Luke 8:9 “Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?”
Jesus is the greatest Teacher there is, and yet His own disciples who had spent so much time with Him didn’t understand? One of the reasons that Jesus taught the way He did was because He wasn’t just telling people something for today to tomorrow. He was telling them something to remember all of their lives. He expected them to have to think about it long and hard. And, in many cases, He knew they would never understand. Indeed, as He would explain, it was not intended that some of His hearers should.
But for those that were intended to understand the parable was a memory device. It was an easy to remember story. Short, not very complicated, and interesting. It is the kind of thing that you can memorize in five minutes if you really give it some effort.
A modern illustration would be a popular song. Lots of folks might get a tune in their head before they really even understand what the song is about. And it will stick with them. They may ‘get it’ at some point, or they may never get it. But the song is stuck in their head like a seed planted in the ground. And the parables of Christ were just the same. He could have hearers who may not understand much at all of what He was saying, but they could remember it well enough to tell their family and friends when they got home. It was portable pith, and others who received it from the ignorant might understand it themselves. And some who carried it around for many years might finally one day ‘see the light’ and begin to understand.
Heavenly Father, thank You for these gems, the parables of Christ. They are meant to be hidden deep in our hearts that they might grow into great things that influence all that we do. You are wise beyond all that we could ever imagine! I love You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.