Articles
Speaking in Parables
Speaking in Parables
By Paul R. Blake
Some time ago, I was listening to the radio and heard an old, familiar song about bridging the communication gap between generations. I had heard it many times when I was younger, but it occurred to me that I had never really listened to it. Ironically, the chorus had a line that caught my attention by saying, "you can listen as well as you hear." (The Living Years, Mike & the Mechanics) Apparently, I was guilty of not listening to what I was hearing.
Jesus spoke a parable to the multitude in Matthew 13 and concluded it by saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear! And the disciples came and said to Him, Why do You speak to them in parables? - Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand… For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear” (9-10, 13, 15-16).
Jesus explained to His disciples that some would hear Him, but would not understand the parables because they were not listening. In fact, He implied that they would not listen even if He spoke plainly. Therefore, since they would not listen to plain speech, He would address them in parable form, to which they would listen even less (if that is possible). “For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” (13:12). This simply means that those who are inclined to listen to the Lord will be enriched by hearing the parable, and those who are indifferent to His teaching will be turned away by the parable. Simply put, if one wants to understand the Lord's will for man, he will listen, regardless of how it is spoken, and he will understand it. If one is not favorably disposed toward the will of God, he will hear it, but he will not listen.
I have often been asked, “Why don't people obey the Gospel when it is preached to them in such a clear and direct manner?” The answer is simple: they hear, but they do not listen. The word of God is spoken; but, the hearer has no sympathy for the suffering Savior, he has no interest in life beyond this present world, and his heart does not respond to the wonder and majesty of the truth.
That is the whole point of the Lord's parable of the sower. The seed is the word of God; the four soils are four different hearts of men. The first heart was hard and disinterested; the seed could not penetrate the surface. The word landed on his ears, but did not enter into his heart. The second was shallow and fickle; the seed could not take lasting root. The word only generated a passing interest. The third was tangled and crowded; there was no room for the seed. The heart was too pre-occupied with other matters to truly listen to the word.
However, in the case of the fourth soil, the ground was prepared and receptive to the seed, and the seed took root and produced. A heart that is interested in truth will not merely hear it, but will listen to it as well. The word of God will produce an effect: it will stir up emotional and intellectual involvement, and it will motivate an active response. But only if one listens as well as he hears.
This is not complex. Nearly everyone can hear; very few are completely deaf. But not everyone who hears actually listens to what is said. Listening requires an interest in what one hears, and it demands that the hearer focus his attention on what is being said, and that he works to assimilate and understand the content of the message. We have the capacity to listen that is also equal to our capacity to hear, if we truly desire to understand it.
Too often, we allow barriers to widen the gap between hearing and listening. In a discussion with others with whom we disagree, we often hear their points, but we do not listen well enough to understand. Occasionally, dislike for someone becomes a hindrance to listening to the words we hear them speak. Even worse, prejudice can make one incapable of listening to anyone from the disfavored group. Yet, I believe the greatest bar to listening and understanding is the mind that is already made up before getting all of the essential information. For example, the Pharisees did not believe Jesus could possibly be the Messiah. They already had an idea of what the Anointed would be like, and Jesus didn't fit their notion of what he should be. In fact, in their stubbornness they went so far as to dismiss the Christ after witnessing an unprecedented miracle (John 9:24-34). We must resolve to remove these barriers to our understanding, or else remain in ignorance.
Do you want to learn more about the world you live in? Then listen as well as you hear. Do you want to have more productive conversations with others? Then listen as well as you hear. More importantly, do you want to understand God’s will and go to heaven? Then listen as well as you hear.
A Moments Wisdom
--No society ever thrived because it had a large and growing class of parasites living off those who produce. (Thomas Sowell)
--When you want to help people, tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear. (Thomas Sowell)
--One of the most important reasons for studying history is the virtually every stupid idea that is in vogue today has been tried before and proved disastrous before, time and again. (Thomas Sowell)
--It is usually futile to try to talk facts and analysis to people who are enjoying a sense of moral superiority in their ignorance. (Thomas Sowell)
--Have we reached the stage of absurdity where some people are held responsible for things that happened before they were born, while other people are not held responsible for what they themselves are doing today? (Thomas Sowell)
After the Election
After the November 2024 election is over, we can still guarantee these results:
1. God will still be on His throne.
2. Jesus will still be King of kings and LORD of Lords.
3. The Bible will still have all the answers to every problem.
4. The tomb will still be empty.
5. Jesus will still be the only way to heaven.
6. Prayer will still work; it will still make a difference, and God will still answer prayer.
7. The cross, not the government, will still be our salvation.
8. There will still be room at the cross.
9. Jesus will still save anyone who places their faith and trust in Him.
10. God will still be with us always; He will never leave us or forsake us.
Upcoming Sermons
10/6/24 AM - Owen Hamlet; PM - Themed Worship in Song: The Plan of Salvation
10/13/24 AM - Seeking God while Being Sought for by God; PM - Wearing Elijah’s Mantle
10/20/24 AM - I Might Be Mistaken; PM - “Watchman, Tell Us of the Night”
10/27/24 AM - Confessing that We are Pilgrims; PM - Reluctant Servants of the Lord
11/3/24 AM - The Appearance of Jesus to Saul of Tarsus; PM - Congregational Choice of Songs
11/10/24 AM - Spending the Night with Lions; PM - Maintaining High Maintenance Christians
11/17/24 AM & PM - Gospel Meeting with Brent Lewis
11/24/24 AM - Questions that Lead Us to Conquer; PM - Act in Haste; Repent in Leisure
