The Parables of Jesus
Listening to Jesus tell parables, you might think He didn’t want people to understand what He was saying! However, Jesus came to reveal things that had previously been either misunderstood or totally ignored by most of the human race, from Adam and Eve forward. He spoke in parables, knowing that His Spirit would enable those whom God had chosen to understand what they needed to understand. Thus the words of Matthew 13:11: “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” Understanding Jesus’ parables and accepting the truth they reveal is evidence of the presence of His Spirit within you! The “topics” Jesus discusses in His parables are not only important for life in THIS world, but are like a spiritual instruction manual for those who hear them. In His parables Jesus explains how to live as citizens of God’s kingdom NOW, as you live in THIS world, and He gives encouragement to those who have become discouraged or overwhelmed by the work of the enemies of God’s kingdom all around us, by pointing to a future kingdom where our enemies will be destroyed. Evil is real! Evil is powerful!! BUT GOD is at work; and His kingdom WILL come … in fact, it is already here … in part. Living with hope in this world is impossible unless you have been given eyes to see and ears to hear the good news of the kingdom of heaven … the kingdom of God!! You will learn today that the kingdom of heaven is both a present reality AND a future hope for those who have entered in through faith in Jesus Christ. To you who believe, Jesus says, “Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear!”