Understanding the Parables, the Ancient Hebrew Way

If you are seriously interested in understanding the parables of Jesus then please make an earnest effort to grasp what's on this page. Understanding these enigmatic parables is not easy, but I do assure you, when you understand them, you won't regret one single ounce of energy that you've expended. Below you'll find information regarding the Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Mustard Seed.

Matthew 13:1-50 1 On that day Jesus went out of the house, and was sitting by the sea. 2 And great multitudes gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole multitude was standing on the beach. 3 And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, "Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 and as he sowed, some {seeds} fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 "And others fell upon the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6 "But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 "And others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8 "And others fell on the good soil, and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9 "He who has ears, let him hear." 10 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" 11 And He answered and said to them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12 "For whoever has, to him shall {more} be given, and he shall have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13 "Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 "And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, 'You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; and you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; 15 For the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I should heal them.' 16 "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 "For truly I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see {it} and to hear what you hear, and did not hear {it} 18 "Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil {one} comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20 "And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no {firm} root in himself, but is {only} temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 "And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit, and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." 24 He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 "But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. 26 "But when the wheat sprang up and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27 "And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' 28 "And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' And the slaves said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?' 29 "But he said, 'No; lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 'Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn."'" 31 He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 and this is smaller than all {other} seeds; but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." 33 He spoke another parable to them, "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three pecks of meal, until it was all leavened." 34 All these things Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable, 35 so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world." 36 Then He left the multitudes, and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field." 37 And He answered and said, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 and the field is the world; and {as for} the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil {one;} 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40 "Therefore just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 41 "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. 44 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. 45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it. 47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering {fish} of every kind; 48 and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good {fish} into containers, but the bad they threw away. 49 "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (NASB).

The ancient Jewish teaching technique that Matthew employed throughout his gospel was known as the mashal + nimshal method. In modern day terms mashal + nimshal would be interpreted as parable + explanation. Each ancient Jewish parable (the mashal by itself), by definition, design and intent, had a real-life target (the nimshal).  Here is an example of a typical ancient Jewish parable, the mashal and nimshal, or the parable + it's real life target, a.k.a. its nimshal. Mashal (parable) Nimshal (real-life target) Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: It is like a king who married a woman and wrote her a large marriage settlement. He wrote her: So many bridal-chambers I am building for you; so much jewelry I make for you; so much gold and silver I give you. Then he left her for many years and journeyed to the provinces. Her neighbors used to taunt her and say to her: Hasn’t your husband abandoned you? Go! Marry another man. She would weep and sigh, and afterward she would enter her bridal-chamber and read her marriage settlement and sigh [with relief]. Many years and days later the king returned. He said to her: I am amazed that you have waited for me all these years! She replied: My master, O king! If not for the large wedding settlement you wrote me, my neighbors long ago would have led me astray. Likewise: The nations of the world taunt Israel and say to them: Your God does not want you. He has left you. He has removed His presence from you. Come with us, and we will appoint you to be generals, governors, and officers.  And the people of Israel enter their synagogue and houses of study, and there they read in the Torah, "I will look with favor upon you, and make you fertile … I will establish My abode in your midst, and I will not spurn you" (Lev. 26:9, 11), and they console themselves. For teaching purposes, the parable by itself was insufficient.  It would be difficult, if not impossible, to properly understand the mashal by itself, as given above.  To rightly understand it, the nimshal - or its real-life target - had to be introduced to its hearers.  Neither was it a coincidence that Jesus' own disciples failed to understand the parables (mashal without its nimshal or 'real-life' target) that their Master first spoke (13:36). The ancient Hebrew parable was a fictional story that was meant to teach a particular truth (or a set of truths (principles)) about a real life occurrence. But it was only when the parable (e.g. Matthew 13:3-8) and the explanation (13:18-23) were given together that they actually made sense (13:3-8 + 13:18-23). Indeed, without the Author of the parables' help, the student (13:36) usually could not figure out the meaning of the parable by itself... at least not correctly, and this was by design. The ancient Jewish parables were enigmatic and mysterious, and intentionally so (so don't feel bad that they seem hard to understand). They were designed to create a dependant teaching relationship between master and student.  The meshalim (plural of mashal) were not independant statements of truth.  They required the nimshal (whether revealed or implied) to communicate their intended meaning.  You see, Jesus gave the multitude only the first half of the equation when He stood on the seashore that day (Matthew 13:1-50) and then promptly admitted to His disciples that He did that so the parables' meanings would remain concealed (13:11). If the multitudes and the disciples couldn't understand His parables without an explanation, should you feel bad if you can't? Jesus gave them the parable without the explanation, or the mashal without the nimshal. The fact that He supplied only the parables, in order to conceal their actual meanings, should reveal to you that an explanation was absolutely necessary. Furthermore, it was no coincidence that when Jesus did give the explanations, it was only to His disciples. Those who did not get an explanation remained in the dark, while those who did, achieved understanding. You see, to obtain the explanations required a relationship... a discipleship relationship. It's true that Jesus didn't reveal His wisdom for all to hear that day (Matthew 13:11). Why? Because otherwise, if He had, there would have been no need for a relationship, or a discipleship as the first century Hebrews would have called it. Yet, even though Jesus withheld the explanations of the parables from those on the seashore that day, they still could have obtained the explanations for themselves... but only for a price. That price was discipleship. To obtain the explanations of the parables, or the mysteries of the kingdom, they had to follow The Teacher; they had to become a disciple of His. Why did Jesus withhold information regarding the kingdom from the multitudes? Simply put, to draw those interested in the Kingdom of Heaven into a relationship with Him. Parables were the staple of the first century sage... they were the teaching staple of Jesus Christ. To understand His parables today, we must first find their explanations.

A further survey of the ancient Hebrew parables (biblical and non-biblical) - if we were to undertake that here - would continue to reveal that they were not intended to be understood without further help, or without an explanation (what is technically called a nimshal). A prime example of this can be found in 2 Samuel 12 where Nathan presented a parable to David. David did not understand the parable until Nathan 'explained' it to him and this (David's lack of understanding), once again, was by design (parable + explanation). There are also numerous other examples of 'parable + explanation' that can be sited from early rabbinical writings. So it might not surprise you to find out that Matthew, like the Hebrews before him and after him, left detailed explanations for each of the kingdom parables. But how can we go about finding them?

The key to finding the 'explanation', or nimshal for each of the kingdom parables (13:1-50), lies in the literary organization of the book of Matthew (i.e., the explanations for each parable are revealed by the overall literary organization of the book of Matthew, or when one understands Matthew's organizational pattern, he or she can find each and every explanation Matthew left for each of the parables (Matthew, emulating his Master, hid the explanations of the parables just like Jesus did when He first spoke them)). This is far too complex an issue for this website, though The Mysteries of the Kingdom (available on this site) would certainly prove helpful for your understanding. But so that the reader might know how this ancient teaching technique works, I am going to include two occurrences from the book of Matthew. Remember, a mashal here is the parable and the nimshal is its explanation. Through these explanations, and others like them, Matthew explained the mysteries of the kingdom, or the parables, or the actual first century discipleship curriculum. Below is Matthew's explanation for a portion of the Parable of the Sower... Matthew, in his gospel, included four seperate explanations for this parable, one for each different response to the sower. This particular nimshal (13:54-58) is the explanation for the second response. See if you can understand how this nimshal explains what the second response might look like (for convenience sake, we will use Jesus' explanation as a surrogate for the mashal (parable) - this will make it easier for the first time reader to understand).

Mashal (Parable) 13:18-23 Nimshal (Explanation or external referent) 13:54-58 18 "Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil {one} comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20 "And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no {firm} root in himself, but is {only} temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 "And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit, and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." 54 And coming to His home town He {began} teaching them in their synagogue, so that they became astonished, and said, "Where {did} this man {get} this wisdom, and {these} miraculous powers? 55 "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 "And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then {did} this man {get} all these things?" 57 And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his home town, and in his {own} household." 58 And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief (NASB).

Mashal (Parable) 13:20-21     ‘And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word,   and immediately receives it with joy;       yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary,   and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word,         immediately he falls away’. Nimshal (Explanation or external referent) 13:54-58   And coming to His home town He {began} teaching them in their synagogue,   so that they became astonished, and said, "Where {did} this man {get} this wisdom, and {these} miraculous powers?           "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? "And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then {did} this man {get} all these things?"     And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his home town, and in his {own} household. "And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief (NASB).

In the second graph, I've broken down the sentences so that the side by side correlation would be easier to see. Jesus was 'sowing' in the synagogue: 'And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word (from the parable),' = 'And coming to His home town He {began} teaching them in their synagogue (explanation).'   Then those who heard Him 'sprang up' with great joy, being astonished at His good works and unmatched teaching: 'and immediately recieves it with joy (from the parable)' = 'so that they became astonished, and said, "Where {did} this man {get} this wisdom, and {these} miraculous powers? (explanation)' Then the persecution came in the form of 'familiarity breeds contempt': 'and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, (from the parable)' = 'Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where {did} this man {get} all these things? (explanation)' And in the end they did not believe, or they withered and died: 'immediately he falls away (parable)' = 'And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor in his home town, and in his {own} household". And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief' (explanation). Matthew included this incident (nimshal, which was Jesus' visit to His hometown synagogue) so that we could see what the second response to the parable of the sower might look like; so that we could actually understand, by way of example, the second response to the sower. An example of how the parable actually 'played out' was the best way to explain it and the most natural interpretation for the first century Hebrew (mashal + nimshal). What happened in the synagogue reflects and explains, to Matthew's careful student, the mechanics of the second response. Remember Matthew purposefully included explanations for each of the four responses. Why? Because he wants us (those who would be diligent students) to understand what the parables mean; and what better way than through a comparison? which is what parable means anyway. Next, we'll look at a nimshal (explanation) for the Parable of the Mustard Seed. It's not what you might think...

Mashal (Parable) 13:31-32 Nimshal (Explanation or external referent) 20:17-28 He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like       a mustard seed,   which a man took       and sowed in his field;     and this is smaller than all {other} seeds; but (Modifies mustard seed) See also Phil. 2 and Matthew 20:28 to understand why Jesus was the 'smallest of the seeds'   when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants, and becomes a tree,   so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." And as Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve {disciples} aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and     the Son of Man   will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and scourge     and crucify {Him,}           and on the third day He will be raised up (NASB)."   ??????????????????

In the above graph, it's quite easy to see the intended correlation between the mashal and nimshal, or rather the parable and its explanation. Jesus' death, burial and resurrection explain the Parable of the Mustard Seed to us. But Matthew has left us one question to answer... How is the result of the mustard seed being taken, buried and its growing into a tree, thus providing shelter for the birds of the air, like the result of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection? It is a personal question, one that Matthew wants you to answer for yourself. I'm sure you can do it.

***Hint: The 'sacrifice' of the mustard seed provided a great benefit for the birds of the air.

To rightly understand the parables of Jesus, we must have both sides of the mashal + nimshal equation. This is exactly how a first century Hebrew would have understood them. They knew full well that the parable alone was insufficient (this is the reason the disciples asked Jesus why He was speaking to the multitudes in parables (13:10), or, in an incomplete or unintelligible way). And the multitude knew too; it was only by following Jesus that they could obtain the other half of the mysteries of the kingdom; the explanations of the parables, the real treasure of the kingdom. It was common knowledge in the first century that parables had two parts - the mashal and the nimshal, or the parable and the explanation. But the good news is this: Matthew's entire gospel is made up of this particular teaching technique; the gospel that the Apostle Matthew crafted into a magnificent discipleship manual. It's full of explanations.

The above examples were taken from The Parable Discoveryã  (which is available on this site).