“Once upon a time…” Those words may take us back to our childhood, and make us settle in to hear a good story – entertaining, engaging, and enlightening. I wonder if that is what Jesus was thinking when he chose to use parables for much of his teaching. They were stories people could relate to, with subject matter people were familiar with. It was all about having the gospel message settle into familiar everyday life to make it more real, more understandable. After all, we live in story. If you were to describe what you did yesterday, chances are you wouldn’t recite a bulleted list. You would share anecdotes, information about people you met, descriptions of where you were and how you felt while you were there. So story becomes a natural way to gain a deeper understanding of God at work in the world in the midst of our everyday.
For many of us, the most familiar parts of scripture are the parables. In fact, many of our non-churchy ideas come right from Jesus’ parables. Phrases like “lost sheep,” “faith like a mustard seed,” and “prodigal” all come from parables. George Gershwin wrote the wonderful lyrics, “I’m a little lamb who’s lost in the woods…,” but most likely never realized the radical nature of leaving 99 sheep behind to search for only one! Mustard seed faith on the surface seems wonderful, until we realize that the mustard plant was a weed hated by farmers. It’s nice to think about the coming home of the prodigal son, until we realize just how scandalous this entire family really is. We probably all know what a good Samaritan is, right? It’s someone who offers help to someone else. We have heard of good Samaritan laws, and to be called a good Samaritan is a good thing. But Samaritans were despised by Jews in Jesus' time. And the fact that it was a Samaritan who showed compassion and grace would have more than raised eyebrows - it would have enraged many of Jesus' contemporaries. Here’s the thing about parables: they usually contain zingers, they’re prickly, and are intended to make us feel uncomfortable. So these stories, in their original context, would have been somewhat offensive. There are so many levels of understanding that conveyed Jesus’ message powerfully and controversially – so controversially that they got him nailed to a cross, accused of blasphemy by the Jewish leaders, and inciting revolution by the Romans.
This Lent, we are going to look at a few of Jesus’ parables from the gospel of Luke. Luke contains more parables than the other gospels, almost as many as the other gospels combined. Many of Jesus’ parables are quite familiar to many of us. If you spent any time in Sunday School as a child, you have probably heard these stories before. That’s great! But that can also be a challenge. When stories become so familiar, it’s easy to give them a cursory look, missing the meaty center of Jesus’ message. Over the next few weeks, we will try to get to the meaty center of these stories by looking at the culture, the characters, the original audience, and the deeper message of these prickly stories. Studying parables is a bit like peeling back the layers of an onion – the deeper you go, the more poignant, rich, and meaningful they become.
So who exactly was Luke? The most honest, most reliable answer… No clue. Well, there are a few clues. Luke’s gospel is a part of a 2-volume set, with Acts as Volume 2. The opening verses of Luke reveal that the writer is addressing Theophilus, and setting down an orderly account of Jesus’ life. Luke reveals that he was not an eyewitness to Jesus’ ministry, but instead relies on the accounts of those who were there, who walked and talked with Jesus. It’s interesting to ponder who this “Theophilus” really was. Theophilus is a Greek name. Perhaps he was a friend or colleague of Luke, perhaps an authority figure wanting to know more about this Jesus and what he was all about. But another theory casts Theophilus as a fictional character, or rather a symbolic character. Theophilus literally means, “lover of God” (Theo=God; philus=lover). Is it possible that Luke is writing to an audience of “God-lovers?” To generations of followers of Jesus, seeking to know Jesus more fully through the accounts of his earthly ministry? Of course, we’ll never know for sure.
In any event, Luke has worked to compose an orderly account, including as much information as possible to answer the question, “Who is Jesus?” and to show that no matter how the world tried to stop Jesus’ message, God was stronger. When Jesus preaches early in his career in Nazareth, his hometown, he angers the home crowd who move on him as a mob and try to throw him over a cliff. But Luke reports that he simply passed through them. Throughout the gospel, as those who oppose Jesus get more and more set on silencing him, Jesus’ message continues to spread – it cannot be stopped! And once the disciples take over the mission in Acts, the same phenomenon occurs. No matter how vehemently the authorities try to stop the message, it continues to grow and spread and expand as thousands upon thousands are added to the followers of the Way.
Luke’s message would have been one of hope for his original audience which was probably composed primarily of poor peasant farmers and day workers. His theology is one of turning the world upside down, as is presented right from the beginning of the gospel in chapter 1 with Mary’s song about God lifting up the lowly and bringing down the powerful, and is echoed in the beatitudes of chapter 5 where Jesus proclaims blessings to the poor, the hungry, those who suffer, and woe for the rich and mighty. The parables seem to have a similar message of hope-filled good news for the needy, the sick, and those who suffer. This was completely at odds with the view of the religious leaders who interpreted God’s favor for the powerful and rich, and saw suffering as a means of God’s judgment. Jesus’ message challenged the status quo, angered the religious leaders, and led to his death on a cross.
So come along on this journey through the season of Lent as we dig more deeply into these parables and hear this good news as real and as hope-filled as the first hearers did so long ago. Each week we will present a new parable with a video discussion and some written background. Discussion questions will also be included to answer online. We have the opportunity to be a part of a virtual classroom, so come along for the ride as we journey to Christ’s cross and beyond to the empty tomb of Easter morning.
Blessings on the journey!
Discussion Questions
Please share your thoughts about this lesson and any of the discussion questions in the box below.
For many of us, the most familiar parts of scripture are the parables. In fact, many of our non-churchy ideas come right from Jesus’ parables. Phrases like “lost sheep,” “faith like a mustard seed,” and “prodigal” all come from parables. George Gershwin wrote the wonderful lyrics, “I’m a little lamb who’s lost in the woods…,” but most likely never realized the radical nature of leaving 99 sheep behind to search for only one! Mustard seed faith on the surface seems wonderful, until we realize that the mustard plant was a weed hated by farmers. It’s nice to think about the coming home of the prodigal son, until we realize just how scandalous this entire family really is. We probably all know what a good Samaritan is, right? It’s someone who offers help to someone else. We have heard of good Samaritan laws, and to be called a good Samaritan is a good thing. But Samaritans were despised by Jews in Jesus' time. And the fact that it was a Samaritan who showed compassion and grace would have more than raised eyebrows - it would have enraged many of Jesus' contemporaries. Here’s the thing about parables: they usually contain zingers, they’re prickly, and are intended to make us feel uncomfortable. So these stories, in their original context, would have been somewhat offensive. There are so many levels of understanding that conveyed Jesus’ message powerfully and controversially – so controversially that they got him nailed to a cross, accused of blasphemy by the Jewish leaders, and inciting revolution by the Romans.
This Lent, we are going to look at a few of Jesus’ parables from the gospel of Luke. Luke contains more parables than the other gospels, almost as many as the other gospels combined. Many of Jesus’ parables are quite familiar to many of us. If you spent any time in Sunday School as a child, you have probably heard these stories before. That’s great! But that can also be a challenge. When stories become so familiar, it’s easy to give them a cursory look, missing the meaty center of Jesus’ message. Over the next few weeks, we will try to get to the meaty center of these stories by looking at the culture, the characters, the original audience, and the deeper message of these prickly stories. Studying parables is a bit like peeling back the layers of an onion – the deeper you go, the more poignant, rich, and meaningful they become.
So who exactly was Luke? The most honest, most reliable answer… No clue. Well, there are a few clues. Luke’s gospel is a part of a 2-volume set, with Acts as Volume 2. The opening verses of Luke reveal that the writer is addressing Theophilus, and setting down an orderly account of Jesus’ life. Luke reveals that he was not an eyewitness to Jesus’ ministry, but instead relies on the accounts of those who were there, who walked and talked with Jesus. It’s interesting to ponder who this “Theophilus” really was. Theophilus is a Greek name. Perhaps he was a friend or colleague of Luke, perhaps an authority figure wanting to know more about this Jesus and what he was all about. But another theory casts Theophilus as a fictional character, or rather a symbolic character. Theophilus literally means, “lover of God” (Theo=God; philus=lover). Is it possible that Luke is writing to an audience of “God-lovers?” To generations of followers of Jesus, seeking to know Jesus more fully through the accounts of his earthly ministry? Of course, we’ll never know for sure.
In any event, Luke has worked to compose an orderly account, including as much information as possible to answer the question, “Who is Jesus?” and to show that no matter how the world tried to stop Jesus’ message, God was stronger. When Jesus preaches early in his career in Nazareth, his hometown, he angers the home crowd who move on him as a mob and try to throw him over a cliff. But Luke reports that he simply passed through them. Throughout the gospel, as those who oppose Jesus get more and more set on silencing him, Jesus’ message continues to spread – it cannot be stopped! And once the disciples take over the mission in Acts, the same phenomenon occurs. No matter how vehemently the authorities try to stop the message, it continues to grow and spread and expand as thousands upon thousands are added to the followers of the Way.
Luke’s message would have been one of hope for his original audience which was probably composed primarily of poor peasant farmers and day workers. His theology is one of turning the world upside down, as is presented right from the beginning of the gospel in chapter 1 with Mary’s song about God lifting up the lowly and bringing down the powerful, and is echoed in the beatitudes of chapter 5 where Jesus proclaims blessings to the poor, the hungry, those who suffer, and woe for the rich and mighty. The parables seem to have a similar message of hope-filled good news for the needy, the sick, and those who suffer. This was completely at odds with the view of the religious leaders who interpreted God’s favor for the powerful and rich, and saw suffering as a means of God’s judgment. Jesus’ message challenged the status quo, angered the religious leaders, and led to his death on a cross.
So come along on this journey through the season of Lent as we dig more deeply into these parables and hear this good news as real and as hope-filled as the first hearers did so long ago. Each week we will present a new parable with a video discussion and some written background. Discussion questions will also be included to answer online. We have the opportunity to be a part of a virtual classroom, so come along for the ride as we journey to Christ’s cross and beyond to the empty tomb of Easter morning.
Blessings on the journey!
Discussion Questions
- Do you have a favorite parable? What is it? Why?
- Parables challenge our assumptions about God, our world, and ourselves. Have you had times when your faith has been challenged? What was that experience like?
- Is having our faith challenged a good thing? Why or why not?
- What are the implications for congregations when folks are open to having their faith assumptions challenged?
- What questions, struggles, or observations do you have about parables and/or this study?
Please share your thoughts about this lesson and any of the discussion questions in the box below.