christianityparables-classificationof
Christianity
Parables - Classification of
There are certain main themes in Jesus Parables. We can group them in four for convenience.
The coming of the Kingdom
One of the very main teachings of Jesus’ Parables is the Kingdom of God. And the Parables that support this theme are:
The Kingdom had arrived – The patch and wineskin
The Kingdom grows – The mustard seed
Kingdom of God is among us – The leaven
The mysterious growing power of the Kingdom – Growing seed
Need to give attention to the Kingdom – Parable of the Sower
Kingdom is for all for the time being – Parable of the Weed
– Parable of the Tare
– Parable of the Dragnet
Kingdom is to deliver men/women from demons
– Parables of the divided realm
– Parable of strong man bound
– Parable of emptied house
The Kingdom of God is full of joy – Parable of the wedding guest
The Grace of the Kingdom
There are three things in the Parables of Grace.
God shows His love to all. He is all sinners’ friend.
He is the representative of God of grace
His Parables of grace were originally answered to criticism of the scribes.
Some examples of the grace parables that touch on the scribes are:
Grace regardless of the time when the repentance made –The Labors in the vineyard
Grace to all who repent –The two sons
Grace is entertained more from the truer repentance person
–The two debtors
Grace extended from the rejection of Jews to the gentiles
–The great supper
Grace is for the humbled and repented ones –The marriage feast
–The Pharisees and the publican
–The parables of the lost sheep/coin/son
The men of the Kingdom
The third theme in the Kingdom of God is how should men live? There are certain requirements for men to live in the Kingdom. Jesus uses Parables to teach how should men behave in His Reign?
Men must see the value of the Kingdom and live accordingly
– The hidden treasure
– The costly pearl
Men must do best living in the Kingdom – The tower builder
Men must follow His sovereign rule in the Kingdom – The warring kings
Men must serve God gladly in His Kingdom – The house holder
Men are to serve Him royally and loyally – The farmer and his man
Men should live with prudence, shrewdness and gumption
– Unjust steward.
Be kind and merciful in the Kingdom of God – Unmerciful servant
– The Good Samaritan
Mission to the world – Savorless salt/Lamp and Bushel
Live according to His words not just knowing His Words
– The two builders
The crisis of the Kingdom
There is crisis of the Kingdom. God came with mercy and forgiveness, yet men can not see Him. The Parable of the rich fool teaches exactly just that. There are also a few other Parables related to the teaching of the same principle. They are:
Time for the Kingdom is short and we should snatch it now
– The barren fig tree
– The defendent
– The rich and Lazarus
Men are not living in the Kingdom as they should
– The savorless salt/sullen lamp.
Men are not living faithfully in the Kingdom – The servant in authority
Men are not investing their talent in witnessing His Kingdom
– The talents
Men are unprepared for the Parousia – The waiting servants
– The burglar
– The ten virgins
– Wicked vinedresser
We should understand the theme teaching of the Parables, apply them to our circumstances today, and challenge for a life change. This is what Jesus did when He shared the parables to His disciples.