Week 6, July 15-21: Parables and Crisis Assistance
Before we get started: Some things to keep in mind: Purpose of Parables
- What is a parable? A parable is a fictitious or made up story designed to teach a lesson through comparison. It conveys its message of truth through analogy, through comparison or contrast.
- Parables convey a truth in a form easy to remember – a story with a plot.
- Parables cause one to question and relate the underlying truth to real life. When you hear the story, you can relate it to your own life or question its application to your real life.
- Parables are an invitation to think more deeply and discover truth for yourself. This is important part of Jesus’ personality we can see in his teaching ministry. He didn’t want to just tell people what to do – ‘law like.” He wanted people to think and reason freely for themselves, not just blindly obey. Jesus makes this very clear in Verse 8:10 “though seeing, they may not see; through hearing, they may not understand.” Understanding and discovery of truth is a matter of choice. We have to be open to see, to understand, to hear. We can close our eyes and hears to truth if we choose to do so; we can just accept the “spin” of our culture’s bias without thinking for ourselves if we choose. But a disciple of Jesus is one who is curious – who is a seeker – who questions the meaning -- who wants to discover the truth.
Scriptural Encounter and Discussion Week 6
Let’s Get Started: Read our selection of the Week Luke 8-9:6
Observation Level
(First
step in Bible study is to start by observing what is actually there before you
start trying to interpret or apply)
8:1-3 Women Disciples mentioned
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8:26-39 Jesus Heals the Demon Possessed Man at Gerasene
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8:4-18 The Parable of the Sower Teaching
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8:40-46 Jesus Heals the Roman Generals Daughter and
a Women Touches Jesus for Healing on the way.
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8:
19-21 Jesus’ True Family Teaching
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9:1-6 Jesus sends the twelve Disciples out to do
and say the same things he was doing and saying.
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8:22-25 Jesus Calms the Storm
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Imaginative Level
(Use your imagination and memory to
dialogue with the text)
Reread the Parable of the Sower, 8:4-18.
Imagine hearing the story – what does
each of the aspects of the story symbolize in your life. What
are the hard soil, the rocky soil, thorny soil and soft good soil that is part
of your personality or life? What power does applying these 4 soil symbols to
aspects of your heart/life have for you?
Interpretive Level
Jesus says that the seeds represent the word of God – the truth of God is another way to say the same thing. Paul says that human beings have a curious trait; we can hear the truth and forget it as soon as we turn around. He said that it was like looking in the mirror and then forgetting what we look at as soon as we turn around.
Where have you seen this phenomena happening in our world today? Where have you seen it in yourself?
What
interferes with people receiving the truth God offers?
Maieutic Level
(Maieutic means making meaning or
connections with reality. It’s about discerning wisdom)
This phenomena or characteristics
about people that Jesus is pointing to in this parable – the four different
things we typically do with truth – Is this true?
In what ways can we increase our
openness to God’s Word?
Week Five Summary of possible questions for
discussion or reply:
- What power does applying these 4 soil symbols to aspects of your heart/life have for you? Where have you seen this phenomena happening in our world today? Where have you seen it in yourself?
- What interferes with people receiving the truth God offers?
- This phenomena or characteristics about people that Jesus is pointing to in this parable – the four different things we typically do with truth – Is this true?
- In what ways can we increase our openness to God’s Word?
- Share your life: In what ways has God’s Word changed your life?
For a long time, I was a 'routine' Christian who went to church and said a quick prayer before closing my eyes at night, but I wasn't in love with Christ. God's Word truly opened my eyes to who God is and his message to us. I was once told that the Bible is God's "love letter" to us and when I became more active in reading it, I found that I agreed. It's one thing to hear Bible stories from church or Sunday school, but something completely different to physically read them yourself. I think His word is just one more way to fall deeper in love with Christ. It has allowed me to go from being a seed on the road or the rocky ground to a seed on good ground.
ReplyDeleteI like the love letter metaphor too!
DeleteI really don't know what to say about applying those 4 soil symbols to aspects of my heart because there is just so much to say. I do see it within my life and around me: I know that I can fall away. It's such a subtle shift that it's alarming.
ReplyDeleteI think the concerns of the world, both valid and irrational, are the things that interfere with people yearning for truth let alone receiving of it. It can be as simple as someone just becoming more aware about a character flaw in him or herself which constitutes God's unique truth, the kind applicable to his or her life. That's how it often has been for me too. Contrarily, Jesus seemed to really simplify the way people receive truth because I think it is more complex than that. I think that truth requires a permeating process. The soil concept imposes the "if at first you don't succeed..." concept on human nature. I am not sure how accurate or fair that is.
Perhaps viewing God's word as synonomous with God's truth is probably the first step in being more open to what general truth itself really is.