The True Vine: A Comprehensive Study of the Thirty Five Parables Spoken by Christ in Chronological Order

By Reverend Elmus Theodis Goodman Sr

A comprehensive study of the thirty-five parables spoken by Jesus Christ, in chronological order.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9781640792135

Book preview

Preface: Divine Revelation

Divine Revelation

I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

—Psalm 78:2-3

The man and his helpmate, having been deceived by the serpent and found guilty of transgressing God’s divine law, were expelled from the garden of Eden. God had foreseen the possibility of sin and made plans to deal with it. Even in that dark hour, a flicker of hope and promise would be made for the man and his spouse. Thus, said the Lord, I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed (Gen. 3:15). Here is the first hint that one would come, in the fullness of time, to champion the cause of the fallen race. It is reflected by the term the seed of the woman. This is very unusual in that women are not seed sowers. They are recipients of seed from the man, which constitutes the child.

Thus, humanity groaned, being burdened by sin, and looked toward the distant future to see if the Messiah would be on His way. The prophet Isaiah assured all that the Messiah would come when he uttered these words:

Therefore, the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Tor unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isa. 7:14, 9:6)

This coincided with the statement made by the Lord when he spoke about the seed of the woman, mentioned in the book of Genesis.

Moses, the liberator of Jewish bondage, broke the shackles of Egyptian slavery and thus assured the Jewish people their freedom. As Moses was a recipient of divine revelation, I am also a recipient of divine revelation. It has weighed heavy upon my heart, this task to make some kind of contribution to the followers and believers in Christ, to inspire and enlighten all who would follow after Him. This is my reason and purpose for writing this book, The True Vine: A Comprehensive Study of the Thirty-Five Parables Spoken by Christ in Chronological and Sequential Order. I have yet to read a book in which all the parables are compiled in order and light has been shed on their meanings. My hope is that it will guide and serve leaders of the Christian Church, such as pastors, evangelists, and Gospel ministers; all lay-persons, such as stewards, deacons, Sunday school teachers, and all who embrace the Christian doctrine; and furthermore, to any and all who would read this book.

First, I will attempt to try to define the term parable. A parable is an earthly expression with a spiritual or heavenly meaning. In using this allegorical or storytelling approach, Jesus used common themes such as farming, fishing, and domestic issues to relate to specific groups of people and hold their attention. The primary objective was to channel spiritual lessons into earthly terms. If we are to learn to read, first we must learn the alphabet, and then which letters go together to form words and sentences. Thus, we come from simple beginnings to the full meaning of His message.

What was the reason or purpose as to why Christ spoke in parables? That all prophecies mentioned in scripture must be fulfilled and come to pass (Ps. 78:2). Christ did not deviate from the teaching and instructions given by the prophets. Christ knew that his words must stir the hearts of the simplest. Today’s ministers must speak with eloquence to get the congregation’s attention and at the same time keep it simple. The sermon should be contemporary in that it addresses issues that modern people are confronted with and all listeners should benefit from it. It should ask questions and provoke inquiry from all listeners.

Christ was the embodiment of the Divine Spirit; therefore, the Divine Spirit was housed in a body of human flesh (Heb. 10:1-5). Our Lord also told us plainly that the flesh profits nothing, but it is the spirit that quickeneth unto eternal life. Therefore, the parables should utter those things which benefit the soul’s health.

Jesus was to be found at the temple, at His lodging place, and between the mountain and the multitude. We should walk in His footsteps. The parables should tell us that we serve our Lord by serving our fellow man. By studying the parables, we may lay aside personal prejudices and self-scheming. Let us as Christians be doers of the Word rather than talkers of the Word. Let us study to show ourselves approved as workmen for God, rightly dividing the word of truth without shame.

The Wise and Foolish Builders

Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

—Matthew 7:24-27 (see also Luke 6:47-49)

When Jesus went to the mountain, He opened His mouth and taught them as one who had authority, and the people were astonished at His teachings. Many of His teachings compared and contrasted the points intended: the wise and foolish virgins; a good tree and a corrupt tree; a good man out of the good treasure of his heart and an evil man out of the treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is evil; thy brother’s eye, thine own eye; the strait gate, the wide and broad gate; the false prophet, the sincere prophet; two on the housetop, one taken and the other one left behind; two grinding at the mill, one taken and the other one left.

The Lord was pointing out that there are only two paths in life that one can travel: the right path or the evil path. We must choose the path to travel, and therefore our Lord placed before us this parable of the wise and foolish builders. In the scripture of St. Matthew, we find our Lord bringing His solemn discourse to a close. In the latter scripture of St. Luke, we have an account of the effect it produced at the time. The two together may be regarded as showing us two opposite things: on the one hand, the solemn testimony of Christ to His hearers, and on the other, the open testimony of His listeners to Him. Jesus placed before His listeners a serious twofold choice, but first he offered the serious consequences of choosing unwisely. Let us look at Matthew 18: A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.

Here is the vital point in this matter of hearing: to hear and obey is to hear with respect; to hear without doing is to hear with contempt and disrespect. All who hear Christ’s words must either hear and obey, or hear and disobey (verses 24, 26).

There is no other course of action. It has to be one or the other. There is no middle ground, no middle course, no possible third. Both ways of hearing will be tested. Both buildings will be exposed, in the nature of things, to essentially identical perils: perils of water, perils of wind, perils of beatings, and perils of endurance. The building that has been erected on the solid rock will stand; everything else will perish and be swallowed up by the sinking sands.

Earlier I reflected on the twosomeness of Christ’s teachings, pointing out the two sides in life: the right way, the wrong way; living a righteous life, living an evil life; the good versus the bad; the good fish, the bad fish; the tares and the wheat; the goats and the sheep; the two builders; the man who erected his house on a solid foundation, the man who built his house on an inferior foundation. The things I have mentioned here reflect the right side of life and the evil side of life. The choice is ours. We must decide one or the other. There are no grounds of neutrality. The good will be separated from the evil on the day of judgment—a day to test on which side we belong. We all will be judged by the King of kings.

Lastly, this testimony speaks, in consequence, of a serious twofold result—of failure or of success, of approval or of condemnation, of confirmed stability or of ruin. This is inevitable in the nature of things. In every walk of life, there is either success or unsuccessfulness. The man who heeds and obeys our Lord’s counsel with reverence—this man is building his house on a rock and is doing as wisdom dictates.

The man who does otherwise is practically despising them. He, on the other hand, is building on the sand and is doing as folly dictates. The man who is building his house on the sand is a man who disregards the things of the Lord and symbolizes worldliness. When the two buildings come to be tested, it is impossible that the results will be the same. Thus the sheep will be separated from the goats, the just from the unjust.

Neither rain nor water will affect a house built upon a rock, which has a sure foundation and will definitely stand against the storms and gales that will come against it. Any amount of wind and rain that comes against the house built upon a sandy foundation will surely fall. The more conspicuous all that has been erected upon it, the more conspicuous also will be the magnitude of its wreck and downfall (verse 27).

Let us now look at the two builders: the wise and the foolish (verses 24-27). We contrast not between two men who deliberately selected different foundations on which to build, but between two men, one of whom made the foundation a matter of deliberate consideration, and the other, on the contrary, who never gave the foundation a moment of thought and built haphazardly on the surface, regardless of the ground, on a dried-up river bed, on sandy ground or marshy banks, just so that he built. St. Luke brought this out clearly by saying that the latter built without a foundation. The one builder is characterized by considerateness and thoroughness; the other is characterized by inconsiderateness and superficiality. Both the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke voice their accounts of this parable as was spoken by Christ (Matt. 7:24-27, Luke 6:47-49). St. Luke emphasizes that this man did not lack common sense by judging sand to be the best foundation for a house—maybe in some cases or in certain circumstances it really is—but rather as one who lost sight of the fact that the foundation of a house is of utmost importance. Thoughtlessness builds, like children playing on the beach and amusing themselves by building castles of sand which will be washed away by the incoming tide. This parable spoken by Christ is intended to show or represent two different types of religious men. Christ, in all of His parables, never went beyond the ordinary sphere of life. He stayed within the ordinary realm of life and spoke those things which people could understand.

The House Building

In order to build, one must have suitable materials as well as tools and, most importantly, knowledge of residential construction. The next step is where to build and what ground would be suitable.

Having taken all of these things under consideration, one would set about building his house. The foundation must be strong and solid, and the grounds must be suitable as well. The building of a house is manifestly an apt emblem of the profession and practice of religion. A house is for rest and shelter. It is our abode, our home.

In like manner, religion is the rest of the soul (Ps. 116:7). A home is for shelter from the elements and forces of nature. In like manner, religion is the soul’s shelter from sin, evil, temptation, fear, and care (Ps. 91:1-3). A home is for comfort. It is the scene of domestic quietness, happiness, security, and peace. One can go home when he cannot go anyplace else. Religion is the bliss of the soul, when Christ dwells therein (John 15:11; Ps. 134:2). When Christ is not the head of a home, it ceases to be a home, for a home is where the heart is, and if Christ is the head, then it is a blissful home.

To build a home on sandy ground near a river shows disregard for the hazards of nature.

A flooded river may be an annual or even more frequent occurrence, and it seems to violate natural probability for a man to ignore so great a risk. But in this violation of probability lies the very point and peculiar appositeness of the metaphor. For Christ would suggest that men do in religion things they would not dream of doing in the ordinary affairs of life, and the implied assertion is unhappily too true. We are at the same time impressed with the peculiar oppositeness of the other comparison, of the man who heareth and doeth, and who, being minded to build a house, began by digging and going deep into the ground for a foundation. It points him out in contrast to the other as one who considered well what he was about, kept in mind all the uses of his house and all that it must withstand. This man’s thoughts were focused on consideration and thoroughness, as compared to the man who was inconsiderate and superficial.

Comparing and Contrasting the Two Builders

Our Lord Himself distinguished the two classes by representing a man of one class who hears His words and does them, and a man of another class who hears His words and does them not. We see in the figurative representation that both men set out to build a house and how each went about doing it. We can observe the difference in the quality of their work and the difference in their character. The wise builder, while looking forward to the building of his house, gave thought to the future or what might lie ahead; the wise builder did not stop at appearance only. The foolish builder looked at appearance only. The foolish builder reasoned within himself that his house looked as well as the next person’s. He reasoned, the vast portion of my house is seen, so who is concerned about the foundation? If my house is genuine, authentic or spurious, who will tell the difference? The thing that is important to me is that it is conspicuous and beautiful.

Briefly we have observed the two builders. Let us now carry their distinctions into the spiritual realm and analyze them. The spurious builder looks to that which is seen and will be praised by men; the genuine looks to what is not seen, the hidden foundation, upon which the Savior’s words rest, making it steadfast and solid. The Savior’s words have fallen upon good ground and have germinated, sending roots into the good soil, ready to spring up into eternal life.

The wise builder knows that the storms will come and beat upon his house. He knows that his house must be well-built and resting upon a solid foundation. Likewise, our souls must be anchored in Christ, The Rock of Ages. The foolish builder is content with his house and its appearance. He thinks only of today, thinks not of tomorrow, nor does he think about the storms that may come with tomorrow. This man has not built his life upon the solid rock and may be moved at a moment’s notice. The wise builder is not merely concerned about what looks good but what will stand and what will last. The man who regards appearances never considers the future. He acts from impulse and makes spur of the moment decisions. He is obsessed with what looks good and what his neighbors will say and think. With the wise builder, religion is an affair of reason, looking well before and after, and from a conscience standpoint, he realizes seriously his moral responsibility. The foolish builder too looks to what is seen, the outward act. The wise builder looks to what is not seen, the hidden foundation of inward disposition, the heart motive, out of which flows the issues of life. The outward acts of both builders may be the same, but the motive of the wise builder is love of that which is right, the hidden manna, the Savior’s words, which are hidden in his heart. The foolish builder hides vanity in his heart.

On paper, we can compare and contrast these two builders, but we cannot judge them in real life. We can only work with what is placed before us, and therefore we can only evaluate by appearances. It appears in this world that false teachers, false preachers, and all pretenders are embraced by the public at large and have golden opportunities, whereas the good, genuine, and true disciples are, in most cases, ignored. In this parable, our Lord used the elements of nature as a testing rod for the two buildings, but in reality, life’s trials and tribulations test the character of men, revealing that which is genuine and that which is inferior or false. The trials of life come in many diverse ways: trials by outward calamities, religious problems, sinful men and their desires, trials in the world of commerce. Rest assured, they will come. The point of emphasis is this—trials in one form or the other will come, and we must be able to withstand the storms.

We Must Be Doers of Christ’s Words

The wise builder symbolizes the obedient hearers and doers of Christ’s teachings. If we do as the Lord has instructed us and live by His teachings, then obviously, we believe in Him. For doing what He has instructed and believing in Him are one and the same.

The Sermon on the Mount was delivered during the early stages of Christ’s ministry, when He showed Himself in Galilee as a prophet. In that capacity, He spoke, and He spoke with authority and power, and as He became more widely known and began to reveal Himself as a teacher sent from God, more people begin to exercise faith in Him.

Those who follow Him are believers. He is their Teacher, and to believers, He is their Savior. The entire heart must adhere to the Savior; this is important and essential. When people give their whole heart, mind and life to the Lord, this is what it means to say he built his house upon a rock. The foolish builder is the disobedient hearer of the words of Christ, for he hears and does not, thus he builds his house upon the sand domes. He is not a true follower of Christ.

The Day of Trial and Testing

In warm and fair weather, most any type of abode will do. If it never rained or snowed, then a roof would be absolutely unnecessary. But this is not the case. The storms will rise and the bad weather will come. This will be the day that will reveal what is solid and what is inferior. In the spiritual world, as in the physical world, the time of testing will come. There will be times in life that will test our spiritual character and hope, but the day of judgment set aside for the testing of the two houses will be the day in which doers of the Heavenly Father’s will shall be received into the kingdom of heaven, and workers of iniquity, however loud they may cry out and offer protest, will be shut out. The higher and larger the foolish man’s house may be, the harder and greater will be the fall. Disappointment of vain hope and glory, confidently cherished, will enhance the misery of hell and perdition.

The Rightful Hearers of Christ’s Words

The rightful hearer of Christ’s words (Matt. 7:24-25) is an individual well-instructed in Christ’s doctrine, who builds and frames his life upon the platform as well as his conversation in the instructions given. He will be the man who builds his house upon a rock.

The Right Qualifications of a Hearer

Jesus taught that whoever would become His disciple must deny himself, take up a cross, and follow Him. Whosoever lays hold on the Gospel plow and looks back at the world isn’t fit to be His follower and is likened to a dog that has turned again unto his own vomit. The Lord has to be first in every life that comes to Him or not at all.

In the building of a good house, we must first count the cost and see whether or not we will be able to build. One must then lay out his plans and carefully consider them. Ground selection and foundation is of utmost importance.

Having a Lively Faith in Christ and Having a Solid Foundation to Build Upon

One must be serious about his commitment to Christ; one must exercise faith in Christ, for if one has faith in Christ, then obviously, he is a believer. One must strive to become even closer to Christ, and in so doing, this is digging deep and laying a foundation that will never give way or fall. The infrastructure and superstructure of a good life reflect the excellence and solidity of one’s religion, which is not true in the case of pretenders and hypocrites. When the trials and ups and downs of life come against them, they cannot stand.

Christ taught these sayings, the Gospel of righteousness. His teachings were designed to reach a person’s heart. His message was simple and was designed to reach everybody. Our Lord told us in other passages of scripture, the way is so plain that a fool cannot error and a blind man cannot lose the way.

The Heaven Sent Teacher

The heaven-sent teacher, Christ our Lord, left the lofty heights of immortal glory and became as one of His little creatures on planet earth, to seek and to save those entangled in the seemingly endless net of sin and to restore them back into the arms of their Heavenly Father. It was Christ the Son of God who stretched out the heavens above. He made everything. He did not come with an abundance of meaningless rituals, ceremonies, customs, and traditions to parade before the people, not even to impress or to entertain the Pharisees.

Our Lord brought to us instructions of the purest morals that the world has ever seen. His instructions were not designed to regulate external behavior but to reach to the root of our heart and rid it of all disorders, vain thoughts and impure imaginations, and to give it a peace which it has never known.

Pulpit Power: Where Did It Come From?

Jesus is the Preacher of all preachers and the inspiration of all clergy. The question to be asked is: what can we learn from the Master Teacher to better our work as pulpits of His word?

I would like to suggest four lines along which we may explore or inquire of Christ’s source of power. First, we see God, for Christ stated, the Father and I are one. His character was flawless. Truth, I am the way, the truth, and the life. His Aim, I am come that you might have life. His Sympathy, Then Jesus called His disciples unto Him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat; and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way (Matt. 15:32). The most incisive element in the characterization of the power of the Master Preacher is in the brief and forcible contrast between the teaching of Christ and that of His contemporaries. When He stated not as the scribes, a world of new meaning lay in that phrase.

Christ Taught Truth

He stressed the golden rule. The golden rule needs no repair. It will stand as long as the sun shall shine or as long as mankind lives upon the earth. He taught the blessings of the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who hunger and thirst after righteousness: the parables of the Good Samaritan, the prodigal son, and the two debtors, just to name a few. These sayings and teachings speak for themselves. They are their own credentials. They make no call for argument; they are fundamental truths, earthly expressions with spiritual meanings; they are revelations that force their way into the souls of men by their own light. Those who love the light will be drawn by it, and those who love the darkness, because their deeds are dark, will flee from it. Truth, as the saying goes, is like a claw hammer; it will draw or drive. Truth has a genuine tone, which renders it without flaw and is unmistakable, whereas falsehood is characterized by cowardliness and lying.

The Results of Christ’s Teachings

Christ, shielded by obscurity, came from a hamlet in Nazareth. He never wrote a book, yet libraries throughout the world are filled with His teachings. He never attended school, yet He amazed lawyers and doctors with His words. He startled the Galilean community with His doctrine, for He spoke as One having great authority and power.

The Two Debtors

There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And He said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And He turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thous gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

—Luke 7:41-47

Word of Jesus spread rapidly throughout all of Judaea as He went about from place to place teaching and preaching the word of God. As He healed the sick, caused the lame to walk, cast out demon spirits, opened the eyes of the blind and raised the dead, His fame grew daily. Jesus had ended His sayings, and upon entering the land of Capernaum, He saw instantly a funeral possession.

An elderly woman’s son had died, and the pallbearers were taking the man’s body to the tomb to be laid to rest. Immediately our Lord looked upon the woman and had compassion for her. He walked up to the bier and touched it and said:

Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And He delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited His people. (Luke 7:14-16)

It was during this time that a Pharisee by the name of Simon invited Jesus to his home to dine. After He entered Simon’s home, a sinful woman of the streets entered also. Instantly, she began to cry, allowing her tears to fall on Jesus’s feet, and then she wiped and dried His feet with the hairs of her head.

There were many Pharisees who sat at meat in Simon’s house and had witnessed this woman’s actions. To the Pharisees, this woman’s behavior was repulsive and very indiscreet, or just simply imprudent. They reasoned within themselves, why did Simon allow such a person of low morals and social standards to enter his home? The prevailing thought in their minds was, why did Jesus allow Himself to be confronted by such a woman and allow her to render service to Him? Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said unto Simon, When I entered your home you gave me no kiss, you did not wash my feet; but this woman has done all of these things, and I say unto the woman, Woman thy sins are forgiven thee. Jesus made Simon know, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Matt. 9:12-13).

Jesus read the woman’s innermost soul. He knew what really troubled her. He knew that her sins were enormous and that she was tormented with guilt within her innermost soul. Jesus saw her as one of the lost sheep of God, who had no shepherd and had fallen into the pitfall of Satan’s trap. His heart went out to her in compassion and forgiveness and love.

The picture in Simon’s mind was one of distastefulness and disgust. How can this be? He reasoned. Christ, a guest in my home, and this woman, possibly a harlot, has His full attention. How can this be? The picture of this sinful woman, with Christ and the Pharisee on either hand, is another instance which shows the Gospel to be a book designed to address all minds and mentalities for all times. As the song lyrics praise, There is room at the cross for you! You may be rich, or you may be poor; you may be black, or you may be white; all are precious in God’s eyesight. This shows the outreach of the Gospel.

The Gospel is designed to win over and draw all people unto the Lord so that they might become recipients of eternal life. Simon’s way of dealing with sin was by hard repulsion of formal righteousness, which in essence was self-righteousness in disguise. On the other side of the equation, we see sympathy of divine love. Sympathy has the most beautiful and wonderful eyes, but nothing is so blind as spiritual pride. Simon could not read nor understand Christ’s nature, and he underestimated it completely. He thought that Christ’s accessibility to this woman arose from a lack of knowledge as to who this woman was and what she was.

Christ was moved by the greatness of His love and compassion for fallen and sinful humanity. Christ looked upon this wretched, sin-smitten woman and compared her to the first couple who were placed in the garden. What a contrast, what a job sin had done marring up His masterpiece of creation, of beings on a lower plane, created lower than the angels. The forbearance of it had its source not in ignorance but in the deep, far-reaching insight of infinite love. God loves us in spite of what we are.

His will is not the death of sinners, but that they are reconciled and live. The law of God is love. His love is boundless, incomprehensible and exhaustless; thus, He says, Little ones, come unto me and I will give you rest. I will calm the storms in your life by giving you the strength to overcome them. Love caused Christ to come down and be one of us so that He could lift us and save us. This love was so powerful until it caused Him to pour out His own soul in death for us. Greater love hath no man than this, such that he gave up his own life on the behalf of friends. Men tend to judge others by their own hearts, thus this self-righteous Pharisee tried to judge Christ by what was in his own little selfish heart. Oh, how he had erred!

Therefore, the Pharisee was utterly unable to comprehend Him who does not break the bruised reed, who has a joy greater than all the angels of heaven over one sinner that repenteth. As the heavens are high