Jesus Explains His Parables

By Rose Rogers and William Barrett

How did Jesus communicate truth to the people?
Mt 13:34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable
spake he not unto them: 35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I
will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the
foundation of the world.
Mr 4:33 And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to
hear it. 34 But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he
expounded all things to his disciples.
Jesus used parables to communicate truth—the Word—to the people. The above texts also
tell us that Jesus always used parables to teach the people: “without a parable spake He not.”
Why did Jesus speak in parables?
Mt 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in
parables? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mr 4:2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
Jesus spoke in parables to teach doctrine to His followers and to teach the mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven that had been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
How did Jesus open the understanding of parables to His disciples?
Mr 4:10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the
parable. 11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of
God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: 12 That seeing they
may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they
should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. 13 And he said unto them, Know ye
not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
The disciples did not understand the parable of the sower that Jesus gave in Mark 4:3-8.
Jesus told them that if they could understand that parable, then they could understand all
parables. Then, Jesus proceeded to show them how to understand that parable (in verses 14-20)
so that they could understand all parables.
Mr 4:3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
Mr 4:14 The sower soweth the word.
Mr 4:4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air
came and devoured it up.
Mr 4:15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have
heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
Mr 4:5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang
up, because it had no depth of earth:
Mr 4:16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have
heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
Mr 4:6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

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 Mr 4:17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when
affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
Mr 4:7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no
fruit.
Mr 4:18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19 And the
cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in,
choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
Mr 4:8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and
brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
Mr 4:20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and
receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

The same parable is repeated in Luke 8:5-15 with some variation in wording:
Lu 8:5 A sower went out to sow his seed:
Lu 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Lu 8:5 and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the
air devoured it.
Lu 8:12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the
word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
Lu 8:6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it
lacked moisture.
Lu 8:13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and
these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
Lu 8:7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
Lu 8:14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth,
and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to
perfection.
Lu 8:8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when
he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Lu 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having
heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Jesus opened the understanding of the parable to His disciples by applying a spiritual
meaning to each of the real objects in the parable.
1) Seed that is sown = The Word of God (The Bible)
2) Ground where the seed is sown = People’s Hearts
3) Fowls that devour = Satan / the wicked one (MT 13:19)
4) Scorching sun = affliction, persecution, temptation
5) Young plant that withers away = a former believer
6) Thorns = cares of this world, deceitfulness of riches, lusts of other things / pleasures of this
life

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Where did Jesus get these definitions?
If He got them from His own divine wisdom, then it would not be possible for the disciples
to use the same method to understand all the parables. He asked His disciples “know ye not this
parable?” as if they should not need His explanation. So the definitions must be just as available
for them to know as for Him. How? By searching the Scriptures. The Old Testament was all the
Scriptures they had at the time so let’s see what they might have known:
1) Seed: Ec 11:6 In the morning sow thy seed. Pr 11:18 To him that soweth righteousness
shall be a sure reward. Ps 119:123 ¶ Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, and for the word of thy
righteousness. Ps 119:172 ¶ My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are
righteousness. Pr 8:8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness. Isa 55:10 For as the rain
cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and
maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So
shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall
accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
2) Ground: Jer 4:3 ¶ For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up
your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. 4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take
away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury
come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. Ho
10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is
time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. 13 Ye have plowed
wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in
thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.
3) Fowls that eat: 1Ki 21:24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him
that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat. Ps 27:2 When the wicked, even mine enemies
and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Hab 1:13 Thou art of
purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them
that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more
righteous than he? Jer 12:9 Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about
are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour. 10 Many pastors
have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my
pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.
4) Scorching sun: Ps 121:5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right
hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD shall preserve
thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. Jon 4:8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise,
that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he
fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.
5) Withered plant: Job 8:11 Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without
water? 12 Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.
13 So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish:
6) Thorns: Ec 7:6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool:
this also is vanity.
Jesus showed how Scripture defines its own symbols and told His disciples that if they could
understand this parable, they could understand all parables. This establishes a principle of
interpreting the parables.

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Does Jesus want us to understand His teachings?
Mr 7:14 And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto
me every one of you, and understand:
Does Jesus want us to understand the prophetic writings?
Mt 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel
the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Does Jesus want us to understand all the Scriptures?
Lu 24:25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets
have spoken: 26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the
things concerning himself. 44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto
you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of
Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 45 Then opened he their
understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 46 And said unto them, Thus it is
written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day.
How then can we understand all Scripture?
2Pe 1:19 ¶ We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take
heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your
hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they
were moved by the Holy Ghost.
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath
revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of
God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even
so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the
spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely
given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom
teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But
the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him:
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he that is spiritual
judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the
Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
How can we find the verses that explain other verses?
By the use of an index to the Bible, normally called a concordance. A complete
concordance, such as Strong’s, lists every word in the Bible and every verse in the Bible where
that word is used. But that is another subject altogether….

Many thanks to Brother William Barrett of The Bible Made Simple Ministry, Greeneville, TN, for much of the research that was
compiled into this study. We highly recommend his materials for further information in applying this principle of interpreting
Scripture. They are simple enough for children to understand yet deep enough to challenge the most intellectual adults. These
materials are available in Canada from Gordon & Rose Rogers.

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