PURPOSE OF PARABLES.

 OUR WORD "PARABLE" IS RELATED TO THE  GREEK WORD PARABALLO which means " TO THROW OR PLACE ALONGSIDE."  THUS A PARABLE IS SOMETHING PLACED ALONGSIDE SOMETHING ELSE FOR THE PURPOSE OF COMPARISON. THE TYPICAL PARABLE USES A COMMON EVENT OF NATURAL LIFE EMPHASIZE OR CLARIFY AN IMPORTANT SPIRITUAL TRUTH. JESUS THE MASTER TEACHER, USED PARABLES REGULARLY AS HE TAUGHT. THE GREEK WORD FOR PARABLE OCCURS FIFTY TIMES IN THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS IN CONNECTION WITH HIS MINISTRY, SUGGESTING THAT PARABLES WERE ONE OF IS TEACHING DEVICES. SCRIPTURE REVEALS TWO BASIC PURPOSES OF PARABLES. THE FIRST OF THESE IS TO REVEAL TRUTH TO BELIEVERS (MATT. 13: 10-12); MORE EFFECTIVELY THAN ORDINARY  DISCOURSE. FOR EXAMPLE, CHRIST COULD HAVE SAID, " YOU SHOULD BE MORE PERSISTENT IN YOUR PRAYER LIFE."  A STATEMENT HIS HEARERS WOULD PROBABLY HAVE  SHRUGGED OFF AND PROBABLY QUICKLY FORGOTTEN. INSTEAD HE TOLD THEM OF A "WIDOW" WHO KEPT BEGGING AN UNJUST JUDGE TO HELP HER, UNTIL THE JUDGE FINALLY DECIDED TO ANSWER HER PETITIONS TO STOP HER COMPLAINING. CHRIST THEN TAUGHT  THE LESSON OF THE PARABLE: IF AN UNJUST JUDGE WHO CARES NOTHING ABOUT A WIDOW CAN BE SWAYED BY PERSISTENT BEGGING, HOW MUCH MORE A LOVING HEAVENLY FATHER ANSWER THOSE WHO CONSISTENTLY PRAY TO HIM.. SIMILARLY,  CHRIST COULD HAVE SAID, " YOU SHOULD BE HUMBLE,"  WHEN YOU PRAY." INSTEAD HE TOLD HIS AUDIENCE OF THE PHARISEE AND THE TAX COLLECTOR WHO WENT UP TO THE TEMPLE TO PRAY (LUKE 18: 19-14). THE RIDICULOUSNESS OF THE PHARISEES PRIDE AND AUTHENTICITY OF THE TAX COLLECTORS HUMILITY TEACH CHRIST'S LESSON IN A SIMPLE BUT UNFORGETTABLE WAY. IN REVEALING TRUTH PARABLES ARE ALSO USED EFFECTIVELY IN SCRIPTURE TO CONFRONT BELIEVERS WITH WRONGDOING IN THEIR LIVES.  IF A BELIEVER POSSESSES  BASICALLY SOUND MORAL STANDARDS COGNITIVELY AND YET FAILS TO LIVE UP TO THOSE STANDARDS IN SOME AREA OF HIS LIFE, A PARABLE CAN BE AN EFFECTUAL MEANS OF POINTING OUT HIS DISCREPANCY. CONSIDER THE CASE OF DAVID AND NATHAN AS TOLD IN (2 SAMUEL 12 ;1-7). THE CONTEXT OF THIS INCIDENT IS THAT DAVID HAD JUST HAD URIAH KILLED IN ORDER THAT HE MIGHT MARRY URIAH'S WIFE. THE TEXT READS: THE LORD SENT NATHAN TO DAVID. WHEN HE CAME TO HIM, HE SAID, " THERE WERE TWO MEN IN A CERTAIN TOWN, ONE RICH, THE OTHER POOR. THE RICH MAN HAD A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF SHEEP AND CATTLE, BUT THE POOR MAN HAD NOTHING EXCEPT ONE LITTLE EWE LAMB HE HAD BOUGHT. HE RAISED IT, AND IT GREW UP WITH HIM AND HIS CHILDREN. IT SHARED HIS FOOD, DRANK FROM HIS CUP AND EVEN SLEPT IN HIS ARMS. IT WAS LIKE A DAUGHTER TO HIM. NOW A TRAVELER CAME TO A RICH MAN, BUT THE RICH MAN REFRAINED FROM TAKING ONE OF HIS OWN SHEEP OR CATTLE TO PREPARE A MEAL FOR THE TRAVELER WHO HAD COME TO HIM. INSTEAD, HE TOOK THE EWE LAMB THAT BELONGED TO THE POOR MAN AND PREPARED IT FOR THE ONE WHO HAD COME TO HIM. DAVID BURNED WITH ANGER AGAINST THIS MAN AND SAID TO NATHAN, AS SURELY AS THE LORD LIVES, THE MAN WHO DID THIS DESERVES TO DIE!  HE MUST PAY FOR THAT LAMB FOUR TIMES OVER, BECAUSE HE DID SUCH A THING AND HAD NOT PITY." THEN NATHAN SAID TO DAVID, " YOU ARE THE MAN!" DAVID A MAN OF MORAL PRINCIPAL, IDENTIFIED WITH THE GREAT WRONG THAT HAD BEEN DONE TO THE POOR MAN IN THE STORY.  A PARABLE HIDES TRUTH FROM THOSE WHO HARDENED THEIR HEARTS  AGAINST IT. (MATT. 13: 10-15; MARK 4:11-12; LUKE 8:9-10). IT MAY SEEM DIFFICULT TO RECONCILE THIS PURPOSE WITH OUR CONCEPTION OF GOD AS A LOVING  BEING WHO ANNOUNCES TRUTH RATHER THAN HIDES IT. IT MAY BE THAT MAN RESISTS TRUTH AND YIELDS TO SIN, HE BECOMES LESS AND LESS ABLE TO UNDERSTAND SPIRITUAL TRUTH. THUS THE SAME PARABLES THAT BROUGHT INSIGHT TO FAITHFUL BELIEVERS WERE WITHOUT MEANING TO THOSE THAT HARDENEDING THEIR HEARTS AGAINST THE TRUTH, WHICH REMOVES FROM GOD ANY RESPONSIBILITIES  FOR THE PHARISEES SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS.  [I'm back!].