The Parables Of Jesus Revisited: An Innovative Approach To Understanding And Interpreting The Parables - Softcover

Bekgaard, Wm. F.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1462038042 ISBN 13: 9781462038046

Verlag: iUniverse Publishing, 2011

Inhaltsangabe

With the exception of perhaps prophecy, more has been written and interpreted about parables than any other subject in the Bible. Many authors offer varying viewpoints and theories on these stories, but few explain how to discover which opinion is correct. The Parables of Jesus Revisited shares a commonsense approach to understanding biblical parables and applying them to a twenty-first century society by removing any mystery or misunderstanding that surrounds them. Parables are figures of speech used to teach and instruct and should not be so cryptic that they cannot be understood. By discarding the use of allegorical interpretation and applying the story's literal meaning to our lives, we learn that each parable is meant to be read as a simple story, without any hidden meaning. In Matthew 13:13-15, Jesus spoke of people who could not understand these stories because of an unwillingness to hear the truth. But the parables were not meant for the faithless. Instead, they were meant for souls interested in hearing more about Christ's message. Learn how to interpret these parables through notes on the customs from the period, allegorical and literal interpretations, practical applications, and more. If you have ever wondered about the real meaning of biblical parables, The Parables of Jesus Revisited is the key to unlocking the truth.

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The Parables of Jesus REVISITED

An Innovative Approach to Understanding and Interpreting the ParablesBy F. Bekgaard

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 Wm. F. Bekgaard
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4620-3804-6

Contents

Preface..............................................................................................1Introduction to the Study of the Parables............................................................3Parable of the Sower.................................................................................11Parable of the Tares and Wheat.......................................................................16Parable of the Mustard Seed..........................................................................23Parable of Leaven....................................................................................30The Twin Parables of the Treasure Hidden in a Field and the Pearl of Great Price.....................37Parable of the Drag Net..............................................................................44Parable of the Patient Husbandman or the Seed Growing Secretly.......................................49Parable of the Importunate Widow and the Judge.......................................................55Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.............................................................61Parable of the Ten Virgins...........................................................................69Parable of the Good Employer or Laborers in the Vineyard.............................................79Introduction to the Three Parables of Lost Things: Sheep, Coin, and Son..............................89Parable of the Lost Sheep............................................................................93Parable of the Lost Coin.............................................................................100Parable of the Lost Son..............................................................................104Parable of the Rich Fool.............................................................................114Parable of the Unjust Steward........................................................................120Parable of the Good Samaritan........................................................................129Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen.....................................................................139The Parable of Forgiveness and the Unmerciful Servant................................................147The Rich Man and Lazarus.............................................................................151Afterword............................................................................................157Bibliography.........................................................................................163

Chapter One

Parable of the Sower

Matthew 13:3–9, 18–23 (Mark 4:1–20, Luke 8:5–15)

Matthew 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Notes on Customs

The sowing of seed in Palestine is different from that of the Western world. Our farmers will first plow their fields to break up the soil, then sow the seed, and lastly disc or plow the seed under. But the Palestinian farmers would first sow and then disc or plow the ground. By this method, the plowing breaks up the soil and turns under the seed in one operation. The soil conditions at the time the seed was broadcast did not matter since the plow would be used later.

The fields in Palestine are rocky, and in some areas the soil is very shallow because of the underlying limestone. Travelers, instead of walking around the boundary of a farm, would often make a path through the fields; this is the "way side." Fields standing fallow had weeds and thorns growing in them, and they also would be plowed under. Thus, the sower would sow seed among the weeds and thorns. What appears to the Western mind as bad farming is simply the customary Palestinian method for the given conditions. The sower intentionally sows in all the areas of his field. This helps us to understand the features of either the fruitfulness or ineffectiveness of the seeds.

Language Notes

In the explanation given by Jesus, the seed is identified as "the Word." "The Word" is a common term for the gospel, the truth, and a title of Christ (John 1:1). In the Epistles, "the Word" standing for "the gospel" is usual; the preacher preaches the word; the Word is received, and that with joy; persecution arises on account of the Word; the Word is a cause of stumbling; the Word grows; the Word brings forth fruit.

In verse 8, the Greek word [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (didomi), rendered in the King James Version as "brought forth," implies past action. However, the original Greek denotes a continuous action of bearing fruit, "yielding fruit."

In verse 21, the word translated as "tribulation" comes from the Greek [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (thlipsis) which means "to press, to squeeze, to crush." Our English word tribulation comes from the roller used by the Romans for pressing or crushing wheat. It can be compared to the old steamroller. This tribulation is not a trifling affliction or hardship.

Points of the Parable

Here we have the first of the only two parables in which Jesus employed the allegory in Matthew, Mark and Luke (the second is the parable of the tares and wheat). The allegorical interpretation given by Jesus presents a fourfold description of the field that is interpreted as four classes of people: those who have no understanding, those of shallow faith, those who are carnal-minded, and those who receive and understand the Word. These allegories were meant to stir the general audience to test the sincerity and devotion of their conversion. It is a caution given against a failure to stand fast in a time of persecution and worldliness—otherwise their lives become futile.

The story taken as a whole has...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: iUniverse Publishing
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2011
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1462038042
• ISBN 13: 9781462038046
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 172
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: gpsr@libri.de; gpsr@libri.de; ; Friedensallee 273; Hamburg; 22763; Deutschland