"Why a Parable" Judy Skaggs, UPC
Matthew 13
Intro: This summer, in our attempt to rethink our image of Jesus, to set aside our old assumptions and begin our quest to rediscover what we might have been missing about the message of Jesus, it seems that one thing we must do is look at one of the basic ways Jesus taught – and that was to use parables. The dictionary defines a parable as a short allegorical story to convey some truth or message. So what we want to explore today is what the Gospel of Matthew says about why Jesus began to teach in using parables. Let us listen to God’s Word to us today. Read Matthew 13:1-17, 34-35.
The summer I graduated from high school, I went to a conference at Mo Ranch for kids who had just graduated and several things about that conference had a great influence on my life. I remembered that we studied the parables of Jesus, and it was probably the first time that I took studying the Bible really seriously. I don’t remember anything specific except that by the end of the two weeks, we had given a name to what Jesus taught. We called it the “really real.” We discovered that Jesus taught about a reality beyond what we could see and hear – a reality that was truth. So that is where I begin to look at the parables of Jesus – with the really real.
In the 13th chapter of Matthew, the gospel writer gathers several of Jesus’ parables together, but the writer also tries to explain why Jesus chose this form of communication. In fact, he concludes that Jesus has actually fulfilled prophecy, that Jesus did not say anything to them without using a parable.
Jesus’ first parable is the parable of the farmer who spreads seed out in his field. Jesus begins by saying “listen!” and he concludes the parable by saying, “Let anyone with ears - listen!” And we keep hearing that phrase at the end of each parable. Is that just Jesus’ way of getting our attention, or is there something behind his command to listen?
The disciples must have had similar questions, because they immediately come to Jesus and ask why he is teaching this way. Couldn’t you find a clearer, more direct approach? You are telling these stories, but no one seems to be getting the point! We are not sure we get the point!
So, let’s think about this. Jesus had begun to use terms like the kingdom of God and eternal life and repenting and believing the good news – terms they were not used to hearing. Perhaps a parable can do something that easy answers could never do. With a clear and easy explanation of a concept, Jesus’ hearers can listen and understand a little bit and then go on their way, not needing their teacher any more.
But a parable might confound them, inviting them to ask questions, to search for a different or deeper understanding, so they must continue to dialogue and stay in a relationship with their teacher.
As we see often in scriptures and even in every day life, when something leaves us a bit confused, we can respond in different ways. We might say – this is a waste of time; I have no idea what this is about – and walk away. Or we might just get curious and say – I need to know more; I can’t let this go – and keep coming back. In this way, parables have a way of doing more than just informing their hearers. Parables have the capacity to transform hearers into curious, humble, persistent people.
As an example, the parable we read this morning could be seen from many angles. You can see many points of view just from the various titles that have been given to it by biblical scholars. “The parable of the sower” makes us look at the one sowing the seed, he lays his hands on this seed and then he sows wildly, with abandon and no limits to where the seed goes. Some have interpreted this parable for preachers and mission workers – the seed is thrown out, but there is no control over where it will land and how it will be received.
It is also called the “parable of the soils.” So we think about the different kinds of soils mentioned and perhaps that makes us examine our own soil and how we might be receiving the seed. And we might all long to be that good soil that produced 100 fold, but the truth is that we often find ourselves with hard hearts or too many weeds, and maybe on a good day we might produce 30 fold for the kingdom.
It might also be called “the parable of the seed.” What is the seed? Is it the word of God, the love and grace of God, or is it Jesus himself? The seed is very hardy and is willing to go any and everywhere – even some unlikely places. The seed is very powerful and will grow if given even the smallest chance.
We could go on and on. And that is what the parable makes us do – to keep exploring, to come to the text with a real humility, ready to understand more each time we study it.
Look at what Jesus says to the disciples when they ask why he teaches with parables. He explains that they have been given a great gift – the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom. He quotes the prophet Isaiah to say that when people’s hearts become hard and calloused, they loose the ability to see and hear at deeper levels. In other words, the crowd may hear with their physical ears, but they miss the message because it has to be understood by the heart – the center of our being.
Remember Jesus’ words – Let anyone who has ears - listen! Perhaps Jesus is trying to show them (and us) that our hearing must be on many levels. It is almost as if Jesus is inviting us to hear and see and live beyond the words, looking to see the meaning behind them.
Many parables here in Matthew 13 are about something hidden – seeds in the soil, yeast in the dough, treasure in a field. And if something is hidden, then it is going to take some exploration, some work on our part, to find the treasure that is worth everything we have.
In order to do this exploration, Jesus calls us into an ongoing, persistent relationship with him as our teacher. Jesus reminds us that in order to have the kingdom, we must become like children – not like scholars or people who already know everything, but like teachable children. Too many times we are stubborn, overconfident, altogether too grown up.
And many times we want fast, painless, effortless information and not slow, difficult, engaging transformation. And we might miss out on the great gift that is being offered. Because one thing we learn about Jesus is that he invites, he tries to entice, to attract and to challenge, but he does not force.
The parables are gentle, subtle, indirect. They leave us free to discover their meaning. The message of God’s kingdom does not come as a simple formula or as an angry threat, but instead as a mystery hidden in a story.
You may remember the TV show called the Golden Girls. When the challenges of life would come their way, one of them would tell a story. Rose would tell a tale from her hometown of St Olaf, and Sophia would say, “picture it!” and began to tell them a story from Sicily. And many times, it was not clear what the point of the story was, but it always seemed to help them know what to do to solve their problems. And often each of them would hear something different in a single story. But, it was their stories that created their relationships.
Jesus also used stories to show people how to meet life’s challenges, how to live toward the kingdom, toward the “really real.” We are also given this treasure. Let us come to this treasure with excitement, with humility, with curiosity. Let anyone with ears – listen!!!