Were Jesus’ Parables Based on True Stories?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved teaching. In my opinion, a significant part of teaching is giving the material meaning. I think of this as the “What’s in it for me?” principle. I learned about the principle in my master’s program, but I’ve followed it long before that.

When we give meaning to the unknown, it often shifts from the “scary unknown” to the “familiar unknown.” Of all the teachers who have ever lived, I count Jesus as the best. As you may know, Jesus often taught in parables. In Matthew 13, Jesus explains why:

This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”

Matthew 13:13 (NIV)

Parables reflect the difference between telling someone something and making them think for themselves because they both reveal and conceal. When someone is open to the Gospel, they will not only think about the parable, but also ask questions and be open to the responses. But when someone has a hardened heart, like the people Jesus describes in Matthew 13, even hearing the truth does not necessarily lead to understanding.

We sometimes forget that parables are stories. While each parable has a lesson (or two), we shouldn’t take the parables literally.

What Did the Rich Man Lack?

In the Synoptic Gospels, a rich man approaches Jesus and asks what he needs to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells the man to follow God’s commandments.

“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Luke 18:21-22 (NIV)

What was the one thing the man lacked?

You might be tempted to say, “Jesus,” but is there anyone who doesn’t need Jesus? While we might conclude that the man needed a Savior, I think we can do better. That’s an easy response that doesn’t challenge us to dig deeper.

Let’s examine Luke’s account and see how the man approached Jesus:

A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Luke 18:18 (NIV)

Jesus’ response is revealing:

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

Luke 18:19 (NIV)

Jesus wasn’t denying His divinity—as some falsely teach—He was uncovering the man’s heart. This man saw Jesus as a prominent rabbi and thought to flatter Him by calling Him “good.” The man thought “goodness” was an achievable standard.

The man’s response to Jesus’ answer reveals even more.

You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”

“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

Luke 18:20-21 (NIV)

When Jesus told the man he lacked something, he meant a humble heart. The man thought his riches and strict adherence to the law were “good enough” for eternal life. This is why Jesus told him to sell everything he had and give it to the poor before he could follow Him.

The young man’s wealth wasn’t just money; it was his true source of identity and security. When Jesus told him to sell everything and give it to the poor, He wasn’t adding a hard rule to the Law—He was applying the First Commandment (“You shall have no other gods before me,” Exodus 20:3).

Unfortunately, that rich young man didn’t want to give up his “security” to follow Christ. This is why in each account Jesus gives us this insight into what it means to follow Him:

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Luke 18:29-30 (NIV)

It’s Time for Esther—Again

I love the Bible—I really do. But sometimes I look at my daily reading plan and inwardly sigh, wondering, “What am I going to get from this today?” Usually, lists trigger these sighs. You know, like those endless genealogical tallies in Numbers. Other times, I might be neck-deep in the prophets, and I’m tired of reading about God’s wrath. But if I had a “Sigh-Oh-Meter,” it would definitely go off each year when Esther pops up.

There’s nothing wrong with Esther; over the years, I’ve written about it plenty of times. But in my reading plan, Esther always feels like a commercial break between the dramatic return of the exiles and Job—a book so overflowing with theological insight that it can satisfy anyone’s appetite. I’ve “seen” Esther a thousand times, so let’s move on to something with some meat.

I suppose that’s why I noticed a glaring hole in my biblical knowledge today—large enough to drive an 18-wheeler through—while studying Esther. I tell you, sometimes my ignorance amazes me, but most of all, it humbles me. Here I sit, comfortably thinking I know something about the Bible until my ignorance slaps me in the face.

The Strange Ending in Zechariah 14:21

I finished reading Zechariah today, but I had a question about something in the last line:

Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD Almighty.

Zechariah 14:21 (NIV)

The Canaanite reference seemed out of place because Canaanites weren’t allowed in the Temple. I checked other translations. Instead of “Canaanite,” some used the word “trader” or “merchant.” This is odd because the Old Testament mostly uses “Canaanite,” or “Kna’aniy” in Hebrew, to describe people from the land of Canaan. The only times it describes a merchant or trader are in Job 41:6 and Proverbs 31:24. In the other 72 instances, it refers to a Canaanite.

But that’s not what grabbed my attention—although it’s curious. What I noticed was that most of the commentaries I read connected Zechariah 14:21 to Revelation. They typically cited Revelation 21:27 and Revelation 22:15.