March 31, 2002

TEACHING IN PARABLES

"All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables... that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
I will open My mouth in parables;
I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world' " (Matthew 13:34, 35, NKJV).

Jesus the Great Teacher gave much of His instruction as He walked and talked with His disciples and followers through the hills and valleys of Palestine, or rested by a lake or river. In His telling of parables, He linked divine truth with common experiences and incidents as may be found in the life of the shepherd, the builder, the farmer, the traveler, and the homemaker. Familiar object were associated with thoughts of God's loving interest in us, of the grateful homage that is His due, and of the care we should have for one another. Thus lessons of divine wisdom and practical truth were made forcible and impressive.

"Natural things were the medium for the spiritual; the things of nature and the life-experience of His hearers were connected with the truths of the written word. Leading thus from the natural to the spiritual kingdom, Christ's parables are links in the chain of truth that unites man with God, and earth with heaven.

"Christ had truths to present which the people were unprepared to accept or even to understand. For this reason also He taught them in parables. By connecting His teaching with the scenes of life, experience, or nature, He secured their attention and impressed their hearts. Afterward, as they looked upon the objects that illustrated His lessons, they recalled the words of the divine Teacher. To minds that were open to the Holy Spirit, the significance of the Saviour's teaching unfolded more and more. Mysteries grew clear, and that which had been hard to grasp became evident...

"As we come close to the heart of nature, Christ makes His presence real to us, and speaks to our hearts of His peace and love... In every line of useful labor and every association of life, He desires us to find a lesson of divine truth. Then our daily toil will no longer absorb our attention and lead us to forget God; it will continually remind us of our Creator and Redeemer"--Christ's Object Lessons, pp., 17, 18, 21, 26, 27.