Any study of the person and work of Jesus Christ will prove to be fulfilling and fascinating. The pursuit of over thirty parables spoken by Christ is no exception. When responding to an inquiry about His use of this method of teaching, Christ stated, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given to you.” He went on to explain how His use of the parable was intended to obscure truth from those who rejected it and to clarify truth from those who accepted it.
There are certain key elements that surface when we are seeking to assimilate these parables. As in any study of the Scriptures, it is necessary to discern the context in which the passage was delivered. When we do this, other factors begin to emerge. Is Jesus using Messianic imagery? Are there Jewish or first century nuances being used that would have been easily understood at that time? Are there references to the Old Testament? What are some of the themes that are woven into the fabric of these teachings: like reward and judgment, righteousness and mercy, or concealing and revealing? Jesus spoke in parables about nature, work and wages, weddings and feasts, open and closed doors, lost and found, and fathers and sons. Seven principles of the kingdom seem to surface as we glean from a study of these intriguing stores. We shall explore them in the next post.
