tam wrote: ↑Tue Oct 17, 2023 1:03 am
Peace to you,
[
Replying to Eddie Ramos in post #28]
The Bible tells us that Christ spoke all things in parables and did not speak without a parable. Yet people refuse to acknowledge that scripture (Mt 13:34 & Mk 4:34) and insist that he only spoke in parables sometimes.
Eddie, why do you keep saying this? The bible does not say what you are claiming. The bible actually shows the opposite of what you are saying.
From Matthew:
[Jesus] spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.
35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
“I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”[c]
(Please note the qualifiers: "To the crowd"... "to them.")
36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
He then
explains the parable. He tells them plainly:
37 He answered,
“The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Then from Mark:
When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them,
“The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,
He then explained the parables to His apostles, and those explanations are recorded in the bible.
How then can you continue to say that He did not speak except in parables?
Peace again.
Hi Tam. My conclusion that Jesus always spoke with parables and without a parable he did not speak, doesn't come from only one or two verses, but from a thorough examination of the scriptures. Let's start with Mat 13:34.
Matthew 13:34–35 (KJV 1900)
All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: 35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
Now this also agrees with the other scripture you quoted:
Psalm 78:2 (KJV 1900)
I will open my mouth in a parable:
I will utter dark sayings of old:
We first have to understand a very important truth, that is, everything that was said to the multitudes and written down for us to read, became part of the Word of God, the Bible. It's also no coincidence that Jesus is called "The Word of God". Now, your focus seems to be that you believe that he spoke plainly to his disciples and not in parables, but the disciples were within the multitude hearing his parables. So, the part of the verse that says, " and without a parable spake he not unto them" also applied to his disciples. This is why they requested explanations of the parables.
Matthew 15:10–16 (KJV 1900)
And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. 12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? 13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. 15 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. 16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
So, we have confirmation that "the multitudes" certainly included his disciples. Now, we also read that Christ explained his parables to his disciples. This is a very important principle in the scriptures, because it teaches us that when the true children of God go to the scriptures, the only place they can go to understand what they are reading is back to Christ (The Word of God) himself. The question is, when we read the explanations given by Christ, were they spoken in plain language or in parables? Your assessment is that they were spoken
plainly, but you provided no scripture to show that. Yet, the only way to arrive at your conclusion is to set aside Mat 13:34-35. This means that even Christ's explanations are parables. Why would I say that? Becasue that was his form of doctrine, speaking in parables.
Mark 4:1–3 (KJV 1900)
And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. 2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, 3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
The doctrine of Christ (thus, the Word of God) is a doctrine of parables. And the only way to understand what has been written is to go to the Word of God itself and never to rely on our own reasoning because that always resulted in error in the Bible.
Mark 12:37–38 (KJV 1900)
..... And the common people heard him gladly.
38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,
MArk 12:37 mentions nothing about what he's about what he's about to say being a parable, yet we know, by comparing scripture with scripture, that this doctrine was that of parables.
Mark 4:34 (KJV 1900)
But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.
If you look up this word "expounded" in the Bible, you'll notice that it's only used one other time in the Greek text which is translated as "determined". And the setting where this word is placed is in a courtroom-like setting where both sides are put forth and right and wrong have to be lawfully "determined". This teaches us that when Jesus "expounded" all things to his disciples, that it still required proper determination by the hearer/reader in order to come to a proper understanding of what is being said. And this understanding comes by comparing scripture with scripture, which is how the Holy Spirit teaches.
Also, the disciples were under the impression, at the first, that when Christ spoke to them specifically, that he spoke plainly. But such was not the case.
Matthew 16:5–9 (KJV 1900)
And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. 8 Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? 9 Do ye not yet understand......
Eventually, his disciples understood that Christ only spoke in parables, which is why they asked for understanding. But even when Christ explained any parable, it was still in his doctrine, which is by way of parables.
Matthew 15:15–20 (KJV 1900)
Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. 16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? 17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
While the explanation may seem straightforward, the parable in this explanation focuses on "the heart" because the condition of the heart is the key to salvation. The Bible teaches us that there are 2 kinds of hearts. A heart of stone (representing the unsaved) and a heart of flesh (representing the saved). And no matter the outward appearance of an individual (like the Pharisees) which seem holy unto men, it is the true condition of the heart (which only God can see) that determines what type of gospel is preached.
Now, there is only one (maybe 2) passage(s) in the whole Bible where we are directly told that Jesus spoke plainly. And even here, where it is obvious that it is a plain statement, we can still see that he is still speaking in a parable.
John 11:11–14 (KJV 1900)
These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. 12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. 13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. 14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
Where is the parable in stating that Lazarus was dead? It was in that which Lazarus' death and resurrection represented, which is salvation. Lazarus, although physically dead, typified the spiritual condition of an unsaved individual who is dead in his sins (the dead soul). Therefore, even when Christ plainly stated that Lazarus was dead, we understand that he did not speak unto the multitude (disciples included) without a parable because his doctrine was a doctrine of parables.
Psalm 78:2 (KJV 1900)
I will open my mouth in a parable:
I will utter dark sayings of old:
Having that understanding, that the Word of God did not speak without parables, raises a question as to whether that applies to the entire Word of God, and it does. The Word of God is one cohesive book and those words were all spoken by God in the form of parables, while atthe same time, being 100% historically true and accurate. These are called historical parables and God gives us plenty of examples which confirm for us that because the Bible is a spiritual book, it was all spoken in the form of parables to conceal truth which required much searching out in order to obtain a proper understanding of what the plainly written text says. I can walk you through as many examples of this as you'd like. I apologize for the length but I wanted to be thorough.
Proverbs 25:2 (KJV 1900)
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing (a WORD):
But the honour of kings is to search out a matter (a WORD).
."
