Bible Study: Making Sense of Parables
I did a study a few years ago of the parables found in the book of Matthew, but I will need to go back to those now that I have learned a bit more about parables and how to interpret them. I think I would mix them up with allegories quite easily, substituting or symbolizing the stories and making them into something they are not.
Parable or Allegory
A parable, according to Merriam-Webster, is defined as ‘a usually short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle’. So we should be looking for the religious or moral principle as we read.
I find that many explanations of parables that I have heard over the years include symbols, or substitutions, for example in the Parable of the Tenants (or Parable of the Absent Landlord), the landowner is often described as God. Then the rest of the story is all about the Jews and how they rejected the prophets and finally the Son. This kind of symbolizing is what an allegory does, ‘the expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence’ (Merriam-Webster). However, we find that the Bible names these parables – not allegories or symbols.
Seek to Understand
Mark tells us that, ‘With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything,’ (4:33-34). Jesus spoke in parables and the people understood. To be certain, he also explained them to his followers, but those explanations have not survived over the years. We need to trust that Jesus told stories that the people understood and that we can understand them, too. Then we need to think about them. We need to be open to understanding them.
Our comfort vs open interpretation
If we accept the ‘teaching’ of a parable, then perhaps we have not heard the lesson. Parables were not intended to be tame stories of the current societal norms. They were made to challenge and surprise us.
In Short Stories by Jesus, Prof. Amy-Jill Levine addresses the interpretation of the parables of the kingdom.
‘What makes the parables mysterious, or difficult, is that they challenge us to look into the hidden aspects of our own values, our own lives. They bring to the surface unasked questions, and they reveal the answers we have always known, but refuse to acknowledge. Our reaction to them should be one of resistance rather than acceptance,’ (Levine, p.3)
Many of the allegorical interpretations that I have heard comfort me or remove the question of how the parable relates to everyday life… to my everyday life. The example above states that the parable has nothing to do with me – it is God and Israel. Parables are intended to be stories that offer lessons that transcend time.
How do we study a parable?
Parable study has few guidelines, but they are important. Keep the following in mind when pondering the meaning of these short lessons.
Context is key. Consider what the original audience heard and understood in their context. This should include what was conventional, for example what was the expected relationship between father and son (The Prodigal Son, Luke 15)?
Parables can reflect Old Testament narratives. Some of the details may echo OT narrative If we return to the Parable of the Prodigal Son, we consider accounts with two sons in the OT and ask what the pattern was and if there is something unexpected in this new story.
Note the oddities. Some parables include odd details, don’t try to explain them away, dig into them. Question what the lesson has to do with the oddity, for example consider the quantity of bread made by woman who hides leaven in the flour (Luke 13:21), size of mustard seed and tree (Luke 13:19).
Seek themes repeated in Jesus’s traditional teachings. Jesus was telling these stories to reinforce his teachings. They are likely not new, but more examples of how to live out the kingdom life. Similar lessons will be in the narrative of the gospels.
Stick to the text presented. We are instructed not to add to the word of God in several verse (Prov 30:5-6 for example). Perhaps this is where we should be careful of the symbols we give to parables or the figures in them. There are a surprising number of parables that are interpreted as having rather negative views of Jews, however this too should be questioned since Jesus was a Jew – he likely did not put down his own people.
Once we interpret the message keeping these things in mind, we can ask ourselves: How does the message (the challenge) to the original audience translate to today? Some aspects will look different, but the main point should not be lost by making it relevant to today.
Parables
Parables were taught as a way for the people to understand how to walk as Jesus walked. They were approachable then and are now. I recently wrote how the mind is important in Christianity, and that is the case here too. Jesus was asking us to think. He wants thinking followers. Let’s think on the parables with great care and attention, seeking the challenge to live as Jesus lived and loved.
