[Previous parts of this discussion may be read as follows:
Part One: Why Did Jesus Appear?
Part Two: The Sermon on the Mount
Part Three: Matthew 23
Part Four: The Tyranny of the Pharisees]
“He [Jesus] said nothing to them [the crowds] without a parable.” (Matthew 13:34) His disciples asked him why He spoke in parables. Jesus answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them [the Pharisees and their followers] it has not been given. ..This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” (Matthew 13:10-17)
Virtually all the parables were directed at the Pharisees' values and their societal norms. The parables enabled Jesus simultaneously to make severe critiques of the Pharisees, to educate His followers, and to protect Himself from the Pharisees' retribution. A brief review of key parables will demonstrate the use made of parables and further elaborate His rejection of the Pharisees.
Killer Tenants. This parable which appears in Matthew, Mark and Luke, clearly conveys Jesus’ mission and His attitude toward the Pharisees. Jesus told of a landlord who provided his tenants with all they needed. When the landlord sent his agents to collect his share of the produce, the tenants reneged, ultimately killing the landlord’s son. Jesus concluded this parable by saying that these unworthy tenants would be thrown out and new ones brought in. (Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12, Luke 20:9-18)
Jesus related this parable when Pharisees were listening. They did not fail to understand His point and, as a result, tried to kill Him. “The scribes and chief priests tired to lay hands on him at that very hour…” (Luke 20:19) One can have no doubt therefore that Jesus meant for His listeners to understand that the tenants represented the Pharisees. He made clear that the Pharisees had disinherited themselves.
Seeds Sown Along the Path. This parable also appears in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Here Jesus told of different growth patterns from seeds sown in different conditions. The parable taught His followers that if they were to be his disciples they must be consistent and thorough in their faith. The point to the Pharisees may be found in Matthew 13:19, “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart…” In other words, the Pharisees' failure to nurture the word of God allowed the interests of the devil to take over. (Matthew 13:3-9, Mark 4:3-20, Luke 8:4-15)
Light of the World. Jesus told His disciples that they were the light of the world and to let it shine before men. He cautioned against hiding the light, such as putting a lamp under a bushel. The quality that Jesus described is exactly what He would expect of those who aspire to be priests to the world. It is also exactly the quality that the Pharisees did not have. The Pharisees received the light and yet managed to hid it under a bushel of laws and traditions. (Matthew 5:14-16, Mark 4:21-23, Luke 8:16-18)
Prodigal Son. This parable is probably one of the more famous. Jesus told of a son who took his inheritance, wasted it, and then repented. His father lovingly took him back, while the older brother refuses to celebrate his brother’s return. In this parable Jesus described the Pharisee attitude toward sinners and especially toward sinners who feel remorse. Jesus therefore meant to show the older brother to represent the heartless and unforgiving Pharisee. The prodigal son becomes the non-Pharasaic-influenced population that the Lord (the father in the parable) gladly takes under his wing. (Luke 15:11-32)
Good Samaritan. This parable is also well-known. In it Jesus directly attacked the Pharisees, by saying that a Pharisee deliberately bypassed someone in great need. A Samaritan then did what the Pharisee should have done by helping the person in an extremely generous fashion. The choice of portraying a Samaritan in the parable was deliberate to make a point to the Pharisees about their holier than thou attitude. The Pharisees, to their disgrace in Jesus' eyes, shunned Samaritans and thought them unclean. In this parable Jesus once again illustrated how His priests ought to act, as contrasted with how the Pharisees did act. (Luke 10:25-37)
Unmerciful Servant. Again Jesus via a parable made a major criticism of the Pharisees. In the parable Jesus described how a king forgave his servant's debts until the same servant refused to forgive his own debtors. When the king learned of this selfishness, he threw the servant in prison. The parallel with the Pharisees relationship with God is unmistakable. God forgives the Pharisees their errors until He learns how they treat other sinners. Then He will consign them to hell and he will take on other servants.
One Lost Sheep. Jesus told this parable to answer the Pharisees’ charge that He was associated with sinners. The Pharisees generally felt that sinners were lost. The lesson Jesus meant to impart was that even one lost soul is worth extraordinary efforts to save. Jesus had no tolerance for the Pharisees' self-contentment. (Luke 15:4-7) A similar point was made in the parable Lost Coin. (Luke 15:8-10)
The Good Shepherd. Jesus compares good and bad shepherds in this parable. He said the good shepherd will lay down his life for his sheep. The bad shepherd, He emphasized, will flee and, moreover, is a thief. In this parable Jesus spoke again about what is expected of priests to the world in contrast to what the Pharisees had practiced. (John 10:1-18) A similar message is found in the parable Sheep and Goats when Jesus talked of separating the sheep and goats at the last hour, the sheep being his followers and the goats being the followers of the Pharisees. (Matthew 25:31-46)
Hiring Laborers. Jesus demonstrated God’s generosity in this parable. In the parable an employer paid the same daily wage to laborers hired at different times of the day. Jesus may have used this parable to shock the Pharisees who were so concerned with wealth that they could only consider money-matters in a miserly fashion. The idea of generosity would not have occurred to the Pharisees. They undoubtedly thought Jesus crazy. (Matthew 20:1-16)
Ten Maidens with Lamps. This parable concerns the perseverance needed to be saved. Jesus wanted His disciples to understand that one needs to be pious at all times because one does not know when judgment will occur. Such consistent and timely devotion was contrasted with those who put off being pious until it was too late. Certainly Jesus would not have put the Pharisees in the category of being pious at all times. The Pharisees' daily 'piety' was mired in ritual and rules. They had little if any understanding of genuine piety from the heart. (Matthew 25:1-13) Jesus conveyed a similar lesson about always being pious in the parable The Alert Servants. (Mark 3:33-37)
Jesus emphasized the value of even a single devote person in the parables about Leaven in Bread (Matthew 13:33, Luke 13:20-21), The Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32, Luke 13:18-19), The Treasure Hidden in the Field (Matthew 13:44), and The Finding of One Pearl (Matthew 13:45-46). Such a message would not have been understood by the Pharisees. The treasure of a single recruit in God’s eyes was unknown to them. Jesus even said the Pharisees turned a recruit into a child of hell (!).
Jesus told several parables that involved money, investments, and accounts. Jesus, who did not have even a denarius, had to talk about money because of the atmosphere of the mammon-loving Pharisees and their obsession with wealth, jewels and riches. This atmosphere was so prevalent that even His own disciples were dumbfounded when Jesus said that it would be very difficult for a rich man to get into heaven. In one parable, Ten Minas, Jesus talked about the investment return of ten, five, and one talents. (Luke 19:11-27) A similar parable in Matthew, Ten Talents, has the same lessons about making the most of the what God gives each individual. (Matthew 25:14-30)
Weeds Among the Good Seed. This parable was about the end times. Jesus described how the devil put weeds (the Pharisees) in a cultivated field in the middle of the night. He said that He will let the weeds/Pharisees remain there until the final harvest. (Matthew 13:24-30 & 36-43) Jesus had the same message about the end times in his parable about The Net in the Sea. Jesus told of a catch of fish that must be separated into the good and bad. (Matthew 13:47-50)
Banquet Not Attended. Jesus told this tale about a King whose invited guests had one excuse or another to absent themselves from a specially prepared banquet. The king, angered, disinvited them and had his servants bring anyone off the street to the banquet. It doesn’t take much imagination to see that Jesus was talking about how the Pharisees have disappointed God by being so busy with all their 'excuses' that were unavailable to receive His bounty. (Luke 14:15-24) Jesus told a similar parable in Marriage Feast. (Matthew 22:1-14)
Store Crops. Jesus told this short story to a multitude that undoubtedly included Pharisees. The story was aimed at the Pharisees' covetousness. He told of a man who had a plentiful harvest and decided to build a bigger barn so he will have ample goods for many years. He planed to eat, drink and be merry. Jesus said, “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." He went on to explain how the Father always knows all that everyone needs. Therefore no one need worry. (Luke 12:13-40) Jesus made the same point of God providing what is asked for in The Friend at Midnight. (Luke 11:5-13)
Salt Lost its Taste. This short parable is really only a statement that once salt loses its taste it is worthless. Even though the Pharisees had trouble understanding Jesus’ sayings, the lesson of this parable was obvious. Even the Pharisees would have seen that they were being compared to tasteless salt. (Matthew 5:13, Mark 9:50, Luke 14:34-35)
Barren Fig Tree. In this parable Jesus told of an owner of a vineyard who wished to chop down a tree because it had not produced fruit. His vinedresser asked for one more year during which he would cultivate around the tree. Even the Pharisees could catch the parallels. Jesus meant for all to understand that the vineyard owner representing God was fed up with the Pharisees (tree) who produced no fruit. Jesus, the vinedresser, said he will give try one more time to bring the Pharisees to understand how to produce fruit before the tree is chopped down. (Luke 13:6-9)
Children in the Market. Jesus discussed the perfidy of the Pharisees in this parable. Talking of the contemporary generation, He told of how the Pharisees slandered John the Baptist for having a demon because he ate no bread and drank no wine. Then the Pharisees turned around and slandered Jesus for being a "drunkard and glutton" because he ate and drank. Jesus in the parable both illustrated the Pharisees disregard for the truth and their shameless seizing on anything to attack those bringing the truth. (Matthew 11:16-19, Luke 7:31-35)
Rich Man and Lazarus. Jesus described a rich man who lived well but did not go to heaven. In contrast, Lazarus was a poor, disreputable beggar. Lazarus went to heaven. This story is obviously not a parable that the Pharisees would have told. The rich man pleaded in hell for someone to warn this family and others about what it takes to get to heaven. In answer Jesus quoted Abraham in heaven saying, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.” (Luke 16:19-31) Could there be any doubt that Jesus was referring to the chances of the rich, ritual-bound Pharisees to go to heaven?
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector in the Temple. Jesus related a situation where a Pharisee self-righteously made a prayer thanking God that the Pharisee was not like the tax collector. On the other hand, the tax collector feels completely unworthy and asked God to be merciful. Jesus then said that the exalted with be humbled but he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 18:9-14)
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Many books have been written about the meaning and subtleties of the parables. The discussion presented here looks at what Jesus said to and about the Pharisees through the parables.
Jesus devoted his entire ministry to negating the Pharisees' version of piety, and laying the basis for the Pharisees' replacement. He did this to prepare the way for His self-sacrifice for forgiveness of sin and to prepare the way for the maintenance of genuine piety after His departure to the Father.
[The next part of this series will discuss the Pharisees' confrontations with Jesus.]
