Parables in the Gospel of Mark: Introduction
Parables in the Gospel of Mark:
An Internet Bible Study Courtesy of PGUMC
Introduction: Mark 4:33-34
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples. Mark 4:33-34
What is a Parable?
A parable is an ancient teaching style that uses the familiar to illustrate or elucidate the unfamiliar. A parable is usually a short story based on common experiences that contain a deeper meaning. Jesus used parables as a way to tease, shock, inspire, or even offend his listeners into a new way of thinking and understanding. In the Gospel of Mark the parables of Jesus act as a momentary glimpse into the kingdom. They are windows into seeing the world through new eyes. They are new opportunities to meditate and study what Jesus was teaching and further allow us to gain a deeper insight to the theological understandings of those teachings as recorded by the writer(s) of the Gospel of Mark.
What are some of the “problems” with the Parables of Mark?
As parables are in themselves indirect there are several difficulties that we can expect as we encounter and explore them. These include:
1. What was common (everyday) in the First Century is not always common to our experience.
2. Most of us have had some level of exposure to these parables that hinder our ability to encounter them openly.
3. We are not an oral culture and are not used to learning through storytelling and are more attuned to reading for direct information.
4. We may not understand the context within the Gospel of Mark in which these parables appear and we may not have an appreciation of the unique voice of this Gospel as to how and why the parables are used.
*For example: We have all heard the saying, “Good fences make good neighbors”. Most of us understand this to mean that keeping our neighbors off our property and out of our business is the best way to live in harmony and peace. Right?!?
WRONG! The context of this saying is actually from a time when neighbors would work together to build a fieldstone wall on the property line. The neighbors would then routinely walk the wall together and repair it as needed. The original sentiment is that working together on a common task and spending time together helping each other created good will and strong relationships, therefore, “Good fences make good neighbors”! The understood meaning to us is almost the opposite of the original and intended meaning.
How will we address these “problems”?
1. We will try to understand the context of the parables within the Gospel and in the culture. We will try to “hear” them as the original readers of Mark might have understood them.
2. We will study a variety of interpretations from different Theologians from different periods of history.
3. We will try to offer our own adaptations of these parables for our own time and experiences.
4. We will try to understand the role the parable plays in the larger witness of the Gospel of Mark.
How do the parables work within the context of Mark?
1. Mark is most likely recording (some form) the teachings of Jesus. Jesus probably used parables as a pedagogical tool. Even the most fringe skeptical biblical scholar(s) such as “The Jesus Seminar” acknowledge Jesus as the source of most of these parables (but not the interpretations sometimes offered).
2. Parables cause the recipient to think and ruminate over what has been said causing the lesson to continue long after the teaching event.
3. The Gospel of Mark contains what is often known as the “Messianic Secret”. Jesus was careful to not be revealed as the Messiah until “his hour” had arrived. The central question of this Gospel is “Who is this Jesus?”. The parables might be like the code used by parents and some pet owners to discuss important issues without revealing too much to those who may be listening. Mark 4:33-34 is a prime example of this use of parables.
Why are the parables in Mark different from their analogs in Matthew and Luke?
For centuries many biblical scholars thought that Mark was a striped down version of Matthew. Because of this the Church often overlooked Mark as being too clumsy and abbreviated.
In the last hundred years or so advances in scholarship and archeological evidence has caused a huge shift in this understanding. Mark is almost unanimously acknowledged as the oldest of the Gospels preserved in the New Testament (aprox. 6o A.D.) and along with the Letters of Paul (aprox. 50-70 A.D.) represents some of the earliest Christian writings. The differences seem to be found in the need of Matthew of Luke (both aprox 80 A.D.) to use the parables in different places or to correct and/or soften the language. The most common way to understand the writing of the Synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew and Luke) is called the “Four Source Hypothesis”. Which in a completely over simplified version goes something like this…
1. Mark wrote his Gospel using a collection of Jesus’ sayings that were preserved from oral traditions.
2. Matthew and Luke both used Mark as the outline for their Gospels and supplemented it with stories and traditions that are unique to Matthew (source “M”) and Luke (source “L”) and from a fourth used by both Matthew and Luke, such as the Sermon on the Mount/Plane, but are not found in Mark (source “Q” as “Q” is the first letter in the German word for “Source”). “Q” has been lost to history but was almost certainly a written collection of sayings of Jesus that preserved the earlier oral traditions. There is very strong and compelling evidence for this theory that I will not bore you with any longer.
For the sake of this study we will focus only on Mark, thus making the point mute anyway.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Please respond via e-mail or facebook to each of the following questions.
1. How do you use parables in communicating with others about difficult or controversial topics?
2. How does this brief introduction help you to understand the role of parables in Mark?
3. Have you ever encountered situations where the change in language over time completely changed the meaning of something drastically?
4. What questions or observations do you have at this point?
Please respond within the next day or two and I will address the points and questions and post Lesson One: Mark 4:3-8 (1-20) The Parable of the Sower.
In Christ,
John
