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Why did Jesus speak in parables?

Parable: a usually short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle.

Why did Jesus speak in parables to the public, and only reveal the meaning of the parables to his disciples when they were alone?
 

Lightkeeper

Well-Known Member
Jesus was about the Divine within us. Speaking in parables bypasses the mind or brain and speaks to something much deeper in us.
 

Green Gaia

Veteran Member
Did he speak in parables? Just because the writers of the Bible attribute this to him, doesn't make it so, IMO. Perhaps a better question is, why speak in parables at all? Why not just say what you have to say?
 

(Q)

Active Member
There is little evidence to suggest the man known as Jesus Christ even existed. Most likely he is just another fairy tale.
 

Corban

Member
Surrealgurl said:
But my question was why did he only want his disciples to understand? Why didn't he want everyone to understand?

It was because not everyone was ready to understand. The purpose of this life is not to convince everyone of the truth and force them to follow it. It is a process of growth all must do individually. If God merely wanted everyone to know the truth, He could send an angel to appear to everyone and proclaim His word, and show all kinds of miracles that everyone would be forced to recognize. But Jesus also said if they would not believe the words of the prophets, they would not believe though one were raised from the dead. Parables gave a way for Jesus to teach to the public, where they would have to be prepared to hear, and would have to open their minds to the voice of the spirit to understand, thus those who had not prepared themselves and were not honest seekers of truth would not understand, while those that were open to the voice of the spirit would see.
 
Lu 8:10

And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to

others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

Doesn’t make much sense to me.

 

(Q)

Active Member
If God merely wanted everyone to know the truth, He could send an angel to appear to everyone and proclaim His word, and show all kinds of miracles that everyone would be forced to recognize.

Then clearly your god doesn't care whether or not we know him or question his existence else he would appear. Why bother giving me the ability to question him and then not provide any answers.

Parables gave a way for Jesus to teach to the public, where they would have to be prepared to hear, and would have to open their minds to the voice of the spirit to understand, thus those who had not prepared themselves and were not honest seekers of truth would not understand, while those that were open to the voice of the spirit would see.

This is the superiority complex rearing its ugly head again. I didn't hear or see any spirits therefore I am inferior.
 
I think, whether fictitious or not, Jesus' parables have things to teach us....the parable of the prodigal son is particularly powerful--it always gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. :)
 

Jayhawker Soule

-- untitled --
Premium Member
Actually, I believe that Codex Sinaiticus has a different version of the story. It is probably safer to state that the parables have things to teach us. It seems highly unlikely that "Jesus" had anything to do with them.
 

Lightkeeper

Well-Known Member
I think that Jesus explaining the parables to the disciples, may have been an attempt of the author of that particular book to explain the parable.
 

Named

Member
It was because not everyone was ready to understand. The purpose of this life is not to convince everyone of the truth and force them to follow it. It is a process of growth all must do individually. If God merely wanted everyone to know the truth, He could send an angel to appear to everyone and proclaim His word, and show all kinds of miracles that everyone would be forced to recognize. But Jesus also said if they would not believe the words of the prophets, they would not believe though one were raised from the dead. Parables gave a way for Jesus to teach to the public, where they would have to be prepared to hear, and would have to open their minds to the voice of the spirit to understand, thus those who had not prepared themselves and were not honest seekers of truth would not understand, while those that were open to the voice of the spirit would see.
I find myself in concurrence with (Q) once again.
Considering the magnitude of the decision to believe in Jesus or not, don¡Çt you think God could offer us a little more?
People believe what they want to believe. Science has, on a few occasions, contradicted the Bible (not irrefutably, of course)
Never was a Christian forced to acknowledge these contradictions as truth.

If an angel appeared in front of me, I would not necessarily feel forced to either believe or ignore the word it proclaims. The angel could be an illusion, or sent from a being like Satan, or some other random deity.
I would certainly be inclined to believe in Jesus, how is that forceful?
Knowing this (as I¡Çm sure God would) why hasn¡Çt he sent me any angels? He could save me from eternal torment in hell. He should get off his bloody arse and do so, eh?

From your reasoning, I could agree that some should not be ¡Æsaved¡Ç this way, but each person is different. Surely individuals like (Q) and I, who I can safely say would not feel ¡Æforced¡Ç into the decision, could be payed a visit from one of God¡Çs little messengers?
That excuse simply won't do. You may not know it, but from what i've been told, i'm positive a being like God does.
I can only come to one of two conclusions-
1.) Your God does not care for me in the least
2.) He doesn't exist.

I'm guessing the former is more favourable?
 

Corban

Member
"Then clearly your god doesn't care whether or not we know him or question his existence else he would appear. Why bother giving me the ability to question him and then not provide any answers.' -Q

He does care if we know Him, that's why He sent prophets to proclaim Him, that's why He established His church and commissioned representatives to go into all the world proclaiming Him. Have you ever heard of the Bible? if you answered yes, then obviously God was successful in getting His message to you. you have it there and you have the opportunity to read it and come to know God. He gave you the ability to question him, because He wants you to make the decision yourself. It would do you no good if He forced you to believe, you must decide for yourself, and He has given you plenty of tools to learn, if you don't know then you haven't used those tools.

God has provided the answers, they are available to anyone who honestly seeks them. He also cares about our personal growth, and we would not grow if He just forced knowledge on everyone. He prepared a process where people could come to know Him and grow in that knowledge
 

Corban

Member
Named said:
I find myself in concurrence with (Q) once again.
Considering the magnitude of the decision to believe in Jesus or not, don¡Çt you think God could offer us a little more?
People believe what they want to believe. Science has, on a few occasions, contradicted the Bible (not irrefutably, of course)
Never was a Christian forced to acknowledge these contradictions as truth.

If an angel appeared in front of me, I would not necessarily feel forced to either believe or ignore the word it proclaims. The angel could be an illusion, or sent from a being like Satan, or some other random deity.
I would certainly be inclined to believe in Jesus, how is that forceful?
Knowing this (as I¡Çm sure God would) why hasn¡Çt he sent me any angels? He could save me from eternal torment in hell. He should get off his bloody arse and do so, eh?

From your reasoning, I could agree that some should not be ¡Æsaved¡Ç this way, but each person is different. Surely individuals like (Q) and I, who I can safely say would not feel ¡Æforced¡Ç into the decision, could be payed a visit from one of God¡Çs little messengers?
That excuse simply won't do. You may not know it, but from what i've been told, i'm positive a being like God does.
I can only come to one of two conclusions-
1.) Your God does not care for me in the least
2.) He doesn't exist.

I'm guessing the former is more favourable?

He provide a way for all to know, even you. You can find out the same way i did, you can read the Bible, you can apply things in your life and find out if they are good, you can pray and ask for an answer. So God does care for you, He cares for His children enough that He let's them struggle so they can grow. Jesus also said if you don't believe the scriptures you wouldn't believe though someone was raised from the dead. We have all we need from God, if we can't find the truth in that, it is not because of any lack on God's part
 

Named

Member
Have you ever heard of the Bible? if you answered yes, then obviously God was successful in getting His message to you. you have it there and you have the opportunity to read it and come to know God.
Excuse me?
If you hadn't noticed, there are thousands of religions. Did God think of this? Did he offer any reason for us to regard the Bible as truth, in light of all these other people proclaiming truths of their own?
No, he didn't bother at all.
That's a really poor effort...
One book, and a planet that suggests it's false.
I'm starting to dislike your God.
 

Corban

Member
Named said:
Excuse me?
If you hadn't noticed, there are thousands of religions. Did God think of this? Did he offer any reason for us to regard the Bible as truth, in light of all these other people proclaiming truths of their own?
No, he didn't bother at all.
That's a really poor effort...
One book, and a planet that suggests it's false.
I'm starting to dislike your God.

That's why He gave more than a book. there are many religious books, cannonical and otherwise, and certainly if all we had were these books and our own judgement we would be at a loss. That is why God gives us His Holy Spirit, if we pray to Him He can tell us what is true. He gave us prophets to understand Him, He has always had prophets among His people and He continue that today, because He knows withought continued revelation from Him we could not come to know Him. and just as with the Bible we can pray and find out for ourselves if the prophets are true.
 

(Q)

Active Member
He does care if we know Him, that's why He sent prophets to proclaim Him, that's why He established His church and commissioned representatives to go into all the world proclaiming Him. Have you ever heard of the Bible? if you answered yes, then obviously God was successful in getting His message to you.

That may be true however in the unlikely event the Bible was written by men alone, the same men who were proclaimed to be prophets, the same men who probably established the church and sent other men out to continue more of the same.

I find it amazing that you don't even bother to consider all these things were made by men and men alone.

He gave you the ability to question him, because He wants you to make the decision yourself.

Yet, sets me up for immediate and everlasting failure by not agreeing with him. In other words, he quite literally puts a gun to my head.
 
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