Sermon Tone Analysis

What is a parable?

The Bible contains a variety of writing styles.

There are several genres of literature all represented in scripture.

There is narrative story.

There is historical documentation.

There is poetry.

There are prayers.

There are letters written back and forth.

There are prophecies.

And then in the gospels we find Jesus teaching in a way that almost exclusively uses a technique that we call parables.

Today we are beginning a series for the summer that looks at some of the parables of Jesus.

So, it might be helpful right here at the beginning to talk a little bit about parables.

We cannot figure out WHAT these stories mean until we know HOW these stories should be read.

Maybe that’s a new idea for you today.

We do not read all scripture the same way.

Because there are so many examples of different literary genres in the Bible, we also bring different expectations and techniques depending on what part of the Bible we are reading.

Parables are always a good place to remind ourselves of this.

What do I mean by different expectations?

We read different literary genres with different expectations of what the writing is supposed to mean.

Or, in other words, we bring expectations to text based on the kind of text we are reading.

Let me give an obvious example of how this works.

A newspaper.

Newspapers contain a variety of different literary genres.

And we carry certain expectations to what we are reading depending on what section of the newspaper we are looking at.

I would like to think that when I am flipping through the national and local sections of the newspaper, that the stories are credible and sources are checked and confirmed.

But when I read op-ed articles in the opinion section, now my expectation of what I am reading shifts because I know these are articles that are not intended to report unbiased fact, but rather these are authors who are trying to sway public views by expressing opinions.

And when I read the business section and flip through the stock market, I don’t read it like some kind of story.

The stock page is a chart of data, not sentences and paragraphs.

The comics page again shifts my expectations of what I am reading.

I am looking for the line or picture that is funny, because the intention of comics is to make us laugh.

Do you get what I mean here?

I don’t read the opinion page or the events page or the stock market page or the comics page to same way.

I carry a completely different set of pre-loaded expectations into the text of a newspaper depending entirely upon what section of the paper I am looking at.

Do we do that same thing with the different kinds of writing we find in the Bible?

We should!

I should not read a Psalm the same way I read narrative, or the same way I read one of the apostolic letters, or the same way I read prophecy.

I have different expectations loaded into what it is I’m reading in the Bible based on what part of the Bible I’m reading.

This is all introduction.

Today we are reading a parable.

And we cannot understand and interpret this story unless we understand a few things about parables in general.

What we see here in Mark 4 is such a perfect example because I think Mark understood this too.

Mark dedicates part of his gospel to go out of his way and catch his readers with a reminder that parables are completely different kind of style.

This parable of the sower that we see in Mark 4 is an example of what I will call a true parable.

Not true in the sense that it actually happened, but true in the sense that it actually could happen.

It is a story with characters and a plot.

The story of this parable is plausible; it could actually happen.

There are also saying of Jesus that are more about similarities or metaphors, but not actually a plausible story.

I am vine, you are the branches.

I am the light of the world.

You are the salt of the earth.

These sayings are metaphors for comparison—one thing is like another thing.

Now a word about what parables are NOT.

Parables are not allegories.

An allegory is a story in which every character and plot feature has some kind of direct one-to-one reference to some real-life person or event.

Parables make general comparisons.

Allegories make specific comparisons.

Parables are not meant to be that specific.

Here is why that is an important distinction for us to make.

We should never read a parable and then start to pick apart every single character and every single detail trying to make one-to-one match ups for what all these things mean.

No, parables are much simpler.

The point of a parable is meant to be simple and generic, not complex and complicated.

What kind of simple generic meaning do these parable sayings all have in common?

I was once told that parables are an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.

I’m not sure how helpful that is.

It still kind of leaves us wondering what a heavenly meaning might be?

I think it might help us to be a little more accurate in our definition of a parable.

It is not just an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.

I’m going to define it this way.

Parables convey a Kingdom idea which calls for a response from the hearer.

Back in Mark 1 we see the very first words of Jesus that Mark records in his gospel: “the time has come, this kingdom of God is near.”

Parables take that skeleton statement and puts some meat on those bones.

Parables convey simple ideas of what Jesus means when he talks about the kingdom of God.

Parables are stories and comparisons which should give us a clearer picture of the kingdom.

They are not direct literal descriptions of the kingdom of God.

But Jesus uses parables to lay out ideas about the kingdom that help us recognize the kingdom when we see it.

And the second part—which is always essential to the parable—is the call for response.

Parables are not cute stories that merely teach some kind of knowledge.

Jesus always intends for these stories to produce some kind of response from those who hear it.

There needs to be a reaction of some kind.

Sometimes the response is a call to action in a way that shows us how to embrace and live out this kingdom idea.

And sometimes we see the response is a reaction of anger and offence as those who thought they already knew and understood the kingdom are singled out and corrected by Jesus.

Either way, the parable hits in a way that brings a response.

If you read a parable and walk away without any kind of reaction or any kind of response, then you missed it.

Jesus acknowledges that here in Mark 4. That some people just seem to miss it.

Some people just don’t catch the point.

The authors of the gospels are quite intentional in the way they arrange these stories.

The parables of Jesus are not randomly sprinkled throughout the gospels.

Rather, the apostles place them together in groups that help us pull out the kingdom idea and see the response which Jesus intends.

The structure of the gospels themselves help us with this.

And in this case, the structure also helps us understand why it is that some other people miss the point and just don’t get it.

Parables in the Bible

In your sermon notes is a goofy looking outline that goes from A to D and then back to A again.

I’m going to put Mark 4 into this outline so we can better see how the arrangement of these parables also helps us understand the meaning.

A. narrative introduction vs 1-2

B. seed parable vs 3-9

C. hiddenness vs 10-12

D. parable explanation vs 13-20

C’. hiddenness vs 21-25

B’. seed parable vs 26-32

A’. narrative conclusion vs 33-34