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So, thank you for that. Thank you to Mighty Muscadine for sponsoring this episode. Let's jump in. Parables are like mirrors. Every time you hear one of Jesus's stories, you're supposed to look inwards and say, "Which character am I?" Because make no mistake, you're in that story somewhere.
Let's figure out how to see yourself in the parables coming up today on the Clearview Today Show. You're listening to Clear View today with Dr. Abadon Shah, the daily show that engages mind and heart for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Ryan Hill. I'm John Galantis.
Welcome to the Clear View Today show. We're here live in the studio with our host, Dr. Abadon Shah. Dr. Shah, it's good to see you this morning.
You as well. Absolutely. You know, we had a great talk yesterday about you know the stories that Jesus told, and it kind of led into this conversation about this mystery, this covert operation that God has given to all of us. He's revealed it to us. And while also concealing it throughout history, we had a lot of people texting into the show.
And today, we want to hear from you. That number is two five two four two nine six zero six nine. Which parable of Jesus sticks out the most in your mind? What's the one story Jesus told that made the most impact on your life and your Christian walk? That number again is two five two four two nine six zero six nine.
We've kind of alluded to it already, but probably the greatest example of this revealing and concealing that we have from the New Testament is the parables of Jesus.
Some of the most well-known stories. People, even people who don't know the Bible very well, have heard of things like the Good Samaritan, and they've heard of things like the Sower. They've heard of things like the prodigal son. Prodigal son, exactly. They've heard they've heard these stories, these iconic tales.
But the parables served a a deep purpose in Jesus's ministry. Yeah, Doctor Shai, it feels like you know me and all my infinite wisdom, common sense dictates if this is the if this is the gospel. That is here to save the world. I'm going to show up on the scene and tell everyone, "Hey guys, I'm the Messiah. All of this is real.
I'm the culmination. Believe in me. You're going to go to heaven." Here's your three steps to salvation. Jesus didn't do that. Why didn't he have a Buzzfeed top ten?
This is the most important thing to understand. List. Oh, I mean, good point. It's because they were not all. In support of what he was doing, and so when Jesus began his ministry, there was a secret aspect to it, where those who understood him understood the gospel.
And got even more out of it, but those who didn't, even what they had, was taken away from them. What I mean by those who didn't is not like didn't understand; those who rejected Him, who actively tried to oppose Him, even what they had was taken away. And that's exactly what Jesus said when His disciples came to Him and they asked Him that question: "You know, why do you speak to them in parables, but to us?" You seem to be clear, but to them you're you're speaking in mysteries. That word mystery later on is used by the apostle Paul. We covered that in in quite at quite length in yesterday's program.
But that word mystery is not something mysterious or something in line with some of the mystery religions of ancient Greece and Rome or even Egypt. No, the mystery here is a covert operation. But behind this covert operation was God Himself, bringing. His son into this world. That was the mystery, and when you go to the book of Daniel, this is where you encounter that word mystery in the Septuagint, originally written in Aramaic as the word "raz," and "raz" had the idea of this overarching secretive plan, and if you remember the.
Dream that Nebuchadnezzar had of this massive, colossal statue made out of different metals, representing different kingdoms, and how this stone, cut without hands, comes out of nowhere and just dashes against the foot of that statue, this confederation of clay and and iron, and destroys it. And at the same time, the entire statue, Babylon, right, Persia, Greece, Rome, it comes crashing down, right.
So, what is the point? Means God's kingdom has arrived, and it's going to not only now take over, but in the end of times, it will also be victorious. This is going to be God's kingdom.
So when Jesus comes, he introduces, you know, the kingdom of God. I mean, so much about the kingdom of God. Repent for the kingdom of God. Heaven is at hand. Kingdom of God, kingdom of heaven, mean the same thing.
And then he gave these parables to explain what the kingdom is all about. The disciples understood, but. The Pharisees, the Sadducees, the chief priests, the Romans. Could not understand it. Do you think it's the same way today?
Because like we we would read some of these parables or listen to some of these parables preached, and you know, hearing the story, you can sort of see the parallels. I wouldn't say it's common sense, but I can see what Jesus is driving at. Do you think there's a multitude of people out there today who, if you told them these parables, they're like, "I got no clue what you're talking about." Or do you think largely in America we we sort of get it? No, I think I think most people just get the husk of that story and. Again, I'm not trying to get into German historical critical studies when I talk about the kernel and the husk.
Nothing like that. But but they just get the outward structure of the story. They don't understand the deeper meaning.
So, prodigal son story. What is it about? Is it just about how much God loves us and waits on us when we rebel against Him? On the surface, yes, but it has a deeper story. It's about the gospel.
The gospel coming to those who are undeserving, those who have actively rebelled against God and ran away to a foreign country, and then they come to themselves and they come back to Him. When they come back to Him, He does not make them toe the line and and and take the proper steps in being reconciled to the Father. No, He just welcomes them. That is what the gospel is about. That's what happened on the day of Pentecost, when all these diasporic Jewish people were in Jerusalem, who always felt second class, or felt like, man, they were not as good enough as the ones who lived in Jerusalem or Judea, or Palestine at the time, always felt like second class.
And now that they're coming back to God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, man, they are welcomed in. They're not being treated as outsiders and second class. Yeah, I mean that's a mystery. That's that. And and for those of you who are there and have always been there, you feel like, why are you accepting them?
Yeah, or for that matter, the Galileans. Why would you, you know, include those kinds of people in your friend circle? Jesus says to them, "Hey, everything I have has always been yours. Yeah, but them—they were lost, but they are now found. Yeah." And you should rejoice with us.
We tend to stop after the interaction between the father and the prodigal son who returns home, but miss the the words of the father that Jesus shares with it. It's it's important that we think about who's who he's delivering this parable to, the parable of the or the words that the father shares with the older brother, the older brother who's bitter, who who is frustrated, who is mad that his brother who is rebelled is getting the celebration. But that makes perfect sense when you look at Jesus' audience. Yeah, because I think a lot of times we like to see our Selves as the younger brother, which at one point in our lives we were, but now that I'm a Christian, now that I've been with God for ten years, twenty years, fifty years, whatever it is, I got to make sure that I'm not becoming that older brother. Yeah, and I think a lot of Christians stop there, like the parable of the prodigal son.
Because I'm saved, that no longer applies to me. I just remember who I used to be. Yeah, but there's also another character in the older brother that gets that gets.
So I see exactly what you're saying. Where we might understand the husk, we might understand like the the structure of that. Story, but am I missing the true message today? Yeah, there's a double, you know, two sets of applications there. One, of course, to the people of Israel, to welcome home those who were scattered, those who were, you know, had drifted away from God.
Welcome them home. Don't feel like you're not going to get your right. Rightful due, you will be fine. They need to be welcomed home. But on a deeper level, there's a there's an application for us.
How do we see people, especially people who wasted their lives in wanton living, and then they begin to make their way back? And you know, last shall be first, first shall be last. How do you take that? Do you take it with resentment? Do you take it with anger, confusion, doubt?
Being perplexed, like, how can God do this? After all, I was the one who labored. I am the one who's always there. I am the one who's trying to obey God and follow His commands and and stay pure and holy. And this, these people, they go out there and destroy their lives.
And next thing you know, they're at the front of the line.
Well, don't let that. Get to you. That's right. Isn't that the whole point of seeing yourself in the parable of the of the miracle? That's right.
You continue to see yourself and register who you are in the story and who you don't want to be. I want who the cautionary tale is. Yeah, I want us to take a deeper look into the structure of these parables. Really quickly, we're going to hear a word from our sponsor. Then we'll be right back.
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Now back to the show.
So, Doctor Show, you have preached on the parables before, like you did. You did, I think, two full series on the parables of Jesus because I remember we did a bunch of filming on parables. We did Parable Season One, Parable Season Two, and in those, one of the things you always Said was parables are like mirrors. I think in every sermon you started bringing that out. That I'm supposed to see myself in that parable.
Tell us a little bit about that. Yes, that's why the stories were given the way, not only to conceal from the oppositions, the opponents of Jesus, but also to give them a chance as they are thinking about the stories and the characters and. The nemesis and the arch nemesis. Thinking about what's happening here. Oh, wait, you think that's me?
Oh, that is me, isn't it? Maybe that would cause them to, you know, come to grips with how they are rejecting God's plan of salvation, to wake up, to come alive, and to go, God, I am so sorry, like Nicodemus did. Like Joseph of Arimathea did, these people came alive, and they they they work, you know, got saved. You know the Bible tells us towards the end of the Gospels that many of the Pharisees had come to the Lord, which is amazing to me. We think Pharisees always were, you know, these commedians, you know, always angry with.
They're the mortal enemy. Yeah, yeah, that's how you think. But they're actually many of them were getting saved. I mean, Paul is a Pharisee. That's very true.
Pharisee of Pharisees. Yeah. You know, I think about all of this where we're we're hearing these stories, lives are being transformed, and then you know the structure of the stories themselves over the course of this series. Series, you know, because we're we're sort of wrapped up our getting to know God series, and we're wanting to move into the parables. But Doctor Chef, for someone who's never, maybe, maybe it's a new Christian, maybe it's someone who is like, why, why parables?
What am I supposed to get out of this? What am I supposed to see? Is there a way to interpret these stories? How do you how do you talk to someone who may be overwhelmed with this whole subject?
Well, I hope you will stay open, stay open minded, and and let the Holy Spirit guide you. Mysteries cannot be understood in your own strength and power and your wisdom and your discernment. It has to be the Holy Spirit of God opening your eyes, and He will also enable you to make the right confession if you need to. Either confess Christ, or He may cause you to confess your sins and say, "God, I am that Pharisee. I am that elder brother there.
I am that person who went astray. I am that sheep." That got lost.
So I hope you will allow the Holy Spirit to examine your heart. The stethoscope is the Scriptures. The examiner is the Holy Spirit, and the goal is the heart of every disciple. But it's going to expose something that I really don't want exposed. You know what I mean?
Like, like it's like going to the doctor's office, like. I think a lot of guys are really scared of going to the doctor's office because it's like once I get that bad news, it's there. I gotta confront it. I can deny it as long as I haven't gotten the report. Oh, that's my dad.
I mean, that's me, honestly, too. But that's that's my dad. It's like I'm not going because if I don't go to the doctor's office and he doesn't tell me. I don't got it. I don't got.
I can conceivably fool myself into thinking he doesn't exist. Yeah, Doctor Shaw. We hear the parables of Christ.
Okay, this is me. I need to fix this in my life. You know, I think we don't we don't realize that about the Pharisees. A lot of times, is like in their minds, they are not. I mean, I guess in nobody's mind, they're the villains.
But we think of them as the villains. Really, these are pious people who are genuinely trying to get people back to God. Yes, yes.
So when you really start studying the parables, you will come to grips with, you know, the people who are the bad guys really become very, you know, uncomfortable because now you're seeing yourself in them. Yeah. The Pharisees are the elder brothers.
Okay, that's a good point. The elder brother. The Pharisees are the people who we said that's the bad guy. No, I think you might be the one. Yeah.
So, who were the Pharisees? Let's look at that for a moment. The Pharisees were a lay movement of people who were trying to live a pious life.
So, people in the temple, the Levites. People in the temple, the priests.
Okay, that's what they were. Pharisees were not necessarily priests and Levites. They were common people who have who had decided to grow in the Lord, and they believed in the right doctrines. They advocated a very simple lifestyle. They were popular with the common people because they would help them keep the law.
So it's like almost like an attorney. You would go to them and say, "Hey, so, you know, this this neighbor came and stole my sheep.
Okay, all right. What do you? What do I do next?
Well, this is what the law says, or." The other way around. I did something wrong, and that I hurt somebody.
Okay, well, this is what the law says, and if you do this, this, this, then you have made restitution. They were very good at finding loopholes in the law. Yeah, I know that's what the law says, but, but in your case, you did not say that. You said by the gold of the temple.
Okay, that's the key. There, you didn't say you're swearing by the temple by the gold. Gold and temple are not the same. Why? Because gold can be anywhere.
Temple is one thing. If he had said temple, that's a whole different matter. We would be having a very different discussion. Gold of the temple.
So you don't have to keep your vow, Captain Loophole. Yes.
So I can imagine someone like Jesus comes on the scene and says, "You can't trap me with a loophole." This is about the condition of your heart. That's right. These are the type of people who really will balk at something like that. Yeah, they're going to be like, because because when you're good at loopholes, it's very frustrating to come against somebody who you can't, who you can't loophole, who you can't get get tangled up in their words.
Something else the Pharisees did was that they advocated what's known as table fellowship. Table fellowship means calling all Jewish people to live according to the priestly laws.
Now, the priest had a certain set of expectations by God. They're found in those first couple of books of the Pentateuch. But what the Pharisees said is that we're going to keep the same laws with the same intensity and passion and zeal, but when it comes to our everyday meals, so they would treat their home or their dining tables as an altar to the Lord. Every household was held responsible regarding. How you prepared your meals and how you tithed on your vegetables.
If you remember, Jesus talked about tithing mint and cumin. They were tithing on that. I mean, think about that. Just okay, I have a handful of mint here.
Okay, a pinch would do it for the Lord. The rest I can use. You know, it's kind of funny stuff. And then, how you served the meal was also important because in the temple the priests had a certain way of sacrificing the animals and certain way of collecting the blood and then the dung and and how they applied the blood all that.
So, even in the home. Especially at meals, there was a certain way of doing things.
So, is that why they got so antagonistic towards Jesus eating with like tax collectors and sinners? Oh, hundred percent. But, but there was more there because it was not just how you ate, but who you ate with. And that's where what happened, what you brought up. Yeah, they were very upset with Jesus because Jesus would eat with prostitutes and tax collectors.
Yeah, because the Pharisees believed that. Meals were supposed to be an exclusive time. This was meals were supposed to be sort of a hierarchical time, because they believed what you put inside matters, and who you have around during meals also matters. And Jesus didn't care about any of that. Yeah.
And it really made them upset. Yeah, I think it's it also goes to show like how we don't really understand the Pharisees because I think a lot of times we think of them as the religious elite. They're the ones in like law authority. Yeah, but really they're the ones that are sort of not like against the law, not like against like the the temple or whatever. But they're lay people.
How does that? How does that contribute to their like? I guess it's it's that thing where like they're loved by the people. But then Jesus comes on, and now he's really loved by the people. Let's take a quick break.
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Well, that that was true. Yeah, there was a deep sense of envy against Jesus, even jealousy. I would say, yeah, because envy is you have something that I really want. And I, I may, I may or may not do anything, everything I can to get it from you. Jealousy is I have something that I will not share.
I think the Pharisees were struggling from both with both envy and jealousy. They did not like that the crowds were following Jesus. Yeah, why does he get so many people following him? And so they were envious of him. They were also jealous because the crowds were going to him and not to them.
Yeah. And didn't want to share that, so I mean, they they hated Jesus, yeah, and and then Jesus said things like. Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and the the Pharisees are are they interchangeable or the scribes well scribes are different okay scribes were people who interpreted and taught the law to the people yes there's some overlap between the scribes and the Pharisees but these were people exclusively doing law stuff got you they were closely connected connected to the temple in Jerusalem and in smaller towns and villages they held positions. Of authority, did Jesus, when he was delivering parables, did he ever did he ever speak well of the Pharisees? I mean, there may have been like individualized interactions where he's talking to religious leaders, but as a whole, most often they're at odds, right?
Yeah, yeah, because they they just could not stand him. He had taken their popularity; he had exposed their hypocrisy. He raised their standards and say, unless your righteousness exceeds theirs, you cannot see the kingdom of heaven. You typically, I mean, not typically, but there are times in the Scripture where you see the Pharisees and the Sadducees coming together. Is this like a moment where it's like we usually are not all about this temple stuff, but for this time, we're going to team up with you guys?
Like an enemy of my enemy situation? Yeah, true. Sadducees were a little different than the Pharisees. In fact, they didn't like each other. Later on, they were united on one thing that we both hate Jesus.
But here, they did not get along. But who were the Sadducees? They considered themselves to be descendants of the priestly class.
So you could be a Pharisee and not be from the priestly tribe, the tribe of Levi. But Sadducees, most of the time, were from the tribe. Of the priests, this is a pedigree thing. Yeah, yeah. This is like we are—we are the actual religious authority.
We have the law behind us. Yeah, we control what happens religiously here. Did people recognize that, or was that just sort of a self-proclaimed? Like we're going to tell you what to do.
Some of that was sort of self-proclaimed, but they again were in charge of the temple. They were in cahoots with the Romans. They were wealthy. Because you know, over the years they had managed the temple, so I'm sure some wealth had come in with some deals and whatnot, and so they were well off much more than the Pharisees.
So when we talk about the the religious elite not liking Jesus because he's threatening the balance of power in this area, really we're talking about the Sadducees. There, yeah, that's who that's who Jesus is talking to. Yeah, the the Sadducees, in a sense, got along really well with the Romans because you had to. It's all about business. Yeah, we run the temple, and Romans, you want to be in power, let's work together.
Yeah, we'll keep them. Down, we'll keep our people in check, as long as you sort of look the other way and or or give us some extra benefits, we're good. Yeah. Well, you scratch my back, I'll scratch your back in a way that benefits both of us. Yeah.
How do you?
So, are these the three groups that he's talking to: Pharisees, scribes, Sadducees? There's also Jesus's family members. Oh yeah, because they didn't they didn't accept him either. Oh, oh yeah, that's true. Where there's there's one where he's like talking about like who are my mother and brothers?
Like they're they're here around me. That's right. Yeah. So they, you know, James, the writer of the book of James, what a powerful man of God, the pastor of the church in Jerusalem. Calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ, but when Jesus was doing his earthly ministry, James did not like him.
I would love to have that conversation with James about that trajectory from not not liking my brother Jesus to. Writing in my own book, a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Like what? What life happened? How did you experience the ministry of Jesus, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus that took you from, man, this Jesus guy, this brother who thinks he's all that, to I'm a servant of the Lord Jesus.
And I think as Christians, it's really easy for us to look at these groups of people, like the Pharisees, the Scribes, the Sadducees, even like members of Jesus's own family who reject him, and we say these are the bad guys. You know, these are Jesus's opposition. But they're church-going people. And I think a lot of times we as church going people we want to create that divide. We don't want to hear one of Jesus's parables and say, "Oh, you know what?
I'm a Pharisee. I'm a Sadducee. I I use my power of influence for self selfish gain." Well, and that sort of brings the conversation back full circle because the parables were not delivered to. I mean, they were delivered to the people who were listening, but it wasn't intended. It wasn't aimed at lost people.
It was aimed at people who were there and were religious who were who weren't understanding correctly. Yeah, we. We, I think, we have a default that if I have to put myself in the story, I am obviously one of the disciples. But yeah, I might not get it here and there. I might need a, it might need to be whooping time, but never would I say like I am one of the Pharisees, I am one of the Sadducees.
And I think that's what Jesus' whole intent behind these parables are is to show us how we fit into that. That that group, yeah. That's as we as we're kind of laying the plan on today's episode. The person who's sitting out there listening, thinking, parables are you know just just real. Cute stories for me to kind of learn a little trite lesson, or or like Mima's cross stitch that hangs on the hangs on the wall, Aesop's fables that I grew up hearing.
The moral of the story is blah blah blah. What separates parables from those things, and what can we in today's society as believers? What can we learn from them?
Well, parables were much more than just some cute stories like Aesop's fables or or mysteries. They were the tools that the prophets used. To confront the people regarding their sins, to expose the condition of their hearts, and if their hearts were open to the things of God, they would understand even more.
So that's what the parables did in the Old Testament. Jesus came and he really used the parables. On one hand, he was sort of couching the mystery of the kingdom. Not saying too much until he went to the cross. Of course, he talked to Nicodemus, to his disciples, and others.
But overall, he would not go more than that because he wanted to make sure that everything would come to fruition. When it did, yes, of course they can then know who he is. Yeah. So if they were open to the things of God, they would have understood even more. But many of them were so closed off to God, they never understood.
I think for us too, man. It's a it's a great way to examine our own hearts. I like how you said that they're more than just stories that are supposed to illustrate a point. Any any fiction can do that, but only the word of God can truly expose our hearts. And I think it's for us.
Like, do I have a self righteous heart that's hung up on traditions? You know, do I just enjoy this church service so much that I'm going to rely on my church traditions or my Christian traditions more than my need for Jesus Christ?
Well, guess what? I might be a Pharisee. The Pharisees. Had self righteousness, the scribes were show offs, show off of their learning, their knowledge. The Sadducees had a status quo heart, just maintain power and position.
Jesus's family had a cynical heart, just very critical of their brother, and and they became very too familiar with him, but. They did not come to know Him, so don't have a heart like the Pharisees, the Scribes, the Sadducees, or even Jesus' siblings. Hope you have an open heart to the things of God. Amen. Allow the Holy Spirit to work in your life.
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