Why Jesus Used Parables in Teaching
Parables are stories or allegories that Jesus used to transfer moral or spiritual wisdom. They often accompanied a teaching or were responding to a question referencing sensitive moral subjects.[1] Jesus used parables for several reasons; they were context, simplicity, understanding of outcasts of religion, and their effectiveness in imparting life lessons. Context refers to the fact that his audience was predominantly Jewish. They could, therefore relate easily with the parables which he told with settings familiar with the Jews. The parables were simple to understand because he used daily life occurrences. Third, the style that Jesus used had minimal references to religion, even when the lessons were spiritual. They, therefore, had impact on both spiritual and non-spiritual people who sought moral wisdom[2]. Jesus found parables appealing because of what Fønnebø describes as the “surface layer”; it kept the listener motivated to see how the storyline unfolded. It was hardly possible to attract and maintain attention with plain teachings.
Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:1-23
In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus illustrates two themes; stewardship[3]And the reception of the gospel. In terms of stewardship, a moral rather than spiritual lesson emerges from a person’s choices, actions, and consequences. The sower scatters seeds indiscriminately, which fall in different types of soil. According to Coate, Charles, and Mitschow, the sower represents a steward who chooses to diversify their investments. His decision is based on their lack of perfect knowledge of the market, which leads him to make a wide decision of diversification in order to minimize possible losses. The spiritual lesson, in the words of Jesus can be seen in Matthew’s narrative in the rest of the chapter: The sower represents Jesus, who plants the gospel indiscriminately to everyone. The soils represent the various hearts’ biases in receiving the gospel.
The Soils in the Parable
Whereas the parable exemplifies a secular stewardship scenario, Matthew, in the chapter, depicts a more elaborate account of Jesus’ reference to the soil. The soils generally refer to the heart of the recipient of the gospel. It can be deduced that the soil on the way side refers to the heart of the individual that hears the gospel fails to internalize it; hence the devil sways them by taking it away. The stony ground represents the heart that is as hard as stone: It hears the word but is not receptive. The thorny soil in Matthew represents the heart that receives the gospel but chokes it in the deceitfulness of riches. The fertile soil represents the heart that hears the gospel and received it, and allows it to impact the individual, who then bears fruit.
Significance of Jesus’s use of Isaiah 6:9-10 in the Parable of the Sower
In the parable, Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:9-10. The passage refers to the difficulty of people in understanding God’s prophesies and internalizing it. Jesus claimed, from Matthew’s account, that the reason he spoke in parables was for those who had open ears could hear, those with open eyes could see, and those with open hearts could understand. The interpretation is that those who are spiritually receptive would receive, understand the gospel, and be healed. The glossy ears, heart, and eyes are symbolic of people who are resistant of the gospel; hence cannot be holistically receptive to it.[4] The second reason why Jesus refers to Isaiah is to reinforce the notion that he was not opposed to the prophetic teachings before him. He not only directly quotes Isaiah, but proceeds to warn his audience by stating that he who has ears ought to hear.
[1] Fønnebø, Liv. “The Parables: The Transforming Leadership Tools Of The Master.” The Journal of Applied Christian Leadership 5, no. 1 (Spring, 2011): 19-28. https://search.proquest.com/docview/1518929662?accountid=45049.
[2] DeYoe, Jeffrey G. “The Leadership Wisdom of Jesus: Practical Lessons for Today.” Personnel Psychology 52, no. 1 (Spring, 1999): 185-188. https://search.proquest.com/docview/220142135?accountid=45049.
[3] Coate, Charles J. and Mark C. Mitschow. “Business Ethics, Business Practices, and the Power of the Parable.” Teaching Business Ethics 6, no. 1 (02, 2002): 127. https://search.proquest.com/docview/211886293?accountid=45049.
[4] McNeely, Darris. “Lessons From the Parables: The Parable of the Sower and Seed – Part 1”. UCG.ORG. (25 February, 2015). https://www.ucg.org/good-news/lessons-from-the-parables-the-parable-of-the-sower-and-seed-part-1