Participants: Glenn Russell & Ranko Stefanovic (Host)
Series Code: MTBOTB
Program Code: MTBOTB00010B
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00:01 Welcome, back.
00:02 We're reviewing Mathew, Chapter 13. 00:03 We're exploring, how Jesus used parables. 00:06 The Disciples ask Him in verse 10. 00:09 "Why do you speak in parables?" 00:11 Well, we've just seen that Jesus used parables. 00:13 Because, that you could take everyday things 00:16 and use them as windows 00:17 into spiritual truth and realities. 00:19 I think, if Jesus was here today, Ranko-- 00:21 He could be talking about computers and the internet 00:24 and the things of our lives today, wouldn't He? 00:28 You just mentioned few moments ago, 00:30 what were the illustrations 00:33 that Jesus would use today if He is present with us? 00:36 The things of our world. 00:37 He would not talk to young people 00:39 about sowing the seed 00:41 and that He would talk about computers. 00:43 There aren't too many farmers anymore. Yeah. 00:45 He would talk about things in their world. 00:46 Now, we got an idea what a parable is 00:49 and why He used them. 00:50 How should we look at them? 00:54 I would like to remind the readers 00:57 that for many centuries 01:00 the Christian church going through the medieval period, 01:04 they had a very strange approach to the Bible 01:08 that we call the allegorical approach. 01:11 Where nothing in the Bible was real, 01:13 nothing was historical, 01:15 everything had the some symbolic meaning. 01:18 Always, you know, represent something 01:21 we call it the allegorical approach. 01:23 So you wouldn't take the literal meaning 01:25 or the clear meaning. Nothing. 01:27 You made an allegory attempt. 01:28 You know, you just use your imagination 01:30 and always some details that mean something 01:33 according to your opinion. 01:34 It's actually the reformation of the sixteenth century. 01:38 That they appointed to that wrongdoing of the church. 01:45 And they restored the literal interpretation of the Bible. 01:50 Say, let's go and try to see what the text really say 01:55 and try to apply the meaning of that text. 01:58 It's the reformation really that put to the Bible 02:00 into the hands of people 02:02 and made that right interpretation of the Bible. 02:06 However, even after the reformation 02:09 the allegorical interpretation of the parables, 02:12 somehow has been retained among the Christians. 02:15 What is allegoric interpretation? 02:17 You take a parable of Jesus 02:18 and you dissect it into details 02:21 and each detail means something. 02:24 We don't say that method it's wrong, 02:28 you know, parables of Jesus. 02:30 Sometimes Jesus evidently intended 02:33 some of those parables to be understood allegorically. 02:36 Like, we would see the parable of the Sower and the Seed. 02:40 And you see, Jesus provided the key 02:45 and He provided interpretation of all those details. 02:48 But, so many times they see how something 02:51 Christians are taking own parable of Jesus 02:53 trying each detail to make, to make sense of that. 02:58 They're not sure that Jesus intended it. 03:00 Now, do you know when kids were little 03:03 and your kid asked you, you know, dad can I smoke. 03:09 If you say to your child no, 03:11 then somehow you provoke reaction with him or her. 03:15 But you say to your child, you know, 03:17 I had my uncle he was smoking a lot 03:21 and one day he got cancer and he died. 03:24 You do see, what happens to the people who smoke? 03:26 Oh, you didn't try to take uncle etcetera allegorically 03:31 that you wanted to make one point to your child 03:34 that he understand that smoking damages health. 03:38 That it's not what good for us. 03:41 So, we can conclude that generally 03:42 the parables have one central point. Yes. 03:45 And if there is more, 03:46 usually the scripture gives us the key. 03:48 Jesus gives--Jesus has used that way. All right. 03:50 Just I would like to turn attention to the viewers 03:54 as that at least few kind of parables 03:57 that we find that Jesus thought. 04:00 One is so called similar or similitude. 04:04 Those parables are recognized by the word alike or as. 04:09 You know, the kingdom of God is alike. All right. 04:13 So, Jesus tried to illustrate. 04:16 Okay, the truth of the kingdom of God 04:18 by using that illustration 04:20 sometimes that illustration can have more than one meaning. 04:24 But Jesus provided hint, Jesus gave the hint 04:27 and Jesus told us how to interpret it. 04:30 There are some parables that are simply story parables. 04:35 You know, you use a story, 04:37 the story can be product of imagination 04:41 but it can be a really rooted in the real life, 04:43 something that happened. 04:45 But, we've to keep in mind 04:48 when we read those kinds of parables 04:51 they are stories never intended 04:55 by Jesus to be interpret literally. 04:58 This is sought from the gospel of Mathew. 05:00 Everybody knows about story, 05:03 parable of the rich man and Lazarus. 05:07 Unfortunately many Christians they take that parable 05:10 in order to show how Jesus thought 05:12 what happened to the presentment 05:14 He went there to--So, Jesus in that story says 05:17 that a rich man dies and the poor man dies. Yes. 05:20 And they go to different places 05:22 heaven and hell and so you're saying, 05:24 it's not right for us interpret that literally. 05:26 It's a story. 05:27 It's a story to talk about response to the gospel. 05:30 Glenn, can I use one illustration, 05:32 I hope that you're as will side with me. 05:36 You know, sometimes I see people they say you know, 05:39 "Let me tell you story, a person died. 05:41 He came to the gate of paradise 05:45 and Saint Peter came out." 05:47 Everybody knows that there is no Saint Peter 05:49 there at the gate of paradise etcetera. 05:52 But since people are using those stories, 05:54 you're using that story 05:55 sometimes you just see pastors using as for their sermons. 06:00 But they use the story sometimes to make joke, 06:02 sometimes to illustrate something 06:04 and to do it in a funny way. 06:06 But you never, intended that to be understood literally. 06:09 And the humor is conveying the point. Sure. 06:12 All right we got that. Okay. 06:13 Another kind is example parable. 06:18 You don't want that parable to be dissected 06:21 and each detail to be interpreted. 06:23 You tell the parable and then Jesus, 06:25 like in the parable of Good Samaritan. 06:27 He said, "Who was His neighbor? 06:30 He said, He's the one. 06:31 Jesus said, "Go and you'll do likewise." 06:34 Follow the example of that Samaritan. Okay. 06:37 There is nothing wrong to use that parable and say, 06:39 you see, as Good Samaritan was helping that man. 06:44 So, Jesus came down to the earth to help us. 06:47 But you see you are doing something else to illustrate 06:52 but not to explain what the parable originally meant, 06:55 allegorical meant do you know. 06:56 Okay, and the last one Jesus sometimes use allegory 07:00 like the sower and seed or tears and good seed. 07:05 So when we interpret the parables, 07:06 we ask ourself a question, 07:08 what kind of parables is this? 07:10 That Jesus--And the text gives us the clues. 07:13 Oh, normally. Okay. Can we take one particular parable? 07:17 Let's do that, I'm been itching to get to one, 07:18 which one would you like to go to? 07:19 I would like to go 07:20 since we don't have too much time. 07:22 I would like us to take the Sower and Seed. 07:24 So, Glenn if you want to read it, 07:26 okay, versus 1 up to 9, Chapter 13. Okay. 07:30 By the way we know that Mathew, Chapter 13 07:34 contains the greatest collection 07:36 of the parables of Jesus. 07:37 Seven with them and all those parables 07:40 are about the kingdom of heaven. 07:41 I'll pick here with verse 3, 07:43 Then He spoke many things to them in parable saying. 07:46 "Behold the sower went out to sow 07:48 and he sows some seed fell by the wayside. 07:51 The birds came and devoured them. 07:53 Someone fell on stony places where did not have much earth. 07:57 And they immediately sprang up because they had no depths. 08:00 But when the sun was up and they were scorched 08:03 and because they had no root they withered away. 08:06 And some fell among the thorns. 08:08 The thorns sprang up and choke some them. 08:10 But others fell on the good ground 08:12 and yielded a crop. 08:13 Some hundred folds, some sixty some thirty, 08:16 he who has ears to hear let him hear." 08:20 Okay. Now Jesus provided explanation. 08:23 Can we go from verse 18 to 23? 08:26 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower, 08:29 when anyone hears the word of the kingdom, 08:31 and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes 08:34 and snatches away what was sown in his heart. 08:37 This is he who received seed by the wayside." 08:41 Can I stop you here for a while? 08:42 Keep in mind that this parable follows 08:46 the situation with the Pharisees 08:47 that we saw in the previous Chapter. 08:49 So who are those people 08:51 that the word of God was not understood completely 08:53 evidently the Pharisees 08:55 that the word of Jesus did not have any effect on them. 08:59 So, there is first kind of people, 09:01 The gospel is preached, 09:02 the word of Jesus are the rector to them. 09:05 But there is no any effect. 09:07 There is no any reaction to that. 09:09 All right. So, next one. 09:10 Different kinds of responses to gospel. Yes. 09:12 All right then verse 20, Mathew Chapter 13, 09:16 "But he who received the seed on stony places, 09:19 this is he who hears the word 09:22 and immediately receives it with joy." 09:24 So we've another kind what are the people. 09:27 Okay, they receive they said amen. They accept it. 09:31 And more to response. But verse 21. 09:33 "Yet he has no root in himself, 09:35 but endures only for a while. 09:37 For when tribulation or persecution arises 09:39 from the word, immediately he stumbles." 09:42 As they joyfully accept it. 09:44 They regretfully abominate 09:46 and they go back to the previous life. 09:48 Let's go the next one. 09:50 "Now he who received seed among the thorns 09:53 is he who receives the word, 09:54 and the cares of this world 09:56 and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, 09:59 and he becomes unfruitful." 10:01 Okay. So, the meaning is very, very clear. 10:05 People who different reason 10:07 finally they go back to the previous condition. 10:09 But--"But he who received seed 10:11 on the good ground is he who received, 10:14 who hears the word and understands it, 10:17 who indeed bears fruit and produces some a hundredfold, 10:20 some sixty, some thirty." 10:22 Glenn, I would like to suggest something. 10:24 We have a four kind of soils here. 10:27 And we have the consequences of that 10:30 Jesus made very clear application. 10:32 Jesus made that really allegorical intension 10:36 was here in the parable. 10:38 But, Glenn, there is one thing is here 10:41 that usually when we deal with this parable, 10:44 we never pay attention to that. 10:46 And it's the last verse actually it's the last statement. 10:51 All right. Let's go back to it. 10:52 Really it tell us 10:53 about the purpose of this parable. 10:55 It says, "The one on whom the seed was sown 10:59 on the good soil, as good soil. 11:02 This is the man who hears the word understand it. 11:06 Who indeed bears the fruit 11:08 and now brings forth some hundredfold. 11:13 Some of the soil brings sixty some thirty. 11:17 Glenn this comes as surprise 11:20 you expect that good soil 11:23 will altogether produce one hundred percent. 11:26 But actually Jesus is saying something different 11:30 why some soil thirty. 11:32 Why some soil sixty. 11:34 But not everybody want hundred percent. 11:36 Evidently there is a hope for that rocky soil, 11:40 soil with a thorn. 11:42 God can clean. God can remove rocks. 11:46 God can clean the soil. 11:50 But there are consequences 11:52 that soil will never produce one hundred percent. 11:55 And I think sure what we're catching what you're saying. 11:57 You're suggesting that there may be differences 11:59 in our bearing fruit or productivity. 12:02 Yes. Because of things in our lives. 12:04 Yes, you know I would like to tell the readers 12:06 maybe some of you for a longtime 12:09 you're apart from God. 12:11 And you had different habits in your life. 12:16 You lived your life on your own. 12:19 But you accepted the gospel 12:20 but evidently there are traces 12:23 of the consequences on your personal life. 12:27 I just want to tell you 12:28 even though you'll never have one hundred percent 12:32 or may be even sixty percent maybe only thirty percent. 12:36 But you've to know that this is the result 12:38 of the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. 12:41 This parable is not about you. 12:43 It's about God and what He can do for you in your life. 12:48 It's important if you feel a rock in life's, 12:51 thorns in your life that you come back to God. 12:54 God can clean everything. 12:56 God can renew you. 12:57 God can make you a new person 13:00 and that is the fruit you'll bear in His glory. |
Revised 2014-12-17