The Parables

The Parables: Do you Get the Point? (Fee & Stuart)

I. How were the Parables Interpreted in History?

Augustine’s interpretation of the Good Samaritan—the allegorical meaning.
It is supposed to have a hidden meaning, right?
Mark 4:10-12
Man ---Adam
Jerusalem--- heavenly city of peace
Jericho--- moon, mortality
Thieves--- devil and his angels
Stripped--- of immortality
Beat him--- by persuading him to sin
Priest and Levite--- priesthood of the OT
Samaritan--- Christ

So what is the mystery? His whole ministry was a riddle to them

II. What is the Nature of the Parables?

---What are the different kinds of “parables”?
Good Samaritan—true parable
also the Prodigal son, the Great Supper

What makes them a true parable vrs The Leaven in the Meal?
It’s a similitude
You are the salt of the earth—metaphors and similes

There is a story in a true parable, a beginning and an end
Wicked Tenants (Mark 12:1-11) may seem to be an allegory, but it doesn’t have the same function as an allegory

---How do the Parables Function?
Not used to illustrate teaching
They are a means of “calling forth a response”
Jokes call for a response, but if you have to explain them, you lose the impact that you intended
It’s the same with parables—how do we bring the same impact that they had?

III. The Exegesis the Parables-How does one determine the intent of the Parables?

---Find the Points of Reference
Luke 7:40-42
Moneylender=
Debtor 1=
Debtor 2=
Both Simon and the harlot hear the story and come away with different points
Why isn’t this an allegory? (like Pilgrim’s Progress, Animal Farm)
In an allegory each part of the story has a meaning which has nothing to do with the story itself. The 500 denarii and the 50 denarii would stand for something else.
In a parable, there are only basic points of reference
Secondly, the parable draws out a response

---Identifying the Audience
How do we interpret, or understand a parable? We need to know the audience.

---If the Audience is given:
1) read the parable several times
2) identify who is referred to in the parable
3) determine how the audience would have understood it
Understanding the cultural factors is very important.

---The Contextless Parables
Matthew 20:1-16
Determine the Points of Reference in the Parable
The Original Audience should make itself evident
Matthew 18:12-14 (compare to Luke)

---The Parables of the Kingdom
The Kingdom of God is like…not just a mustard seed, but is like the whole parable
The Sower: Mark 4:3-20
Addressed to potential disciples
Already/not yet aspect of the Kingdom: They are being urged to join the kingdom
Unjust steward Luke 16:1-8 "The urgency of the hour demands action"