Online Resource Library
Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadBob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - Luke 8
Verse Commentaries:
Chapter Level Commentary:
FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL
This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.
1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Third paragraph
4. Etc.
CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS
A. This chapter is made up of several incidents
1. the parable of the soils, Luk_8:1-18
2. Jesus deals with His own family, Luk_8:19-21
3. Jesus calms a storm, Luk_8:22-25
4. Jesus heals the Gadarene Demoniac, Luk_8:26-39
5. Jesus raises Jairus' daughter and heals a woman with an issue of blood, Luk_8:40-55
B. INTERPRETING PARABLES
The Gospels were written many years after Jesus' life. Those who write the Gospels (by the aid of the Spirit) were culturally accustomed to oral teaching. The rabbis taught by oral presentation. Jesus continued this oral approach to teaching. To our knowledge He never wrote down any of His teachings or sermons. To aid in the memory, teaching presentations were repeated, summarized, and illustrated. The Gospel writers retained these memory aids. Parables are one of these techniques. Parables are hard to define:
"Parables are best defined as stories with two levels of meaning; the story level provides a mirror by which reality is perceived and understood" (Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels [p. 594]).
"A parable is a saying or story that seeks to drive home a point that the speaker wishes to emphasize by illustrating it from a familiar situation of common life" (The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Encyclopedia [p. 590]).
It is hard to define exactly what was understood by the term "parable" in Jesus' day
1. Some say it reflects the Hebrew term mashal, which was any kind of riddle (Mar_3:23), clever saying (Proverbs, Luk_4:23), short saying (Mar_7:15) or mysterious saying ("dark saying").
2. Others hold to the more limited definition of a short story.
This was a major NT literary genre. Depending on how one defines the term, over one-third of Jesus' recorded teachings are in parabolic form. Parables are certainly authentic sayings of Jesus. If one accepts the second definition, there are still several different types of short stories
1. simple stories (Luk_13:6-9)
2. complex stories (Luk_15:11-32)
3. contrasting stories (Luk_16:1-8; Luk_18:1-8)
4. typological/allegorical stories (Mat_13:24-30; Mat_13:47-50; Luk_8:4-8; Luk_8:11-15; Luk_10:25-37; Luk_14:16-24; Luk_20:9-19; John 10; Joh_15:1-8)
In dealing with this variety of parabolic material, one must interpret these sayings on several levels.
The first level would be general hermeneutic principles applicable to all biblical genres:
1. identify the purpose of the entire book, or at least the larger literary unit in which the parable appears
2. identify the original audience. It is significant that the same parable is sometimes given to different groups.
a. lost sheep in Luke 15 directed to sinners
b. lost sheep in Matthew 18 directed toward disciples
3. be sure to note the immediate context of the parable. Often Jesus or the Gospel writer tells the main point (usually at the end of the parable or immediately after it).
4. express the central intent(s) of the parable in one declarative sentence. Parables often have two or three main characters. Usually there is an implied truth, purpose, or point to each character.
5. check the parallel passages in the other Gospels, then other NT books and OT books.
The second level of interpretive principles are those that relate specifically to parabolic material:
1. Read (hear if possible) the parable again and again. These were given for oral impact, not written analysis.
2. Most parables have only one central truth, which is related to the historical and literary contexts of both Jesus and/or the evangelist.
3. Be careful of interpreting the details making it an allegory instead of a parable. Often they are just part of the setting of the story.
4. Remember parables are not reality. They are life-like analogies, but often exaggerations, to drive home a point (truth).
5. Identify the main points of the story that a first century Jewish audience would have understood. Then look for the twist or surprise. Usually it comes toward the end of the story (cf. A. Berkeley Mickelsen, Interpreting the Bible, pp. 221-224).
6. All parables were given to elicit a response. That response is usually related to the concept of "the Kingdom of God." Jesus was the inaugurator of the new Messianic Kingdom (Mat_21:31; Luk_17:21). Those who heard Him must respond to Him now! The Kingdom is also future (Matthew 25). A person's future is dependent on how he responded to Jesus at the time. Kingdom parables described the new kingdom that had arrived in Jesus. They described its ethical and radical demands for discipleship. Nothing can be as it was. All is radically new and focused on Jesus!
7. Parables often do not express the point or central truth. The interpreter must seek the contextual keys that reveal the original culturally obvious central truths which, because of time, language, and culture, are now obscure to us.
A third level that is often controversial is that of the hiddenness of parabolic truth. Jesus often spoke of the hiddenness of parables (cf. Mat_13:9-15; Mar_4:9-13; Luk_8:8-10; Joh_10:6; Joh_16:25). This is related to the prophecy in Isa_6:9-10. The heart of the hearer determines the level of understanding (cf. Mat_11:15; Mat_13:9; Mat_13:15-16; Mat_13:43; Mar_4:9; Mar_4:23; Mar_4:33-34; Mar_7:16; Mar_8:18; Luk_8:8; Luk_9:44; Luk_14:35).
However, it must also be stated that often the crowd (cf. Mat_15:10; Mar_7:14) and the Pharisees (cf. Mat_21:45; Mar_12:12; Luk_20:19) understood exactly what Jesus was saying, but refused to respond appropriately by faith and repentance. In one sense this is the truth of the Parable of the Soils (cf. Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8). The parables could conceal or reveal truth (cf. Mat_13:16-17; Mat_16:12; Mat_17:13; Luk_8:10; Luk_10:23-24).
Grant Osborne, Hermeneutical Spiral, p. 239, makes the point that "parables are an 'encounter mechanism' and function differently depending on the audience. . .Each group (i.e., leaders, crowds, disciples) is encountered differently by the parables." Often even the disciples did not understand either His parables or His teachings (cf. Mat_15:16; Mar_6:52; Mar_7:18; Mar_8:17-18; Mar_8:21; Mar_8:33; Mar_9:10; Mar_9:32; Luk_9:45; Luk_18:34; Joh_12:16).
A fourth level is also controversial. It deals with the central truth of parables. Most modern interpreters have reacted (justifiably so) against the allegorical interpretation of the parables. Allegory turned the details into elaborate systems of truth. This method of interpretation does not focus on the historical setting, literary setting, or authorial intent; it presents the thoughts of the interpreter, not the inspired text.
However, it must be admitted that the parables that Jesus interpreted are very close to allegorical or at least typological. Jesus used the details to convey truth (the Sower, Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8 and the wicked tenants, Matthew 21; Mark 12, Luke 20).
Some of the other parables also have several main truths. A good example is the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luk_15:11-32). It is not only the love of the Father and waywardness of the younger son, but also the attitude of the older son, that is integral to the full meaning of the parable.
Here is a helpful statement from Linguistics and Biblical Interpretation by Peter Cotterell and Max Turner:
"It was Adulf Julicher more than any other who directed New Testament scholarship towards a decisive attempt to understand the role of parable in the teaching of Jesus. The radical allegorizing of the parables was abandoned and the search begun for a key that would enable us to penetrate their true meaning. But as Jeremias made clear, 'His efforts to free the parables from the fantastic and arbitrary interpretations of every detail caused him to fall into a fatal error.' The error was to insist not merely that a parable should be understood as conveying a single idea, but that the idea should be as general as possible" (p. 308).
Another helpful statement from The Hermeneutical Spiral by Grant Osborne is:
"Yet I have noted many indications that the parables are indeed allegories, albeit controlled by the author's intention. Blomberg (1990) in fact argues that there are as many points as there are characters in the parables and that they are indeed allegories. While this is somewhat overstated, it is nearer the truth than the 'one point' approach" (p. 240).
Should parables be used to teach doctrinal truths or illuminate doctrinal truths? Most interpreters have been influenced by the abuse of the allegorical method of interpreting parables, which allowed them to establish doctrines that had no connection to Jesus' original intent or that of the Gospel writer. Meaning must be linked to authorial intent. Jesus and the Gospel writers were under inspiration, but interpreters are not.
However badly the parables have been abused, they still function as vehicles of truth. Hear Bernard Ramm on this point!
"Parables do teach doctrine and the claim that they may not be used at all in doctrinal writing is improper. . .we must check our results with plain, evident teaching of our Lord, and with the rest of the New Testament. Parables with proper cautions may be used to illustrate doctrine, illuminate Christian experience and to teach practical lessons." Protestant Biblical Interpretation (p. 285).
In conclusion let me give three quotes that reflect warnings in our interpretation of parables:
1. Taken from How to Read the Bible For All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Doug Stuart:
"The parables have suffered a fate of misinterpretation in the church second only to the Revelation" (p. 135).
2. Taken from Understanding and Applying the Bible by J. Robertson McQuilkin:
"Parables have been the source of untold blessing in enlightening God's people concerning spiritual truth. At the same time, parables have been the source of untold confusion in both doctrine and practice in the church" (p. 164).
3. Taken from The Hermeneutical Spiral by Grant Osborne:
"Parables have been among the most written about yet hermeneutically abused portions of Scripture. . .the most dynamic, yet the most difficult to comprehend of the biblical genres. The potential of the parable for communication is enormous, since it creates a comparison or story based upon everyday experiences. However, that story itself is capable of many meanings, and the modern reader has as much difficulty interpreting it as did the ancient hearers" (p. 235).
C. A Checklist for Interpreting Parables
1. General Hermeneutical Principles
a. What is the central purpose of:
(1) the whole Gospel
(2) the literary unit
(3) the immediate context
b. Identify, if possible, the original audience (disciples, crowd, religious leaders)
c. Seek the historical setting
(1) of Jesus
(2) of the Gospel author
d. What is the main truth(s) of the story
(1) express it in one declarative sentence
(2) list the main characters of the parable (usually 2 or 3) and assign a purpose, truth, or plot development to each
e. Check the other gospels for their use of the parabolic material. Is it the same or different?
2. Special Hermeneutics
a. Read (or better, listen to) the story again and again
b. Identify the cultural aspects of the story. Look for what would have surprised the original hearers. This surprising twist usually comes toward the end. It can be a statement of Jesus or the hearers or a character in the story or the Gospel writer
c. What response was Jesus seeking to elicit in the story?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.
1. What is the major truth in the parable of the soils?
2. Is it possible for someone to receive Jesus Christ and then later to be lost?
3. Why does Jesus mention the Kingdom of God so often?
4. Why did Mary and Jesus' brothers come to see Him?
5. Is demon possession a live option today? Is it a possibility for believers?
6. Why did Jesus tell the parents not to say anything about the raising of their daughter?