I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES

A parable is described as a brief story or illustration designed to reveal a moral truth or spiritual lessons. In the Gospels, Jesus most often used them to describe the kingdom of heaven. It's usually a simple story with characters illustrating a larger picture about the Kingdom. Every parable told by Jesus threw a veil over the truth of the Kingdom it communicated, such that it could only be revealed to the mind of the selected few.

Reference: Matthew 13:35 New International Version (NIV) "So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world."

Though parables were often hard to understand, Jesus used them to express and communicate some important realities, godly characters and ideas about the mysteries of divinity, in order to help us live a life of godliness. However, this was also to strictly fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah of the old. In other words, the parable style of Christ's teachings was prophesied ahead of time. Psalm 78:2 reads, "I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old." Though this verse does not denote a prophecy of Christ's method of teaching, it explains the true meaning of a parable. That means, its a teaching that unveils hidden lessons unknown before, as a result of being hidden from mankind since the foundation of the world.

The inner meaning or hidden truth in a parable was designed for the initiated to grasp. This is why in Luke 8:9-10 (NIV), when the disciples asked Jesus what a particular parable meant, He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand." By reading this Scripture, you'll understand that it was Jesus' intention for other hearers not to see or understand His parables. Even the disciples found them hard to interpret or grasp until Jesus described and revealed the secrets to them in greater detail and in privacy.

Why did Jesus choose to hide the knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven in parables? He did so in parables to the masses, because the Jews of those days were stubborn and did not want to hear and believe that Jesus was the Messiah. In fact, Jesus' parables were designed to hide the truth from the stubborn and unbelieving Israel because they refused to accept what was right and previously revealed to them in the Old Testament (see John 12:37-41).

So in those parables is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which reads, "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them" (Matthew 13:14-15 NIV). Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Psalm 49:4; Isaiah 6:9; Jeremiah 5:29; Matthew 13:3; Mark 4:12; Acts 28:27.

Guided Prayer: Heavenly Father, I'm grateful and glad to have a heart that hears and believes your Word and profit by it. Therefore, I thank you for the free gift of salvation which has made it possible. As I serve you without any change of heart and conviction, I have steady access to the excellent understanding of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven. Thank you for decorating my spirit with accurate insight into the knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom and vast revelation of your mysteries in Jesus' Name, Amen!