Why did Jesus teach in parables??

[winner08]

This is a question for all of you more then me. I know what I believe. I do want to know what yall believe

Darren.

 

[dauer]

Speaking as a non-Christian I would suggest that it's because it was a popular teaching method in the Jewish community at the time.

 

[bob x]

Speaking as a non-Christian I would suggest that it's because it was a popular teaching method in the Jewish community at the time.

The interesting book on the parables, "The Silence of Jesus" (I forget the author's name right now) makes a big point of saying that NOBODY ELSE was doing that around that time.

 

[dauer]

The interesting book on the parables, "The Silence of Jesus" (I forget the author's name right now) makes a big point of saying that NOBODY ELSE was doing that around that time.

What are your thoughts?

 

[BlaznFattyz]

if one was a farmer, he would use parables of the earth, plants, and trees.
if someone was a fisherman, he would use parables of the sea, fish, nets.
he would unveil the gospel and the hidden things of God thru simple words and images that the poor, the uneducated, and the oppressed could understand.

 

[Eclectic Mystic]

Maybe "NOBODY ELSE" was using parables in the same way as Jesus but they were still using parables.

 

[winner08]

Maybe "NOBODY ELSE" was using parables in the same way as Jesus but they were still using parables.

My thoughts are your right teaching in with parables was not popular in Jesus's time.

 

[winner08]

if one was a farmer, he would use parables of the earth, plants, and trees.
if someone was a fisherman, he would use parables of the sea, fish, nets.
he would unveil the gospel and the hidden things of God thru simple words and images that the poor, the uneducated, and the oppressed could understand.

Where did you get this from? Is this your belief or facts.

 

[winner08]

The interesting book on the parables, "The Silence of Jesus" (I forget the author's name right now) makes a big point of saying that NOBODY ELSE was doing that around that time.

You are so right: Nobody else was teaching this way. This was a very radical to the people of Jesus time. Nobody understood, not even the disciples did not understand. Everytime Jesus spoke with a parable the disciples went to Him afterwards ;and always asked what did that mean??
Everytime.

Darren

 

[winner08]

Speaking as a non-Christian I would suggest that it's because it was a popular teaching method in the Jewish community at the time.

No it was not a popular teaching. The fact is it was a very radical way of teaching. Nobody could understand Jesus when He taught NO ONE not even the disciples.

Darren

 

[Nick_A]

This is a question for all of you more then me. I know what I believe. I do want to know what yall believe

Darren.

Teaching in parables was a necessary way of bypassing the ego when communicating deeper truths. These truths cannot be spoken directly to a gathering like that which was around Jesus since since it would be captured by the ego causing more harm than good. This is ancient psychology most have lost the awareness of.

 

[winner08]

Teaching in parables was a necessary way of bypassing the ego when communicating deeper truths. These truths cannot be spoken directly to a gathering like that which was around Jesus since since it would be captured by the ego causing more harm than good. This is ancient psychology most have lost the awareness of.

Nick no offence: Jesus taught with parables because it was not ment for the majority to understand. If, If you believe in what the Scriptures say and I do I take the Scriptures as the word of God. Here is what JUST ONE of the Scripture say:

Matt.13:10-11 and the disciples came and said unto Him, why do you speak unto them in parables? He ansewered and said unto you it is given to know the mystries of the Kingdom of Heaven. BUT to them it is NOT.

Now This is just on Scripture that explains why Jesus taught this way. It was not for the masses to understand. I will give you more latter.

Darren

 

[Nick_A]

Nick no offence: Jesus taught with parables because it was not ment for the majority to understand. If, If you believe in what the Scriptures say and I do I take the Scriptures as the word of God. Here is what JUST ONE of the Scripture say:

Matt.13:10-11 and the disciples came and said unto Him, why do you speak unto them in parables? He ansewered and said unto you it is given to know the mystries of the Kingdom of Heaven. BUT to them it is NOT.

Now This is just on Scripture that explains why Jesus taught this way. It was not for the masses to understand. I will give you more latter.

Darren

But this is what I mean. As they were they couldn't understand and could pervert his teachings to such a degree as to do far more harm than good so for their sake he spoke in parables. I will agree that there are those that are spiritually dead but there are also a great many that experience or can experience metanoia.

 

[Dream]

He obviously spoke in parables, but there were learned people and others who could sometimes get it. He sometimes spoke a parable against the leaders, for instance. His speak, while a little cryptic, was probably not quite as opaque as it seems to us. Sometimes the common people understood more than we do without careful research, just because they were there and we aren't: Jesus says to Peter and Andrew, unlearned fisherman, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men"(Matt 4:19) a reference to Jeremiah 16:16 "behold I am sending many fishers..." Peter the unschooled was somehow familiar with that phrase, so he dropped everything and followed. Nowadays we wouldn't recognize 'fishers of men' any more than 'stewardesses of tanks', but being there ain't the same as being here. Maybe Peter caught this phrase because his occupation was to fish, but that is my point. It goes to show the divide between the old and the modern culture, which is just as big if not bigger than the divide between fisherman and scribes.

 

[wil]

The interesting book on the parables, "The Silence of Jesus" (I forget the author's name right now) makes a big point of saying that NOBODY ELSE was doing that around that time.

Well he read the old testament, it was his Bible at the time, and has plenty of parables.

I'd like you to consider, you can read the teachings of Jesus recorded in the Gospels in less than a week...he taught for 3 years. Therefor only a minuscule amount of his teachings were remembered or worth writing down?? Me thinks he spoke in parables because they are easier to remember and easier to relate to others, easier to pass on in an oral tradition and the meaning won't get lost to time...

 

[winner08]

This is not a reply to anyone person but to all. If That is If you believe in the word of God Through Scripture. Scripture being the word of God and God does not chang or lie. read this:

Mark 4:10-13 And when they were alone they that were about Him with the tweleve asked of Him the parable. And He said unto them wnto you it is given to know the mystries of the kingdom of God but to unto them that are without all these things are done in parables. That seeing they may see and not perceive: Hearing they may hear and not understand lest that any time they should be converted and their sins should be forgiven they and He said unto them know ye not theis parable and how then will you know all parables???
Luke 9:5 But they(disciples) understood not this saying and it was HID from them
matt 16:11 How is it that you (disciples) do not understand??
MATT 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables, because they seeing see not, and hearing, they hear not. Neither do they understand.

These are just a few scriptures that tells us Jesus spoke in parables because it was not ment for the masses to understand. Many are called but few are chosen.

I just showed where Jesus got on His disciples about not understanding His parables.
How many times after Jesus told a parable to the masses and afterwards His disciples came to Him and asked What did that mean? What did you mean by that parable. Why not speak to us plainly? It is not ment for the masses to know these things. Hell the disciples didn't even know.

 

[Nick_A]

This is not a reply to anyone person but to all. If That is If you believe in the word of God Through Scripture. Scripture being the word of God and God does not chang or lie. read this:

Mark 4:10-13 And when they were alone they that were about Him with the tweleve asked of Him the parable. And He said unto them wnto you it is given to know the mystries of the kingdom of God but to unto them that are without all these things are done in parables. That seeing they may see and not perceive: Hearing they may hear and not understand lest that any time they should be converted and their sins should be forgiven they and He said unto them know ye not theis parable and how then will you know all parables???
Luke 9:5 But they(disciples) understood not this saying and it was HID from them
matt 16:11 How is it that you (disciples) do not understand??
MATT 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables, because they seeing see not, and hearing, they hear not. Neither do they understand.

These are just a few scriptures that tells us Jesus spoke in parables because it was not ment for the masses to understand. Many are called but few are chosen.

I just showed where Jesus got on His disciples about not understanding His parables.
How many times after Jesus told a parable to the masses and afterwards His disciples came to Him and asked What did that mean? What did you mean by that parable. Why not speak to us plainly? It is not ment for the masses to know these things. Hell the disciples didn't even know.

Remember that Jesus said what he did after the Parable of the Sower which describes how the word is lost. The story of the tower of Babel illustrates the necessary results of misunderstanding as well.

I maintain it is better for most to not understand at all then acquiring understanding and then losing it since it is much more difficult to regain.

Jesus IMO is just showing his awareness of the human condition that includes people within the world becoming aware that they are connected to something not of the world. The parable furthers this growing awareness without inviting all sorts of solidified "interpretations" in others that just create unnecessary obstacles for the true seeker.

 

[Dream]

Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you." He said, "Lord, I believe"; and he worshiped him. Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind." Some of the Pharisees near him heard this, and they said to him, "Are we also blind?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, `We see,' your guilt remains.

John 9:34-41 gives a stark comparison between the blind man Jesus had healed and the leadership of the day (thought to be righteous) who were able to see yet were more sinful than the blind man. There is no denying that Jesus spoke in parables and hid things from the masses, but learned people understood what he was saying. He opposed the leaders of the time, and he began the destruction of all human religious authority for all of time. Throughout Jesus' ministry the blind masses were justified but the sighted leaders were held responsible for the nation's troubles. The theme can be found in Isaiah in various places. Look at a fragment from Isaiah 59:

9-10 Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we look for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope for the wall like the blind, we grope like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among those in full vigor we are like dead men.

15-17 Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intervene; then his own arm brought him victory, and his righteousness upheld him. He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in fury as a mantle.

Here is a passage that richly resonates with John chapter 3. Notice the topic is about blindness. Blindness is listed in Deut. as a plague upon Israel (Deut 28:28), whenever he breaks God's commandments and here in Isaiah specifies mental blindness. Jesus said the blind man suffered for the glory of God, so what did he mean?(John 9:2-3) The leadership in Jesus' time period thought blindness was a sign of sinfulness in the individual, but Jesus interpreted it as a sign of sin in the nation only, not the individual.

This passage in Isaiah, interpreted in this way, is about Christ coming to individuals, the spirit in every part and the king of Israel (head of the body of Christ) not being present upon the earth. Instead of resting only in prophets, elders, judges and other leaders, the Spirit goes to everyone! Isaiah says the L-RD can find 'no man to intervene', so he works justice with his own hand. He wraps himself in fury 'as a mantle'. The mantle of the L-RD has always been the sons of God -- the stars of God. Here is the full translation of the words 'Jesus Christ'. Jesus, whose name means both 'Salvation' and 'God with us'(Mat 1:23) is the 'first among many brothers' bringing 'many sons unto glory'(Heb 2:10, Rom 8:29), 'He who would be the greatest must be the servant of all.'(Mark 9:35) Washing feet (the lowest position) is now raised up equal to the master's position (the highest). Later, Christians are advised to 'be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ'.(Eph 5:21) All of this is in keeping with John the Baptist's message(Isaiah 40:2-5, Mat 11:10), which was completely understandable by leadership. They merely found it hard to accept, and heaped abuse upon the prophet baptist. (Mat 11:18, Mat 21:25)

The masses are justified through blindness, but the rulers who see are held accountable for their 'sight' until all central religious authority is completely disgraced for its intrinsic weakness. It is a failed idea. As Jesus said "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, `We see,' your guilt remains."

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

5 Thou didst set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be shaken.
6 Thou didst cover it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.
7 At thy rebuke they fled; at the sound of thy thunder they took to flight.
8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place which thou didst appoint for them.
9 Thou didst set a bound which they should not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.

For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.

 

[mee]

Why illustrations?

Because our mind thinks best in pictures.
And, by drawing on familiar things, illustrations can make spiritual things easier to grasp.

Thus, Jesus compared Jehovah, the Hearer of prayer, to a father who gives good things to his children.

The difficult path to life was described as a narrow gate opening onto a cramped road.

False prophets were likened to wolves that disguise themselves as sheep or to trees that produce rotten fruit. (Matthew 7:7-11, 13-21)

These true-to-life illustrations breathed life into Jesus’ words. His lessons became memorable, unforgettable.


Do not forget that illustrations can also be visual.

When Jesus was asked whether it was proper to pay taxes to Caesar, he called for a coin, a denarius, and used it to illustrate his answer. (Matthew 22:17-22)


When stressing the need for humility, he illustrated the point by calling over a young child. (Matthew 18:1-6)


And when speaking of 100-percent devotion, he pointed to an actual widow who was giving her all—two small coins—to the temple treasury. (Mark 12:41-44)

 

[winner08]

Look I understand Yall are trying ti make a point. What it is I don't know.
Listen I am going to give you a scripture that proves that Jesus taught in parables because it was not for the multitudes to understand, Even the disciples didn't understand Jesus's parables.

Matt 13:10 Because it is given unto you to know the mystries of the kingdom of Heaven BUT TO THEM IT IS NOt GIVEN.

All the people were together listening to Christ Teach (in Parables) but no one could understand Him Why? Jesus just told you why.

My other post have longer scriptures that say the same thing It was not ment for the multitudes to understand.


can anybody give me a scripture that says that Jesus taught in parables bacuse it was the only way for them th understand??

Can anyone give me a scripture that says that This is the way they taught back in Jesus time?

Can anybody give me a scripture that says that they understood what any parable ment?
give me one parable that shows that anybody understood.

A plain and simply scripture that says they understood any of Jesus parables.
Here is an example of a plain and simple scripture that says that they did not understand.

Luke 9:45 But they understood not the saying(parable) and it was HID from them.
Matt 16:11 How is it that you (disciples) DO NOT UNDERSTAND.
Matt 13:13 therefore speak I to THEM in Parables, because they seeing SEE NOT and hearing they HEAR NOT. NEITHER DO THEY UNDERSTAND.

Ok now somone give me a scropture that refutes the ones I gave you.