The Purpose of Parables

An Introduction to the video:

"The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;

    though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;

    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;

    they hardly hear with their ears,

    and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

    hear with their ears,

    understand with their hearts

and turn, and I would heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." - Matthew 13:10-17

There is no shortage of information in our age. We are surrounded by hashtags, Wikipedia articles, breaking news, fake news, and trending topics. We do not lack the ability to discover what is going on throughout the world. But, do we always fully understand? Do we truly perceive? 

This is the challenge of understanding Jesus’ good news announcement about the Kingdom here in Matthew 13. It was trending news! Large crowds gathered (13:2) to hear what Jesus taught! Yet, not everyone who heard Jesus fully grasped what he was trying to say. We discover that Jesus purposely chose to not teach plainly, but to speak in parables. When asked why he did this, Jesus spoke of the crowd saying, 

“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”-Matthew 13:13

This raises all sorts of questions for us today. Are we hearing at the surface, or do we hunger to understand? Are our hearts calloused or soft? Will we— like the disciples— long for deeper meaning? If we do, the promise is that “we will be given more”(v12), and “be healed” (v15)

For more on the purpose of parables, check out this sermon I preached on June 30, 2019 at The Meeting Place located in downtown Winnipeg. (139 Smith Street)