November 15, 2023

Mark 4: 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything. (NIV)

When we treat assumptions as if they are facts, we maximize the risks and threaten our well-being.*

Contrary to what I was taught as a child, parables were not illustrations that were so simple that anyone could understand them. I was actually relieved to learn that fact because I didn’t always understand them. Jesus didn’t just speak in parables as a way to make a point – sometimes they were used to confuse his audience. Later, the true seekers would be told the meaning of the parable. Indeed, if the gospel writers didn’t include Jesus’ explanation of the meaning, we can’t be sure of it ourselves.

In many cases, our understanding of a parable is muddied by our lack of familiarity with the culture. (A very helpful book on that subject is Misreading Scripture Through Western Eyes by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien.) When a Bible college professor – and New Testament scholar – taught a class at our church on the parables of Jesus, his knowledge of the culture and the original language of the text was enlightening – in many cases it totally changed our understanding of the meaning of the parable. One dear saint, when one of her long-held assumptions was shot down by the professor, very graciously said, “Well, I wasn’t harmed by it.”

And that’s what I want us to grasp about scriptural misconceptions: most of the time, no harm is done. But sometimes it is. If we misunderstand a passage about sowers and weeds, faith and mustard seeds, nets and fish, our understanding of the Christian life may be lacking in depth but we haven’t risked our salvation. When it comes to passages about how to be saved, pay close attention to details: who said it to whom? Was it before or after the resurrection? How much did the audience already know (in other words, do some steps seem to be missing because the audience had already come that far)? Does the culture or the translation provide clues to the meaning of the passage?

I would love to comprehend the meaning of every chapter of the Bible, but the Holy Spirit reveals to me what I need to know when I need to know it. Or when I’m ready to hear it. Unearthing hidden meanings is like a treasure hunt: thrilling when you make a discovery. Don’t fret over what you don’t know. Keep searching the scripture for the truth and it will be revealed to you.

We should not pluck a verse out and make it say whatever our preset biases dictate. We should learn what it meant to the people originally and then discover its meaning for us today.*