What Do Jesus' Parables Mean?

Crucial Questions #28

by R.C. Sproul

Jesus was known for presenting many of His teachings in parables, short stories that illustrate a point. In His own day and in ours, Jesus' stories have often been misunderstood, and their riches have been overlooked. In What Do Jesus' Parables Mean?, Dr. R.C. Sproul explores the parables of Jesus, laying out their meaning and the rich blessings that they promise to believers.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Nonfiction, Religion, Christianity, Christian Non Fiction, Spirituality

80 pages, Paperback

Published November 9, 2017

About the author

Dr. R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, an international Christian discipleship organization located near Orlando, Fla. He was founding pastor of Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Fla., first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.

Ligonier Ministries began in 1971 as the Ligonier Valley Study Center in Ligonier, Pa. In an effort to respond more effectively to the growing demand for Dr. Sproul’s teachings and the ministry’s other educational resources, the general offices were moved to Orlando in 1984, and the ministry was renamed.

Dr. Sproul’s radio program, Renewing Your Mind, is still broadcast daily on hundreds of radio stations around the world and can also be heard online. Dr. Sproul produced hundreds of lecture series and recorded numerous video series on subjects such as the history of philosophy, theology, Bible study, apologetics, and Christian living.

He contributed dozens of articles to national evangelical publications, spoke at conferences, churches, and academic institutions around the world, and wrote more than one hundred books, including The Holiness of God, Chosen by God, and Everyone’s a Theologian. He signed the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and wrote a commentary on that document. He also served as general editor of the Reformation Study Bible, previously known as the New Geneva Study Bible.

Dr. Sproul had a distinguished academic teaching career at various colleges and seminaries, including Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando and Jackson, Miss. He was ordained as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America.

Reviews

[Joleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Articulate, challenging, uncomfortable, shaking my head....

I knew R.C. Sproul could be controversial in our God-loves-you,-and-you-are-perfect-the-way-you-are church today. In this quite brief book he says some things I hadn’t considered. Whew.

I have a lot of thinking to do. I need to discuss Matthew 20:1-6 "Workers in the Vineyard” chapter with my husband. What fence we were on is rocking right now. Do I accept what this scholarly man says because he makes some uncomfortable intelligent conclusions? Or do I work it through myself and slide off my fence into a firm stance on another side.

I know true Calvinists will have no issue with anything he says, but I've never been totally sold on all points. And to be honest, I didn’t know he was going to take the parables in that direction. So my surprise and lack of comfort is understandable, but now I have to work at what this means in my life...one way or another.

Some may want to throw this book across the room, some may embrace it all and say, "Yes!" Worth the brief read to find out if you'll hug it or toss it.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: Our Lord Jesus Christ was the greatest teacher who ever walked on the face of the earth. Not only was He the very incarnation of truth--and so the content of His teaching was impeccable and of divine origin--but He was also a master pedagogue. That is, His style of teaching was extraordinary.

What is a parable? Sproul points out the meaning of two greek words: Para is a prefix that refers to something that is alongside something else and ball means "to throw or to hurl." Ultimately answering the question with, "so parable means something that is thrown alongside of something else."

In What Do Jesus' Parables Mean? Sproul examines ELEVEN of Jesus' parables. Each parable has one central point. Parables are not meant to be allegories with a hundred points to discover.

The eleven parables are:
The Unjust Judge (Luke 18:1-8)
The Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-31)
Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31)
The Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price (Matthew 13:44-45)
The Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-6)
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)
The Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35)
The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)
The Wise and Foolish Bridesmaids (Matthew 25:1-13)
The Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)

I enjoyed reading this one. I like that it was accessible. There are so many books about Jesus' parables. There are books hundreds of pages in length that focus just on one or two parables. One could spend years just reading up on the subject of Jesus' parables and what they mean. But Sproul's book is concise and easy to follow. Each parable has one central point that Jesus wanted his followers then and his followers now to grasp.

[Jeanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prodigal son-"Father, I have sinned against heaven and I've sinned against you. Make me one of your servants. Father, I was a son in your house, and I left, but now all I want is to be a slave in your house." That's the heart of a converted person.

The parables of Jesus deal with the heart that we may fail to see. Such as King David did not see the evil in his heart but only his desires until Nathan shared a parable...a story that revealed how our hearts are bent to our own desires.

Sproul looks into 11 of the parables that Jesus told in the bible. With great insight, I found myself falling in love with these parables and a desire to dig deeper. The heart of a converted person vs the heart of an unconverted person. Our attitudes of grace and instant gratification can be telling of our own hearts. We desire grace from others but how freely do we give it to others as they struggle.

Each parable has a significant point. Who is my neighbor? Who is God? What is the Gospel?
How we can be moved to compassion. It also points to the sovereignty of God. The parables are designed to move our hearts towards the kingdom of God and his value system.

This text is short but heavy on context. I highly recommend.

A Special Thank You to Ligonier Ministries and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

[John Yelverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, R.C. Sproul does a fantastic job of hermeneutics when he breaks down the best of Jesus' parables. On the other hand, he doesn't really explain what the parables actually are. He touches on it briefly, but the majority of the time is simply spent explaining the parables.

[Carrie Daws · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy R.C. Sproul's teaching and listen regularly to his Renewing Your Mind podcast. So I devoured this book written but not read by him. I did miss his voice; he has a way of speaking that reaches out and impacts me with both the words and pauses. Still, I am thankful for his writings and all that he teaches within them.

[Russell Sigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very brief overview of the major parables of Jesus. Nice introductory read.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent, but very basic. I expected more in-depth explanations.

Notes
The Unforgiving Servant (Matt 18:21-35)
Church discipline process
1. Privately ask person who sinned against you to repent.
2. If person refuses to repent, go again with 2-3 witnesses.
3. If person still refuses to repent, bring issue to church.
4. If person still refuses to repent, treat person as heathen (church excommunicates person).

We may unilaterally forgive those who don't repent (following Jesus' example on cross, saying, "Father, forgive them,"), but we aren't required to. If we had to unilaterally forgive everyone who sinned against us, there'd be no need for process of dealing with sinner or for church discipline (Matt 18:15-17). If person repents, we must forgive. We must be ready to forgive at all times, not holding a grudge (Matt 6:12).

The Talents (Matt 25:14-30)
In parable, talent isn't a skill, but highest unit of currency in Jews at that time (~20 yrs wages).

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book R. C. Sproul presents 11 of Jesus’ parables. Each chapter summarizes one parable and that parable is explained. I have heard and read these parables many times but some of these parables I never fully understood the meaning. R.C. Sproul does a wonderful job clearly and concisely explaining the meaning and applying it to our lives. I was very convicted, especially with the last 2 parables which were the Parables of the Talents (found in Matthew 25: 14-30) and the Parable Of the Ten Virgins (found in Matthew 25:1-13). I highly encourage you to read this book! It will convict you and you will grow! This is an easy read and I plan to read it again in the future as it is a great reminder to use our time here on earth wisely and to be prepared for eternity!

[Gavin Felgate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third of R.C. Sproul's Crucial Quesions Series that I've read.

In this book, Dr. Sproul takes the reader through several of the parables Jesus told; I found this book useful in that there always seems to be something that I've missed about all the parables, so constantly reading from a different writer's point of view gave me a completely different perspective on the occasionally sobering messages given in each of these tales that Jesus told.

The structure of this book was useful, as a step-by-step guide to each event in the parables that are discussed, making them easy to dissect and get me thinking about how I should apply each of them.

[Michael K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a well written project to aid, those of us who desire to know, us in our learning of the Parables of Christ. Not necessarily all of them, but many of them. Great help to understand those things spoken by the Christ that we don't necessarily understand, because "seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand."

[Skip Tribby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Big Help

Recently the Parables of Jesus has come to the forefront in my life. I've heard differences of opinion as to the meanings of the parables and I wanted the opinion of someone I trusted. Dr. Sproul is someone I feel I can trust. Since Jesus used these parables to help explain the Kingdom of God using terminology that was familiar to the people of that time, I felt that through the changes of meanings of words in the English language over the years that what I might have accepted a wrong interpretation of the parables. This short book was a great help. Basically, don't look for a meaning in everything in the parables.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Excellent Study

I really enjoyed reading R.C. Sproul's insight on these few parables of Jesus. I've actually been working through a study with a women's Bible study group, studying several other parables of Jesus. When I saw this booklet on the same topic, I decided to read it, too. I'm glad I did!
If you're looking for a book that would encourage you in your Christian life and also encourage you to dive deeper into God's Word for further study, this might be just right for you.

[Sheldon Waithe]

Unbelief is not an intellectual problem.

"Unbelief is not an intellectual problem— there is sufficient testimony to God and His goodness in creation and in Scripture that everyone is without excuse if they refuse to worship Him. Rather, unbelief is a moral problem. Unbelievers don’t worship because they don’t want to worship. They don’t listen because they don’t want to listen. They don’t have ears to hear because they don’t want to have ears to hear"

[Cassie Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A key part of Jesus Christ’s ministry was the parables he told to the common people. But what do they mean exactly? In this Crucial Questions Series booklet, R.C. Sproul takes a look at twelve popular parables and what they mean. With clear language, this booklet is easy to understand and brings clarity to these parables. Recommended to anybody who is curious about the meanings of Jesus’s teachings.

[Steve Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to Jesus' parables, but since it is a short book and it covers eleven parables, it only scratches the surface. This is a good place to go, though, to get the main gist of what Jesus was trying to convey in his parables.

[Lisa Beaulieu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore and am so grateful for Dr Sproul. That said, this little book was a bit disappointing. May be helpful to a brand new reader of the parables. Very simple, and (dare I say?) a bit surface-treatment. Of course, I learned some things, it is RC Sproul after all!

[DeAnna S. Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a powerful little book with poignant insights to Jesus' parables. Concise and easily read. I very much enjoyed it.

Highly recommend! Sometimes the parables Jesus taught are conflicting instead of convicting to me, but Dr Sproul breaks them down beautifully!

[Andy Febrico Bintoro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parabola with paraphrase

Easy to understand, the author making a paraphrase of parable with modern example. The book not contains all parables in the Bible, but it's enough for basic teaching.

[Albert L Schaubel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Undering Jesus' Parables

Dr. Sproul explains in simple language the meaning of Jesus' parables. All directly to the point. Plenty of food for thought! Salvation, the Kingdom, Works, Stewardship, and more.

[Steve Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great explanation.

Dr. Sproul presents these parables in a fresh way. His interpretation made me think. It was a very good read.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parables

This little book by the late RC Sproul covers the parables of Christ and gives a brief but explanatory coverage of them.

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good basic primer on the parables of Christ. Nothing fancy or deep, just a fine, short overview.

[Larryfo · Rating 5 out of 5]

🙏

Some of the best books are free. The clearest and simplest explanation of the parables of Jesus. RC Sproul is one of the best teachers ever.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Question: Answered!

[Flo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and helpful

[Dan Hamman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gaining a better understanding of the parables.

The author gives explanations of the parables in ways that are easy to understand. Valuable resource for any serious Bible student.

[Aimee Dolberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s like rich food for the soul. A great book for when your lost an need answers, or when you just need to refocus your life.

[russel sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. You will enjoy!

You will learn the lessons of the parables of Jesus and they will have a clear message that you can use to govern your walk with Christ.

[Michael Weldon]

Another good one

R C has a way to explain Theology in a understandable way , the parables we read but do we study them.

[Dorathea E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful

A good book and points of discussion for Bible study groups. I really enjoyed this book as it is easy to read.