Friendly Freethinker: Maybe Gospels are Parables for Everyone

Many of us were raised with some knowledge of Gospel parables. “The Good Samaritan” may come to mind. Parables are stories that have a teaching purpose, lessons for life. In seminary Greek studies we learned that a parable is literally a tale “thrown down beside” someone, tossed out for thought and discussion. Unfortunately, what we often find in the Christian scriptures (the “new” testament), is little or no discussion. In fact, we hear Jesus say to his disciples, when they ask why he teaches in parables: “The reason I speak to them (the crowds) in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand’” (Matthew 13:13. He’s referring to verses in Isaiah). The crowds won’t get it, they won’t understand what he says, but his disciples will know his “secrets.” They will get his inside jokes, or at least the essence of his instruction. He even explains some of his parables to them. Yet, we’re still left with the awkward question: Why speak to people in secret (esoteric) ways, knowing they won’t comprehend? You might as well speak another language.

“He told them nothing without a parable” writes Matthew (13:34). His lectures could be a string of stories, mostly drawn from common images—land, sowing seeds, fishing, baking, commerce, etc—while the deeper meanings were hidden. Later in Matthew, he tells parables of “The Two Sons,” “The Wicked Tenants” and “The Wedding Banquet,” followed by “The Ten Bridesmaids” and “The Talents.” All imaginative illustrations to say something about human relationships, faithfulness or the nature of God. Turning to the Gospel of Luke, we find the famous “Good Samaritan” story along with “The Rich Fool,” “The Barren Fig Tree,” “The Great Dinner,” “The Lost Sheep,” “The Lost Coin,” and the well-known “Prodigal Son.” Jesus keeps tossing out stories like “The Dishonest Manager,” “The Rich Man and Lazarus,” “The Widow and the Judge,” “The Pharisee and the Tax Collector,” and “The Ten Pounds.” Read them again, or for the first time. If you don’t understand each one, you’re not alone. We weren’t really meant to understand them, unless we were in Jesus’ inner circle of secrets. Those today who believe they are in that circle, may try to tell us what every parable means, but I think it’s clear: these stories are meant for a small group of faithful students who follow one teacher, an instructor who spoke primarily to them and for them.

Jesus was one of the great storytellers in religious history. Like Buddha, Confucius, Lao Tzu, Socrates and many others before him, he taught with tales that sounded on the surface like easy lessons, though they might hold layers of deeper meaning. As with many influential teachers, he chose to communicate by observing the natural world around him, drawing attention to the human and nonhuman environment. We could say he was a natural storyteller, made clearer by the fact he spoke many of his stories in the open air.

Let me “throw down” something I’ve been wondering about: What if the Gospels themselves were meant to be parables? Could it be that the whole “Jesus Story” was tossed beside and before us as a lesson, perhaps illustrating a way of living concerned, not with otherworldly distractions, but with human service, deeper thinking, a more fulfilling life? Might it be that the real “Good News” (“gospel”) is that the entire “Parable of Jesus” was intended as a teaching tool for living a better life, though it may end tragically?

I’m not claiming that Jesus was a fictitious character—though there are “evangelistic” purposes to the stories about him and Theology swallowed up his Humanity. My point isn’t that the Gospel narratives don’t contain valuable lessons, just that we’ve missed the forest for the trees (including the cross). Keep in mind the parables appearing in the Bible are quite earthy and human. If the Storyteller of Nazareth was only concerned with “heavenly” things in another realm above, why put so much time into a lesson-plan that uses so many common images?

A good teacher loves to tell stories, tossing out “images with handles,” to get a grip on concepts that may be more difficult to grasp when using more technical terms. We all love to hear, read or watch stories, especially when we not only feel entertained but learn something, take something away that makes us think. The “Story of the Storyteller” presented in the Four Gospels has lasted through the ages. In my opinion the story has lasted not so much because it tells an inner circle about divine things, but because, in meaningful ways, it tells the Greatest Story Ever Told: the Human Parable. And that’s no secret.

Chris Highland was a minister and chaplain for many years. He is a writer and teacher in Asheville, NC. www.chighland.com, (chris.highland@gmail.com).