How
to
Know
Parables
Mark
4:13
And
he
said
unto
them,Know
ye
not
this
parable?'
and
how
then
will
ye
know
all
parables?
The
'Parable
of
the
Sower'
was
given
to
teach
us
a
spiritual
lesson
and
to
teach
us
how
to
understand
all
parables.
While
most
people
deal
with
this
parable
and
the
lessons
that
come
directly
from
it,
I
will
deal
with
the
method
for
understanding
all
parables.
- Our
reference
tells
us
that
this
parable,
and
the
following
instruction
from
Jesus,
is
designed
to
teach
us
how
to
understand
all
parables
.
That
means
that
we
are
supposed
to
find
and
understand
the
general
and
abstract
rules
which
apply
to
all
parables
.
Those
rules
are
in
Mark
4.
- The
'Parable
of
the
Sower'
is
the
first
parable
of
the
chapter.
It
lets
us
know
that
different
people
receive
instruction
and
commandments
from
God
into
their
hearts
different
ways
and
with
different
results.
To
receive
the
greatest
blessings
from
God
we
must
have
a
heart
that
is
the
most
open
and
receptive
to
His
teachings.
- In
Mark
4:11-12
we
read
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:
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.
God
holds
all
people
responsible
for
the
instruction
which
He
gives
them
regardless
of
their
level
of
understanding.
God
will
hold
you
responsible
for
what
His
word
teaches
even
if
you
don't
understand
it.
Later
we
will
see
that
people
don't
understand
because
they
have
a
rebellious
heart
that
refuses
to
obey.
When
we
are
rebellious
and
refuse
to
obey,
God
judges
us
and
refuses
to
convert
us.
The
only
way
to
truly
understand
parables
is
to
have
a
heart
that
is
willing
to
obey
whatever
God
shows
us
in
His
word.
When
we
have
that
type
of
heart
then
God
will
convert
us
to
make
us
like
Him
and
make
it
easier
to
understand
the
parables.
- Following
the
last
parable
of
this
chapter
is
the
account
of
Jesus
putting
His
disciples
through
a
test
which
they
failed.
In
His
rebuke
of
them
He
asked
them:
Why
are
ye
so
fearful?'
how
is
it
that
ye
have
no
faith?
The
purpose
of
parables
is
to
teach
us
spiritual
truths
which
are
then
supposed
to
increase
our
faith.
God
always
puts
His
children
through
tests.
If
we
do
not
learn
the
true
spiritual
lessons
which
He
gives
us,
then
we
will
fail
our
own
personal
test.
Each
person
hearing
this
lesson
should
expect
to
receive
their
own
personal
test
of
faith
in
the
near
future.
- The
last
sentence
of
our
chapter
says:
And
they
feared
exceedingly,
and
said
one
to
another,
What
manner
of
man
is
this,
that
even
the
wind
and
the
sea
obey
him?
The
purpose
of
the
teaching
and
of
the
test
is
to
display
God's
power
to
us
and
through
our
life
to
others.
When
we
truly
completely
understand
and
believe
that
God
has
power
beyond
our
understanding
and
that
it
is
available
to
respond
to
our
true
faith,
then
our
faith
in
God,
and
His
power,
will
increase.
That
is
God's
ultimate
goal.
- When
Jesus
was
asked
why
He
taught
in
parables
He
answered
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:
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.
(Mark
4:11-12).
All
people
are
responsible
for
understanding
and
obeying
God's
commandments.
When
lost
people
fail
to
obey,
God
will
tell
them
that
He
gave
then
the
information
in
a
parable
and
it
was
their
duty
to
get
understanding.
Therefore,
they
are
condemned
for
not
obeying
and
their
failure
to
understand
is
not
an
excuse.
God
expects
all
people
to
receive
His
Holy
Spirit
and
to
let
His
Holy
Spirit
instruct
us.
'Ignorance
of
the
law
is
never
an
excuse
for
breaking
a
law'.
- The
phrase:
ears
to
hear
is
found
10
times
starting
in
the
Mosaic
Law
and
ending
in
Revelation.
The
phrase:
let
him
hear
is
found
18
times
starting
in
the
prophecy
of
Jeremiah
and
ending
in
Revelation.
When
we
study
these
references,
we
see
that
people
who
refused
to
hear
did
so
because
they
had
a
rebellious
heart.
The
Bible
teaches
that
our
ability
to
hear
,
retain
and
obey
the
word
of
God
is
directly
related
to
the
condition
of
our
heart.
One
of
the
simplest
commands
to
do,
yet
which
is
ignored,
is
to
meditate
in
God's
word
(Joshua
1:8).
The
commandment
in
Joshua
includes
for
then
thou
shalt
make
thy
way
prosperous,
and
then
thou
shalt
have
good
success
.
If
you
can't
remember
what
it
taught
and
preached
then
you
can't
meditate
in
those
lessons
and
can't
obey
them.
This
is
a
major
reason
why
God's
people
are
not
prosperous
.
- Twice
in
this
chapter
we
read:
If
any
man
have
ears
to
hear,
let
him
hear.
This
means
that
if
we
are
capable
of
hearing,
understanding
and
obeying
the
spiritual
truth
of
the
parables
then
we
are
commanded
to
do
so
to
the
best
of
our
ability.
If
we
are
not
able
to
understand
then
God
expects
us
to
get
saved
and
let
His
Holy
Spirit
teach
us
so
that
we
do
understand.
- Returning
to
our
first
parable,
we
are
told
that,
The
sower
soweth
the
word.
(Mark
4:14).
All
understanding
of
parables
comes
from
God's
word
as
interpreted
by
God's
Holy
Spirit.
Jesus
started
teaching
in
parables
after
the
religious
leaders
criticized
Him
for
not
keeping
their
rules
about
the
sabbath
which
they
added
to
God's
Law.
Those
religious
leaders,
and
their
followers,
are
the
main
group
who
did
not
understand
the
parables.
Even
today
and
among
fundamental
Baptists
we
have
religious
traditions
which
are
added
to
God's
word.
We
need
to
verify
everything
which
we
believe
against
the
Bible
if
we
want
God's
Holy
Spirit
to
give
us
understanding.
- In
the
account
of
'the
Parable
of
the
Sower'
given
by
Matthew
He
quotes
from
Isaiah
and
states
a
precept
which
applies
to
why
some
people
could
understand
the
parables
and
some
people
could
not.
Some
people
claim
that
the
New
Testament
replaced
everything
from
Genesis
thru
Malachi
so
that
they
can
justify
not
tithing.
However,
all
throughout
the
New
Testament
we
see
quotes
from
the
Old
Testament
like
this
quote
of
Isaiah.
That
means
that
part
of
the
Old
Testament
is
still
in
effect.
The
fact
is
that
only
the
religious
part
of
the
Old
Testament
was
replaced
by
the
New
Testament.
If
we
want
to
understand
parables
we
must
accept
all
of
God's
word
that
applies
to
us.
- When
Matthew
quoted
Isaiah,
he
stated
a
precept.
A
precept
is
a
truth
that
never
changes
regardless
of
circumstances.
Isaiah
28
tells
us
that
when
God
teaches
us
knowledge
He
teaches
us
precepts
first.
We
must
know
precepts
before
we
can
truly
understand
parables.
The
true
understanding
of
a
parable
never
goes
against
a
precept
of
the
Bible.
- An
example
of
this
is
the
fact
that
many
people
teach
that
there
are
only
two
kinds
of
people
when
the
Bible
teaches
that
there
are
three
kinds
of
people.
People
claim
that
everyone
is
either
saved
or
lost.
However,
the
Bible
says
that
there
are
people
who
are
saved
and
their
life
testified
to
their
condition.
Then
there
are
the
lost
and
their
life
testified
to
their
condition.
The
third
group
are
people
who
claim
to
be
saved
while
living
like
they
are
lost.
This
is
the
group
that
includes
people
who
are
identified
as
having
hearts
that
are
stony
ground
and
ground
among
the
thorns
.
The
Bible
teaches
that
we
cannot
know
if
these
people
are
truly
saved
or
lost.
Only
God
can
separate
the
saved
from
the
lost
and
He
will
do
it
at
the
judgment
when
it
is
too
late
for
anyone
to
change
their
fate.
In
addition,
the
Bible
teaches
that
the
saved
from
this
group
will
lose
all
of
the
blessings
of
being
saved
and
suffer
at
least
1,000
years
of
tears.
The
teaching
about
that
group
is
a
separate
subject.
However,
what
is
important
here,
is
that
some
people
preached
that
these
two
types
in
the
parable
are
saved
and
some
preach
that
they
are
lost.
Both
teachings
are
wrong.
Both
are
because
the
teachers
really
don't
understand
Bible
precepts
properly.
We
must
understand
Bible
precepts
properly
or
we
will
not
understand
parables
properly.
- The
last
two
parables
in
our
chapter
in
Mark
are
about
the
kingdom
of
God
.
A
lot
of
people
confuse
the
kingdom
of
God
with
the
the
kingdom
of
heaven
.
The
word
of
means
'belongs
to'.
The
kingdom
of
heaven
is
'the
kingdom
that
belongs
to
heaven'.
This
includes
the
angels,
God's
throne,
the
crystal
sea
and
our
eternal
rewards
which
we
will
receive
when
we
get
there.
In
contrast,
the
kingdom
of
God
is
'the
kingdom
that
belongs
to
God'.
A
king
puts
his
character
on
his
kingdom.
Satan's
kingdom
is
evil
because
Satan
is
evil.
God's
kingdom
is
holy
and
righteous
because
God
is
holy
and
righteous.
When
the
Bible
speaks
about
the
kingdom
of
God
,
it
talks
about
us
receiving
God's
character
in
us
while
we
are
alive
in
this
world.
Any
teaching
about
a
parable
that
does
not
include
a
lesson
on
how
we
are
to
become
more
like
God
is
either
incomplete
or
wrong.
- The
second
parable
of
our
chapter
is
in
Mark
4:21-22.
The
obvious
physical
lesson
is
that
a
candle
is
bought
to
be
put
on
a
candlestick
and
give
light
to
all
around
it.
The
first,
obvious,
application
is
that
Jesus
is
the
light
of
the
world
(John
9:5).
He
brings
spiritual
light
and
understanding
to
everyone
who
turns
to
Him
and
accepts
His
spiritual
light
.
The
second,
obvious,
application
is
that
the
saved
are
to
be
the
light
of
the
world
(Matthew
5:14-16).
This
application
is
part
of
the
context
of
the
same
parable
in
Matthew.
However,
there
is
a
third
application
which
most
people
miss
and
it
is
actually
said
in
our
account
in
Mark
in
Mark
4:22.
At
the
judgment
seat
of
Christ
,
everything
which
we
thought
was
hid
from
the
world
will
be
revealed
by
Jesus.
Without
going
into
the
details
of
that
parable,
the
lesson
for
understanding
all
parables
is
that
everything
which
we
do
in
this
life
will
be
revealed
when
we
are
judged.
Therefore,
the
true
teaching
of
any
parable
should
encourage
us
to
do
things
which
will
get
us
a
good
judgment.
We
always
want
to
be
aware
of
our
final
judgment
any
time
that
we
make
a
decision
in
this
life.
- We
already
talked
about
the
next
verse
which
says
If
any
man
have
ears
to
hear,
let
him
hear
.
That
is:
be
aware
of
the
spiritual
lesson
that
has
just
been
taught.
The
lesson
of
the
prior
verse
is
that
everything
in
our
life
will
be
revealed
when
we
are
judged.
The
secrets
that
Filipinos
love
will
all
be
revealed
so
don't
do
anything
that
you
don't
want
all
of
Heaven
to
know
about.
- Our
next
verse
says
Take
heed
what
ye
hear:
with
what
measure
ye
mete,
it
shall
be
measured
to
you:
and
unto
you
that
hear
shall
more
be
given.
The
phrase
Take
heed
means
'pay
attention'.
Some
people
interpret
some
parables
to
justify
people
sinning
against
other
people.
Our
sentence
is
warning
us
to
not
listen
to
that
type
of
doctrinal
error.
For
example,
there
are
people
who
take
the
parable
in
Matthew
18:21-35
to
claim
that
you
must
forgive
your
saved
brother
of
anything
that
he
does
against
you
even
if
he
doesn't
repent
and
refuses
to
restore
what
he
stole
from
you.
They
ignore
the
fact
that
the
servant
who
first
received
forgiveness
was
delivered
him
to
the
tormentors,
till
he
should
pay
all
that
was
due
unto
(the
master)
.
Only
the
parable
started
out
saying
that
the
servant
could
not
pay,
which
means
that
he
was
literally
tormented
to
death.
I
have
seen
God
bring
terrible
judgment
upon
saved
people
who
used
the
perversion
of
this
parable
to
claim
that
saved
people
can
mistreat
their
brother
and
then
demand
forgiveness
while
they
did
nothing
to
restore
the
damage
which
they
did.
Our
verse
in
Mark
says:
with
what
measure
ye
mete,
it
shall
be
measured
to
you
.
We
are
to
not
listen
to
anything
which
says
that
we
can
treat
our
saved
brother
or
sister
wrong
and
get
away
from
it.
- The
last
phrase
of
that
verse
says:
and
unto
you
that
hear
shall
more
be
given
.
In
the
parable
of
the
pounds
and
the
parable
of
the
talents,
the
person
who
brought
the
greatest
profit
to
his
Lord
received
even
more
reward
while
the
person
who
brought
no
profit
lost
everything
and
was
an
eternal
pauper.
We
are
to
hear
instruction
that
encourages
us
to
bring
a
greater
profit
to
God's
kingdom.
- In
the
matching
account
of
Luke,
we
read:
Take
heed
therefore
how
ye
hear
(Luke
8:18).
If
we
let
the
Bible
lesson
go
in
one
ear
and
out
the
other
without
retaining
and
considering
it,
we
will
bring
God's
judgment
upon
ourselves
for
not
obeying.
If
we
listen
and
apply
a
lesson
to
the
physical
reality,
we
may
miss
the
true
rewards
from
God.
But
when
we
listen
with
the
intent
of
understanding
and
applying
the
spiritual
lesson,
then
we
will
receive
the
greatest
reward
from
God.
Always
listen
for
the
spiritual
lesson
of
a
parable
and
how
to
apply
that
spiritual
lesson
to
your
life.
- The
first
parable
on
the
kingdom
of
God
,
within
our
chapter
is
in
Mark
4:26-29.
Here
we
see
that
we
are
to
do
our
part
and
expect
God
to
do
His
part
even
though
we
do
not
understand
how
God
works.
We
are
to
trust
God
and
not
worry
about
understanding
everything.
Also,
when
God
brings
a
spiritual
harvest,
we
are
to
reap
it
and
thank
God
for
the
results.
- The
last
parable
of
our
chapter
is
also
about
the
kingdom
of
God
.
When
God's
word
is
first
planted
in
the
heart
of
God's
people
it
seems
to
be
a
small
thing.
A
lot
of
time
the
preacher
or
teacher
wonders
if
they
even
were
understood
or
if
the
people
got
anything
out
of
their
lesson.
Yet,
later,
God
takes
that
small
lesson
and
uses
it
to
build
a
large
ministry.
The
lesson
is
to
do
what
God
gives
us
to
do
and
let
God
worry
about
the
results.
We
never
know
when
something
that
seems
small
to
us
might
be
used
by
God
to
do
a
great
work.
Therefore,
especially
when
combined
with
the
prior
parable,
we
are
to
do
our
part
and
not
worry
about
how
God
does
His
part.
As
with
the
parables,
we
have
a
very
real
job
to
do
in
this
world.
The
spiritual
results
are
related
to
what
we
do
and
are
based
upon
what
we
do,
but
the
spiritual
results
are
all
up
to
God.
Therefore,
we
are
to
do
what
God
tells
us
to
do
with
the
knowledge
that
God
will
use
our
efforts
to
produce
spiritual
results
even
while
we
do
not
understand
how
God
produces
those
results.
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2009
Lord
Jesus
Christ
in
the
1611KJV.
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reserved.
Revised:
02/16/26.