Purpose of Parables: P of Tenants in the Vineyard Flashcards
Intro:
Parables are found in all 3 of the synoptic gospels on many occasions, highlighting their importance. They are a comparison or an analogy, almost like a message hidden in a story. Parables seem to very important to Jesus, as much as his open preaching and miracles. In this essay I will examine the purpose of parables, with reference to the parable of the Tenants In The Vineyard.
General purpose:
In Greek, ‘parable’ means ‘to put something alongside something else’. Jesus used them as a comparison, with a variable purpose within the synoptic tradition.
Parables are used when issues arise, and in order to address the problem and help people to know what is the right thing to do and challenge them upon this.
Some say that the purpose of Jesus teaching in parables as so that they were easy to remember and stood out, due to the characters being bold and the symbolism rich in meaning, illustrating profound, divine truths.
C H Dodd in his book ‘The parables of The Kingdom’, argues that the main purpose if parables was to teach about the arrival of the kingdom. He believes that Jesus used parables as a way of describing the Kingdom of God in a way in which people can interpret in their own ways, and give invitations onto new territory by offering an opportunity to reimagine the world as we know and experience. The parables not only paint a picture of what life might be like when God’s way of doing things are taken seriously, they also invite hearers to commit themselves unconditionally to living this way.
Para 3:
Tenants in the Vineyard can be used to show some of the main purposes as to why Jesus taught in parables.
Most people during the time were from the countryside so were familiar with the process of the vineyard. So, when Jesus taught in parables he nearly always used picture language from farming to help his listeners understand what he was saying. This can be referred to as the ‘Sitz In Leben’ – the life situation of the various parables. Scholars invest much energy into trying to undercover the life situation to make it easier for modern day Christians to understand to their immediate meaning would be easier to grasp.
In this parable the message is hidden within the parable. The message is that God is incredibly forgiving, however he cannot keep forgiving if the wrong doer shows no repentance. You have to earn your way into heaven. ‘I tell you then, that the Kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to people to produce its fruit.’ – The Kingdom of God will be taken from those who do not deserve it and reject God (tenants). IT will be given to people who deserve it like the servants.
Para 4:
As well as parables being there to reveal the truth about the Kingdom of God, they are also told so that only those who truly care will understand the true meaning. As the parable has a hidden meaning, it calls for people to explore the meaning and deliberately creates space for different possible responses.
However, people could listen and hear parables and hear nothing but entertaining stories. But for those committed to the search for spiritual meaning and with a genuine hunger for God, the very same stories could open up new spaces in which to explore the implications of his message and to reflect on the nature of the Kingdom, which Jesus has come to announce.
In the parable of the Tentants in the Vineyard, through ‘tuning in’ and listening, one can learn that although the religious leaders reject Jesus, he is the foundation of the Father’s temples or church of believers and that you have to earn your way into heaven.
Conc:
In conclusion, the purpose of parables was to make them easily remembered, with bold characters and symbolism rich in meaning. Jesus used allegorical meanings, using things that people wuld have been able to understand, for example, the process on vineyards.
C.H. Dodd says that the purpose of parables was that it was a way for Jesus to describe the Kingdom of God, but only to those who were open to the message.
The Kingdom of God will be taken from those who do not deserve it and reject God (tenants). It will be given to people who deserve it like the servants.
Overall message is that Jesus is the final person to come from God – Christ is Gods last word to humanity, if they listen and open themselves up to God’s judgment, the Gentiles and believers may take their place in the KoG.
