Praying Like Jesus: Praying For Unbelievers

Hebrews 5:7 "In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety." 

Welcome to day seven of our study on "Praying Like Jesus". The hope is that this study has began to change how you look at prayer and pray. In today's post Jesus is going to demonstrate perhaps one of the most significant things we can pray for: praying for unbelievers. When we think of all the reasons God has the church to continue being a presence here on earth, a number of suggestions are offered. Some note that Jesus wanted to have us remain in this world to be a worshipping people. Certainly we are to worship Him through our songs, hearing the Word of God and living out our daily lives before others - however worship will only be perfect in heaven. As noted teacher Dr. John MacArthur points out - the clue to defining our main purpose for remaining here on earth is found in the one thing we will not be doing in Heaven. 

All other activities that are very important: fellowship, growing in sanctification and learning scripture are biggies when it comes to defining the essentials of Godly living in this world - however they do not mark the chief reason for why we are here. All of those activities will continue on into eternity where Christians will not only had perfected them but will continue excelling in them. The only activity that will cease once we leave this world - either by death or rapture - is that of evangelism.

Jesus states in Luke 10:1-2 "Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. 2 And He was saying to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."'  Praying for unsaved loved ones, friends and co-workers opens the door for the Holy Spirit to lay such persons on our hearts and to see them as souls in need of the Savior. Evangelism is the Christian's greatest responsibility, which requires prayer.

As Jesus was dying on the cross, He prayed on behalf of unbelievers in Luke 23:33-34. Jesus uttered a total of seven sayings on the cross, and the prayer for unconverted people was the first of those sayings. The heart of Jesus' mission was to die for sinners. In the immediate sense He was praying for the Romans and Jews who had sentenced and condemned Him. Yet we also recognize in that prayer He was praying by extension for those sinners who sins He died for.

Point of Application: How often do you and I pray for unbelievers? We pray for the sick - and we should. We often pray for safety in traveling or before our meals - and we ought. We pray for provision of needs - which is necessary. Yet how often do we pray for unbelievers' salvation? Praying for the unsaved is the one thing that will break us from the tendency to focus on ourselves and begin the process of focusing on others. This is how Jesus taught and lived in His prayer life - putting others before Himself.

Praying Like Jesus - Encouraging others to pray

Hebrews 5:7 "In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety." 

These past five days have been dedicated to looking closer into Jesus' prayer-life to learn how to prayer-like Him. We have discovered five important principles: 

1. Prayer's power & priority

2. Fellowship

3. Significance in our decision making

4. Praying for one's enemies 
5. Thankfulness.  

Jesus consistently practiced each of those elements and so much more, modeling to us what effective prayer looks like, sounds-like and acts-like. Today's post features another very important element in learning to pray like Jesus - namely encouraging others to pray. Jesus did not keep His prayer-life to Himself, but gradually taught His disciples to pray and urged those listening to Him to do the same.

Luke 9:28-29 states: "Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming." This is the episode where Jesus gives the disciples a sneak peak into His undiminished Deity shining through His full humanity. Among the twelve disciples that followed Jesus throughout His ministry, there was an inner circle composed of Peter, James and John. Those three were invited by the Lord to come pray. In prayer we find that situations or issues that are closed to us in the realm of our thoughts or emotions are opened up when we go into prayer. Jesus desired to reveal His glory to these men, and chose to do so in the context of their corporate prayer. His desire for them was to pray.

Luke 19:45-46 depicts another episode where Jesus is cleansing the temple: "Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling, 46 saying to them, 'It is written, ‘And My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a robbers’ den.”'  Twice in Jesus' ministry we find Him cleansing the temple, both at the onset of His ministry (John 2) and here in Luke 19 at the near end. Why did Jesus do this? Because the outer courts of the temple had become a place of commerce, greed and dried-up ritual. 

The principle laid down by Jesus regarding the Jewish Temple as being a "house of prayer" is one which the Father had revealed concerning the tabernacle being a place where the priests would represent the people in offerings and prayer. 

Later on in the Old Testament we see this same principle of the temple being a "house of prayer" as spoken by Solomon in the dedication of Israel's first temple in 2 Chronicles 7:14. As Jesus placed a premium on prayer in His private life, He demanded that prayer be a major priority in the life of His people. The New Testament church is still to carry on this important principle of praying like Jesus and urging others to do the same, being that Christians are corporately identified as a Kingdom of Priests (1 Peter 2:9-12) that offer up prayers on behalf of people. (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Jesus invited others to join Him in prayer by means of example and exhortation.

Point of Application: If people were to look at our lives from afar, would they be able to tell that we are a praying people? Do we believe Jesus enough to say that prayer is so important that we could by our example and by encouragement convince others to pray? It is a challenging thought but a true one that needs to be applied. Jesus set the tone for how we as His people were to pray, not only as individual believers but as a corporate body of saints - His church. Simply praying for someone or even with someone can leave an impact. May you and I follow the lead of our Lord and pray - and then encourage others to do the same.

Praying Like Jesus: Thankfulness in your prayer-life

Hebrews 5:7 "In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety."                                                 

Welcome to day five of your study through the prayer life of Jesus.  In this study we are aiming to pray like Jesus so as to become more effective in our prayer-life. Thus far we have considered:

1. Prayer's priority and power
2. Fellowship with God
3. Praying when making decisions
4. Praying for our enemies. 

In today's post we aim to consider how Jesus included thankfulness in His prayer-life. Jesus did 35 recorded miracles in the four Gospels. Though Jesus had the right and power to do what He did as God, He as a rule yielded accessing that right in favor of depending upon the Holy Spirit Who was His Companion, empowering Him as the Messiah. Luke 9:16 records the greatest of Jesus mass miracles - the feeding of the 5,000: "Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people." Jesus "blessed" or "acknowledged the grace and power of God" to His Heavenly Father. The heart of Jesus beat with thankfulness to His Father for the opportunity to feed the people to whom he was ministering. This particular miracle was significant in that Jesus was demonstrating Himself as the "Bread of Life", as well as representing the height of His popularity. Despite the throngs of people, by the time the miracle was over, almost all of them defected from Jesus. Despite that profoundly disappointing outcome, Jesus ever remained thankful and thus on target in His desire to complete the work assigned to Him by the Father.

As Jesus neared the cross we see Him on the eve of His crucifixion in Luke 22:17-19 "And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Notice what He does in the distribution of the elements of the bread and fruit of the vine - He had "given thanks". In the Passover Meal, of which this undoubtedly was, Jesus would had been distributing what the Jews called "The Cup of Redemption", commemorating God's deliverance of the Israelites in the Exodus from the hand of Pharaoh in Exodus 12-15. In giving thanks for that major event of redemption, Jesus was looking forward to what would be the greatest act of redemption - namely His own act.

The theme of thankfulness in Jesus' prayer life continues right through His post-resurrection appearances to His disciples. Luke in Luke 24:30 records: "When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them." Later on in the same chapter we read in vss 50-51 of how Jesus blessed His disciples as he ascended into Heaven. It is interesting how much we can link the blessing or thankfulness of Jesus to instances of eating and feasting in Luke. Truly thanksgiving in our prayer-life enables us to feast and enjoy the presence of the Father.

Point of Application: When was the last time you and I spent the majority of our prayer-time thanking the Lord? 1 Thessalonians 5:17 reminds us to "pray without ceasing. Jesus was ever thankful in His prayer-life and may we be the same in ours.

Praying Like Jesus: Praying for your enemies

Hebrews 5:7 "In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety."

So far in this study we have considered what it means to pray like Jesus in the following areas: 1. Priority and power of prayer
2. Prayer being fellowship with God 
3. Praying to make daily decisions.  

In today's devotional we look at one of the more difficult areas of prayer and life that Jesus masterfully models to us: praying for one's enemies.  Luke records by inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Luke 6:27-28 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." We find it easy to pray for loved ones and to pray for our fellow Christians - but what about the boss or that annoying co-worker or perhaps that family member whom you would rather avoid at the next family reunion? What is the typical ways we choose to deal with such people? Conventional wisdom would say to not think about them.  Yet there are times when our thoughts and emotions can do anything but think about how they have hurt us, or how they could hurt us again.  Others would suggest some level of revenge or perhaps a form of passive aggression, heaping guilt trip upon guilt trip on those that we truly cannot stand. 

Yet Jesus gives us the only method which is truly effective in dealing with hard-to-get-along type of people - praying for them.  When you and I pray for people and bring them before the throne of God, it is very difficult to retain hatred, animosity and bitterness toward them. Does it mean that in praying for that person that we will become friends? Maybe not. However in praying for that person we may be able to avoid being unfriendly and un-Christ-like.  Perhaps the greatest example we see in the Bible of praying for one's enemies is Jesus at the cross in Luke 23:33-34 "When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. 34 But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves."

Point of Application: I would encourage you and I to think about those people in our lives, both past and present, whom we could honestly place in the "enemy" category (or at least the "mild agitation" slot). As we pray for them, watch what changes to place inside of you in regards to your feelings towards that person.  Furthermore, watch what occurs when even if that person should continue to hurl insults at you, notice the change in your response.  Perhaps in praying for them you may find yourself choosing not to respond at all.  Perhaps too God could bring about a supernatural change in that person.  At the cross, a Roman Centurion confessed Jesus as the Son of God (Matthew 27:54) and a lowly thief confessed Him as the True King (Luke 23:42). Prayer can change things, people and us because of the God Who has ordained it for our benefit and Who chooses to work forth His will through it.  May you and I pray for those who despitefully use us and hurt us and pray like Jesus for our enemies.  

Praying Like Jesus: Decision making requires prayer

Hebrews 5:7 "In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety."

In today's post we consider two episodes in the life of Jesus that required great decisions to be made: choosing His Twelve Disciples and choosing to go to the cross. Though they are not the only instances, they represent some of the more important decisions that Jesus submitted to the Father in prayer.  

The first of these is found in Luke 6:12-13 "It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles". Jesus' decision of these men was prefaced by prayer. Why? As God Jesus would had known whom He was going to choose to be the ones to take the Gospel throughout the world following His resurrection and ascension into Heaven.  Furthermore, He indicates in His high priestly prayer of John 17:6 that these men were the ones whom the Father had "given to Him". Eleven of them were to remain ever faithful to Jesus, with one (Judas Iscariot) defecting and eventually betraying our Lord.  In God's Sovereign plan, even Judas had a place in the overall plan to bring our Lord to the cross. (John 13:18; Acts 2:23-24)  With that being said, Luke reminds us that Jesus at the same time chose to be a man and execute decisions such as the choosing of the twelve as a man.  In His humanity, Jesus Christ prayed all night to His Father, indicating His desire to do everything according to the Father's will.  The question that you and I need to ask is how willing are we to submit our decisions to the throne of God in prayer?

The second major decision we will consider in which we see Jesus submitting a major decision is in Luke 22:39-46 "And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. 40 When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” 43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.45 When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, 46 and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” As God Jesus had already agreed with the Father in eternity to come to earth and pay the price for our salvation. (Hebrews 10:5-10) As man, Jesus would need to willingly affirm to the Father what He had already agreed to do in eternity - namely to go to the cross. This decision included prayer. Was Jesus just going through the motions, even though He knew what needed to be done? No. Rather as our perfect human representative, He recognized that God ordained prayer as a means of fulfilling His will.  Jesus had to not only be able, but willing to go to the cross.  Prayer enables our "chooser" - the will - to be brought into alignment with God's purposes.

Point of application: What major decision are you facing in life? You and I are the sum total of our choices. Jesus exemplified the important truth of submitting our decisions to God in prayer.  Think of your prayer time before the throne as a time to examine that decision under God's search light.  Often when we pray about our decisions, great or small, clarity and insight are often found and we come out of prayer having certainty about what we need to do.  Jesus never presumed on God, meaning He never attempted anything, no matter how noble or even Godly, on the basis of assumption.  Rather Jesus did everything He did based upon His relationship and fellowship with the Father.  May you and I submit our decision making to prayer and apply prayer to our decision making.  Only when we have put prayers to our feet can we then know how to put feet to our prayers.

Praying Like Jesus: Prayer is fellowship with God

Hebrews 5:7 "In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety."

Yesterday we looked at how Jesus' prayer-life evidenced the priority and power of prayer.  From the very beginning Jesus made His prayer life the epicenter of His activity.  In today's devotional we consider the importance of fellowshipping with God in prayer. Luke records the opening scene of Jesus' public ministry in Luke 3:21-22 "Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” Jesus came to identify with the very people He would give His life for and to identify Himself publically as the Lamb of God. From all eternity Jesus had been the Son, sharing in Eternal glory with the Father and the Spirit.  What we see happening here at the Jordon is the Father's declaration of this fact to Jesus in His humanity. Notice what the text says: "while He was praying". Prayer can be likened to opening up a window or a door in our lives to give God the opportunity to shine in His light and presence.  In this scene we see the appearance of all three Persons of the God-head: The Father above, the Spirit coming down (as a dove) and the incarnate Son with His people. Prayer is the believer's connecting line to fellowship in and with the Triune God.

Elsewhere in the New Testament we read of this glorious power and mystery of prayer as it pertains to our fellowship with the Father, Son and Spirit. Ephesians 2:18 states: "for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father."  May the reader note the following observations from Ephesians 2:18 with regards to our fellowship with God in prayer. First we come "through Him" - that is to say - the Son, our Mediator and Heavenly Advocate before the Father. (1 John 2:1-2) As the Son was the Mediator between men and God at the Jordon and at Calvary during His earthly life, He is ever the Mediator on the believer's behalf in Heaven.  Second, we read in Ephesians 2:18 "we both have our access in one Spirit" - that is to say - by the Holy Spirit's work in and through us here on earth.  The Holy Spirit is our intercessor here on earth Who takes our prayers directly to the Son and the Father in Heaven. (Romans 8:26-27)  With lightening quick speed He brings back the answer to us and encourages us to pray again.  Then thirdly, Ephesians 2:18 ends with the phrase "to the Father" - that is to say - the destination of prayer is the Father.  Fellowship in prayer is based on the finished work of the Son, proceeds on the continuing work of the Spirit and aims to connect with the Father.

Point of Application: Fellowship with God in prayer is not just a one-way deal wherein we are just talking to God.  Fellowship entails a conversation between God and us and us and God.  By His Spirit He engages us in dialogue through His Son as we with an open Bible talk to Him and listen for His voice. Jesus demonstrated not only His desire to have fellowship with people, but demonstrated His unique fellowship with the Father, and the Father with Him.  By faith in the Son, we enjoy that same access and with the indwelling Holy Spirit we get the opportunity to know the Father more and more through prayer.  This is the most important fellowship you can ever do in life - fellowship with God. 

Praying Like Jesus: Learning the priority and power of prayer

Mark 1:35 "In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there." 

When we learn to pray like Jesus, we note how often He enjoyed spending time alone with His heavenly Father.  Almost from the onset of Jesus' ministry we find Him setting the pattern for His busy three and one half year ministry. At times Jesus would be in the seeming height of business and suddenly drop everything to go and pray. Luke 4:42 notes: "When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from them." Success and popularity followed Jesus wherever he went in those early stages of His work. Many people would look for such opportunities to grab the spotlight and sway the masses - but not our Lord. Luke notes in Luke 5:15-16 "But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray."

The true source of Jesus' strength was not the crowds, but the time He had with the Father.  Though Jesus ever remained fully God, yet He chose not to utilize the benefits that come with being fully Divine, but rather chose in His humanity to rely upon the One who had sent Him. Luke 9:18 reveals: "And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?”  Jesus ever retained the understanding of Who He was and Whose He was.  His prayer life was so powerful and persistent that his disciples requested a lesson from Him on prayer. Luke 11:1-4 records for us the incident: "It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” 2 And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 3 ‘Give us each day our daily bread.  4 ‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’ "

Points of Application: As we draw today's post on praying like Jesus to a close - we can glean two points of application from Jesus prayer-life. First, Jesus prioritized the tasks of life around His prayer-life and by His prayer-life.  Too often we reverse the order and say to ourselves: "I'll pray later" or "I'll pray when my schedule gets better". Jesus shows us that life's busyness never recedes - and that time with the Father regulates all we do.  Secondly, Jesus public ministry was regulated by His prayer-life. A man's ability to influence men for God will never exceed how much the man is influenced by God in prayer. Jesus' prayer-life was saturated by the Father's presence - which is why He wielded such power to shape and mold the world around Him. Jesus demonstrates both the priority of prayer by how eager He was to spend time with the Father.  May you and I dear friend take to heart these lessons from the Master. 

Jesus Parables 101: Why did Jesus Tell Parables?

Matthew 13:10  "And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

Introduction and Review

In yesterday's post we considered what a parable is and how to interpret them.  In today's post we want to consider why He told parables.

The question is asked and Jesus' answer

After telling the parable of the soils in Matthew 13:1-9, the disciples ask Jesus this question: “Why do You speak to them in parables?” In the answer Jesus gives in Matthew 13:10-17 we can glean four reasons why Jesus told parables:

1. Instruct true believers. 13:10-12

Jesus states in Matthew 13:10-12 "Jesus answered 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 more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him." Parables are amazing in that they give an arena in which Sovereignty can work to bring about a response and human responsibility can reject. Those to whom the message is intended (i.e the disciples and those whom Jesus is looking to reach) will get it.  They already have it in them to come to the truth.  For others, they are too busy, or distracted or some other excuse, resulting in them not "getting" what Jesus is teaching.  True believers will get the parables, and act on what Jesus is saying.  Notice now a second reason why He chose to tell parables....

2. To fulfill Prophecy. Matthew 13:13-15

Jesus saw Himself fulfilling the prophecy that He quotes in Isaiah 6:10. In Isaiah's prophecy God had given him a mission to preach to people in Israel.  Not everyone was going to believe and it was going to be a very hard ministry.  However the value of Isaiah's task did not lay in the response but rather in the One who sent Him.  Furthermore, God's Sovereign purposes included having a remnant known to Him in whom He would work. Though most would reject Isaiah's message of their own genuine choice, the message had an intended target. Jesus saw Himself fulfilling prophecy, indicating that as Messiah, He was to proclaim the Kingdom in parables. These same verses leads us to the third reason why Jesus told parables...

3. To sift out make-believers. Matthew 13:13-15

In Jesus' ministry, as well as the church today, there is always a mixture of true believers and make believers.  In the same 13th chapter of Matthew Jesus describes such a mixture as "wheat" (true believers, those who possess genuine faith) and make-believers (false believers or merely "professors of faith"). The remarkable reality of the parables was that a typical crowd could hear the same parable and yet give different responses.  Anyone who walked away from Jesus or who failed to take in what He was giving them was to blame.  Yet for those who did take in what Jesus was saying, God's work of Sovereign grace was to be credited.  Parables uniquely and remarkably preserve that tension we often times see in scripture between God's Sovereignty and human responsibility. Sifting out the "genuine" from the "phonies" was one of the purposes of the parables. Now notice the fourth reason Jesus told parables...

4. Harvest more true believers. Matthew 13:16-17

We read in Matthew 13:16-17 "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."  Jesus undoubtedly was speaking mainly to his inner circle of disciples.  However for those who had been so affected by Jesus words, for those who had it in them to take what Jesus said to heart - He is essentially saying: Come! Follow Me! Notice three key words in Matthew 13:16-17 that describes for us a heart operating in true saving faith: "see"; "hear" and "desired". When anyone hears the words of God and they are affected by what they hear, no one will be able to drive them away.  The supernatural grace of God brings about a response.  That person is set free and they have it "in them" to take to heart and act out what Jesus is saying.  They not only hear and see but desire to hear and see more.  

Conclusion:

So why did Jesus tell parables? As we saw today, four reasons: 1). Instruct true believers 2). Fulfill prophecy 3). Sift out make-believers and 4). Harvest True Believers .

Jesus' parables 101: What are parables and how do you understand them

Matthew 13:10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

Introduction:

In today's post we aim to introduce the reader to the parables of Jesus and some practical tips to studying and applying them.  Below we will simply walk our way through today's post by asking a series of questions that will introduce the reader to this fascinating subject of the parables of Jesus.

1. What is a parable?

 The most fundamental meaning of the term "parable" as to do with taking a known idea, principle, experience or story and placing it alongside a spiritual truth or principle in order to shed light on that spiritual concept. The simple diagram below illustrates what is literally meant by the term "parable":

----------------------spiritual truth--------------------

____common experience, story, illustration__

Quite literally the term "parable" comes from two Greek terms: "para" meaning "alongside" and "ballo" meaning "to throw, cast".  When combined together, the term describes someone like Jesus taking a known thing and "casting it up alongside" and otherwise unknown spiritual truth that needs illuminated to the listener. 

Some Bible teachers estimate that in upwards of 30% of Jesus' teaching was in the form of parables.1  We discover over 50 parables of all different forms told by Jesus in the pages of the four Gospels. This tells us that in studying the parables, and understanding how Jesus unfolded truths to His listeners, we can gain insight into the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.  By studying them we can glean important insights into areas such as salvation, practical everyday Christian life, the Kingdom, the supernatural realm, bringing glory to God and relating to other people.

2. How do we understand the parables?   

As we come to the parable of the soils in Matthew 13:1-23, Jesus gives us the key to understanding His parables.  As a matter of fact the parallel passage in Mark 4:13 actually has Jesus saying: "And He said to them, 'Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?" Now we are not going to focus on interpreting the parable of the soils exclusively in today's post, however Jesus indicates that the parable itself functions to unlock the answer to two major questions: how are we to understand them and why Jesus spoke in parables. We will first of all look at the simple method for interpreting Jesus' parables as gleaned from Matthew 13:1-23 and other passages.

a. Observe the setting of the parable.

In Jesus' parable of the Sower the setting features a sower or a farmer, seed and different types of soils.  Consulting a good Bible Dictionary or a good Study Bible with study notes can enable the reader to begin understanding the imagery of many of Jesus' parables. Resources such as J. Dwight Pentecost's "The Parables of Jesus" notes: Since wheat was a staple of the diet in Palestine, the procedure of raising wheat would had been very familiar to the Lord's hearers. In preparation for sowing the seed, the ground was cleared of all old growth. This caused the entire field to look the same. The sower had no idea of what roots or rocks lay beneath the surface soil. The soil was not plowed as is done today, but rather the seed was broadcast by the sower on the surface of the soil. The seed was then scratched into the soil with a primitive wooden plow. The sowing was done before the early rains that caused the seed to germinate. The sower waited through the growing period for the coming of the latter rains that brought the grain to full fruition and thus provided a bountiful harvest."2 Such background information will ensure the reader that they are getting to the intended meaning meant by Jesus and a better understanding of what He is communicating.

b. Find the key point of the parable.

Parables by and large are designed to communicate one main idea, principle or truth, however there will be those parables that are composed of multiple parts, requiring each part to be interpreted.  Jesus' parable of the soils is told by Jesus in Matthew 13:1-9, with His own interpretation of it given in 13:18-23. Clearly there is more than one part to the parable, however there is at the same time one overall theme, namely the different patterns we see in how people hear and understand the Word of God (compare Matthew 6:23). Bible scholar Simon J. Kistemaker reminds us: Althought it is generally true that a parable teaches only one basic lesson, this rule should not be pressed too far. Some of Jesus' parables are complex in composition. Later he writes: Moreover, in Jesus' parables it is not the beginning of the story but the end that is important."3

c. Cross reference of scriptures to see how the parable connects you to other parts of the Bible.

Jesus' telling of this parable of the soils in Matthew 13 ought to be compared to His telling of it in Mark 4:3-8 and Luke 8:5-8. Such cross comparison can enable the reader to understand the nuances of Jesus' parables. In the case of the parable of the soils, which is all about explaining how various people understand and hear God's Word, unlocking more difficult passages such as the warning sections of Hebrews 6 and 10 can aid the reader's understanding.  Over time the parables can provide a window in which to see the broader unity of the Word of God. In seeing the bigger picture of God's truth, we can then come back to the parable itself and have an even better understanding.

d. Live out the main point or teaching(s) of the parable

It is obvious that the reason why parables begin in the realm of the known and proceed to the unknown is to get the listener to bring spiritual truths to bear in everyday life. As James notes in James 2:26 "For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."  In studying the parables, the reader or listener or preacher is able to cloth spiritual and oftentimes abstract principles in the garments of everyday life.  Ordinary life is where God would have us to live out extraordinary lives for His glory. 

Tomorrow we will consider why Jesus told parables.....

Endnotes:

1. Simon Kistemaker. The Parables - Understanding the Stories that Jesus Told. Baker. 2002. Page 10 

2. J. Dwight Pentecost.  The Parables of Jesus.  1982. Kregel. Page 46.

3. Simon Kistemaker. The Parables - Understanding the Stories that Jesus Told. Baker. 2002. Page 11

Practical tips on fasting

Luke 2:36-38 "And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem."

Introduction to fasting

In the New Testament alone we find reference to fasting nearly 30 times.  In the first mention of fasting here in Luke 2:37 we find a woman by the name of Anna, a prophetess who according to the text, had been married but seven years and then was widowed to her 84th year.  Anna's name in the original language means "grace" and so here was a woman who leaned upon grace and lived by the grace of God in keeping with her namesake.  So much more could be said about this precious lady but for now we hasten to the main point of today's post - practical tips on fasting. 

Fasting is simply abstaining from any for of normal everyday sustaining pleasure (chiefly food, but could also be electronics or anything one typically draws strength or joy) for the sake of finding increased sustaining pleasure in God. Out of all the spiritual disciplines of the Christian life, fasting is perhaps the least practiced and least understood. It is probably fair to say that our generation of the church is the first generation to not practice fasting as a widespread general pattern. 

Sometimes it is best to introduce a subject not widely known or talked about in the realm of the practical. How does one start? How long should a fast be? How do people know when to fast, when to start one and when to end? The following are practical tips that I suggest and have learned over the years of fasting.  They are not meant to be exhaustive, but rather provide a starting point to help people to begin thinking about the practice, and hopefully to perhaps try it out for themselves.  I hope you find them helpful and perhaps interesting enough to begin making fasting a regular part of your life.

1. Begin small.  

Much like any physical or spiritual discipline (of which fasting is both), you begin small.  Begin with a meal, then branch out to two meals, then three meals.  

2. Remember, water is your friend in a fast. When I am beginning a fast, I try to drink as much water as I can.  The key to keeping focused in any fast is by drinking slowly, frequently and continuously.  Sipping on your water is the preferred method.  As you drink your water, the stomach's hunger pangs will be dulled and your body will be replenished.  

3. Juices can be good companions as well in a fast.

A total fast of just drinking water is one way of doing a fast. It represents the ideal method and should be considered when doing longer fasts. But for starting out I would suggest fruit juice. Like tip #2, sip, sip, sip! I normally will buy half-gallon sizes of juice, perferrably not from concentrate.  Avoiding sugary drinks will enable you to have less severe hunger pangs.

4. Make the pursuit of God you main goal

Passages such as Matthew 6:33 tell us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. When entering into any fast, whether it be a short one (one meal) or longer, seeking the Lord is the north pole of fasting.  As you enter into the fast, the Holy Spirit by the scriptures will begin to shed light on specifics. 

5. What are some areas that fasting targets

The aim of fasting is to shift your dependance upon the Lord.  The Holy Spirit dwells your heart or human spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:11-12; 3:16). Your soul, the "you", contains the human spirit and is the sum of your mind, emotions and will.  The left over sin remnants still resident in the Christian are located in the soul and body, which is the house of the soul and spirit.  Thus you aim in fasting is to have an open Bible and to have the opportunity to pray and seek the Lord in those times you would be eating.  

Our soul and body contain natural impulses or drives that if left unchecked can master us. Eating food and enjoying it is not sinful - since God supplies all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ and has provided such things for our enjoyment and consumption. (Philippians 4:19). Anything that masters us other than the Lord Jesus Christ has crossed the line from natural drives to becoming quickly sinful or what the Bible calls "carnal" (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). 

In fasting you are aiming to "hear" the Holy Spirit in your human spirit, and learning to recognize His voice as you give yourself to prayer, scripture and obedience.  You are a soul, containing a human spirit and living in and with a body.  As will be explained more below, fasting enables the Christian to get their spirit, soul and body into proper order.

6. Some thoughts on the benefits of fasting
As your stomach growls, you take the time to pray, signalling to God that your are more intrested in feeding on His word and His power than the food your body is craving.  A great verse for remembering the rationale for fasting is 1 Corinthians 6:12 "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered  by anything."

Fasting enables your soul and body to get in line with the Holy Spirit residing in your human spirit. Your body is the Holy Spirit's temple (1 Corinthians 6) and the soul is the arena wherein you live out your Christian walk in making decisions (will), thinking thoughts (mind) and developing feelings or affections for God (emotions). To get all of that into allignment with what the Lord is saying through His word is one of the chief goals in fasting.  

7. Coming out of a fast
As you prepared to go into your fast, there are some things to consider when coming out of one.  First of all, if you went one meal or several days, don't suddenly have a huge meal to try to "make up" for all the food you missed.  Ease back into the normal eating schedule.  Also too remember that in as much as fasting proclaims your dependency upon God more than food, breaking a fast proclaims your dependency upon God in how He supplies your food. Whether going into a fast or coming out of one - the focus is ever to be on the Lord.  

I hope some of these practical tips has piqued your interest in this Biblical practice of fasting.