Parables

What are Parables?  According to my Bible, they are simple stories about profound truths.  Jesus spoke different parables at times to help the disciples   

with these profound truths.  Jesus spoke many parables trying to get a point across but only the spiritually discerned could understand them.  He spoke in parables so that not everyone would understand them, only those that were his followers that believed on him.  

Please read Matthew 13:10-15, “And the disciples came and said to Him, ‘Why do You speak to them in parables?’ He answered and said to them, ‘Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 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. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; 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.’” 

Because of the hardness of their hearts, their minds were dull and they were blinded to the truths, so they could not understand.  This just backs up the fact 

that the things of the Lord are spiritually discerned and without God’s Spirit no one would be able to understand them.

Now please read this in that same chapter about the parables in verses 34-35, “All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, 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.”

Paul related to the parables also, read 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 “However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For ‘who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.”

This is a beautiful thing, plus a great reminder knowing only true born-again believers have the mind of Christ and without being born-again your body is not the temple of God’s Spirit.  Only true believers have the Spirit of God dwelling in them, so their bodies became the temples of the Holy Spirit.  This ought to be an encouragement to every born-again believer, to get into the Word of God and drink of the living water and hide God’s Word in your heart that you might not sin against Him because you not only read God’s Word and study it, but you put it into practice.  That is the way you become an overcomer, praise the Lord!!  So, if you are a born-again believer you have ample reasons to praise the Lord knowing that He is worthy!!  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may all of you have a super, super day!!