BUGEMA UNIVERSITY
ARUA CAMPUS
SCHOOL OF RELIGIOUS TEACHING
DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS
A ground course work to be presented during the class of
Christian Beliefs in partial fulfillment of the requirements of
certificate in information technology of BUGEMA
UNIVERSITY
COURSE UNIT: CHRISTIAN BELIEFS
COURSE CODE:
LECTURER:
DISCUSSION DATE: 25th/09/2023
PRESENTATION DATE: 02nd/10/2023
A parable is a short and simple story that teaches a religious or
moral lesson. The parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the
example of the many parables attributed to Jesus, as recorded in
the four gospels
1. WHY DID JESUS USE PARABLES ?
Jesus used parables in his teachings because of the following
reasons as stated below.
1) Parable were easy to understand
Parables were easy to understand Jesus wanted to bypass the
teachers of the law and take His message straight to the people,
which means He had to communicate in a way that would resonate
with them. By using parables, Jesus was able to share religious
truths that could immediately connect with His listeners.
2) Jesus’ Sermon Illustrations
Jesus used sermon illustrations, too. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus asked
His listeners to understand an intangible reality they couldn’t see with their
physical eyes—the kingdom of God. He knew they could only engage this
reality with the eyes of their hearts, so He chose to use stories—what we
commonly call parables—to illustrate His meaning.
A parable is an allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach a truth, often
making use of concrete objects as the symbolic representation of an abstract
meaning. For example, Jesus used small objects that are often tucked away—
seeds in the soil, a pearl inside an oyster, a treasure buried underground—to
describe how the message of the gospel is implanted in the hearts of those
who bow in allegiance to Him. Later in His ministry, He spoke of leaven
causing bread to rise and full grown trees birthed from seeds to describe how
that truth grows and bears fruit in the hearts of His followers.
Jesus used so many parables in His teaching that it begs the questions: Why
did Jesus choose to communicate in this way? Why didn’t He speak
forthrightly to the crowds that gathered around Him?
3) Parables Confirm Who Are True Hearers and Who Aren’t
Jesus’ very own disciples seemed confused about His use of parables,
because they asked Him about it in Matthew 13:10. Jesus answered them:
“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to
them it has not been given. … This is why I speak to them in parables,
because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they
understand. … But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for
they hear” (Matt. 13:11,13,16, ESV).
Jesus often concluded His parables by saying, “He who has ears, let him
hear” (Matt. 13:9). The ears He referred to are the ears of the heart, and to
hear with these ears means to understand and respond to the deeper
meaning in the story. According to Jesus, the disciples understood the
spiritual meaning in the parables, but many in the crowds did not. The crowds,
He said, referencing Isaiah 6:9-10, didn’t want to understand:
“Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: ‘You will
indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never
perceive.’ For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can
barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their
eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I
would heal them’ (Matt. 13:14-15).
Just as the people stubbornly refused to accept Isaiah’s proclamations about
God, Jesus said the crowds in His day were similarly at fault. They didn’t
desire the truth, so it was “hidden” from them in parables.
The disciples, on the other hand, had seen and believed, heard and
understood—a gift from God, in that He had opened up their spiritual eyes and
given them sight. They believed Jesus was the Messiah, and upon this truth
each disciple would grow or, as Jesus said, “he will have an abundance” (Matt
13:12).
4) Parables Confirm Prophecy
Matthew records a second significant reason Jesus used parables in Matthew
13: 34-35:
“All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing
to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:
‘I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the
foundation of the world.’”
Often called a “bridge book” because it connects Old Testament prophecies
and promises regarding the Messiah to Jesus Christ, Matthew similarly
connects Jesus’ use of parables with the fulfillment of prophecy. In other
words, Jesus’ communication style was one sign among many that He was
the long-awaited Messiah.
5) Parables Cross Cultures and Generations
Jesus’ task was to communicate His message in a way that would extend the
invitation into God’s kingdom across cultures, eras, generations, and
languages for centuries. Much like a child’s picture book, He used word
pictures involving common, everyday objects—salt, light, bread, sheep, seeds
—and common human experiences—work, weddings, and laboring to give
birth—to illustrate intangible truths. Because He used parables, He allows
anyone who wants to be a true “hearer” to understand and enter God’s
kingdom, no matter their language or culture.
6) Parables Compel the Listener to Enter the Story
As listeners, we engage differently with facts than with stories. Factual
information engages the mind, but it often keeps the intangible from becoming
tangible and memorable. We can’t feel, imagine, or engage at the heart level
with facts the way we can with stories. Stories add nuance and color to truth in
a way that sticks with us long after we’ve heard them.
Jesus masterfully awakened His listeners’ imaginations and emotions through
His use of parables. In other words, He engaged the ears of the heart, calling
people to come alive to intangible realities of the kingdom of God. And when
the heart is engaged, the listener enters the story, becoming a character
themselves. For example, in sharing the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus
asked us to step into the shoes and perspectives of multiple symbolic
characters: the father, the prodigal son, and the older brother. By entering the
story, we learn the character and nature of our gracious God. And we’re
instantly aware of whether or not we’re the prodigal son or the older brother
and how we must respond.
Because we’ve entered the story, we then remember it. In an oral culture such
as Jesus’, this would have been especially important in His message going
forth. But it’s also important for us, His modern-day listeners. Just like my
fellow church members remembered the pecan pie illustration long after Kyle’s
sermon ended, Jesus’ parables are a gift to us as we seek to understand
intangible realities of the kingdom. They take gospel truths and create a
deeper, more memorable imprint.
2. What are the lessons Christians of toady can learn
from the parables above ?
Lessons We Can Learn from the Parables of Jesus
are as mentioned below.
(A) Main points
Stories stick with us.
As humans, we are drawn to stories.
We all have Favorite books, movies, and songs. Stories engage our
imaginations and our emotions. Sharing stories about our lives and
experiences helps us get to know one another better. And stories
can reveal important truths about the world around us, which makes
them a perfect teaching tool.
God knows how to talk to us because he created us. Through
Scripture, he weaves an intricate story that spans the history of the
world. In the Bible, we see examples of how stories can convict us of
sin and communicate God’s faithfulness over generations. We also
see how God’s story of redemption finds its completion in the
person and work of Jesus Christ.
It’s no surprise that, as a good teacher, Jesus was also a good
storyteller. Instead of telling people how much God loves broken
sinners, he demonstrated it through the parable of the prodigal
son. Instead of commanding people to value the kingdom of heaven,
he showed them how precious it was through the parable of
the hidden treasure.
Reading and reflecting on Jesus’s parables can help us imitate him
as we share the powerful story of the gospel with others.
God’s wisdom does not follow the world’s rules.
As a teacher, Jesus spoke the truth—even when it seemed to go
against everything people believed.
To those who doubted, many of Jesus’s parables must have seemed
like nonsense. How could a so-called kingdom of heaven grow from
something as small as a mustard seed? Why would the first be last
and the last be first? Would it really be worth it to leave your flock to
seek out one lost sheep?
The Bible teaches us that the world’s wisdom is nonsense to
God. God chooses to work in a different way, using things that
seem weak and foolish to the world to reveal the greater glory of his
plans.
Without God, the ragtag band of disciples could never have carried
the gospel throughout the world, sparking an international religion
that has changed the course of history. But, like a mustard seed,
their efforts grew through God’s grace—just like Jesus promised.
Through Jesus’s parables, we see that God’s wisdom does not follow
the world’s rules. It’s a reminder to us that God can do all things—
even those things which seem impossible.
God’s Word is our guide for living.
Jesus’s parables contain captivating storytelling and eternal wisdom.
But they also remind us that God’s Word is our only guide for living.
Each of Jesus’s parables points us to the importance of Scripture,
and we can find direction for our everyday lives in these timeless
stories. Like the faithful servant, we should await Jesus’s return by
living honestly and responsibly. We can learn how to steward our
gifts and resources for God’s glory from the parable of the talents.
We can be better neighbors by imitating the kindness of the Good
Samaritan. Above all, we can build an unshakeable future
by trusting and obeying Jesus’s words in Scripture.
Start exploring Jesus’s parables and see how they inspire your faith
today!
(B) WEAK POINTS
The parables tell us that:
Christians should use the abilities that God has given them for the benefit of
others.
Christians will be rewarded according to their performance.
Christians have been given different gifts/ abilities by God.
The Kingdom of God is a mystery (it grows secretly).
It is present in the lives of those who believe.
People respond differently to the message of the Kingdom of God.
It begins with Jesus’ words and teachings.
The Kingdom of God starts small with the individual and increases to include the
whole of society.
The Kingdom of God is a future reward.
