More Parables

INTRODUCTION

The Parable Of The Good Samaritan

***On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” *** “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ***In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ***

***A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. *** ***So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. *** ***But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ***

***He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. *** ***The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ***

***‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ *** “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” – Luke 10:25 -37

This particular parable emphasizes that true faith and obedience – the kind that leads to spiritual salvation and a genuine relationship with Christ – include an active compassion for those in need. Notice that Jesus never really answered the question, “Who is my neighbour?” Instead, He basically told the lawyer to be a neighbour (i.e. “Go and do likewise”) – to be proactive in helping and serving others. The call to love God is the call to love others.

The new heart and life that Christ gives to those who accept him will produce love, mercy and compassion for those who are hurting, troubled and distressed. All Christ’s followers are responsible to act on the Holy Spirit’s love within them and not to neglect opportunities to demonstrate Christ’s compassion.

Those who profess to be Christian’s, yet are unmoved by the needs and suffering of others, prove that they are not really following Christ after all. The greater lesson in this example seems to be that true compassion did not dwell in the heart of the religious leader (the priest) or the ministry associate (the Levite, who was from a family of worship leaders) but a despised enemy. Jesus was speaking of a compassion that knew no national boundaries.

THE PARABLES OF THE MUSTARD SEED AND THE YEAST

Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.” ***Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? *** It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” – Luke 13: 18 – 21

The parables of the mustard seed and the yeast go together but there is a debate as to their exact meaning. Many interpreters see them as speaking mainly of the growth and influence of God’s kingdom. Others accept this interpretation to a degree but also view certain elements of the stories as describing how evil eventually tries to work its way into God’s visible kingdom (i.e. the church, the community of Jesus’ true followers) on earth.

The parable of the mustard seed illustrates the small beginning of God’s kingdom and its development through the ages. Though its start was so small and so simple – Jesus and a small group of committed disciples – the visible kingdom did spread through the ages. But its great sizes and influence also attract “the birds of the air”, which are really evil imposters who take away the seed of truth becomes a home for demons and “a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird”

As with the parable of the mustard seed, there are two slightly different views of this parable. Some see it as simply referring to the powerful influence of God’s kingdom as it works in people from the inside out to affect the world.

Others consider the fact that the yeast in the Old Testament normally represented the presence of evil or impurity that causes something to ferment or become corrupt. In the New Testament, yeast represents the false teaching and hypocritical lifestyles of the Pharisees, Sadducees and Herodians.

In Colossians 5:6-8, Paul considers yeast to represent “malice and wickedness”, while the absence of yeast represents “sincerity and truth”. For these reasons, many understand this parable to teach how evil, false doctrine and spiritual impurity exist and spread throughout all areas of God’s work, deceiving many people. Both angles of interpretation express valid truths about God’s kingdom on earth. The opportunity for evil to spread its influence to God’s kingdom happens when:

1. a) Human ideas take priority over the authority of Scripture.
2. b) Worldliness and immoral behavior creep into the church
3. c) People seek position or power within the church because they are concerned more about their own ambition than about God’s honor
4. d) False teachers are given a position of influence and gain control through their false teaching
5. e) People who claim to be Christians appear righteous, but are not really following Christ. In the end times, before Christ returns, these evil influences will work their way into much of God’s work in Christian churches, denominations, colleges and seminaries until the true New Testament message of Christ and Biblical standards of right and wrong are diluted and corrupted on a massive scale. Every Christian must be careful that the yeast of evil does not permeate his or her own life. The secret of victory is keeping our eyes focused faithfully on Jesus, rejecting the temptations and evil influences of the world, studying and applying God’s Word, looking forward to Christ’s return, continually listening to the inner voice of the Holy Spirit, being willing to suffer, fighting against evil, defending the message of Christ and putting on all the true spiritual armor of God.

To be continued!

Source: Culled from Fire Bible – Global Study Edition

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