chapter 11 - Wrap Up

Getting Started

Welcome to this study of the parables of Jesus. A study of parables might seem unnecessary, because at first glance, parables seem simple. They are short, simple stories. But parables by their very nature are hard to understand. There is more to a parable than just the story. The story is told to teach a lesson, which is hidden inside the story. That’s what makes parables complicated. Since the lesson is hidden, how do you know what Jesus was trying to teach with a certain parable? How do you know what a certain parable means?

It’s safe to say that most Christians depend on others to tell them what a parable means. They read books, devotional guides, listen to sermons, etc. They leave the interpretation of a parable up to someone else. But if you depend on others to tell you what a parable means, you will find yourself in a maze of conflicting interpretations. For any given parable, you can find many different opinions on what it means. And, what’s most confusing, those opinions are often contradictory. Today you might read something that gives one interpretation of a parable. Next month, you might read something on the same parable that puts a completely different meaning on it. And the next month, you might read something that puts yet another meaning on the same parable. You could go on and on with this. Everything you read or hear about a parable may present a different meaning. To make matters worse, each interpretation might sound reasonable at first glance. You read what seven different people have written about a parable, and you have seven different opinions as to what the parable means. All sound reasonable. So which do you choose?

After a while, you'll be totally confused. One parable, but with many different meanings attached to it, some of which are contradictory. One person says it means this, another person says it means that, and on and on. Finally, you might decide it's impossible to determine what a parable means, and so you give up trying to understand parables. That's what a lot of people have done. If parables can mean whatever someone wants them to mean, then why bother with them at all?

But parables don’t have to be so confusing. The confusion starts when you depend on someone else to tell you what a parable means. The aim of this study is to make you independent of other peoples’ opinions about the meaning of a parable. You will learn the tools you need to analyze parables on your own. You can free yourself from the confusing and contradictory maze you encounter when you depend on other peoples’ interpretations. You can allow God to speak to you through a parable.

You do not have to depend on other peoples' interpretations of parables. You can read and study a parable and allow God to give you the message He needs for you to have. All you need are a few tools. As you progress through this study, you will add more and more tools to your toolbox for interpreting parables. When you have completed this study, you will have a toolbox that can make you every bit as qualified to interpret a parable as anybody who ever preached a sermon, wrote a book, hosted a TV or radio show, or held an advanced degree.

But first a word of caution. This is not a devotional book, and it’s not like a Sunday School book. This is an in depth study. It's for the person who wants to go beyond what they usually encounter in sermons, Sunday School lessons, and devotional books. It's for people who want to understand, and for people who are willing to invest time and effort in the Bible. It's for those who want to explore the parables, not have someone else's interpretations spoon-fed to them. This study will require effort on your part. But you will find it is well worth your effort.

In general, I have not included Bible quotes in this study. I have included the Bible references and depend on you to look them up. The reason for that is simple. It allows you the opportunity to find passages in the Bible and read them yourself. Every Christian should be skilled in using the Bible, and this study gives you the opportunity to practice that skill. As you read this study, you should have your Bible nearby and refer to it often.

Introduction to Parables

Before we can begin to study parables, we need to understand what parables are. Basically, a parable is a short fiction story with a double meaning. Double meaning means that there are two things going on. One is the story itself. The other is some deeper meaning that the story conveys. The deeper meaning is the point of a parable. A parable is told to illustrate some lesson or principle, and it has a meaning that goes beyond the story itself. The story of the parable conveys the lesson without explicitly stating it. In other words, the lesson of a parable is hidden inside another story.

Let’s look at an example. Read the Parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15: 3-7. On the surface, this is a story about a shepherd who finds and brings back a lost sheep. But since a parable has a double meaning, it is also about something else. There is more to this story than just a shepherd finding a lost sheep. In fact, the story of the shepherd and the sheep is not really important. It is merely a vehicle used to convey the deeper meaning. In a parable, it's not the story itself that's important, it's the meaning behind the story.

Another important point to remember is that the deeper meaning of a parable is independent of the story. Another story could also convey the deeper meaning. The same meaning could be conveyed using a completely different story and completely different characters. We just talked about the Parable of the Lost Sheep. The deeper meaning of the parable is not dependent on that particular story. Any number of other stories could just as easily have been used to convey the deeper meaning.

In fact, another completely different story was used by Jesus to convey approximately the same meaning. Right after the Parable of the Lost Sheep is the Parable of the Lost Coin. Both parables convey basically the same point, but the stories are different. The deeper meaning of a parable lies beneath the surface story and is independent of the surface story.

Also, keep in mind that a true story is not a parable. A true story may be told in order to teach a lesson or illustrate some principle, but it's not a parable. The story must be fiction to qualify as a parable. That does not, however, mean the story in a parable could not be true. Certainly it’s possible for a shepherd to lose a sheep, go out and find it, bring it back, and celebrate with his friends. It’s possible for a woman to lose a coin, find it, and celebrate with her friends. Both stories are plausible and could actually happen, but the meaning of the parable does not depend on the story actually happening. When Jesus told a parable, He was not saying that the stories in the parables actually happened. The meaning of the parable is not in any way dependent on the stories actually happening.

To summarize, a parable is a short fiction story that points to something else. It has a deeper meaning than the story itself. The problem, though, is that the something else—the deeper meaning—is not stated in the parable. It is illustrated by the story, but it is not stated in the story. That's where the difficulty comes in. A parable is sort of like a riddle that must be solved. It has hidden meaning, and as we'll see shortly,

Reviews for The Parables of Jesus

[Israel Martinez. · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good book, don't explain you what the parables mean, but instead it gives you tools for interpreting the parables in the Gospels.