By John Larkins
Jesus taught by preaching. It was quite a long time until His students, being trained as bishops in His new Church and introduced as “The Kingdom of God,” would write the documents that would someday become the New Testament. In the three years of their ordination studies, they were given a vast treasure of knowledge to apply when He returned to heaven and put them in charge of His mission to save the souls of all men. Naturally, His stu-dents (and us) could only succeed in following His teachings if they listened. Mark 4: 9-12 says, “And He said unto them, He that hath ears let him hear. And when He was alone, they that were about Him with the twelve asked of Him the parable. And He said unto, unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but to them that are without, all these things are done in parables. That seeing they may see, and NOT perceive and hearing they may hear but NOT hear, and NOT understand; lest at any time they should be CONVERTED and their sins be forgiven them.”
We see the parables as being important in several ways. First, Jesus knew that if He were too emphatic of His ownership of truth, He would become a target for death by the Jewish leaders. This was because the people being taught would, naturally, say that it was because He was God that He was able to teach in this way. Secondly, His students, the Apostles, had to be able to expand and emphasize the subtleties of Jesus’s religion to convert the world – including Jews – to His New and Eternal Covenant, The Kingdom of God, the Catholic Church.
Revealing the depth of Jesus’s teaching too early would run the risk of being killed before His Church was ready to become The Way. Matthew 13:16-17 says,” But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears for they hear. For verily I say unto you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them.”
Matthew 24: 24-43 says, “Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, the kingdom of God is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field, but while men slept, His enemy came and sowed tares (weeds) among the wheat and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So, the servants of the householder came and said unto him, “Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence the hath it tares?” He said unto them, “An enemy hath done this.” The servants said unto Him, “Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?” But he said, “Nay, lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let them grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers, gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Do you think all are saved?
Jesus later taught in the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth. Matthew 13: 54 -57 says, “They were astonished and said ‘Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not His Mother named Mary and His brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Are not His sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this? And they took offense at Him.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.’
None of these persons mentioned are brothers and sisters. Humans usually, and fatally, sin by pretending to be better and smarter than God.
For the past 15 years, John Larkins has evangelized on the street, door-to-door, in tent revivals and in church situations. Contact him at johnlarkins@bellsouth.net.