Do you want to know what are the guidelines for interpreting the parables of jesus? When reading and studying the parables of Jesus, it is important to keep in mind the guiding principles that we will explain to you here. We invite you to stay with us.
1. Do not treat the parables of Jesus as allegories.
An allegory is usually completely filled with symbolic meaning. Every detail means something that can be traced back to the primordial principle that is being illuminated. The parables of Jesus generally have a basic and central meaning.
Trying to over-symbolize them can have the effect of tearing them apart. A person does not understand the beauty of a flower by taking it apart. Like a flower, a parable is best understood by seeing it in its simple and profound whole.
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2. The rule of three.
Like all good storytelling, Jesus’ parables often follow the Rule of Three. Do you remember the stories you heard as a child, like “The Three Little Pigs” and “The Three Bears”? Both stories are filled with more “threes”: three wolves, three beds, three bowls of porridge. Jesus did this often when telling parables. And is it any wonder that many parables deliver three important truths or that most sermons are based on three important points?
3. The rule of two.
Characters in Jesus’ parables often follow the Rule of Two. Usually there were two people experiencing tension between justice and sin, good and evil. When you look for these two elements, you will find an important part of the development of the parable.
4. Code words and phrases.
Jesus’ parables used certain phrases and code words that were communicated in subtle and powerful ways to their audiences. For example“How much more” is used to build a bridge between temporal things and spiritual realities. “He who has ears to hear” calls people to critically important questions of spiritual life and death. “Truly, truly, I say unto you” , means that Jesus is speaking with great intensity, don’t miss it, look up these phrases and understand where they lead you.
Special Topic: Interpretation of Jesus’ Parables
The gospels were written several years after the life of Jesus. The gospel writers (although inspired by the Spirit) were culturally accustomed to oral tradition.
The rabbis gave their teachings orally. Jesus had followed this method of oral teaching. As far as we know, he had never written his teachings or sermons. To facilitate memorization, the teachings were repeated, summarized, and illustrated.
The authors of the Gospels had preserved these “help-memory.” One of these techniques was parables.
Parables are difficult to define:
“Parables are defined as stories with two levels of meaning; The historical level provides a mirror that allows one to perceive and understand reality. Definition taken from (“Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospel” (p. 594)).
- A parable is a saying or story that seeks to convey a point or situation that the speaker wishes to emphasize by illustrating it with a familiar situation from everyday life.” From The Zondervan (Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Bible p. 590).
It is difficult to define exactly what the term “parable” meant in Jesus’ day:
- Some argue that this reflects the Hebrew term “mashal”, which encompasses all sorts of riddles (Mark 3:23), maxims (Proverbs, Luke 4:23), sayings/riddles (Mark 7:15), or mystery words. (“Dark word, perverse speech”).
Others stick to a much narrower definition of short story or short story.
Depending on who defines the term, more than a third of Jesus’ written teachings are presented in parables. Parables were an important literary genre in the New Testament.
These parables are certainly authentic words of Jesus. While the second definition can be accepted, there are, however, several other different types of short stories:
- Simple Stories (Luke 13:6-9)
- Complex Stories (Luke 15:11-32)
- Contrasting/Contradictory Stories (Luke 16:1-8; 18:1-8)
- Typological/Allegorical Stories (Matthew 13:24-30, 47-50; Luke 8:4-8, 11-15; 10:25-37; 14:16-24; 20:9-19; John 10; 15: 1-8)
Variety of definitions
Given this variety of definitions related to the parables of Jesus, their interpretation must be carried out on several levels. The first level is that of the general principles of hermeneutics, applicable to all biblical genres, of which some guidelines are presented below:
- Identify the objective pursued by the book as a whole or at least in the broader literary unit.
- Identifies the original reception or audience. It is significant that the same parable is told to different groups. For example:
- The lost sheep in Luke 15 is addressed to sinners.
- The lost sheep in Matthew 18 is addressed to the disciples.
- Be sure to note the immediate context of the parable. Very often, Jesus himself or the author of the Gospel reveals the central or essential point of the parable (usually at the end of the parable, or immediately after it).
- Express the central intention of the parable in a declarative sentence. Parables usually contain two or three main characters. Each character is usually involved / attributed a truth, an objective, or a certain situation (intrigue or conspiracy).
- Look for parallel passages in other Gospels, then in other books of the New Testament and the Old Testament.
The second level is that of the principles of interpretation related specifically to the content of Jesus’ parable:
- Read (if possible, listen) to the parable over and over again. The use of parables was intended for oral impact, not written analysis.
- Most of Jesus’ parables contain only one central truth, which is associated with the literary and historical contexts of Jesus and/or the evangelist.
- Be careful with the interpretation of details. Most of the time, they are just part of the context of the story.
- Remember that a parable is not a reality. These (parables) are analogies from real life, often exaggerated to capture a certain point (the truth).
- Identify key points in the story that could be understood by a first-century Jewish audience. Then, find the unexpected ending or the surprise; this appears most frequently towards the end of the story (cf. A.
- All of Jesus’ parables were given for the purpose of provoking or provoking a response. Said response or reaction is generally associated with the concept of “God’s Kingdom“. Jesus had come to inaugurate the new Kingdom
parables in messianism
Messianic (Matthew 21:31; Luke 17:21). Those who heard it had to answer it immediately! The Kingdom was present and future at the same time (Matt. 25). A person’s future depended on his immediate reaction to Jesus’ call. Parables of the Kingdom Described
The new kingdom that had come in Jesus. They described the ethical and radical requirements attached to the life of a disciple. Nothing should (should) be the same as before. Everything was (is) radically new and centered/focused on Jesus!
Generally, parables do not express the central truth or the essential point. It is up to the interpreter to look for clues or contextual elements that reveal the central truth that is original and culturally obvious, but whose truth is obscure to us today.
The hidden nature of parabolic truth
A third level that is often controversial is that of the hidden nature of parabolic truth. Jesus had often spoken of this hidden nature of parables (Matthew 13:9-15; Mark 4:9-13; Luke 8:8-10; John 10:6; 4:25 p.m.).
It had to do with the prophecy of Isaiah 6:9-10. It is the listener’s heart that determines the level of understanding (Matthew 11:15; 13:9, 15, 16, 43; Mark 4: 9, 23, 33-34; 7:16; 8:18). ; Luke 8:8; 9:44; 2:35 p.m.).
However, it should be noted that many times the crowds (Matthew 15:10; Mark 7:14) as well as the Pharisees (Matthew 21:45; Mark 12:12; Luke 20:19) understood exactly what Jesus said. They, but refused to answer properly, that is, with faith and repentance.
In a sense, this is the truth of the Parable of the Earth (Matthew 13; Mark 4; luke 8).
The parables of Jesus were a means to hide or reveal the truth (Matthew 13: 16-17; 16:12; 17:13; Luke 8:10; 10:23-24).
The hidden nature of parabolic truth
In his book “Hermeneutical Spiral” (La spirale Herméneutique, p. 239), Grant Osborne notes that: “Jesus’ parables are a ‘confrontation/confrontation mechanism’ and work differently for different audiences…, crowds, disciples).
Differently confronted by the parables.” Even the disciples often did not understand his parables and his teachings (see Matthew 15:16; Mark 6:52; 8:17-18, 21; 9:32; Luke 9:45; 18:34; John 12: 16).
There is a fourth level that is also controversial; It deals with the central truth of the parables. Most modern interpreters have reacted (justifiably) to the allegorical interpretation of the parables. The Allegory turned the details into elaborate systems of truth.
This method of interpretation, without focusing on the historical or literary contexts, or the intent of the author, rather presented the thought of the interpreter rather than the text.
However, it must be admitted that the parables interpreted by Jesus are very close to the allegorical or at least typological interpretation. Jesus used details to convey the truth (cf. the parable of the Sower, Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8; and the parable of the wicked workers in the vineyard, Mark 12, Luke 20).
Main truths in the parables of Jesus
Some of the other parables also have several main truths. A good example is that of the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15: 11-32). There is not only the love of the Father and the stubbornness of the younger son, but also the attitude of the older son, which is an integral part of the whole meaning of the parable.
The following is a helpful quote from Peter Cotterell and Max Turnertaken from his book ”Linguistics and Biblical Interpretation”:
- “It was Adulf Julicher who, more than anyone else, directed New Testament knowledge or research toward a decisive attempt to understand the role of the parable in Jesus’ teaching. allegorization
Radical parables have been abandoned and the search for a key that allows us to penetrate their true meaning has begun. But, as Jeremiah put it so clearly, “his efforts to free the parables from capricious and arbitrary interpretations of every detail have led him into fatal error.”
The mistake was not simply to insist that a parable should be understood as conveying a particular idea, but that the idea in question should be as general as possible” (p. 308).
The following is another helpful quote from Grant Osborne’s “The Hermeneutical Spiral”:
- “I also noted several hints that the parables are…