The Gospel According to Mark: Chapter 4 Key Terms
PARABLE
(Gk. parabole) This term literally means "'a casting or placing side by side' (para, 'beside,' ballo, 'to throw')." [ref] A parable is "a relatively short narrative with symbolic meaning." [ref] In other words, a story in which the fictional is used to illustrate or explain the factual. It was a common method of teaching in Jesus' day, and he employed it often. [ref]
While Jesus was certainly not the first person to use parables in his teaching, he did so with a sense of consistency, creativity, and effectiveness unmatched by anyone before or since. [ref] The material for Jesus' parables was the stuff of common, everyday life: the sky, birds, the ground, rain, light and darkness, trees and plants, people and animals. Jesus showed that the kingdom of God (which is the main point of his parables) does not consist of some ivory tower mentality; rather, it is a mindset that sees God at work in every detail of life and which seeks to honor God in everything we have and do.
As plain and simple as Jesus' parables were, however, only those who were open to his teaching could grasp their true significance. Jesus used parables not only to teach those who wanted to learn, but to confound those who refused to learn. Those who measure success by the world's standards fail to see that God's ways are often the very reverse of our own. Thus many of Jesus' parables bring an unexpected twist: reward where punishment is fully warranted, and mercy where judgment is richly deserved. The parables thus served to announce that God's kingdom "is based on new values, with special emphasis on divine grace as opposed to human merit." [ref]
It is worth noting that there were many forms or types of parables, and that in practice these were often mixed:
Parable Form/Type |
Example |
| Figurative Saying.
In figurative sayings image and reality are placed together without a comparative adv. (as), in order that the image (the known) may elucidate the reality (the unknown) |
"You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14). |
| Metaphor.
The metaphor is a figurative expression in which a name or descriptive term is applied to some object to which it is not literally and properly applicable. It often involves the transference of the concrete to the abstract. ... Metaphor places the image not beside the reality, as in the figurative saying, but instead of the reality. One has to know beforehand what reality lies behind the metaphor, or it remains unintelligible. |
"He is the head of the family," or "the spring of life." |
| Simile.
The simile is a sentence in which reality and image are placed beside one another by means of a comparative adv. In this case there is only one principal point of comparison. Similes occur only rarely. |
"Her hair [the reality] is as fair as straw [the image]." |
| Parable.
The pure parable is a story which has developed out of a simile or a figurative saying. Two things, events or situations (image and reality), which are similar, are compared, so that the known may elucidate the unknown. The image depicts a typical event or circumstance. ... There is only one principal point of comparison. |
"The kingdom of heaven is like leaven ... " (Matthew 13:33).
|
| Parabolic Story.
The parabolic story differs from the pure parable only in that its picture, which is a fictional story, is recounted as if it had once happened. |
The unjust judge (Luke 18:2 ff.), or the friend at midnight (Luke 11:5 ff.). |
| Illustrative Story.
The illustrative story is a freely invented story which gives an example, a model case, which has to be generalized by the hearer. |
[T]he story of the good Samaritan[, which] ends with Jesus saying: "Go and do likewise!" (Luke 10:37). |
| Allegory.
Allegory is a freely invented story, which says something other than it appears to say on the surface by heaping metaphor on metaphor. It is a continuous metaphor. ... Like metaphor, allegory rests on convention. It is only intelligible when the metaphors are known, for they have to be translated step by step, and when the matter that they depict is known. It is a literary form intelligible only to the initiated, the function of which is not to make facts known but to appraise known facts. ... Allegories of this kind occur in the NT but they are designated as parabole and not as allegoria. |
"Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. ... '" (Matthew 22:1-2 ff.). |
| [ref] (quoted verbatim) |
Parables also followed certain established rules. Parables: were dramatic; were concise; were presented from one point of view; had their stress at the end; and contained elements that were common to the world of the hearer(s). [ref]
As we come across individual parables, the following suggestions can help us interpret them correctly:
- Note the story's natural meaning.
- Determine the problem, question, or situation that prompted the parable.
- Ascertain the main truth being illustrated by the parable.
- Validate the main truth of the parable with direct teaching of Scripture.
- Note the actual or intended response of the hearers. [ref] (quoted verbatim)
MIRACLE
(Gk. dunamis). This word refers to "strength, ability, power; inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature." [ref] The idea is natural power or ability. And so a miracle is a spontaneous expression of God's natural power or ability. [ref]
Admittedly, miracles run counter to our perception of the way in which things work. For that reason, some folk adamantly refuse to believe in miracles, writing them off as either outright hallucinations or works of an overactive imagination. Such nonbelievers remain highly skeptical of anything not subject to the rigorous scrutiny of the scientific method. But even setting aside the fact that some things (such as love or anger) cannot be poked, prodded and placed on a scale, it is important to remember that our understanding of nature is limited at best. [ref]
The most significant miracle in the OT is the parting of the Red Sea. This miracle highlights and reinforces the Hebrew mindset that God could be known only by his acts on behalf of humankind. The most significant miracle in the NT is the resurrection of Christ, which is the only reasonable explanation for the first disciples being transformed from "utterly defeated persons" to bold proclaimers of the good news concerning Jesus Christ. Both miracles reflect God's concern and care for his people. [ref]
Miracles are intended to inform, not entertain. Specifically, miracles glorify God; accredit his spokespersons; and offer evidence for believing in God. Miracles are: unusual; theological; moral (promote good); and doctrinal (tied to a truth claim or claims). [ref]
FAITH
(Gk. pistis) This word refers to either "that which is completely believable" or "to believe to the extent of complete trust and relianc." [ref] Thus faith is both objective and subjective: it begins with something that is completely believable and ends with being fully persuaded.
As the Bible makes clear, genuine, saving faith in God involves acknowledgment, surrender, and obedience: acknowledging God as the source of truth, surrendering to him, and living in obedience to him. [ref] James drives home this same point when he declares that faith void of a radical change in lifestyle is not saving faith. "You believe (pisteuō) that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe (pisteuō), and shudder" (JAMES 2:10). To say that we believe in God is not nearly enough; we must show our belief by the way in which we live.
The kind of faith Jesus demands goes far beyond believing in him as a good man or a wise teacher. It involves recognizing Jesus as the Son of God and committing oneself completely to him, the end result being a life that is built on Jesus' teachings. [ref] Far from easy, this type of faith involves constant struggle - which, not coincidentally, is a major theme in Mark's Gospel. Like a would-be butterfly fighting to break free of its cocoon, the struggle is what makes us strong.
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