The first parable recorded in the Bible is in Matthew 13. Prior to this, Jesus spoke plainly. Why the change?
In Chapter 12, Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. He is accused of breaking the Sabbath law (see Matthew 12:1-13), he is accused of being the prince of demons (see Matthew 12:22-37), and then the Pharisees and the teachers of the law then demand a “sign”…
Really? After all of the miracles Jesus did out in the open—the lame and the blind healed, dead raised to life, etc.—they are still asking for a sign?
Well, Jesus is suspicious too, and He tells them, “…the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (vs. 39b NLT). He then goes on to rebuke them their lack of faith. (see Matthew 12:41-45)
Then, suddenly, Jesus begins speaking in parables.
Of course, you could think that Jesus used parables prior to this and that Matthew simply didn’t record any until chapter 13. However, the disciples appear to be puzzled too, for they came and asked Jesus, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?” (Matthew 13:10b NLT). Therefore, it is safe to assume that perhaps it was, indeed, a new thing for Jesus to teach in parables!
I’ve heard it said that it is because Jesus knew illustrations would stay in people’s minds better, and it’s true that as humans, we do tend to remember illustrations better than teaching.
This, however, isn’t the explanation Jesus gave: “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables…” (Matthew 13:11-13 NLT)
Jesus doesn’t want everyone to be able to understand His teachings! Only the chosen few were meant to understand!
Why would Jesus suddenly change His teaching style?
Until this point, He had been giving the Pharisees and the teachers of the law every opportunity to understand and believe His teachings, yet as we see in Matthew 12, they did not wish to believe. Did they simply reach the point of no return?
I am perhaps speculating a little, but it is clear that after this, Jesus taught primarily in parables.
So these stories … they should be clear to those who truly want to understand, right? I mean, Jesus Himself said, “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.” (Matthew 13:16 NLT)
Unfortunately, even Jesus’ disciples didn’t understand them: “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.” (Matthew 13:36b NLT), and other times, Jesus simply provided the explanation without them asking (see Matthew 13:18-23).
Why would Jesus speak in parables that the Pharisees wouldn’t understand, when even the ones who truly wanted to understand couldn’t understand them?
The answer is simple: Jesus wanted them to ask for explanation! It wasn’t that Jesus wanted to keep His teachings secret. He freely explained the parables to his followers. However, they needed to—ask!
When I read Jesus’ parables, I also don’t always understand them, and I am grateful that Jesus explained most of them in Scripture. Could it be, however, that inside these stories are subtle nuances of Truth that Jesus didn’t necessarily include in His explanations? And if so, how are we, 2,000 years later, supposed to be able to fully comprehend these stories?
This answer to this comes from Jesus Himself. He had just finished telling the parable of the fishing net (Matthew 13:47-50), when he asked his disciples, “Do you understand all these things?” (vs. 51a NLT), to which they replied, “Yes,…we do.” (Vs. 51b NLT). He then made a profound statement: “Every teacher of religious law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a homeowner who brings from his storeroom new gems of truth as well as old.” (Vs. 52 NLT).
When we ask Jesus for an explanation and are truly searching for truth, the Holy Spirit may show us gems of truth from the parables that perhaps we have never thought of before! Our only responsibility is to ensure that whatever “new” idea is brought to us is completely compatable with scripture!
Remember, Jesus tells us, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7 NLT)!
I have recently set out to read the gospels again, beginning with the book of Matthew. These stories are all very familiar to me, and I absently wondered what God could teach me that I hadn’t already learned. I decided to put Matthew 7:7 to the test. Before opening my Bible reading for the day, I pray and ask God to reveal Himself to me in a new way through the familiar verses. I am diligently seeking to understand deeper meanings in the parables of Jesus, I am knocking on God’s door, eager to hear and to understand. And every time He comes through with new meaning, deep truths that I haven’t ever seen before.
We will be exploring some of these truths in upcoming Saturday devotionals as we seek to uncover the secret to the stories Jesus told. Please join us next Saturday, for Stories Jesus Told, Part 1!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
(To access the entire “Stories Jesus Told” mini-series, please click here!)
