15. THE PARABLES OF THE GOSPEL

Figures of Speech

Our Lord Jesus Christ taught in parables. Before we can discuss the precise nature of the parables, we need to distinguish them from related forms of speech, such as the comparison, the metaphor and the allegory.

It is a fundamental law of learning that we understand unknown things from a comparison with known things. We are told that horses were rather small fifty million years ago. This will make no impression on us if we leave it so abstract. But if someone tells us: "Horses were at the time as small as our cats", - then we suddenly realize what is meant! For we know the size of our cats and from this we can easily understand the size of the horse of those ages long ago.

Jesus uses this fundamental law of our mind to convey His message. From well-known and easy examples he leads his audience to a grasp of more difficult and unknown subjects.

COMPARISONS

In a comparison we say that one or other object (person, event) is like another object (person, event). In other words, in a comparison we make an explicit statement regarding the sameness. the being alike of two objects (persons, events).

—"Every teacher of the law who becomes a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who takes new and old things out of his storage room" (Mt 13:52).

The master of the house always kept useful objects in his store room. Whenever required he would produce them. People knew this. Well, Jesus says that a Christian scribe will in the same way produce useful teachings from the store of revelation.

—"The Son of man will come like the lightning which flashes across the whole sky from the east to the west" (Mt 24:27).

People know how fast lightning travels. The coming of the Son of Man will be just as rapid. Sometimes the comparison is elaborated:

—"You are like salt to the earth. If salt loses its taste, there is no way to make it salty again. It has become worthless, and so it is thrown away where people walk on it" (Mt 5:13).

Here we have to complete the comparison: You are like salt. Useless salt is good for nothing. So you will also be good for nothing if you lose your saltiness (your good quality, your virtue,

METAPHORS

In our human speech we often do not say in so many words that one object (person, event) 'is like' another object (person event): we simply apply the other (known term) directly to the object. For instance, if we think a person is as strong as an elephant, we will simply say: "That elephant is coming again!" Everyone knows that we are not speaking of a real elephant but that we are comparing somebody to such an animal. In this case we call the word 'elephant' a metaphor or figurative speech since it is used not in its original sense but in a 'transferred' sense.

—"You snakes!" (John the Baptist to the Pharisees) (Mt 3:7; cf. Lk 3:7).

The Pharisees are, of course, not real snakes, But they are compared to snakes since they are so mean, "biting people unawares killing not for the sake of food but for the sake of doing harm"

—"Look out", Jesus warned them, "and be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod" (Mk 8:15)

Yeast has the power of slowly infiltrating and permeating the dough into which it is put. The influence of the Pharisees (their legalism) and of Herod Antipas (materialism and religious indifference) might also affect the Apostles. So Jesus warns them against this influence as if it were yeast.

—"He will not break off a bent reed, nor will he put out a flickering lamp" (Mt 12.20)

The bent reed and the flickering lamp are images of a person who is very weak and on the point of (spiritual) collapse. Jesus will give such a person an extra chance.

Other metaphors in the Gospel are: Jesus' yoke and burden (Mt 11:30); drinking the chalice (accepting suffering: Mt 20:23; Mk 10:38); the keys of the kingdom (authority: Mt 16:19); to carry one's cross (Lk 9: 23; 14:27); the crops ripe for the harvest (promising ministry: Jn 4:35); to be a slave of sin (Jn 8:34ff.) taking care of Jesus' sheep (Jn 21:16f).

ALLEGORIES

If we work out a metaphor into a longer story it may become an allegory: i.e. a story in which all the elements (or practically all the elements) are metaphors. Study the following example:

"A" is an allegory from an Indian weekly (not quoted for its political content! !). Through this brief story the editor wants to say what we find in "B". Characteristic of such an allegory is that all elements of the story have a separate meaning: e.g. renting a house', 'becoming friends', 'giving presents', etc. etc. In reality the whole story is a sustained metaphor, because we are all the time speaking of one term (e.g. Mr. Chou) but meaning something else ( e.g. China) .

The Gospels contain only very few allegories. Compare the following:

.Such allegories we find most frequently in the Gospel of St. John. Usually, it is not a question of a real allegory in the fullest sense of the word (there is no story), but of a very elaborate metaphor. In the other gospels there is one parable which approaches the form of an allegory:

The Sower

Parables

Parables are narratives which illustrate some religious truth. They differ from allegories mainly in the fact that parables should be interpreted as one unit: the various elements are not meant to convey separate meanings.

Perhaps, we might explain a parable in this way. Suppose I want to explain that true virtue can also exist in a man who looks insignificant. I might say: "Under the dress of a beggar there may be a prince." I may also tell a parable: "A very rich king lived in a beautiful palace. He had a son whom he loved and on whom he spent all possible care. He provided him with magnificent clothes with the most costly foods and the most competent servants. The prince, one day, wanted to test his father's love so he put on a beggar's dress and sat by the side of a road where he knew his father was going to pass. His father came driving fast in a golden chariot. Seeing his son, he stopped the chariot, ran to his son, embraced him and said: 'How are you, my child?' The son replied: 'Don't you feel repulsion for me since I am dressed as a beggar?' The king said: 'You are my son and a prince whatever your dress may be! !...' Notice in the parable the many elements which do not have a separate meaning: the palace of the king; the costly foods and competent servants of the prince; the son sitting by the side of the road, the king going in a chariot; etc. etc. I only want to illustrate that the son remained a true son and a prince in spite of the beggar's clothes he was wearing ( as God recognizes our virtue, whatever our external appearance). The details in the parable are only there to make the parable more lively, more beautiful, more interesting. Parables teach only one central truth.

Jesus frequently taught in parables. Quite a few parables have been handed on in an abbreviated form. Some examples of these:

—the copious harvest with few workers, Mt 9: 37-38;
—the bridegroom and his guests, Mt 9:14-15;
—the old and the new wine, Lk 5: 39;
—the uprooted plants and blind leaders of the blind, Mt 15: 13-14
—the corpse and the vultures, Lk 17:37;
—the doctor called to cure the sick, Mt 9:12-13, etc.

Jesus may sometimes have told them as long parables, and at other times spoken them in the shortened form in which we find them in the Gospels now.

A list of the full parables found in the gospels:

The Parables: Rules of Interpretation

First rule

In order to understand the parable we have first to grasp its meaning in the ordinary sense of the story. Jesus speaks in parables in order to make things easy and clear His stories are taken from the everyday experiences of the Jews of his own time. They knew immediately what He was talking about in the parable. But for us it is sometimes more difficult as we live in a different country and so many centuries later. We should, therefore, first of all, try to grasp what the story meant to the Jews of Jesus' own time.
—In order to understand the parable of the ten girls (Mt 25:1-13) we need to know what type of lamps people were using in those times . Then we realize how thoughtless it had been of the foolish girls not to take oil with them'
—The parable of the Good Samaritan will mean far more to us if we know how much the "Samaritans" were looked down upon by the ordinary Jews Lk 10:30-37
—The full meaning of the parable of the woman mixing yeast in the dough (Mt 13:33) will escape us if we don't know what "three measures of meal" means. When we hear that this is a quantity of 45 kilograms, we realize what Our Lord wants to say: that such a large amount can be permeated by a little yeast . When reading the parables or explaining them to others we should therefore, begin by looking at the story as a story. Every detail of the Story in its immediate and ordinary meaning should first of a1l be clear.

Second rule

Every parable illustrates one principal truth. This truth can be known from the obvious intention of the parable, from the context or from the explanation added by Our Lord or by the evangelist.

The main thing to remember is that the parable illustrates one truth. Normally it is not difficult to find what this truth is.

—Often the CONTEXT leaves no doubt about the meaning of the parables. The parable of the Good Samaritan was given in reply to the question: "Who is my neighbour?" (Lk l0:29)
Jesus speaks of the Two Creditors in relation to Mary Magdalene's conversion (Lk 7:44-47), and He adds the explanation there and then. The murmuring of the Pharisees against Jesus' friendship with the tax collectors (Lk 15:1-2) was the occasion for Jesus to speak of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Drachma and the Prodigal Son.

—The OBVIOUS INTENTION of the parable itself is frequently enough to guide us. When Jesus speaks of the Unfruitful Fig Tree (Lk 13:6-9) we realize that He is speaking of the Jewish people which has so far not shown any fruits of penance. The servants who receive five, three and one talent (Mt 25: 14-30) obviously represent different classes of people who will all be judged according to the graces received.

—The EXPLANATION of a parable is added in many instances. The parable of the sower and of the weeds are explained at length by Our Lord Himself (Mt 13:18-23; 36-43). At times the evangelist adds an explanation, as when Luke states that Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the publican for those "who were sure of their own goodness and despised everyone else" (Lk 18:9). The parable of the Unforgiving Servant ends with Our Lord's warning. "That is how My Father in heaven will treat you if you do not forgive your brother from your heart...!" (Mt. 18-:35)

The details of the parable have the function of bringing the principal truth into sharper relief. They are secondary to this principal truth. They do not carry a distinct meaning. If due attention is not given to this rule, the parables could easily be misunderstood.

Third Rule

The details of the parable confirm and underline the general truth of the parable. But details do not contain a separate spiritual meaning.

—In the parable of the Lost Drachma (Lk 15:8-10) Jesus says that the woman "lights a lamp", "sweeps her house" and "looks carefully everywhere." The "lighting the lamp" and the "sweeping of the house" do not have a separate meaning. They underline the principal truth of the parable: that God will do everything possible to bring back a sinner.

—The man who finds the Hidden Treasure (Mt 13:44) hides it in the soil where he found it and buys that field. It is useless to ask: "Was the man allowed to hide the treasure without telling the owner? Was he allowed to buy that field for a reduced price, knowing that the treasure is in it?" This detail does not alter the principle truth of Jesus' parable. The truth is that such a merchant, once he has understood his chance of making an extraordinary gain, will do anything to obtain such gain. "He is so happy that he goes and sells everything he has, and then goes back and buys that held." Similarly, we should give up everything to obtain salvation, once we realize its value! The merchant (even if he is dishonest) teaches us a total commitment that we should imitate on the spiritual plane.

—Jesus teaches us perseverance in prayer through the parable of the unjust judge (Lk 18:1-8). The judge 'neither feared God nor respected men'. But, as a widow kept importuning him, he finally saw to it that she got her rights, simply to be rid of her. The principal truth of the parable is: perseverance will win us a hearing It is useless to ask: "Why does Jesus compare God with an unjust judge? Does He want to say that God is unjust?" Of course, Jesus does not want to say that. The detail about the lack of honesty on the part of the judge only underlines the power of perseverance: even an unjust judge will eventually listen! How much more will God.

—Many people misunderstand the parable of the Dishonest Manager (the unjust steward, Lk 16:1-13). It is obvious that the manager commits fraud. That is why Jesus calls him "the dishonest manager"! (v. 8). Yet, the man had foresight, and this is what we should learn from him, "for the children of this world are much more shrewd in handling their affairs than the people who belong to the light" (v. 8). All the details of how the manager makes the debtors falsify their accounts are only narrated to make us appreciate the shrewdness of the manager. For this 'shrewdness' is what we should imitate on a different plane by being just as business-like about our spiritual affairs as business men are about trade.

—The same could be said about the abbreviated parable in which Jesus says that the Son of Man will come like a thief in the night (Mt 24.42-44). The principle truth is: He will come unexpectedly, "at an hour when you are not expecting Him." It is useless to ask: "Why should Jesus come as a thief? Does He come to steal anything? Jesus uses the example of a thief only because thieves normally come very unexpectedly. We should not look for other meanings in the phrase.

—When mustard is sown, "it is smallest of all seeds. A man takes it and sows it in his field", etc. (Mt 13:31) Who is this man? Why is he mentioned? The answer is: it is merely a descriptive detail to bring out the difference between the smallness of the seed at the start and the great size of the tree at the end.

The Purpose of Teaching in Parables

Parables are used by Jewish writers to make difficult and profound truths easy to understand. Jesus spoke in parables for precisely the same purpose. Even a brief study of the parables suffices to make us see that this is obviously what He intends. But a certain passage in the Gospel has frequently disturbed people. This passage reads (in the out-dated translation of the Douay version):

"To you it is given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God. But to them that are without, all things are done in parables: that seeing they may see and not perceive; and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted and their sins should be forgiven them!" (Mk 4:11-12)

In this translation it sounds as if (a) Jesus speaks in parables to prevent people from understanding His message properly; as if (b) God does not want the people to be converted and have their sins forgiven! Obviously, this cannot be the meaning. It would go counter to everything else that Jesus taught in the Gospel.

What then is the meaning of the phrase? Jesus quotes from Isaiah (6: 9-10) In the Isaian text, God complains, using a form of speech which we might call "exasperated anxiety'' Imagine a mother who is terribly upset by her son's plan to join the army as a volunteer Neither tears nor arguments succeed in making him change his mind. In the end the mother could address him as follows:

In the text quoted by Jesus, God speaks precisely in the same manner. Examine the longer text of Matthew which is parallel to Mk 4:11-12.

CONCLUSION: Jesus speaks in parables to make His doctrine easy for the people. Otherwise they will not understand the parables to make His doctrine they will not understand the meaning. With His apostles, who have a better understanding, Jesus does not always need to speak in parables. As He said at the Last Supper: "I have told you these things by means of parables. But the time will come when I will use parables no more, but I will speak to you in plain words about the Father..." (Jn 16:25).

The Kingdom of Heaven is Like...

Eleven parables are introduced with the phrase: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like..." Let us look at one or two:

In other words: the Kingdom of Heaven has a similarity to what is contained in the whole parable; not a similarity to the first person or object mentioned.

Do the Parables contain a "Deeper Meaning"?

Through the parables Jesus illustrates certain truths which everyone must know. But could it be that, apart from the first, obvious meaning of the parable, another more profound meaning may be found in the same?

—The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us the virtue of fraternal charity. But could it be Jesus' intention to imply also another meaning: that the Jewish, levitical priesthood had failed, and that His own priesthood (of charity, as exemplified by the Samaritan) will replace it? Do we have to see the whole of mankind in the man who 'fell into the hands of robbers'? And is Jesus the 'Good Samaritan' who saves us by his loving care?

—The parable of the ten girls illustrates the need for being ready to die. But does the parable also mean that mankind is divided into two sections: those with oil (the oil of baptism and confirmation) and those without oil (the non-baptized persons)?

—The parable of the prodigal son teaches God's love for the sinner who repents But do we have to see in the elder son the Jewish people (who did not want to be converted) and in the younger son the non-Jews (who first strayed from home, but then were reconciled) ?

It is quite certain that the parables do contain some deeper meaning at times. Moreover, they were spoken quite often: by Jesus Himself and by the Apostles. The lessons to be drawn from the parables could also slightly change according to the circumstances. So we see that from the same parable of the lost sheep two different lessons are drawn:

If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, he will leave the ninety-nine and look for the lost one till he finds it.

For a deeper meaning of individual parables one should consult a good commentary.