The teachings of Jesus: The Parables
As I mentioned in the overview, what Jesus taught was a radical reconfiguring of the religious beliefs of the day. To make it more understandable, he used parables—stories that are similar to fables in that they illustrate a moral lesson. Here are a few of the more famous:
The Workers in the Vineyard. A vineyard owner (representing God) hires a few day-workers from the town square early in the morning. He hires more at midmorning, at noon, in the early afternoon, and toward the end of the day. When it comes time to pay them, however, he pays everyone the same amount. The early-morning workers are outraged, since the latecomers shouldn’t be paid as much—and they complain bitterly about the unfairness of this. The owner answers, “My friend, I am not cheating you, did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Are you envious because I am generous?” (Matt. 20:1-16)
The Prodigal Son. A father had two sons, and the youngest demanded his inheritance early so he could go off on his own. He promptly spent all the money on loose women and gambling, and wound-up starving and having to tend pigs. Thinking that he may as well go home and ask if he could tend his father’s pigs, he returned home. But instead of being angry, the father rejoiced to see him, and arranged a massive party to celebrate. The oldest son, upon seeing this, had a similar reaction to the early day-workers in the parable above; this was completely unfair—he’d served his father faithfully but he’d never had a party thrown for him. The father tells him, “My son, you are here with me; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because this brother was dead and has come back to life again; he was lost and has been found.” (Luke 15:11-32)
The Good Samaritan. To better understand this parable, it is important to know that Samaritans (residents of Samaria) were very much looked down upon by the Jews of the time, and that Jews studiously avoided any contact with them.
A lawyer was listening to Jesus teach that we should love our neighbor as ourselves, and he asked, “But who is my neighbor?” In response, Jesus told the following parable: A traveler was set upon by robbers, who beat him and left him for dead on the side of the road. A priest passed by but did not stop, and a Levite (a member of tribe of Levi, who performed religious duties for the Jews) crossed the road to avoid the victim. But a Samaritan saw the victim, and loaded him up on his donkey so as to take him to the nearest inn. The Samaritan bound his wounds, and then paid the innkeeper to nurse the man, promising to check-in on his return journey in the event more money was needed. Jesus asked, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The lawyer replied, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:25-37)
Lazarus and the Rich Man. There was a rich man who feasted every day, but at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, who longed to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died but was sent straight to hell. The rich man called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am suffering torment in these flames.’ But Abraham said, ‘My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus received what was bad; but now he is comforted here and you are tormented.’ So the rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, father – send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. He can warn them so that they don’t come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them.’ But the rich man protested, ‘Oh no, father Abraham—but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ Abraham replied to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’” [Note: IRONY ALERT]
(Luke 16:19-31)
Fun fact: the Gospel of Luke contains twenty-four Parables, while the Gospel of John contains none.
Next time: The Teachings of Jesus: Significant Encounters