Did Jesus use parables to entertain?

LittleLambofJesus said:

Who would you seek out that knows the meanings of them?
The book of Revelation is also a Hugh Parable and no one has figured that book out yet to this day it seems, even though the Old Testament has the answers to it.


Isaiah 28:18 Your covenant with death will be atoned/covered over, And your agreement with Sheol will not stand; When the overflowing scourge passes through, Then you will be trampled down by it

.(Young) Revelation 18:8 because of this, in one day, shall come her Scourges/plhgai <4127>, death, and sorrow, and famine; and in fire she shall be utterly burned, because strong [is] the Lord God who is judging her;

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Interesting.

In Isaiah text "scourge" 7752 is "whipping" shot.

In Revelation "scourge" 4127 is plagues plëgë.

However, in this NT text 4127 plëgë is also associated with whipping.
AC 16:23 After they had been severely flogged, (4127) they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.

Whipping with plagues ... interesting association.

Ed

Rick Warren was mentioned ONCE in the course of this discussion. ONCE. I think it's way premature to say that this thread is "about Rick Warren now."

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Perhaps, but when specific people start being mentioned (i.e "so and so does/teaches this!") it does tend to derail threads. (IMHO)
tulc(just a thought)

Kristos said:

Which parable is about homosexuality?

Jesus spoke about money more than anything, but that didn't make your list

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Jesus used the analogy of money and currency to relate the idea of debt, and that the holder of that debt service is God. I personally love the parable of the unforgiving servant. Brings my life into focus.

[bible]matthew 18:21-35[/bible]

I'd contend that such complaints do much more to derail the actual discussion.

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As you will. I'll say no more!
tulc(got to go drive)

jubilationtcornpone said:

I've often heard people assert that Jesus used parables to entertain the crowds, and that we must likewise strive to entertain the congregations. Is this true, though?

Jesus himself answered this question. He used parables in order to confuse non-believers. As Matthew 13:10-15 says,

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.’​

Some would say, "But Jesus used parables to entertain! He knew that he had to entertain in order to draw a crowd!" That's not what the Bible says, though. Moreover, his parables were illustrative, but hardly entertaining. There's very little entertainment value in hearing about a woman who loses a coin, for example, only to find it again. Calling this "entertainment" is a huge stretch.

Besides, Jesus himself used parables sparingly. He occasionally told these stories, but he did not rely on them for all of his teaching. Jesus did not treat his listeners like idiots. He did not assume that they were so addled as to require an illustrative story for every teaching.


Moreover, there's a huge difference between using parables -- short, illustrative stories -- and acting these stories out before a crowd. Did Jesus instruct his Apostles to construct a stage and act out the Parable of the Good Samaritan, for example? Certainly not! It would not have been wrong to do so, but Jesus did not feel that his listeners required the constant use of dramatic reenactments.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with using parables to entertain, just as drama is not inherently wrong. Ultimately though, dramatic skits appeal to one's emotions, rather than one's mind. There is a time and place for emotional appeals, but this provides a poor foundation for doctrinal understanding. How does one use a dramatic skit to convey Trinitarian doctrine, for example? Or to illustrate end-times theology? Or to discern whether speaking in tongues is valid for today? Emotions can help motivate people, but when it comes to grasping doctrine, they are ultimately a hindrance rather than a help.

Besides, do you really need a dramatic enactment in order to illustrate that homosexuality is wrong? Or dishonesty? Or adultery? If a church truly needs such tactics in order to comprehend these simple, fundamental truths, then the pastor has not done a proper job of teaching his flock. Moreover, beliefs that are rooted in emotional appeals lack any firm foundation. What happens when a movie like Brokeback Mountain or The Bridges of Madison County comes along -- movies that portray the glories of homosexuality and adultery? If we rely on drama and emotional appeal to instill one's beliefs, then those beliefs can be readily led away by dramas that convey the opposite worldview.

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All of God's words are for KNOWledge, entertaining doesn't enter into it. The Lord is not a night club act. Parables are a great LESSON for all of us to learn.

Parable

1, parabole
lit. denotes “a placing beside” (akin to paraballo, “to throw” or “lay beside, to compare”). It signifies “a placing of one thing beside another” with a view to comparison (some consider that the thought of comparison is not necessarily contained in the word). In the NT it is found outside the Gospels, only in Heb. 9:9; 11:19. It is generally used of a somewhat lengthy utterance or narrative drawn from nature or human circumstances, the object of which is to set forth a spiritual lesson, e.g., those in Matt. 13 and Synoptic parallels; sometimes it is used of a short saying or proverb, e.g., Matt. 15:15; Mark 3:23; 7:17; Luke 4:23; 5:36; 6:39. It is the lesson that is of value; the hearer must catch the analogy if he is to be instructed (this is true also of a proverb). Such a narrative or saying, dealing with earthly things with a spiritual meaning, is distinct from a fable, which attributes to things what does not belong to them in nature.


Christ's “parables” most frequently convey truths connected with the subject of the kingdom of God. His withholding the meaning from His hearers as He did from the multitudes, Matt. 13:34, was a Divine judgment upon the unworthy.


Two dangers are to be avoided in seeking to interpret the “parables” in Scripture, that of ignoring the important features, and that of trying to make all the details mean something.
2, paroima denotes “a wayside saying” (from paroimos, “by the way”), “a byword,” “maxim,” or “problem,” 2 Pet. 2:22. The word is sometimes spoken of as a “parable,” John 10:6, i.e., a figurative discourse (RV marg., “proverb”); see also John 16:25,29, where the word is rendered “proverbs” (marg. “parables”) and “proverb.”

tulc said:

Perhaps, but when specific people start being mentioned (i.e "so and so does/teaches this!") it does tend to derail threads. (IMHO)
tulc(just a thought)

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The only reason I mentioned specific people was to respond to a couple of posts claiming that they didn't know that any christian teachers / churches were saying that Jesus spoke in parables to entertain. I wanted to point out that the seeker sensitive movement (Warren, Hybels) teaches this unbiblical doctrine. These seeker sensitive pastors think that modern preachers should imitate Jesus and tell entertaining stories in the Sunday morning service, just like Jesus entertained the crowd with parables. This of course is false teaching.