A Parable
Ove the last few months, at Wednesday night service, we have been going through the parables of Jesus. Many of these are stories we know from heart. The parable of the good shepherd, the parable of the prodigal son…which I would call the parable of the good father…the parable of the good Samaritan.
When we read them, we often make them a morality story with a “how to live” meaning.
But that is not what a parable is. You see Jesus didn’t tell a parable to help us understand ourselves better. Instead, He told a parable to help us understand the kingdom of God better. A parable is a simple story with a spiritual meaning. That means when we read a parable we shouldn’t be asking “where am I” in the story, we should be asking “what is God doing” in the story.
The of the good shepherd is not about you leaving the 99 behind and going the extra mile…it is Jesus not willing to lose even one of the sheep His father entrusted Him with… John 17:12
The prodigal son is not about the boy coming home…many find there way home to be rejected…it’s about the Father…God loves you, no matter what was in your past. He runs out to meet you, to take you home, to clean you up, and to bring you back into the family. Where He will encourage you to live a life worthy of your calling. Ephesians 4:1
The good Samaritan is not about being a good neighbor…after all…who is good…. Mark 10:18….see why I call it the parable of the Good Father….anyway. You can’t be good, you won’t go and do likewise, you can’t go and sin no more. Instead, the parable is about a God who loves you, who finds you on the road dead in sin, who washes you clean, carries you home and pays for your lodging lavishly. He even promises to cover any additional debt that occurs. That is not saying we should sin that grace abounds, but it is assurance that His grace is enough 1 Corinthians 12:9.
I hope that has you thinking what the other parables might be saying …
And I pray you ware willing to take up the challenge of rereading them, and asking the question “What is God up to here?”
You can find a list here: https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/parables-of-jesus/
Pick one out and tackle it yourself. If you get stuck, please reach out to me. I will be very happy to study the Word of God with you. Or, jump on the YouTube channel and grab one of the older lessons.
Enjoy your time in the Word, brothers and sisters, and I’ll see you Sunday!
-Pastor Dan