REFORMED WITNESS
Volume V, April 1997, Number 4
Why Parables?
Chapter 1 from the Book The Mysteries of the Kingdom by Professor Herman C. Hanko
And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to
know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, it is not given.
For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
And in them is fulfilled the prophesy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
The Setting
It was during the time when Jesus was making His second circuit of Galilee that He began to make use of parables as a method of instruction. This in itself is of significance. It had not been too long before this time that Jesus' Galilean ministry had come to a climax at the time of the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus had fed a large multitude of people in the wilderness with but a few loaves and fishes. The response of the people was instantaneous. They wanted to make Jesus their king and were prepared to do this by force if necessary. Their reasons were obvious. They saw in Jesus an earthly king who would be able to provide them with an abundance of material things. They wanted bread, but for their stomachs. When Jesus made it clear that He would never be an earthly king, that He Himself was the Bread of Life, they all forsook Him and followed Him no more. They wanted nothing of such a king. (See John 6). Thus this miracle had brought Jesus' Galilean ministry to a climax, and soon that work would be over.
This must not be construed in any way as a failure on the part of the Lord to accomplish the work for which He was sent. We read in Matthew 11 that Jesus pronounced most solemn curses upon the inhabitants of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum for their rejection of Christ. But at the same time Jesus prayed: "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hath revealed them unto babes. Even so Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and He to whomsoever the Son will reveal him" (vss. 25-27).
It is in this situation that the Lord turned to parables as a method of instruction. The inhabitants of Galilee had essentially forsaken Him as their Messiah. His work there must now be brought to its conclusion. Parables are the means which the Lord uses to bring His work to an end.
This purpose is specifically defined in the text quoted at the beginning of this chapter. The scene is described in verses 1 and 2. Jesus left the house where He was staying and went to the shore of the beautiful Sea of Galilee. There large multitudes came together so that He went into a ship to address the multitudes from this podium. As He began His instruction, He turned to parables as a means to teach them. Apparently the disciples were somewhat puzzled by this method of instruction, and at the first available opportunity they quizzed Him on this matter: "Why speakest thou unto them in parables?" The answer which Jesus gives explains in detail His purpose in making use of this method of instruction.
The Nature of a Parable
Before we turn specifically to a discussion of these verses we should ask the question: What precisely is a parable?
I recall clearly the days in grade school when our teacher offered to us a definition of a parable. The definition was not original with her; it was a generally accepted definition: "An earthly story with a heavenly meaning." The idea of this definition was, no doubt, that a parable is a tale of some sort, fictitious in the sense that it is not a narration of an actual happening which is being reported -- although the event described could be common enough; and it is used in a way that gave it a spiritual sense.
There is an element of truth in this definition. But there are several deficiencies. In the first place, a parable is not always a story. Jesus only briefly calls attention a little later in Matthew 13 to the fact that the kingdom if heaven is like a dragnet, or a pearl of great price. These brief comparisons can hardly be called stories. In the second place, the definition does not really touch upon the basic character of a parable. A parable is not simply an earthly story with a heavenly meaning; rather, a parable implies a profound connection between the things which belong to this earthly creation and the things which belong to the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. The former can be used to illustrate and make clear the latter because of this connection.
It is for this reason that a parable must be distinguished from other types of comparisons in Scripture. A parable is not a fable. A fable is a story with a kind of moral to it and is usually an example of some purely earthly insight into some human relationship. Nor is a parable an allegory. An allegory is a lengthened metaphor or an extended comparison between two things with some obvious similarities. Fables are rare in scripture. Allegories are nonexistent. The "allegory" which Paul uses in Galatians 4:21-27 is not strictly speaking an allegory in the common sense of that term.
There are also various similes and metaphors which are used frequently in both the Old Testament and the New. These too must be distinguished from parables. They are figures of speech which enrich and enliven the language of Scripture and make clearer various ideas which Scripture teaches. In this class also belong the more extended metaphors that Jesus often uses to describe Himself and His work in relation to His people. Jesus speaks of Himself as the Bread of Life, the Water of Life, the Vine, the Good Shepherd, and so forth. Although these figures of speech come very close to parables, they must be distinguished from parables. While they probably find their basis in a common truth, they are not in the strictest sense of the word parables.
A parable is intended to illustrate and describe a particular truth. It is a method of instruction. It is used by Jesus to illustrate and clarify heavenly realities--particular truths concerning the kingdom of heaven. These illustrations are taken from this earthly creation: from the world of our experience, from history and events, from facts and truths in the world about us. By means of these earthly illustrations, the things of the kingdom of heaven are made clear.
If you give any thought to this, the question immediately arises: how is it possible to illustrate heavenly truths by means of earthly examples? Is not the heavenly spiritual, and thus essentially different from the earthly -- from the world of our daily experience? How then can spiritual realities be explained by means of material and earthly illustrations?
The answer to this question lies in the nature of the relation between the heavenly and the earthly. In the heart and mind of God the heavenly is always first. In God's purpose and will to glorify Himself, He determined to realize His glory through the heavenly and spiritual creation. This creation is the end of all things. It shall be realized when Christ comes again to make all things new in the new heavens and the new earth.
Thus, when God created the earthly, He created it as a figure and pattern of the heavenly. Although there is an essential difference between the heavenly and earthly creations, there is, nevertheless, in this earthly a reflection of the heavenly creation. This was already true in Paradise; for when God formed the worlds, He did so with a view to the realization of His full purpose in Christ in the redemption of all things. When God placed our first parents in the beautiful garden of Eden, this was already patterned after the tabernacle and the temple. The country of Eden was comparable to the Outer Court; the garden itself in the east of Eden corresponded to the Holy Place; and the tree of life where God met with Adam in the cool of the day was the pattern of the Most Holy place where God dwelt in the midst of His people. This temple in turn was the type of the perfect fellowship of God and His people in Christ, for Christ is the true temple of God.
Adam of course could not see that, as long as he stood in a state of rectitude. But after the Fall this became clear. The present creation was formed through the Word of God, the same Word of God which became flesh and dwelt among us. And if the earthly world was created by this Word of God, it stands to reason that this pattern of the heavenly in the earthly creation was easily discernible to the Lord. Walking through the midst of His own world, He could see parables on every hand. He could see heavenly and spiritual truths portrayed in the sower who went out to sow his seed, in the barren fig tree, in the dragnet being pulled through the sea in quest of fish. He called attention to the fact that events such as marriage and death, the hiring and paying of laborers, and the wedding feast of a king's son were all so many pictures of spiritual truths.
Thus parables are not simply isolated illustrations which Jesus invents on the spur of the moment to make clear some point that is difficult to understand. "All these things," Jesus says in Mark, "are done [better:'happen, take place'] in parables."
Already this earthly bears the image of the heavenly. Presently it will be changed into the heavenly. To the child of God -- the one who has ears to hear and eyes to see -- the creation speaks in an eloquent language of the spiritual and heavenly truths which he loves and confesses.
The General Purpose of Parables
Thus, in general, the purpose of parables is revelation: they are intended to reveal the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Repeatedly Jesus tells us that it is the kingdom of heaven which is like all these things taking place about us. God is revealing the kingdom of heaven to us. He is making known the kingdom of heaven.
We do not intend at this point to enter into a lengthy discussion of the idea and character of the kingdom of heaven. It will have to be sufficient to point out a few essential truths. The kingdom of heaven is a royal commonwealth in which God is the sovereign King and His elect people are the subjects. As subjects of this kingdom, the people of God bow in absolute submission to their heavenly and eternal King, acknowledge Him as sovereign in their lives, find their delight in doing His will, and make their lives conformable to His glory. However, this commonwealth is of a kind in which God and His people also dwell together in covenant fellowship, for God is the Friend of His people and they are His friend-servants.
This kingdom is established in the blood of the cross of Christ, for it is a kingdom in which the righteousness of the cross is the chief characteristic. It is a kingdom with riches that, while they are heavenly and spiritual, are wealth beyond compare; for they are the treasures of everlasting salvation in Christ in the new heavens and the new earth. It is a kingdom established, therefore, over against the kingdom of darkness which Satan sought to establish through the temptation of our first parents. And the elect enter this kingdom only by a work of sovereign and irresistible grace whereby they are called efficaciously out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son.
Of this kingdom there was a picture and type in the Old Dispensational commonwealth of Israel with its throne of David, its temple, its sacrifices, and its feasts. It is a kingdom realized in the blood of the cross of Calvary and through the resurrection and exaltation of Christ into heaven. It is accomplished through the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost but awaits its full perfection in the day of the return of Christ when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and of His Christ.
This kingdom is emphatically a kingdom of heaven. Often this is denied today. In one way or another, it is maintained that this kingdom has some kind of earthly realization. Some say that the old kingdom of David will be restored on earthly Mount Zion. Others speak of the hope that this world through political, economic, and moral development will gradually develop into the kingdom of Christ. But these are all mistakes. The kingdom is of heaven. Its origin is heavenly; it is spiritual and heavenly in character; its final realization will be in the glory of heaven. The kingdom is not here now nor ever will be. You cannot find it anywhere. It comes not by observation.
There is indeed a certain manifestation of the kingdom of heaven in this world. This is because God's people are made citizens of the kingdom of heaven while they live here below. Christ sets up His throne within their hearts. They must walk as citizens of the kingdom of heaven even while they are in the world. Hence, in the walk of the people of God there is a certain earthly manifestation of this heavenly and spiritual kingdom.
It is because the kingdom of heaven is spiritual that Christ speaks of the mysteries of the kingdom. Now "mystery" does not mean here what we commonly think of by that term. It is not something inexplicable, a problem difficult to solve, a situation which defies analysis and comprehension. This is never what Scripture means by "mystery". Scripture uses the term to refer to those things of God's purpose and counsel which are hidden. By virtue of the fact that the kingdom of heaven is spiritual, the things of the kingdom are hidden. That is, these things are not apparent to our earthly and natural senses. They are not the object of empirical observation. They cannot be investigated through the use of scientific tools. They are not even the objects of our perception. They are hidden in the mind and heart of God, in His counsel and will, and in the heaven where He dwells.
Besides, these mysteries are the wonders of sovereign grace. They are the truths which God has determined to reveal, the works which He has purposed to perform on behalf of the salvation of His people in Christ. They are wonderful works, far too wonderful for any man to invent them. They surpass our imagination and stagger our comprehension. They are beyond anything man could ever conceive. They are too wonderful even to be comprehended after we know about them.
Hence, these mysteries can only be known through revelation. Man has not the power or ability to uncover these mysteries. They must be made known by God Himself. God must reveal them and speak of them. He must reveal them, however, in such a way that we, with earthly perception, can understand and know them. He must reveal them so that we, who can form no conception of the spiritual, can nevertheless know the things of the kingdom which remain hidden mysteries until it pleases the Most High to make them known. Thus the kingdom of heaven is itself a mystery--a part of the whole of the mystery of God. All the realities of this kingdom are so many mysteries. The cross by which the kingdom of heaven is established is a mystery, as well as Christ's birth and resurrection. The work of regeneration and conversion whereby God brings His people through the door of the kingdom is also such "a supernatural work, most powerful, and at the same time most delightful, astonishing, mysterious, and ineffable" (Canons, III & IV, 12). But no less when this kingdom finally comes in power and glory will it come mysteriously and wondrously out of heaven.
Yet to see and know the mysteries requires revelation. And this revelation has both an objective and subjective aspect to it. God must make these mysteries objectively known through His Word. But He must also make these mysteries subjectively known. That is, He must give the spiritual and subjective power whereby it is possible to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.
It is this of which Jesus speaks particularly.
The Negative Purpose of Parables
It is evident from the text that in the revelation of the mysteries of the kingdom, God is sovereign. God sovereignly reveals these mysteries to whom He will and He sovereignly hides them from whom He will. This is the point which Jesus so forcibly makes and which is given as the reason why Jesus speaks in parables.
When Jesus by the shore of the beautiful Sea of Galilee spoke the parable of the sower who went forth to sow, it was immediately evident to the disciples that Jesus was not simply telling a little story for purposes of entertainment. They sensed immediately that there must be more to the whole matter than this. But the purpose Jesus had in mind escaped them. And so they came to the Lord with the question: "Why speakest thou unto them in parables?"
If we carefully investigate the reasons which Jesus Himself gives, then we learn that the first reason is to make the truths of the kingdom of heaven as clear as possible for the unbelieving and carnal element in His audience. There were many in the number of those who were listening (as there were many in the nation of Israel) who were wicked and apostate Israelites who rejected the Messiah. But Jesus does not simply refer to them with respect to their terrible sin of rejecting Christ; He looks also behind this rejection to the Father's purpose and counsel. And He looks at the counsel of His Father as He is called to carry that counsel out in His earthly ministry.
It might seem as if Jesus intends to put man first when we read in Matthew: "Therefore speak I to them in parables, because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand." But there is more to the matter than this. If we consult the similar passage in Mark we read: "And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That [we must read here: "In order that," or "for the purpose that"] seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them." This is also the thrust of the passage in Isaiah from which the Lord quotes. In Isaiah 6 the Lord had said: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I,- Here am I; send me." Upon this answer of Isaiah, the Lord gives Isaiah his commission: "Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted...." (Vss. 8-11)
Obviously, therefore, Christ is inquiring into the will of God Who is always sovereign and always first. And the question is not simply why Jesus speaks in parables to people, but why Jesus speaks in parables in the name of His Father and to accomplish God's purpose.
The wicked and unbelieving in Israel must see as clearly as possible the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. They must not only see and hear all that Jesus has to say about these mysteries, but they must see very clearly so that there can be no mistake about the meaning. In this way the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven will be so clearly set forth that there is never a possibility of misunderstanding.
This is accomplished through parables. Those who maintain that the parables of Jesus give the impression of being enigmatic statements fail completely to understand Jesus' words and the purpose for parables. Jesus is not deliberately choosing a strange and foreign method of instruction which enables Him to speak in riddles so that only those who are given some special kind of ability to penetrate these riddles understand what He is saying. Jesus does not purposely hide the mysteries of the kingdom from His audience by enigmatic sayings so that He can preserve the true mysteries for an elite inner circle who possess some secret key to knowledge. Quite the contrary is true. The parables make clear the mysteries of the kingdom. They make these mysteries so clear that there is no possibility of misunderstanding. This is true in the first place because they illustrate those mysteries by things from this world which every man can see and know and understand. These truths are not communicated in some heavenly language incapable of being understood by men. They are revealed through the means of earthly and sometimes very homely illustrations. The earthly is a pattern of the heavenly. Jesus points this out.
In the second place, this instruction through parables is as clear as possible because these illustrations are constantly before the eyes of men. They cannot hear these parables without remembering them. They stick in the mind. They hear Jesus point out that a sower sowing his seed is a picture of some aspect of the kingdom; and from henceforth, every time they see such a sower they will be reminded of the particular truth which is illustrated. It is there all the time, concretely and vividly displayed before their minds. There is no escape from it.
That this was true is evident from the fact that oftentimes the wicked Pharisees understood the meaning of Jesus' parables even before the disciples did. While the twelve were debating in their minds what the Lord could mean, the Pharisees had already grasped the truth Jesus was illustrating. (For an example of this, see Luke 16:14,15.)
But we have not yet answered the question completely. Why must these mysteries of the kingdom be so clearly set forth so that even the ungodly can understand them?
The answer lies in the first place in the fact that the wicked must never be able to plead ignorance when they are condemned. This was true of the Jews in Galilee in Jesus' day. They had heard the beautiful Sermon on the Mount. They had seen many wonderful signs and listened carefully to Jesus' preaching. Thy had seen with their own eyes the miracle of the loaves. But they had clearly shown they did not want a Messiah Who would save from sin. And so they left Him to follow Him no more. But now, before the Lord leaves Galilee, He must teach yet in parables so that they will understand clearly the things of the kingdom. For, when they are condemned for their rejection of Christ, they must never be able to say, "The mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, being spiritual, were beyond our comprehension. We had no opportunity to know really what they meant." For if this was their plea, they could no doubt escape their judgment. But now, because Jesus taught in parables, this excuse becomes impossible. They will be judged righteously when they are condemned, and God will be justified.
But there is more. Just exactly in the way of making the mysteries of the kingdom clear, the Lord also sovereignly hardens the wicked in their sin. The sovereign decree of reprobation is sovereignly accomplished in the way of sin and greater sin. And the sovereign hardening of the sinner is brought about through these parables. This is always the effect of the gospel, and it was no less true of the parables of the Lord.
This is the force of the emphatic statement in Mark: "But unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: [in order] that seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear and not understand." This is the force of the prophecy of Isaiah. Isaiah must preach until Judah is hardened. This is God's will and this purpose must be accomplished. And this the Lord Himself emphasizes. Jesus tells His disciples that it is given to them to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to the others it is not given. Hearing indeed they hear but do not understand, and seeing indeed they see but do not perceive. The wicked are not given the eyes and ears of faith to receive the gospel.
That parables accomplish this is not difficult to see. The wicked heart of man always reacts to the truth of the kingdom of heaven in anger and hatred. And the more clearly that truth is revealed, the more is his bitter hatred revealed. As that Word of God becomes more evident, the reaction of the wicked against it becomes stronger and stronger. When Christ was on earth, the Jews increased in hatred and malice until they could not tolerate His presence anymore. And finally they nailed Him to the cross. But in this way God causes all the horror of the sinful heart of man to be completely exposed so that sin may appear as terrible as it really is. It is as a man with very weak eyes who lives in a darkened room for many years. If he should suddenly come out into the brilliant light of day and look up into the sun, he would be immediately struck blind. So also do the wicked who have a natural perception of the truth become spiritually blinded as they look into the brilliant sunlight of the truth of God.
This is always true of God's Word. Wherever that truth is proclaimed through the preaching of the gospel, there is this negative effect. Christ thanked His Father that God had hidden these things from the wise and the prudent. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that the preaching of Christ crucified was always a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks (I Cor. 1:23). And Paul writes in II Corinthians 2:15,16: "For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?"
It is not superfluous to remind those who preach the gospel about this fundamental truth. Although they may be called of God to be ministers of the gospel, they must never forget that on the pulpit they are really nothing. It is not what they do that is important other than the fact that they are solemnly called to preach the whole of the Scriptures. God's purpose must be accomplished and His cause justified. Besides, although it is the heartbreaking experience of all those who preach to see many leave the truth, this is to be expected, for this is the purpose of the gospel. The gospel saves, but it also hardens. It brings to glory, but it also condemns. It is the Rock of Ages, but it is also a stone of stumbling. And when this takes place the true servant of God stands aside that the purpose of God may be accomplished.
The Positive Fruit of Parables
Although Jesus does not say very much about the positive fruit of parables, He nevertheless alludes to it in several different ways. In verse 11 Jesus says: "Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven." In verse 12 He refers to this same positive fruit when He says: "For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance." And in verse 16 we read: "But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear."
The emphasis again quite obviously falls upon the sovereign work of God. To His people God gives the Spirit of Christ. That Spirit banishes the power of sin, calls the saints irresistibly out of darkness into light, gives them eyes to see and ears to hear the mysteries of the kingdom. The blindness of sin is destroyed and the dreadful power of rebellion against God and hatred of His Word is conquered by the grace of the Spirit. And so they are able to receive the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.
Although it is true that these mysteries are spiritual and heavenly, and although it is true that we cannot with our natural senses perceive them, they are nevertheless given to us. Paul writes of this in that beautiful passage in I Corinthians 2:7-16: "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."
This is the wonder of revelation. God speaks to us of the incomparable mystery of heaven. And He speaks in a way that we can understand through the enlightening of the Spirit. But to assist us in the feebleness of our understanding the Lord gives us parables. The earthly is the pattern of the heavenly. There is a reflection of the heavenly all about us. It is true that we do not see as clearly as some day we shall see, for we see through a mirror darkly. Some day we shall see face to face. Nevertheless, we see and know enough to catch the breathtaking beauty and glory of the heavenly treasures which are for us through the cross of Jesus Christ. The parables of our Lord illustrate these truths to us. And we have only to gaze about us in the world of our God to see the truth of the kingdom demonstrated before our eyes.
The Old Dispensational saints were not able to see these things. There were many prophets and righteous men who longed to see what we see. But all they could see were the types and shadows--the pictures on the wall. They saw the figures, the dim outlines of these truths. And they longed to see more. They died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off. They were persuaded of them, however, and confessed that they were pilgrims and strangers in the earth. But we see these things in the light of the gospel. We see them through the Spirit of our exalted Lord. We see them in all their clarity and beauty.
And this is all a gift of grace, and of grace alone.
Reprinted by permission from Chapter one of the book The Mysteries of the Kingdom by Professor Herman C. Hanko,
published by the Reformed Free Publishing Association.
| Back to top | Back to main Reformed Witness page |
The Reformed Witness newsletter is published monthly under the auspices of the Evangelism Committee of the Hope Protestant Reformed Church of Redlands. This newsletter is available to anyone who is interested in the Reformed Faith. If you would like your name added to our mailing list, please write to:The Reformed Witness
Hope Protestant Reformed Church
1307 E. Brockton Ave.
Redlands, CA 92374-3802
or email us: