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4 Mistakes When Reading the Parables of Jesus

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I recently wrote a piece on the parables of Jesus for the Logos Word by Word blog. It’s a pretty thorough look at what parables are, why Jesus used them, along with an exhaustive list of all of Jesus’ parables.

The final section offers strategies for overcoming four mistakes when reading the parables. The four mistakes are:

  1. Read them as abstract, universal stories for humanity.
  2. Read multiple versions of the same parable in the same way.
  3. Read them as stories for people today.
  4. Read them as though there was no Bible at the time.

Here is a taste:

In the act of persuasion, why not focus exclusively on logical argumentation, miracles, or Old Testament prophecy? Jesus uses all of those means, but what do parables contribute to the other forms of persuasion?

Jesus’s disciples ask this very question: “Why do you speak to them in parables?” (Matt 13:10). Jesus answers their question, but in a way that is sometimes wildly misunderstood. To grasp his two answers, we must grapple with the two Old Testament texts quoted by Matthew (13:10ff) and echoed by Mark (4:10ff).

Check it out!

How to Handle the Charge of Contradictions in the Bible

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TGC Africa has a great piece called “Can You Trust the Bible When It’s Full of Contradictions?” In it, Ryan van der Avoort asks three questions and offers four suggestions. His approach would help anyone wrestling with the question, or speaking to someone wrestling with the question.

The necessary questions:

  1. Could you be more specific?
  2. Are you willing to be humble?
  3. Will you read and study the Bible for yourself?

The four suggestions:

  1. No one is saying that the Bible is always easy to understand.
  2. Tensions are not necessarily the same as contradictions.
  3. The immediate context of a passage matters.
  4. The larger storyline of the Bible frequently brings clarity.

Check it out!

Does God Know His Plans for You, or Only for Exiled Israel?

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Over the years, numerous readers have requested a “context matters” post on Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

I have not provided one, partly on the ground that the misuse of this verse is well documented on many other websites. I have, instead, provided a satirical “context matters” post on the frequently overlooked life advice of Jeremiah 25:27. We can apply precisely the same reading strategy to Jer 25:27 that we generally apply to Jer 29:11, with an unexpectedly staggering result.

With that said, here comes Christopher Kou with a wonderfully sane treatment of Jer 29:11, which—wonder of wonders!—can be applied sensibly to Christians living today!

Although serious Bible students are not wrong to insist on a methodic approach to Scripture, including a consideration of the historical context in which it was written, the Old Testament texts are given to us for our instruction today (2 Tim 3:16). How, we may wonder, should we balance a sound reading of the Bible with more immediate application?

Kou does a great job pushing back on a knee-jerk overreaction to the contextless misuse of Scripture, in favor of a contextually nuanced what-it-meant-back-then, that then translates into a robust how-it-ought-to-change-us-today sort of application. I commend this work for your consideration.

Check it out!

Can Our Interpretation be Trusted?

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John Piper answers a question about whether anyone can trust their own attempt to interpret the Scripture, especially the Bible’s moral teaching.

He divides his answer into two parts:

  1. What the Bible says about how to interpret its own teaching.
  2. What the Bible says about skeptics who aren’t sure they can trust anything.

I encourage you to consider his thoughtful responses to these two fundamental matters. Check it out!

You Cannot Trust Christ Without Trusting the Scripture

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Note: I’m not sure why the original post no longer appears on the CCW site, but you can still read it via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

In this post, Jim Elliff makes a profound point: It is not possible to know or trust Christ while denying the authority or reliability of the Bible. Elliff tells of a learned man who claimed to see a vision of Jesus, while doubting that he could trust what the Bible says about him. But such deception is one of Satan’s tactics, and the fruit of such deception is the very reason for which Jesus pronounced a curse on the religious leaders of his day.

Elliff remarks:

I have many friends who struggle with the Scriptures. I’m really not unsympathetic to their viewpoint. Believing in the Scriptures as true and reliable and inerrant has many detractors. Voices of disbelief come from all sides. But when you see the glory of Christ in them, something changes in the reader.

Check it out!

A Sensible Approach to Difficult Small Group Members

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Have you ever had a difficult small group member? It could be someone who dominates the conversation, or who lacks restraint from being a gossip or busybody. What do you do in such a situation?

Too often, I find, leaders are afraid to address the matter directly and instead resort to hints and innuendo in hope that the person will simply catch on to others’ displeasure at their behavior. But this will not do. It is neither kind nor truthful.

Rachel Bailey offers some refreshingly sensible and biblical advice:

  1. Set firm boundaries
  2. Extend grace
  3. Have a conversation

Bailey’s piece is filled with biblical support and practical guidance. I urge you to check it out!

We Have Something Better than a Mountaintop Experience

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I recently wrote a piece for Word by Word, the blog for Logos Bible Software, about the search for mountaintop experiences. Here is a taste:

“I need to hear a voice from heaven.”

That’s what Robert, an atheist, told me after we met together to read the Bible for most of an academic year. We had studied John, Romans, and selections of the Old Testament to examine both the claims of Christ to be the Savior of the world and his resurrection from the dead to vindicate those claims. In the end, Robert refused to believe, asserting it was nothing but a cleverly devised myth.

Now it’s one thing when an atheist approaches the Bible this way with respect to converting to Christ. But surely true followers of Jesus wouldn’t approach the Bible that way with respect to their spiritual formation. They wouldn’t require a voice from heaven before repenting of sin or conforming to Christlike character. Right? … Right?

There was a follower of Jesus, who had the most dramatic mountaintop experience in history. And his conclusion was that you and I don’t need to share it, because we have something even better.

Check it out!

Don’t Give Up: You Can Understand the Bible

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Marshall Segal understands what it’s like to wrestle with the Scripture, trying to understand it.

I’ve battled to get through the census records in Numbers. I’ve labored through the kidneys, livers, and “entrails” of the Levitical laws. I’ve grown weary of the repetitive failures of Israel in 1–2 Kings. I’ve sometimes struggled to see what Hebrews sees in the Old Testament. Much of the imagery of Revelation is still a mystery to me. And so, I regularly find these clear and accessible words from Paul all the more meaningful and encouraging:

Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. (2 Timothy 2:7)

In the remainder of the article, Segal reflects on the amazing truth of 2 Timothy 2:7. Yes, such understanding will come only from the Lord. But such understanding will not require less work on our part but more.

I commend this piece to you. Check it out!

Top 10 Interpretive Book Overviews

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Much of the time, when you read a Bible “book overview,” you’ll find all kinds of historical and cultural details. You’ll likely also get an observational outline of the book (an outline that observes what is said in each of the book’s sections). Such overviews are good and necessary resources for essential background. But when you read one of the book overviews on our site, you’ll primarily find a walkthrough and explanation of the book’s argument. What is the author’s chief message, and how does he go about presenting that message?

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

Continuing in the spirit of the top 10 lists presented over the last few weeks, here are the top 10 most-viewed posts from the “interpretive book overviews” series. If you browse the full list, you’ll see that we’ve currently got 21 installments. So if you have time to read only 10 of them, you may want to consider these 10.

  1. Mark: Can’t You See God’s King?
  2. Psalms: The Blessing of God’s Word and King
  3. 1 Thessalonians: A Community of Faith, Love, and Hope
  4. Habakkuk: The One Thing that Must Change
  5. Isaiah: Judgment and Deliverance
  6. Ecclesiastes: The Fear of God Gives Joy Amid Frustration
  7. Job: How to Fear the Lord When Everything Falls Apart
  8. Daniel: The Most High Rules the Kingdoms of Men
  9. Acts: The World’s Salvation Cannot be Stopped
  10. Song of Songs: The Intoxication of True Love in its Time

Build Good Habits for the New Year

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Matthew Boffey has 5 important suggestions for those who wish to set new habits in their Bible reading and devotional times.

  1. Know your why.
  2. Know your what.
  3. Know your when and where.
  4. Know your how.
  5. Prepare to change things up.

Along the way, he offers specific tips for busy church leaders. Perhaps you’ve decided to join our annual 90-day Bible reading challenge. Perhaps you’d simply like to improve your overall time in the Word. These simple suggestions will make a big difference to help you reinforce good habits.

Check it out!